Interesting article about increasing elitism in rugby.
“But it’s awkward if we want keep up the pretence that rugby remains a game for all New Zealanders. A reliable source told me that when St Kentigern played King’s College this year, more than 20 of the starting 30 players came from outside Auckland. The source hazarded a guess that few of them, if any, were full fee-paying.
Think about that for a minute.
We have long been accustomed to wealthy schools raiding low-decile Auckland schools for talent, but this points to a much larger talent-scouting footprint. There is also something deeply ironic about a school effectively paying for rugby talent to use the 1st XV as a marketing shop window to attract fee-paying students who are then subsequently locked out of, or face significant obstacles, on the route to their own rugby glory by the next influx of recruits.
NZ Rugby are aware of this ever-increasing plutocracy but are faced with a delicate balancing act. On the one hand they continue to laud the 1st XV production line that keeps churning out professional-grade talent, while on the other turning a blind eye to the glaring inequities of that system.
In plain sight clubs are dead, dying or merging because schools are failing to keep kids in the game. At many of these schools you are either on the pathway to professionalism or a road to nowhere. There is little in between.
It is killing rugby as a recreational pursuit.”
No what is killing rugby for boys 10-13 are clubs that play boys well above the weight restrictions (knowingly) and AR not enforcing weight limits. And the contact say between an under 11 restricted of 35-40 kg child trying to tackle an over weight 45+ kg child. And these boys run and tackle fair but hard.
Also (IMO no fault of anyone or organisation) limited high school opportunities for those “smaller” boys. As many schools have few teams which tend not to cater for the under 15 restricted and 6th grade(under 60kg) though lack of numbers to make up teams, and these boys only opportunity is to play up. http://www.aucklandrugby.co.nz/asset/downloadasset?id=e0f0c92d-5046-43f1-912d-f492327ce12b http://collegesport.co/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2017/03/Rugby-Auckland-Boys-Entry-Information-2017.pdf
Also not just the elites many high schools within Auck do it, out of zoners who are talented somehow make the ballots.
I have been to Y6,7 & 8 tournaments where high school staff have attended for scouting proposes. Not always from the schools that would instantly come to mind for many.
Thanks for providing an example. Do you not understand that Rugby is social engineering? Oh that’s right, you don’t call it that when right wing authoritarians manipulate culture and identity.
Toxic masculinity has done a lot of harm to a lot of people so yes i will speak out about it and encourage other men to be more than what their social conditioning might otherwise allow for.
How have you managed to avoid the sneers when you tell people, who’ve just opened with an enthusiastic reference to the rugby the night before, that you don’t like rugby and didn’t watch it?
As well as an increase in opportunity for other sports.
When I was at primary school in Southland in the early 70’s, I had the choice of rugby and… rugby. That was it.
One of the stalwarts of the local Gore Wanderers Football Club decided that year to coach a football team at my school. 30 Mins of rugby was the end of my career, fortunately, and it was football from then on, thankfully.
Now kids are spoilt for choice which is a good thing when it comes to sport
What about concentrating on healthy, happy exercise?
And less concern about competitive sport in schools, (i.e. First XV who need special blazers for their uniform, another barrier to kids who don’t fit in to the top strata chosen for some reason.)
What about schools leaning more to learning that is useful for life, and doing drama so that youngsters become accustomed to stepping into another role, more reading and talking about what the book and the writer did well, writing, civics. The constant battle of maintaining good human relationships is as demanding as any sports game. And less competitive trophy-oriented parents who gather on the sidelines and barrack for their kids in a very antipsocial, anti-community attitude.
Why wouldn’t they be getting an education and why wouldn’t they want to take advantage of such an opportunity to further themselves regardless of them making it in the game or not?
1. Are kids who are ‘plucked’ from a low decile school, able to access and maintain one of the main advantages of private education – creating and maintaining a social network of contacts and influences that will assist them in the future.? Answer: unlikely, many scholarship students can’t participate in the social activities and extra curricular events that provide those relationships due to lack of funds and inability to reciprocate, that is assuming they will feel comfortable in that environment as well.
3. There is a psychological impact on the student as well, removing them from their existing support community, and in terms of sports scholarships, putting all their value into sports, even though they are there for the academic qualification. A contradiction for both the student and the institution when you think of it.
Such a reductive view of education, healthy community and individual.
Just to add to that, Tuppenny Shrew, it is NOT acceptable to offer a chance of a fair go in the education system to only a few good rugby players.
ALL poor kids need the chance of a good education. All of them.
So don’t serve up bullshit about how the odd rugby star being delivered to a better chance of education is any kind of justice at all, You are preaching injustice unless all poor kids get the same break. Got that?
“ In ending all funding to the White Helmets, the Dutch government did not wish to be confrontational towards the other neo-conservative governments who are funding and exploiting the propaganda from the White Helmets. Their report was therefore diplomatically phrased. Funding for the White Helmets may have “inadvertently” fallen into the hands of armed extremists, while unacceptable contact between the White Helmets and extreme jihadists was “inevitable” in the areas they operated.
Thanks to social media, there is an awareness among the UK’s general population of who the White Helmets really are, that belies the solidarity of the entire political and media class in maintaining the official fiction. Even the arch government supporting Daily Telegraph in reporting the story of White Helmets’ admittance to the UK, has a majority of readers’ comments pointing out the true nature of the White Helmets. “
David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan (and a vocal supporter of both Trump and Gabbard) has also been tweeting in support of Russia and Assad’s bombardment of Idlib. He claimed this was in order to “protect the real children of Idlib”, implying that those children who are targeted by Assad and Russia’s aerial bombings are ‘fake crisis actors’ and deserving of death, for the crime of misinforming the American public.
Vijay Prashad, a prominent academic in leftist circles has joined the chorus by using dangerous and stereotypical portrayals of Idlib. In his latest article, Prashad writes that it’s ” intolerable to the government in Damascus to allow an enclave of al-Qaeda rebels inside the country – which is why the main battle is to be there, in Idlib.” He calls the military campaign against Idlib by Assad and his allies, “ugly” but “inevitable”. Further normalizing this horrific scenario, Prashad ends his piece by advising everyone in Idlib to “cut a deal now before the terrible slaughter starts. This bombing is not the first salvo in the final battle but the last attempt at a negotiation.”
….absent from Gabbard, Duke and Prashad’s [and Ed’s] image of Idlib is the popular and peaceful mass anti-war, anti-dictatorship and anti-extremism rallies that have been taking place every Friday for the last three weeks. Each rally has been organized under a specific popular slogan. The first rally on September 7th was organized under the slogan of #خيارنا_المقاومة (“Resistance Is Our Choice”), the second rally on the 14th under the slogan of #لا_بديل_عن_إسقاط_النظام (“No Alternative to the fall of the regime”), and the last one on the 28th #نظام_الأسد_مصدر_الإرهاب “(the Assad regime is the source of all terrorism”). On two occasions the Salafist group Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has attacked the popular protests with guns, attempting to end the rallies by dispersing the crowd, but people have remained united and responded with the slogan “this is Idlib! (regime) thugs leave leave leave!”.
Thousands of men and women from all ages have been joining these popular rallies with exceptionally beautiful and expressive handmade signs and banners. Many of the protest signs have been focusing on media’s false portrayal of Idlib as a “terrorist enclave”, the very irresponsible and reductionist image that majority of western experts and politicians from all political backgrounds have been perpetuating. “We want freedom, we are not terrorists.” One signs read. “This is our land, we will not get out of it,” says another. Letters of solidarity have also been exchanged between Idlib’s rallies and Gaza’s weekly March of Return.
Not able to rationally defend his position, or justify his support for genocide and industrial scale torture, mass murder, and Hitlerite type fascism. Ed takes a snooze.
The Syrian volunteer rescue workers known as the White Helmets have become the target of an extraordinary disinformation campaign that positions them as an al-Qaida-linked terrorist organisation.
The Guardian has uncovered how this counter-narrative is propagated online by a network of anti-imperialist activists, conspiracy theorists and trolls with the support of the Russian government (which provides military support to the Syrian regime)…..
…..The same propaganda machine scooped up fringe anti-American activists, bloggers and researchers who believe the White Helmets are terrorists, giving them a platform on state TV and amplifying their articles through social media.
There is no evidence to suggest that these activists and bloggers are knowingly spreading disinformation, although the stories are often thinly sourced.
Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, describes the overall campaign as “agitation propaganda” but said that some of its participants don’t realise they are being used as pawns.
“The most effective propaganda is when you find someone who believes it then give them support – you don’t create them from scratch,” he added……
……..The White Helmets play two roles within Syria. The first is their rescue work: providing an ambulance service, fire service and search and rescue in conflict areas where infrastructure has been decimated.
The second role is the documentation of what is taking place within the country via handheld and helmet cameras.
“This is the thing that has annoyed not just the Assad regime and Russian authorities but a lot of the propagandists who work in their orbit,” said Amnesty International’s Kristyan Benedict, a crisis response manager who specialises in Syria.
Their footage has helped organisations like Amnesty and the Syria Justice and Accountability Center corroborate testimony they receive from people in Syria via phone, Skype and WhatsApp. It allows them to check the aftermath of airstrikes to see whether civilians were targeted and whether there was any military presence or checkpoints.
“That’s really been damaging to the war narrative of Syria and Russia,” said Benedict.
Yes I am all on board with this taking back our country plan as the elite are picking our bones daily and China are a threat to our sovereignty also by buying our infrastructure and placing politicians inside our government to take control one day.
They hold to much power over us ‘no thanks to John Key and Judith Collins’.
Can’t Cleangreen. We lost the chance to have sovereignty at our fingertips back in 1984 when we didn’t protest repeatedly at Roger Douglas, Treasury quislings, et al and they went ahead to hollow us out instead of pruning the unsustainable growth from unfinancial methods that were pulling us back.
Now we have to find a way to hold onto what we feel is important culture and limit as much as we can the fellow travellers with boundless capitalism who have moved into places of authority, and who often are not even NZs, and they also aren’t all Chinese please note. We live in a global world with top positions that foreign people who fit the neolib profile can move into and be well-cushioned. Poor immigrants and refugees are not free to choose global destinations.
They get corralled in refugee (concentration) camps where they are concentrated, and have time to concentrate on the lack of decency of behaviour in the world. NZ being in the Chinese purview may be an advantage in the long run, who knows. If they can raise their game, the USA may have to improve their standards so they can continue to crow about how wonderful they are.
China was involved in the Florida elections way back in 2000 with a company called “Wang enterprises” and their operatives, Quote: “according to Federal officials at the Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, convicted spy and Chinese national, Hai Lin Nee” accused.
Was also found as a Chinese spy politician as we also have here in our National Party Government politician (Jian Yang) who was found that he spent a decade at elite Chinese military academies.
I guess NZ councils foray into the idea of online voting will be a bonanza then – get the right candidate through as online elections are completely hackable, and viola, next all the council land sold off cheap and make the next generation penniless and homeless after the state and council having sold off all their land to the private sector for a song.
Grey Power is currently advocating for this with government.
As for petrol costs, using an EV will cut fuel costs by 80%. An $11000 Leaf using 1 kw/h per 7 kms means the money is recouped quickly. 10000 kms at 1000 litres of 91octane petrol costing $2400 as opposed to 1400 kw/h at 30 c or less than $500 per annum. At damn near $2000 per annum difference, it makes sense.
What a great plan was the winter Electricity Grant. My older brother is just hanging on living alone and feeling the cold down south. This winter the Grant allowed him to properly heat his living area. Great.
I’m wondering if teachers get all they want from Govt if they should get paid for all the school holidays unless they can prove that they spend them doing school related things on a daily basis.
I am married to a teacher and two of my kids are teachers. Holidays are spent recuperating from the stresses of the job for a short time and then preparing for the next term.
I want teachers to be paid more and to regain the social status they once (imo) had.
And I have just started homeschooling my 11 year old because he and us are not convinced that the school learning environment is the best place to learn for him. He was homeschooled until 7 when he then said he wanted to go to school – we’ll do it for a few years until high school I think but the key thing is we will listen and do what is best for him (and us). Lucky in some ways because I work overnight shifts I’m home during the day so my wife can work during the day. This is how low income people get through btw
Interested in this Marty.
What were the hoops you had to jump through and do you receive any curricular program or help.?
Are there any home school type groups where you live?
Can see that this might benefit children who don’t fit in to the regular school system, and also ease the pressure on already overstretched teachers
You need to get an exemption – helpful support was received and as they said they want to know that we know the curriculum, why it is the way it is and how we’ll support it via learning.
Start right workbooks are one thing we use.
We have other homeschoolers around so resources are shared in some ways. For instance group activities – luckily the old school my boy went to is open to other children attending stuff – taiaha practice for instance – it is only a 2 room school though.
One 9f the real benefits for me is I get to spend quality time with my b9y helping him learn – I love that.
AFAIK, homeschooling does not require a curriculum – especially not knowledge and application of Te Whariki.
If that is now a requirement there has been a fundamental change in the exemption process that I am not aware of, and a bit dismayed about, because many old school homeschool advocates fought against this for many years, for the benefit of homeschool students.
My children are older and at various techs, but there is a great resource in the homeschool community. Particularly with those who use the opportunity to find specific ways to meet the needs of their children, and deliver great learning opportunities.
School at home, is often a primary method that gets abandoned when families realise that it misses the chance for better life-long love of learning. That said, I know I few families that persisted up to university level with programmes.
Just had a look at the updated exemption form, and note that the reference to curriculum is generic, and relates to your own learning plan. Which is good, but does make it seem that your exemption is contingent on a planned programme, where there are many very successful unschooled students.
Rob Williamson, who was head of the ERO review office, IIRC, was once a school principal, and provided great insight into the review for home educators. He was very impressed with the progress of unschoolers, and preferred reviewing them to those that went with structured programmes.
Also there is a note about records. Records are not required by the MoE, and if possible don’t tie yourself down to a particular method. As you are teaching your own child, your methods – and consequently your means of measuring progress – will change. Sometimes rapidly. You are not in charge of a classroom of thirty students, and will be able to have a grasp of what level your child is on and what help they need, primarily because you are working with them on a day to day basis.
“I was trying to say that they require knowledge of the NZ curriculum etc”
Except that is not true. And if that is the advice being given and required of new applications, then there has been a fundamental change in the application process. Which I think is one of those supposedly “small” concessions, that cost a lot in the long run.
