Open Mike 27/01/2019

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, January 27th, 2019 - 85 comments
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85 comments on “Open Mike 27/01/2019 ”

  1. Sacha 1

    Simon Wilson’s detailed article about baggage-laden John Tamihere running for Auckland Mayor, alongside Christine Fletcher and with the help of Her Boagness: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12196024

    • shadrach 1.1

      Boag is poison. Goodness knows why JT would want anything to do with her.

    • Dennis Frank 1.2

      Funny how keen he is to split the left vote, eh? Looks like he’s become a bit of a trumpist nowadays.

      Tau Henare: “He’s a dictator, it’s his way or the highway. He’s a typical league player, there’s only one way to the try line and that’s straight ahead.” ” “I like Phil [Goff, the present mayor] but he’s such a f***ing politician. He doesn’t do anything. Tamihere would let loose the dogs of war. And whatever was left over, he’d work with.”

      “Councillor Christine Fletcher will be Tamihere’s running mate. “JT has bravado,” she tells me, sitting on a couch in her comfortably sprawling house overlooking Mt Eden. “Phil is not sufficiently charismatic.”” Ah, left/right collaboration plus charisma. A potent brew!

    • OnceWasTim 2.1

      He’s really quite an ugly human being eh?
      We should watch out (with current immigration ‘policy settings’) that he can’t buy his way into a ‘lil ole NuZulln bolt hole somewhere down south.

  2. OnceWasTim 3

    Ali Mau and Colin Peacock on RNZ Media Watch re the Parker’s busted roast .
    Well worth a listen.
    Link not yet up

  3. Quasimodo 4

    How to cope with Brexit uncertainty .. anger, disbelief, and impotence as debates become more fractious.

    “Divorce, whch is what Brexit is, takes a long time because it is serious.” Someone should have told Boris and Teresa May.

    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/26/which-way-next-how-to-cope-with-the-psychological-uncertainity-of-brexit

    • CHCOff 4.1

      The Brits are in a tough place with their political ruling classes and structures, compounded by huge modern wealth disparities. It took a decade or so of it’s bungling with the rise of the Nazis to near annihilation, to step aside sufficiently, & the Brits got on track pretty quickly, essentially paving the way for the saving of western europe civilisation.

      The Germans, also an admirable different people again, have proportional representation for instance, which i think was one of the models used in our change to mmp (which the Nats of course want to bin).

      Anyhow, NZ should be friends with one and all where ever in the world as much as is practical, but particularly with those societal characteristics of any state(s) that more closely match the best of our commonwealth & western civilisation heritage with our NZ’s flavor.

  4. SaveNZ 5

    A sad tale, and why NZ has to clamp down on bad immigration advisors and make it much simpler with little room for error for the applicants coming to NZ and hoodwinked by advisors what they can gain residency for.

    For example it has become easy for wealthy people from around the world to just buy a restaurant or stand alone business that actually takes that opportunity away from a local person while also driving up commercial rents much of which is not owned by NZ companies domiciled in NZ for tax purposes.

    While a restaurant or business might have a high turnover, the real issue is profitability and often they are not very profitable at all, and just employ low waged insecure staff who need government welfare top ups for wages, and most of the profits go to the lease holder of the commercial premise.

    It seems hard to justify how running an existing restaurant can be considered “entrepreneurial” but that is how that interpretation has been spun by immigration consultants.

    Meanwhile another issue is fake jobs in those businesses where the applicants pay their own wages or in some cases it is just a paper scam only!

    I have a lot of sympathy for people lured here while enriching immigration lawyers and advisors, and feel NZ has a very poor immigration department that has made many mistakes, but NZ has now become a basket case, with the third highest immigration in the world, and a country full of people whose wages are so low they need food parcels and can’t afford to rent anywhere, let alone a local person starting a new business here with the overpriced offerings of commercial rents which has been hijacked by people coming to NZ and just buying an existing business to gain residency.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12194263

    • SaveNZ 5.1

      We need to change what we are doing in NZ!

      “Almost a decade ago now, I was at The Treasury trying to make sense of why New Zealand’s economic performance hadn’t been better. 100 years ago, you see, living standards in New Zealand were as high as those anywhere in the world – only the US and Australia were really close. These days, depending how you measure these things, we rank around 35th. When we analyse economic performance, economists put a lot of weight on measures of productivity – what a country manages to produce with the inputs its uses. The most accessible measure of productivity is real GDP per hour worked. And since 1970 we’ve had the second slowest productivity growth rate of any of the member countries of the OECD. Even in just the last 25 years, after all the reforms we did, we’ve still had productivity growth near the bottom of the OECD.”

      https://croakingcassandra.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/large-scale-non-citizen-immigration-to-new-zealand-is-making-us-poorer-mana-u3a-sept-2017.pdf

      • Quasimodo 5.1.1

        Are you suggesting Aotearoa reinvent itself as a Brexit refuge for ethnocentric Brits ?
        Iron was being smelted in Wales and traded in Europe long before the Roman invasion.
        Those time have gone. Aotearoa increasingly reflects the Asia/Pacific. Perhaps we should be compared with our neigbours rather than “Croaking Cassandras”.

        • SaveNZ 5.1.1.1

          @ Quasimodo, if you read my post, I’m suggesting that we ditch lazy immigration of so called entrepreneurs who are just buying existing NZ businesses and assets like water or restaurants, often bringing in more migrant workers or creating overpriced residences that take up land but locals can’t afford to live in, and try to attract fewer but a better fit of migrants who can actually lift (or at least not drop) living standards aka true entrepreneurs and thinkers of the world and get away from the low wage economy of Asia that NZ has fallen into under Rogernomics, John n Bill and protectionist trade otherwise rebranded as free trade.

          Aat the same time by removing our low wage culture and provide more high paid opportunities for our own youth and people residing here, that we can retain more skilled people born here including those of migrant children who are born here, have opportunities for those who might otherwise face unemployment in NZ as they may be low skilled Kiwis. (but not stupid enough to take a casual job, under minimum wages with no security in the middle of know where or a contract job that works out under minimum wages that you can’t live on in a city and so we now have hundred of thousands of kiwis who are the working poor or on a benefit as our increasing jobseeker figures are showing).

