Written By:
notices and features - Date published:
6:00 am, June 27th, 2023 - 35 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags:
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
I don't know who rugbyintel is, but he/she is doing a great job of highlighting the Natz party hypocrisy!
"Parody of a parody LOTO's last days."
https://twitter.com/rugbyintel/status/1672822657308590080
Yes Tony! Pity the MSM wasn't aware or brave enough to publish and show the hypocrisy of the Nats. Especially the would be Minister of Police. Or the Government willing to expose them.
Riiight : man of means, man of many positions, but, pretty much…..
mercenary man.
Yep
And yea Tony V. Keep linking. that guy. He is gold….
Traditional collusion between National & Labour boosts global warming:
Not all that bright, the ACT leader failed to spot the perfect opportunity to prove the trad collusion between Labour & National – in their failing to keep the service up to date.
The same David Seymour was leader of a support partner of a National government that deferred purchase of new Hercules.
Why not just hire a current gen Air NZ plane each time for such trips?
Taxpayers have funded Air NZ for decades with little return–regional services run down, surviving services price gouged, anti union management, surely they could be directed to maintain one dedicated VIP fitted out airplane?
Some face to face meetings are absolutely required, even many lefties would surely support Prime Ministerial transport that is capable of making it to the destination!
It would not be cheaper than using the 2 aging Hercules (just operating cost and inspection post use).
The weren't 2 aging Hercules. They were 2 ancient Boeing 757s. There is a difference.
It appears that RNZAF has spent about $30 million in the last year on maintenance for the 757s. That sort of money would pay for an awful lot of charters of an Air NZ plane wouldn't it?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132418130/backup-air-force-plane-sent-to-manila-for-pms-visit-to-china
Are the planes just for the use of the PM, I doubt it.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/06/carmel-sepuloni-blames-former-national-government-for-chris-hipkins-having-to-take-backup-plane-to-china.html
It all seems a bit wiffy to me. For a start, I understand we took a Kapa Haka group along. What on earth would we do that for?
And, if it includes a business delegation, then they should have paid there own way through normal means.
So, it looks to me that the planes were required because we seem to have taken a much larger group along that was really necessary.
I don't know what the Chinese think of all this. It must be hilarious to them that the visiting leader of another country has to send a back up plane in case the main one breaks down.
I don't know how they would work it if it broke down in mid air. Lol.
None of them have crashed AFAIK. They just find the nearest airport.
I understand that. But, it isn't a great look or good for National security to have the leader of our country flying around in a dodgy plane.
I don't think I would ride in a plane if I knew they were following it with a second one in case of issues.
Everyone knows that tourists hate Maori! Nobody ever came to Rotorua without complaining about the incessant hakas, powhiri, diving for coins and singing of Po karekare Ana. For 200 years it’s been going on! No idea where the demand is coming from…
Instead they’re to be encouraged to see the cheese rolling festival in Invercargill with a one kg block of Colby! And the tea making ceremony of Edith Wiggins, the local dental assistant and school librarian.
I don’t think the Chinese g a f compared to the other things that are going on about Chippy’s transport arrangements.
With the purchase of the C-130J to replace our C-130H we need the strategic airlift provided by the 757s.
Something like a pair of extended range 737s (maybe leased C-40As if the Americans have a couple spare?) would be OK, as they share the same airframe as the P-8s.
I did like this claim for the benefits of a 757.
" the ability to travel point-to-point to reduce time".
The went first to Cairns. The the went to Manila. Then they went on to China. The last time I went that way it really was a direct flight, albiet to Hong Kong rather than Beijing. Of course that was in a standard Air New Zealand service and they certainly don't need a couple of stops along the way to refuel.
Hardly the sort of range you would expect for "the carriage of VIPs as well as ministerial and trade missions around the world" is it?"
There were in fact only 29 people along for the supposed trade delegation. There must have been an awful lot there to provide him with a Maori welcome to China.
A wee bit of tech wizardry showing students how to become innovators…
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/06/russia-crisis-kremlin-releases-first-video-statement-by-vladimir-putin-since-wagner-mutiny.html
Thus the end of Wagner's Ukraine force – set up in 2014.
What remains of Wagner will either be in Belarus and or in Africa. Nothing about the future of the African operations (and who is in command).
Time will tell…
No explanation of why 200 victims became 30 – which suggests a single missile only. A test of loyalty though, for Wagnerians. Serious rebels have already expressed their disgust with P's agreement. However chances are the Putin lure will fail.
