Hosking supported Cosby because in his dreary and unfunny monologues, Cosby loudly, relentlessly, blamed black people for their plight. The fact that he was a sexual predator of Trumpian proportions was unknown at the time, and the revelation of his crimes means that the likes of Hosking have not been so loud in their praise of him recently.
Cosby represents (or represented) a strain of black reactionary conservatism which is centred around evangelical Christianity (think those gospel choirs). Similar people are Ben Carson (Trump’s housing secretary), David Clark (sheriff of Milwakee) and Clarence Thomas.
“You know who never had someone protest at their gigs because of their material? Bill Cosby. You gotta give it to Bill. What a dignified man. He never said the swear words, he never lowered himself to my level. What a class act he is.”
These high profile cases, exposed by the media, and subsequently partly tried via media, have done a job the justice system previously failed to do.
The failings in the system have been exposed: failings that allow many men, especially those in positions of (varying degrees of) power in diverse social contexts, to get away with sexual assault and rape.
Now is the time to change the system, so it works to arrest and convict those guilty of such crimes, and also to change the culture so that such crimes happen far less often.
He is on bail. A further sign society has a wee way to go determining that drugging abd sexually assaulting women is a bad thing. He has had sufficient time to get his affairs in order and say his goodbyes. But no, home he goes.
If there is a newer version, one tweaked by the new government it has not revealed itself to your truly.
A cursory peruse will reveal this is a Plan that will not achieve full nationwide rollout until 2027. Whew! I’ll be ashes or dust by then.
That cursory peruse will reveal the bane of my frigging life…fucking redacted sections….a line here, a couple of lines there….then whole big bleeding swags of blankety bloody blank.
And talking about entitlement. Ministry of Health DSS clients have none.
ACC foobarred do, enshrined in Legislation, but MOH DSS disabled do not.
And the above Cabinet Paper does make passing note that some disabled people just might get it into their heads that they are entitled…this must be nipped in the bud.
Now, back to the Grand Announcement from the PSA.
They do not like disabled people having control over who does their personal cares, when, how etc….Individualised Funding gives clients this control…..including the right to dismiss staff should they not work out.
Now…put on hold your workers’ rights outrage and think for a minute…that person you hired to do your personal cares presented well at the interview and performed well during the trial period. The honeymoon is over however and it turns out they like to get sloshed on a Thursday night and arrive to do your manual bowel cares and shower in a less than sober state at six am on Friday. They also think you enjoy listening to endless ribald tales of their sex life. You have spoken to them but to no avail…they have rights and you need their help and you can’t fire them….
OK. So this is an extreme scenario…though not at all unheard of…but you surely get the drift, right???
The usual ‘rules’ protecting workers from ‘unfair’ dismissal are not appropriate in this case. At. All.
And besides, as I pointed out to the nice young woman from the PSA at the meeting in Balmoral a few years ago, any carer worth their salt can pick up another client if things don’t gel with this one….plenty of work there for the right people.
So this is a massive turnaround from the PSA.
The NZDSN…the organisation protecting the profit making capabilities of the Contracted Care (sic) Providers also have issues with IF, Personal Budgets, call them what you will….
See, IF is funded at a lower hourly rate that what the CP have negotiated with the MOH. Built into the hourly rate for the CPs is a margin to provide for their overheads. Economies of scale as CP companies have amalgamated has ensured that profits are good….
The more disabled folk taking up IF will have the inevitable effect of reducing the profit making capacity of the Contracted Providers.
I fired off an email just the other night to the PIC of the DSS System Transformation. I pointed out, amongst other things, that the NZDSN and the PSA were not going to be exactly ecstatic that the new happy crappy plan for the poor disabled hinges largely on folk using IF.
Really disappointed with the System Transformation from what I’ve read.
Perhaps there is an updated Cabinet Paper? The one that tipped me into despair was signed by the previous incumbent, Wagner.
“Inquiry into the quality of care and service provision for people with disabilities” Report of the Social Services Committee 2008.
Background to the inquiry
In 2005 and 2006 concerns about support services for people with disabilities were raised by the media and discussed in Parliament. In particular, two major service providers were accused of inappropriate treatment of people with disabilities in their care, and one was found to have received funding to which it was not entitled. Publicity about abuse and irregular financial dealings appeared to be indicative of wider issues in the disability sector, and organisations representing the disabled community publicly expressed dissatisfaction with current service provision.
Concerns about the quality, training, and availability of staff looking after people with disabilities with complex needs were raised, deaths in care facilities were examined in the media, and the Government’s management and funding of the disability sector was questioned.
. A series of investigations and audits produced evidence of strengths in the
system, but there was also evidence of unacceptable conditions and abuse, making an inquiry necessary.”
Read it and weep….many of us did.
So…Labour Government, and shitty care for disabled Kiwis after not quite a decade of application of neo liberal policies around disability supports.
Who would have ever thought that handing over big chunks of money to profits and ‘non-profits’ to provide disability care to people with high needs, using a largely untrained and unregulated workforce would end in exploitation and abuse and neglect?
Yet, when family carers who did not risk the lives of their loved ones at the hands of these abusers and exploiters went to Court to be paid for the work they did….some in the ‘sector’ threw the ‘abuse, neglect and exploitation’ narrative right back at us.
The Person In Charge of this System Transformation told me a couple of months ago that the issue of family care (as opposed to care through providers) is NOT part of the System Transformation strategy/discussion/initiative or whatever happy clappy name they choose to use.
How can this be?
The single biggest Court Case, causing ripples all the way to the UN, involving the care of disabled Kiwis and it is NOT a part of the single biggest System Transformation since Kimberly et al were closed?
Since the ST began under National we’ll blame them for this serious and quite frankly damned insulting omission.
