Open mike 26/11/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, November 26th, 2013 - 188 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step right up to the mike …

188 comments on “Open mike 26/11/2013 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Paul 1
    26 November 2013 at 7:20 am

    Anadarko has started drilling for oil off the coast of Raglan.
    Another nail in the coffin for New Zealand’s reputation as a leader in environmental matters.
    A sad day.

    • Chooky 1.1
      26 November 2013 at 9:53 am

      YEAH to Greenie Jeanette Fitzsimons!!!!! …..former Green Party Leader and Green activist and researcher….What a gem of a woman!…what a hero she is…out there on the deep seas fighting against unsafe oil drilling off the coast of New Zealand. She makes me proud to be a New Zealander and proud to be a woman!

      …..and also a big Yeah for Bunny McDairmaid( Greenpeace)!!!! …what a New Zealand hero she is! ….skipper of SV Tiama tracking the oil drilling ship Noble Bob Douglas

      http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/blog/Bunny-McDiarmid/

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_Fitzsimons

      What fabulous women environmentalists!

    • Wayne 1.2
      26 November 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Totally agree with Paul!
      Unsure how a Government representing a country who has signed the Kyoto Protocol can stand up for deep sea drilling or any further drilling or extraction of fossil fuels which in turn create greenhouse gases.

      When Simon Bridge’s grandkids are running around with masks on to survive, he may see the error of his ways and thinking. Good for NZ? He is supposed to be an intelligent man, and I suspect far more educated than the role model John Key that he appears to idolise.
      The fact of the matter (quoting Simon), is that even with the stringent compliance necessary, New Zealand could not cope with an oil spill, and the events off Tauranga give evidence to the problems encountered and that was only small scale.
      This Government and subsequent governments, should be promoting and investing in alternative energy, do their homework (what they get paid for) and see the reality of the contributions people such as Kessler have given to the world.
      We could be World leaders yet again with inventing and promoting alternative energy sources.
      Time for present and forward Governments to stop and think about the decisions they are making, and stop focusing on the short term monetary gains.
      Global warming is happening, fossil fuels are contributing, let’s get behind positive steps to reduce fossil fuel extraction and hence useage and become part of the solution and not part of the problem.

      The argument of “did you drive your car today” is only a valid argument if alternate modes of transport were freely available. I am sure if alternative green fuels were available, they would be the peoples choice.
      So yes I agree…A sad day!

      • Rogue Trooper 1.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 3:32 pm

        These are sad days indeed, and it benefits people to be real about that. It’s scraping the bottom of the barrel time, socio-politically speaking. Seen footage of the air pollution in large Asian cities, looks like Blade Runner (which is being remade) to me.

    • David H 2.1
      26 November 2013 at 8:53 am

      Stewie will have to repair his time machine, in some future episode.

      • phillip ure 2.1.1
        26 November 2013 at 9:00 am

        i hope so..i hope so..

        ..it has to be all just a bad dream/time-machine thing..

        ..brian is the show..

        ..i mean..if the writers are bored..kill off who brian calls ‘the fatman’..

        ..but not the dog..!

        ..phillip ure..

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2
      26 November 2013 at 9:07 am

      Family Guy is one of the reasons I no longer watch TV.

      • David H 2.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 9:21 am

        For me thats South Park what a load of rubbish that is But sorry Draco but FG is at least funny.

        • QoT 2.2.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 7:32 pm

          You know, I have literally never before encountered someone who sees it that way around. You know what you get if you subtract all the “this is just like the time when I ___” randomness out of Family Guy? A less subversive version of All in the Family.

  3. Penny Bright 3
    26 November 2013 at 9:07 am

    FYI folks!

    It’s Tuesday 26 November 2013, about 7am and I’m about to get dressed, finish packing bag and get bus to 488 George St Sydney to attend a full day workshop at the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference.

    Have trimmed over 700 ‘business’ (NOT) cards, ready to do ‘swapsies’ with as many of the fellow attendees as possible.

    ACTIVISM 101 – GET THEIR NAMES! 🙂

    Tonight is a net-working event, so it will be quite a big day.

    I have printed off copies of the request Lisa Prager and myself have made to the NZ Serious Fraud Office, requesting an investigation for alleged bribery and corruption by Mayor Len Brown and Sky City (Auckland), to discuss with anti-corruption experts and any Australian media who may be interested.

    (It seems that many people I’ve spoken to here are aware of the Auckland Mayor ‘sex scandal’.

    However, the fact that there was NO ‘due diligence’carried out by Auckland Council on the increased risk of money-laundering, arising from the NZ International Convention Centre (or – as I prefer to call it – the Sky City ‘money-laundering’ ) Act 2013, whilst on Mayor Len Brown’s ‘watch’, doesn’t appear to be so widely known, probably because of what seems to be effectively a mainstream media ‘blackout’ on this story?).

    Meant of course in a caring way 🙂

    If you would like to see a copy of this SFO complaint folks, you can check out http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

    Cheers!

    Penny Bright

    ‘Her Warship’ 😉

  4. David H 4
    26 November 2013 at 9:19 am

    It seems that the Anti finning legislation is just another Smoke and Mirrors load of bullshit from the Nats as it is going to be phased in, in 3 years. So much for conservation from the Nats.

    “Lost in the touchy-feel good images was the fine print: New Zealand’s intention to ban the practice is three years away and is only a proposal.

    Conservationists worried about the status of many of our 113 shark species say there is no justification for the phase-in and fear fishing industry proponents will use a consultation period to water down the plan.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11161466

    • Naturesong 4.1
      26 November 2013 at 9:33 am

      The whole approach to managing New Zealand’s fisheries needs a rethink.

      From protecting all identified spawning areas to through to ensuring only New Zealander’s own and run the fishing boats. Dont get me started on longlines and bottom trawling.

      I see that cameras on fishing boats are to be phased in over the next 2 years to help combat dumping. Its a band aid.

      • phillip ure 4.1.1
        26 November 2013 at 9:50 am

        and from a vegan point of view..’don’t get me started’ on the similarities between the central nervous systems of fish and humans..

        ..and what the horrors for them of death from a hook thru the mouth..

        ..followed by suffocation and/or a head-bash..

        .. must be like..

        ..eh..?..

        ..phillip ure..

        • Naturesong 4.1.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 10:11 am

          I’m ok with eating dead things, though these days I comsume very little meat. A result of the change in my eating habits when I was a vegetarian.

          I’m also of the belief that if you do not have the stomach to kill it, you should not eat it.
          So, I’ve killed and eaten possums, chickens, duck, rabbits, goat, and fish. It’s the butchering I find more troubling than actually ending the animals life.
          I’ve not killed a deer, pig, sheep or cow.

          I’d like to see study of food sources including trips to farms and freezing works as part of the curriculum for every secondary school student so they can at least make properly informed decisions about what they eat.

          • phillip ure 4.1.1.1.1
            26 November 2013 at 10:17 am

            @naturesong..

            ..i agree with yr last paragraph..

            ..and..so..yr ‘naturesong’ is a funeral dirge for the animals you eat..?