      • Pat 5.1.2

        Its no great mystery….manufacturing has been the area of greatest productivity gain across the world due to its nature (and will remain so) and we off-shored ours almost entirely

        • Quasimodo 5.1.2.1

          Correction: we off-shored obsolete manufacturing clearing the decks for innovative new models and technologies.

          If I knew what they were I would not be able to disclose on this blog for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

          • Pat 5.1.2.1.1

            “Correction: we off-shored obsolete manufacturing clearing the decks for innovative new models and technologies.”

            A correction to your correction…we off-shored virtually all manufacturing regardless of obsolescence…we opened our markets without reciprocation…with no manufacturing industry to speak of the base and incentive (and expertise) from which to develop and make the productivity gains of the other advanced economies was given up as too difficult.

            Now whether you think unlimited manufacturing is either desirable or achievable is a whole other argument

            • OnceWasTim 5.1.2.1.1.1

              And I think there’s a lesson in that for all of us eh possums?
              Maybe some of that manufacturing offshored isn’t necessarily quite yet so obsolete.

        • SaveNZ 5.1.2.2

          +1 Pat

    • James 5.2

      17 full time staff.

      I’m guessing that 17 more than you employ.

      Still. Jacinda and our immigration minister would prefer people who arrive on false passports and import drugs.

      • patricia bremner 5.2.1

        False equivalence James. You are teetering on that ladder lol lol

      • Incognito 5.2.2

        James, the flames are too high and your BBQ is catching fire! Go easy on the wee Cheerios as they have a thin skin.

      • SaveNZ 5.2.3

        But there is no difference if a migrant is employing them or a Kiwi in a restaurant, so there is not net gain of jobs there James, and only a Natz thinker would consider running a middle of the road restaurant that was existing, is some sort of entrepreneurial activity that a Kiwi could not do.

        I think the the Natz also love the criminal drug importers as much as Labour.

    • patricia bremner 5.3

      SaveNZ, This was common even 20 years ago. We know of several wealthy couples who bought Bed and Breakfast businesses in the Bay of Islands. They had to have an address and an income plus one million in the bank. Now a pound became three dollars, so selling a London property meant “Wealth” by NZ standards. They didn’t even have to hire locals. So our law in this area has always been poor.

      • SaveNZ 5.3.1

        Totally agree Patricia but it’s getting much worse than 20 years ago as we now have super cheap global travel, the rise of tax havens, no language requirements, and have a significant amount of NZ residents or overseas middlemen, ‘immigration’ consultants and lawyers trawling the world selling NZ residency and visas, taking $40k from then for the privilege of doing so.

        We also now have the migrants that came here under categories like parents, marrying other migrants near retirement after 11 days online like the recent case that immigration failed to stop.

        Also some of these people who arrived over 20 years ago have been operating in NZ as criminals for years… somehow getting residency without even putting in a tax return!

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11842563

        “According to Inland Revenue records neither Yim nor Wu, who arrived in New Zealand in 1991 and 1994, have ever declared their income nor paid any tax.”

        “As part of the raids on Yim, police also seized 12 luxury sports cars valued at more than $1.3m, including a Ferrari worth more than $500,000 and a Lamborghini Gallardo. More than $1.8m in cash was seized and a further 1kg of methamphetamine found.

        Watches, jewellery, electronics, and 48 bottles of vintage French wine valued at about $42,000 were also seized.”

        “Yim was sentenced this month in the High Court at Auckland to 11 and a half years in prison for possession of a class A drug for supply.

        During sentencing he was described by Justice Geoffrey Venning as being vital to the drug scheme which imported the equivalent of 30kg of pure methamphetamine with a street value of $40m.”

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11842563

        Yim, who came to New Zealand from Hong Kong on a resident visa before gaining citizenship in 1995, has previously been convicted on three unrelated charges.

        In July 2006 he was convicted at the Auckland District Court for drink-driving and on a dangerous driving charge, while in April 1997 he was convicted of shoplifting.”

  5. Anne 6

    Heather du Plessis-Allan occasionally surprises with a well balanced article. Here is her take on the latest developments re- the JLR affair:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12196285

    Excerpt;

    It’s National’s fault that this affair is public. More specifically, it’s deputy leader Paula Bennett’s fault.

    It was Bennett who surprisingly lifted the bedsheets and publicly accused Ross of inappropriate behaviour as a “married Member of Parliament”.

    Bennett’s stunt appeared a calculated attempt to deliberately discredit Ross. It took a story that had been about alleged electoral fraud and made it one about sex.

    It seems the National Party had turned a blind eye to Ross’ affair when it suited them, then weaponised it when they wanted him gone.

    If that behaviour is unbecoming of a male married MP, it must also be unbecoming of the female married MP involved.

    And that sums it up in a nutshell.

    • patricia bremner 6.1

      Yes Anne, HDA is right about Paula Bennett pouring fuel on the fire…To distract from what.? National leak or announce trying to control the narrative.

      • Anne 6.1.1

        Of course it was a distraction from the handling of the $100,000 donation. That’s why Bridges jumped in so quickly with his “internal investigation into who was the leaker”. Anything to take the media’s attention away from the donation.

  6. patricia bremner 7

    Along with Fran O”Sullivan, IMO there are bigger issues than Dowie’s text.

    The Police investigation into laundering, influencing party selection processes, etc of National Party regarding possible disguising of an over cap donation ($100 000.00 with links to China.) and the assertions JLR made.

    However she concludes National Party internal organisation should deal with Dowie’s text.
    Good try!! But as they too are being investigated, as above, that seems an odd suggestion.

    Some considerations around Digital bullying.
    We need to gauge whether free speech is impinged?
    Have we allowed for a suitable range of charges open to the police to use?
    Will a prosecution deter similar behaviours.?
    Contribution to cause to be considered?
    Better test case law will eventuate?
    As we agreed when the law was passed, digital bullying is dangerous.

    Then the larger issue of threats to sovereignty, The Treaty Partner, and our International integrity? These are currently in official hands.

    What do we mean by sovereignty? The Crown.? Our Country’s Integrity? The Treaty Partner in relation to possible bribes for access.