Effectively, those that can’t afford a new electric car will be subsidising those that can. Therefore, while this may be a win for the Green’s environment cause it goes against their social justice stance. Which won’t go down too well with many of their supporters.
With the Greens leading this drive and with consumers being warned to expect substantial jumps in fuel and energy prices from any shift to a low carbon economy, the Greens better ensure there are sufficient safeguards to protect low income households if they want to avoid consumer, thus voter blow-back.
This policy needs much more detail to see how well it will work. How much will an EV need to drop in price in order to make it attractive to the masses? What mechanism will they use to prevent a EV dealer tweaking the price to get a larger subsidy, like some landlords do with the accommodation supplement?
I am already a EV owner. It may be a Green issue but none of my Green drinking mates own one. They give me a bit of good-natured cheek about my Labour credentials, so a month ago, after some more ‘holier-than-thou’ ribbing, I dropped my EV keys onto the table and asked “How Green are you?’
None had an electric car. Shaw needs to preach to his converted………. 162,000 Green voters in NZ in 2017. Only 6000 EVs owned in NZ.
What other factors apart from price hinder a greater uptake of EV in NZ?
Considering the masses buy secondhand imports, one would expect the price of an electric car would have to be substantially slashed for the masses to afford one.
Another problem in us all changing to electric vehicles is our electricity supply is still reliant on fossil fuels.
“New Zealand can feel rather proud that it is second-best in the world in the way we generate electricity. Hydro, wind and geothermal energy combine to produce 85 per cent of our power, with the remainder generated using gas and coal.”
One of the least reliant on fossil fuels in the world.
“Our performance is not that far behind the top country, Norway, which generates 97.9 per cent of its power using renewables. Other countries that are performing well include Colombia at 82 per cent and Brazil at 81.2 per cent.”
Norway and New Zealand, though close in renewable energy generation have this disparate statistic also.
“It’s estimated that the 4500 EVs now in use in New Zealand (September 2017 figures) represent less than 1 per cent of our total car “park”. Compare that to Norway (which is not much bigger than us, both in terms of land area and population), which boasts more than 150,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids. Not only that, but last year 40 per cent of all new vehicles registered in that country were EVs.”
One of the least reliant on fossil fuels in the world but reliant nonetheless. And that is at current demand. If we all shifted to electric vehicles, our electricity supply would have to increase. So unlike Norway, we’re nowhere close to 100%, thus are unprepared for a massive surge in electric vehicle uptake.
Interestingly, I see Government subsidises and being friendlier to electric vehicles is what is largely driving their uptake in Norway.
Therefore, it indicates subsidises work. However, the problem for the Greens is expecting those that can’t afford a new electric car to help fund those who can won’t go down too well with many of their supporters. Hence, they really need to look for a more progressive means of funding.
” the problem for the Greens is expecting those that can’t afford a new electric car to help fund those who can won’t go down too well with many of their supporters”
Yes – government subsidies would be far better directed at making electrified public transport free at the point of use, rather than helping high income earners buy a $40k Leaf instead of a $35K petrol vehicle.
True…renewables are huge…but as far as greenhouse gas emission goes, geothermal involves the emission such gases…not as much as other forms (i.e. fossil fuels) but not necessarily zero…
Actually one with a battery that is not too far gone will set one back about $11,000.
There is a guy in Auck who specialises in repairing such batteries cell by cell so its not such a massive outlay as a new one. For local driving the EV is the ideal vehicle. Having to travel around 200 Km and return on a reasonably regular basis (with no rapid charging readily available) I find a hybrid is the answer. I have cut my carbon emissions by half. Locally – down a steep hill and back – a distance of around 5km I use the car as an EV.
We also have a hybrid, but I agree with opinions that it has two systems that can go wrong. We have a maintenance contract with “that guy in Auckland”, so we can get a replacement battery etc. when we need it. Will probably try and upgrade before then. We purchased it second-hand, and it provided us with the seven-seater we needed. It is 2004, so not as efficient as the later models, but still pretty good.
My partner drives a fully electric for work, and it is great. Takes a bit of getting used to with the charging, and driving it is a bit different. But the next lot of nissans, etc should have a range of around 300-400kms. More than enough for most uses – if, there are enough charging stations around.
I read about the number of petrol stations dropping from around 4,000 in 1976 to around 1,200 now. I guess part of that would have been the petrol companies getting rid of their private owners, but that would have hit the regions and smaller towns the hardest.
Wouldn’t it be great if some of that regional funding, merged with infrastructure funding and those regional self-owned businesses in small towns could access a scheme that installed for free a rapid-charger if their business plan was up to a certain level of viability and/or social contribution? That’s twenty minutes for that business and others to provide goods and services to a customer.
The returns on the investment of $114,000,000 to all NZers would be considerable:
1. An electric charger infrastructure that reduces range anxiety,
2. A direct investment into locally owned small to medium businesses in the regions,
3. A concrete commitment to transitioning transport.
I’m sure that the America’s Cup has some type of cost/benefit analysis, but all event like this can manage to rustle something up. Doesn’t mean they are truly beneficial.
The Greens in the middle class are good at talkng the talk but not walking the walk, unless it happens to be one of their particular
concerns. My opinion. Many are still stuck on recycling or getting us all on bikes or banning everything that isn’t kosher.
Meanwhile others have to get by trying to fulfil their obligations to family, taxation system, landlord or bank etc.
Agreed with an acquaintance today that a number of small minibus taxis, at contract rates driven by local people, and which could be EVs,
be available to collect children on a route to go to school and be brought home again, for a virtual koha. Less traffic on the road, and more safety than bicycling, and in the end perhaps less need of a second car.
Let’s get serious about coping with our problems and paying a lot of money into the political system that seems constipated or delivers piles of ordure to us. Friendly, capable helpful pollies who want to do the best to enable a happy thriving community adopting good practices with the future in mind.