Thanks Molly
We’ve just got the exemption approved last week. My wife had conversations with the staffer assessing our application and we had to redo bits. So it is 2nd hand info in some respects as I didn’t have the conversations.
The Ministry will ask for further information, but we did have some stalwarts for many years that ensured that the Ministry staffers did not overstep the requirements of the exemption process.
I was involved with some of the regional and national committees for some years, and did notice that the natural change of guard in some respects, have resulted in homeschool advocates who are more compliant and aware of “relationships” with the Ministry, rather than advocating for home educators – particularly those who did not ascribe to their own philosophy of home education.
I believe a lot of this is due to inexperience, and a lack of interest in the history of home ed in NZ.
Congrats on getting your exemption regardless. Those that choose home education as an additional choice, rather than a solution to all the challenges of childhood, seem to have students that can traverse both school and home ed with ease, and do really well.
Why aren’t home schoolers expected to teach to the NZ curriculum.? What are they supposed to be learning? And how do we keep some control on children havisng a positive and open education. I have met a cult member and decided this is someone I don’t want to know or trust.
According to a study I read many years ago, IIRC, any changes to the education system takes about twelve years to be adopted by the institutional system. That transition is very disruptive for students in the transition period, and our education system and access to resources has been changing fairly continually over the last couple of decades.
There are a wide variety of home educators – a trait that is found in schooled parents, although I would say that there are a few that make their way to home education after their children struggle at school and they are unable to access support.
The Te Whariki curriculum is no guarantee of a good education, and many students thrive without reference to it. I can understand your concerns, and there may be some children that have less than adequate education at home, but unfortunately that is also true of some school attendees.
The ERO does conduct reviews on exempted families, and the concern rate is very low. So low that the number of reviews was reduced as budgets were restrained.
The state subsidises many religious schools which promote ideas I find worrisome. Equating home education with cultism is wrong, extremism exists in many forms and many places. Many home educators provide high quality education for their children, and that includes those who had no intention of homeschooling until their child ran into difficulties at school that could not be accommodated with the current resource allocation.
Don’t make the error of lumping them all together because of one meeting with one individual. Families cover the range from religious to secular, high income to beneficiary. Just like everyone else.
Good on you.
I’m sure your boy will thrive away from the stress that formal schooling can be.
No one knows your boy like you do, and you’ll be able to pick up and develop his interests in a way no strapped for time teacher would be able to
All the best
We know a few couples who home schooled their children, and one of our daughters close friends was home schooled. If our experience of these (now) young adults is anything to go by, you have made a good call. Good luck with your son!
We have long had teachers in our family. My sister has just retired. I notice that the spokesperson for teachers is emphasising conditions, she would agree that much could be done here.
The closing of special schools and sprinkling the children around regular schools causes difficulties for teachers with many children for instance. More teacher aides, more hours, making sure that the wraparound system works etc. These are more important than high wage rises and teachers would probably accept 3% for three years wage rises if the conditions were looked at.
My feeling is that special schools should be used again, with schools including special needs children in appropriate classes once or twice a week unless the child is too disruptive. For instance a child that makes odd noises all the time may be a reason to exclude from a learning classroom but be involved in some sporting one at the school, and the learning part take place in the special school.
I was a teacher and my answer to the point about holidays was two-fold. The holidays are actually for the kids, as both teachers and students need recuperation time. And preparation time.
Secondly, I’d just say that if you think that teachers get it cushy with all that holiday time then why not become a teacher. Watch people back off from that proposition! People do remember how it was, and they were, at school.
Of course, that has its own downside- the amount of people who feel entitled to pronounce infallibly upon teaching because they went to school. A bit like diners knowing all about food preparation- from composting and growing plants and animals, about plant, animal and human health, about cooking and food presentation- because they eat food.
“Holidays” are also when sports and cultural trips happen. That’s not a holiday, believe me.
For me, now retired, the money was important. It had to be as my health was affected by the stress of teaching and I had to retire before reaching retirement age. But, much more important was doing the job- the education of our young is a vocation, a calling, a mission. Teachers would be much happier if the issues which frustrate good teachers in their teaching were better addressed. At least, that was the thinking during my time ‘at the chalk face’.
Teachers are paid for school holidays. In effect this means that teachers get something like 10 – 12 weeks paid annual leave; whereas most of the rest of the salaried population receives typically 4 – 5 weeks annual leave. So compared with most, teachers receive a significant paid benefit (annual holidays) that others can only dream of.
Teachers may rightly claim that they frequently work during their holidays. The fact is though that these days all kinds of salaried staff in all kinds of sectors do the same – despite receiving considerably smaller annual holiday entitlements.
Teachers may rightly claim that they frequently work during their holidays. The fact is though that these days all kinds of salaried staff in all kinds of sectors do the same – despite receiving considerably smaller annual holiday entitlements.
That is a problem with our employment practices, not a reason for teachers to forego holidays.
What is your solution? To not pay teachers while schools are closed?
Does this take into account the extra time teachers take during term time, including weekends to provide students with extra benefits outside the 9-3 school day?
We don’t value the benefit of good education enough, and we blame the teachers for failures of education policy while expecting them to pick up the shortfall.
My point is that when considering the employment terms and conditions of teachers; it is important to understand that they receive 10 -12 weeks paid annual leave; a much more generous benefit than that received by other workers. This equates to up to say 6 – 8 weeks of additional pay.
My other point is that many salaried staff in other sectors work in their holidays, while using their annual holidays to recuperate.
Its fine and its understandable to acknowledge that teachers do the same – however lets not be too sanctimonious abut teachers in this regard. They work no more or no less than many others during their holidays, in general.
BTW I am not suggesting that we not pay teachers when they are not at school. I am suggesting that we recognise the value of this benefit to them when discussing terms and conditions.
Whether or not teachers are paid enough is another matter; and one that is being negotiated.
I joke to teacher friends about “being on holiday again! And just having a 9 to 3 job! And getting paid all those thousands to look after a few little kids! What a job!”
We know that it is really a very hard job. Many young people start out with optimism but crumble under the weight.
There is a very high fall-out. Wonder why?
Yes ianmac, Principals in 6 schools Rotorua are finishing up this year. Burnout, age and general workload have contributed.
Years ago, as a senior teacher with a normal workload of two trainee teachers, a team of 7 teachers, a responsibility for children with special needs and those with special abilities, the library and the resource room, a class of 32 form 2 children in an intermediate, paid a huge $32000 a year, I relate to their work loads!!
A friend of my husband dropped by our home to watch the All Black Test, and joked about the holidays coming up. But after the game, as I’m still toiling making resources for a Social Studies unit, he admits… “maybe the hours are different to the usual perception!!” Just saying.!!!!
I have enjoyed my retirement, and think of all those who had less than the Actuaries expected 12 years!! I’ve had17!!! Still going strong, though awaiting a hip operation.
Why shouldn’t teachers have a decent break. In the old days, less paperwork, no student loans, no work during the holidays for teaches to justify getting paid and viola, we had one of the highest rates of literacy in the world!
I have kids and I’d prefer their teachers to come back refreshed after the holidays and have a real break from the school, even more important now that they can’t seem to retain any teachers any more…
Something the uneducated have missed
Should a teacher take unpaid leave, leave (sick or paid) for a “School” Friday and Monday there are 4 days taken into account, as teachers are “paid” for 365 days/year.
I am sure most other organisations do not deduct 4 days for unpaid absences for missing only 2 days contact/work time.
If holidays are not paid for then perhaps overtime rates should apply for hours worked outside 8:00 – 4:00 and paid for working lunchtime duties?
This will of course be met with the usual putinbots saying “what about…” – they are funny useful idiots.
An investigative journalism website has published what it says is the real identity of one of the Russian intelligence officers suspected of the Salisbury nerve agent poisoning.
The Bellingcat group claims the man who was named as Ruslan Boshirov is actually Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga.
British officials have not commented. The BBC understands there is no dispute over the identification.
British investigators also believe one of the pair is Chepiga, the Guardian understands.
Chepiga, a veteran of the war in Chechnya, was awarded the country’s highest state award, hero of the Russian Federation, in December 2014 when Russian officers were active in the Ukraine conflict.
I saw the Bellingcat claims earlier this morning and was going to post a link to their site here – and then run for the hills before the explosion … LOL
So here is the link to their claims which are much more detailed than the BBC or Guardian articles.
While the narrative is interesting, I am not convinced by some of the photo comparisons – ie I don’t believe the person in the first passport photo is the same person as the person(s) in the 2nd and 3rd ones, but these latter ones could be of the same person.
I’m not convinced 100% yet but there are a lot of people trying to find out and they will – I feel a bit fearful for these two because at some point it will have to be tied off and vlad does that emphatically imo.
When the National Party and fellow travelers wanted a story picked up by mainstream media, but felt that they couldn’t do a direct feed – for reasons of credibility, or to avoid charges of partiality or to avoid the risk of the news or information being seen as tainted because of the source, they’d often enough feed Whaleoil to get the ball rolling.
And then mainstream would pick up on what Whaleoil was writing about and promote it as though it came from a well connected, but independent source.
It was a pretty central plank of what Hager outlined in “Dirty Politics” – a way to get awkward and/or not necessarily true or accurate information into the public domain.
Bellingcat plays that same role on a larger stage and Eliot Higgins is no more an independent investigative journalist than is Cameron Slater.
“Eliot Higgins is no more an independent investigative journalist than is Cameron Slater”
Not even close. When the liars fall back on smears you know they have nothing else.
Sure he gets tip offs – same as Russia has pretty much taken over Assange’s feed – which was certainly not his intention in creating wikileaks. But Higgins did indeed start from a base of independent data journalism, and it was his success in that role that made him useful to those sources.
Bellingcat blew the lid off the Russian lies about MH17, and he has never been forgiven for it by the Russian trolls.
The publishing of truth, not the source of it, is fundamental to journalism. The Putinistas prefer opinion, because opinion can say anything, and the truth does not serve their geopolitical ends.
Waiting for actual evidence makes one a Putin Bot? really.
I realise that you may not be aware of the powers that be ever lying to the public before, or, infact, being wrong, but you know, it could happen..
Its all quite fascinating, and the odds of us ever finding out the real story are about nil…. however my next question would be, how could a ‘highly decorated colonel’ make such a balls up of an easy task, especially if it was ordered from the ‘highest level’ and especially as he was tasked with a job ‘normally’ assigned to someone of lower rank.?
“The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise that at least one of the operatives engaged in the operation in Salisbury had the rank of colonel. Even more surprising was the suspects’ prior award of the highest military recognition.
In our source’s words, an operation of this sort would have typically required a lower-ranked, “field operative” with a military rank of “no higher than captain.” The source further surmised that to send a highly decorated colonel back to a field job would be highly extraordinary, and would imply that “the job was ordered at the highest level.”
Yep I couldn’t believe a highly trained operative could stuff it up either – I tend to go for the keystones cops idea of these operatives as in thick a and clumsy and overconfident or it could be that life isn’t like the movies.
People can self select if they think they are Putinbots, as I said above I’m not 100% convinced yet.
Not sure how much of a stuff up it was. The point was made.
But either way operators have perishable skills. Like pilots or doctors. Just because you’re the dog’s bollocks today, after a year sitting at a desk you won’t be as good as someone more junior who does the work every day.
Saw a thing once which argued that (based on the reports at the time and the duration of his expiry) Lincoln might actually have had a good chance of surviving being shot in the head at Ford’s Theatre. the wound wasn’t immediately fatal and the first surgeon on scene was a battlefield surgeon, and the documentation suggested that he’d started a pretty solid assessment and treatment plan. Then along came the Surgeon General and a rich doctor-politician, neither of whom had touched a wound in decades, and the first thing they did was probe the wound by sticking a rod in to find the bullet. Repeatedly, because everyone needed their own look-see.
The theory was that the prodding either pushed the bullet into somewhere Lincoln needed to live, or jiggly probe rods killed him directly. If the most junior doctor there had been left to do his job, Lincoln might have lived.
I’m a crime and mystery fan and in one of my books the perpetrator of the crime was a contracted individual for someone who had been given the job from someone else who had some strategic goal that required the victim’s death. Something went wrong with the crime, and then sorting it all out was the problem for the brilliant investigator.
It seems similar with the Salisbury story. The giveaway that it was a minor player involved in the dirty work was the throwing away the remaining toxic stuff. Very messy housekeeping that, and would only be done by a rather thick and not efficient assassin.
I find it more than a little weird that it took 6 months to identify that there were two Russians in the area at the time of the poisoning, and hey they must have done it because Russians.
Then in a couple weeks bingo they find out their real names. Is this a keystone cops investigation that is going to drip feed evidence to the public over months and years? What do we find out in another couple of weeks? a witness comes forward saying he spotted a Russian by a door handle? FFS
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation began checking on the fact of the leakage of personal data of “Salisbury tourists” Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. We are talking about the publication of their questionnaires for obtaining foreign passports and data on the crossing of the Russian border.
As a source familiar with the situation told Rosbalt, the search for Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs employees who sold to journalists (or other persons) questionnaires and other documents for Petrova and Boshirova, which contain personal data, is currently being conducted.
“Serious measures will be taken against the persons who provided this information,” the source said.
I had doubts about the spire spiers in the first interview, they seemed guilty as ..
But they have to be proven to be guilty. Sure they look dodgy, but from what I’ve seen this entire case is dodgy.
It’s a tough one the old gut instinct. On one hand what the hell is it? And on the other, with imperfect senses and information it’s pretty well the only thing we’ve got. That is until the facts are proven to our satisfaction. But that is also subjective so meaningless really. Yep a real tough one – for everyone mostly I spose.
But it seems now that the Democratic party was being assisted by a large Billionaire
(George Soros) him hating Trump and now by him donating $250 Million Dollars to several lobby groups setup now to destroy the Kavenough family, so all is skewed now in pure politics so it seems that truth will be the first casualty of this new US internal war. Soros was convicted as a criminal under Obama’s government a few years ago incidentally. (George Soros) payback perhaps?
George Soros was another insider trader as John Key was so we dont care for his morals either thanks.
Be a bit cynical in believing everything out there re Soros, as there is a lot of fiction mixed with fact in the many articles about him – possibly including in his Wikipedia entry. Nevertheless the latter gives a feel of the situation.