    So yes, of much greater importance than an emotional piece of digital bullying. are these issues, and no, I do not see the National party internal review would be enough. Not nearly enough.

    So I am left wondering why an experienced journalist made such a suggestion?
    An internal review may be limited by frames of reference? Related areas could be ignored.?…..So I think the Police are possibly the best choice, unless there is a Public Review.

    • veutoviper 7.1

      Here is the link to the Fran O’Sullivan Herald opinion piece today which you are referring to:

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12196315

      • patricia bremner 7.1.1

        Thanks VV. I’m flat on my back with bed rest with the cracked socket, but I’m winning lol. Can do a few more things now I’m off that opium shite. But i do need to learn to link. Cheers..Oh and your suggested long handled brush and shovel has won high praise from “Him in doors”

        • veutoviper 7.1.1.1

          So pleased to hear the brush and shovel has won high praise! LOL. Always scared when making an recommendation such as that, that it will turn out to be “a lemon”.

          And pleased to they have replaced the ‘opium shite’. What are you on now?

          I hesitate to ask how the cracked socket happened – ie was it already cracked before the op or did it occur during the op? If the latter, a case of medical misadventure?

          An interesting court ruling on the latter just a few months ago –
          https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/108336590/high-court-ruling-means-acc-will-accept-more-treatment-injury-claims-lawyers.

          The Fran O’Sullivan article is also interesting. Not yet ‘with it’ enough this morning to have decided my views on it, and there are quite a few new articles on the whole sad saga this morning – but at least most of them are now focusing back on the real issues of the donations, etc than the affair aspects. Will put up a few more links in the next hour or so.

          • patricia bremner 7.1.1.1.1

            VV I am on 8 panadol and 8 small codeine. which I can increase to 4 each time 120mg. On trmadol I was ill and unbalanced lol lol some would say that was a regular condition.
            I see the Dr on Tuesday to decide whether to bring my x ray forward.

            • veutoviper 7.1.1.1.1.1

              I was also much more with it once off the tramdol but only had it for the first two days. Panadol (paracetamol) is relative safe, and a little codeine much better than tramadol etc. I cannot even touch codeine but a little paracetamol goes a long way for me to relieve pain. Fingers crossed that they bring the x-ray forward asap.

              If the crack was caused by the op, then I would look into your rights for extra help etc through ACC. If there has been no discussion of whether it was pre-existing before the op or caused by the op, personally I would be asking those questions as a first step.

              • patricia bremner

                No, photos confirm all was well with the bone, especially as that is my weight bearing leg. this happened day 2. I felt it. very small on the inner edge.I can’t have anti inflammatory meds.

          • Graeme 7.1.1.1.2

            “The Fran O’Sullivan article is also interesting.”

            My take on it…

            Fran confirms that the National Party is deeply rooted, but they’ll sort it out behind the curtain, thank you.

            Unfortunately the cat is well and truly out of the bag now and I can’t see this being shut down easily. And talking of cats, I have a feeling that the events that precipitated the text were business related (but totally stuffed any inter-personals) and the subsequent infidelity revelations were a dead cat to divert attention from the aforementioned events. That cat might have been a bit rough and is now quite pongy and shedding it’s copious fleas.

            • veutoviper 7.1.1.1.2.1

              “I have a feeling that the events that precipitated the text were business related”

              By that do you mean things like the relationship between Southland District Mayor Gary Tong and, among others, Chinese multi-millionaire Zhang Yikun – the wealthy and well-connected businessman linked by Jami-Lee Ross to a $100,000 donation to Simon Bridges and the National Party – and Dowie’s connection to those relationships? And also possibly the social/promotional event that took place in Wellington the night before the text was sent allegedly from her phone?

              I commented on these at 31.2.1 on the ‘Herald outs Dowie’ post here yesterday; and also about ten days ago at 4.1 on the Chinese Herald post on 15 January.

              I won’t attempt to provide links to these earlier comments as attempts to do so currently go to the post only, not to the actual comment. Both posts can be found by going to “Home” and searching down. The earlier “Chinese Herald” post is now on an earlier Home page which can be accessed from the bottom of the current Home page.

              • Robert Guyton

                You have a good nose for the scent, veutoviper.

                • veutoviper

                  At some points in my career, I used to get paid for it! Sigh, “those were the days my friend …” LOL.

              • Graeme

                I was more commenting on the tone of the text, it seemed more related to a business matter than something personal, but went that way fast. Your connection about the timing added to my suspicions.

                As to the event / action I wouldn’t have a clue, except when a political party see’s it’s main function as fund raising things can get rather messy.

                My aside “the National Party is deeply rooted” is a quote from a speech Bill English delivered after the 2002 defeat to the faithful in Gore. It seemed rather apt right now. ( after a lengthy, wooden pause he said “in it’s membership” but the first bit is what stuck)

                • veutoviper

                  Re your last paragraph and English’s comment – ROFL!

                  Interesting that you saw the tone of the text as starting initially as more related to a business matter before turning personal. Everyone sees things slightly different to each other, so respect your opinion but I certainly did not see anything business related at all.

                  The event in Parliament’s Banquet Hall the night before the text was sent was not a party political affair, nor a fund raising one. It was the annual “Southland Party” – a promotional evening re what is happening, available etc in Southland in terms of business, investment opportunities etc. hosted by Dowie as the local MP plus others including Mayor Gary Tong. Dowie posted photos on her Facebook account (also posted on the separate ‘Southland Party” Facebook account). These were of her and Tong in very good spirits with drinks in hand etc. Links to the FB pages and photos etc are in my earlier comments referred to above. Alcohol, parties and phones sometimes are a bad combination …

                  However, going back to your focus on business-related factors, I actually agree from the perspective that the real story here which is unlikely to go away soon is exactly that – ie fundraising donations, and relationships like that between Tong and Zhang and colleagues (including Dowie) in respect of Southland land, businesses etc. At least some reporters are now starting to focus on those aspects again as well as the more personal ones.

                  • Graeme

                    Re deeply rooted, I was rescued by my employer who arrived with a plate of canapés (well, cheese rolls, this is Gore) before I had to exhale. Bless her soul.