Keep that vision before you, recall it at night before you go to sleep, and give yourself 5 minutes to invigorate yourself with it into a positive frame of mind as you leap out to start your day.
Think kia ora and ata marie.
A very interesting interview on Morning Report this morning was with Tracey Martin, Minister for Children, who is currently in the UK investigating how they deal with vulnerable children there, ahead of the review of Oranga Tamariki.
The first 4 mins of the 5.57 min interview by Suzie Ferguson was on the changes being implemented by certain jurisdictions in the UK (including Scotland) which have achieved improvements, for example by a change in focus from ‘doing services’ to concentrating on ‘building relationships with our children’.
The discussion also covered the role of social workers. Martin considered that we have excellent social workers here in NZ and there was no problem with our social workers themselves. Rather, she believed that the environment they are working in is very important, with social workers needing to be well supported to be able to do their job. While she did not say so directly, she seemed to imply indirectly that she did not think that they were necessarily well supported currently.
IMHO although brief, these remarks were particularly interesting in relationship to the Social Services & Community Select Committee Report back on the Social Workers Registration Legislation Bill that has been the subject of discussion here on TS in several posts over the last week starting with the guest post by Keiran O’Donoghue titled “Professional identity – Why it matters or Why we are being screwed by the Government”.
So I hope that Smellpir, Amy and others directly involved in social work and who have guest posted and/or commented on TS on the concerns raised by the Select Committee report back take a few minutes to listen to Martin.
Note: Unfortunately in the last two minutes of the interview, Ferguson diverted onto the subject of Martin’s views on smacking and her parenting practices some years ago. This led to an exchange between the two as to the reason Martin was being interviewed with Martin seeing this as her role now as Minister for Children – not what she or NZF had thought or had policies on some years ago. Martin held her ground well with a hint of steel against this diversion. I just wish they had continued to discuss the issues covered in the earlier part of the interview.
not what she or NZF had thought or had policies on some years ago.
The election was only six months ago. NZF campaigned on repealing the ‘smacking bill’ and Martin endorsed this policy. She said that she smacked her kids and thought it was fine.
I agree I was a little unclear in my wording on that, solkta.
My main focus in respect of this morning’s interview was on what Martin had to say about social workers. Research I have done and posted under the O’Donoghue guest post and discussed there with Smellpir for example, indicates that NZF appear to be more aligned with the registration regime and definitions (including the controversial scope of practice) sought by the social worker profession itself for many years than any other political party.
Re the “anti-smacking law”, as you say, NZF did campaign in both the 2014 and 2017 elections – not to repeal the smacking law per se, but to hold a referendum on whether or not it should be repealed.
This – and her own smacking of her kids years ago – were discussed on 30 October 2017 in an interview between Martin and John Campbell on RNZ Checkpoint where she also clarified that the referendum had not survived the coalition negotiations, and she and her party had moved on from this.
”The Minister for Children, New Zealand First’s Tracey Martin, says her party’s policy to hold a referendum on repealing the child smacking law did not make it through coalition talks.
The law was passed in 2007, removing the defence of reasonable force in cases of child abuse.
New Zealand First campaigned in 2014 on holding a referendum to repeal the law, saying it was passed in 2007 despite overwhelming public opposition.
Ms Martin told Checkpoint with John Campbell that the law had had a chilling effect on parents, including herself.
She said she used to smack her children sometimes if they simply refused to listen.
Tracey Martin said once the law was changed, her children were older anyway.
But she said the world had moved on, and her party had moved on.
“If I can find a way without coalition partners, to improve that legislation to make it clearer in law, then we will do that.
“With regard to the referendum on section 59, that did not survive negotiations.”
I would be interested in the rationale for private funding of some parts of the plan – all that seems to do is remove control from government to deliver profits to banks and private shareholders – and they walk away from losses.
Toll roads should be for roads that cannot be otherwise justified in priority terms, or where restrictions on volume are desirable (such as central city tolls). I think road user charges should cover the cost of both the development and maintenance of roads, and also the “cost” of emissions – I would expect individual vehicles to therefore pay based on weight and emissions test results – that alone may be an incentive for electric or at least hybrid cara. How that flows through to petrol vehicles is problematic, but I suspect fair charges would make very heavy road vehicles less attractive.
There should be considerable scope for raising money from a fairer tax system – the glaring market distortion of tax free capital gains needs to be addressed.
The rationale for private funding is to reduce the Government’s outlay, keeping debt off their balance sheet.
But I agree, it comes with a potential moral hazard of privatising gains while socialising losses all in while adding to the cost of borrowing.
Tolls should only be used to pay for the project, ceasing once it has been paid for. Which means no privatisation with tolls going to provide private profit.
Nevertheless, tolls are regressive, thus are a larger burden on low income households. So is using charges to restrict traffic volumes, thus unless there are measures to counter the negative impact on low income households, I can’t support them.
As for the cost of emissions, expecting individual vehicles to pay based on weight and their emissions test results is also regressive. We can’t expect low income household to disproportionally pay for our transport upgrade, hence I’d like to see more progressive ways to secure funding being put forward.
Increasing the bright-line test will help capture capital gains.
So much for our the Labour Government revoking our rights and democratic right to speak with our own submission before this kangaroo court committee over the TTP11.
Where was that promise to give us our voice and that they will hear us over our issues?
Surely hearing our voice over TPP11 should have been our explicit right?
What a sad day for our loss of democracy we see now.
This came back today to our ‘pre-submission’ from the committee reviewing all the submissions placed with them before last week deadline.
A public march must be made when they finally execute the TPP11 as they are hellbound to punish us into this 35 yr enslavery called a ‘free trade’ agreement.’ is not a free trade agreement at all and it seems to be already made by them to exclude our rights to present a verbal submission as they dismiss any voices against the ugly agreement made behind all our backs with no fair discussion with us all before hand.
start;
27/4/18.