I believe that this Kavanaugh is a conservative being promoted to be in the judicial lifetime panel that is tops in the USA? And that people are desperate to get someone whose judgements are not pre-set in concrete.
Another problem of an inflexible and inadequate USA constitution that needs work to make it fit for the 21st century, but probably shouldn’t get it astoo few have any ideals and standards these days. All the people can do is try these limited guerilla tactics on the build-up of the Right’s control.
be very careful about the credibility of what CG is pushing regards US. Its like CG watches Fox news to get the links and talking points of the day.
eg the Goege Soros ‘conviction’
“PARIS — George Soros, known as one of the world’s savviest investors, should have realized that he risked violating insider trading laws when he pocketed more than $3 million from dealing in shares of the French bank Société Générale two decades ago, Europe’s highest human rights court ruled on Thursday.”
Dukeofurl
We do need to watch our accuracy of things we put here. If recalling from memory state – I think but not sure. I don’t want to read assertions and then find its fudged rubbish.
Jacinda – some people just don’t believe the bullshit. You may try to convince people but many have assessed and decided that these ‘deals’ are not in the countries best interest.
“Ardern said in New Zealand the benefits of globalisation and the removal of trade barriers had not always been shared so trade “could be said to have lost a bit of its social licence”.
“That’s some of our early experience and some of the discussion around the [trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement]. We came away from that absolutely committed to rebuilding the trade agenda and making sure it delivers prosperity for all New Zealanders.”
unfortunately Jacinda and Labour are captured by the hard right MBIE types who funny enough when those oil and gas explorations are abolished, quite a few will be out of a job, so I guess HUGE self centred push for the MBIE types who have few skills in the modern world to keep the old ways of trade, trade, trade, oil, gas, TPPA going… nobody even the biggest supporters in government think NZ got. a good deal from CPTPP and even the best scenario figures show loses of Jobs in NZ from globalism.
Globalism is a system of taking resources from the poor local to the rich international with a cut to the multiple middle men and government/councils and no gloss or spin changes that.
Once the power balance changes, even the middle men and government/council will be cut out so they can join the poor at the poor house in a decades time.
Well known National Party identity Michelle Boag appears to have been involved in what now looks like a campaign by the Opposition to discredit the Prime Minister over the Derek Handley affair. Acting PM Winston Peters alluded to the connection in Parliament yesterday where he described Boag as Handley’s adviser.
…
But with a highly skilled political operator like Boag in the background, National’s questions in Parliament now take on a new light.
As an aside, it seems Meka Whaitiri is not aware of her own strength. She looks a physically strong person. When most of us take some-one’s arm firmly (and we’ve all been in that situation) we don’t leave a bruise.
And what about the other leak. The Nats have gone silent. Why aren’t Labour calling for the outcome to be made public? After all, they were accusing Labour of the leak. They have a duty to correct their accusation at the least.
I have started putting up numbers of links to images. I have decided to only leave one that would open and the others have to be clicked. I think that is a good idea rather than taking up large parts of a post with numerous consecutive ones.
The way to limit the opening is to put the ( bracket in front of the link, but leave the end part off.
Hopefully NZ Labour’s people organising the conference can make it as unintentionally entertaining as UK Labour’s one, as reviewed here in The Guardian:
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed an investigation into how a report which details the incident between Meka Whaitiri and a staffer was leaked to media.”
No Chris i really just want them to get on and govern for the good of the citizens especially the vulnerable and those disadvantaged in society. I hate the bullshit point scoring from dumbarse politicians.
Sure they are Chris – nothing to do with simon and his band of merry wanksters eh. Nothing to do with the successful government and the long cold dark road ahead for the gnats. Lol you’re getting a bit delusional mate.
National have , finally, worked out that theres never going to be one single issue that takes the government down. It’ll be by the death of a thousand cuts
As long as they don’t attack Jacinda directly (because attacking Jacinda is obviously sexist) but just keep pointing out where the government is failing they’ll get there eventually
However tomorrow is Friday so Mega Fightery is probably hoping some more bad news will drop and it’ll take the heat of her…maybe something new or maybe more to come on Derek
Why are you fucking with her name. Do you realise most can’t even pronounce Māori names or words even half correct in this country. Stop doing it please – it is racist and harmful.
A few things went through my mind at Ms Whaitiri’s problems.
1 The news item I heard this morning said that the staffer was new.
2 Ms Whaitiri’s press secretary had not done her job to make sure her boss was in an official photoshoot, This was important as it was in Ms Whaitiri’s electorate. The image would have gone into official records as well as the news, and you need to be known and recognised and shown to be on the spot doing your job. Her absence would have raised questions, and would have left her invisible in the record of that event.
3 This was a major mistake. It appears that the press secretary was not
effective, and not experienced enough for the job. Who employed her?
The State Services Commission or…?
4 Her arm was grabbed from behind. That raises questions. Was she walking away from questions, or did Ms Whaitiri run to catch her and grab her arm to
confront her about this?
5 Do we know absolutely that the bruise on the arm was caused by the pollie, or did she walk into a door knob, or has a heavy-handed partner?
6 I wonder if Ms Whaitiri played netball. A pakeha woman player I know commented on how physical the Maori girls were when she played a few decades ago.
Dunno how major the “mistake” was. But apparently the press secretary was a recent hire because of the staff turnover in the minister’s office. So the minister is still the author of her own misfortune.
I like Ardern’s approach – the stuff about the bruising etc is contested by the former minister, so the decision was made on the uncontested bits of the report.
Bullying is unacceptable, especially in a government office.
Good luck with that. And if AirNZ now increase their flights or do anything that puts this in jeopardy they will be noticed! They say they won’t but those who have lived long have learned not to believe everything they here.
On Radionz this morning I heard a virtuous sounding fisheries person say how good it is to close down a fishery for a while so it can build stocks even though it is going to lose them millions. I thought hello, what’s this, very unusual to hear that sort of comment. Then I found it was someone from Sealords. WTF?
Then Russel Norman gives some facts. The quota system which worked as a first step to stabilise fishing, is now out of date and being rorted, the Min of Fish has been hooked and we have been rooked. Areas with small fish should have been avoided to ensure the continuing yield was maintained, under reporting, falsified weights declared. Usual.
Thank god someone cares enough about NZ and its resources to keep an eye on them for us all. We have opened up our doors to privateers and economic home invasion who have a condition that makes them sort of magnetic, attracting money to their bodies. More, more is the message from the brain paralleling the continuing hunger of Prader-Willi syndrome.
This blog site is a good reference for 3rd level airlines in NZ and occasionally AirNZ gets a brick bat for the tactics is uses to shut out the competition. Yes AirNZ has been doing it for yrs, everyone in the industry knows its, along with people like me who follow 3rd level airlines and who fly’s occasionally on them.
‘After the report was leaked, there was friction between the Prime Minister’s office and New Zealand media with her in New York when it was suggested there would only be one question each allowed at her daily press briefing because of interest from international media.
Initially it was suggested there might be time after the press conference for a ‘truncated” standup with New Zealand media depending on time.
But only one representative of international media turned up in the end and the limit on the number of questions from New Zealand media was removed.’
I mean not only is that pretty embarrassing, like having a party and no one turning up, but shes also managing to annoy her cheerleaders (sorry the NZ MSM)
You sound surprised that media standups are ‘managed’ ?
Sounds like they were being practical about the circumstances ( international media in NY would have not get later standups like the locals would )
In the end the questions filled the time available
True but it wasn’t the international media that got Jacinda elected and has allowed her to interview for a UN position, it was the NZ media so they should feel a bit aggrieved that having got her to this position shes now basically taking them for granted
We all know the media have quite the puffed up belief in their own self importance so they won’t like this sort of behaviour
Oh drop the harrassment and sarcasm Chris73 do something positive.
Leave Jacinda alone what did she ever do to you – or are you annoyed that she hasn’t done something for you that you wanted. You have to stand in line as there is so much to do after Natiional’s leaky government period.
I withdraw and apologize, I didn’t realise that what I was saying was having a personal effect on Jacinda and I hope she can get over the terrible things that’ve been said about her on here and that she can move forward and get on with her life
I’m picking your belittling of her as a silly girl who got accidentally elected and doesn’t really know anything useful, will backfire on you.
Because you dislike her politics, you are absurdly under-rating her.
Many on the left did the same to Key. Personally, though I despised Key, despised everything he stood for and despised pretty much everyone who supported him, I never under-rated his effectiveness.
I don’t mind if you continue to get it ridiculously wrong and can’t see her appeal to people who aren’t hard-right ideologues like you. That fact is that although she is only very mildly left of centre, she has a freshness and a genuineness that has wide appeal, especially to women, who are absolutely sick of being led by the same old, same old conservative men. Myself, I would prefer Corbyn, but she is doing absolutely fine.
Keep getting it wrong buddy – you will be left in the dust.
I underate her because she did nothing in the nine years of opposition except flounce around as the Labour spokesperson for left-wing women aren’t all angry man-hating militant lesbians.
As helpful as that may have been for the Labour party, I personally don’t think that is the necessary skill set required to be a decent PM.
Your views are typically myopic. That is, you only see what you want to see, which isn’t all that much, and you believe that’s all there is to it.
Did you mean unde-rate or under-ate? That sentence was like a train wreck. Your language skills are severely lacking too, which is not all that uncommon for people with myopic views.
Good governance doesn’t consist in relentlessly critiquing everything a government does wrong, even when, like the Key kleptocracy, it never did or had any intention of doing anything right.
Voters’ political bandwidth is not infinite; you must find issues that resonate or you’re wasting your time.
There’s a bit of a nasty/nice conflict going on, and soft power is difficult to defeat with bile and belligerence.
The Tahr cull is a better play – the general public won’t fall in love with that anytime soon – the Gnats should play it up, even though the politically aware know they’d poison or mutilate them all at the drop of a hat if there were a $2 coin to be had from it.
It appears to be a case of Ardern and her cheerleaders believing their own publicity.
The old “I’m really, really important and the whole World wants to talk to me” syndrome.
Well bad luck.
The remainder of the press were at a local Starbucks where the Fisheries Minister from the Marshall Islands was going to have a latte.
There is a rumour that the sole representative of the World press who turned up was a young student doing an internship at the Smallville Examiner, a twice-weekly paper in a little town in Kansas. He gave his name as a Mr Kent. His only question was to enquire where the Starbucks was as he was new in town and lost.
Theres nothing wrong in looking for international press, anything that helps NZ exporters is all good but she needs to remember who got her to where she is because they can just as easily get their noses out of joint and start to cause mischief
Of course it makes sense.
If you expect anyone serious to turn up it helps that you have something to say.
Our PM is simply not prepared for that. She may go down very well with the Woman’s Day type publications but not with serious International publications.
She should have spent her nine years in Opposition working at her skills, not in preparing to take selfies with pre-schoolers.
On a positive note. I’m very pleased for Rosemary that the bad disability law is to be overturned. Good on David Clarke calling it shameful. I hope the “consultation” that follows is genuine.
Funny, but just this morning (early, about 5am) Peter and I were discussing the timing of the announcement of the intention to repeal the Part 4 amendment. Both of us agreed that it was likely to be a “We really, really need a good news story to offset negative shit…” media release.
Considering the complete lack of detail and a ‘consultation’ (sigh, yet another one) period into next year, it would appear the announcement is a little premature.
So easy to implement…just do what the (at least 274) folk who did have family as their paid carers in breach of the pre 2013 policy did.
Chief human rights commissioner David Rutherford adds:
It is shocking. Repealing the law is great. However what about reforming the legislature and public service that allowed these people to be put through the mill. To fight and win in the courts only for the legislature to listen to those who advised law change needed.
And those same advisors are presumably in charge of this latest round of ‘consultaiton’.
Journalistic hero in this case, Kirsty Johnston chimes in.
Health Minister David Clark and associate minister James Shaw announced the decision today, after a long campaign by families and human rights groups for fairer treatment.
…
“The previous government’s Funded Family Care policy has been a nightmare for the families involved,” Shaw said.
“We acknowledge that many families have waited a long time to see this policy changed and I want to thank them for their ongoing patience,” Clark said.
Oh Patricia! Rosemary is a grumpy and suspicious old bag (bugger PC) and will not be happy until she a) sees all documents, discussion and cabinet papers and the like, b) same will have no nasty little blanked out bits like the RIS that came with the 2013 legislation,c) actually get to speak with the independent whatsit their appointing…or more importantly Peter gets to speak with same.
‘Derek Handley met with Labour Party president Nigel Haworth to offer his services to Labour ahead of being offered the role of chief technology officer.
That meeting, which happened before Labour came to power, resulted in a phone call from the Prime Minister’s acting chief of staff Gordon Jon Thompson, where Handley again pitched his help.’
Its impressive to think National were planning this even before Labour came to power
I wonder what else National will have orchestrated…
I’m yet to understand what is so sinister about the creation of a CTO role (a good thing), someone in this industry offering their services, and what looks like a rigorous process involving a lot of people around the appointment.
I’ll take that as a compliment. BM is authoritarian, has obvious anger issues, and is quick to resort to abuse.
I find it the height of irony that BM comments on the actions of Meka Whaitiri when, if his behaviour on this site is anything to go by, he himself no doubt treats those around him in a similar fashion.
No. The appointment was to go ahead until the opposition, bitter that they hadn’t managed to unseat Curran earlier, vindictively smashed the room up costing the taxpayer $100K.
More pastoral care needed and input from Uni. and government. Much of the counselling available to students with difficulties is paid for from their own fees, and it is prioritised and appears that only urgent cases are seen immediately. In other cases, to get an appointment that is right for the student, they may have to wait – not more than six weeks!
“When we have a suicide attempt in a halls of residence then usually the student is returned directly to their family or they come back to the halls. If they come back to the halls then we sit down and work through an individual care plan, and part of that care plan is usually a strong recommendation that their health is best protected by going back into a supportive family environment.
“So that conversation occurs and then there’s an arrangement made for the individual’s family to pick them up.”
He said occasionally the university had to “insist” that a student leave when they did not want to.
“We’ve had a small number of occasions over the years where we’ve had to insist that a student goes for their own protection and for the protection of the others,” he said.
“We are firm about this. Just popping someone back into a hostel room because they say they’re going to be okay isn’t good practice and isn’t good care.
*************************
And more unfeeling attitudes to we humans being crushed by the focus on economy instead of society. Machines are an aid, they should not be used as sorting us into types they have defined, which then get input that they have defined etc. There are more interesting stories coming out of ACC about predictive mod. I think.
