How could anyone one amount a proper defence against this?
Shameful
Saudi Arabia?
One of their Western allies??
New Zealand?!?
Really?
How can this be right?
How does this gel with this country being a liberal democracy?
It doesn’t
All the accused knows is the penalty.
They don’t know who accused them.
They don’t know the evidence against them.
Shouldn’t the accused at least know the charges against them?
Shouldn’t the person or agency behind the charges be known to the accused?
Shouldn’t the accused at least have the right to be at the hearing, instead of being tried in absentia?
Much of the argument seems to have centred on how much the woman can know of the allegations made against her…….
,,,,,,,She has been excluded from most of the process. Instead a “special advocate”, lawyer Ben Keith, was appointed to look at the security information and put forward arguments that might help the woman’s case…….
……Instead the Crown was to give her a summary of the security information, that the judge said should “to the greatest extent possible” convey the gist of the case against her so she could prepare a rebuttal.
Two hearings took place about her case at the High Court in Wellington on Friday. The first was “closed” court in a below-ground courtroom with the woman excluded, but then a second session took place in another courtroom with her via a phone conference.
Another closed court hearing is planned for next week……
A fascinating case, eh? You’re right to express your concerns about it, and I feel similarly. For a citizen to have their passport cancelled on security grounds to “impede her ability to facilitate actions of the type that made her a danger to the security of a country other than New Zealand” suggests the authorities see her as an actual or potential terrorist.
Regardless of that, she has the right to know why. Freedom of information law presumably applies – it’s a puzzle that the judiciary is struggling with it.
An earlier court decision referred to her passport being cancelled on the grounds that it would impede her ability to facilitate actions of the type that made her a danger to the security of a country other than New Zealand.
Which “other” unnamed country is it, that has taken this woman to court?
Is it Israel? Is it Saudi Arabia? Is it Australia? Is it Trump’s America? Is it Indonesia? Is it China?
There are some profound implications whichever country it is, depending on what their motivation is.
Has this country been guilty of human rights violations?
What is it that this person could allegedly do to hurt the “security” of this country?
If this woman is threatening or plotting violence against the security of this other country, why she not being charged with offences under the New Zealand Counter Terrorism Act?
Is this woman’s alleged ability to harm this country, reputational harm?
If she is not a terrorist;
Is she a journalist?
Is she a political activist?
Is she a whistle blower?
How can a foreign country take a New Zealander to court?
The implications for the case of the country of Israel seeking to obtain damages from two New Zealanders is profound.
If the US sinks into totalitarianism, (as some are saying is a very real possibility), will we see further such cases taken against New Zealanders by other countries through our security services?
There was a farmer in Hawkes Bay, Bill Youren, who was refused a passport to visit China in the 1950s. He argued that, although the New Zealand Government had the right to decide which foreigners were allowed to enter New Zealand they had no right to say, in the absence of a war, where New Zealand citizens were allowed to travel.
He did get his passport in the end and visited China several times.
Later on, in the time of the Kirk Government he made the same argument from what many would think was the other side of the fence. He argued, from the same viewpoint, that the New Zealand had no right at all to try and prevent a New Zealand Rugby team visiting South Africa, He didn’t win that one.
Although I have described him as a farmer, which he was for most of his life, he was well versed in the Law. He had, among other things, a LLM with First Class honours and had practised for a short time as a lawyer.
Great article Selwyn and thanks for keeping the ‘blowtorch’ on Bridges and co.
We all worry if the national sleaze have gotten control of all of Jami Lee Ross evidence and recordings already????
Could Jami’s ‘lover’ actually stolen or copied them?
We hope the police seized all Jami Lee Ross’s evidence and files on hard drives along with stored phone texts and voice recordings as the communications industry and the five eyes network also store these files as we all know that storing of all our communications is now stolen and confirmed by several ‘leakers’, Assange, Snowden, kim.com, and Nikki Hagar to name a few.
Quote from Selwyn Manning article; “Because the inquiry reports back to Bridges, who as leader may well be one of the protagonists. Also, the report will not be released to the public which leaves it as a golden prize, the holy grail, for any journalist and, irrespective of who it damns or exonerates, will become a currency for any MP with leadership ambitions.
As it now stands, Bridges’ worst nightmare must be not knowing what Jami-Lee Ross recorded and at what point did he begin taping the National Party leader’s conversations.
If those recordings contain further embarrassing or damaging content and references, then he will be finished as leader. Bridges, as leader, even if he has a clear conscience, must be wracking his memory as to past conversations and comments while knowing the conversations may be in the hands of people with whom he has lost their trust.
And the question remains unanswered: Was Paula Bennett recorded as well?”