Dear Submitter
Thank you for your submission on the International treaty examination of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. A copy will be distributed to members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee.
We note that you had requested to make an oral submission to the committee. However the committee has decided it won’t be hearing oral submissions from submitters whose written submission comprised of text from the “It’s Our Future” campaign, available on their website.
What happens next?
– After the committee has considered all public submissions and official advice, they’ll share their findings and recommendations with Parliament in a report.
– The committee’s report, along with all of the submissions and advice, will be publicly released and will be published to the Parliament website http://www.parliament.nz. If you have any concerns about this please contact committee staff.
– After the committee has presented its report, the item will progress to the next stage and will be considered by Parliament.
If you would like more information or have any questions then please let us know and we will be happy to help you.
New Zealand’s size and reliance on trade makes having global trade rules, backed by a dispute settlement system, particularly important for us. For years in the past, the lack of such a system meant our exporters faced potentially huge tariffs on all goods.
The 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade helped with that, and in 1995 the World Trade Organisation (WTO) applied those rules to the key industry of agriculture and boosted the dispute resolution system, a huge win for New Zealand.
However, the WTO – in particular the dispute resolution system which gives it heft – has recently come under threat from the US.
The system consists of two levels. If a complaint cannot be resolved by consultation between parties, a panel of experts will make recommendations on how to resolve it. But these decisions can be appealed and, if appealed, they can’t be adopted.
As at least one party is usually unhappy with a panel report, the matter is usually resolved by appeal to the WTO’s seven-member Appellate Body. Their decisions are binding: you either implement the decision, or pay the other parties compensation.
Three members must sit on every appeal, with members from the countries involved in a dispute excluded. This is a great system as it stops members vetoing decisions.
For some time however, the US has been vetoing all replacements to the panel of seven members. Members are appointed for a fixed four-year term. These terms can be extended, but the US is vetoing extensions too…….
(How long are we going to put up with this debacle of a supposed developed educated country full of supposedly responsible intelligent worldly-wise people, and which holds itself out as a paragon amongst nations, serving up this mean-minded stuff as appropriate behaviour for our world of modern societies and economies?)
How long? As long as enough believe the myth that the economy is number 1 rather than the economy serving the people first, then environment. Servant not master.
Too many think that only the wealthy have a valid or credible view of what needs to be done and that making lots of money = successful = to be listened to.
Ka pai Julia Whaipooti I have just picked up here story she was at the United nations presentating the plite of Maori culture tangata from the justice system in Atoearoa New Zealand. I won’t quote my situation but its farcical here is the link below
Newshub good evening going through the old ship log books of the ship that have been to Antarctic is a excellent way to get more clues to climate change we can learn a lot more from OUR history and use this information to make our society better. The THUNDER had a good Game Kia kaha guys The Rugby was good this weekend Ka pai Ka kite ano
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TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
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Good to see Bill Cosby finally convicted of sexual assault.
Not everybody will be happy. Cosby has some fervent fans in this country….
—Mike “Contra” Hosking, NewstalkZB, 2013, after playing one of Cosby’s stand-up routines ranting about the misbehaviour of black youth.
Let’s see how those favourite lines work in jail.
I doubt many of the other prisoners would ever have appreciated his Uncle Tom monologues.
People can be unhappy that people they liked turn out disappointments and horrible people.
I doubt anyone feels much if any sympathy for him now that the truth has come out.
Dont confuse the two.
Hosking supported Cosby because in his dreary and unfunny monologues, Cosby loudly, relentlessly, blamed black people for their plight. The fact that he was a sexual predator of Trumpian proportions was unknown at the time, and the revelation of his crimes means that the likes of Hosking have not been so loud in their praise of him recently.
Cosby represents (or represented) a strain of black reactionary conservatism which is centred around evangelical Christianity (think those gospel choirs). Similar people are Ben Carson (Trump’s housing secretary), David Clark (sheriff of Milwakee) and Clarence Thomas.
And that arch-nitwit, Thomas Sowell. He’s the favorite author of Leighton Smith and other non-readers.
Bill Cosby 2 minute mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJUlbdy0Lc
Brilliant! Especially just after the 8:00 mark….
🙂 ….. similar ground …. a more vulgar take on the bastion of values … the BBC … and the good old days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kaq0Ym6OY_k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16yd9UkvLnE
These high profile cases, exposed by the media, and subsequently partly tried via media, have done a job the justice system previously failed to do.
The failings in the system have been exposed: failings that allow many men, especially those in positions of (varying degrees of) power in diverse social contexts, to get away with sexual assault and rape.
Now is the time to change the system, so it works to arrest and convict those guilty of such crimes, and also to change the culture so that such crimes happen far less often.
… he got bail…
He is on bail. A further sign society has a wee way to go determining that drugging abd sexually assaulting women is a bad thing. He has had sufficient time to get his affairs in order and say his goodbyes. But no, home he goes.
I see on Scoop Sepioloni is doing a limited trial of a system for the disabled.
Report in a year!!
Is it this?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1804/S00274/unions-ready-to-work-with-disabled-people.htm
This!! Scoop needs better navigation
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1804/S00086/new-trial-in-mid-central-to-give-disabled-people-more-say.htm
No one seems be able to come up with a detailed explanation of how this will work beyond corporate state buzz words.
Ask, and ye shall receive millsy.
Here is the Cabinet Paper that lays out the Plan…https://www.odi.govt.nz/assets/New-Zealand-Disability-Strategy-files/Disability-Support-System-Transformation-Overall-Approach.pdf
If there is a newer version, one tweaked by the new government it has not revealed itself to your truly.
A cursory peruse will reveal this is a Plan that will not achieve full nationwide rollout until 2027. Whew! I’ll be ashes or dust by then.