Statistics NZ is running a Data Summit conference in Wellington today and tomorrow, and one of the agencies funding it is our biggest government social agency, the Ministry for Social Development.
It comes ahead of the release of a stock-take of government agencies using algorithms.
MSD’s Deputy Chief Executive for Insights and Investment Nic Blakely tells Kathryn Ryan where the ministry is at with helping our most vulnerable through predictive modelling.
2 Work and Income https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/ – This comes under the Min. of Social Development – in case you aren’t up with the present status of government interest in helping us.
(It doesn’t state NZ next to their name but it does say govt.nz in the heading so it is about us. They also have a pretty picture of a polished red heart which looks like stone and not one they have surgically removed from some donor.)
And the whole basis for their work is to get NZs off the benefit and into work, so reducing annual figures. It is a pity that they don’t have an accompanying department for making jobs that will enable people to live and work in comfort.
Given people’s response to the thread involving Ardern invoking the memory of Mandela I thought it would be more appropriate to raise this in open mike rather than on that thread. There is a view that South Africa is currently trapped in some sort of Apartheid menatlity where the Whites benefit from the system whereas the Blacks do not. I think this is nonsense. If there are issues around people in south Africa not being able to advance they have the power to alter that in their hands. The fact is that the country has gone backwards not forwards over the past 10 years mainly because of the mindset of the people in power. It has little to do with the legacy of Apartheid.
Gosman
As someone said ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. So South Africa has to work its way through lots of problem that accumulate confusingly, some from the past, the present morass, and what about the future people sometimes ask.
I don’t think they should be damned for being just another version of confused humans caught up in management and ethical problems. Somewhere along the way we will no doubt all get caught up in some sort of Perfect Storm that will eliminate some apparent possibilities, and then TINA. But as you say SA have opportunities still and need to concentrate on discussion and some definite goals. As we must.
Terry Pratchett in Raising Steam has the Low King of the dwarves talk about the problems of the quarrelsome, individualistic dwarves (possibly an analogy of ourselves):
‘I am here to tell you, my friends and, indeed, my smiling enemies, that if we do not band together against the forces that wish to keep us in darkness dwarfkind will be diminished. We need to work together, talk to one another, deal properly with one another and not spend all our time in one enormous grump that the world isn’t entirely ours any more and, at the finish, ruin it for everyone. After all, who would deal with such as us in a world of new choices? In truth, we should act as sapient creatures should! If we don’t move with the future, the future will twist and roll right over us.’
One aged dwarf responds on the subject of vandalistic destruction of their telegraph system, the clack towers – in short:
‘What are we but creatures of communication and communication accurately communicated is a benison to be cherished by all species everywhere.. discourse and compromise are cornerstones in the proper world of politics…’
It’s a story but Terry Pratchett was a bright spark with a good knowledge about everything, and worked with similar others, and his books are full of references to our present problems that show up in the Discworld of his imagination.
Nah – I always thought you did so I was surprised when someone said it. Think of the question from a Māori perspective of creating context – it even is important with our personas I find 😊. Anyway i thought I’d ask – any response is understandable.
They’d better move on to screwing things up for Maori (which is what they are best at), and the high country environment (they’re good at screwing that up too).
Of course you accept this. You are probably like Michael Cullen who welcomed such an enquiry about Taito Phillip Field.
Remember him? The only MP we have ever had who was jailed for corruption in office.
The then Government set up an enquiry that exonerated him.
Run by an eminent QC who turned in the report the Government needed.
At the time Michael Cullen, now the favourite of a useless Government said.
” It is typical of National Party members that, when faced with an independent inquiry, they immediately reject the conclusions if they do not like them. Those members come straight out of Alice in Wonderland—sentence first, then hear the evidence afterwards. That is their approach to justice.”
and then
“After all, the fundamental fault Mr Field committed was to work too hard on behalf of the many, many hundreds of people who come to his electorate office on immigration matters”. https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/48HansD_20060718_00000802/urgent-debates-taito-phillip-field-report-of-dr-noel
Well any Government can set up an enquiry that well say anything they want. It doesn’t mean it is necessarily accurate of course.
This Coalition of Losers appear to have done precisely that here.
Then there was nationals MP and Minister Richard Worth who was offering official appointments to ( a) woman in return for sex ( before he was rolled for other sexual escapades)
I didn’t really follow that case.
You did notice that they kicked her out of the House I presume?
And Richard Worth was very quickly gone from Parliament as well. As were a couple of other National members who did not maintain the high standards Key required.
But Curran remains. So does the one who assaulted a staff member.
So far, anyway.
Didn’t Labour learn anything from Taito Phillip Field? They still seem only too happy to stand up for people who should be told to quit. Read the rubbish the Cullen came out with and tell me you honestly approve. Doesn’t it embarrass you?
The party leadership seemed happy to leave Darren Hughes there after his misbehaviour as well. Goff covered his eyes and tried to pretend that nothing had happened. His deputy said she was sound asleep at the time.
Remind you of the MP who was at the Young Labour do? Sound asleep. Never heard a thing.
Why don’t they clean out the ratbags in their ranks? It wouldn’t be seen as weakness. It would be seen as insisting on the highest standards from people who claim the right to tell everyone else in New Zealand how they are to behave.
Why is it so hard for them to do that?
I suggest you take it up with the person who contributes under the pseudonym of Dukeofurl.
He seems to wish to equate them. I was merely commenting on his opinion on the matter.
Are you seriously saying that Dukeofurl is deranged? Well I suppose it takes one to know one so perhaps you are correct.
I think that Curran is a liar and a fool.
How she ever got into the Cabinet is a total mystery.
I don’t believe I have ever actually described her as corrupt though.
People senior to her in this Government qualify though.
Did Colbert know her name, and how to pronounce it?
He was talking to Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie last night on the show and was trying to find out how her name was pronounced. He certainly seems to leave it late to find out who the people he is going to have to interview really are. In fact he had to ask his staff when she was going to be on the program.
He also seemed to need assistance in finding out what he should ask her. Then he had no idea what the Capital of New Zealand is.
Didn’t see the intro, but she managed to dodge questions about the laughs at Trump well and got an advert for new direct flights to the U.S. in, which I thought was quite clever, and made a change from going on for 5 minutes about babies like the other ones
Harking from New Zealand’s oil drilling heartland, a New Plymouth newscaster sees a new career niche for himself as a doubtcaster.
Following hard on the heels of the MBIE costings of the loss of taxes and wages, (no mention of loss to profits), caused by the cancellation on issuing any more oil prospecting licences. (Not the stopping new oil prospecting, as some oil industry alarmists claim), comes this:
Far, far, far be it from me to question the existence of climate change. Only ideologues and the very brave speak out on the possibility it’s all hokum. But…….
…….how much individual motorists pay in excise duty and RUCs depends on how much petrol they consume and how many kilometres owners of diesel vehicles travel.
That’s unless the car is a pure electric vehicle – because they don’t pay anything at all.
Obviously pure EVs don’t consume any petrol, and the Government has exempted them from paying any RUCs. The bureaucrats say this is intended as one way of encouraging people to buy the vehicles. This exemption will continue either until 2021 or until EVs comprise 2 per cent of our light vehicle fleet, whichever comes first.
Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Acting Associate Transport Minister James Shaw have jointly boasted that there are now 10,000 EVs on NZ’s roads. Shaw added that this was an important milestone, particularly considering that just five years ago there was only 210 EVs registered here…..
……now that the 10,000-vehicle mark has been reached, is it really appropriate that so many owners are being allowed to continue to pocket the millions of dollars that could be going into much-needed improvements to the roads they drive on?
Are these sort of news articles any conicidence at a time when the oil industry are squealing like stuck pigs at even the slightest of restrictions to drill baby drill forget about the climate costs. (we can externalise these costs and pass them on to you or your grandchildren)
Kia ora The Am Show EatMYlunch is a awesome cause 1 million lunches made .
How it works is when one buy lunch from eatmylunch they pay for 2 and one lunch is given to needy children free ka pai.
A criminal case review commission is what is needed interdependent review’s .
These people don’t have the money to higher lawyer to correct cases were people are charged for a crime they did not commit.
Mark I do say old guy’s matter but what they are doing to OUR World society treating it like a toilet has to STOP.
Finally the old men tangata wai splashing in there faces.
Duncan the tec guy was a set up from the start the timing of his release of his emails speaks clear and loud set up.
Yes judy tec guy it is all a bit strange if one has intelligence one could see it Duncan I hear bell’s lol. Heres a link below
Many thanks to the Indian Judges who have struck out laws that gave the man power to dominate wahine in Indian.
Ka pai te Papatuanuku society is growing up becoming more humane.
I know that Indian wahine still have a long road to walk but this is a good start Mana wahine link below Ka kite ano
I beleve that Kavnaugh is guilty first it is well know the American collage party culture there are a lot of movies made about this fact and many collage city’s in the west copy this culture .
Then he makes out hes a saint when we know what the side effects of drinking to much does to one self control and memory .
Any decent man would step down why because he is putting undue STRESS on his Family I put my family first . link is below Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub the star will not lose any shine when she gets back.
That’s the way students don’t let the power’s that be treat you as a lesser being.
Well that’s cool that the American owner of that farming station conforming to the Kiwi way of doing things ka pai
OUR Orca have a heap of pcp chemicals in there systems I read that Canada Orca half of there deaths are because of chemical in there environment this is why Im against poisons as we don’t know the long term effects they have on us or the creatures or our environment.
Some people just think about the now and not tomorrow that is quite plan to see.
They have not tested for long term effects have they of chemicals .
Elon Oil baron’s enough said.
Mr loop hole that English lawyer tell’s me I’m correct money can buy impunity .
That Mega Yacht is a beautiful boat there you go our boat industry’s are booming ka pai
It’s about time that the council in Te taiwhiti is trying to find solution’s to the mess that has been caused by clear felling whole forestry’s and flooding. That problem is all the way down the coast. The positive thing about it is the Trawler’s will be pushed out deeper or they will lose or rip up there trawling gear . That happen a bit after Cyclone Bolar .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Storm .The Rugby & League Grandfinal will be awesome this weekend .
One can see that I don’t know the over sea Netball team’s name’s Storm I tau toko the Silver Fern’s cool outfit Wai lol laughter is good for the wairua .
Kia kaha te Apricots Cricket team .
The ball skills of our Rugby and League team’s are quite awesome to watch .
Ka kite ano P.S The League wahine team’s have some mean tackles Kia kaha
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Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
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Interesting article about increasing elitism in rugby.
“But it’s awkward if we want keep up the pretence that rugby remains a game for all New Zealanders. A reliable source told me that when St Kentigern played King’s College this year, more than 20 of the starting 30 players came from outside Auckland. The source hazarded a guess that few of them, if any, were full fee-paying.
Think about that for a minute.
We have long been accustomed to wealthy schools raiding low-decile Auckland schools for talent, but this points to a much larger talent-scouting footprint. There is also something deeply ironic about a school effectively paying for rugby talent to use the 1st XV as a marketing shop window to attract fee-paying students who are then subsequently locked out of, or face significant obstacles, on the route to their own rugby glory by the next influx of recruits.
NZ Rugby are aware of this ever-increasing plutocracy but are faced with a delicate balancing act. On the one hand they continue to laud the 1st XV production line that keeps churning out professional-grade talent, while on the other turning a blind eye to the glaring inequities of that system.
In plain sight clubs are dead, dying or merging because schools are failing to keep kids in the game. At many of these schools you are either on the pathway to professionalism or a road to nowhere. There is little in between.
It is killing rugby as a recreational pursuit.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12131402
Been that way as far as I can recall Ed, which shows how defecto the practice is. It’s not just rugby also.
It’s what the ‘elites’ do and don’t expect the NZRU to give a toss, they’re masters in elistism and double standards as the grassroots game withers.
It is killing rugby as a recreational pursuit.”
No what is killing rugby for boys 10-13 are clubs that play boys well above the weight restrictions (knowingly) and AR not enforcing weight limits. And the contact say between an under 11 restricted of 35-40 kg child trying to tackle an over weight 45+ kg child. And these boys run and tackle fair but hard.
Also (IMO no fault of anyone or organisation) limited high school opportunities for those “smaller” boys. As many schools have few teams which tend not to cater for the under 15 restricted and 6th grade(under 60kg) though lack of numbers to make up teams, and these boys only opportunity is to play up.
http://www.aucklandrugby.co.nz/asset/downloadasset?id=e0f0c92d-5046-43f1-912d-f492327ce12b
http://collegesport.co/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2017/03/Rugby-Auckland-Boys-Entry-Information-2017.pdf
Also not just the elites many high schools within Auck do it, out of zoners who are talented somehow make the ballots.
I have been to Y6,7 & 8 tournaments where high school staff have attended for scouting proposes. Not always from the schools that would instantly come to mind for many.
I think what is/what will kill Thugby is the slow decline of toxic masculinity.
I bet you have a limp handshake
Have you not observed the success of the Women rugby teams in New Zealand? the increasing crowds and viewer numbers?
What a pathetic comment. Still harbouring a personal resentment against the athletes in high school solky?
I bet you have a limp handshake
Thanks for providing an example. Do you not understand that Rugby is social engineering? Oh that’s right, you don’t call it that when right wing authoritarians manipulate culture and identity.
Rugby is social engineering? if you don’t like it, don’t engage with it or people who do.
It’s ok for people to do and enjoy things you don’t. you shouldn’t need to take it away from them to make your self feel better. Stop projecting
Toxic masculinity has done a lot of harm to a lot of people so yes i will speak out about it and encourage other men to be more than what their social conditioning might otherwise allow for.
Yes it is. People who don’t like rugby have always been looked down on in our culture.
People who don’t like rugby have always been looked down on in our culture.
[citation needed]
(basically that horse shit. I don’t like rugby but looked down upon….yeah, na…)
How have you managed to avoid the sneers when you tell people, who’ve just opened with an enthusiastic reference to the rugby the night before, that you don’t like rugby and didn’t watch it?
This is more of a reflection of rugby’s slow decline over the past 18-20 years more than anything else.
As well as an increase in opportunity for other sports.
When I was at primary school in Southland in the early 70’s, I had the choice of rugby and… rugby. That was it.