                    Re the text, sloppy language on my part. I meant the events that precipitated the relationship breakdown, which led to the text, weren’t JLR playing around with the staff, but rather JLR maybe torpedoing some deal that was going down. Which may fit with other events. Money being more important than relationships on that side, and provoking much stronger reactions.

                    • veutoviper

                      Aaaahhh. I hear what you are implying and defer to your much more local knowledge. Kia kaha.

        • veutoviper 7.1.1.2

          Great to see that our own good mickysavage has now put a separate post on the Fran O’Sullivan article and related matters, so perhaps we can continue discussion there. Yesterday’s post on the Herald outing Dowie was getting overloaded at about 200 comments so good to have somewhere else to continue the discussion. (Despite the attempts to shut the discussion down by a certain person, to whom I replied but have had no response to my reply …)

          • Robert Guyton 7.1.1.2.1

            Ross? Deep South National Party exec.

            • veutoviper 7.1.1.2.1.1

              No, not Ross, although I did reply to one of his comments on the Herald/Dowie post – the one at 20.3.1.1. with my reply at 20.3.1.1.3. My reply also referred him to another of mine at 31.3.1 re what Dowie had been doing the night before the text being sent to JLR, allegedly from her phone.

              Ross has been here a bit lately and I wondered if the one here was the same Ross at The Daily Blog who recently promoted one of his books there. LOL

              https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/01/25/you-deserve-to-die-is-the-nicest-part-of-that-text-message/#comment-450831

              [Edit – also included the link from the above to Amazon and the book supposedly written by the TDB Ross but it ended up with a full photo of the cover! So, just to give the name – “Sex, Power and Politics” by Ross Meurant. LOL]

              But we are not supposed to try to identify commenters here, which is fair enough. But I googled and could not find any reference to the author Ross being resident in NZ these days, let alone down your way.

              My reply which I referred to in my earlier comment is at 31.2 on the Herald/Dowie post. The examples quoted are only a few of the recent ones. What is good for the gander is good for the goose (or ‘goose’ in both cases?) etc – or, as marty mars says, I ‘mirrored’ the behaviour.

          • patricia bremner 7.1.1.2.2

            YES I noted that … Further to crack. I have a crooked pelvis, they shortened the leg during surgery..planned… but we think it is just a small crack which happened during my 2nd walk as it bedded in . Real bad luck, but as the Dr and Surgeon said “You are an original!!” I was thrilled they managed epidural xx

  7. Incognito 8

    It seems the mating season is in full swing [pardon the pun] for National. With a so-called red-blue tilt at the Auckland Mayoralty and possibly a blue-green party in the offing led by Vernon Tava.

    https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/vernon-tava-blue-green-party-being-considered-for-next-years-election/

    No room for fresh blood though; it’s the same old names & faces from yesteryear all with their baggage high public profiles. Is this because there are no young people brimming with idealism and political aspirations or because they cannot cut through the political party structures unless or until they assimilate into the ‘collective’?

  8. Dennis Frank 9

    “Russia, a permanent member of the security council and Maduro’s ally, said it will insist on compliance with international law if the council holds a meeting on Venezuela”. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/venezuela-crisis-latest-updates-190123205835912.html

    Someone ought to call the Russian bluff – ask which section of that law they believe applies to the situation. None, as far as I’m aware! However this could be a pointer: “Russia also told the UN Security Council that the US should give a clear answer on whether Washington is willing to use military force in Venezuela”. Fair enough, eh?

    “France, Germany, Spain and the UK are giving Maduro eight days to call elections, failing which they will recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, joining other nations like the United States in endorsing him.”

    “”Venezuela will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order,” Arreaza told the UN Security Council. “We will continue following the path of our democracy.”” That fake democracy is unlikely to prevail – it opposes the will of the people. The stalinists can only hold on by starving the people and using the military against them, and the latter only if soldiers continue to obey orders…

    • Gabby 9.1

      So trumpie’s a stalinist is he frankie.

      • Dennis Frank 9.1.1

        Capitalist + narcissist + hedonist only. Stalinism way too complicated for him, plus he seems to have got elected as a republican, accidentally, so all that funding of the Dems doesn’t really qualify him as leftist…

  9. rata 10

    John Tamihere and Christine Fletcher. Really?
    Christine staunch blue has already
    been Auckland’s mayor two decades ago.
    Why would she stand again after a 20 year hiatus with JT?
    John Tamihere known primarily for being the brother of convicted murderer David.
    And despite all the evidence against his brother
    John always championed David’s innocence.
    John Tamihere always looks so totally ill at ease
    despite good looks ready smile and being articulate.
    Very much like Winston Peters constantly repressing
    his true identity for fear of upsetting the huge white vote.
    It’s all about spin and image saying just enough
    at the right time to appeal to enough voters.
    Tamihere looks brown so may garner brown and left voters.
    However Tamihere speaks white and identifies as a white
    so may garner the Peters support ie whites who like the
    brown who did the right thing and became a white.
    It’s a game of numbers and spin.
    He may well split the left vote and let a righty win.
    At the end of the day an ant could be mayor of Auckland.
    It’s a celebrity job that’s all.
    John key any one?

    • SaveNZ 10.1

      A good analysis rata, possibly why so few vote as it’s so depressing.

      Sadly unless someone better comes along I might be tempted to vote for them, not because I think they will improve things or that they are deserving candidates, but more because Phil Goff is more far right than the righties and after another 14.5 million on top of the hundred million extra given to America’s cup while we have record food parcels and poverty, he spent nearly a million on a secret report for the Atlantis underwater stadium that nobody in Auckland wants apart from a group of super rich developers and hangers on who will profit from it, stealing our harbour for the polluting cruise ships and spending over half our rates on Auckland transport which they inexplicably removed the 2 democratically elected councillors off to create even less accountability to name but a few of his decisions!

      Hopefully a massive audit will uncover more routs so they can have a clear out of the many scams and use our rates money more effectively!