That cursory peruse will reveal the bane of my frigging life…fucking redacted sections….a line here, a couple of lines there….then whole big bleeding swags of blankety bloody blank.
And no point in dropping another line to Clare “Open Government” Curran as according to the letter from her in reply to my last letter to her regarding redacted sections this wee gem…https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/ris-government-response-family-carers-case.pdf she can’t instruct Ministries to release information they consider we are not entitled to see.
And talking about entitlement. Ministry of Health DSS clients have none.
ACC foobarred do, enshrined in Legislation, but MOH DSS disabled do not.
And the above Cabinet Paper does make passing note that some disabled people just might get it into their heads that they are entitled…this must be nipped in the bud.
Now, back to the Grand Announcement from the PSA.
They do not like disabled people having control over who does their personal cares, when, how etc….Individualised Funding gives clients this control…..including the right to dismiss staff should they not work out.
Now…put on hold your workers’ rights outrage and think for a minute…that person you hired to do your personal cares presented well at the interview and performed well during the trial period. The honeymoon is over however and it turns out they like to get sloshed on a Thursday night and arrive to do your manual bowel cares and shower in a less than sober state at six am on Friday. They also think you enjoy listening to endless ribald tales of their sex life. You have spoken to them but to no avail…they have rights and you need their help and you can’t fire them….
OK. So this is an extreme scenario…though not at all unheard of…but you surely get the drift, right???
The usual ‘rules’ protecting workers from ‘unfair’ dismissal are not appropriate in this case. At. All.
And besides, as I pointed out to the nice young woman from the PSA at the meeting in Balmoral a few years ago, any carer worth their salt can pick up another client if things don’t gel with this one….plenty of work there for the right people.
So this is a massive turnaround from the PSA.
The NZDSN…the organisation protecting the profit making capabilities of the Contracted Care (sic) Providers also have issues with IF, Personal Budgets, call them what you will….
See, IF is funded at a lower hourly rate that what the CP have negotiated with the MOH. Built into the hourly rate for the CPs is a margin to provide for their overheads. Economies of scale as CP companies have amalgamated has ensured that profits are good….
The more disabled folk taking up IF will have the inevitable effect of reducing the profit making capacity of the Contracted Providers.
The NZDSN have seen this coming for quite some time, and have positioned themselves to still remain in business in this new market…https://www.demos.co.uk/files/At_your_service_-_web.pdf?1256725103
Whew! That’s me done for now.
Simply lovely having access to a real device…with keys, and broadband and a mouse so one can link to documents etc. 😉
Thanks for the insights Rosemary
Well, what a coincidence.
I fired off an email just the other night to the PIC of the DSS System Transformation. I pointed out, amongst other things, that the NZDSN and the PSA were not going to be exactly ecstatic that the new happy crappy plan for the poor disabled hinges largely on folk using IF.
Really disappointed with the System Transformation from what I’ve read.
Perhaps there is an updated Cabinet Paper? The one that tipped me into despair was signed by the previous incumbent, Wagner.
Very possibly SSDD.
Wagner… makes me shudder
patricia bremner
This is NOT an initiative from the current incumbents.
However, it was borne out of this… https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/48DBSCH_SCR4194_1/cb220d2e3ba25dc33dec0b28b29b30578d110dd5
“Inquiry into the quality of care and service provision for people with disabilities” Report of the Social Services Committee 2008.
Background to the inquiry
In 2005 and 2006 concerns about support services for people with disabilities were raised by the media and discussed in Parliament. In particular, two major service providers were accused of inappropriate treatment of people with disabilities in their care, and one was found to have received funding to which it was not entitled. Publicity about abuse and irregular financial dealings appeared to be indicative of wider issues in the disability sector, and organisations representing the disabled community publicly expressed dissatisfaction with current service provision.
Concerns about the quality, training, and availability of staff looking after people with disabilities with complex needs were raised, deaths in care facilities were examined in the media, and the Government’s management and funding of the disability sector was questioned.
. A series of investigations and audits produced evidence of strengths in the
system, but there was also evidence of unacceptable conditions and abuse, making an inquiry necessary.”
Read it and weep….many of us did.
So…Labour Government, and shitty care for disabled Kiwis after not quite a decade of application of neo liberal policies around disability supports.
Who would have ever thought that handing over big chunks of money to profits and ‘non-profits’ to provide disability care to people with high needs, using a largely untrained and unregulated workforce would end in exploitation and abuse and neglect?
Yet, when family carers who did not risk the lives of their loved ones at the hands of these abusers and exploiters went to Court to be paid for the work they did….some in the ‘sector’ threw the ‘abuse, neglect and exploitation’ narrative right back at us.
The Person In Charge of this System Transformation told me a couple of months ago that the issue of family care (as opposed to care through providers) is NOT part of the System Transformation strategy/discussion/initiative or whatever happy clappy name they choose to use.
How can this be?
The single biggest Court Case, causing ripples all the way to the UN, involving the care of disabled Kiwis and it is NOT a part of the single biggest System Transformation since Kimberly et al were closed?
Since the ST began under National we’ll blame them for this serious and quite frankly damned insulting omission.
So, sorry pb, no cause for celebration.
Not for a decade.
Labour has a shameful record on this issue.
Does RNZ pimp for the reading lobby?
Maybe they should work a bit more with the writing lobby.
I pimp for the spelling lobby.
Won’t somebody please think of the ‘rithmetic lobby?
Climate Change Minister James Shaw says he’s looking at putting a tax on imported petrol vehicles and using that money to subsidise electric cars.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018642421/levy-on-petrol-car-imports-considered-by-govt
Effectively, those that can’t afford a new electric car will be subsidising those that can. Therefore, while this may be a win for the Green’s environment cause it goes against their social justice stance. Which won’t go down too well with many of their supporters.