Naughty assets.
It does seem that the Wagner is being positioned to be like the early Russian forces in the Donbass, a deniable front – one operating from inside Belarus.
One capable of strikes against Kiev's political (some see this as a war crime) and military leadership and threaten Kharkov.
They have got nothing like enough forces for that. The whole Russian army failed at that endeavour at the start of the war, and the Ukrainians have fortified the borders a lot since then.
The nature of the land up there makes it too difficult. Dense forests etc, meaning convoys have to travel along the road and become sitting ducks for arillery.
I suspect they might be used as an additional security force to keep Lukishenko in power.
If Putin is going to allow them to exist in any form, then that really is a sign of weakness from Putin. That group could decide to attack again in the future, or team up with other anti-Putin Russian forces such as those that invaded Russia around Belgorod recently.
As to tertiary education funding, one wonders if a University of Aotearoa New Zealand is required
Auckland, Hamilton, Massey, Wellington, Canterbury, Lincoln, Otago campuses.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/06/government-to-throw-lifeline-to-struggling-universities-fears-nz-will-be-a-poorer-place-if-courses-staff-aren-t-saved.html
I agree – every time I see one University advertising elswhere in New Zealand than where it is based II cringe at the waste. Time to go back to one University of New Zealand with different campuses – with shared examinations for most undergrad courses, and specialist colleges as appropriate for post-grad "Centres of Excellence"
Hmmm another amalgamation. Let's see how they've gone so far with health and polytechs.
Also what you're proposing is what we used to have before 1961, and pretty much all we researched was grass and sheep.
Thankfully the government package announced today will being an increase in student subsidy up by 9%. At least they recognise there's a problem to deal with.
Absolutely not, hell no.
The government merger of polytechnics has been an unmitigated disaster.
The Nationwide health merger has been a disaster.
These mergers have been absolute clusterfucks and have made delivery of their services worse than ever.
How would it benefit students in anyway, shape or form? Today a student can ring up or visit their local campus admin if they need help with an issue and be sorted within five minutes
With a merger, students from Canterbury, Auckland and Otago would have to call up bloody Wellington, wait on hold for 3-5 hours (average hold times for every govt department these days, despite bigger budgets and more staff than ever before) and not have the issue resolved.
No, no, no more mergers or amalgamations, thanks.
Worry about fixing polytechs and health NZ.
Such nonsense; you’re talking utter rubbish.
Did you ever go to uni? It sure doesn’t sound like it.
The universities problems are not caused by a merger and those of the other tertiary institutions are caused by the merger? Socratic method?
Health systems around the world are under stress, because the workforce is and there is a global shortage. Are there problems caused by"merger"?
Stop reading other peoples talking points and think.
One might have to be a dingo to discern all the nuance in the latest work by Juice Media.
In my local newspaper a group of sustainability sorts have calculated that if Queenstown were isolated through an Alpine Fault event, its food consumption would require about 21 planes an hour.
Like a Berlin Airlift for the 1%.
(The 75th anniversary of that event was 3 days ago)
The big news of the day …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/06/huge-91m-wide-asteroid-to-fly-close-to-earth.html
Opposition blames government for letting it happen, demands action, "why is PM overseas?".
Those asteriod articles are such click-bait. The titles always seem to make it seem as if they are just brushing past the earth's atmosphere or something. When, as per this article, they are often missing by millions of kilometres.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/06/huge-91m-wide-asteroid-to-fly-close-to-earth.html
Climate Change is real and happening everywhere.
The NZ Herald last Saturday ran a long story about people who lost large sums when a tiny homes building company went bust. It seems to be an extreme case, so not all has been heard about it, I suspect.
No legislation can stop people from making bad bargains. However, there might be better consumer protection if the government passed a law for an escrow system. That would require:
* instalment payments for house construction contracts to be kept by a government department as stakeholder
* the stakeholder to pay the cost of materials for the house directly to the materials supplier and those materials to be the property of the buyer
A builder is really only selling skill and labour.
Any commercial lawyers like to comment?
"to be kept by a government department as stakeholder".
No. no, no, no. At least not until we get rid of Robertson later this year. He wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to blow it on trying to buy votes. Look at the $5 million for the skiers who like Ruapehu.
Oh, look who’s diversion trolling again!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/492731/ruapehu-alpine-lifts-funding-what-political-parties-say