      • Wayne 10.1.1

        So what will Tamihere change that? He is going to be committed to the America’s Cup. It is simply not possible for any Mayor in Auckland to now have a different view. The govt is really only the entity that can deal with poverty. The govt tax take out of Auckland is more than ten times the rate take.
        Tamihere will need to have a credible plan to be worth considering as the Mayor. Not just a series of over the top slogans. The one thing Goff has on his side is his professionalism.
        In short to replace anyone who has been in office for only one term, it has to be shown they have obviously and seriously failed.

  10. mauī 11

    Breaking News: Trump is gone!

    • Jenny - How to get there? 11.1

      Rubbish

      • Jenny - How to get there? 11.1.1

        Weren’t these the same people who said that Trump could never win?

        • Jenny - How to get there? 11.1.1.1

          Talk about deja vu, all over again

          When will we ever learn?

          Don’t you people understand that the Right have no sense of humour?

          When we are goofing off and making fun of them they are going for the head wound.

          • Jenny - How to get there? 11.1.1.1.1

            Why the good guys never win.

            Or as Steve Bannon put it;

            “Our side, we go for the head wound. Your side, you have pillow fights.”

  11. Jenny - How to get there? 12

    Is Australia treating New Zealand as a bigger version of Christmas Island

    Is New Zealand seen by Australians as just an another offshore subservient dumping ground, for people the Australians no longer want, but who were moulded by growing up in Australia and fully shaped by that culture and society and are a product of it?

    “Australian man to be deported to NZ, despite never having been here”
    Joel Ineson and Joanne Carroll – Sunday Star Times. January 27, 2019

    …..Were he to reoffend, there would be serious risk to the Australian community, Dutton said.

    With this statement Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, who has spearheaded the deportation of more than 1600 people to New Zealand, shows he is callously indifferent to any risk posed to the New Zealand community by him dumping these people here far away from family and their usuals support networks, where experts say they are more likely to reoffend. 

    This is obviously no concern of Peter Dutton.

    Why are we meekly tolerating this?

    • SaveNZ 12.1

      My God, NZ truely is becoming the new Australia of dumping ground of criminals either deported here, get residency here from immigration or are created as criminals because it’s a viable alternative to working as a wage slave.

      • Jenny - How to get there? 12.1.1

        Hi Save,

        I think it is a mistake to conflate voluntary immigrants who want to come here, with convicts deported here against their will.

        All studies show that willing migrants (both legal and illegal), have a lesser background of offending than the general population.

        • SaveNZ 12.1.1.1

          Times, change Jenny and I think judging in by the rise of offending for drugs like Meth and class A drug importation, corruption, fraud and so forth by our new resident migrants, make the OZ criminals deported here, seem petty by comparison. Even worse is that type of offending creates more criminals and poverty from our own vulnerable people so that some new residents can profit even more?

          Time for NZ to close all the gaps because our own people now are in food banks while they work, 20% of kids have no lunch and the dysfunction continues. Adding more people to distribute NZ taxes to and put in prison or rest homes and NZ hospitals seems to be making things worse in particular while bad government policy seem to be lowering our productivity.

          Saying that, judging by the media coverage and constant faux? outrage for the British tourists who littered and stole a couple of items while here, it seems that big crimes are minimised while tiny indiscretions are huge news. Part of the distraction campaign maybe?

          About time too, countries close the loop holes of new residents piggy backing off easier residency . Ak new scam is to become a Cook Island resident to get NZ residency automatically while new Kiwi residents can then shift off to OZ.

    • Wensleydale 12.2

      Dutton is a sphincter-faced troglodyte of a man, and the sooner he’s hurled from his ivory tower, the better.

    • Gabby 12.3

      Why are our citizenship laws so crappy?

  12. joe90 13

    To celebrate yesterday’s Invasion day.

  13. Good read that may be hard to swallow for some.

    But there is still another, darker way of judging what goes on when elites put themselves in the vanguard of social change: that doing so not only fails to make things better, but also serves to keep things as they are. After all, it takes the edge off of some of the public’s anger at being excluded from progress. It improves the image of the winners. By using private and voluntary half-measures, it crowds out public solutions that would solve problems for everyone, and do so with or without the elite’s blessing.

    There is no question that the outpouring of elite-led social change in our era does great good and soothes pain and saves lives. But we should also recall Oscar Wilde’s words about such elite helpfulness being “not a solution” but “an aggravation of the difficulty”. More than a century ago, in an age of churn like our own, he wrote: “Just as the worst slave-owners were those who were kind to their slaves, and so prevented the horror of the system being realised by those who suffered from it, and understood by those who contemplated it, so, in the present state of things in England, the people who do most harm are the people who try to do most good.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/22/the-new-elites-phoney-crusade-to-save-the-world-without-changing-anything

  14. Jenny - How to get there? 15

    Invasion Day, should also be remembered for the oppression and slavery, of the forced convicts transported to Australia.

    The Western Australian records we’ve been using for our recent research and digitised for the Digital Panopticon project reveal the story of Samuel Speed, the last living Australian convict. He was transported to Western Australia in 1866 and died in 1938, just short of his 100th birthday.

    Speed’s story

    Samuel Speed. The Mirror (Perth), 1938.
    Speed was born in Birmingham, England in 1841. He had one brother and one sister, but little else about his family or early life is known. He was in his early twenties when he was tried in Oxfordshire in 1863 for setting fire to a haystack. Homeless and begging for food, he had committed arson in order to get arrested and spend some time in a warm cell. He was sentenced to seven years of convict transportation to Australia……

    https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-australias-last-convicts-89723

    I wonder, one day, decades from now – Will we mark the death of the last living convict forcibly exiled to New Zealand from Australia?

  15. Robert Guyton 16

    PartizanZ says:
    “Blue-Green is the colour of the dyed Roundup the Police have sprayed on hundreds if not thousands of people’s cannabis crops …”

  16. greywarshark 17

    Yum yum. New Zealand – The Jewel of De-Nial. They could make a satirical movie about us. How about it you bluff Kiwi film-makers? Or has some Kiwi political satire been happening lately that I have missed? (And remembering David McPhail and Jon Gadsby.)

    Like Duck Soup? Marx Brothers.

    Isle of Dogs
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5LqFjf7xgk

    The Mouse that Roared

    I like this condensed quote from the book Ripping England!: Postwar British Satire… from google.
    These ingenious satirists questioned the moral certainties of those often insular groups that held sway and power from the religious and political to the hidebound “preservationist’ societies.