            ..and can i ask why you went veggo in the first place..?

            ..how long for..?

            …and why you resumed carnivorous ways..?

            ..just curious..eh..?

            ..phillip ure..

            • Naturesong 4.1.1.1.1.1
              26 November 2013 at 10:33 am

              I started eating mostly as a vegetarian when I was flatting with a couple of friends who were veges.
              At that time, I’d eat meat when I visited my parents or sometimes when I went out.

              I then turned full vegetarian when I shifted and started living with with what can only be described as a bunch of hippies.
              Intelligent, informed, artistic, curious and healthy both in mind and body. Wonderful people.
              It was the start of a great deal of learning for me, not only in food, but emotional health, group or tribal health.

              All up I lived as a vegetarian for about 6 years.

              I started eating meat again when I left New Zealand and lived in various places overseas. I found it difficult to maintain being a vegetarian as a single travelling person, though I did meet people along they way that managed it.
              Not eating meat for me was never a moral decision as it is with some people.

              Since I returned to New Zealand, I’ve not resumed a vegetarian lifestyle, and continue to eat meat about once per week.

          • chris73 4.1.1.1.2
            26 November 2013 at 5:03 pm

            You probably won’t believe this but I agree with you

          • Murray Olsen 4.1.1.1.3
            26 November 2013 at 8:01 pm

            I think we should eat a lot more possums. I tried it once and was vaguely impressed. It might be a good way of controlling their numbers and giving our native flora and fauna a bit more of a chance. I agree with you about trips to farms and meat works, especially battery hen factories and pig torture facilities. Dairy farms might be good as well, just to see the damage being done to the waterways.

        • Clashman 4.1.1.2
          26 November 2013 at 10:29 am

          I’m sure its only a matter of time until science gives us some ethical reasons not to be eating plants.
          Whatcha gonna do then?

          • Naturesong 4.1.1.2.1
            26 November 2013 at 10:35 am

            I don’t think the word ethics means what you think it does.

            • Clashman 4.1.1.2.1.1
              26 November 2013 at 5:04 pm

              Really? I thought it meant something like – ” involving questions of right and wrong behavior : relating to ethics”
              http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethical
              Are you telling me vegans and vegetarians don’t consider eating meat as a question of right and wrong?

              • Naturesong …
                26 November 2013 at 7:18 pm

                Some vegetarians choose that path due to their moral or ethical outlook.

                However neither ethics nor morality are the result of empirical evidence or controlled experiments.

                • weka …
                  27 November 2013 at 8:55 am

                  Yet people claim that fish can’t feel pain (or animals can’t feel emotion) and use science to back that up. Some scientists support that using the scientific method.

          • yeshe 4.1.1.2.2
            26 November 2013 at 10:39 am

            Probably not have the same energy that I have now to reply to such an idiotic and useless comment by you, clashman.

        • Rosie 4.1.1.3
          26 November 2013 at 12:02 pm

          Oh dear. Phillip I think of this often when I eat fish. I reached my 30th anniversary of being vego last year. (I turned vego when I was 14) but have started eating fish occasionally. It’s gives me a protein burst that I seem to need more as I get older.

          But what to do? The darlings suffer and we have a slack arse regulatory framework around marine protection, and I’m uncomfortable with being part of the problem It’s a quandary.

          • phillip ure 4.1.1.3.1
            26 November 2013 at 1:06 pm

            @ rosie..

            “..But what to do? ..”

            can i suggest a (considered) vegan diet..?

            ..if still consuming cheese/dairy..these are ‘heavy’ foods for the body to process..

            ..avocado and peanut butter are good sources of protein..

            http://whoar.co.nz/?s=vegan+diet

            (link has lots of other protein-source information..)

            ..there is one culinary thing i have to give the americans credit for..

            ..the peanut butter and jam combination..

            ..a good quality bread (toasted..)..with a good quality (not sugar-drenched) jam..overlaid with a healthy dollop of (extra crunchy)peanut butter..

            ..washed down with hot tea..is a fast-food heaven..

            (and something weird is happening with me..i am getting urges to make (nut-laden) breads..and (not sugar drenched) jams..i dunno w.t.f. that is all about..)

            phillip ure..

            • Rosie 4.1.1.3.1.1
              26 November 2013 at 1:36 pm

              Thanks phillip 🙂

              I did try vegan on and off for many of those years, it’s where my heart is at as far as the bovines are concerned (they are lovely animals) and for environmental reasons, but , oh! I have a terrible soft spot for cheese. Cheese and only cheese, out of all the variety of dairy products. Now days I try to avoid Fonterra products where possible and get goat cheese if I can ever afford it. About two thirds of my meals would be vegan.

              Peanut butter – yes, the PIC;s one on wholegrain toast in the morning is a goer but PB + jam, I did give that a go as a teen but it felt a bit too Elvis for my tastes.

              And avo’s. Regrettably they don’t agree with me. Regrettable because they are a great food and good in place of dairy fats.

              I guess where I am now is in the place of a lapsed vego (pescetarian I think the word is)trying to mitigate the environmental and ethical impact of dietary requirements. And thats before my brand boycotts begin! Thats another level of avoidance due to not consuming food from corporates who have a track record of labour rights abuses.

              (With apologies to TS readers for TMI)

              • phillip ure …
                26 November 2013 at 1:50 pm

                and this one is a bit of a shocker for fans of the traditional kiwi-diet..

                ..esp xmas dinner edition..(death by butter..!..)

                http://whoar.co.nz/2013/heres-how-much-butter-it-takes-for-an-all-paula-deen-thanksgiving-beware-the-bog-standard-kiwi-tucker-diet-eh/

                (paula deen is an american celebrity chef..famous for her super-unhealthy recipies..

                ..(she fries creamed-rice..(!)..whoar..!.eh..?)

                ..it also has gifs..one of dean saying ‘please forgive me’..

                ..and as far as that traditional kiwi diet is concerned..it’s not that far from deen..

                ..have you read the edmonds cookbook lately..?

                ..’holy buckets of sugar and butter..!..batman..!’..

                ..phillip ure..

              • Belladonna …
                26 November 2013 at 3:16 pm

                Rosie, you get protein from most things you eat, plants are actually quite high in protein.
                No need to get it from animals at all. When did you last hear of someone in the western world suffering from protein deficiency? Cheese is hard to give up but you can buy vegan cheeses nowadays, some good, some not so good. I make cheeses from nuts, mainly cashews and they are delicious. Lots of recipes on google!

                • Rogue Trooper …
                  26 November 2013 at 3:23 pm

                  Nuts are excellent, in particular walnuts. They are often provided in the diets of elderly people who are unable to eat large portions; contain most minerals etc.

        • weka 4.1.1.4
          27 November 2013 at 9:13 am

          “..and what the horrors for them of death from a hook thru the mouth..

          ..followed by suffocation and/or a head-bash..

          ..must be like..

          ..eh..?..”

          Probably similar to the small creatures that get half chopped by the harvesting machines and then die slowly in the fields of grains and beans that provide the food you eat.