One of the stalwarts of the local Gore Wanderers Football Club decided that year to coach a football team at my school. 30 Mins of rugby was the end of my career, fortunately, and it was football from then on, thankfully.
Now kids are spoilt for choice which is a good thing when it comes to sport
So kids who would other wise be unable to afford the private education get plucked from a low decile area thanks to their natural ability.
sounds like the systems working
Are they getting the education?
Are those that do not move on to higher levels of rugby benefitting from that educational opportunity? Or have they served their purpose?
What about concentrating on healthy, happy exercise?
And less concern about competitive sport in schools, (i.e. First XV who need special blazers for their uniform, another barrier to kids who don’t fit in to the top strata chosen for some reason.)
What about schools leaning more to learning that is useful for life, and doing drama so that youngsters become accustomed to stepping into another role, more reading and talking about what the book and the writer did well, writing, civics. The constant battle of maintaining good human relationships is as demanding as any sports game. And less competitive trophy-oriented parents who gather on the sidelines and barrack for their kids in a very antipsocial, anti-community attitude.
Why wouldn’t they be getting an education and why wouldn’t they want to take advantage of such an opportunity to further themselves regardless of them making it in the game or not?
Too simplistic Tuppence.
1. Are kids who are ‘plucked’ from a low decile school, able to access and maintain one of the main advantages of private education – creating and maintaining a social network of contacts and influences that will assist them in the future.? Answer: unlikely, many scholarship students can’t participate in the social activities and extra curricular events that provide those relationships due to lack of funds and inability to reciprocate, that is assuming they will feel comfortable in that environment as well.
2. Should we have a tier system of education (real or perceived?) due to access of funds. The success of Finland’s education system indicates that private education is an impediment to beneficial societal education.
3. There is a psychological impact on the student as well, removing them from their existing support community, and in terms of sports scholarships, putting all their value into sports, even though they are there for the academic qualification. A contradiction for both the student and the institution when you think of it.
Such a reductive view of education, healthy community and individual.
so not having opportunities for advancement is fairer on all. Understood.
Reading comprehension not a result of your education then, Tuppence?
If I am kind, I’ll assume it is a result of me mangling the link, so here it is again: The only way to end the class divide: the case for abolishing private schools – Guardian article on the Finnish education system
Just to add to that, Tuppenny Shrew, it is NOT acceptable to offer a chance of a fair go in the education system to only a few good rugby players.
ALL poor kids need the chance of a good education. All of them.
So don’t serve up bullshit about how the odd rugby star being delivered to a better chance of education is any kind of justice at all, You are preaching injustice unless all poor kids get the same break. Got that?
People know who the White Helmets are.
“ In ending all funding to the White Helmets, the Dutch government did not wish to be confrontational towards the other neo-conservative governments who are funding and exploiting the propaganda from the White Helmets. Their report was therefore diplomatically phrased. Funding for the White Helmets may have “inadvertently” fallen into the hands of armed extremists, while unacceptable contact between the White Helmets and extreme jihadists was “inevitable” in the areas they operated.
Thanks to social media, there is an awareness among the UK’s general population of who the White Helmets really are, that belies the solidarity of the entire political and media class in maintaining the official fiction. Even the arch government supporting Daily Telegraph in reporting the story of White Helmets’ admittance to the UK, has a majority of readers’ comments pointing out the true nature of the White Helmets. “
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/09/importing-jihadi-terror-to-the-uk-cui-bono/
I’m sure it will end well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl20jlVnvYs
Irony fully intended 😉
It seems that Ed is not the only so called Leftist to support a genocidal bombing campaign against Idlib.
“ugly” but “inevitable”
zzzzzzz
Not able to rationally defend his position, or justify his support for genocide and industrial scale torture, mass murder, and Hitlerite type fascism. Ed takes a snooze.
https://www.goalglobal.org/stories/post/what-are-the-caesar-photographs
An early shift at the factory, Ed?
Or, maybe you are one of those who, “don’t realise they are being used as pawns”?
How Syria’s White Helmets became victims of an online propaganda machine
The Russia-backed campaign to link the volunteer rescuers with al-Qaida exposes how conspiracy theories take root: ‘It’s like a factory’
Olivia Solon – The Guardian, December 18, 2017
New Zealand Labour could learn from this.
https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1044980165103644677
Ed,
Yes I am all on board with this taking back our country plan as the elite are picking our bones daily and China are a threat to our sovereignty also by buying our infrastructure and placing politicians inside our government to take control one day.
They hold to much power over us ‘no thanks to John Key and Judith Collins’.
Bring back our sovereignty and our country to us.
Can’t Cleangreen. We lost the chance to have sovereignty at our fingertips back in 1984 when we didn’t protest repeatedly at Roger Douglas, Treasury quislings, et al and they went ahead to hollow us out instead of pruning the unsustainable growth from unfinancial methods that were pulling us back.
Now we have to find a way to hold onto what we feel is important culture and limit as much as we can the fellow travellers with boundless capitalism who have moved into places of authority, and who often are not even NZs, and they also aren’t all Chinese please note. We live in a global world with top positions that foreign people who fit the neolib profile can move into and be well-cushioned. Poor immigrants and refugees are not free to choose global destinations.
They get corralled in refugee (concentration) camps where they are concentrated, and have time to concentrate on the lack of decency of behaviour in the world. NZ being in the Chinese purview may be an advantage in the long run, who knows. If they can raise their game, the USA may have to improve their standards so they can continue to crow about how wonderful they are.
Trump is accusing China of potentially meddling in the upcoming mid-term Elections ?
Yes Ngungukai
China was involved in the Florida elections way back in 2000 with a company called “Wang enterprises” and their operatives, Quote: “according to Federal officials at the Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, convicted spy and Chinese national, Hai Lin Nee” accused.
Was also found as a Chinese spy politician as we also have here in our National Party Government politician (Jian Yang) who was found that he spent a decade at elite Chinese military academies.
https://www.ft.com/content/64991ca6-9796-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b
With that same name as ‘Wang Enterprises’ who is mired in controversy as a Chinese Government official also; – read this ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Curtis
I guess NZ councils foray into the idea of online voting will be a bonanza then – get the right candidate through as online elections are completely hackable, and viola, next all the council land sold off cheap and make the next generation penniless and homeless after the state and council having sold off all their land to the private sector for a song.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/09/23/exclusive-why-you-must-boycott-auckland-wellington-hamilton-and-tauranga-local-elections-next-year/
Is there any talk of raising Super any time so. Live out of town and petrol cost is killing us.
100% Fflyod we agree.
Grey Power is currently advocating for this with government.
As for petrol costs, using an EV will cut fuel costs by 80%. An $11000 Leaf using 1 kw/h per 7 kms means the money is recouped quickly. 10000 kms at 1000 litres of 91octane petrol costing $2400 as opposed to 1400 kw/h at 30 c or less than $500 per annum. At damn near $2000 per annum difference, it makes sense.
What a great plan was the winter Electricity Grant. My older brother is just hanging on living alone and feeling the cold down south. This winter the Grant allowed him to properly heat his living area. Great.
+100 ianmac
I’m wondering if teachers get all they want from Govt if they should get paid for all the school holidays unless they can prove that they spend them doing school related things on a daily basis.
I am married to a teacher and two of my kids are teachers. Holidays are spent recuperating from the stresses of the job for a short time and then preparing for the next term.
They also work crazy hours.
Government should be giving them a good pay rise.
+ 1
I want teachers to be paid more and to regain the social status they once (imo) had.
And I have just started homeschooling my 11 year old because he and us are not convinced that the school learning environment is the best place to learn for him. He was homeschooled until 7 when he then said he wanted to go to school – we’ll do it for a few years until high school I think but the key thing is we will listen and do what is best for him (and us). Lucky in some ways because I work overnight shifts I’m home during the day so my wife can work during the day. This is how low income people get through btw
Interested in this Marty.
What were the hoops you had to jump through and do you receive any curricular program or help.?
Are there any home school type groups where you live?
Can see that this might benefit children who don’t fit in to the regular school system, and also ease the pressure on already overstretched teachers
You need to get an exemption – helpful support was received and as they said they want to know that we know the curriculum, why it is the way it is and how we’ll support it via learning.
Start right workbooks are one thing we use.
We have other homeschoolers around so resources are shared in some ways. For instance group activities – luckily the old school my boy went to is open to other children attending stuff – taiaha practice for instance – it is only a 2 room school though.
One 9f the real benefits for me is I get to spend quality time with my b9y helping him learn – I love that.
AFAIK, homeschooling does not require a curriculum – especially not knowledge and application of Te Whariki.
If that is now a requirement there has been a fundamental change in the exemption process that I am not aware of, and a bit dismayed about, because many old school homeschool advocates fought against this for many years, for the benefit of homeschool students.
My children are older and at various techs, but there is a great resource in the homeschool community. Particularly with those who use the opportunity to find specific ways to meet the needs of their children, and deliver great learning opportunities.
School at home, is often a primary method that gets abandoned when families realise that it misses the chance for better life-long love of learning. That said, I know I few families that persisted up to university level with programmes.
For those considering home education:
Just had a look at the updated exemption form, and note that the reference to curriculum is generic, and relates to your own learning plan. Which is good, but does make it seem that your exemption is contingent on a planned programme, where there are many very successful unschooled students.
Rob Williamson, who was head of the ERO review office, IIRC, was once a school principal, and provided great insight into the review for home educators. He was very impressed with the progress of unschoolers, and preferred reviewing them to those that went with structured programmes.
Also there is a note about records. Records are not required by the MoE, and if possible don’t tie yourself down to a particular method. As you are teaching your own child, your methods – and consequently your means of measuring progress – will change. Sometimes rapidly. You are not in charge of a classroom of thirty students, and will be able to have a grasp of what level your child is on and what help they need, primarily because you are working with them on a day to day basis.
Yes you don’t have to create a new curriculum.
“they said they want to know that we know the curriculum, why it is the way it is and how we’ll support it via learning.”
Sorry if that was confusing. I was trying to say that they require knowledge of the NZ curriculum etc
Thanks marty.
“I was trying to say that they require knowledge of the NZ curriculum etc”
Except that is not true. And if that is the advice being given and required of new applications, then there has been a fundamental change in the application process. Which I think is one of those supposedly “small” concessions, that cost a lot in the long run.
Thanks Molly
We’ve just got the exemption approved last week. My wife had conversations with the staffer assessing our application and we had to redo bits. So it is 2nd hand info in some respects as I didn’t have the conversations.
The Ministry will ask for further information, but we did have some stalwarts for many years that ensured that the Ministry staffers did not overstep the requirements of the exemption process.
I was involved with some of the regional and national committees for some years, and did notice that the natural change of guard in some respects, have resulted in homeschool advocates who are more compliant and aware of “relationships” with the Ministry, rather than advocating for home educators – particularly those who did not ascribe to their own philosophy of home education.
I believe a lot of this is due to inexperience, and a lack of interest in the history of home ed in NZ.
Congrats on getting your exemption regardless. Those that choose home education as an additional choice, rather than a solution to all the challenges of childhood, seem to have students that can traverse both school and home ed with ease, and do really well.
Why aren’t home schoolers expected to teach to the NZ curriculum.? What are they supposed to be learning? And how do we keep some control on children havisng a positive and open education. I have met a cult member and decided this is someone I don’t want to know or trust.
According to a study I read many years ago, IIRC, any changes to the education system takes about twelve years to be adopted by the institutional system. That transition is very disruptive for students in the transition period, and our education system and access to resources has been changing fairly continually over the last couple of decades.
There are a wide variety of home educators – a trait that is found in schooled parents, although I would say that there are a few that make their way to home education after their children struggle at school and they are unable to access support.
The Te Whariki curriculum is no guarantee of a good education, and many students thrive without reference to it. I can understand your concerns, and there may be some children that have less than adequate education at home, but unfortunately that is also true of some school attendees.
The ERO does conduct reviews on exempted families, and the concern rate is very low. So low that the number of reviews was reduced as budgets were restrained.
The state subsidises many religious schools which promote ideas I find worrisome. Equating home education with cultism is wrong, extremism exists in many forms and many places. Many home educators provide high quality education for their children, and that includes those who had no intention of homeschooling until their child ran into difficulties at school that could not be accommodated with the current resource allocation.
Don’t make the error of lumping them all together because of one meeting with one individual. Families cover the range from religious to secular, high income to beneficiary. Just like everyone else.
Good on you.
I’m sure your boy will thrive away from the stress that formal schooling can be.
No one knows your boy like you do, and you’ll be able to pick up and develop his interests in a way no strapped for time teacher would be able to
All the best
We know a few couples who home schooled their children, and one of our daughters close friends was home schooled. If our experience of these (now) young adults is anything to go by, you have made a good call. Good luck with your son!
Yep – the goal is to teach him how to learn and how to be his own person, strong in his mana.
We have long had teachers in our family. My sister has just retired. I notice that the spokesperson for teachers is emphasising conditions, she would agree that much could be done here.
The closing of special schools and sprinkling the children around regular schools causes difficulties for teachers with many children for instance. More teacher aides, more hours, making sure that the wraparound system works etc. These are more important than high wage rises and teachers would probably accept 3% for three years wage rises if the conditions were looked at.
My feeling is that special schools should be used again, with schools including special needs children in appropriate classes once or twice a week unless the child is too disruptive. For instance a child that makes odd noises all the time may be a reason to exclude from a learning classroom but be involved in some sporting one at the school, and the learning part take place in the special school.
I was a teacher and my answer to the point about holidays was two-fold. The holidays are actually for the kids, as both teachers and students need recuperation time. And preparation time.
Secondly, I’d just say that if you think that teachers get it cushy with all that holiday time then why not become a teacher. Watch people back off from that proposition! People do remember how it was, and they were, at school.
Of course, that has its own downside- the amount of people who feel entitled to pronounce infallibly upon teaching because they went to school. A bit like diners knowing all about food preparation- from composting and growing plants and animals, about plant, animal and human health, about cooking and food presentation- because they eat food.
“Holidays” are also when sports and cultural trips happen. That’s not a holiday, believe me.
For me, now retired, the money was important. It had to be as my health was affected by the stress of teaching and I had to retire before reaching retirement age. But, much more important was doing the job- the education of our young is a vocation, a calling, a mission. Teachers would be much happier if the issues which frustrate good teachers in their teaching were better addressed. At least, that was the thinking during my time ‘at the chalk face’.
Ffloyd
Teachers are paid for school holidays. In effect this means that teachers get something like 10 – 12 weeks paid annual leave; whereas most of the rest of the salaried population receives typically 4 – 5 weeks annual leave. So compared with most, teachers receive a significant paid benefit (annual holidays) that others can only dream of.
Teachers may rightly claim that they frequently work during their holidays. The fact is though that these days all kinds of salaried staff in all kinds of sectors do the same – despite receiving considerably smaller annual holiday entitlements.
Teachers may rightly claim that they frequently work during their holidays. The fact is though that these days all kinds of salaried staff in all kinds of sectors do the same – despite receiving considerably smaller annual holiday entitlements.
That is a problem with our employment practices, not a reason for teachers to forego holidays.
What is your solution? To not pay teachers while schools are closed?
Does this take into account the extra time teachers take during term time, including weekends to provide students with extra benefits outside the 9-3 school day?
We don’t value the benefit of good education enough, and we blame the teachers for failures of education policy while expecting them to pick up the shortfall.
Molly
My point is that when considering the employment terms and conditions of teachers; it is important to understand that they receive 10 -12 weeks paid annual leave; a much more generous benefit than that received by other workers. This equates to up to say 6 – 8 weeks of additional pay.
My other point is that many salaried staff in other sectors work in their holidays, while using their annual holidays to recuperate.
Its fine and its understandable to acknowledge that teachers do the same – however lets not be too sanctimonious abut teachers in this regard. They work no more or no less than many others during their holidays, in general.
BTW I am not suggesting that we not pay teachers when they are not at school. I am suggesting that we recognise the value of this benefit to them when discussing terms and conditions.
Whether or not teachers are paid enough is another matter; and one that is being negotiated.
I joke to teacher friends about “being on holiday again! And just having a 9 to 3 job! And getting paid all those thousands to look after a few little kids! What a job!”
We know that it is really a very hard job. Many young people start out with optimism but crumble under the weight.
There is a very high fall-out. Wonder why?
Yes ianmac, Principals in 6 schools Rotorua are finishing up this year. Burnout, age and general workload have contributed.
Years ago, as a senior teacher with a normal workload of two trainee teachers, a team of 7 teachers, a responsibility for children with special needs and those with special abilities, the library and the resource room, a class of 32 form 2 children in an intermediate, paid a huge $32000 a year, I relate to their work loads!!
A friend of my husband dropped by our home to watch the All Black Test, and joked about the holidays coming up. But after the game, as I’m still toiling making resources for a Social Studies unit, he admits… “maybe the hours are different to the usual perception!!” Just saying.!!!!
I have enjoyed my retirement, and think of all those who had less than the Actuaries expected 12 years!! I’ve had17!!! Still going strong, though awaiting a hip operation.
Why shouldn’t teachers have a decent break. In the old days, less paperwork, no student loans, no work during the holidays for teaches to justify getting paid and viola, we had one of the highest rates of literacy in the world!
I have kids and I’d prefer their teachers to come back refreshed after the holidays and have a real break from the school, even more important now that they can’t seem to retain any teachers any more…
Something the uneducated have missed
Should a teacher take unpaid leave, leave (sick or paid) for a “School” Friday and Monday there are 4 days taken into account, as teachers are “paid” for 365 days/year.
I am sure most other organisations do not deduct 4 days for unpaid absences for missing only 2 days contact/work time.
If holidays are not paid for then perhaps overtime rates should apply for hours worked outside 8:00 – 4:00 and paid for working lunchtime duties?
And the unravelling begins.
This will of course be met with the usual putinbots saying “what about…” – they are funny useful idiots.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45656004
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/26/salisbury-poisoning-suspect-is-russian-colonel-reports
Snap!
I saw the Bellingcat claims earlier this morning and was going to post a link to their site here – and then run for the hills before the explosion … LOL
So here is the link to their claims which are much more detailed than the BBC or Guardian articles.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2018/09/26/skripal-suspect-boshirov-identified-gru-colonel-anatoliy-chepiga/
While the narrative is interesting, I am not convinced by some of the photo comparisons – ie I don’t believe the person in the first passport photo is the same person as the person(s) in the 2nd and 3rd ones, but these latter ones could be of the same person.
Thanks ☺ I was just getting the ball rolling.
I’m not convinced 100% yet but there are a lot of people trying to find out and they will – I feel a bit fearful for these two because at some point it will have to be tied off and vlad does that emphatically imo.
When the National Party and fellow travelers wanted a story picked up by mainstream media, but felt that they couldn’t do a direct feed – for reasons of credibility, or to avoid charges of partiality or to avoid the risk of the news or information being seen as tainted because of the source, they’d often enough feed Whaleoil to get the ball rolling.
And then mainstream would pick up on what Whaleoil was writing about and promote it as though it came from a well connected, but independent source.
It was a pretty central plank of what Hager outlined in “Dirty Politics” – a way to get awkward and/or not necessarily true or accurate information into the public domain.
Bellingcat plays that same role on a larger stage and Eliot Higgins is no more an independent investigative journalist than is Cameron Slater.
Good to know your angle thanks.
“Eliot Higgins is no more an independent investigative journalist than is Cameron Slater”
Not even close. When the liars fall back on smears you know they have nothing else.
Sure he gets tip offs – same as Russia has pretty much taken over Assange’s feed – which was certainly not his intention in creating wikileaks. But Higgins did indeed start from a base of independent data journalism, and it was his success in that role that made him useful to those sources.
Bellingcat blew the lid off the Russian lies about MH17, and he has never been forgiven for it by the Russian trolls.
The publishing of truth, not the source of it, is fundamental to journalism. The Putinistas prefer opinion, because opinion can say anything, and the truth does not serve their geopolitical ends.
Waiting for actual evidence makes one a Putin Bot? really.
I realise that you may not be aware of the powers that be ever lying to the public before, or, infact, being wrong, but you know, it could happen..
Its all quite fascinating, and the odds of us ever finding out the real story are about nil…. however my next question would be, how could a ‘highly decorated colonel’ make such a balls up of an easy task, especially if it was ordered from the ‘highest level’ and especially as he was tasked with a job ‘normally’ assigned to someone of lower rank.?
“The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise that at least one of the operatives engaged in the operation in Salisbury had the rank of colonel. Even more surprising was the suspects’ prior award of the highest military recognition.
In our source’s words, an operation of this sort would have typically required a lower-ranked, “field operative” with a military rank of “no higher than captain.” The source further surmised that to send a highly decorated colonel back to a field job would be highly extraordinary, and would imply that “the job was ordered at the highest level.”
Yep I couldn’t believe a highly trained operative could stuff it up either – I tend to go for the keystones cops idea of these operatives as in thick a and clumsy and overconfident or it could be that life isn’t like the movies.
People can self select if they think they are Putinbots, as I said above I’m not 100% convinced yet.
Not sure how much of a stuff up it was. The point was made.
But either way operators have perishable skills. Like pilots or doctors. Just because you’re the dog’s bollocks today, after a year sitting at a desk you won’t be as good as someone more junior who does the work every day.
Saw a thing once which argued that (based on the reports at the time and the duration of his expiry) Lincoln might actually have had a good chance of surviving being shot in the head at Ford’s Theatre. the wound wasn’t immediately fatal and the first surgeon on scene was a battlefield surgeon, and the documentation suggested that he’d started a pretty solid assessment and treatment plan. Then along came the Surgeon General and a rich doctor-politician, neither of whom had touched a wound in decades, and the first thing they did was probe the wound by sticking a rod in to find the bullet. Repeatedly, because everyone needed their own look-see.
The theory was that the prodding either pushed the bullet into somewhere Lincoln needed to live, or jiggly probe rods killed him directly. If the most junior doctor there had been left to do his job, Lincoln might have lived.
I’m a crime and mystery fan and in one of my books the perpetrator of the crime was a contracted individual for someone who had been given the job from someone else who had some strategic goal that required the victim’s death. Something went wrong with the crime, and then sorting it all out was the problem for the brilliant investigator.
It seems similar with the Salisbury story. The giveaway that it was a minor player involved in the dirty work was the throwing away the remaining toxic stuff. Very messy housekeeping that, and would only be done by a rather thick and not efficient assassin.
I find it more than a little weird that it took 6 months to identify that there were two Russians in the area at the time of the poisoning, and hey they must have done it because Russians.
Then in a couple weeks bingo they find out their real names. Is this a keystone cops investigation that is going to drip feed evidence to the public over months and years? What do we find out in another couple of weeks? a witness comes forward saying he spotted a Russian by a door handle? FFS
Leaks, huh.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation began checking on the fact of the leakage of personal data of “Salisbury tourists” Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. We are talking about the publication of their questionnaires for obtaining foreign passports and data on the crossing of the Russian border.
As a source familiar with the situation told Rosbalt, the search for Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs employees who sold to journalists (or other persons) questionnaires and other documents for Petrova and Boshirova, which contain personal data, is currently being conducted.
“Serious measures will be taken against the persons who provided this information,” the source said.
http://www.rosbalt.ru/moscow/2018/09/25/1734151.html
Joe suffers from Russophobia.
Be kind.
Yes better not to engage.
Hardly surprising – you always seem to have so many doubts on some things but not others – funny that.
I had doubts about the spire spiers in the first interview, they seemed guilty as ..
But they have to be proven to be guilty. Sure they look dodgy, but from what I’ve seen this entire case is dodgy.
It’s a tough one the old gut instinct. On one hand what the hell is it? And on the other, with imperfect senses and information it’s pretty well the only thing we’ve got. That is until the facts are proven to our satisfaction. But that is also subjective so meaningless really. Yep a real tough one – for everyone mostly I spose.
Photos are they convincing?
The photo with the captain of the Mikhail Lermontov and his embassy minders.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UlnlcG_JPhc/TrOJ_tE42-I/AAAAAAAACh4/F6uYRg9YRVY/s1600/aaaa%2Bputin91.jpg
A third woman has now come forward accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/julie-swetnick-accuses-brett-kavanaugh-sexual-misconduct-180926154606912.html
Yes Cinny ;
But it seems now that the Democratic party was being assisted by a large Billionaire
(George Soros) him hating Trump and now by him donating $250 Million Dollars to several lobby groups setup now to destroy the Kavenough family, so all is skewed now in pure politics so it seems that truth will be the first casualty of this new US internal war. Soros was convicted as a criminal under Obama’s government a few years ago incidentally. (George Soros) payback perhaps?
George Soros was another insider trader as John Key was so we dont care for his morals either thanks.
https://listverse.com/2016/10/21/10-dark-secrets-of-george-soros/
Crikey that’s an even messier situation then, thanks for the info CG, much appreciated.
Be a bit cynical in believing everything out there re Soros, as there is a lot of fiction mixed with fact in the many articles about him – possibly including in his Wikipedia entry. Nevertheless the latter gives a feel of the situation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros
I believe that this Kavanaugh is a conservative being promoted to be in the judicial lifetime panel that is tops in the USA? And that people are desperate to get someone whose judgements are not pre-set in concrete.
Another problem of an inflexible and inadequate USA constitution that needs work to make it fit for the 21st century, but probably shouldn’t get it astoo few have any ideals and standards these days. All the people can do is try these limited guerilla tactics on the build-up of the Right’s control.
be very careful about the credibility of what CG is pushing regards US. Its like CG watches Fox news to get the links and talking points of the day.
eg the Goege Soros ‘conviction’
“PARIS — George Soros, known as one of the world’s savviest investors, should have realized that he risked violating insider trading laws when he pocketed more than $3 million from dealing in shares of the French bank Société Générale two decades ago, Europe’s highest human rights court ruled on Thursday.”
It was 2002 , it was France – yet concern troll CG links it to Obama . go figure… and see how a concern troll works.
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/soros-loses-challenge-to-insider-trading-conviction/
Dukeofurl
We do need to watch our accuracy of things we put here. If recalling from memory state – I think but not sure. I don’t want to read assertions and then find its fudged rubbish.
Very true. We all mistakes with links or basic premise or not linking when we should to provide veracity.
When it becomes a pattern its a worry.
And no calling out fake news isnt censorship, as its worth remembering this from the site policy over what actions could lead to banning.
‘As guidelines to consider. Publishing facts that are manifestly false is relevant to our decision, but clearly stated opinion is not.
Jacinda – some people just don’t believe the bullshit. You may try to convince people but many have assessed and decided that these ‘deals’ are not in the countries best interest.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107407516/jacinda-ardern-canada-and-chile-leaders-talk-trade-at-un
unfortunately Jacinda and Labour are captured by the hard right MBIE types who funny enough when those oil and gas explorations are abolished, quite a few will be out of a job, so I guess HUGE self centred push for the MBIE types who have few skills in the modern world to keep the old ways of trade, trade, trade, oil, gas, TPPA going… nobody even the biggest supporters in government think NZ got. a good deal from CPTPP and even the best scenario figures show loses of Jobs in NZ from globalism.
Globalism is a system of taking resources from the poor local to the rich international with a cut to the multiple middle men and government/councils and no gloss or spin changes that.
Once the power balance changes, even the middle men and government/council will be cut out so they can join the poor at the poor house in a decades time.
About Madame Boag’s involvement in releasing Derek Handley’s emails: http://politik.co.nz/en/content/politics/1440/
Dirty dirty dirty – what a scum that person is.
And now there is another leak:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/367381/jacinda-ardern-announces-investigation-into-how-draft-meka-whaitiri-report-was-leaked
What is going on? Who would have access to this “draft” copy?
As an aside, it seems Meka Whaitiri is not aware of her own strength. She looks a physically strong person. When most of us take some-one’s arm firmly (and we’ve all been in that situation) we don’t leave a bruise.
And what about the other leak. The Nats have gone silent. Why aren’t Labour calling for the outcome to be made public? After all, they were accusing Labour of the leak. They have a duty to correct their accusation at the least.
Boag, doesn’t score an A. Withdraw that and just the bog is left.
Prime had a doco on XTC, forgot how good they were.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptMsTv4p0Z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C6bVckO_CM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p554R-Jq43A
Nice – good band.
I have started putting up numbers of links to images. I have decided to only leave one that would open and the others have to be clicked. I think that is a good idea rather than taking up large parts of a post with numerous consecutive ones.
The way to limit the opening is to put the ( bracket in front of the link, but leave the end part off.
Hopefully NZ Labour’s people organising the conference can make it as unintentionally entertaining as UK Labour’s one, as reviewed here in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/26/labour-conference-momentum-deep-state-paranoia
Dirty people trying to bring down the government.
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed an investigation into how a report which details the incident between Meka Whaitiri and a staffer was leaked to media.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107409649/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-confirms-investigation-into-meka-whaitiri-leak
Well obviously its someone from inside Labour trying to take down Jacinda
Yeah right lol – bit silly that one chris please try hard er.
I will say this, and its completely serious, I didn’t think politics could get more interesting once Sir John left but I’m pleased to say it has
These leaks are getting too much imo we need some fingers.
Be honest here, arn’t you just the slightest bit more interested in whats happening in parliament because of all the shenanigans happening?
I know I am
No Chris i really just want them to get on and govern for the good of the citizens especially the vulnerable and those disadvantaged in society. I hate the bullshit point scoring from dumbarse politicians.
Then tell the Labour ministers to stop being dumb asses, Nationals only point scoring because Labour MPs are messing up
Sure they are Chris – nothing to do with simon and his band of merry wanksters eh. Nothing to do with the successful government and the long cold dark road ahead for the gnats. Lol you’re getting a bit delusional mate.
National have , finally, worked out that theres never going to be one single issue that takes the government down. It’ll be by the death of a thousand cuts
As long as they don’t attack Jacinda directly (because attacking Jacinda is obviously sexist) but just keep pointing out where the government is failing they’ll get there eventually
However tomorrow is Friday so Mega Fightery is probably hoping some more bad news will drop and it’ll take the heat of her…maybe something new or maybe more to come on Derek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjeYGloleTs
Why are you fucking with her name. Do you realise most can’t even pronounce Māori names or words even half correct in this country. Stop doing it please – it is racist and harmful.
Probably the whole parliament is full of hard right employees and consultants, trying to bring down the government as they work for them.
🙂 Now that is funny
Probably + 100% fact as you would have had to have been a hard right Natzi to get a job under the Key Regime ?
A few things went through my mind at Ms Whaitiri’s problems.
1 The news item I heard this morning said that the staffer was new.
2 Ms Whaitiri’s press secretary had not done her job to make sure her boss was in an official photoshoot, This was important as it was in Ms Whaitiri’s electorate. The image would have gone into official records as well as the news, and you need to be known and recognised and shown to be on the spot doing your job. Her absence would have raised questions, and would have left her invisible in the record of that event.
3 This was a major mistake. It appears that the press secretary was not
effective, and not experienced enough for the job. Who employed her?
The State Services Commission or…?
4 Her arm was grabbed from behind. That raises questions. Was she walking away from questions, or did Ms Whaitiri run to catch her and grab her arm to
confront her about this?
5 Do we know absolutely that the bruise on the arm was caused by the pollie, or did she walk into a door knob, or has a heavy-handed partner?
6 I wonder if Ms Whaitiri played netball. A pakeha woman player I know commented on how physical the Maori girls were when she played a few decades ago.
Its not ok for someone with the power to end a persons employment to manhandle someone
Its not ok to manhandle anyone
https://i2.wp.com/teu.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/pink-shirt-day.png?fit=600%2C424
https://www.bullyingfree.nz/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkjWLMmqmQ698Ajx6Pzxk4A82O-SRyCr58NI1G4NA_QwfmiZ9Hjg
http://www.witf.org/arts-culture/assets_c/2013/03/mean-girls-thumb-265×400-5683.jpg
manhandle any one?
Including a waitress in a coffee shop…on multiple occasions….by the then PM
Phew thats ok then, nothing to see here lets all move on
Dunno how major the “mistake” was. But apparently the press secretary was a recent hire because of the staff turnover in the minister’s office. So the minister is still the author of her own misfortune.
I like Ardern’s approach – the stuff about the bruising etc is contested by the former minister, so the decision was made on the uncontested bits of the report.
Bullying is unacceptable, especially in a government office.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367364/small-airline-competes-against-air-nz-on-whangarei-flights
Good luck with that. And if AirNZ now increase their flights or do anything that puts this in jeopardy they will be noticed! They say they won’t but those who have lived long have learned not to believe everything they here.
On Radionz this morning I heard a virtuous sounding fisheries person say how good it is to close down a fishery for a while so it can build stocks even though it is going to lose them millions. I thought hello, what’s this, very unusual to hear that sort of comment. Then I found it was someone from Sealords. WTF?
Then Russel Norman gives some facts. The quota system which worked as a first step to stabilise fishing, is now out of date and being rorted, the Min of Fish has been hooked and we have been rooked. Areas with small fish should have been avoided to ensure the continuing yield was maintained, under reporting, falsified weights declared. Usual.
Thank god someone cares enough about NZ and its resources to keep an eye on them for us all. We have opened up our doors to privateers and economic home invasion who have a condition that makes them sort of magnetic, attracting money to their bodies. More, more is the message from the brain paralleling the continuing hunger of Prader-Willi syndrome.
Fishy link
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018664320/west-coast-hoki-fishery-collapsed-russel-norman
This blog site is a good reference for 3rd level airlines in NZ and occasionally AirNZ gets a brick bat for the tactics is uses to shut out the competition. Yes AirNZ has been doing it for yrs, everyone in the industry knows its, along with people like me who follow 3rd level airlines and who fly’s occasionally on them.
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/
Exkiwi
Thanks have got them on my radar now.
Jacinda can consider herself quite lucky over the timing of the leaking
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107409649/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-confirms-investigation-into-meka-whaitiri-leak
‘After the report was leaked, there was friction between the Prime Minister’s office and New Zealand media with her in New York when it was suggested there would only be one question each allowed at her daily press briefing because of interest from international media.
Initially it was suggested there might be time after the press conference for a ‘truncated” standup with New Zealand media depending on time.
But only one representative of international media turned up in the end and the limit on the number of questions from New Zealand media was removed.’
I mean not only is that pretty embarrassing, like having a party and no one turning up, but shes also managing to annoy her cheerleaders (sorry the NZ MSM)
You sound surprised that media standups are ‘managed’ ?
Sounds like they were being practical about the circumstances ( international media in NY would have not get later standups like the locals would )
In the end the questions filled the time available
True but it wasn’t the international media that got Jacinda elected and has allowed her to interview for a UN position, it was the NZ media so they should feel a bit aggrieved that having got her to this position shes now basically taking them for granted
We all know the media have quite the puffed up belief in their own self importance so they won’t like this sort of behaviour
Maybe
Oh drop the harrassment and sarcasm Chris73 do something positive.
Leave Jacinda alone what did she ever do to you – or are you annoyed that she hasn’t done something for you that you wanted. You have to stand in line as there is so much to do after Natiional’s leaky government period.
“Leave Jacinda alone what did she ever do to you”
I withdraw and apologize, I didn’t realise that what I was saying was having a personal effect on Jacinda and I hope she can get over the terrible things that’ve been said about her on here and that she can move forward and get on with her life
I’m picking your belittling of her as a silly girl who got accidentally elected and doesn’t really know anything useful, will backfire on you.
Because you dislike her politics, you are absurdly under-rating her.
Many on the left did the same to Key. Personally, though I despised Key, despised everything he stood for and despised pretty much everyone who supported him, I never under-rated his effectiveness.
I don’t mind if you continue to get it ridiculously wrong and can’t see her appeal to people who aren’t hard-right ideologues like you. That fact is that although she is only very mildly left of centre, she has a freshness and a genuineness that has wide appeal, especially to women, who are absolutely sick of being led by the same old, same old conservative men. Myself, I would prefer Corbyn, but she is doing absolutely fine.
Keep getting it wrong buddy – you will be left in the dust.
+ 1 nice comment
I underate her because she did nothing in the nine years of opposition except flounce around as the Labour spokesperson for left-wing women aren’t all angry man-hating militant lesbians.
As helpful as that may have been for the Labour party, I personally don’t think that is the necessary skill set required to be a decent PM.
Your views are typically myopic. That is, you only see what you want to see, which isn’t all that much, and you believe that’s all there is to it.
Did you mean unde-rate or under-ate? That sentence was like a train wreck. Your language skills are severely lacking too, which is not all that uncommon for people with myopic views.
Just shows you’ve got no idea.
Good governance doesn’t consist in relentlessly critiquing everything a government does wrong, even when, like the Key kleptocracy, it never did or had any intention of doing anything right.
Voters’ political bandwidth is not infinite; you must find issues that resonate or you’re wasting your time.
There’s a bit of a nasty/nice conflict going on, and soft power is difficult to defeat with bile and belligerence.
The Tahr cull is a better play – the general public won’t fall in love with that anytime soon – the Gnats should play it up, even though the politically aware know they’d poison or mutilate them all at the drop of a hat if there were a $2 coin to be had from it.
It appears to be a case of Ardern and her cheerleaders believing their own publicity.
The old “I’m really, really important and the whole World wants to talk to me” syndrome.
Well bad luck.
The remainder of the press were at a local Starbucks where the Fisheries Minister from the Marshall Islands was going to have a latte.
There is a rumour that the sole representative of the World press who turned up was a young student doing an internship at the Smallville Examiner, a twice-weekly paper in a little town in Kansas. He gave his name as a Mr Kent. His only question was to enquire where the Starbucks was as he was new in town and lost.
Theres nothing wrong in looking for international press, anything that helps NZ exporters is all good but she needs to remember who got her to where she is because they can just as easily get their noses out of joint and start to cause mischief
Of course it makes sense.
If you expect anyone serious to turn up it helps that you have something to say.
Our PM is simply not prepared for that. She may go down very well with the Woman’s Day type publications but not with serious International publications.
She should have spent her nine years in Opposition working at her skills, not in preparing to take selfies with pre-schoolers.
“she needs to remember who got her to where she is”
When its a man he gets acclaim for hobnobbing with international leaders……
save us your sneering misogyny with that ‘she needs to remember’
Going to NY and the UN is all about international presence which has to start somewhere for a new leader.
Indeed. A man is ‘self-made’, but a woman ‘needs to remember who got her there’.
On a positive note. I’m very pleased for Rosemary that the bad disability law is to be overturned. Good on David Clarke calling it shameful. I hope the “consultation” that follows is genuine.
What on earth have they been doing until now? https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/367394/govt-to-look-at-changes-to-disabled-care-pay-policy
More ‘consultation’? Just get on with it.
Yes.
Assessment. Allocation of hours. Choose IF and pay who you choose. Go through a Contracted Provider who can employ a family member.
Done.
And, this is what was happening anyway, before the shitty legislation and in some cases up untill March 2016.
In fact, nah, I need some of the lies admitted to as well.
Funny, but just this morning (early, about 5am) Peter and I were discussing the timing of the announcement of the intention to repeal the Part 4 amendment. Both of us agreed that it was likely to be a “We really, really need a good news story to offset negative shit…” media release.
Considering the complete lack of detail and a ‘consultation’ (sigh, yet another one) period into next year, it would appear the announcement is a little premature.
So easy to implement…just do what the (at least 274) folk who did have family as their paid carers in breach of the pre 2013 policy did.
Stalling.
Chief human rights commissioner David Rutherford adds:
And those same advisors are presumably in charge of this latest round of ‘consultaiton’.
Gold,Sacha. Thanks.
On my phone in very isolated part of the rohe.
Somewhat dependent on others feeding the relevant details.
Journalistic hero in this case, Kirsty Johnston chimes in.
Oh Patricia! Rosemary is a grumpy and suspicious old bag (bugger PC) and will not be happy until she a) sees all documents, discussion and cabinet papers and the like, b) same will have no nasty little blanked out bits like the RIS that came with the 2013 legislation,c) actually get to speak with the independent whatsit their appointing…or more importantly Peter gets to speak with same.
Too cynical to even begin celebrations.
Yes I can understand that. It was good to see it called shameful, because it bloody was and is!!
I see the National Party are advising Derek Handley via former party president, Michelle Boag.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107415207/derek-handley-allegedly-advised-by-former-national-party-president
National are neck deep in Dirty Politics. When will they ever learn?
Considering how Labour treated him I’m not surprised hes going to National for advice
It’s a good wicket. Apply for a job, get National to sabotage it, then collect the compensation.
Boag, ever the trougher will have collected a tidy chunk of that taxpayer payout too.
I wonder if Handley and National have colluding on this from the start…
Man I never knew just how low the National dirty tricks brigade could go.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107416614/derek-handley-met-with-labour-party-president-and-spoke-with-pms-chief-of-staff-about-job
‘Derek Handley met with Labour Party president Nigel Haworth to offer his services to Labour ahead of being offered the role of chief technology officer.
That meeting, which happened before Labour came to power, resulted in a phone call from the Prime Minister’s acting chief of staff Gordon Jon Thompson, where Handley again pitched his help.’
Its impressive to think National were planning this even before Labour came to power
I wonder what else National will have orchestrated…
The Plot Thickens ?
I’m yet to understand what is so sinister about the creation of a CTO role (a good thing), someone in this industry offering their services, and what looks like a rigorous process involving a lot of people around the appointment.
Could you explain what is so sinister?
Its not but Labour pushed Ian Fletcher so you know payback and all that
Lol. So that’s what all this is about?
Politicians have long memories, look at Winston and besides what would Labour do if the show was on the other foot, ignore it?
Concern trolls have long memories too.
What would a CTO do that wasn’t being done already, besides clipping the ticket?
Get the IRD systems into the 21st century for a start.
Hmm, if I was Handley I wouldn’t be very happy with that comment.
I’d probably contact the site owner and ask him to remove it.
Wait. Does ‘BM’ stand for Boag, Michelle?
It’s just an opinion – no need to get your gruts torn over it. Or are you afraid I know something…
It certainly doesn’t look good having a National Party aligned operative in Boag working for Handley. Now that does look sinister!
Lol he doesnt like you i think.
I’ll take that as a compliment. BM is authoritarian, has obvious anger issues, and is quick to resort to abuse.
I find it the height of irony that BM comments on the actions of Meka Whaitiri when, if his behaviour on this site is anything to go by, he himself no doubt treats those around him in a similar fashion.
Is Handy a bit of a Streisand BMmer?
Handley is donating the Govt payout to charity.
Derek Handley and Jacinda Ardern were friendly before Ardern becoming Labour leader and then PM.
Clare Curran was the saboteur.
No. The appointment was to go ahead until the opposition, bitter that they hadn’t managed to unseat Curran earlier, vindictively smashed the room up costing the taxpayer $100K.