    And here is Charlie Chaplin – good words from The Great Dictator.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibVpDhW6kDQ

  17. Morrissey 19

    “Shooting protestors will lead to disinvestment.” REALLY?
    RNZ National, Monday 28 January 2019, 9:50 a.m.

    Kathryn Ryan’s foreign correspondents are almost invariably substandard—Jack Hitt (“U.S. Correspondent”) warbling on for ten minutes about Game of Thrones on the day that Chelsea Manning’s “trial” began; Dame Ann Leslie (“Arrrrgggh! Every year we have to listen to the militant rabble rousing of the teacher unions!”); Kate Adie and her patrician disdain; Irris Makler; Jason Morrison, Matthew Parris. The fact that Matthew Parris is the best of them shows just how dismal this segment is.

    Kathryn Ryan’s “African Correspondent” this morning was a South African, Deborah Patta. She had some interesting things to say about Zimbabwe. Apparently, shooting protestors will lead to investors staying away. Is that true? I sent the perky, unquestioning host the following email….

    Shooting protestors in Zimbabwe

    Dear Kathryn,

    Your African correspondent Deborah Patta claims that the shooting of protestors in Zimbabwe will lead to investors avoiding that country. What makes her think that? After all, Israeli army snipers kill peaceful, unarmed protestors near the Gaza-Israel fence every Friday. Has that led investors to flee from Israel?

    Yours sincerely,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    So far, she has not deigned to reply. I note that later on this morning there will be a segment featuring Palestinian cuisine. Perhaps she’ll address my email then, but I doubt it.

  18. Eco Maori 20

    Kia ora Newshub there you go duncan spraying Wai in the wind our students needed that extra money did you hear of students haveing to preform un civil task to pay rent with a unequal society te Wahine get trapped into having to proform these tasks just to get a education that should be FREE.

    Banks insurance now we know whom there m8 was he would have made it easy for banks to take OUR money he was in power for nine years shonky. He would have slipped all his bent m8 in the leadership position he could teaching doctors bankers every place he could to keep power were he could m8 help m8. And in the real world most people follow the flow If a leader is leading one down the wrong path people will follow but not Eco Maori. Hence I say teachers are being led by their noses down the wrong path. I say. Our youth are our future if we don’t make higher education easier to achieve then we have to import the skills dumb way to run a Country not investing in OUR future. The one thing I agree on is the unmanaged imagration that is a very serious subject these new kiwis shape our society so it needs to be managed smarter kicks keep it smart and easy to run. We are going to have heaps of climate change refugees in the very near future. Niki the Indian cricket team will love the heat
    Kia ora we need to keep a eye out on our elderly with the heat wave we are getting if one looks at other heat wave events around the world it is the elderly who are affected the most if they can’t afford to pay for air conditioning and are sitting in their house by themselves they could easily over heat and dehydrate check on thy neighbours. That is not on our Wahine who have breast cancer are not getting the treatment they need to survive as long as Wahine in Australia come on they are the carers of our tamariki get it fixed. Yes Amanda those Saudi men have their heads and minds in the wrong place I would say were there heads are but it’s not nice you can work that out for yourself. EQUALITY IS Needed.
    There you go Graham money is that phenomenon hitting your hip pocket with your opinion on the heatwave hitting Aotearoa at the minute our media should be talking about climate change I no why they are not taking about climate change the oil barrons are distorting our reality and they don’t care about our tamariki future. We have to let the elderly know to be careful in this heat I know it’s hotter now that when I was in my 20,s Ka kite ano P.S ECO Maori view on reality is unbiase and free.

  19. Eco Maori 21

    Goverments and farmer’s are put off OGANIC farming WHY because the Big companys monsanto dupont chemical linked to big carbon companys. the first two don’t want us to stop using there very expensive chemical when they find evidence that there chemical’s cause cancer they bury the evidence with $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
    The oil barrons well one need’s to burn lot’s of ”CARBON to suck nitrogen out of the air atmosphere to make urea this is the main form of nitrogen use in farming. The big companys making urea use there $$$$$$$$$$ to suppress the truth about the positives of organic farming mean while urea is leaching into OUR Wai water AWA river’s Tangaroa oceans and poisioning them. They don’t care they can afford to pay big money for there food and water I bet they eat organic food O WHY ARE CANCER cases in the world these Rates are rising so fast Know one NO,S YEA RIGHT the wealth are selling US all Lies OUR Scientists are the truth teller not the MEDIA.
    The economics of organic farming, a subfield of agricultural economics, encompasses the entire process and effects of organic farming in terms of human society, including social costs, opportunity costs, unintended consequences, information asymmetries, and economies of scale. Although the scope of economics is broad, agricultural economics tends to focus on maximizing yields and efficiency at the farm level. Economics takes an anthropocentric approach to the value of the natural world: biodiversity, for example, is considered beneficial only to the extent that it is valued by people and increases profits. Some entities such as the European Union subsidize organic farming, in large part because these countries want to account for the externalities of reduced water use, reduced water contamination, reduced soil erosion, reduced carbon emissions, increased biodiversity, and assorted other benefits that result from organic farming.[57]
    Traditional organic farming is labor and knowledge-intensive whereas conventional farming is capital-intensive, requiring more energy and manufactured inputs.[86]
    Organic farmers in California have cited marketing as their greatest obstacle.
    Links below Ka kite ano.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

  20. Eco Maori 22

    A Eco Maori Video for the above post
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YNr6lwFbsw
    This is working with Papatuanuku mothernature not against her

  21. Eco Maori 23

    One of Eco Maori tipuna pridited the arrivals of the Europeens he said to learn there knowledge and work with them there are a few other predictions that my old tipuna,s made . Some tangata are still upset that Ngati Porou sided with the settlors in the old days .They new that the settlors had a huge war machine in Britain that would come to Aotearoa and take all there whenua . There were other reason Ngati Porou side with the settlors to at least we are better than every other colonized tangata whenua around Papatuanuku Eco Maori is proud of what is tipuna achieved and so should all Ngati Porou descendants be proud of our tipuna