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2
        26 November 2013 at 12:45 pm

        I see that cameras on fishing boats are to be phased in over the next 2 years to help combat dumping.

        And I can imagine just how faulty those cameras will end up being.

  5. Fisiani 5
    26 November 2013 at 10:39 am

    Trillions of dollars worth of oil and gas simply waiting to be extracted. Anadarko are prepared to spend 1 million dollars a day to look for this oil. They obviously believe it is there. They will drill for 70 days and may well draw a blank (90% chance). Such is life. If they do strike oil then we all win. On Waitangi Day we may discover that New Zealand is richer than it is today

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 5.1
      26 November 2013 at 10:53 am

      Or poorer. Depends on the costs, which do not figure in your analysis. A bit like those housing market models that do not allow for decreases in housing value.

    • Fisiani 5.2
      26 November 2013 at 11:18 am

      The protest flotilla (six tiny boats) have given up and are on the way back to port already. The High Court cannot stop a perfectly legal activity. Roll on Waitangi Day when we can all discover if we are wealthier.

      • Naturesong 5.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 11:25 am

        So, if they do discover oil.

        How much wealthier will we be?

        And given that there is a 1/20 chance of a spill, when there is a spill, how much wealthier will we be?

        • Fisiani 5.2.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 12:01 pm

          The Cunliffe was trying to claim there was a 70% chance of spill. You are now trying to claim that there is just a 5% chance, That figure is not believable as it not the Norwegian UK or USA experience at all. The Gulf of Mexico is still cleanly producing loads of oil and profits to the USA.

          • Enough is Enough 5.2.1.1.1
            26 November 2013 at 12:18 pm

            Not to the USA…to a small group of corporate scum only.

            Don’t be such a fool. The Arabs sell oil correctly. Silly old New Zealand and USA just give it away to corporate scum bags

          • Ennui 5.2.1.1.2
            26 November 2013 at 12:19 pm

            Questions for all who object to drilling and petroleum exploration.

            Do you use an automobile?
            Do you intend to keep using an automobile?
            Do you use digital / electronic goods?
            Do you eat cheap packaged foods?

            I could carry on. If you want to stop it the only way is to stop consuming and using petrochemical products…which you will find pretty much impossible to do. We are all culpable, to change we need to embrace alternatives now, and cut our whole life expectations. If not, well we are fucked.

            • Naturesong 5.2.1.1.2.1
              26 November 2013 at 12:42 pm

              I have an automobile and use it when public transport, walking and cycling is inconvenient. One of the main considerations when buying my house was so that walking, cycling and public transport was most convenient.
              So, I take the train to the city, use my bike or walk for shopping, and use my car when I go to the coromandel.

              Yes, I use digital / electronic goods. I’m quite keen to see oil subsidies and tax breaks redirected toward research in alternative materials.

              Very few of my foods are cheap.
              I bake my own bread and grow vegetables. When shopping I have a couple of bags I reuse.
              Unfortunately, so many things are wrapped in plastic these days, it’s very difficult to avoid.

            • McFlock 5.2.1.1.2.2
              26 November 2013 at 1:05 pm

              That’s only half the equation.

              As Naturesong points out, existing in society without using oil (directly or indirectly) is pretty near impossible for us as individuals.

              But the very fact that oil companies are finding it commercially viable to drill so deep or mine crappy oil sands demonstrates that the “low hanging fruit” is running out, oil-wise. Refusing to endanger other industries and the environment by desperately drilling the last drops makes oil even more expensive, so R&D into fossil-fuel replacements becomes more commercially viable and accelerates the society-wide transition away from oil.

              We can’t stop using oil in our daily lives.
              We can try to stop drilling more of it, though.

              • Rogue Trooper …
                26 November 2013 at 2:19 pm

                it’s a case of +2 degrees, or +6 (no squiggly approx. key). 😛

              • infused …
                26 November 2013 at 7:23 pm

                It’s not impossible though, is it? So get started. Lead the way as the left like to say.

                • McFlock …
                  26 November 2013 at 8:10 pm

                  I’m pretty sure it is impossible in this society, especially if someone’s on an average income.

                  But I certainly try to limit the amount of fossil fuels I am responsible for.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.1.2.3
              26 November 2013 at 1:08 pm

              Yes, almost everything available today uses oil in its construction but most oil drilled is used for transport (69% to 97%).

              I’m not really against drilling for oil, I just think we should use it for better purposes than transport especially in NZ where it’s possible to produce enough electricity to power transport. We may have to get rid of private motor vehicles but that’s ok because they’re a massive waste of resources anyway.

          • Naturesong 5.2.1.1.3
            26 November 2013 at 12:34 pm

            I had a feeling you would not engage honestly. You have 2 logical fallacies here; ad hominam where you cast David Cunliffe as economical with the truth, and then use that as a red herring to avoid adressing either of my points.

            David Cunliffe did not claim there was a 70% chance of a spill.
            He produced documentation that showed there was a 70% chance of a reportable incident
            Amy Adams put forward the strawman that he was talking about spills. I see you are repeating that willful and dishonest mis-interpretation.

            The incidence of spills in ultra-deep water (greater than 1500m) are about 1 in 19 (24 spills from 465 wells).

            So, back to the question.

            If oil is discovered, how much wealthier will we be?
            And when an oil spill happens, how much wealthier will we be?

            • Fisiani 5.2.1.1.3.1
              26 November 2013 at 1:02 pm

              A spill of 50 -100 barrels of oil 100km off shore means diddly squat.

              • McFlock …
                26 November 2013 at 1:24 pm

                like your comments, fistiani.

                A spill of thousands of barrels means quite a lot.

                Your hero Key wants to gamble with over $15b in annual revenue from tourism and fisheries for the sake of a drilling rig that probably won’t match that in its operational life.

                • David H …
                  26 November 2013 at 3:19 pm

                  Maybe thats the Nats plan, ruin the tourism industry and then the Bankers and other thieves, can come in and make us slaves to the rich in our own country.

              • Naturesong …
                26 November 2013 at 1:24 pm

                More diversion and red herrings.

                Please show us all where you get the idea that a spill off the coast of Raglan will magically stop once 100 barrels have been spilt?

                But first;

                If oil is discovered, how much wealthier will we be?
                And when an oil spill happens, how much wealthier will we be?

                • Fisiani …
                  26 November 2013 at 2:56 pm

                  Your link to spills were spills of just over 50 barrels.
                  How much wealthier will we be? Just ask the citizens of the Arabian states with oil.
                  IF a tiny oil spill occurs not a cent less wealthier.

                  • Te Reo Putake …
                    26 November 2013 at 3:17 pm

                    “How much wealthier will we be? Just ask the citizens of the Arabian states with oil.”

                    So not wealthier at all, unless we’re members of the elite? Good to know.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      26 November 2013 at 7:26 pm

                      That’s the bit that completely eludes the average RWNJs. They go on about how better off we will be and ignore the fact that it will only be the 1% at the top that will be better off.

                  • Naturesong …
                    26 November 2013 at 3:56 pm

                    Spills less than 50 barrels were not included.

