Peter Ellis… an injustice on him? An injustice on our nation? A witch hunt? How would The Standard audience have approached these accusations, the trials, the everything back in the early mid-90's?
Our society suffers a lack of men in ece and elsewhere – is it any wonder? No it isn't…. reaping and sowing ….
I remember TV interviews with some of the mothers who had levelled the allegations against Peter Ellis. To put it bluntly, they were bitches who were out to get Ellis come hell or high water. Lack of evidence didn't bother them. It seemed to me the kids were mere putty in their hands and repeated what their Mums essentially told them. They destroyed an innocent man's life and no doubt are responsible for shortening it. I would like to see them named and shamed.
But what got into them to do that? It seems to me group-think. And people who mouth platitudes about fairness and rightness but are basically amoral, but ready to roll on a wave of 'hysteria' as Pat puts it. It is interesting that burlesque performers in NZ just lately have had to complain about people in the audience bringing under-age children to the performances, though they are R16 rated, down from R18 apparently, but it appears some have taken it to mean that any old thing can be lampooned in front of the children. They tone down their show, can't be as risque as they would, because children aren't able to understand the content.
These are the same mindless people who are anti-vaxxers, would vote for Trump, even though they say they are Christian, and have plenty of his misdemeanours to overlook.
The emotional response to anything, has to be tempered and controlled, so a reasoned decision can be made. Some people cannot be trusted to run their response to anything past their own mind control.
Absolutely. It was a global thing too. Children were being separated from their parents in the UK ,because the authorities held the kids were being abused…with rectal damage being the evidence. Turns out the kids had constipation, and the "abuse" kept happening even when the" pedophile" parents were absent
There was an unshakeable mind set that kids never lied about this stuff, that all men were rapists and pedophiliac satanic cults were widespread. How many families were ripped apart because of this madness. "A City Possessed" by Lynley Hood is a masterpiece and should be required reading for media studies, social workers, hell, high school students.
Perhaps then we'd be developing a bit of critical thinking to set against the endless media "outrage" campaigns
have never read the book but can recall reading some transcripts of the 'interviews' that were published and the recall the fact that 5 women were also originally accused …..a disgraceful witch hunt that should have been remedied decades ago and all involved censured
That's correct. After exhaustive questioning they were released without charges being laid. I also remember them being categorical about Ellis' innocence. The words I recall being said is that it was "all a complete nonsense". My recollection is those women couldn't get jobs as kindy teachers after that affair.
Yep. I guess they were the latter-day boomers who had everything handed to them on a platter and were able to buy homes with State Advance loans at very low rates of interest. They developed a sense of misplaced superiority on the back of their good luck.
It was also the era where Enid Blytons books were banned and a whole generation missed out on her wonderfully imaginative stories. That was a bad thing apparently. Noddy was banned because he was supposed to be – to quote terminology of the day – a homosexual. OMG that's terrible they said to one another. Did it ever occur to them that children don't think like adults and they wouldn't have known what a homosexual was if they fell over one? It was complete bollocks anyway.
That was the background that allowed this crazy stuff to prosper which, in this case, caused a decent young man to spend seven years in prison for crimes he never committed.
Because in only one case was pretty much the totality of the evidence thoroughly documented as having been distilled from a myriad of stories actively encouraged from young children.
as opposed to Assange (two clear statements from the women and the facts put forward by Assange's UK legal team).
No idea what Moz thinks Corbyn's been accused of. I'm only familiar with accusations that Labour has done fuckall about antisemitism within its ranks, despite numerous complaints from a variety of levels of party membership.
"A huge attack on Corbyn and the Labour Party you can't defend yourself against…you can just make it up" Jewish intellectual Noam Chomsky on the Labour 'Antisemitism' crisis#IStandWithChrisWilliamsonpic.twitter.com/K8FQ9SWkBC
"Imaginary barrows"? Like those giraffes under the basement and that murdered child at the Civic Creche? Like those absurd allegations that Jeremy Corbyn is an "antisemite"? Like that bizarre Soviet-style campaign against the man who published evidence of U.S. soldiers murdering civilians in Iraq?
You should stop bringing that up. It is more than mischievous of you and you will lose any cred you have built up. Some of the cynics might keep you as a pet, but you aim to be a respected commenter and critic I think.
It is more than mischievous of you and you will lose any cred you have built up.
Sorry, you're a bit obscure here, Mr Shark. What was "mischievous" in what I wrote?
Some of the cynics might keep you as a pet,
Hmmm. Interesting thought, that. Think I might run away if McFlock was my owner.
but you aim to be a respected commenter and critic I think.
Well, some people out there respect moi, but there are some I have yet to win over, such as the esteemed thinker Leighton Smith…
“Morrissey from Northcote Point, you’re a N-N-NUTCASE!!!! Go away and DON”T bother me again!!!! Go and get a job! The world is made up of some STRA-A-A-A-A-ANGE people! Strewth!”
I thoroughly recommend 'A City Possessed' by Lynley Hood.
Amongst the disturbing reading is the main complainant's mother was involved in an 'intimate relationship' with the head investigating officer.
When evidence is as heavily redacted as the children's testimony was, it becomes highly dodgy.
Peter Ellis has not changed his stance and at the height of the witch hunt, his concern was for the children. When confronted with their allegations, he said 'if they believe these things happened to them, what help are they getting now?'
I think his lawyer Rob Harrison who has defended him throughout I think, is to be commended. Funded by ? I don't imagine that Ellis would have much funds.
Other MPs think the caucus needs to look at itself more closely. Electorate MPs are hearing party members are angry with the way the 2017 election ended. Members knocked on doors, donated, and eventually delivered National a crushing victory in the 2017 election, only for party leaders to squander it in negotiations with NZ First.
To make matters worse, party grandees looking to save face suggested they’d never really wanted to go with NZ First anyway.
What struck me was the massive amount of political capital raised within the electorate through hours spent driving between venues and actually engaging with locals. Local Party members clearly did a huge amount to ensure 'their' girl made it to Wellington and was supported when she got there.
Sadly, Wellington was a toxic battleground, and the other thing that stood out from the book is that today we are still struggling to make progress on some of the issues Waring and other female MPs from both sides of the house were raising back then.
One issue was abortion, and the other was better support for families living with disability.
…delivered National a crushing victory in the 2017 election…
Er, parties that win a crushing victory in an election become the government. Still a very high level of delusion and denial among Nat members, by the look of it.
what a joke – those naughty young people. so young, so young – protesting as young people, so young. ffs most are over 20 – check out the thousands arriving today – young? I don't think so. The framing is stupid and won't work – it's up there with the foreshore and seabed bullshit.
Not saying you're wrong. I expect the protest to pull an attendance that is pan-generational. Yet hard to argue against the perception that niece & uncle are stuck in a generational stand-off, eh?
" The Treaty process is no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was. "
Same as the United States Constitution. Basing laws on documents 100 years old is a stupid idea. Laws, politics and expected outcomes need to move with the times
John S It has slipped your attention that Maori have insisted that te Tiriti is a living document and needs to be viewed and negotiated in those terms,
The US constitution is a pretty enlightened piece of work in fact. That contemporary politicians choose not to live up to enlightenment principles is a problem of society at large – corrupt leaders are not supposed to be tolerated, the demos is supposed to rise and oust them if their colleagues lack the mettle.
So you think dodging the issue is the best way to deal with it?? You really believe that an uncle and his niece refusing to reach agreement for four long years and holding the nation to ransom is a non-issue?? Jeez, what planet you come from?
Dennis, if you think an uncle and his niece refusing to reach agreement is the crux of the matter, then it must be declared that you know so very little of said matter.
The reason for SOUL's being is to bring the issue into the lime light. Therefore it is not being dodged.
We all know the origin of the problem. Focus ought to be shifting to the solution. The generational stand-off is obviously preventing the solution. Has been doing so for four years! What part of that is so hard for you to understand??
Huh. I'm about as non-Maori as you can get. Expertise & track record in achieving consensus isn't sufficient in this situation, so you'd be better off nominating a Maori with that eh?
Assuming you want a solution that is. You could be one of those people who think protesting forever is a lot more fun than solving problems.
you are just extrapolating to cause fear and anguish for others – why generate race hatred when it isn't there now? Maybe it is there, underneath all the bullshit the hard dirty truth sits like a malevolent eye of sauron
Utopianism? Not many left doing that, even in the Greens. Realpolitik prevails. Peacemaking would be their primary motivation, I presume. Non-violent conflict resolution is a Green Charter principle.
"Earlier this year though, Fletchers did indicate its willingness to consider any serious offer to buy the 33 hectares in dispute. For the government, buying it back would be chicken feed. In dollar terms, the site has been valued by Auckland Council at $35.7 million for the land, and $36 million all up." http://werewolf.co.nz/2019/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-ihumatao-dispute/
No reason the Greens ought not to lobby the govt on this basis. Feed those chickens, as Gordon suggests. Make the problem go away. Too many other big problems for this govt to focus on.
Yeah, I get all that. Coalition faces a big negotiating challenge. Has to create win/win all around the table. Willie & the local MP ought to focus on how to get both niece & uncle what they want, and if their conversations today don't have that focus, they're wasting time.
Me, I’m waiting for Winston to take a position. Even if the Labour Maori caucus agrees a resolution based on local negotiations succeeding, the govt needs him to endorse it.
Its a small iwi , not one with dozens of marae. Im sure they have spent many days of meetings over the years in discussions involving the whole iwi over this. Its seems a few are against the majority consensus. It happens but most iwi dont have the Green party using the issue as a political tool
I see their relationship as key – since they lead the two parties involved in the lack of consensus. It is unusual for family members to be politically divided in this particular way. If niece and uncle had been able to agree, I doubt they'd have spent the past four years as leaders of the opposed factions.
I respect their respective principled positions, of course. But the two Labour MPs have to try forging a consensus position by breaking that four-year long process log-jam. If they can't, it's up to the minister (Mahuta), and if she can’t the PM and/or Winston will have to have a go.
You are reducing a situation involving more than one iwi for a start to a personal relationship. I guess that's simpler to have an opinion on.
Kelvin Davis is the responsible minister by portfolio. However, Jackson and Henare have local connections and Mahuta is a conduit into Tainui who have a strong interest.