    The origins of Manuel José are clouded in mystery. It is not known for certain where he came from, nor when he arrived in New Zealand. He arrived in the Waiapu area on the East Coast, probably in the late 1830s, and became known to Maori as Manuera, and to Europeans as Manuel José (or Josef), Emmanuel, or ‘The Spaniard’. It is likely that Manuel and José were his given names. His surname is unknown, and he may have suppressed it because, as one tradition suggests, he had deserted from an American whaling ship. Tradition among his descendants states that he was born in Segovia, Spain, and came to New Zealand via Peru. He is recalled as a tall, strong man with fair skin, green eyes, and long, reddish hair. His voice was loud and his gestures animated.
    By the 1850s Manuel José was regarded by Maori and European alike as the leading trader in Ngati Porou territory. In 1861 he established a trading-post at Te Awanui, between Waipiro Bay and the mouth of the Waiapu River. He owned five horses and held half an acre of Ngati Porou land ‘by sufferance’, paying rent of £12 a year. An olive tree, which still stands, marks the site of his store. In 1873 he established a further trading-post at Tikapa, on the eastern bank of the Waiapu River, near Waiomatatini. He has been credited with the introduction to Waiapu of the plough, and also of the gorse bush. Link below

    https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1m12/manuel-jose

    “Mr. Rabbit-nose” was Thomas Atkins, many of whose descendants are to be found on the East Coast to-day. Reweti Kohere informed the writer that Atkins was known to his face by the natives as “Tame Akena” (Tommy Atkins), but, behind his back he was always referred to not as “Rabbit-nose” but as “Tame Huti,” or “Tommy the Sniffer,” a nickname which had its origin on account of his habit of twitching his nose in rabbit fashion.
    When maize was first grown on Taumata-o-te-Whatiu No. 1 block, some of the crop was taken to Atkins. Kereama (one of the growers) took only a small quantity, and, as Atkins was not prepared to give him, in return, all the goods that he demanded, he helped himself to Atkins’s stock-in-trade. A chief threw a spear at Kereama, and then both fired off guns, but neither was hit. Eventually, Kereama recompensed Atkins. Hemi Tapeka (Waiapu N.L. Court minute book No. 19) told the court that the crop was grown just before Whanau-a-Apanui’s attack upon Ngati-Porou at Rangitukia and the return fight at Toko-a-Kuku (1834). Maize was grown there for two years to enable guns to be procured. Atkins was not the only pakeha buyer. link below

    http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MacHist-t1-body-d16-d3.html

    The people of Waiapu were greatly influenced by the Christian teachings of Taumata-a-Kura (who had been at Toka-a-kuku), and later of the CMS missionaries, who came to the East Coast in 1840. Mokena, who later became a lay synodsman in the Waiapu diocese, was responsible for constructing St John’s Church at Rangitukia. This church, capable of holding 800 people, was consecrated by Bishop G. A. Selwyn in 1856.
    Mokena fostered those elements of European culture and technology which he regarded as beneficial for his tribe. Traditional expertise in cultivation and navigation was turned to advantage, and as early as 1840 his people had successful agricultural and commercial enterprises. Wheat and maize were grown on a large scale, and schooners were purchased to transport their produce to Auckland and even to Australia. Mokena saw to the purchase of a 20 ton schooner, named Mereana after his daughter. He is recorded as master of the vessel in 1852. He also negotiated with traders on behalf of his people.
    In January 1862, as part of Governor George Grey’s scheme for local Maori self-government, Mokena was appointed principal assessor for the Ngati Porou runanga in the combined districts of Waiapu and Tokomaru Bay. His fellow chiefs, Iharaira Te Houkamau and Wikiriwhi Matauru, were appointed assessors at Wharekahika, and at Te Kawakawa (Te Araroa). Much of the business of the assessors, who were assisted by a European resident magistrate, concerned internal matters of law and order. These were largely dealt with by local runanga, of which the assessors themselves, because of their tribal status, were members. Grey’s system, in effect, reinforced an existing form of Maori self- link

    https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1k15/kohere-mokena

    the life of Rapata until the wars of the 1860s, when Ngati Porou were divided by mounting tensions. Delegates from the East Coast attended a meeting at Pawhakairo in Hawke’s Bay with Tamihana Te Rauparaha to discuss the movement for a Maori king; and in 1862 the flags of the King movement were raised at Waiomatatini by Tamatatai, a Waiapu man who had been to Waikato. In reply, Mokena Kohere raised the Queen’s flag at Rangitukia. With the onset of war in 1863 some Ngati Porou joined the King’s forces. In March 1864 a large Ngati Porou war party was prevented from entering Waikato by Te Arawa, but some East Coast warriors succeeded in reaching Waikato through Tauranga.
    Warfare came to the East Coast with the arrival in 1865 of the Pai Marire emissaries Kereopa Te Rau and Patara Raukatauri. They made many converts among Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, and virtually took over Poverty Bay. Meanwhile, further north, fighting broke out within Ngati Porou. Some hapu sympathised with Pai Marire, some were divided, and others opposed the new religion. Each faction concentrated its forces in opposing pa, many of them newly built.
    Rapata, a leading lay member of the Anglican diocese of Waiapu, was attending a church opening at Popoti in June 1865 when the Reverend Mohi Turei brought news that Hauhau had arrived in the Waiapu Valley and were at Pukemaire. Rapata led 40 men, mostly of Te Aowera hapu, against them. Although the Hauhau won the battles of Mangaone and Tikitiki, Rapata distinguished himself by killing a Hauhau chief in single combat at Tikitiki. After Henare Nihoniho was killed at Mangaone, Rapata became the leader of Te Aowera. link below Ka kite ano

    https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w1/wahawaha-rapata

  22. Eco Maori 24

    The Ion Ages is here and now . We have thin sheets that can use be used to catch energy Tesla was on to some thing big . The fools who back a technology that is over 200 years old need to stop backing carbon and invest in the New Ion Age only fools keep back losing horses .
    In a step in that direction, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created super-thin, bendy materials that absorb wireless internet and other electromagnetic waves in the air and turn them into electricity.
    The lead researcher, Tomás Palacios, said the breakthrough paved the way for energy-harvesting covers ranging from tablecloths to giant wrappers for buildings that extract energy from the environment to power sensors and other electronics. Details have been published in the journal Nature.
    Advertisement