                    The document includes spills from 50 barrels up but to 4.9 million barrels.

                    However, we can only assess the likely hood of a spill with this data, not the extent of the damage. For that we would turn to modelling of what a spill would look like in our region of the world.

                    Andarko have refused to release the modelling, and only say

                    In the environmental impact assessment it last month lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority for its Taranaki operation, the company conceded a loss of well control would hold “significant impacts” for the environment, but stated this was “extremely unlikely”.

                    Now, comparing Saudi Oil to New Zealand.
                    More than 95% of all Saudi oil is produced on behalf of the Saudi Government by the parastatal giant Saudi Aramco.
                    So, they get to keep their oil, and being a leader in OPEC as well owning 18% of the worlds oil, they get it all on their own terms.
                    And were you aware that they are currently trying to diversify their economy. Why would they need to do that?

                    New Zealand on the other hand, with “Lets make a deal” Key ….
                    we get either;
                    5% AVR, that is 5% of the net revenues obtained from the sale of petroleum
                    or
                    20% APR, that is 20% of the accounting profit of petroleum production.

                    So, after the stuff is extracted shipped, processed or onsold, and the accountants go though it, we get royalties.
                    Whats the bet that the company makes an accounting loss, or ends up with token net revenues?
                    How much would you pay an accounting firm to ensure that happens?

                    Also, since there are enough known oil reserves in the world, that if we extracted them all and burnt the stuff, we’d literally cook ourselves. So, whatever oil was discovered, we cannot use all of it.

                    Oh, and for that pittance we assume all the risk of a spill, the cost of a clean up, the destruction of our fisheries, tourism, and Clean Green Image.
                    The image alone is valued in the region of 30B per year, every year.

                    So, again, how much wealthier will we be?

                    The wealth is not found in a polluting, dying industry.
                    The wealth is in clean energy solutions.

                  • Tracey …
                    27 November 2013 at 12:10 pm

                    Are their wells owned by an overseas company?

          • Tracey 5.2.1.1.4
            26 November 2013 at 3:21 pm

            when did he claim 70% chance of a spill? Link?

          • Murray Olsen 5.2.1.1.5
            26 November 2013 at 8:07 pm

            Great to see all that profit for the US and A. How much more before they’ll be able to house all their people? It wouldn’t cost that much, there are plenty of empty houses. Maybe they could fuel buses to transport homeless people to the empty houses. Ah, the wonders of profit!

    • Draco T Bastard 5.3
      26 November 2013 at 12:51 pm

      Trillions of dollars worth of oil and gas simply waiting to be extracted.

      As per normal the RWNJ fails to realise that the resource is more valuable than the electronic dollars.

      • Colonial Viper 5.3.1
        26 November 2013 at 1:29 pm

        It’s bizarre isn’t it. It’s like collecting points from a pin ball machine.

      • McFlock 5.3.2
        26 November 2013 at 6:28 pm

        As per normal the RWNJ fails to realise that the resource is more valuable than the electronic dollars.

        Worse than that, they can’t even figure out the value in electronic dollars.

        According to Wikipedia, NZ has oil reserves of 534 million barrels.
        At $1-200 per barrel, I make that $50-100bil.

        If the new deep sea exploration doubles NZ’s oil reserves, that’s maybe $200bil. “Trillions” my arse.

        Not just nowhere near “trillions”, but only ten or fifteen years worth of tourism income alone – income that even the existence of exploration can endanger, let alone a moderate spill.

        • Ennui 5.3.2.1
          27 November 2013 at 8:45 am

          The conversation we are having about wealth and dollars is totally redundant: who gives a flying fuck if the oil extraction ends up killing the planet how many $s you made?

          • weka 5.3.2.1.1
            27 November 2013 at 9:34 am

            Yep.

          • Colonial Viper 5.3.2.1.2
            27 November 2013 at 11:53 am

            We’re willing to sacrifice the NZ children and youth of today for the sake of trying to balance out electronic ledger entries.

            So I think that the ‘wrong’ ethos is very well established.

    • amirite 5.4
      26 November 2013 at 2:26 pm

      With all of the 5% of the royalties. woohoo.

  6. Johnm 6
    26 November 2013 at 10:39 am

    As Xtasy has painstakingly pointed out this government has been taking advice from UK advisors on how to deal with the sick and disabled. It also is practising a sanctions regime on the unemployed which I believe is being copied from the UK system. Over there it’s all got to the level of persecution of Beneficiaries as soon as they slip up or rightly refuse to not do workfare.

    The extreme it’s got to over there is illustrated by this case :
    “Half-blind woman crippled with back pain killed herself after benefits bosses stopped her disability payments – following a TWO MINUTE assessment
    Jacqueline Harris, 53, was told she was fit to return to work
    Widow was partially sighted and only able to walk with the aid of sticks
    Christine Norman claims benefits ruling drove her sister to kill herself”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513284/Half-blind-woman-crippled-pain-killed-benefits-bosses-stopped-disability-payments–following-TWO-MINUTE-assessment.html

    And here in NZ:

    “Winz forces Hamilton family to prove sons still disabled
    ‘To have to prove this is silly’ ”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/9437301/Winz-forces-Hamilton-family-to-prove-sons-still-disabled
    The harassing condition is as follows one which is patently ludicrous: “Winz threatened to put a stop to disability payments for their two teenaged boys unless they could prove they still have their condition.”

    • Tracey 6.1
      26 November 2013 at 3:23 pm

      Dyson did it oo. Under her regime my brother in law had to be retested, presumably winz thought there was a cure for cerebral palsy

  7. greywarbler 7
    26 November 2013 at 10:40 am

    This morning Steven Joyce was commenting on Government expecting enterprises to estimate their needs for revenue for a future year so they approximate better to the actual amount. He said that public or private should be able to forecast correctly. I was remembering how he had to bail out MediaWorks which seemed an example of how difficult this is to do.

    Tertiary educationals have had their buffer zone for repayment of over resourcing reduced from 3% to 1%. It must be hard to estimate right in this dynamic period of interesting times. So Government is squeezing these bodies for what reason? Trying to make provision of education harder? Along with a deep sense of distrust and distaste for any discipline other than an MBA with a PhD in how to extract millions of litres (dollars) from one lemon?

  8. CnrJoe 8
    26 November 2013 at 11:38 am

    U.S. Methane Study Says Emissions 50 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/25/us-methane-study-emissions_n_4339308.html

    and according to my recent sums – in dairy cows alone – we/n.z have the a population of 1.3 billion people in terms of shit and piss

    1.3 billion

    • phillip ure 8.1
      26 November 2013 at 12:04 pm

      that is one seriously stat there..cnr joe..

      ‘1.3.billion’..

      ..fuck..!

      ..phillip ure..