"This little iwi getting so much redress if the land is returned would mean large iwi would be in line to get so much more also seek the return of their land"
There's nothing realpolitick about neoliberalism – it simply doesn't work. It's a splendid vehicle for corruption but worse than useless for service delivery. Pragmatism of any kind requires measures that work, neoliberalism doesn't qualify.
If you're really keen……. a NZ citizen dollar that when spent on participating NZ owned and operating businesses, who are part of business associations that rate, grade and hold to account standards in their respective industries (with oversite by political party parliament to that), helping to elect such association representatives in the third of parliament seats that is allocated to the citizen dollar, would go an awful long way to replacing the rorting with value driven business lobbying, thus removing the neo from liberalism/conservatism & going a long way to taming that problem you mentioned, & ultimately bring markets more up to the level of the intelligence of modern technology that is omnipresent in daily life.
That wouldn't be a bad policy if they were to head down that track.
What's better… land in the hands of dispassionate people whose goal is to see a profit in 5 years or land in the hands of people who are interested in community and what it might achieve across generations.
Even better than that he has regurgitated the George Bush statement from 2000 on the "soft bigotry of low education" that Bush used in a speech to the NAACP that marked the launching of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
The phrase tried to blame the difference of various racial groups on "standardised tests" solely on teacher expectations whilst ignoring the structural inequities within schools and society as well as ignoring the racial bias evident in the examinations themselves.
The term was quickly taken up by white supremacists groups and is thrown around whenever someone makes any link to inequity in society being related to inequity in education.
Either Simon is as ignorant as he looks or the use of the phrase is the start of a push even further towards the right.
There's been an unhealthy trope on the right of borrowing things from the US instead of determining what is causing problems for local constituencies. Because the US is already much further to the right than NZ such borrowings tend to be extreme in our context, and of course they fail to resolve local issues because they have no relevance to them.
It was funny – but there was something darker going on that I found sobering. Simon's stance on the response to CC is that 'something must be done', but it must not cost business anything. Using taxes as price signals was 'lazy'. Instead he was pushing 'research' (presumably taxpayer funded) to come up with magic techno-fixes which would be made available to industry. The whole existing landscape of wealth, power and dominance would be maintained as we dynamically worked through this mere blip in the road.
So it's pretty clear what the RW response will be to any climate crisis if/when one actually bites – protection for the few, and austerity for the many.
The best thing anyone can do for our housing market is to let it fall.
Endless subsidies are now seen as a right by landlords when they were originally meant to allow low income earners a choice between HNZ/council housing and private market.
Two billion a year and counting has only made the situation worse. NZ doesn't have a lack of housing it has a lack of AFFORDABLE housing. Subsidies have driven up prices and required middle income earners to become beneficiaries (Accommodation Supplement) to afford rents.
I happen to know a few people homeless (all disabled and in need of specific housing to meet their needs). I'd rather people live in caravans etc until the price is driven down by loss of demand then perpetual funding of this bubble. We need to seriously consider facilitating trailer park type living and give money to disabled to buy their own place. That's where the money should be going.
I happen to know a few people homeless (all disabled and in need of specific housing to meet their needs).
And how many Kiwibuild houses meet the Lifemark standard? How many of the new state houses? https://www.lifemark.co.nz/
I'm not so sure about trailerparks A. The few Peter and I occasionally stay at (we much prefer wild parking) that have a number of permanents can become miserable little toxic Peyton Places. You only need two or three forming a clique and they can make life unbearable for those who just want to live quietly. I know of one elderly caravan dweller who was targeted by the self appointed camp commandants who decided her practice of feeding the birds around her site was an offense to all. These were other caravan /motorhome dwellers with nothing better to do than be arseholes. Folks living cheek by jowl and having to share ablution blocks and kitchens….? Crucible living.
Agree with letting it fall, but prefer mass investment in state housing rather than trailer parks etc.
The banks and successive governments have allowed our entire economy to be redirected towards bank profits via mortgage credit, with no concern for the social cost.
So, his job was to put criminals behind bars of prisons run by Serco? He wasn’t working for the UN fighting for Human Rights or anything like that?
I suppose putting the baddies behind bars is ‘helping’ the goodies, to make them feel safer in their over-valued homes. What I have read of the rhetoric of the opening speeches so far is predictable BAU and another pathetic pitch to middle NZ. It’ll be interesting to see if any blue-green flavours or vapours will be wafting through the conference or more religious-conservative stuff; after all, they are in Christchurch (cf. 15 March).
Still sharp sometimes… "Politically speaking, the government cannot hope to continue to play the role of Pontius Pilate in this dispute. After all, the Crown was the agent of the original chain of events that eventually delivered this land into Fletchers’ hands. Leadership would start from a recognition of the basic historical injustice."
"Moreover, a Crown re-purchase from Fletchers would not necessarily become a millstone, much as the government may fear landing themselves in the middle of another Ngapuhi-style dispute. There would also be fears within government of setting a precedent for intervening in any business development that hasn’t been validated by a prior Treaty settlement. Tough. Them’s the breaks if New Zealand is serious about regarding the Treaty as a living document."
So I'm tempted to predict that the PM will return from her Pacific sojourn intent on resolving the issue. Hands off didn't work. Urgency will be paramount if the protest leader's prediction of upward of ten thousand arriving this weekend comes true. Dithering in the face of such numbers would cost this govt the next election. Why? It would create the perception that they are no better than National.
The Maori land was given by the government to the Wallace family to farm – which they did for over a 100 years. Fletchers then bought the land when it was recntly zoned for housing.
Equating the idea of the government buying the land, and establishing a permanent reserve on some of the land (given its historic significance) and otherwise matching the housing deal offered iwi, with a threat to the presence of Europeans speaks to a sense of threatened privilege of Trumpian proportions.
Prime Minister has opened her mouth to form a trap where Fletchers can now demand pretty much any price they want, valued at whatever keeps this out of a massive High Court judicial review which pulls apart this moronic political intervention.
Top work from the Greens for propping up Fletchers, throwing their own Minister Sage under a bus, and stopping houses being built in a suburb that needs it most.
Jackson and Sage will dish out a deal in a big fat envelope, and the traveling white-guilt factory will move on to another town.
It will consign the iwi to no house built anywhere near their marae for multiple decades, while inside that marae the young ones shaft their elders again and again and again.
I see no point in jumping too quickly to such conclusions. I do understand that the signal sent will be alarming many though. People will just have to adapt to whichever changing circumstances get produced by any resolution produced. I'd advise caution in regard to extrapolating from this case. Just as likely to be unique as one of a bunch…
Nothing is unique in law, because it all comes down to precedent. Everyone except the protesting bunch is now working to keep this out of the High Court. I hope you can see that.
All you have to do is put yourself in the shoes of two entities: Crown Law, and Fletcher Residential's legal team. What are their strategies? It's not hard to plot them out.
The first is the Foreshore and Seabed bill, and protest, and political reaction. PM held firm, took the political consequences, achieved the policy outcomes that enabled the stability of New Zealand and, still did 3 terms of good for us.
The second is the entire northland iwi settlement process, and many other incomplete land claims, compared to the other major tribes. On this case now rests the full reputation of Andrew Little. All it takes is Marama Davidson and a busload of Usual Suspects and you can fuck up anything you like, and ensure nothing happens that will benefit Maori for generations.
And then there's all the Crown-iwi housing partnerships that will never start or develop now. I don't have any shares in Fletchers and don't work for them, but they built more state houses that housed generations of young New Zealanders than any other company. There's no more Maori partnerships after this unless there’s a miracle that pulls the government out of immolating. Which company will now trust Maori to have a mandate for any housing deal with a commercial partner? And the silence coming from Tainui and Kingitanga to rescue their own sub tribe is deafening.
Every unique instance stands on a mountain of history.
All good points, but. I'm impressed by the demeanour of Pania, and the thousands she has pulled in to support her group. So despite my inclination toward the deal being respected, and the seemingly ephemeral basis of the protest, I'm feeling the need to reserve judgment and give consensus a chance.
If it was just Marama & co being idealistic, I'd be critical. I get the impression there's more to the situation than that.
1. The government was narrowly re-elected in 2005 (lost the majority of Maori seats and have only now reclaimed them).
2. Iwi are usually only involved in land deals if iwi land is involved (this case is not a common one).
3. And arguing that the young generation of Maori need to get out of the way for their own good because their old people/and Labour government know what's best for their future/the country as a whole …would not just hurt Labour with young Maori voters and re-energise the Maori Party it would also alienate other youth (given government for the baby boomer policy).
And then there's all the Crown-iwi housing partnerships that will never start or develop now. … There's no more Maori partnerships after this unless there’s a miracle that pulls the government out of immolating. Which company will now trust Maori to have a mandate for any housing deal with a commercial partner?
Preaching, TINA to the regime for any other course leads to chaos and ruin. The rule of heaven, or hell. A block to any development is the end of all development mantra is religious in its zeal.
Buying directly off Fletchers by the Crown is the only way Ardern can get out of this now, because it's the only way of getting the land for anything any version of Maori are seeking.
The process is the same as any other white grievance in a rich suburb:
BANANA: Build Anything Nowhere Anywhere Near Anything, and pay the rich what they want.
Fletchers are going to want out of this…esp after their performance over the past few years they cant afford another losing proposition nor can they afford to piss the gov off too much ….a deal will be done and one that saves face all round
Fletchers can wait…and watch their costs rise and projected returns disappear and risk being left with an almost impossible site…not to mention any inside running on future contracts
That wasn't caused by Ihumatao, and in fact Fletcher Residential are doing fine. Used to be New Zealand's largest locally-owned company. They're fighting to come back, and rebuilding internally.
Never suggested it was caused by Ihumatao…but a 2.7 billion wealth loss and a renegotiated debt covenant dont come without strings….and a 29% share price drop in the past 12 months sure as hell aint encouraging for the peace of mind for those holding the strings.
You misunderstand the scale of Ihumatao in commercial terms.
Since 2018 Fletchers have sold plenty of assets off, and regathered their banking lines. Fletcher Construction got them into some strife, mostly through the Christchurch Justice job, Precinct Commercial Bay and Sky City Convention Centre jobs. But they are in full recovery now.
Fletcher Residential are making bank all over the place. Ihumatao is a very small affair to them.
My guess is Fletchers won't play it like that – they'll want to preserve goodwill & their reputation. A modest profit on their investment is likely & appropriate. They've been signalling they're willing to sell at a reasonable price for quite a while. Media reports have made that clear.
But that is secondary. Primary is Maori agreement on how to use the land. The family divide has to be bridged over first, and since they have a track record of four years of failure to do that, someone decisive must break that impasse. That's why Pania appealed to the PM.
No, Fletchers are primary as they have title. Mandated Maori already have agreement on how the land will be used. Fletchers can sit back, let the iwi fight it out in court inevitably, and make sure they get paid well.
There's no good will left on this site now. At minimum any housing deal with unstable Maori iwi will attract massively increased risk premiums for the following:
Most of the land won’t go to iwi. It will mostly go into the existing public reserve with iwi co-governance. The major reason is that the government won’t want this to become a precedent for other treaty settlements, especially Ngapuhi.
The iwi (actually a hapu) will get the 25% of the land promised under the Fletchers deal.
Here's @RepJerryNadler saying during a news conference that the House Judiciary Committee has filed a petition in federal court announcing they are fact-gathering with eye toward possibly recommending articles of impeachment pic.twitter.com/vzXMT5r0Zc
"We found, ah, ah, insufficient evidence, ah, ah, of the President's culpability."
The desperate DNC masterminds—Jerrold ("Pearl Harbor") Nadler, Adam Scheff, Charles Schumer, and the rest of that sorry bunch—made a major mistake when they put all their rotten eggs in the basket wielded by poor old muddle-headed Mueller. Thanks to their incompetence, we have five and a half more years of Trump to endure.
It’s high time we stopped getting wealthy shuffling our addresses around. It serves so few of us well. Gutting my rental house and installing Euro appliances, Indonesian teak floors and Home & Garden bathrooms is adding false value. It’s still just a place to live.
I win financially, I can up the rent to more than cover my renovation loan repayments. But does New Zealand win? I fear not.
Genuinely adding value is not as simple as making my rental worth twice as much a week. My flash flat adds next to no value to our nation beyond a couple no longer having to wash their dishes by hand and my fat wallet. It’s shallow value.
Few of the 9 million are desperately searching for a comfortable affordable home in Sweden, they turn their efforts to Volvo, Swedish Match, ABB, Ericsson, Husqvarna, Saab, H&M, Alfa Laval, Electrolux, Ikea, Sandvik, Hasselblad, Koenigsegg, Scania instead.
Shafting each other over a place to live is a crap way to make our country better.
I'd hope they apply the same discipline to Cabinet papers and briefings, as Prime Minister Helen Clark and Heather Simpson did. No paragraph ever started with 'however', for example.
It's all arbitrary. You do what God says, well Mogg anyway. I'd heard some of the speech from Johnson with the excitement of how they're going to make Britain the greatest place on the planet. Mogg's clearly shown his priorities and is onto one of the most critical issues facing the nation. Other stuff might take a while but at least they're going to write proper like.
Such a load of BS from Johnson and ilk. He is all screwed up with the excitement of being determined to make a decision, which nobody else has been able to do. Leave the EU with a hard Brexit.
As a well educated chap he would know The Charge of the Light Brigade – glory and death showing the valour and the colours and the stupidity of Britain. And the story behind it, of a botched message, or a deliberately misunderstood one. But NZ showed how you can bamboozle most of the people all of the time.
Death or glory is Toad's watchword as he battles (with the help of his supporters) to make Toad Hall great again in Wind in the Willows. Toad is so reminiscent of Boorish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErxdKKurIDg
I’m told his grandparents bought their own furniture.
Appalling 20th century novelty here from Rees-Mogg. Everyone knows the title of ‘Esquire’ should only be used for the eldest sons of the younger sons of peers, the eldest sons of baronets and knights, and senior officers of the Crown. https://t.co/Hy34uFuxd1
Wonder if it would not be best if the All Blacks lost everything this year (traitor!).
Yes, some recent successes get all the accolades, hyperbole and wall to wall coverage, and while for the most part it is not the players fault, i wonder if it is not sometimes making heroes out of all other things being equal, 'also rans', when it comes to the way NZ rugby has been run & governed.
I wonder if behind it, NZ rugby is in abit of a pathetic state to the strong almost shared birth right culture that it provided and enjoyed in society. Although for many folks it was the radio for the most part, the Great Black Caps cricket world cup, that was the type of value in sport that rugby near use to provide to NZ annually. Although the wheels started to fall off gradually when the new model was introduced, it was still mostly obvious to everyone the strong health of the NZ rugby culture in a way that was a societal resource & recreation like no where else in the world.
And that's one thing that was so great about the NZ Black Caps cricket world cup run, there was an unmistakable NZ way/reflection in the approach and play of the game. And despite the relatively thin coverage, and for a notable part, skeptical media coverage, the NZ public knew it and responded in kind. Win or lose, New Zealand was winning and won.
It may be impossible to get the old All Blacks postion in world sport back now, but it's still possible to get the NZ game of rugby back. But it can not be obliterated at the top and grown on the ground at the same time i'd say.
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Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...
Back in May, Destiny Church leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki launched another political party. Despite consisting entirely of followers of their religion, they grandly called it "Coalition New Zealand", in a vain effort to suggest it was something broader. But when they applied for registration, submitters opposed the name, as ...
The following article is excerpted and translated from two articles in recent issues of Lutte de Classe (Class Struggle), the magazine of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the revolutionary workers group active in France. We don’t necessarily agree with everything in it – for instance, the 1956-62 war for independence involved rather more revolutionary forces than ...
The Pacific is on the front line of climate change, and if we don't cut emissions quickly, some countries are literally going to be underwater. Because of this, small Pacific states had tried to use this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting to get Pacific countries to agree to ending coal ...
To Limit Another's Rights Is To Limit One's Own: Is it too much to expect senior members of our Government to be capable of explaining that we protect the rights of human-beings precisely because not even the most depraved act can cancel-out the fact that its perpetrator is also a ...
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...
This section builds on Part 1 of this series to provide a theoretical basis for the final instalment (part 3 – to come). Self-determination: law or resurgence — or both? International law promotes the principal of equal treatment and self-determination, which includes peoples’ rights to freely pursue their social, cultural and ...
Everyone was outraged yesterday to learn that the Christchurch shooting accused had been able to send mail from prison to his Nazi fans, apparently pushing more hate. "How could this possibly happen", people asked. Simple: because New Zealand is a civilised country, and so we let prisoners send and receive ...
If we are to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, we need to rapidly decarbonise our transport fleet. The good news: its starting to happen:The number of electric vehicles on New Zealand's roads have nearly tripled in the past two years. There are currently 15,453 registered electric vehicles (EVs), up ...
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...
Most economists agree that a currently slowing economy could do with some stimulus – and they would also agree that there is no shortage of infrastructure projects which could be brought to productive fruition with help from that stimulus. In view of the current practice of sub-contracting economic policy decisions ...
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
AN OPEN LETTER FOR SIGN ON BY ORGANISATIONS AND MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD, ALLIED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY. This letter was released at the UN Political Forum on 9 July, where the Sustainable Development Goal on inequality was reviewed. The purpose of the letter is to call out the ...
We asked a young gay science student and critic of trans ideology and the trans activists’ assault on women’s and gay rights to outline his views on Redline. Thanks to him for his article. by Cian Ó Catháin Gender identity ideology (Gender ID) is ripping through western society at full ...
The Environment Committee is currently hearing submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill, and Stuff is reporting on the submissions. Today, they're covering yesterday they heard from "NZ" Steel:NZ Steel has told MPs it may be forced to close with the loss of thousands of jobs if changes aren't made to ...
Students are striking against climate change on September 27. And this time, they're asking everyone to join them:Students are taking to the streets, beaches and parks on 27 September, and we're inviting everyone to join us. That's right, this is an intergenerational issue, and you're all invited to put pressure ...
Peter McKenzie has a piece on Newsroom this morning about how local body politics is awash with property developer cash. 70% of all the donations in the 2016 Wellington mayoral election came from property developers. And its pretty obvious what they want in exchange:That’s particularly important in local government, according ...
Source: Unknown, twitter user Recently, I wrote a (relatively) short paper titled as above, to explore what self-determination could like in a practical sense. Maybe I’m a bit of an international trade truther or something, but I absolutely believe trade is at the heart of achieving peace and self-determination. Since ...
In the 1960s, after I had graduated with a first-class Oxford postgraduate law degree, I joined the British Foreign Office as the top entrant of my year. There, I worked for a couple of years on European affairs and was eventually posted to the Embassy in Brussels. After this exposure ...
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...
I heard a 45 minute interview with Monica Lewinsky talking to TED’s Chris Anderson on BBC Radio 4 over the weekend, and have listened to it another two times out walking. I recommend it. Highly. Man, I am so impressed with how this woman has integrated her life experiences and ...
Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: how good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure, London, Penguin, 2019, 352pp; reviewed by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s book The Coddling of the American Mind is a timely book, whose ...
When the Justice Committee reported back on the Administration of Justice (Reform of Contempt of Court) Bill, free speech advocates breathed a sigh of relief. As originally introduced, the Bill reitered the ancient offence of "scandalising the court" - basicly, a special sedition law protecting judges from criticism. The select ...
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. Since then - crickets. Which raises the obvious question: are they actually going to do this, ...
Back in March, the Ministry of Justice conducted a public consultation exercise on whether to hold a review of the Official Information Act. 285 people submitted on it. Now, Stuff has trawled through those submissions, and the case for reform is strong:The Justice Ministry asked Kiwis what they thought was ...
National's prisoner voting ban has gone down as one of the worst laws in New Zealand history. Passed after a farcical debate (including this farcial speech from ACT MP Hilary Calvert), it has subsequently been found to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act by the High Court, Court ...
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...
by Daphna Whitmore US social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt spoke on 1 August in Auckland to a crowd of around one thousand people. He is best known for his bookThe Coddling of the American Mind which examines the new climate of trigger warnings and acute sensitivity of Gen Z. ...
What an extraordinarily depressing experience it is to be compelled to watch, at 12,000 miles distance, the contortions and machinations of the British political class as they set about their determined attempt to overturn the decision taken by the British people that they wish to leave the European Union. The ...
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...
by Don Franks Way back when British guitar virtuoso Joe Brown was a beginning session guy he got to back a visiting American artist. Young Joe was an able technician but had yet to learn some points of professionalism. Part way through “Five foot high and rising” Joe tired of ...
Since scientists started studying climate change, they have warned that it will reduce food production. And now, its happening:The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some ...
The Abortion Legislation Bill just passed its first reading, 94-23. Its a far bigger margin than I expected, even allowing for the Winston factor, and it reflects the overwhelming support there is in this country for reform. but that support isn't a new thing - it has existed for literally ...
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Referendums Framework Bill. The Bill does what it says on the label - establishes a framework for referenda. Things you may want to address in your submission: Whether the bill should apply only at the 2020 election, or whether it should ...
The Thompson and Clark / MBIE spying scandal continues to result in fallout, this time in the form of a report on the implementation of MBIE's "Operation Exploration", its internal operation to enforce the infamous Anadarko Amendment which criminalised protests against the oil industry. MBIE's enforcement operation was tainted by ...
So, Winston Peters is defending his last-minute demand for a referendum on abortion by claiming he was "blindsided" by the bill. Really? The bill is a government bill. It has been working through the cabinet approval process since December last year. As part of that process, NZ First was consulted, ...
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...
Last week, the ongoing democracy protests in Hong Kong saw a pro-Hong Kong student assaulted at the University of Auckland. The Chinese consulate in Auckland followed this up with a press release "express[ing] its appreciation to the students for their spontaneous patriotism" - effectively condoning the assault and inciting further ...
Only those who close their eyes and minds to the evidence can still be in any doubt that we are facing a climate change crisis. The evidence is conclusive that the world is not only getting inexorably hotter, but also that the rising temperatures are creating a number of other ...
Rural communities are wailing about forestry conversions "taking land out of production" and putting it into locking up carbon. Its driven purely by economics: there's more money and lower costs in carbon than in sheep or beef, and if carbon prices rise, there'll be more net money than dairy even. ...
This week, the government introduced its (underwhelming) Abortion Legislation Bill. And despite having negotiated the text of the bill through the coalition process, Winston Peters is now suggesting that he will demand a referendum on it:NZ First leader Winston Peters has hinted that his party may only support the Government's ...
Blowing-Up The House: Is Winston Peters planning to put himself at the head of all those New Zealanders who refuse to countenance the Coalition Government caving-in to the Ihumatao protesters? The most effective way of doing this would be to issue Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with an ultimatum. If she ...
Last night the police dramatically incresed their numbers at Ihumātao, shoving over protestors and threatening them with arrest. Despite police talk about the need to maintain "public order" and prevent a "breach of the peace", there appeared to be absolutely no justification for this: the protest camp is, was, and ...
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to pass on information to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques now that the period for submissions has been extended to 27 September. ...
An application was filed in the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington today, seeking an injunction to prevent the Board of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation from removing the President from office. ...
The Government’s commitment to support literacy and numeracy training in the workplace is a strong signal from Government on recognising the importance of upskilling, reskilling and increasing productivity alongside their commitment to address the challenges ...
“The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance,” says Paul Blair, incoming CEO of Infrastructure NZ. ...
The AA is calling on the Government to bring forward critical highway projects while time is spent properly developing the plans for a rapid transit system in Auckland. ...
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, DHBs spent $280 million treating patients due to adverse drug reactions, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in its latest briefing paper on health productivity . ...
The Pay Equity Coalition Auckland (PECA) is pleased the gender pay gap has decreased slightly. Statistics released today show the gap is now 11.9%, nearly 2 percent less than last year. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to make sure they pass on any information they have to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques before submissions close tomorrow (Friday). ...
The big electricity companies consider solar energy “disruptive” and want pricing to suppress it. In contrast, advocates of local energy say that solar, energy efficiency, and other local energy solutions are the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions. ...
The Earthquake Commission and Shine Lawyers are delighted to announce that EQC has reached an agreement with the Gibling family, agreeing to cover the cost of repairs of remaining earthquake damage on their property. ...
Four months into the inquiry, the Royal Commission is gathering significant information and continues to receive valuable submissions from the public, from current and former State servants, experts and community groups. ...
While Fish & Game New Zealand is pleased to see Federated Farmers Environment Spokesperson Chris Allen say that 'we all want good, fresh water', he conveniently overlooks some key facts. ...
What: Wellington demo “Save the Amazon Forest/Salve a Amazônia!” When: Friday, 6 September 2019 from 12:30-13:30 Where: Embassy of Brazil in Wellingtona ...
Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, welcomes the visit of His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. ...
A cross political Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing group will be launched on Wednesday 28 August hosted by Sir John Kirwan and Moe Milne (ONZM) who have both been at the forefront of our country’s often difficult conversations about mental ...
Confirmation that the government will be progressing an independent Parliamentary Budget Office is great news for democracy and transparency, Federated Farmers says. ...
At first glance, Simon Bridges’ strident opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an independent office to cost political parties’ election spending plans looks childish and petty. ...
Euthanasia-Free NZ is appalled that Parliament spent so little time debating Part 2 of the End of Life Choice Bill and voted to leave it full of holes. ...
Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and its nationwide sister group the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for his comments today that John Tamihere would need the Government’s support to ...
A ‘one size fits all’, inflexible and punitive regulatory regime for water quality just gets backs - and costs - up and most importantly will not work, Federated Farmers says. ...
Mediation yesterday between secondary principals and the government has resulted in a deal that the principals' negotiating team is recommending to its members. ...
Clubs New Zealand welcomes the decision of Justice Minister Andrew Little to put forward a bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow all licensed premises to remain open for Rugby World Cup matches. ...
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has ordered a review looking at labelling of added sugars in food and drinks. An option under investigation is ‘a pictorial approach applied to sugary beverages / sugar-sweetened beverages’ ...
Labour market data released by Statistics New Zealand today indicates that a gender pay gap persists in New Zealand, despite improvement in some areas. ...
In the midst of the 6th Great Extinction Event the coalition, STOP Trashing Our Planet is urging voters to take full responsibility for the legacy we are leaving our children. ...
LGNZ will carefully consider the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) to assess if it meets the Government’s aim of enabling urban development or simply adds more red tape to the planning process. ...
Statistics out today from the Government show that the gender wage imbalance, or gap, in the average wage is 11.9%, a strong 2 percentage point improvement from 13.9% last year. The gender pay imbalance in the median wage is 9.3%. ...
Newstalk ZB Drive host and Herald on Sunday columnist Heather du Plessis-Allan is taking on the challenge of keeping 2019 Auckland Mayoral contenders Phil Goff and John Tamihere in line and on point in tonight’s live NZ Herald Newstalk ZB debate. ...
After twenty years Napier residents have endured heavy sleep and health disruptive noise and air pollution from freight trucks gridlock operations to and from the Napier port and other regions. ...
The EMA says much is riding on the board and chief executive of the new National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) announced by Infrastructure Minister Hon Shane Jones today, with a difficult task ahead to deliver on its purpose. ...
The Public Service Association welcomes the introduction of workplace standards by the State Services Commission that make it clear public services should expect positive and safe workplaces. ...
The Financial Services Federation (FSF) - the voice of responsible lenders and leasing companies - and FinCap - working with consumers facing financial hardship - are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this Thursday 22 August in Auckland. It will ...
Wellington, 20 August 2019 — Lawyers for Vulnerable New Zealanders (LVNZ) has lent its support to the amendments proposed by MP Chris Penk to better protect vulnerable people from being coerced to end their lives under the End of Life Choice Bill, currently ...
The Government’s decision to establish and independent Parliamentary Budget Office, outside of Treasury, is a taxpayer victory and will improve democracy, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union . Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “It's ...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that the cost-benefit analysis prepared by Ministry of Transport and used to advise Ministers on the Government’s Clean Car Standard and ‘Feebate’ policies has serious flaws which undermine justifications for the ...
The Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) welcomes new proposals for prison reform put forward by the Minister of Corrections and non-government organisations recently. ...
The New Zealand Maori Council has called on the nation to address all forms of racism and not to shy away from an honest conversation about where it’s taking hold. The call comes after the Nelson Club decided to keep a member after his comments became ...
Wellington (20 August 2019): The New Zealand Initiative enthusiastically welcomes the Coalition Government’s announcement of an Independent Parliamentary Budget Office. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Associate Finance Minister James Shaw ...
Drs Say No agree with Chris Penk’s amendment to protect vulnerable patients from coercion, although the organisation still maintains that no safe euthanasia legislation can ever be drafted and continues to urge MPs to defeat the End of Life Choice Bill. ...
The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says the Northland Regional Corrections Facility is persisting with policies that are preventing it from achieving its full potential. ...
The second national hui in the Māori-led Inquiry into Oranga Tamariki concluded yesterday ahead of schedule after a capacity audience formally ratified the terms of reference that determines the scope and purpose of the independent investigation ...
Forest & Bird says WWF-NZ's plan for protecting Māui dolphins is based on testing unproven methods on a species that is almost extinct, and is urging the Government to reject the proposal. ...
National MP Nick Smith has lodged a serious accusation against Parliament's Speaker calling him "biased" after once again being booted out of the debating chamber. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sunanda Creagh, Head of Digital Storytelling Last weekend, hundreds of thousands of people again took to the streets in Hong Kong to protest against the government – the 11th straight weekend of demonstrations that began in June over a proposed extradition bill. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Hamilton, Strategic Advisory Panel Member, Australian-German Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Australia’s primary federal renewable energy target – to have 33 terawatts of renewable energy by 2020 – has essentially been achieved. There is much uncertainty as to what is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lewis Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, University of Adelaide I swear by Hypatia, by Lovelace, by Turing, by Fisher (and/or Bayes), and by all the statisticians and data scientists, making them my witnesses, that I will carry out, according to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Just when we thought Australia was getting serious about shifting priorities away from the Middle East to its own neighbourhood, the prime minister has announced another Middle East step up. Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Keogh, ARC DECRA Fellow, Queensland University of Technology In the last three months, the Australian Classification Board has “refused classification” for at least four video games – effectively banning them in Australia. The latest is zombie-survival shooter DayZ. Despite being previously ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle The Heart Foundation now recommends full-fat milk, cheese and yoghurt or reduced-fat options as part of its updated dietary advice released yesterday. This moves away from earlier advice that recommended only reduced-fat ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Paris Georgia co-founders Paris Mitchell Temple and Georgia Cherrie.This week’s podcast features a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, who has died aged 73 of cancer, leaves a political and personal legacy as a man of courage, conviction and congeniality. The support that Fischer as National Party leader ...
One part telenovela, one part family drama, one part addictive love story. Sam Brooks reviews Jane the Virgin, the great show with an unfortunate name that should be your next Netflix binge.The following piece contains very mild spoilers for Jane the Virgin.While watching the last season of Jane the Virgin, ...
Before Zumba, before Just Dance, before it was cool again to move in public group settings, there was Jump Jam. Madeleine Chapman reflects.Jump Jam entered the lives of New Zealand kids in 2001, a year filled with historic cultural movements. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released in 2001; ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Jensz, Research associate professor, University of Münster Donald Trump is not the first US President to make an offer of buying Greenland from Denmark – but he might be the last. Home of some 56,000 people and around 80% covered by ...
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Tara Ward taste-tests the best hot chips in the country. Everyone loves a hot chip because they’re a) hot, and b) a chip, but there’s nothing more disappointing than a bad chip experience. A ...
Sky Network Television has written down the value of large parts of its business and scrapped paying a dividend as it changes direction to counter falling pay TV subscribers. ...
Strict word limits for Māori translations of local body election candidate profiles is a form of "institutional racism" and should be changed, a candidate says. ...
ACT Party leader David Seymour's voluntary euthanasia bill has cleared another stage in Parliament with a suite of changes aimed at securing support. ...
A finalist for New Zealander of the Year for her work with Māori smokers is at war with academics because her research is funded by tobacco giant Philip Morris. Guyon Espiner reports. ...
Keith Rankin’s Chart Analysis Auckland Māori exodus after 2014The 2018 census has had such a low compliance rate, that it really acted as a large convenience sample (therefore a biased sample) of the New Zealand population. (See my Census Survey from March 2018.) Despite the assurances we are getting, ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Housing Bernard Hickey (Newsroom): Lecturing councils won’t work for Labour either Marc Daalder (Newsroom): ‘Nice pointers, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Prudence Flowers, Lecturer in US History, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Flinders University As the abortion decriminalisation bill gradually makes its way through the NSW parliament, opponents have been increasingly drawing on their long relationship with the right-to-life movement in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Chief of Staff, The Conversation With the advent of online ancestry DNA testing, and advancements in genetic screening for various medical aliments, we’re able to know more than ever about the genes that make us who we are. But is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Galligan, Associate professor, University of Southern Queensland If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au.How was maths discovered? Who made up the numbers and rules? – Bianca, age 12, Strathfield, Sydney. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Borroz, PhD candidate in international business and comparative political economy, University of Auckland India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft has settled into lunar orbit, ahead of its scheduled Moon landing on September 7. If it succeeds India will join a very select club, now ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Twyford and Parker propose new urban development policy statement, Tamihere unveils transport plans, and Māori King issues challenge on child abuse.For a lead today, a nudge towards one of those deeply dense announcements that could end up having a huge ...
Just like its National predecessor, this Labour-led Government is trying to lecture councils into growing the 'right' kinds of cities without giving them the funding tools or help to do it. ...
Part three of our debate on the state of New Zealand fiction continues as Chris Else, whose opening essay was strongly rebutted last week by Catherine Robertson, returns to put the boot in once more. ...
This morning the five shortlisted songs for the 2019 Silver Scroll Award were announced. Here, exclusively for The Spinoff, the finalists discuss each other’s nominated songs.Tom Scott of Avantdale Bowling Club on ‘The Barrel’ by Aldous Hardingit’s such a beautiful stunt to witness. breaking just before the cliff edge. the ...
A group is currently holding seminars around NZ which appear to be based on misinformation about vaccines. Dr Helen Petousis-Harris fact checks some of their claims. ...
The Football Ferns are at a crossroads - they need to move on from simply being "competitive" to make a serious impression on the world football stage. ...
Countless stories from women who have a right to be safe on campus still go unanswered, writes Kate Hannah, deputy director equity and inclusion, Te Pūnaha MatatiniDespite the hashtags and the headlines, universities in New Zealand seem to have largely avoided facing up to their own “#MeToo moment”. It is ...
The government’s plan to avoid another ‘fiscal hole’ fiasco has an unlikely fan: the chief economist of the corporate think tank New Zealand Initiative. Eric Crampton explains what else it could do.Have you ever driven past one of those stores that mostly sells blinds but calls itself ‘Not Just Blinds’ ...
Over the course of the local elections period, The Spinoff will be publishing primers on some of the most interesting races around the country. Today, Alex Braae casts his eyes over the Otago Regional Council contest.The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The SpinoffMembers. For more about ...
By Michael Andrew Journalists across Papua New Guinea have spoken out in support of EMTV news director Neville Choi after his “unacceptable” termination from a role he had held for six years. A public statement released on Monday listed the reasons for his termination, one of which was his ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camellia Webb-Gannon, Lecturer, University of Wollongong Last weekend, the Indonesian police took 43 West Papuan students into custody for allegedly disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an independence day celebration (an allegation the students deny). Police stormed the students’ dorm and used teargas ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Klein, Professor, UNSW Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that Australia will lend military support to protect shipping in the Middle East. The commitment has been long expected, with Australia sending a frigate, an aircraft and some headquarters staff as part ...
Open mike 27/07/2019 
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ... 21 mins ago
Donald Trump seems to be eager to start a war with Iran, and naturally Australia is yapping at its heels like a good little vassal. The UK also asked New Zealand to get involved, but fortunately, we had a good excuse: we simply didn't have the toys available:Britain asked New ...5 hours ago
Television advertising has a huge impact on our lives. Even if we don’t recognise that, we know it has to be true, since otherwise why would advertisers spend so much on it? Its significance, however, is greater than simply the influence it has on what we purchase and consume. It ...1 day ago
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...2 days ago
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...2 days ago
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...4 days ago
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...4 days ago
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...6 days ago
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Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...6 days ago
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...1 week ago
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"If We Don't Protect Nature We Can't Protect Ourselves" Harrison Ford | Extinction Rebellion
Conversation with Peter Wadhams
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/114542552/former-civic-creche-worker-peter-ellis-last-bid-before-he-cancer-takes-him
Peter Ellis… an injustice on him? An injustice on our nation? A witch hunt? How would The Standard audience have approached these accusations, the trials, the everything back in the early mid-90's?
Our society suffers a lack of men in ece and elsewhere – is it any wonder? No it isn't…. reaping and sowing ….
This case needs re-doing.
a case study in mass hysteria
I remember TV interviews with some of the mothers who had levelled the allegations against Peter Ellis. To put it bluntly, they were bitches who were out to get Ellis come hell or high water. Lack of evidence didn't bother them. It seemed to me the kids were mere putty in their hands and repeated what their Mums essentially told them. They destroyed an innocent man's life and no doubt are responsible for shortening it. I would like to see them named and shamed.
So would I !
But what got into them to do that? It seems to me group-think. And people who mouth platitudes about fairness and rightness but are basically amoral, but ready to roll on a wave of 'hysteria' as Pat puts it. It is interesting that burlesque performers in NZ just lately have had to complain about people in the audience bringing under-age children to the performances, though they are R16 rated, down from R18 apparently, but it appears some have taken it to mean that any old thing can be lampooned in front of the children. They tone down their show, can't be as risque as they would, because children aren't able to understand the content.
These are the same mindless people who are anti-vaxxers, would vote for Trump, even though they say they are Christian, and have plenty of his misdemeanours to overlook.
The emotional response to anything, has to be tempered and controlled, so a reasoned decision can be made. Some people cannot be trusted to run their response to anything past their own mind control.
Absolutely. It was a global thing too. Children were being separated from their parents in the UK ,because the authorities held the kids were being abused…with rectal damage being the evidence. Turns out the kids had constipation, and the "abuse" kept happening even when the" pedophile" parents were absent
There was an unshakeable mind set that kids never lied about this stuff, that all men were rapists and pedophiliac satanic cults were widespread. How many families were ripped apart because of this madness. "A City Possessed" by Lynley Hood is a masterpiece and should be required reading for media studies, social workers, hell, high school students.
Perhaps then we'd be developing a bit of critical thinking to set against the endless media "outrage" campaigns
have never read the book but can recall reading some transcripts of the 'interviews' that were published and the recall the fact that 5 women were also originally accused …..a disgraceful witch hunt that should have been remedied decades ago and all involved censured
That's correct. After exhaustive questioning they were released without charges being laid. I also remember them being categorical about Ellis' innocence. The words I recall being said is that it was "all a complete nonsense". My recollection is those women couldn't get jobs as kindy teachers after that affair.
Yep. I guess they were the latter-day boomers who had everything handed to them on a platter and were able to buy homes with State Advance loans at very low rates of interest. They developed a sense of misplaced superiority on the back of their good luck.
It was also the era where Enid Blytons books were banned and a whole generation missed out on her wonderfully imaginative stories. That was a bad thing apparently. Noddy was banned because he was supposed to be – to quote terminology of the day – a homosexual. OMG that's terrible they said to one another. Did it ever occur to them that children don't think like adults and they wouldn't have known what a homosexual was if they fell over one? It was complete bollocks anyway.
That was the background that allowed this crazy stuff to prosper which, in this case, caused a decent young man to spend seven years in prison for crimes he never committed.
I feel for the guy. Entire story sounds batshit crazy.
We should be used to it. Have you followed the similarly rigorous witch hunts against Assange and Corbyn?
Is there nothing you won't use to push your imaginary barrows?
Shameless.
How does Morrissey suggesting similarities in treatment between Ellis, Corbyn and Assanage become pushing an imaginary barrow….in your head?
Because in only one case was pretty much the totality of the evidence thoroughly documented as having been distilled from a myriad of stories actively encouraged from young children.
as opposed to Assange (two clear statements from the women and the facts put forward by Assange's UK legal team).
No idea what Moz thinks Corbyn's been accused of. I'm only familiar with accusations that Labour has done fuckall about antisemitism within its ranks, despite numerous complaints from a variety of levels of party membership.
No idea what Moz thinks Corbyn's been accused of.
Your cynicism almost eclipses your dishonesty.
"Imaginary barrows"? Like those giraffes under the basement and that murdered child at the Civic Creche? Like those absurd allegations that Jeremy Corbyn is an "antisemite"? Like that bizarre Soviet-style campaign against the man who published evidence of U.S. soldiers murdering civilians in Iraq?
What's "imaginary" about those barrows, exactly?
Only one of those things was based purely on the invention of children, though.
The other two had some reference to actual events (whether those events were then misinterpreted to suit the narrative or not).
Morrissey
You should stop bringing that up. It is more than mischievous of you and you will lose any cred you have built up. Some of the cynics might keep you as a pet, but you aim to be a respected commenter and critic I think.
You should stop bringing that up.
Bringing what up?
It is more than mischievous of you and you will lose any cred you have built up.
Sorry, you're a bit obscure here, Mr Shark. What was "mischievous" in what I wrote?
Some of the cynics might keep you as a pet,
Hmmm. Interesting thought, that. Think I might run away if McFlock was my owner.
but you aim to be a respected commenter and critic I think.
Well, some people out there respect moi, but there are some I have yet to win over, such as the esteemed thinker Leighton Smith…
I thoroughly recommend 'A City Possessed' by Lynley Hood.
Amongst the disturbing reading is the main complainant's mother was involved in an 'intimate relationship' with the head investigating officer.
When evidence is as heavily redacted as the children's testimony was, it becomes highly dodgy.
Peter Ellis has not changed his stance and at the height of the witch hunt, his concern was for the children. When confronted with their allegations, he said 'if they believe these things happened to them, what help are they getting now?'
A certain mayor of a certain city, how she can look at herself in the mirror I do not know.
I think his lawyer Rob Harrison who has defended him throughout I think, is to be commended. Funded by ? I don't imagine that Ellis would have much funds.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/peter-ellis-diagnosed-terminal-cancer-he-seeks-last-appeal-against-child-sex-abuse-convictions
On Contact: UK alternative media with Kerry-Anne Mendoza
Interesting interviews with (anonymous) Nat MPs about their party's mindset: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/114535570/simon-bridges-chance-to-reunify-national-party-after-a-bloody-year
I'd seriously recommend reading this…https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/marilyn-waring-political-years
What struck me was the massive amount of political capital raised within the electorate through hours spent driving between venues and actually engaging with locals. Local Party members clearly did a huge amount to ensure 'their' girl made it to Wellington and was supported when she got there.
Sadly, Wellington was a toxic battleground, and the other thing that stood out from the book is that today we are still struggling to make progress on some of the issues Waring and other female MPs from both sides of the house were raising back then.
One issue was abortion, and the other was better support for families living with disability.
Irony overload.
…delivered National a crushing victory in the 2017 election…
Er, parties that win a crushing victory in an election become the government. Still a very high level of delusion and denial among Nat members, by the look of it.
Yes its laugable .
Look at the other Labour Party in Australia and their 'crushing victory'
Labour 68 seats
Liberal 44 seats
Liberal National 23
National 10
The Liberals were the second biggest party and they too needed a coalition to become government
Duke…as I posted just after the Oz election
Australian Election-
Labor plus Greens 43.5% 68 seats
Coalition 41.8% 78 seats
Thank goodness for MMP in NZ.
Scomo didn't really win at all.
(I think it ended up 77-69 in the end because Labor ended up winning Macquarie. There must be 4 independents?)
what a joke – those naughty young people. so young, so young – protesting as young people, so young. ffs most are over 20 – check out the thousands arriving today – young? I don't think so. The framing is stupid and won't work – it's up there with the foreshore and seabed bullshit.
"As RNZ has noted, a generational divide exists between SOUL and the kaumatua from Te Kawerau a Maki and representatives of the Kiingitangi movement who have given Fletchers the green light to proceed." http://werewolf.co.nz/2019/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-ihumatao-dispute/
Not saying you're wrong. I expect the protest to pull an attendance that is pan-generational. Yet hard to argue against the perception that niece & uncle are stuck in a generational stand-off, eh?
imo it's a simplistic understanding – really just another argue from authority approach, like the outsiders coming in lines
Doesnt look like many from Ihumatao iwi waiting at the Council meeting
https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/84411/eight_col_council_meetimg.jpg?1564030382
Instead we have the white middle class supporters with Newton
your perspective is pretty narrow – may pay to wait and see what happens.
"Yet hard to argue against the perception that niece & uncle are stuck in a generational stand-off, eh?"
For the simpleton maybe, for those with more than a few functioning brain cells the notion is outrageous.
The SOUL movement is backed by hundreds and hundreds, and Te Kawerau a Maki is but one interested party.
The land was stolen ffs by that bastard Grey and his english forces and simply given to english settlers.
If there is no law that governs the return of this land to its rightful owners Jacinda needs to get her arse into gear and enact one.
The fact that the Waitangi Tribunal cannot make judgements on privately "owned" land is why Maori have had so little of it returned to them.
This. The Treaty process is no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was.
One of the right wing hacks today said JA still has her training wheels on. Well, this country still has its training wheels on.
We suck at this stuff.
" The Treaty process is no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was. "
Same as the United States Constitution. Basing laws on documents 100 years old is a stupid idea. Laws, politics and expected outcomes need to move with the times
John S It has slipped your attention that Maori have insisted that te Tiriti is a living document and needs to be viewed and negotiated in those terms,
The US constitution is a pretty enlightened piece of work in fact. That contemporary politicians choose not to live up to enlightenment principles is a problem of society at large – corrupt leaders are not supposed to be tolerated, the demos is supposed to rise and oust them if their colleagues lack the mettle.
So you think dodging the issue is the best way to deal with it?? You really believe that an uncle and his niece refusing to reach agreement for four long years and holding the nation to ransom is a non-issue?? Jeez, what planet you come from?
Dennis, if you think an uncle and his niece refusing to reach agreement is the crux of the matter, then it must be declared that you know so very little of said matter.
The reason for SOUL's being is to bring the issue into the lime light. Therefore it is not being dodged.
I recommend you read Chris Trotter's article
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2019/07/colonisation-in-action.html
We all know the origin of the problem. Focus ought to be shifting to the solution. The generational stand-off is obviously preventing the solution. Has been doing so for four years! What part of that is so hard for you to understand??
lol sounds like you should go there and broker the deal dennis lol
Huh. I'm about as non-Maori as you can get. Expertise & track record in achieving consensus isn't sufficient in this situation, so you'd be better off nominating a Maori with that eh?
Assuming you want a solution that is. You could be one of those people who think protesting forever is a lot more fun than solving problems.
Are the greens with their support of the ihimatao protests gunning for a Maori seat ,?
It wouldnt be a bad thing imho maybe labour should consider a very gentle pulling back from one or two Maori electorate.
you might want to look at previous Maori seat voting patterns to determine if thats a likely proposition
Yes. Greens have small support in Maori seats and low support in low income seats generally. Their base is well off urban areas mainly women.
xanthe, 6.2 Thanks, enjoyed that.
No, the Greens are just being consistent, doing what they have always done.
So its ot green policy for the government to buy private land to return to Maori?
you are just extrapolating to cause fear and anguish for others – why generate race hatred when it isn't there now? Maybe it is there, underneath all the bullshit the hard dirty truth sits like a malevolent eye of sauron
Na no angles from me . Just trying to understand where this protest is headed and what it's out comes might be and the ramifications of it .
It's my hobby.
get a mirror marty
lol
Utopianism? Not many left doing that, even in the Greens. Realpolitik prevails. Peacemaking would be their primary motivation, I presume. Non-violent conflict resolution is a Green Charter principle.
"Earlier this year though, Fletchers did indicate its willingness to consider any serious offer to buy the 33 hectares in dispute. For the government, buying it back would be chicken feed. In dollar terms, the site has been valued by Auckland Council at $35.7 million for the land, and $36 million all up." http://werewolf.co.nz/2019/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-ihumatao-dispute/
No reason the Greens ought not to lobby the govt on this basis. Feed those chickens, as Gordon suggests. Make the problem go away. Too many other big problems for this govt to focus on.
What about the houses for the iwi under the Fletcher plans.
Lots a green space for Auckland doesnt give them anything.
The cash amount is small but it would cause a huge financial headache in relativity payments for the large iwi who have settled previously.
There has been two top ups already last one being something like $500 mill.
This little iwi getting so much if the land is returned would mean large iwi would be in line to get so much more
Yeah, I get all that. Coalition faces a big negotiating challenge. Has to create win/win all around the table. Willie & the local MP ought to focus on how to get both niece & uncle what they want, and if their conversations today don't have that focus, they're wasting time.
Me, I’m waiting for Winston to take a position. Even if the Labour Maori caucus agrees a resolution based on local negotiations succeeding, the govt needs him to endorse it.
Niece and uncle?
Its a small iwi , not one with dozens of marae. Im sure they have spent many days of meetings over the years in discussions involving the whole iwi over this. Its seems a few are against the majority consensus. It happens but most iwi dont have the Green party using the issue as a political tool
Purely guess work on your part unless you've been privy to the discussions.
I see their relationship as key – since they lead the two parties involved in the lack of consensus. It is unusual for family members to be politically divided in this particular way. If niece and uncle had been able to agree, I doubt they'd have spent the past four years as leaders of the opposed factions.
I respect their respective principled positions, of course. But the two Labour MPs have to try forging a consensus position by breaking that four-year long process log-jam. If they can't, it's up to the minister (Mahuta), and if she can’t the PM and/or Winston will have to have a go.
You are reducing a situation involving more than one iwi for a start to a personal relationship. I guess that's simpler to have an opinion on.
Kelvin Davis is the responsible minister by portfolio. However, Jackson and Henare have local connections and Mahuta is a conduit into Tainui who have a strong interest.
Leadership normally is crucial in politics, so my reasoning is totally logical! And Wikipedia tells us Mahuta has the relevant portfolio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Labour_Government_of_New_Zealand#M%C4%81ori_Affairs
"This little iwi getting
so muchredress if the land is returned would mean large iwi wouldbe in line to get so much morealso seek the return of their land"Fify
You are in a dreamland. There will be no returning of private land confiscated during the land wars.
Does it build houses for the local iwi, which even if the owned the bare land would be $300k each to build.
Or do they all have tiny houses till that bubble bursts
The dissenters. Look likes only say 2 iwi members The others could be better described as Green party
https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/84411/eight_col_council_meetimg.jpg
So there's only 2 dissenters now… lol
There's nothing realpolitick about neoliberalism – it simply doesn't work. It's a splendid vehicle for corruption but worse than useless for service delivery. Pragmatism of any kind requires measures that work, neoliberalism doesn't qualify.
If you're really keen……. a NZ citizen dollar that when spent on participating NZ owned and operating businesses, who are part of business associations that rate, grade and hold to account standards in their respective industries (with oversite by political party parliament to that), helping to elect such association representatives in the third of parliament seats that is allocated to the citizen dollar, would go an awful long way to replacing the rorting with value driven business lobbying, thus removing the neo from liberalism/conservatism & going a long way to taming that problem you mentioned, & ultimately bring markets more up to the level of the intelligence of modern technology that is omnipresent in daily life.
That wouldn't be a bad policy if they were to head down that track.
What's better… land in the hands of dispassionate people whose goal is to see a profit in 5 years or land in the hands of people who are interested in community and what it might achieve across generations.
Am recovering from gales of laughter. simon is on The Nation touting his new message… 'it's all about you'.
Even better than that he has regurgitated the George Bush statement from 2000 on the "soft bigotry of low education" that Bush used in a speech to the NAACP that marked the launching of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
The phrase tried to blame the difference of various racial groups on "standardised tests" solely on teacher expectations whilst ignoring the structural inequities within schools and society as well as ignoring the racial bias evident in the examinations themselves.
The term was quickly taken up by white supremacists groups and is thrown around whenever someone makes any link to inequity in society being related to inequity in education.
Either Simon is as ignorant as he looks or the use of the phrase is the start of a push even further towards the right.
There's been an unhealthy trope on the right of borrowing things from the US instead of determining what is causing problems for local constituencies. Because the US is already much further to the right than NZ such borrowings tend to be extreme in our context, and of course they fail to resolve local issues because they have no relevance to them.
Sorry. Soft bigotry of low expectations was the line stolen from Bush, not education. I was thinking of it's impact on education
It was funny – but there was something darker going on that I found sobering. Simon's stance on the response to CC is that 'something must be done', but it must not cost business anything. Using taxes as price signals was 'lazy'. Instead he was pushing 'research' (presumably taxpayer funded) to come up with magic techno-fixes which would be made available to industry. The whole existing landscape of wealth, power and dominance would be maintained as we dynamically worked through this mere blip in the road.
So it's pretty clear what the RW response will be to any climate crisis if/when one actually bites – protection for the few, and austerity for the many.
Heh, that would be research usually done by companies that had their R&D tax rebates nullified by Keys National crowd.
You can not take these Tories seriously, the inconsistencies and obvious polling dependant stance on any issue, defies logic.
His PR people have told Bridges that he personally isnt popular so cant be used as the central character in National advertising -like John Key was.
2nd choice was an anoymous 'You' as Spot the Dog is no longer with us ( last used by Telecom when their name was complete shit)
It's all about me Simon?! Wow, thanks man
Aka "It's all about me"!! Lol lol I agree Cinny, bloody funny.
An honest slogan for the selfish party.
The best thing anyone can do for our housing market is to let it fall.
Endless subsidies are now seen as a right by landlords when they were originally meant to allow low income earners a choice between HNZ/council housing and private market.
Two billion a year and counting has only made the situation worse. NZ doesn't have a lack of housing it has a lack of AFFORDABLE housing. Subsidies have driven up prices and required middle income earners to become beneficiaries (Accommodation Supplement) to afford rents.
I happen to know a few people homeless (all disabled and in need of specific housing to meet their needs). I'd rather people live in caravans etc until the price is driven down by loss of demand then perpetual funding of this bubble. We need to seriously consider facilitating trailer park type living and give money to disabled to buy their own place. That's where the money should be going.
I happen to know a few people homeless (all disabled and in need of specific housing to meet their needs).
And how many Kiwibuild houses meet the Lifemark standard? How many of the new state houses? https://www.lifemark.co.nz/
I'm not so sure about trailerparks A. The few Peter and I occasionally stay at (we much prefer wild parking
) that have a number of permanents can become miserable little toxic Peyton Places. You only need two or three forming a clique and they can make life unbearable for those who just want to live quietly. I know of one elderly caravan dweller who was targeted by the self appointed camp commandants who decided her practice of feeding the birds around her site was an offense to all. These were other caravan /motorhome dwellers with nothing better to do than be arseholes. Folks living cheek by jowl and having to share ablution blocks and kitchens….? Crucible living.
Agree with letting it fall, but prefer mass investment in state housing rather than trailer parks etc.
The banks and successive governments have allowed our entire economy to be redirected towards bank profits via mortgage credit, with no concern for the social cost.
As a Crown prosecutor, how many people did he ‘help’?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/114554275/simon-bridges-opens-national-conference
His job for the local prosecutors was the run of the mill criminal cases.
His wife introducing him and speech was an intriguing showing of her work as his media minder.
Ta
So, his job was to put criminals behind bars of prisons run by Serco? He wasn’t working for the UN fighting for Human Rights or anything like that?
I suppose putting the baddies behind bars is ‘helping’ the goodies, to make them feel safer in their over-valued homes. What I have read of the rhetoric of the opening speeches so far is predictable BAU and another pathetic pitch to middle NZ. It’ll be interesting to see if any blue-green flavours or vapours will be wafting through the conference or more religious-conservative stuff; after all, they are in Christchurch (cf. 15 March).
You deserve better!
Run of the mill sounds right. What an untalented little man.
Clap, clap.
I guess a 'bottom line' could be that row of bums on stage.
What a colourful bunch! Is that a standing ovation for Sir John?
"Our bottom line is you"
Ah, so Paula is still around and not in hiding. Do you know who she's wearing darling? Soimun looks like an Amani.
I thought actors and actorines were supposed to take their bows AFTER the pantomime
Still sharp sometimes… "Politically speaking, the government cannot hope to continue to play the role of Pontius Pilate in this dispute. After all, the Crown was the agent of the original chain of events that eventually delivered this land into Fletchers’ hands. Leadership would start from a recognition of the basic historical injustice."
"Moreover, a Crown re-purchase from Fletchers would not necessarily become a millstone, much as the government may fear landing themselves in the middle of another Ngapuhi-style dispute. There would also be fears within government of setting a precedent for intervening in any business development that hasn’t been validated by a prior Treaty settlement. Tough. Them’s the breaks if New Zealand is serious about regarding the Treaty as a living document."
http://werewolf.co.nz/2019/07/gordon-campbell-on-the-ihumatao-dispute/
So I'm tempted to predict that the PM will return from her Pacific sojourn intent on resolving the issue. Hands off didn't work. Urgency will be paramount if the protest leader's prediction of upward of ten thousand arriving this weekend comes true. Dithering in the face of such numbers would cost this govt the next election. Why? It would create the perception that they are no better than National.
Yes , the worlds problems can all be solved by just turning back the clock and 'europeans going back to where they came from'
The Maori land was given by the government to the Wallace family to farm – which they did for over a 100 years. Fletchers then bought the land when it was recntly zoned for housing.
Equating the idea of the government buying the land, and establishing a permanent reserve on some of the land (given its historic significance) and otherwise matching the housing deal offered iwi, with a threat to the presence of Europeans speaks to a sense of threatened privilege of Trumpian proportions.
Prime Minister has opened her mouth to form a trap where Fletchers can now demand pretty much any price they want, valued at whatever keeps this out of a massive High Court judicial review which pulls apart this moronic political intervention.
Top work from the Greens for propping up Fletchers, throwing their own Minister Sage under a bus, and stopping houses being built in a suburb that needs it most.
Jackson and Sage will dish out a deal in a big fat envelope, and the traveling white-guilt factory will move on to another town.
It will consign the iwi to no house built anywhere near their marae for multiple decades, while inside that marae the young ones shaft their elders again and again and again.
Gosh, I thought I was the cynical one. Let's hope for a better outcome, huh? If it pans out like that I'll be just as caustic as you…
Can you see any houses being built in Mangere now?
Or anywhere else in the country near Maori title?
I see no point in jumping too quickly to such conclusions. I do understand that the signal sent will be alarming many though. People will just have to adapt to whichever changing circumstances get produced by any resolution produced. I'd advise caution in regard to extrapolating from this case. Just as likely to be unique as one of a bunch…
Nothing is unique in law, because it all comes down to precedent. Everyone except the protesting bunch is now working to keep this out of the High Court. I hope you can see that.
All you have to do is put yourself in the shoes of two entities: Crown Law, and Fletcher Residential's legal team. What are their strategies? It's not hard to plot them out.
The first is the Foreshore and Seabed bill, and protest, and political reaction. PM held firm, took the political consequences, achieved the policy outcomes that enabled the stability of New Zealand and, still did 3 terms of good for us.
The second is the entire northland iwi settlement process, and many other incomplete land claims, compared to the other major tribes. On this case now rests the full reputation of Andrew Little. All it takes is Marama Davidson and a busload of Usual Suspects and you can fuck up anything you like, and ensure nothing happens that will benefit Maori for generations.
And then there's all the Crown-iwi housing partnerships that will never start or develop now. I don't have any shares in Fletchers and don't work for them, but they built more state houses that housed generations of young New Zealanders than any other company. There's no more Maori partnerships after this unless there’s a miracle that pulls the government out of immolating. Which company will now trust Maori to have a mandate for any housing deal with a commercial partner? And the silence coming from Tainui and Kingitanga to rescue their own sub tribe is deafening.
Every unique instance stands on a mountain of history.
All good points, but. I'm impressed by the demeanour of Pania, and the thousands she has pulled in to support her group. So despite my inclination toward the deal being respected, and the seemingly ephemeral basis of the protest, I'm feeling the need to reserve judgment and give consensus a chance.
If it was just Marama & co being idealistic, I'd be critical. I get the impression there's more to the situation than that.
You have calmer judgement than the PM, the two trusts, and the Council put together.
1. The government was narrowly re-elected in 2005 (lost the majority of Maori seats and have only now reclaimed them).
2. Iwi are usually only involved in land deals if iwi land is involved (this case is not a common one).
3. And arguing that the young generation of Maori need to get out of the way for their own good because their old people/and Labour government know what's best for
their future/the country as a whole …would not just hurt Labour with young Maori voters and re-energise the Maori Party it would also alienate other youth (given government for the baby boomer policy).Preaching, TINA to the regime for any other course leads to chaos and ruin. The rule of heaven, or hell. A block to any development is the end of all development mantra is religious in its zeal.
Doubt Fletchers are in a position to demand too much…what did they pay for the site?
Buying directly off Fletchers by the Crown is the only way Ardern can get out of this now, because it's the only way of getting the land for anything any version of Maori are seeking.
The process is the same as any other white grievance in a rich suburb:
BANANA: Build Anything Nowhere Anywhere Near Anything, and pay the rich what they want.
Fletchers are going to want out of this…esp after their performance over the past few years they cant afford another losing proposition nor can they afford to piss the gov off too much ….a deal will be done and one that saves face all round
There's more pressure on other parties now.
Fletchers can just wait and double their price after every foolish media release by the protesters.
Fletchers can wait…and watch their costs rise and projected returns disappear and risk being left with an almost impossible site…not to mention any inside running on future contracts
Oh sure there's pressure. They own their own supply chain, and the land, so there's no worries there. They have plenty of other blocks to get on with.
But there's now far more on the government, and Auckland Council, and the two trusts.
Im sure their bankers and shareholders will agree
Exactly. That's why Fletchers can pop their corks at mention of the name of Marama Davidson.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/101398374/fletcher-building-suffered-billions-in-wealth-loss
https://www.nzx.com/companies/FBU?q=fletchers
That wasn't caused by Ihumatao, and in fact Fletcher Residential are doing fine. Used to be New Zealand's largest locally-owned company. They're fighting to come back, and rebuilding internally.
Never suggested it was caused by Ihumatao…but a 2.7 billion wealth loss and a renegotiated debt covenant dont come without strings….and a 29% share price drop in the past 12 months sure as hell aint encouraging for the peace of mind for those holding the strings.
They cant afford Ihumatao
You misunderstand the scale of Ihumatao in commercial terms.
Since 2018 Fletchers have sold plenty of assets off, and regathered their banking lines. Fletcher Construction got them into some strife, mostly through the Christchurch Justice job, Precinct Commercial Bay and Sky City Convention Centre jobs. But they are in full recovery now.
Fletcher Residential are making bank all over the place. Ihumatao is a very small affair to them.
Best take off those rose tinted specs….Fletchers are still deep in the woods and cant afford any more failures.
My guess is Fletchers won't play it like that – they'll want to preserve goodwill & their reputation. A modest profit on their investment is likely & appropriate. They've been signalling they're willing to sell at a reasonable price for quite a while. Media reports have made that clear.
But that is secondary. Primary is Maori agreement on how to use the land. The family divide has to be bridged over first, and since they have a track record of four years of failure to do that, someone decisive must break that impasse. That's why Pania appealed to the PM.
No, Fletchers are primary as they have title. Mandated Maori already have agreement on how the land will be used. Fletchers can sit back, let the iwi fight it out in court inevitably, and make sure they get paid well.
There's no good will left on this site now. At minimum any housing deal with unstable Maori iwi will attract massively increased risk premiums for the following:
– insurance
– access to site
– stakeholder management and communications
– completion bonds
– commercial risk
– government relations
– Maori consultation
– marketing
… and more, but you get the idea.
Most of the land won’t go to iwi. It will mostly go into the existing public reserve with iwi co-governance. The major reason is that the government won’t want this to become a precedent for other treaty settlements, especially Ngapuhi.
The iwi (actually a hapu) will get the 25% of the land promised under the Fletchers deal.
Sure. At times like this, one remembers it was Graham and Bolger who began the settlement process not the Rogernomics fan boys in Labour.
If you cannot talk sensibly about it, it is better to be say less than more.
and so it goes..
..and goes..
Jerrold Nadler, who compared Russian interference in the 2016 election to Pearl Harbor.
Slight credibility problem when one is a laughing stock.
https://theintercept.com/2018/02/19/a-consensus-emerges-russia-committed-an-act-of-war-on-par-with-pearl-harbor-and-911-should-the-u-s-response-be-similar/
Slight credibility problem when one is a laughing stock.
I'd credit you with some wry self-awareness there, except you've never shown any before.
Nope, you still don't got it, sorry.
A better precedent is the quickie impeachment of Bush.
Had to do a rat-swallowing deal across the floor, but they got it done.
From the dark caverns of the right Twitter comes the idea that George Soros is funding the SOUL protestors.
"We found, ah, ah, insufficient evidence, ah, ah, of the President's culpability."
The desperate DNC masterminds—Jerrold ("Pearl Harbor") Nadler, Adam Scheff, Charles Schumer, and the rest of that sorry bunch—made a major mistake when they put all their rotten eggs in the basket wielded by poor old muddle-headed Mueller. Thanks to their incompetence, we have five and a half more years of Trump to endure.
Man! you are one sick puppy.
???
Could you expand a little on that intriguingly brief critique? Thanks in anticipation.
It’s high time we stopped getting wealthy shuffling our addresses around. It serves so few of us well. Gutting my rental house and installing Euro appliances, Indonesian teak floors and Home & Garden bathrooms is adding false value. It’s still just a place to live.
I win financially, I can up the rent to more than cover my renovation loan repayments. But does New Zealand win? I fear not.
Genuinely adding value is not as simple as making my rental worth twice as much a week. My flash flat adds next to no value to our nation beyond a couple no longer having to wash their dishes by hand and my fat wallet. It’s shallow value.
Our energies and efforts should be better placed.
Few of the 9 million are desperately searching for a comfortable affordable home in Sweden, they turn their efforts to Volvo, Swedish Match, ABB, Ericsson, Husqvarna, Saab, H&M, Alfa Laval, Electrolux, Ikea, Sandvik, Hasselblad, Koenigsegg, Scania instead.
Shafting each other over a place to live is a crap way to make our country better.
What policy and from whom are you complaining about?
Hi Ad, I just grabbed the mike and mouthed off, no policy.
No complaints here, I lead a Huckleberry life. I'd like to see the chap that lives over behind my place presented with a few promising opportunities.
Focusing on the big things.
*counsellors*
eh, squire?
#prat
I'd hope they apply the same discipline to Cabinet papers and briefings, as Prime Minister Helen Clark and Heather Simpson did. No paragraph ever started with 'however', for example.
Come out of this office environment?
Aye, well, but plenty of our laws fuck up over misplaced commas.
Entire legal industries rise and fall like a breath on the weight of paragraph indents.
Tax, and RMA, for example.
That's how the legal profession likes it addy.
'However' is one of those stupid inclusions that indicates that all you've stated prior has the potential to be bullshit.
It is the language of the buck passer.
The wriggle room of "Well I didn't actually endorse the findings."
It is a sanctuary only offered to those that are plugged into the Mother Ship.
Others go broke.
Agree, usually.
However, there are other uses.
M.P. = Member of Parliament
M.P.s = Member of Parliament.s?
Ms.P. = Members of Parliament?
It's all arbitrary. You do what God says, well Mogg anyway. I'd heard some of the speech from Johnson with the excitement of how they're going to make Britain the greatest place on the planet. Mogg's clearly shown his priorities and is onto one of the most critical issues facing the nation. Other stuff might take a while but at least they're going to write proper like.
Such a load of BS from Johnson and ilk. He is all screwed up with the excitement of being determined to make a decision, which nobody else has been able to do. Leave the EU with a hard Brexit.
As a well educated chap he would know The Charge of the Light Brigade – glory and death showing the valour and the colours and the stupidity of Britain. And the story behind it, of a botched message, or a deliberately misunderstood one. But NZ showed how you can bamboozle most of the people all of the time.
Death or glory is Toad's watchword as he battles (with the help of his supporters) to make Toad Hall great again in Wind in the Willows. Toad is so reminiscent of Boorish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErxdKKurIDg
The put downs ,the put downs.
Such an arriviste.
I’m told his grandparents bought their own furniture.
Wonder if it would not be best if the All Blacks lost everything this year (traitor!).
Yes, some recent successes get all the accolades, hyperbole and wall to wall coverage, and while for the most part it is not the players fault, i wonder if it is not sometimes making heroes out of all other things being equal, 'also rans', when it comes to the way NZ rugby has been run & governed.
I wonder if behind it, NZ rugby is in abit of a pathetic state to the strong almost shared birth right culture that it provided and enjoyed in society. Although for many folks it was the radio for the most part, the Great Black Caps cricket world cup, that was the type of value in sport that rugby near use to provide to NZ annually. Although the wheels started to fall off gradually when the new model was introduced, it was still mostly obvious to everyone the strong health of the NZ rugby culture in a way that was a societal resource & recreation like no where else in the world.
And that's one thing that was so great about the NZ Black Caps cricket world cup run, there was an unmistakable NZ way/reflection in the approach and play of the game. And despite the relatively thin coverage, and for a notable part, skeptical media coverage, the NZ public knew it and responded in kind. Win or lose, New Zealand was winning and won.
It may be impossible to get the old All Blacks postion in world sport back now, but it's still possible to get the NZ game of rugby back. But it can not be obliterated at the top and grown on the ground at the same time i'd say.
Wonder if it would not be best if the All Blacks lost everything this year…
Flashback to 1998! Flashback to 1998!
like most games too, to really bottom out.