With the Greens leading this drive and with consumers being warned to expect substantial jumps in fuel and energy prices from any shift to a low carbon economy, the Greens better ensure there are sufficient safeguards to protect low income households if they want to avoid consumer, thus voter blow-back.
I can’t fault your logic there.
This policy needs much more detail to see how well it will work. How much will an EV need to drop in price in order to make it attractive to the masses? What mechanism will they use to prevent a EV dealer tweaking the price to get a larger subsidy, like some landlords do with the accommodation supplement?
I am already a EV owner. It may be a Green issue but none of my Green drinking mates own one. They give me a bit of good-natured cheek about my Labour credentials, so a month ago, after some more ‘holier-than-thou’ ribbing, I dropped my EV keys onto the table and asked “How Green are you?’
None had an electric car. Shaw needs to preach to his converted………. 162,000 Green voters in NZ in 2017. Only 6000 EVs owned in NZ.
What other factors apart from price hinder a greater uptake of EV in NZ?
Considering the masses buy secondhand imports, one would expect the price of an electric car would have to be substantially slashed for the masses to afford one.
Another problem in us all changing to electric vehicles is our electricity supply is still reliant on fossil fuels.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/97198599/electric-vehicles-can-we-become-the-norway-of-the-southern-hemisphere
“New Zealand can feel rather proud that it is second-best in the world in the way we generate electricity. Hydro, wind and geothermal energy combine to produce 85 per cent of our power, with the remainder generated using gas and coal.”
One of the least reliant on fossil fuels in the world.
“Our performance is not that far behind the top country, Norway, which generates 97.9 per cent of its power using renewables. Other countries that are performing well include Colombia at 82 per cent and Brazil at 81.2 per cent.”
Norway and New Zealand, though close in renewable energy generation have this disparate statistic also.
“It’s estimated that the 4500 EVs now in use in New Zealand (September 2017 figures) represent less than 1 per cent of our total car “park”. Compare that to Norway (which is not much bigger than us, both in terms of land area and population), which boasts more than 150,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids. Not only that, but last year 40 per cent of all new vehicles registered in that country were EVs.”
One of the least reliant on fossil fuels in the world but reliant nonetheless. And that is at current demand. If we all shifted to electric vehicles, our electricity supply would have to increase. So unlike Norway, we’re nowhere close to 100%, thus are unprepared for a massive surge in electric vehicle uptake.
Interestingly, I see Government subsidises and being friendlier to electric vehicles is what is largely driving their uptake in Norway.
Therefore, it indicates subsidises work. However, the problem for the Greens is expecting those that can’t afford a new electric car to help fund those who can won’t go down too well with many of their supporters. Hence, they really need to look for a more progressive means of funding.
” the problem for the Greens is expecting those that can’t afford a new electric car to help fund those who can won’t go down too well with many of their supporters”
Yes – government subsidies would be far better directed at making electrified public transport free at the point of use, rather than helping high income earners buy a $40k Leaf instead of a $35K petrol vehicle.
Did the Norwegians have a Max Bradford to ensure their access to cheap electricity?
Ooooh! Gabby that was a low blow!
Good ol Max – what a clusterfuck that was.
🙂
The second hand hybrid or electric market is growing. Toyota priys was first made in 2003??
No it isn’t. Our power generation is over 80% renewable
True…renewables are huge…but as far as greenhouse gas emission goes, geothermal involves the emission such gases…not as much as other forms (i.e. fossil fuels) but not necessarily zero…
http://nzgeothermal.org.nz/emissions/
James, man of the people that he is, pointed out that a 2nd hand crap Leaf would set you back a mere 15 g. Chump change to the right sort of people.
Actually one with a battery that is not too far gone will set one back about $11,000.
There is a guy in Auck who specialises in repairing such batteries cell by cell so its not such a massive outlay as a new one. For local driving the EV is the ideal vehicle. Having to travel around 200 Km and return on a reasonably regular basis (with no rapid charging readily available) I find a hybrid is the answer. I have cut my carbon emissions by half. Locally – down a steep hill and back – a distance of around 5km I use the car as an EV.
We also have a hybrid, but I agree with opinions that it has two systems that can go wrong. We have a maintenance contract with “that guy in Auckland”, so we can get a replacement battery etc. when we need it. Will probably try and upgrade before then. We purchased it second-hand, and it provided us with the seven-seater we needed. It is 2004, so not as efficient as the later models, but still pretty good.
My partner drives a fully electric for work, and it is great. Takes a bit of getting used to with the charging, and driving it is a bit different. But the next lot of nissans, etc should have a range of around 300-400kms. More than enough for most uses – if, there are enough charging stations around.
I read about the number of petrol stations dropping from around 4,000 in 1976 to around 1,200 now. I guess part of that would have been the petrol companies getting rid of their private owners, but that would have hit the regions and smaller towns the hardest.
The cost of a rapid charger is around $50,000 (Bridges warning);.
Wouldn’t it be great if some of that regional funding, merged with infrastructure funding and those regional self-owned businesses in small towns could access a scheme that installed for free a rapid-charger if their business plan was up to a certain level of viability and/or social contribution? That’s twenty minutes for that business and others to provide goods and services to a customer.
The returns on the investment of $114,000,000 to all NZers would be considerable:
1. An electric charger infrastructure that reduces range anxiety,
2. A direct investment into locally owned small to medium businesses in the regions,
3. A concrete commitment to transitioning transport.
I’m sure that the America’s Cup has some type of cost/benefit analysis, but all event like this can manage to rustle something up. Doesn’t mean they are truly beneficial.
The Greens in the middle class are good at talkng the talk but not walking the walk, unless it happens to be one of their particular
concerns. My opinion. Many are still stuck on recycling or getting us all on bikes or banning everything that isn’t kosher.
Meanwhile others have to get by trying to fulfil their obligations to family, taxation system, landlord or bank etc.
Agreed with an acquaintance today that a number of small minibus taxis, at contract rates driven by local people, and which could be EVs,
be available to collect children on a route to go to school and be brought home again, for a virtual koha. Less traffic on the road, and more safety than bicycling, and in the end perhaps less need of a second car.
Let’s get serious about coping with our problems and paying a lot of money into the political system that seems constipated or delivers piles of ordure to us. Friendly, capable helpful pollies who want to do the best to enable a happy thriving community adopting good practices with the future in mind.
Keep that vision before you, recall it at night before you go to sleep, and give yourself 5 minutes to invigorate yourself with it into a positive frame of mind as you leap out to start your day.
Think kia ora and ata marie.
or maybe cars are just an emblem old hat, dumb thinking, be they electric, petrol, diesel, steam or whatever….
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/26/were-doomed-mayer-hillman-on-the-climate-reality-no-one-else-will-dare-mention
Mayer “Hillman” lol.
A very interesting interview on Morning Report this morning was with Tracey Martin, Minister for Children, who is currently in the UK investigating how they deal with vulnerable children there, ahead of the review of Oranga Tamariki.
The first 4 mins of the 5.57 min interview by Suzie Ferguson was on the changes being implemented by certain jurisdictions in the UK (including Scotland) which have achieved improvements, for example by a change in focus from ‘doing services’ to concentrating on ‘building relationships with our children’.
The discussion also covered the role of social workers. Martin considered that we have excellent social workers here in NZ and there was no problem with our social workers themselves. Rather, she believed that the environment they are working in is very important, with social workers needing to be well supported to be able to do their job. While she did not say so directly, she seemed to imply indirectly that she did not think that they were necessarily well supported currently.
IMHO although brief, these remarks were particularly interesting in relationship to the Social Services & Community Select Committee Report back on the Social Workers Registration Legislation Bill that has been the subject of discussion here on TS in several posts over the last week starting with the guest post by Keiran O’Donoghue titled “Professional identity – Why it matters or Why we are being screwed by the Government”.
So I hope that Smellpir, Amy and others directly involved in social work and who have guest posted and/or commented on TS on the concerns raised by the Select Committee report back take a few minutes to listen to Martin.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018642426/tracey-martin-learns-from-uk-before-oranga-tamariki-review
Note: Unfortunately in the last two minutes of the interview, Ferguson diverted onto the subject of Martin’s views on smacking and her parenting practices some years ago. This led to an exchange between the two as to the reason Martin was being interviewed with Martin seeing this as her role now as Minister for Children – not what she or NZF had thought or had policies on some years ago. Martin held her ground well with a hint of steel against this diversion. I just wish they had continued to discuss the issues covered in the earlier part of the interview.
not what she or NZF had thought or had policies on some years ago.
The election was only six months ago. NZF campaigned on repealing the ‘smacking bill’ and Martin endorsed this policy. She said that she smacked her kids and thought it was fine.
I agree I was a little unclear in my wording on that, solkta.
My main focus in respect of this morning’s interview was on what Martin had to say about social workers. Research I have done and posted under the O’Donoghue guest post and discussed there with Smellpir for example, indicates that NZF appear to be more aligned with the registration regime and definitions (including the controversial scope of practice) sought by the social worker profession itself for many years than any other political party.
Re the “anti-smacking law”, as you say, NZF did campaign in both the 2014 and 2017 elections – not to repeal the smacking law per se, but to hold a referendum on whether or not it should be repealed.
This – and her own smacking of her kids years ago – were discussed on 30 October 2017 in an interview between Martin and John Campbell on RNZ Checkpoint where she also clarified that the referendum had not survived the coalition negotiations, and she and her party had moved on from this.
”The Minister for Children, New Zealand First’s Tracey Martin, says her party’s policy to hold a referendum on repealing the child smacking law did not make it through coalition talks.
The law was passed in 2007, removing the defence of reasonable force in cases of child abuse.
New Zealand First campaigned in 2014 on holding a referendum to repeal the law, saying it was passed in 2007 despite overwhelming public opposition.
Ms Martin told Checkpoint with John Campbell that the law had had a chilling effect on parents, including herself.
She said she used to smack her children sometimes if they simply refused to listen.
Tracey Martin said once the law was changed, her children were older anyway.
But she said the world had moved on, and her party had moved on.
“If I can find a way without coalition partners, to improve that legislation to make it clearer in law, then we will do that.
“With regard to the referendum on section 59, that did not survive negotiations.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018619768/minister-for-children-wanted-to-repeal-anti-smacking-legislation
How should we pay for our transport upgrade?
Through regressive user pays charges and taxes or by way of progressive taxes?
Labour look set on using regressive user pays charges and taxes. Therefore, if we don’t support that, now is the time to be vocal.
I would be interested in the rationale for private funding of some parts of the plan – all that seems to do is remove control from government to deliver profits to banks and private shareholders – and they walk away from losses.
Toll roads should be for roads that cannot be otherwise justified in priority terms, or where restrictions on volume are desirable (such as central city tolls). I think road user charges should cover the cost of both the development and maintenance of roads, and also the “cost” of emissions – I would expect individual vehicles to therefore pay based on weight and emissions test results – that alone may be an incentive for electric or at least hybrid cara. How that flows through to petrol vehicles is problematic, but I suspect fair charges would make very heavy road vehicles less attractive.
There should be considerable scope for raising money from a fairer tax system – the glaring market distortion of tax free capital gains needs to be addressed.
The rationale for private funding is to reduce the Government’s outlay, keeping debt off their balance sheet.
But I agree, it comes with a potential moral hazard of privatising gains while socialising losses all in while adding to the cost of borrowing.