    • ropata 8.2
      26 November 2013 at 3:59 pm

      @CnrJoe… would be very interesting to see the detail of this statistic. And there’s nary a sewage pond to be seen throughout Southland. Just lots of rivers literally turning to shite

      • CnrJoe 8.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 6:20 pm

        Sure thing
        1 dairy cow = 17-20 humans worth of shit
        1.26 million dairy cows in the Waikato = 17 million peoples worth of shit

        2012 – new zild dairy herd 6.5 million cows = 1.300 000 000 peoples worth of shit

        And farts. And piss

        For milk. MILK !
        Only counting dairy cows.

        Google it up

        • ropata 8.2.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 8:29 pm

          Thanks.

          Will Fonterra pay for the cleanup? Unlikely since National Inc. nobbled the democratically elected ECan and other boards are stacked, and the RMA is being ‘streamlined’

  9. Ennui 9
    26 November 2013 at 11:40 am

    Here we are all arguing the toss and anticipating the “Left” being in power! Reality check time. Heres’ real power (from http://www.theautomaticearth.com/whos-really-king-of-the-world-today/ )

    Well, if you thought you’d seen all the madness and absurdity that could possibly come out of the financial system by now, you are definitely being caught on the wrong flat foot as we speak. And there can be no doubt that much more of this will be revealed as we go along. Jamie Dimon renting Buckingham Palace to celebrate his $13 billion settlement with US regulators is just the beginning, though it’s a pretty clear statement of just how untouchable too big to fail policies have made Wall Street and the City feel. And they don’t feel that way for nothing, in every sense of the word, count on it.

    A Labour spokesman said this about the party at the Palace, which included appearances by the Royal Philharmonic and the English National Ballet: ““There is also the fact that this should be a special place. This is the home of the Queen. Where is it all going to end?“ Well, sir, maybe it’s time to wake up, because the new kings and queens of the world have taken over. And they intend to be loud and proud about it, like any group of conquerors throughout history ever did.

    Stands our little attempts at “democracy” well on end do you think?

  10. tricledrown 10
    26 November 2013 at 11:47 am

    Fishy if oil is found in large quantities our currency will sky rocket in value then all farming and other exporters will become uneconomic

    • Fisiani 10.1
      26 November 2013 at 1:10 pm

      If oil is found in large quantities it would certainly raise the currency and make exporting difficult but not impossible. I have a Stressless recliner chair made in Norway for instance. It was expensive but absolute quality.The problem of being too affluent from oil riches could only arise under a National government. I for one would be happy to handle that crisis if and when it arises.

      • Tracey 10.1.1
        26 November 2013 at 3:24 pm

        happy with 5% royalties or are you banging down National’s door urging them to truly follow Norway’s policy

      • Colonial Viper 10.1.2
        26 November 2013 at 3:25 pm

        dutch disease

        plus NZ has proven totally incapable of managing our currency to a lower rate and thinks its OK to kill exporters to get cheap imported toys and fuel.

        • ropata 10.1.2.1
          26 November 2013 at 4:03 pm

          If the price of gas went down I reckon we would see a big uptick in the local economy — it would be fantastic to be oil independent like Norway

          • Colonial Viper 10.1.2.1.1
            27 November 2013 at 8:57 am

            Energy is an effective tax on all activities and products in an economy. So you are right, but such an “uptick” is likely to make us more dependent on fossil fuels, not less, as we enjoyed another round of the good time ride.

          • Tracey 10.1.2.1.2
            27 November 2013 at 12:13 pm

            wont anadarko send it all offshore? Like our best fruit and vegs, meat and seafood?

      • Draco T Bastard 10.1.3
        26 November 2013 at 7:31 pm

        The problem of being too affluent from oil riches could only arise under a National government.

        hahahahahaha

        The only people who would be able buy stuff would be the people getting the money and that won’t be 99% of the population. The only people National care about is the rich and they will do everything that they can to make them richer at our expense.

      • Murray Olsen 10.1.4
        26 November 2013 at 8:26 pm

        Norwegians can make quality stuff because they train craftspeople. We used to, but now we have a service economy with people who would have done apprenticeships finding themselves on a minimum wage or a grudgingly paid pittance of a benefit. Apart from yachts, what do we still make? A high dollar when we sell milk powder and our most creative people have moved overseas is a disaster, but I suppose it’ll make the next lot of ministerial Beemers a bit cheaper.

        • Draco T Bastard 10.1.4.1
          26 November 2013 at 9:37 pm

          +1

          That’s it exactly. We don’t have an economy any more, we have a financial roulette wheel.

  11. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 11
    26 November 2013 at 12:01 pm

    See Cunners is not going to buy back MRP, Meridian and Air New Zealand shares. Maybe he is not as crazy as the Standardistas hope he is.

    • northshoreguynz 11.1
      26 November 2013 at 12:41 pm

      But he’s not saying he won’t either. And markets hate uncertainty.

    • framu 11.2
      26 November 2013 at 1:07 pm

      you do realise thats just key attempting to lay a very obvious trap?

      Do you support the PM goading the opposition to behave irresponsibly?
      Wasnt “show me the money” keys catch cry last time?
      Isnt this now “go on, say something before you do your due dilligence”?
      Did you spot that key claims its the oppositions money and not tax payer money?
      Isnt waiting to see the state of the books before you commit to spending tax payer money a good idea?

      Me – im less than impressed that our PM chose to use the media to engage in school yard taunts. Just how old is he? 12?

      • Draco T Bastard 11.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 1:36 pm

        Isnt waiting to see the state of the books before you commit to spending tax payer money a good idea?

        The one thing that I’d like to see is the governments books open to everyone in real time.

        • framu 11.2.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 2:28 pm

          heh – and in the computer age – is there any reason why this cant be done?

          Plenty of reasons why it wouldnt be done though

      • infused 11.2.2
        26 November 2013 at 7:26 pm

        That he’s already fallen in to, because he’s a dumbass.

        • framu 11.2.2.1
          27 November 2013 at 8:31 am

          how exactly?

          all ive heard him say is “yeah nah – your just trying to trap me so you can call me a profligate communist”

    • alwyn 11.3
      26 November 2013 at 1:55 pm

      Many of the Standardistas, as you name them, don’t want Cunliffe to BUY back the shares either.
      There have been many comments proposing that the shares should simply be cancelled, or taken back into state control with no compensation being paid at all.

      • Colonial Viper 11.3.1
        26 November 2013 at 1:57 pm

        BTFD mate

        There have been many comments proposing that the shares should simply be cancelled, or taken back into state control with no compensation being paid at all.

        That’s not ideal and probably not necessary: you can just dilute the sons of bitches.

      • Draco T Bastard 11.3.2
        26 November 2013 at 3:48 pm

        Damn right we do. Selling anybodies assets without their permission happens to be theft after all and receivers of stolen goods don’t get compensated.

      • infused 11.3.3
        26 November 2013 at 7:26 pm

        yeah, lets see him try that.

    • CC 11.4
      26 November 2013 at 2:22 pm

      Hope a new Government is not going to do a buy back – renationalisation without compensation makes much more sense since the assets belonged to the past and present taxpayers of New Zealand and not the Government. The salutary lesson might teach the greedies a valuable lesson that falls short of violent revolution. On second thoughts, the French peasants and their quaint revolutionary technology sounds far more exciting – especially since the wailing of the shareholders/ticket-clippers would be short lived.

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 11.4.1
        26 November 2013 at 3:35 pm

        If he’s not willing to be so rash as to commit to buy them back, then I think expecting him to take them back without compensation is a recipe for disappointment.

        And CC, advocating murder of people you disagree with isn’t as hip as you think it is.

        • Rogue Trooper 11.4.1.1
          26 November 2013 at 3:39 pm

          This is Hip pretty baby…

        • felix 11.4.1.2
          26 November 2013 at 7:31 pm

          Murder, Gormy? lolz.

          We are all one, mate. All part of the greater whole.

          • ropata 11.4.1.2.1
            26 November 2013 at 8:34 pm

            “This is not war; it is pest control!” http://youtu.be/vu6_IxkAHsI

          • The Gormless Fool Formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrel 11.4.1.2.2
            26 November 2013 at 10:00 pm

            Yeah. Murder lolz. The funniest lolz there are. I laughed and laughed. Cracks you up too, I see Felix.

            • ropata 11.4.1.2.2.1
              26 November 2013 at 10:28 pm

              Ever heard of hyperbole, Gormy?
              Are we allowed to discuss legal penalties for heinous crimes?

            • The Gormless Fool Formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrel 11.4.1.2.2.2
              26 November 2013 at 10:34 pm

              Funnier than rape, ya reckon?

              • ropata …
                26 November 2013 at 11:46 pm

                A functional definition of a psychopath is a person who cannot feel empathy for fellow human beings or shame or remorse for their atrocities and acts of cruelty. However, non-compliance with their schemes with whatever level of courage one has at any moment and educating others as to the shit really going down on this planet is the only effective course. Like many species of vermin, and the mythical vampires that they are, they can only function in the dark.

                Sociopathic banksters won’t even get it when they’re waiting for their turn at the guillotine.

              • ropata …
                26 November 2013 at 11:53 pm

                Richard S. Fuld Jr. of Lehman Brothers said. “I take it as a personal failure to lose money,” On the morning of March 17, 2008, justice would declare he should have been headed to prison instead of to work.

                Richard Fuld, who early on that morning — at 5 a.m. — departed from his twelve-acre Greenwich estate with its twenty rooms, eight bedrooms, a tennis court, a squash court, and a pool house –one of five he owned—to be chauffer driven to deal with a possible run on banks and the bankruptcy of Bear Stearns, the smallest of Wall Street’s Big Five investment houses?

                Richard Fuld who, among past winners of Fed largesse and insider information soon to be scapegoat along with Ken Lewis, on that morning was headed “right onto North Street toward the winding and narrow Merritt Parkway, headed for Manhattan”…starring “ out the window in a fog at the rows of mansions owned by Wall Street executives and hedge fund impresarios,” as described by Andrew Sorkin in Too Big to Fail?

                Where “most of the homes had been bought for eight-figure sums and lavishly renovated during the second Gilded Age, which, unbeknownst to any of them, lest of all Fuld, was about to come to a crashing halt.”

                And where now, all but a handful in the financial sector, thanks to U.S. taxpayers and the ownership of a printing machine, are still enjoying, on the streets where they live, a financial sector share of corporate profits that has risen to a new peak in the $450 billion range, according to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis?

                • Colonial Viper …
                  27 November 2013 at 12:17 am

                  Starving the masses while feeding the banking machine with free printed (by electronic key strokes) money.

            • felix 11.4.1.2.2.3
              27 November 2013 at 12:52 am

              Hi Gormy, the lolz was at you you fool.

              Crimes against humanity on a massive scale, the perpetuation of suffering and death, the oppression and subjugation of many for the profits of a few, none of this seems to register with you.

              This ongoing, systematic violence and bloodshed goes unremarked upon, while you damn near faint with shock at the thought of anyone violently resisting these horrors.

              Interesting moral compass you have there. Might want to get it re-calibrated though.

              • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
                27 November 2013 at 8:23 am

                Someone’s compass needs recalibrating, I accept.

                CC advocates guillotining people who bought shares in Air New Zealand. The same people that James Henderson was so deeply concerned at having lost a few bucks the other day.

                I told him I thought that wasn’t as hip as he thought it was.

                I am pretty happy with where my moral compass is on this score.

                You might want to re-examine yours if you think that the privatising of 20% of the shares in an airline that you keep control of (and which the opposition planned to sell 10 years previously) is “ongoing, systematic violence and bloodshed” that requires beheadings.

                • tinfoilhat …
                  27 November 2013 at 8:44 am

                  Why is that someone many here deride as a RWNJ is talking sense while others are howling at the moon ?

                  • Rogue Trooper …
                    27 November 2013 at 1:27 pm

                    Strange Days.

                  • ropata …
                    27 November 2013 at 3:47 pm

                    Because if the top 1% continue their extreme greed and exploitation much longer then the number of people suffering under poverty and war will reach a critical mass, the fabric of society will fall apart, and no amount of money will save them from sharing in the misery they have created

                • felix …
                  27 November 2013 at 10:01 pm

                  “You might want to re-examine yours if you think that the privatising of 20% of the shares in an airline that you keep control of (and which the opposition planned to sell 10 years previously) is “ongoing, systematic violence and bloodshed” that requires beheadings.”

                  Ah yes sorry Gormy, I forgot your rule about only looking at any given event in absolute isolation from every other event.

                  • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
                    28 November 2013 at 7:30 am

                    What is the reason shareholders in Air New Zealand are to be beheaded? Is it unrelated to their shareholding in Air New Zealand? Makes as much sense as anything else you’ve pronounced on this topic, I suppose.

  13. Sanctuary 13
    26 November 2013 at 1:11 pm

    National’s full-on assault on democracy continues with an attempt to gut local democracy in Hawkes Bay in favour of a tiny , mayor plus nine member council for the entire Hawkes bay region. The autocratic and corporatist ambitions of Key and co know no bounds, they won’t be happy until the entire country is run by an unelected board of directors.

    Local government amalgamation is a hot button issue in Hawkes Bay. Napier Mayor Bill Dalton was elected on a specific anti-amalgamation platform. looks like this is going to send Stuart Nash to parliament as Labour MP for Napier for sure.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9443440/Panel-Merge-Hawkes-Bay-councils

  14. Rogue Trooper 14
    26 November 2013 at 1:22 pm

    Israel, Iran, and the Bomb
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/avi-benhur/israel-iran-and-the-bomb_b_4335626.html?

    Some, Israeli Concerns (other than being kept under a bushel regarding negotiations).
    http://www.dw.de/israels-fears-over-iran-nuclear-deal/a-17254067?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf
    -“the greatest diplomatic victory of the Islamic Republic since the Khomeini revolution”
    (and they have not forgotten Munich 😉 , or, have they).

    “[Israel]…”a rabid dog” pronounced Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just the other day over a cup-of-cha.

    • Colonial Viper 14.1
      26 November 2013 at 1:33 pm

      The Ayatollah’s comments are simply speaking to his local political base. Both this agreement, and the secret talks held with the US in the months leading up to it, would have needed the go ahead from the Ayatollah to have even occurred.

      As for Israel – to an outsider there is a lot of internal political pressure building up in that country, and also it’s spent too long delivering huge financial costs and political liabilities to the US for very little in return eg. Palestinian settlement situation getting worse not better.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.1
      26 November 2013 at 3:32 pm

      The Americans insist that Iran does not have the “right to enrichment”. Iran insists that it does.

      Can Americans can read?

      Article IV
      1. Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with articles I and II of this Treaty.

      Fairly straight forward I would’ve thought.

  17. Rogue Trooper 17
    26 November 2013 at 1:40 pm

    In-Alien Death Cult- Santa Muerte
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25032305?
    😎
    (“Alien technology and human stupidity, an unbeatable combination”- The Doctor).

  18. Colonial Viper 18
    26 November 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Bryce Edwards gives Labour a clear path to eliminate the National backing Maori Party

    The future of the Maori Party in both Te Tai Hauauru and throughout the rest of the Maori seats might well depend on relations between the Labour and Mana parties. If those two parties end up agreeing to an accommodation pact in which Mana stands aside from five of the seven seats and Labour stands aside in Hone Harawira’s seat as well as Te Ururoa Flavell’s Waiariki seat, then the Maori Party might struggle to remain in Parliament.

    http://liberation.typepad.com/liberation/2013/11/maori-party-and-te-tai-hauauru-a-sign-of-looming-defeat-.html

    • Rogue Trooper 18.1
      26 November 2013 at 2:20 pm

      ae, ka pai.

    • phillip ure 18.2
      26 November 2013 at 3:44 pm

      that makes much more sense than any deal with the maori party..

      ..who after election..could well turn around and support national..again..

      ..best to wipe them out..and be done with it..

      ..ensure a progressive govt..

      ..and start effecting some poverty-busting changes..

      ..i cannot think of single reason why such a lab/mana arrangement is not a good-deal..

      ..both battling to the death in those maori seats makes absolutely no sense for either..

      ..phillip ure..

      • ropata 18.2.1
        26 November 2013 at 4:07 pm

        What happened to the Foreshore and Seabed issue anyway? Isn’t that the reason for the Maori Party to exist? Was a billion dollars for Whanau Ora a good investment?

  19. Tracey 19
    26 November 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Please take some time to consider isgning this. None of us knows when we, a friend or other loved one, from illness, accident, or age may be disabled.

    The petition reads:

    “We, the undersigned, request the House of Representatives to urgently take all appropriate measures to ensure full access to public and commercial buildings for disabled people especially for new buildings in the Christchurch rebuild”

    For the Earthquake Disability Leadership Group this means equality in access and that all people, including those with disabilities are able to enter, exit and move through a building in the same way as everybody else does.

    The link to the online petition is https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/we-request-the-government-urgently-take-all-appropriate-measures-to-ensure-full-access-to-public-and-commercial-buildings-for-disabled-people-especially-for-new-buildings-in-the-christchurch-rebuild

    • ropata 19.1
      26 November 2013 at 10:33 pm

      Isn’t this already on the books?

      The Building Act 2004 and the Building Code require all buildings to which the public are admitted (whether for free or by charge) to have reasonable and adequate facilities for disabled people to visit, work, and carry out normal activities there. The Building Act and Building Code do not require access or facilities for disabled people in residential housing.

      The Department of Building and Housing administers the Act and regulations. Enforcement of the Act and regulations is carried out by territorial authorities, which issue building consents and code compliance certification for buildings that comply with the Act and regulations.

      The Building Act also references the New Zealand Standard NZS 4121 (the code of practice for design for access and use of buildings by persons with disabilities) as a compliance document for the requirements of disabled people’s access.

      http://www.odi.govt.nz/what-we-do/built-environment/index.html

      • Tracey 19.1.1
        27 November 2013 at 12:16 pm

        No, Joyce is taking the opportunity from the earthquake to save commercial developers money by not having to make their buildings accessible. It is intended to bring it in across NZ.

  20. Tracey 20
    26 November 2013 at 3:03 pm

    New proposed ammendments to evidence act passed cabinet. BUT I wonder if they will change much.

    One is that victims willbe told in advance if their sexual history is going to come up. That may dissauade them from appearing and have the opposite effect.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11163028

    • Draco T Bastard 20.1
      26 November 2013 at 3:45 pm

      The victims previous sexual history has no bearing upon their being raped. As such, it should be forbidden to bring it up in court or anywhere. In fact, there’s probably quite a bit that’s irrelevant to the allegation and should be banned from being asked – what the victim was wearing comes to mind as well.

      • Tracey 20.1.1
        27 November 2013 at 12:19 pm

        I agree. The ONLY possible evidence that might be relevant is if she has been proven to be a liar about being reaped before BUT a defendants previous offending, even the same type of offending s not allowed in, so logically….

  21. The Pink Postman 21
    26 November 2013 at 3:28 pm

    Tell me fellow Standard contributors am I the only one to feel rather uncomfortably at the way the parole appeals for Ewen MacDonald was arrived,at.
    I do not for one minute think he is a very nice person but the fact is he was found not guilty.
    However the Serious sensible mob still seem to have a lot to say regarding this case.
    The police (may be influenced by the SS bunch ?) are not planning to investigate further ,yet there is one other person who is suspect and in my personal opinion there could be one other .

    • Rogue Trooper 21.1
      26 November 2013 at 3:33 pm

      the results of his personality assessments do not make comforting reading. It’s not a long sentence relatively speaking.

      • Anne 21.1.1
        26 November 2013 at 4:37 pm

        Interesting you brought up the Scott Guy murder case Pink Postman. Does anyone else feel curious about the obsession the MSM have with this particular murder? There have been many equally bizarre murder inquiries – some of them unsolved – that have not received anything like the media attention this one has. Am I being a little precious when I look at the following:

        1. Colour – white.
        2. Status – well to do country folk with a farming background.
        3. Good looking family.
        4 Seemingly well educated and articulate.
        4. National Party stalwarts.

        Counter that with a brown skinned or white working class victim. Probably equally as bright if not brighter, but without the status symbol and few opportunities to make something of themselves. Tough bickies. Sorry n’ all that, but we’re not all that interested.

    • Tracey 21.2
      27 November 2013 at 12:22 pm

      he was not guilty of the murder of scott guy, he is in prison for his other acts. Which, on a pathological scale are pretty scarey.

      I was appalled recently to see a farmer who deliberately broke the tails of 150 cows got 8 months home detention. Cruelty o animals is wrong per se, but is frequently a harbinger of violence toward humans…

      MacDonald’s apparantly cavalier attitude may be on a list of behaviours of pathalogical folks…

  22. ghostrider888 22
    26 November 2013 at 4:31 pm

    such a SHAME . 😎

  24. joe90 24
    26 November 2013 at 7:10 pm

    No animals were harmed – a rather disturbing read.

    http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/

  25. ropata 25
    26 November 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Think that the US policy of Quantitative Easing is crazy? Then check out these graphs of China’s inconceivable, unsustainable, reality distorting capital injection into Chinese banks.