What’s important here is that Selwyn is acting in the public interest: “A sworn-to timeline of events is now essential so that the public interest can be satisfied.”
Those seeking to enforce the mushroom strategy via privacy law will shit themselves. He provides some moral guidance to the Nats: “The inquiry must examine the National leadership team’s actions and culture, test whether they acted in a proper and timely manner, and assess whether their actions considered a concern for the welfare and mental health of an MP they had previously supported, promoted, and embedded within their leadership team.”
Of course, none of this will happen. Denial will prevail. The toxic National culture will remain, will very likely take down their current leader, and his replacement eventually as well. National must hit rock bottom before members start to acknowledge that becoming positive role models is better politics.
“Those seeking to enforce the mushroom strategy via privacy law will shit themselves.”
No, Dennis – presuming you are talking about those of us here arguing that no-one has any right to knowledge about Ross’ medical conditions, diagnosis and related matters UNLESS Ross chooses to make this information public – we will not be “shitting ourselves”.
Selwyn understands the very big difference between publicly discussing, and expressing opinions on, the surrounding wider circumstances and timelines etc of the present National Party fiasco from a political perspective – and the much more specific and personal details of an individual person’s medical condition and information and the privacy and civil right law and rules relating to that – regardless of the fact that the person is a parliamentarian at the centre of that fiasco.
You have not understood that very real distinction throughout the discussions here and on other blogs, eg Public Address.
Selwyn does – and has steered well clear of that aspect.
His article is one of the best I have seen to date and I recommend everyone read it.
Also – Whaleoil has a further post up this morning countering in detail some of the timeline and events reported in Fisher’s Herald article yesterday. I will not link but it is an interesting read.
Thanks, that’s an excellent work of philosophical analysis and literary criticism from a woman of discernment, with many penetrating insights. I rate her essay 10/10, and rare nowadays to be so impressed by intellectual artistry. Here’s the section I thought most timely:
“Today, the voguish version of science as religion is transhumanism, which claims that technology will overcome human limitations both physical and mental, perhaps through bioengineering or artificial intelligence or cyborgs that can carry around the contents of our brains. Gray is not sanguine about such developments, should they ever occur, because we already have a model of the mayhem that takes place when some mortals are granted godlike powers: “Anyone who wants a glimpse of what a post-human future might be like should read Homer.””
Trusted – Nicky Hager, Rod Oram for financial news, John Campbell, Gordon Campbell
Not Trusted – where do you start – about 65% of journalists in NZ – Fran O’Sulivan is just a paid for hack, who fell to dirty politics, Patrick Gower who thinks the news is about himself, Hoskings is obviously rock bottom… so many bad ones…
Fran is a curious case – writes a lot of stuff that’s no better than the likes of John Armstrong. But she is a serious journalist, capable of some intellectual rigour, and every now and then she shows it big time.
Maybe she should stop taking all those paid for trips and goodies from business… you might be capable of serious journalism But if you have no sense of personal compromise, and are for Sale, or able to be manipulated. None have any place in serious journalism.
That is, I think, a failure of the community of which she is part, as much as hers. She does stir them up from time to time, but can’t do all the heavy lifting. NZ’s commercial class are big frogs in a small pond – not good for much more than croaking.
Work out how many paid ‘trips’ and ‘perks’ she receives from business and then look at what she promotes and you will see a pattern… I think she’s had free trips to China, Israel, those are the publicised ones…
Trump supporters are going crazy, by first claiming it was a false flag operation by those aligned to ‘liberals’, and now the evidence has pointed to an out and out Trump supporter , they are saying. It was Soros money which paid him to do it.
Trump called them ‘devices’ rather than Bombs and other ways to deny what they are.
“Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows”
“In the past, “false flag” theories have mostly been aired in more openly conspiratorial media outlets like Alex Jones’s Infowars.
The term has been used by Jones and other conspiracy theorists to allege that violent attacks have been carried out not by their apparent authors, but by powerful, manipulative actors seeking to deceive observers and hide their own responsibility. Its adoption this week by a broad range of rightwingers suggests an increasing openness to conspiracy theory in more mainstream conservative media.
Bombs sent, people threatened … Trump’s response? Attack the media.
The term has been used by Jones and other conspiracy theorists to allege that violent attacks have been carried out not by their apparent authors, but by powerful, manipulative actors seeking to deceive observers and hide their own responsibility. Its adoption this week by a broad range of rightwingers suggests an increasing openness to conspiracy theory in more mainstream conservative media.”
Just before the alleged bomber’s account was suspended someone archived his follows page. It only caught the first twenty or so but no doubt some of his more notable followees are flat out dumping stuff down the memory hole.
Poor old Phil Twyford.
Imagine having to get up and, in order to protect your boss who has been lying, you have to announce that you have known for the whole year that no other local body will be allowed to have a petrol tax.
Meanwhile you have been telling at least one local body that they should apply to be allowed to levy the tax.
This was after you had told everyone that you first heard about the proposal on the day it had been announced, and you had your associate Minister say that it was the actual announcement in Parliament that was the first he had heard about it.
However the Captain has made a call and wants to lie about when she made it so you are forced to get up and tell everyone that you have a memory like a sieve, and have been gaily misleading the Local Bodies who have been relying on your word.
I realise that Twyford is incompetent but I thought he had a little bit of a spine.
Instead he seems to be like the person described so unfairly by, among others, Paul Keating, Mike Moore and Harold Wilson.
“He is a shiver looking for a spine to run up”.
What is it really about Ardern that prevents her from ever telling the truth about her actions? https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12148656
“Her comments follow Transport Minister Phil Twyford suggesting to Radio NZ this morning that he only found out about the ban yesterday, just hours before Ardern publicly ruled out any more regional fuel taxes while she is PM.”
…then…
“”I’ve been fully aware of the Prime Minister’s views on this issue going back to the beginning of this year,” Twyford said. Despite that, he did not inform any of the 14 councils that have expressed an interest in having a regional fuel tax.”
and…
“Twyford has previously encouraged Hamilton City Council to engage with the Minsitry of Transport about a regional fuel tax, and councillor Dave Macpherson said Ardern’s pledge was a kick in the guts.”
If Twyford new about “the Prime Minister’s views on this issue going back to the beginning of this year”, then why was he encouraging councils to “engage with the Minsitry of Transport about a regional fuel tax.”?
Either the PM is lying, or Twyford has lost the plot.
Ardern has excellent political radar (better than Key’s) and if her instincts tell her there’s an issue or threat, she changes tack. It’s an excellent trait and will serve the Coalition Of The Numerate (COTN) extremely well for a very long time.
Twyford is a decent bloke who will ultimately be judged only on whether he can at least partially deflate the housing bubble deliberately engineered by the National Party to enrich their supporters and themselves, without caring in the least that it would mean permanent impoverishment for others.
Such was the moral failure of the foetid Key-English government that no-one will be listening to your partisan nit-picking for years. This is a very, very good thing.
Note: COTN means those people who realise that 37 + 7 +5 > 43
It would help if the Green movement in Aotearoa had an authorititative non-parliamentary media presence. All we have currently is a sporadic stream of single-issue commentary from a bunch of Green groups content to rest on their laurels as an exhibition of middle-class complacency.
Trotter hates the Greens and has never really tried to understand them. He wants rid of them.
He is an unreconstructed Old Lefty and writes very well, often brilliantly, about that sector of traditional left-wing union-dominated politics. Nothing wrong with any of that BTW-all power to the unions.
But why he attacks the Greens when Labour will probably never be able to form a government without the Greens I can’t fathom.
Meanwhile the Greens are polling 7% and doing fine.
You are right Trotter has never been too positive about the Greens, but the current Greens needs a kick up their arses and a dose of the real world.
Banning Twitter is a must so they have interact with real people. Also going outside their normal cliques would probably keep them on a more even keel. Thankfully the Marama and James ‘tweets’ buttons on their websites don’t work or are empty- a metaphor??? who knows.
The new look Green website has been changed so that Marama and James profiles are the leading navigation now.. (Policy 6th along), and about 60% of the site is made up of pics of Marama- crazy
They should join forces with Patrick Gower as the news is starting to be about themselves against what is really going on.
The only interesting thing I found was they they want to make donations over $1000 declared, but in my views does not go far enough, everything or at least everything over $100 should be declared plus make a crime for multiple donations to not be declared if they go over the figure. Do they want transparency or not?
Again Greens are on the right track but then woefully don’t go far enough.
The issue for OIA is also that the applicants put forward all these great proposals via their lawyers for OIA and there is no time frames or penalty if they fail to do what they say.
They need to make the applicant who fails to do what they say to sell the asset and give the full amount back to government plus a fine based on the amount of the assets and the OIA legal costs, if they don’t come through with what they said they would when they bought the asset.
There should also be some sort of public good as well in OIA, at present some of these assets are just being bought and what ever the applicant promised coming to zero with lost jobs, lost assets to community and doing the opposite of their intention.
Yes some naive still believe that social media is a true representation.
“Up to 9.5 million net neutrality comments were made with stolen identities
NY AG subpoenas lobby firms, says fake comments “distort[ed] public opinion.”
Still better policy from Greens as you say the TPPA, but sadly instead of being the frontrunner on their promotions of their party… we get the Marama cult pics.
ridiculous, if it is at the expense of their polices and other members and community. 60% hogging of a website if ridiculous, as is forgetting to put on the real news of real policy fights aka Bearded Git says about TPPA – that is one of Greens big differences from all the other parties that sold out – they should be crying it from the roof tops.
Yes you are right 60% is an overreaction. I guess I’m more interested in the party and it’s policies than the people. I don’t like the new look navigation that has too much (in my view) of the leaders rather than highlighting Green policy which in my view is why people like the Greens aka their Policy.
Too late for me to delete the above comment but I withdraw it, aka suggesting Marama is hogging the website, which is unfair. Sorry, when I looked again at the website again and wider subjects I could see that my comment was wrong.
“”This must mean a lot to you, with you coming from nothing?”
I looked at her, and I laughed.
“I didnae come from nothing,” I told her. “I come from something.”
he explains
“There is this viewpoint that if you have come from the working class you have come from nothing, whereas the middle and upper classes are something, and I don’t hold with that opinion. I think the working class is something. It is everything. They are the builders of society, and without them the whole house falls down.”
and
“I am very proud to be working class, and especially a working-class Glaswegian who has worked in the shipyards. It is something, and don’t you forget it. I come from something. I come from the working class. And, most of all, I come from Scotland.”
Louis CK? He was one of the many guys who got busted for sexual harassment wasn’t he? That’s some great quotes from Connolly, and true too, “from nothing”, how insulting.
Dukeofurl:I do like those words from Billy. They resonate. And those other middle class people who have been pulled and pushed “up” by wealthy parents, are not real people to me. To be measured by wealth seems so wrong.
I don’t actually have a favourite, seeing design and/or functionality flaws in all. I rate Public Address for combining culture with politics in a non-partisan frame suitable for centrists, whilst seeing it as inadequate at the political interface.
Bowalley Road is an ongoing parade of Trotter’s antique leftism, but I’ll give him credit for wising up compared to the Political Review, which was show instead of substance.
Pundit has the fatal flaw of being fronted by people most of whom have been absent non-contributors for years. Old wallpaper. Yet it still has helpful essays and discussions now & then. Werewolf disappoints more often than delivers. I was a fan when Gordon was doing his thing for the Listener in the seventies.
The Archdruid is often excellent on political analysis, and on cultural analysis too. His esoterica is only partially compatible with mine, but he has Green street cred big-time.
I read Newsroom (good) Zerohedge (bit crappy very right wing but sometimes good info especially financial) thecanary (left wing UK) Realclearpolitics and nate silver’s site fivethirtyeight (to follow the US elections) but always start with the Standard.
I used to read The Political Scientist by Puddleglum but there hasn’t been a post for over a year now. They were long, intelligent & insightful, and full of compassion without being patronising, arrogant, or moralising. I do miss it.
I also like exhALANt. Long posts on a wide variety of topics that are well supported with links and clearly not written in just half an hour – clearly a lot of background work goes into those posts (quality & quantity!). Again, compassionate comes to mind.
I also used to read Boots Theory but that has gone quiet too. Good shorter posts from a strong intelligent woman with a great sense of humour.
The only other NZ blogsite I visit is Sciblogs that covers a very wide range of topics, mostly on science stuff of course, but also the politics around it and its place in society. The MSM really dropped the ball in terms of science communication & reporting.
That’s it for me as far as NZ blogs go; a surprisingly small number to keep an eye on
TS takes up much of my very few spare hours during the week and my mind can only cope with so much
Thanks incognito
I’ve noted those.
I can concur withe your last para, and did a cost-benefit analysis! It showed too high an opportunity cost. Don’t know where Puddleglum went to but always worth reading, also Olwyn, always good, and many others gone. Some may be dead – a lot of us putting our minds to events are getting aged and maybe our minds give out or our time, as we need to pay attention to our failing cohort.
Most but not all people when they get older learn to distinguish between what’s more and less important and accordingly waste less of their time on irrelevant trivia.
One would hope and like to think that many a good poster/commenter here on TS have active lives outside of TS and more enjoyable activities than banging their heads on an electronic device
This was (also) on my mind to me when I wrote my Post Fighting for a just cause is empowering.
Thanks for that. I always enjoyed reading Puddlegum’s comments so it is good to know they are still around and have now bookmarked the Twitter account.
I also rechecked Weka’s Twitter account this morning, and it seems she has not tweeted since April when she left here also.