Tolls should only be used to pay for the project, ceasing once it has been paid for. Which means no privatisation with tolls going to provide private profit.
Nevertheless, tolls are regressive, thus are a larger burden on low income households. So is using charges to restrict traffic volumes, thus unless there are measures to counter the negative impact on low income households, I can’t support them.
As for the cost of emissions, expecting individual vehicles to pay based on weight and their emissions test results is also regressive. We can’t expect low income household to disproportionally pay for our transport upgrade, hence I’d like to see more progressive ways to secure funding being put forward.
Increasing the bright-line test will help capture capital gains.
So much for our the Labour Government revoking our rights and democratic right to speak with our own submission before this kangaroo court committee over the TTP11.
Where was that promise to give us our voice and that they will hear us over our issues?
Surely hearing our voice over TPP11 should have been our explicit right?
What a sad day for our loss of democracy we see now.
This came back today to our ‘pre-submission’ from the committee reviewing all the submissions placed with them before last week deadline.
A public march must be made when they finally execute the TPP11 as they are hellbound to punish us into this 35 yr enslavery called a ‘free trade’ agreement.’ is not a free trade agreement at all and it seems to be already made by them to exclude our rights to present a verbal submission as they dismiss any voices against the ugly agreement made behind all our backs with no fair discussion with us all before hand.
start;
27/4/18.
Dear Submitter
Thank you for your submission on the International treaty examination of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. A copy will be distributed to members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee.
We note that you had requested to make an oral submission to the committee. However the committee has decided it won’t be hearing oral submissions from submitters whose written submission comprised of text from the “It’s Our Future” campaign, available on their website.
What happens next?
– After the committee has considered all public submissions and official advice, they’ll share their findings and recommendations with Parliament in a report.
– The committee’s report, along with all of the submissions and advice, will be publicly released and will be published to the Parliament website http://www.parliament.nz. If you have any concerns about this please contact committee staff.
– After the committee has presented its report, the item will progress to the next stage and will be considered by Parliament.
If you would like more information or have any questions then please let us know and we will be happy to help you.
Yours sincerely,
Committee Secretariat.
end;
I hope no Labour voters are surprised
Hey
Still no Weka. @mickeysavage, @Bill, @lprent can anyone advise if she is ok.
Her articles and comments are missed.
+1
A.
Of note is how the site is doing with low touch moderating…there will be a few variables contributing to consider…
Seems to be doing ok…tone is good and agro levels are relatively low…
What does that have to do with checking if a regular author and commentator here is ok.
I am asking out of human kindness and concern nothing to do with moderating.
It was an observation which I added to your comment…
That is all it was…
She’s active.
Well, glad to hear that.
She is well.
Otago Socialist Society event on Marx’s ‘Wage Labour and Capital’:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/04/24/wage-labour-and-capital-otago-socialist-society-event-5-30pm-monday-april-30/
Did you hear this Radionz piece from Charles Finney on WTO and USA and storm clouds ahead?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/355959/nz-must-heed-us-moves-to-disable-world-trade-organisation
New Zealand’s size and reliance on trade makes having global trade rules, backed by a dispute settlement system, particularly important for us. For years in the past, the lack of such a system meant our exporters faced potentially huge tariffs on all goods.
The 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade helped with that, and in 1995 the World Trade Organisation (WTO) applied those rules to the key industry of agriculture and boosted the dispute resolution system, a huge win for New Zealand.
However, the WTO – in particular the dispute resolution system which gives it heft – has recently come under threat from the US.
The system consists of two levels. If a complaint cannot be resolved by consultation between parties, a panel of experts will make recommendations on how to resolve it. But these decisions can be appealed and, if appealed, they can’t be adopted.
As at least one party is usually unhappy with a panel report, the matter is usually resolved by appeal to the WTO’s seven-member Appellate Body. Their decisions are binding: you either implement the decision, or pay the other parties compensation.
Three members must sit on every appeal, with members from the countries involved in a dispute excluded. This is a great system as it stops members vetoing decisions.
For some time however, the US has been vetoing all replacements to the panel of seven members. Members are appointed for a fixed four-year term. These terms can be extended, but the US is vetoing extensions too…….
(How long are we going to put up with this debacle of a supposed developed educated country full of supposedly responsible intelligent worldly-wise people, and which holds itself out as a paragon amongst nations, serving up this mean-minded stuff as appropriate behaviour for our world of modern societies and economies?)
How long? As long as enough believe the myth that the economy is number 1 rather than the economy serving the people first, then environment. Servant not master.
Too many think that only the wealthy have a valid or credible view of what needs to be done and that making lots of money = successful = to be listened to.
Have all Trump followers caught up with Bad Lip Reading where the politicians’ hearing with Mark Zuckerburg is turned into the fakest of news.
https://boingboing.net/2018/04/26/a-bad-lip-reading-of-mark-zuck.html
There is a awesome program on Al Jazeera
At the minute it comfirms all that I have said about the dubble edged sword of the Internet Ka kite ano
Put up the link eco maori then we can all catch on to your point.
Ka pai Julia Whaipooti I have just picked up here story she was at the United nations presentating the plite of Maori culture tangata from the justice system in Atoearoa New Zealand. I won’t quote my situation but its farcical here is the link below
https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018642011/young-maori-go-to-un-to-oppose-mega-prison&ved=2ahUKEwj4lr6p2dvaAhUDvbwKHYmbCpoQFjACegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw2wfaKtzRUdoZDniaPgYWuG
What got me was that there is no word of this Mana Wahine story in MSM??????????
KA KITE ANO
Newshub good evening going through the old ship log books of the ship that have been to Antarctic is a excellent way to get more clues to climate change we can learn a lot more from OUR history and use this information to make our society better. The THUNDER had a good Game Kia kaha guys The Rugby was good this weekend Ka pai Ka kite ano