    In the past five years the total assets on US bank books have risen by a ‘paltry’ $2.1 trillion while over the same period, Chinese bank assets have exploded by an unprecedented $15.4 trillion hitting a gargantuan CNY147 trillion or an epic $24 trillion – some two and a half times the GDP of China!

    Putting the rate of change in perspective, while the Fed was actively pumping $85 billion per month into US banks for a total of $1 trillion each year, in just the trailing 12 months ended September 30, Chinese bank assets grew by a mind-blowing $3.6 trillion!

    So when you lose out on that purchase of a home to a Chinese buyer who bid 50% over asking sight unseen, with no intentions to ever move in, you will finally know why this is happening.

    • Rogue Trooper 25.1
      26 November 2013 at 8:25 pm

      yes, I believe they’ve experienced property bubbles at home. The money moves on.

    • Draco T Bastard 25.2
      26 November 2013 at 9:50 pm

      So when you lose out on that purchase of a home to a Chinese buyer who bid 50% over asking sight unseen, with no intentions to ever move in, you will finally know why this is happening.

      And that is why foreign ownership of NZ land and businesses need to be banned now. The way that things are going we will soon be serfs in our ow land as everything gets sold by the greedies for cash which is hot off the digital printing press.

  26. Matthew 26
    26 November 2013 at 8:34 pm

    Hooton says Labour + Greens support at 49% in a private poll. https://twitter.com/MatthewHootonNZ/status/405180720651321344

    • bad12 26.1
      27 November 2013 at 3:05 pm

      Where is the ‘spinner’ Hooten, i would like to know from which side of the spectrum the ‘private polling’ came,(where does this put National then, 39%???, i wasn’t expecting that until after the Christmas break when everyone has had a chance to stop and think)…

  27. greywarbler 27
    26 November 2013 at 9:14 pm

    Slavoj Zizek commenting on that fat gutted shameful Mayor of Toronto. Rob Ford makes Boris Johnson look the height of human nobility.

    Zizek says that the left has put aside its traditional concerns and allowed politics to be parodied, become a fun show with people like Rob Ford, being outrageous, and still getting support from, and he uses the word, ‘cynical’ political supporters.
    Labour has focussed on gay rights and people’s rights too single-mindedly and disregarded its other concerns with a disastrous outcome.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5GCt9hM1DQ

    • McFlock 27.1
      26 November 2013 at 9:30 pm

      Rob Ford’s left wing?

      Or is his refusal to resign somehow the fault of same-sex marriage?

      • greywarbler 27.1.1
        27 November 2013 at 9:24 am

        McFlock
        I know you can be relied on to see through the glass darkly when it comes to feminiism or rape culture or gay rights or something that you can possibly take umbrage or create contention about. Did you look and listen to the link. Why don’t you specify his comment so we know what you are on about.

        I think that the present bad situation for low income people with poor employment conditions, deteriorating everything might be what he had in mind when he said that Labour had failed to act to improve rights and the lives of all people which it says it is concerned about.

        • McFlock 27.1.1.1
          27 November 2013 at 1:26 pm

          Did watch vid.
          It was rambling shit.

          Firstly, the left has not “put aside” traditional concerns. It has simply recognised that inequality and the alienation of the proletariat extend farther than the mere bank balance and rights of employees.

          Secondly, the Rob Fords of the world are not the fault of the left. At worst, they are the fault of a neolib culture which means that such folk (John Banks for example) hang on to the pay cheque when even thirty years ago a person would have had the sense of shame and dignity to resign. If anything they help the left, being obvious canker sores of the “fuck you” ruling class.

          And thirdly, if the more insecure members of “the left” concentrated on improving workers’ rights themselves rather than bitching that teh gayz and teh wimmins are getting too much attention, the world would be a better place in so many fucking ways.

          • greywarbler 27.1.1.1.1
            27 November 2013 at 1:50 pm

            Firstly, the left has not “put aside” traditional concerns. It has simply recognised that inequality and the alienation of the proletariat extend farther than the mere bank balance and rights of employees.

            I think thoughtful left watchers consider that the focus of Labour has been on the far extensions of inequality and the nearer ones have been alienated.

            And Zizek being a poseur Bill. He is as full of interesting ideas and thinking as you are. And I have a lot of respect for you, though I do not agree with all your ideas.

    • ropata 27.2
      26 November 2013 at 10:14 pm

      I was going to reply with a list of moral failings of the Right but realised that a mud slinging exercise would be futile. And I do agree that Labour in the past has given too much focus on identity politics at the expense of addressing the dramatically worsening socio economic inequality in NZ.

    • Bill 27.3
      27 November 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Zizek is a poseur. End.

    • KJT 27.4
      27 November 2013 at 2:53 pm

      Neo-liberals, of which the Labour party still has way too many for my liking, are OK about extending human rights, so long as they don’t don’t conflict with, their running off with, “the money”.

      Throwing progressives a few crumbs, like gay marriage, while they continue to burgle us.

      We, however, are capable of multitasking!
      There is no reason why we cannot address the rights of minorities, and other disadvantaged groups, along with the right to be free from poverty, and be fairly paid.

      For example. gay rights, women’s rights and workers rights are not mutually exclusive. They are all part and parcel of a fair and decent society.

  28. Ake ake ake 28
    26 November 2013 at 10:05 pm

    Might catch Cunliffe on this side of the ditch tomorrow, which explains the “unavailable for comment” back in the Land of the Long White Cloud?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9445575/Drilling-could-split-Labour

    But, despite the broad church blah blah blah thing, what’s up with Shane Jones? Is there something I am missing? Commentators – help?

    Labour deliberately or uncontrollably giving mixed messages?? Surely tactics and strategies are much better formulated with Cunliffe at the helm?

    Shane has been, is, and will be, in the wrong party as long as he is in Labour. Time for the caucus and party to take the next step in terms of real change from within.

    • Draco T Bastard 28.1
      27 November 2013 at 12:57 am

      Speaking on Maori TV’s Te Kaea tonight, Jones was outspoken about attempts to stop Anadarko from deep sea drilling and said the protesters should remember that the company had a statutory right to be there.

      Only if we, not the government, choose to extend them that right.

      “Protesters need to bear in mind we are buying oil out of the Gulf of Mexico and other far-flung places when we should be focusing on making an industry in our own country.”

      And the reason for that would be because our oil refinery doesn’t refine our oil.

      Yeah, I’d say that it was time for Shane Jones to wander off and join United Future where he could fully support National while saying that he isn’t.

  29. Tracey 29
    27 November 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Ihave some malware adware stuff, you know that underlines stuff when you browse and if you hit it, it’s an ad… anyone got instructions for removal, that wont cost me?

Recent Posts

  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    7 hours ago

  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
    Skeptical Science
    9 hours ago

  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    10 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    11 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    13 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    14 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    14 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    17 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    19 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    19 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    19 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    20 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    20 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    21 hours ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    23 hours ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    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 - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-19T17:22:57+00:00