    “When you have one of these energy-harvesting devices you are collecting energy 24/7 and you could be storing that in a battery to use later,” Palacios said. “You could cover your desk with an electronic tablecloth and even though you’re only at the desk for so many hours a day, it would be harvesting energy the whole time.”
    Palacios and his colleagues connected a bendy antenna to a flexible semiconductor layer only three atoms thick. The antenna picks up wifi and other radio-frequency signals and turns them into an alternating Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/28/scientists-create-super-thin-sheet-could-charge-our-phones

  23. Eco Maori 25

    Kia ora Newshub It’s hot can fry a egg on a bonnet of a car could put glad wrap on it to spot ruining the paint. The roads are melting to climate change deniers please stand up. Life insurance they are leach to OUR society back in the day I new of someone who lost thousands in bullshit insurance one would think that they took a small % of one’s premium.
    What do we know about the Westcoast they are carbon producers and fools and deniers of climate change time for a new council that council doesn’t care about there tamariki future. I seen that half a metre of rain in 24 hours in Queensland Australia let’s hope no lives were lost. That was a sham in Saudi Arabia Milisa what a joke. Ka kite ano

  24. Eco Maori 26

    Kia ora The AM Show of course Mark does not like a capital gains tax the family homes not being tax is a good phenomenon. The tax burden needed to be lifted off the middle class most are treading water in Auckland it costs one person wages just to pay rent some people have to work 3 of those jobs that don’t guarantee a forty hour week. They can’t go on holiday and some end up at food banks.
    This tax is aimed at the people that shonky gave our assets to the SHARE MARKET Mark you are a greedy fool. The reason we are taxing low income is because we don’t have a capital gains tax.If there was a capital gains tax on the family home you people would be jumping up and down about that to. I’m sure I seem two flags wavering people for the man who is the best deal maker in the world YEA RIGHT. Damien Farmers were making hay for Christmas after all they are in the best farming country in the Papatuanukue were else can one dig a garden and spend 1 hour a fortnight working it and at Christmas time harvest a bounty with no watering and no fertiliser .??? Amanda ECO Maori trys to keep that value if one going to say something bad don’t say it at all but when I see people denying our Mokopunas a future by denying climate change we’ll they get the – – – – from ECO Maori. I seen some data that said NZ has one of the highest insurers cover in the Papatuanukue??????. Taumaranui is a cool place I spent a bit of time farming there a we while ago. Tova It’s a different game now and I say the capital gains tax will get through now people change their minds Winston that is he’s looking quite sprightly lately Kia kaha.
    Mark is just a greedy fool there you go crying we don’t get the old white man privileges you have all the management roles are filled by fools like you. Who keep all the best deals and jobs for fools like you. A society with equal income distribution is a safer and happier place to live raise tamariki. If human were not socialist dick we would have died out like the neanderthal like Mark and Duncan are neanderthal. 25 % is a % were the tipping point in favour of capital gains tax is not far out you guys must have rallied your poll trolls for that poll. The Old Taupo Mayor there is a lot of old Maori Mana in Taupo???????. What neanderthal business owners can’t see is the more money one gives the lower classes the more money they have to spend =more money for business it’s not Rocket Science neanderthal. There you go the insurance company /banks ripping the people off taking huge %. No wonder the banks have been sending 5 billion a year over seas I tryed to get life insurance because of the sandflys behaviour I wanted to leave something behind for the whano. It got rejected because the sandflys were going into my bank and playing silly buggers Ana to kai Ka kite ano.

  25. Eco Maori 27

    What about alcohol it kills hundreds and is easy for the tamariki to get we are locking people up for weed and a drug that kills hundreds is the main causes family Violence that is a bigger problem in NZ than weed the only health alcohol has is cleaning wounds so neanderthal eat that. Ka kite ano

  26. Eco Maori 28

    Fans $20 at the wha whare heaps of shade around the house mark you are full of it test have been done that proves that it’s cheaper efficient if the car is traveling to drive with the windows down and the air conditioning off in a car than having the air conditioning on and windows up but if stuck in a traffic jam windows closed air conditioning on or else you will cook I can see the needle move when I drive with air conditioning on

  27. Eco Maori 29

    The truth is that the $400 a day for tree planting bull was a spin aimed at the lower classes on social security people from national poor people bashing to give national A tool to hit the Coalition govement on the HEAD with to lift nationals polls it does not matter to the neanderthal,s if they are hurting the poor people in the process. Eco Maori could see that a mile away The big forestry companys are keep all the creamy money for there m8 and pay the workers crap. The Drug testing is full of lop hole that favour alcohol and PEE . PEE is out of ones system in 12 hours alcohol one can have a drink the night before and nothing shows up weed if you had a smoke 3 days before the test fail no job. When one can work perfectly safe if weed was smoked the night before work what a sham . Because of this testing sham work place TESTING it actually pushes workers on to the drug that does not show up on these test and thats PEE
    The average worker planted 600 trees a day, receiving 18 cents to 25c per tree, Geddes said.
    “The highest I have paid a tree planter is 30c a tree, because of the rates we get from the forestry companies. The 50c to 60c a tree goes to the contractor.”

    He said the solution to finding tree-planters was an increase in pay for everyone, and that industry wages failed to recognise the skill and work required for the job.
    “In my opinion, the planter should be getting 40c to 50c a tree and the contractor more than $1 a tree. Then we would not have a problem getting planters,” Geddes said.
    “It is quite a technical job and takes at least two years to get really good at it.”
    He said the big forestry companies had put the screws on the industry to plant trees as cheaply as possible.
    “A lot of Kiwis left the industry as it was no longer a good career option.”
    Another silviculture contractor said, on average, his planters made 25c to 35c per tree, and planted anywhere from 800 to 1500 a day, depending on the conditions.
    “It’s bloody hard work and even harder trying to find the right people that are willing to give it a go.” Ka kite ano PS Thanks for the truth stuff links below

    Here’s why no-one wants to plant trees for $400 a day

  28. Eco Maori 30

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute