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.
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.It was another ‘SHOCK! HORROR!’ headline from a media increasingly venturing into tabloid-style journalism:Andrea Vance’s article seemed to focus on the "million dollar sums from the Government as the country grapples with a housing ...
Dr Brian Easton writes: It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. Here is my guess at some ...
What Was the Prime Minister Reading in the Runup to Election Year?It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. ...
In case you hadn't noticed, FYI, the public OIA request site, has been used to conduct a significant excavation into New Zealand's intelligence agencies, with requests made for assorted policies and procedures. Yesterday in response to one of these requests the GCSB released its policy on New Zealand Purpose and ...
Farming leaders are watching closely whether Damien O’Connor keeps the key portfolios of Agriculture and Trade when Prime Minister Chris Hipkins restructures his Cabinet. O’Connor has been one of the few ministers during Labour’s term in office who has won broad support for what he has done ...
South Islands farmers are whining about another drought, the third in three years. If only we knew what was causing this! If only someone had warned them that they faced a drying climate! But we do know what is causing it: climate change. And they have been warned, repeatedly, for ...
Ok, there’s good news and bad news in this week’s inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a level below the inflation rate in Australia. The main reason for the so/so result here? A fall in petrol prices of 7.2% offset the really ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet ...
Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet there have been dozens of columns ...
The Clinical Magus: Of particular relevance to New Zealanders struggling to come to terms with the sudden departure of their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is Jung’s concept of the anima. Much more than what others have called the feminine principle, the anima is what the human male has made out ...
The Select Committee, considering the proposed RNZ-TVNZ merger, has come back with a report conceding many of the criticisms that were made of the original legislation. In what is one of the most comprehensive demolitions of a Bill submitted to a Select Committee, the Economic Development, Science and Innovation ...
Such are the 2020s, the age when no-one, it seems, actually respects the basic underpinnings of democracy. Even in New Zealand. This week, I stumbled across a pair of lengthy and genuinely serious articles, that basically argue that Something is Rotten in the state of New Zealand democracy. One ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hurrah. Today we found something fresh on the Beehive website, Beehive.govt.nz, which claims to be the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information. It wasn’t from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, whose reaction to the latest inflation figures would have been appreciated. So, too, ...
Smiling And Waiving A Golden Opportunity: Chris Hipkins knew that the day at Ratana would be Jacinda’s day – her final opportunity to bask in the unalloyed love and support of her followers. He simply could not afford to be seen to overshadow this last chance for his former boss ...
Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of “Act of Oblivion” concerns the relentless pursuit of the “regicides” Edward Whalley and William Goffe – two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles I’s death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harris’s novel brings to life a period ...
To challenge the Government’s promotion of co-governance, to share power between Maori and public authorities and agencies, is to invite accusations of racism. An example: this article by Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog headed Luxon’s race baiting hypocrisy at Ratana. The article was triggered by National leader Christopher Luxon, ...
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...
Yesterday the Herald ran an op-ed from Mayor Wayne Brown titled “The case for light rail is lighter than ever” and a few things stood out. However, it’s getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...
In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...
Inflation is showing little sign of slowing down, posing a problem for freshly minted PM Chris Hipkins. According to that old campaigner Richard Prebble, Hipkins should call a snap election. If he waits till October, he risks being swept away. The dilemma for the new leader is that fighting an election ...
Buzz from the Beehive A great deal has happened since January 19. Among other things, a new Prime Minister and deputy have been sworn in and our leaders (past, present and aspiring) have delivered speeches at Ratana. Newshub reported that politicians of all stripes had descended upon Rātana for the ...
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...
New Zealand has another Prime Minister who does not have a basic grasp of the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. THOMAS CRANMER writes: It is simply astonishing that New Zealand’s next Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, is unable to give even a brief explanation of the three articles ...
A statue of a semi-naked Nick Smith puts the misogyny debate into perspective. GRAHAM ADAMS writes … In the wake of Ardern’s abrupt resignation, the mainstream media are determined to convince us she was hounded from office mainly because she is a woman and had to fall on her sword ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is ...
An editorial in the NZ Herald last week, titled “Nimbyism goes bananas as housing intensifies“, introduced Herald readers to a couple of acronyms that go along with the now-familiar NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard): “bananas” (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) “cave” dwellers (citizens against virtually everything). The editorial ...
Back in the dark autumn of 2020, when the prospect of Covid was freaking the country out, Finance Minister Grant Robertson set himself and Treasury a series of questions about what a post-Covid economy might look like. Those were fearful days, and the questions in part reflected a series ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet another day has passed without Ministers of the Crown posting something to show they are still working for us on the Beehive website. Nothing new has been posted since January 17. Perhaps the ministers are all engaged in the bemusing annual excursion ...
Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already indicated he intends making the tax system “fairer”. That points to the route a government facing an election could take to tilt the odds towards winning in its favour, given Labour’s support in the last months of the Ardern era had been ...
NewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...
Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...
The first of Kiwirail’s big network shutdowns to fix the foundations on our tracks is now well underway with the Southern Line closed between Otahuhu and Newmarket. This is following on from the network wide Christmas/New Year shutdown, during which Kiwirail say that nearly 1,300 people working across 69 different ...
This is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blogIn last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be expected now that she has resigned. I noted that the level of threat she has been exposed to is unprecedented ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...
The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...
Following the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...
Much of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkins’ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Get ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become “too woke” on social issues. Overall, ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Because our hard-working Ministers of the Crown are engaged in Labour Party caucus stuff in Napier, no doubt jockeying to ensure they keep their jobs or get a better one, Point of Order was not surprised to find no fresh news on the Beehive website this ...
By the end of 2019, Jacinda Ardern was a political superstar heading towards an election defeat. She was an icon, internationally beloved, on track to be an ex-prime minister before the age of forty. It was the year of the Christchurch terror attack when Ardern’s response to the atrocity saw ...
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. ...
Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. So, although Ardern has named an ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Earlier this week Point of Order carried a post by Geoffrey Miller on how Japan under a new security blueprint is doubling its defence spending. The plans see Japan buying up advanced weaponry – including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US – and spending more on ...
Anyone else suffering back-to-work-blues? We’re battling, but still upright. Haere tonu! Today’s cover image is of sunset over Tirohanga Whānui Bridge, sourced from Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Jolisa pondered the fate of AT’s ‘Statements of Imagination’. Tuesday’s post was a guest post by Grady ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
The resignation of Jacinda Ardern has already made more global headlines than you might expect for that of the PM of a small commonwealth nation like say Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Singapore (population 5.5 million). But international observers might not be too surprised by Ardern’s announcement that ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of our Buzz from the Beehive earlier today, the PM has made two announcements – the 2023 general election will be held on Saturday 14 October and she will not be campaigning to win a third term as Prime Minister. She will ...
Jacinda Ardern had an outsized impact on New Zealand’s international relations. While all Prime Ministers travel internationally, Ardern’s calendar was fuller than most. Ardern’s first major foreign trip came within weeks of her election in 2017, to the APEC summit in Vietnam. The meeting gave Ardern her first in-person encounter ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a minister and Andrew Little’s noble resignation ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Members of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have today written to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei to condemn the ongoing violence and killing of women’s rights and democracy protesters, and to call on him to intervene immediately. ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
The Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...
A vaccine for people at risk of mpox (Monkeypox) will be available if prescribed by a medical practitioner to people who meet eligibility criteria from Monday 16 January, says Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. 5,000 vials of the vaccine have been obtained, enough for up to 20,000 ...
ANALYSIS:By James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced on the night of January 27, the eve of the city’s anniversary weekend, was caused by rainfall that was literally off the chart. Over 24 hours, 249mm of rain fell — well ...
RNZ News Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has acknowledged the way Aucklanders have come together and opened their homes to those in need, with the New Zealand government focused on providing the resources needed to get the city back up and running. The new prime minister — just four days into ...
RNZ News Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty has asked for communication on support after the severe thunderstorm in Auckland to be stepped up. It comes after a Civil Defence warning text failed to be sent out, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told RNZ they will be reviewing the response, ...
RNZ News Three people are dead and at least one person is missing following the flooding overnight in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. About 1000 people were still stranded today after Auckland Airport was closed last night because of flooding of the arrival and departure foyers. Flights were cancelled for ...
Wayne Brown has doubled down on his decision last night to shun the media until close to midnight and only order a state of emergency at 9.30pm. In a defensive display to the media this afternoon, the Auckland mayor was questioned on comments other councillors made last night, including some ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed there are three deaths linked to the extreme weather event in Auckland over the past 24 hours. There is also at least one person missing. Speaking at a press conference in Auckland, Hipkins said the priority was to make sure Aucklanders were safe, housed ...
*This story was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission*Until New Zealand's stormwater drain system adapts to our rising climate, it will never be able to cope with the level of flooding seen in Auckland on Friday night, writes James Renwick The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced ...
Chris Hipkins has experienced his first major event as prime minister, just days into his tenure. He’s spent the day in Auckland alongside emergency services, surveying the damage and assessing next steps. He’s due to speak at 3.15pm alongside Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Thanks to Stuff, here is a livestream. ...
Due to the “unprecedented weather event” in Auckland, organisers have confirmed the “heartbreaking decision” to cancel this year’s Laneway Festival. “We were so excited to deliver this show to our biggest crowd ever in New Zealand, our team has been working around the clock to do everything they can to ...
With the rain easing for a moment, many will be beginning the arduous task of cleaning out their flooded property. Auckland council has release advice for cleaning up after a flood. Cleaning up after a flood It is important to clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater ...
Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan says the airline’s domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed from 12pm today as Auckland Airport re-opens. But he said with a backlog of flights and customers, the priority is those who need to travel urgently. “Those ...
Festival-goers holding on hope for Laneway, set to take place at Western Springs on Monday, will have to wait a bit longer for an official update. A brief post on Facebook this afternoon stated: “Safety is Laneway Festival’s number one priority. With the large weather event Auckland is currently experiencing, ...
Wayne Brown has defended the timing of a declaration of a state of emergency last night following record rainfall in Auckland. “The state of emergency is a prescribed process, it’s quite formal, and I had to wait until I had the official request from the emergency management centre. The moment ...
After the 11th hour cancellation last night, Elton John has cancelled the second concert of his farewell tour at Mt Smart, which had been scheduled for this evening. In a statement, John said: “Following the instruction of the emergency services, we have no option but to cancel tonight’s show in ...
The member of parliament for Mt Albert, Jacinda Ardern, has posted a message on Facebook following the flooding in Auckland. “I’m very conscious that it’s been a while since I posted, and there have been a few big things happening. But today the most important thing is everyone’s wellbeing and ...
Flooding of the runway, the check-in and arrivals areas on the ground floor and surrounding roads has disrupted operations at Auckland International, halting all departures until at least 5pm today, with no arrivals before 4:30am tomorrow. “People are asked not to come to the International Terminal at this time for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Victoria Park near the Auckland CBD on January 27.Getty Images The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced on the night of January 27, the eve of the ...
New Zealand’s largest insurance group, IAG, says it is on track to receive more than 1,100 claims from Aucklanders by lunchtime after the city was deluged in the wettest day on record. Those claims, said the group which includes AMI, State and NZI Insurance, span property damage to homes and ...
The rampant flooding in Auckland didn’t just detonate its provincial public holiday weekend – it coincided with the biggest weekend of the year to date for live events. A pair of Elton John concerts at Mt Smart stadium had a combined capacity of over 80,000, while both Laneway at Western ...
Auckland is beginning a clean-up after its wettest day since records began. “Auckland was clobbered on Friday,” said emergency management duty controller Andrew Clark. “We won’t start to get a good idea of numbers affected until later today and, even then, this will take time, with information still coming in ...
The prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is travelling to Auckland after devastating floods hit the city overnight. With the airport out of operation until at least midday, he is landing at Whenuapai air base on a New Zealand Defence Force Hercules aircraft from Wellington. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has arrived in Auckland for a daylong visit to the city following its catastrophic flood on Friday night. Flying in an Air Force Hercules to Whenuapai, Hipkins will spend roughly three hours on the ground assessing flood damage in the city before returning. He will receive ...
A quirk of timing left all Auckland’s institutions on the back foot. But social media, particularly TikTok, graphically showed just how bad the situation was. Late afternoon on a Friday is known as time to quietly drop bad news. You have the plausible deniability of it happening during work hours, ...
It’s a common sight during summer. It’s also a recipe for disaster.I recently drove with my family from New Plymouth to Tāmaki Makaurau and, just like how I lost count of how many cows I saw on the way, I lost count of how many cars had a passenger ...
Opinion - Election year has begun with a bang, and already the punditry and speculation are ramping up, but Grant Duncan warns not to treat polls as gospel. ...
New Zealand’s new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is formally facing down an emergency just a few days after being sworn in, summoning the National Crisis Management Centre to the Beehive. The Beehive Bunker is being stood up to help with coordination of the emergency response in Auckland. I’ve asked ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern is one of New Zealand's most historically significant leaders. But she did not achieve the grand vision for Aotearoa her outsized rhetoric promised. ...
Brits abroad can be an asset to Aotearoa - but only if we make an effort to engage with te ao Māori, writes Scottish expat Fran Barclay Earlier this week, the UK High Commissioner signalled a promising intention to address the barriers facing young Māori and Pasifika who aspire to ...
"They want the Māoris out": provincial life in NZShe hadn’t learned to shut her mouth. Howard was tired of Councillor Kemp harping on and on and on. He pushed himself deeper into the boardroom chair and leaned back as far as he could force it. This woman had ranted ...
Positive affirmation quotes often aren’t helpful for tāngata whai ora. But taking the piss out of them can be. Early in January, on the first day of what would be a week of staying in bed with the curtains pulled, I put a disappointingaffirmations Instagram post up on my stories. ...
Ellen Rykers visits Mahakirau Forest Estate, ‘a crown jewel in the Coromandel Range’, where pest control is serious business.This is an excerpt from our weekly environment newsletter Future Proof – sign up here. The Mahakirau Forest Estate is not your average subdivision. Enter through its tall ...
As Auckland tackles severe floods and the city’s airport emerges from a deluge on both the runway and in terminals, Air New Zealand has confirmed that no flights will leave or arrive before noon on Saturday at the earliest. In a statement, the airline said anyone booked for a flight ...
RNZ News Mayor Wayne Brown has shut down criticism that he was too slow in declaring a state of emergency after severe flooding in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. In a media stand-up late on Friday evening, Brown said he was following advice from experts and as soon as they ...
The Prime Minister has gone down to the Beehive bunker to help coordinate the emergency response, as the Insurance Council warns some Aucklanders whose homes and business are flooded face very hard times ahead. Jonathan Milne reports.Comment: Standing by the south-western motorway, I watched in dismay as hundreds of cars ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland as severe weather causes major flooding across much of the city. It’s expected the rain will continue into the morning. This post will be updated as more information is shared.What does a state of emergency mean? A state of emergency ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown said he declared an emergency in Auckland as soon as he possibly could – and he made the decision without listening to the “clamour” of the public. There has been some criticism of the mayor for his relative silence today throughout the deadly flooding that’s hit ...
Welcome to a special late night edition of The Spinoff’s live updates as Auckland enters a state of emergency. Stewart Sowman-Lund is on deck, with help from our news team.The top linesAuckland is in a state of emergency. It will remain in place for seven ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins is pleased the call was made to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. All government agencies were working “flat out” to help in what was an “extraordinary set of circumstances”, Hipkins said in a tweet. “The emergency response is underway and the government is ready ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown has released a statement following the decision to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. Brown has faced criticism this evening for his relative silence throughout today’s major flooding, with the first public pronouncement of the state of emergency coming from his deputy. Brown said the ...
Christopher Luxon has criticised the time it took for the state of emergency in Auckland to be declared. The National Party leader is currently in Southland, but told Today FM he intends to get back to Auckland as soon as possible. Earlier in the night, Luxon sent a tweet “urging” ...
Here is, verbatim, that latest information we have from Civil Defence on tonight’s state of emergency in Auckland: Auckland Emergency Management has opened a Civil Defence Centre to assist those that have been displaced or need assistance following today’s severe weather. The centre is open now and is based at ...
Severe flooding has ravaged Auckland today but the mayor of the city is barely visible. As I write, the airport has flooded, check-in areas looking like a public pool. Motorways are overflowing and cars have been seen floating down streets like a river. A person has died in floodwaters in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has laid out an economic blueprint for pursuing “values-based capitalism”, involving public-private co-investment and collaboration and the renovation of key economic institutions and markets. In a 6000-word essay in The Monthly ...
This is live coverage of the developing situation in Auckland. We will continue to update this with photos and information as it comes to hand. After a day of torrential rain, and new reports of at least one death in the flood water, a state of emergency has been declared ...
Fans are describing Auckland Transport's plans to help them get to and from Elton John's concerts in the supercity this weekend as a fiasco with tonight's concert now cancelled due to the weather. Two concerts were due at Mt Smart Stadium before tonight's concert was called off in the face ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland due to severe flooding that has caused people to evacuate their homes. It was officially declared at 9.54pm. Meanwhile, Auckland Airport has closed its international terminal check-in due to flooding inside the building. The airport says it is sincerely sorry to ...
RNZ News Residents in flood-prone areas of West Auckland are being asked to prepare to evacuate as bad weather causes power cuts and car crashes across Tāmaki Makaurau, with a severe thunderstorm watch in place for the north of Aotearoa New Zealand. Auckland Emergency Management said the severe weather across ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Ward, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Five years ago, bulldozers with chains cleared forests and woodlands almost triple the size of the Australian Capital Territory in a single year. Brazil? Indonesia? No – much closer: Queensland. In 2018-19, ...
Auckland Transport has apologised for confusing messaging that suggested attendees of tonight’s Elton John concert should drive. In a post on Facebook last night, AT said “driving to the concert is recommended” – a suggestion that prompted backlash due to the lack of parking options near the stadium. The announcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Tingay, John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University Asteroid 20223 BU’s path in red, with green showing the orbit of geosynchronous satellites.NASA/JPL-Caltech There are hundreds of millions of asteroids in our Solar System, which means new asteroids are discovered ...
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed he attended the future King and Queen of England’s wedding with a frostbitten penis. A veteran of Antarctic expeditions says it’s not an issue that crops up often, if at all.Now that the avalanche of coverage about the Duke of Sussex’s memoir ...
A new poem by Wellington poet and publisher Ash Davida Jane. objects in the mirror are closer than they appear if a dog digs in the right spot and unearths a rib what do I care if a woman grows from that bone take her in and tend to her ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press, $25) Everyone’s chowing down on fiction ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide schankz/Shutterstock Have you ever worried if the play between your cats was getting too rough? A new study published in Scientific Reports has investigated play and fighting ...
More water than anything else, the cucumber is the perfect counter to intense and fiery flavours. Cucumber is without a doubt the most refreshing vegetable*, the antidote to hot summer days. At 95% water, a cucumber is basically an edible, crunchy, waste-free water bottle. Beside water, the cucumber has almost ...
REVIEW:By Rowan Callick Radio Australia was conceived at the beginning of the Second World War out of Canberra’s desire to counter Japanese propaganda in the Pacific. More than 70 years later its rebirth is being driven by a similarly urgent need to counter propaganda, this time from China. Set ...
The yellow brick road to Mt Smart stadium looks to be packed this weekend as thousands travel to dual Elton John concerts In the words of pop royal Elton John, “I think it’s going to be a long, long time” - in this case for the 40,000 odd concert-goers driving ...
The decision by Sport Northland to deny 'Stop Co-Governance', a community group, use of their Whangarei venue to hold a public meeting is illegal and defies the rights given to all Kiwis to voice their political opinions. This case, yet again, illustrates ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rolf Gerritsen, Professorial Research Fellow, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University The supposed dimensions of the “crisis” in Alice Springs have been exhaustively portrayed in the media, both nationally and in the Northern Territory. The stories abound: shopfront windows repeatedly broken, groups of ...
Children’s Commissioner, Judge Frances Eivers: "Myself and previous Commissioners have been clear that the use of motels at all is deplorable, and a symptom of a system that is failing children. "Concerns around the practice have been raised repeatedly ...
Everything you need to know to get through the chaotic commute to to the Elton John concert in Tāmaki Mākaurau this weekend. Fans heading to Elton John’s concerts at Mt Smart Stadium this weekend have been advised to drive or walk thereby Auckland Transport (AT). In a Facebook post ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamara Borovica, Research assistant and early career researcher, Critical Mental Health research group, RMIT University Shutterstock If your new year’s resolutions include getting healthier, exercising more and lifting your mood, dance might be for you. By dance, we don’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Andrews, Professor and Academic Director (Indigenous Research), La Trobe University ShutterstockAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. Many people do not know about the early activism undertaken ...
Tory Whanau told The Spinoff’s When The Facts Change podcast that National’s transport spokesperson would push Wellington ‘backwards’ if he becomes transport minister.Wellington’s left-leaning mayor is worried her plans for the city could be scuppered by a new National-led government – and specifically by the party’s most likely candidate ...
Finance minister Grant Robertson has opted to go list-only for the upcoming election, meaning he will not seek to be re-elected as MP for Wellington Central. It opens up the door for a swift exit from politics should Labour lose the election; without an electorate, no byelection would be triggered ...
Thousands of people are expected to flock to Auckland’s Western Springs on Monday for the triumphant return of the Laneway Festival. But with severe weather warnings in place, is it going to be reduced to a Splendour in the Grass-style “hellscape”? According to the organisers, no. In an email sent ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago A German Leopard 2 heavy battle tank of the type destined for Ukraine.Getty Images The recent decision by Olaf Scholz’s German government to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks – after ...
The Hauraki Gulf Alliance, a group of diverse organisations representing more than 1 million people, has rubbished proposals to continue trawling and dredging in New Zealand’s first marine park, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. The Hauraki Gulf Fisheries ...
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission has shared experiences of children and young people in emergency housing ahead of New Zealand’s review under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Geneva this week. “The government ...
"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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Rm0x73oD4
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..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amEhnfqJA-k
..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.