Michelle will be loving this, plotting how to bring down Jacindarella.
Yes Ngungukai, she certainly could audition to be the witch. A nasty woman our M Boag.
More pastoral care needed and input from Uni. and government. Much of the counselling available to students with difficulties is paid for from their own fees, and it is prioritised and appears that only urgent cases are seen immediately. In other cases, to get an appointment that is right for the student, they may have to wait – not more than six weeks!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/367350/victoria-university-suicidal-student-wasn-t-evicted-but-told-to-leave
But vice-chancellor Grant Guilford said the use of the word “evicted” was inaccurate.
“The student in question was not evicted. None of our students would be evicted from a hall,” he said.
“When we have a suicide attempt in a halls of residence then usually the student is returned directly to their family or they come back to the halls. If they come back to the halls then we sit down and work through an individual care plan, and part of that care plan is usually a strong recommendation that their health is best protected by going back into a supportive family environment.
“So that conversation occurs and then there’s an arrangement made for the individual’s family to pick them up.”
He said occasionally the university had to “insist” that a student leave when they did not want to.
“We’ve had a small number of occasions over the years where we’ve had to insist that a student goes for their own protection and for the protection of the others,” he said.
“We are firm about this. Just popping someone back into a hostel room because they say they’re going to be okay isn’t good practice and isn’t good care.
*************************
And more unfeeling attitudes to we humans being crushed by the focus on economy instead of society. Machines are an aid, they should not be used as sorting us into types they have defined, which then get input that they have defined etc. There are more interesting stories coming out of ACC about predictive mod. I think.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018664330/predictive-modelling-digital-vs-human-decision-making
Predictive modelling: Digital vs human decision-making
How does MSD use predictive data to target at-risk citizens?
Statistics NZ is running a Data Summit conference in Wellington today and tomorrow, and one of the agencies funding it is our biggest government social agency, the Ministry for Social Development.
It comes ahead of the release of a stock-take of government agencies using algorithms.
MSD’s Deputy Chief Executive for Insights and Investment Nic Blakely tells Kathryn Ryan where the ministry is at with helping our most vulnerable through predictive modelling.
Notes: 1 MSD is Ministry of ‘Social’ Development.
2 Work and Income https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/ – This comes under the Min. of Social Development – in case you aren’t up with the present status of government interest in helping us.
(It doesn’t state NZ next to their name but it does say govt.nz in the heading so it is about us. They also have a pretty picture of a polished red heart which looks like stone and not one they have surgically removed from some donor.)
And the whole basis for their work is to get NZs off the benefit and into work, so reducing annual figures. It is a pity that they don’t have an accompanying department for making jobs that will enable people to live and work in comfort.
Christine Blasey Ford’s prepared remarks to tomorrows judiciary hearing are powerful, and upsetting.
I believe her.
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4945864/Ford-Testimony-2018-09-26.pdf
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/367340/stuff-nzme-merger-would-lead-to-substantial-reduction-of-journalists-court-says
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018664325/redundancies-not-ruled-out-as-stuff-nzme-merger-rejected
Sinead Boucher knows how to talk the talk about the high quality of news reporting the media is aiming for, and may be prevented from bringing us because of the merger being denied. Of course if Fairfax hadn’t sold off Trade Me they would have got the return on adverts that the paper had lost which would have provided the money that they needed.
Given people’s response to the thread involving Ardern invoking the memory of Mandela I thought it would be more appropriate to raise this in open mike rather than on that thread. There is a view that South Africa is currently trapped in some sort of Apartheid menatlity where the Whites benefit from the system whereas the Blacks do not. I think this is nonsense. If there are issues around people in south Africa not being able to advance they have the power to alter that in their hands. The fact is that the country has gone backwards not forwards over the past 10 years mainly because of the mindset of the people in power. It has little to do with the legacy of Apartheid.
Someone said you don’t live in NZ – is that correct?
Gosman
As someone said ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. So South Africa has to work its way through lots of problem that accumulate confusingly, some from the past, the present morass, and what about the future people sometimes ask.
I don’t think they should be damned for being just another version of confused humans caught up in management and ethical problems. Somewhere along the way we will no doubt all get caught up in some sort of Perfect Storm that will eliminate some apparent possibilities, and then TINA. But as you say SA have opportunities still and need to concentrate on discussion and some definite goals. As we must.
Terry Pratchett in Raising Steam has the Low King of the dwarves talk about the problems of the quarrelsome, individualistic dwarves (possibly an analogy of ourselves):
‘I am here to tell you, my friends and, indeed, my smiling enemies, that if we do not band together against the forces that wish to keep us in darkness dwarfkind will be diminished. We need to work together, talk to one another, deal properly with one another and not spend all our time in one enormous grump that the world isn’t entirely ours any more and, at the finish, ruin it for everyone. After all, who would deal with such as us in a world of new choices? In truth, we should act as sapient creatures should! If we don’t move with the future, the future will twist and roll right over us.’
One aged dwarf responds on the subject of vandalistic destruction of their telegraph system, the clack towers – in short:
‘What are we but creatures of communication and communication accurately communicated is a benison to be cherished by all species everywhere.. discourse and compromise are cornerstones in the proper world of politics…’
It’s a story but Terry Pratchett was a bright spark with a good knowledge about everything, and worked with similar others, and his books are full of references to our present problems that show up in the Discworld of his imagination.
I thought you’d know the answer to that Marty.
Nah – I always thought you did so I was surprised when someone said it. Think of the question from a Māori perspective of creating context – it even is important with our personas I find 😊. Anyway i thought I’d ask – any response is understandable.
Plutocracy tries to take on democracy…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/107412125/rich-lister-sues-energy-minister-and-coalition-over-oil-and-gas-moves
Bring it on, fat cat.
So no bias or any hint of wrongdoing by Curran or the PM over the CTO role.
None.
No smoking gun. Nothing.
Just the National Party screwing things up for Handley, Curran, the PM, and the New Zealand public.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107422821/no-bias-in-handley-recruitment-report-concludes
They’d better move on to screwing things up for Maori (which is what they are best at), and the high country environment (they’re good at screwing that up too).
Of course you accept this. You are probably like Michael Cullen who welcomed such an enquiry about Taito Phillip Field.
Remember him? The only MP we have ever had who was jailed for corruption in office.
The then Government set up an enquiry that exonerated him.
Run by an eminent QC who turned in the report the Government needed.
At the time Michael Cullen, now the favourite of a useless Government said.
” It is typical of National Party members that, when faced with an independent inquiry, they immediately reject the conclusions if they do not like them. Those members come straight out of Alice in Wonderland—sentence first, then hear the evidence afterwards. That is their approach to justice.”
and then
“After all, the fundamental fault Mr Field committed was to work too hard on behalf of the many, many hundreds of people who come to his electorate office on immigration matters”.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/48HansD_20060718_00000802/urgent-debates-taito-phillip-field-report-of-dr-noel
Well any Government can set up an enquiry that well say anything they want. It doesn’t mean it is necessarily accurate of course.
This Coalition of Losers appear to have done precisely that here.
You are struggling aren’t you?
This one is done. Dirty Politics just didn’t work this time.
Move on to Meka Whaitiri, or Wally Haumaha. Looks like the Nats are neck deep in those issues too so maybe you’ll have better luck?
Donna Awatere wasnt corrupt while in office ?
Then there was nationals MP and Minister Richard Worth who was offering official appointments to ( a) woman in return for sex ( before he was rolled for other sexual escapades)
I didn’t really follow that case.
You did notice that they kicked her out of the House I presume?
And Richard Worth was very quickly gone from Parliament as well. As were a couple of other National members who did not maintain the high standards Key required.
But Curran remains. So does the one who assaulted a staff member.
So far, anyway.
Didn’t Labour learn anything from Taito Phillip Field? They still seem only too happy to stand up for people who should be told to quit. Read the rubbish the Cullen came out with and tell me you honestly approve. Doesn’t it embarrass you?
The party leadership seemed happy to leave Darren Hughes there after his misbehaviour as well. Goff covered his eyes and tried to pretend that nothing had happened. His deputy said she was sound asleep at the time.
Remind you of the MP who was at the Young Labour do? Sound asleep. Never heard a thing.
Why don’t they clean out the ratbags in their ranks? It wouldn’t be seen as weakness. It would be seen as insisting on the highest standards from people who claim the right to tell everyone else in New Zealand how they are to behave.
Why is it so hard for them to do that?
Are you seriously equating what Richard Worth did with Clare Curran’s appointment efforts?
That is a level of derangement I’ve not seen in some time. Breathtaking.
I suggest you take it up with the person who contributes under the pseudonym of Dukeofurl.
He seems to wish to equate them. I was merely commenting on his opinion on the matter.
Are you seriously saying that Dukeofurl is deranged? Well I suppose it takes one to know one so perhaps you are correct.
It’s going to be mighty entertaining to watch you try to describe how Curran is corrupt.
I think that Curran is a liar and a fool.
How she ever got into the Cabinet is a total mystery.
I don’t believe I have ever actually described her as corrupt though.
People senior to her in this Government qualify though.
Biggest pile of bull shit ever, no one’s fooled except for a few dimwitted left wingers, such as yourself.
The whole thing stinks like a dirty arse.
https://twitter.com/dpfdpf/status/1045131037137764352
Going to Farrar for your opinions again, Michelle?
Saw Ardern on Colbert
Actually pretty impressed after the other 2 fluff ones.
Did Colbert know her name, and how to pronounce it?
He was talking to Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie last night on the show and was trying to find out how her name was pronounced. He certainly seems to leave it late to find out who the people he is going to have to interview really are. In fact he had to ask his staff when she was going to be on the program.
He also seemed to need assistance in finding out what he should ask her. Then he had no idea what the Capital of New Zealand is.
Didn’t see the intro, but she managed to dodge questions about the laughs at Trump well and got an advert for new direct flights to the U.S. in, which I thought was quite clever, and made a change from going on for 5 minutes about babies like the other ones
Why are you so unhappy all the time?
Irritable BM syndrome?
He doesn’t know how his own name’s pronounced wally.
Hello Gobby. Welcome back.
Back hair wally?
I understand that your revised medication is working for you Gobby.
That must be very nice for your relatives and friends.
It’s pronounced all-whine.
Everything before ‘But’ is bullshit.
Harking from New Zealand’s oil drilling heartland, a New Plymouth newscaster sees a new career niche for himself as a doubtcaster.
Following hard on the heels of the MBIE costings of the loss of taxes and wages, (no mention of loss to profits), caused by the cancellation on issuing any more oil prospecting licences. (Not the stopping new oil prospecting, as some oil industry alarmists claim), comes this:
Questioning the climate change inconsistencies
Jim Tucker – September 27, 2018
Not to be outdone:
EV drivers are bludgers costing NZ roads $7m per year
Rob Maetzig – September 27, 2018
Are these sort of news articles any conicidence at a time when the oil industry are squealing like stuck pigs at even the slightest of restrictions to drill baby drill forget about the climate costs. (we can externalise these costs and pass them on to you or your grandchildren)
Kia ora The Am Show EatMYlunch is a awesome cause 1 million lunches made .
How it works is when one buy lunch from eatmylunch they pay for 2 and one lunch is given to needy children free ka pai.
A criminal case review commission is what is needed interdependent review’s .
These people don’t have the money to higher lawyer to correct cases were people are charged for a crime they did not commit.
Mark I do say old guy’s matter but what they are doing to OUR World society treating it like a toilet has to STOP.
Finally the old men tangata wai splashing in there faces.
Duncan the tec guy was a set up from the start the timing of his release of his emails speaks clear and loud set up.
Yes judy tec guy it is all a bit strange if one has intelligence one could see it Duncan I hear bell’s lol. Heres a link below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107440994/derek-handley-refuses-to-confirm-or-deny-links-to-former-national-party-president-michelle-boag
Mark your poll gives a % 70 pass rate and climbing .
Look’s live Tova having a good time in New York .
Ka kite ano
The Cafe many thanks for high lighting FREEDOM FROM HUNGER DAY and play a song of Gorge Michaels FREEDOM
Mike Eco can see back ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgGr_n4fgyI&list=RDDgGr_n4fgyI&start_radio=1&t=7
Many thanks to the Indian Judges who have struck out laws that gave the man power to dominate wahine in Indian.
Ka pai te Papatuanuku society is growing up becoming more humane.
I know that Indian wahine still have a long road to walk but this is a good start Mana wahine link below Ka kite ano
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/27/asia/india-adultery-law-intl/index.html
I beleve that Kavnaugh is guilty first it is well know the American collage party culture there are a lot of movies made about this fact and many collage city’s in the west copy this culture .
Then he makes out hes a saint when we know what the side effects of drinking to much does to one self control and memory .
Any decent man would step down why because he is putting undue STRESS on his Family I put my family first . link is below Ka kite ano
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/107445581/wall-street-silence-tears-on-planes-us-watched-transfixed-as-she-told-her-story
Kia ora Newshub the star will not lose any shine when she gets back.
That’s the way students don’t let the power’s that be treat you as a lesser being.
Well that’s cool that the American owner of that farming station conforming to the Kiwi way of doing things ka pai
OUR Orca have a heap of pcp chemicals in there systems I read that Canada Orca half of there deaths are because of chemical in there environment this is why Im against poisons as we don’t know the long term effects they have on us or the creatures or our environment.
Some people just think about the now and not tomorrow that is quite plan to see.
They have not tested for long term effects have they of chemicals .
Elon Oil baron’s enough said.
Mr loop hole that English lawyer tell’s me I’m correct money can buy impunity .
That Mega Yacht is a beautiful boat there you go our boat industry’s are booming ka pai
It’s about time that the council in Te taiwhiti is trying to find solution’s to the mess that has been caused by clear felling whole forestry’s and flooding. That problem is all the way down the coast. The positive thing about it is the Trawler’s will be pushed out deeper or they will lose or rip up there trawling gear . That happen a bit after Cyclone Bolar .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Storm .The Rugby & League Grandfinal will be awesome this weekend .
One can see that I don’t know the over sea Netball team’s name’s Storm I tau toko the Silver Fern’s cool outfit Wai lol laughter is good for the wairua .
Kia kaha te Apricots Cricket team .
The ball skills of our Rugby and League team’s are quite awesome to watch .
Ka kite ano P.S The League wahine team’s have some mean tackles Kia kaha