Hope they get to the bottom of what caused the poisoning as it sounds like it was installed by a plumber.
Can’t think of anything worse than losing a child – especially in a freak accident like that.
The other day was talking to someone and they said a gas powered oven blew up because a ring that was supposed to be fitted to meet NZ standards had not been fitted. The oven was fine, it was correctly installed, but the reseller had not inserted the correct part.
Chris Trotter has also published an analysis of the warping effect of parliament on how the media report politics. His thesis identifies proximity to power as the warp factor. All very `absolutely negatively Wellington’…
“National’s proposed review does, however, serve as a useful pointer to our capital city’s flawed culture of power – as well as to its long-standing imperviousness to reform. There is simply too much power on offer in Wellington for anyone with the slightest chance of wielding it, limiting it.”
“Proximity lies at the heart of the capital’s power culture. The higher an ambitious person climbs, the closer they get to the people who exercise decisive political authority. This proximity works both vertically and horizontally. The higher one climbs, the more opportunities one finds to influence the course of events. This, in turn, encourages other ambitious souls to get as close as possible to the successful climber. Power in Wellington thus flows not only up and down the city’s many hierarchies, but also through them, spreading outwards in all directions.”
“In the centre of this three-dimensional web of power looms the parliamentary complex. The Beehive and the House of Representatives are the most obvious repositories of executive and legislative authority. Easily forgotten, however, when mapping the distribution of power, is the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Its members enjoy an enviable degree of access to the entire cast of Government and Opposition players. In the proximity-to-power stakes, few get as up-close-and-personal as political journalists.”
And we see the curtain parted slightly when Bridges went ballistic against the Gallery media, as in this Tracy Watkins story
Bridges’ valve burst Wednesday evening when he phoned around political editors to warn them he had been defamed and his reputation damaged.[ie repeat it and the lawyers will go after you]
In his conversation with me, he threatened to walk away from our weekly interview because I was too negative.
Yes indeed. Could be just me, but does seem rather trumpian of him to venture off into an aggressive campaign against the media. One can easily imagine the political psychology motivating him: “Me Don Quixote, have big lance, will joust vigorously against the nasty media barbarians!”
I skimmed the Trotter story and this stood out for me
If the true function of a parliamentary press gallery journalist is act as the glove into which power inserts its steely hand, then their formal democratic role is nothing but a sham.
and this is a follow up to questions about how close Ross was to journalists and some that have ‘lost their voice totally in the last 2 weeks’- never a good thing to have writers block when your beat is a fast news cycle ! LOL
“Was Jami-Lee’s downfall the result of him having too many enemies in National’s caucus – or too many friends in the Press Gallery”
And, now here is where you have to suspend credulity a little…
“First KiwiBuild families continues Labour tradition of providing decent, warm, dry homes…..”I won’t be carrying a coffee table today,” Ardern told residents at the new McLennan Park development, a reference to the famous image of former Labour Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage lifting a dining table through the crowd at the opening of the first state house in 1937.”
Is anyone else thinking this will bite them in the arse once those buyers find themselves underwater?
Spiralling cost of living + looming GFC mark II, the depression version *shakes head* equals historic moment, but not one you necessarily want photographed.
spiralling cost of living + looming GFC mark II, the depression, etc will do in anyone – mortgage holder or not.
in fact those holding a mortgage can at least try to find flat mates to help with the cost, but those who rent a shit outta luck under your scenario and can fight for a place under a bridge or in a bus stop??…..
what would be an affordable houseprice price for a million + people city, powerhouse – in fact teh only place in NZ where once has at least a fighting chance at full time all year round work ?
compared to the rest of the country? Serious question.
And then next serious question, why do all houses need to come with a double garage, a ‘entrance hallway with chandelier’, dishwasher and such? Maybe people don’t actually want affordable, but rather trimmings n shit.
“Is anyone else thinking this will bite them in the arse….?”
I thought earlier that their arses would have been well and truly bitten by the mere fact that Our Shiny New Leader very clumsily referenced Savage helping the first State House tenants move in in 1937….their rent being one third of the household’s income. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/we-call-it-home/first-state-house
As if we wouldn’t go lookitup! Fast forward to the 60th birthday of that very first state house and the…
“…the Nysse family, John and Winnie and their three children. The family told the New Zealand Herald that they were finding it difficult to make ends meet under the regime of market rents introduced in 1991. The family’s sole source of income was John’s pension, which brought in $292 per week. After paying a rental of $215, the family was left with just $77 to live on. Whereas the McGregor family had handed over about a third of their income to live in 12 Fife Lane, the Nysse family paid nearly three-quarters of theirs.”
I digress. And am wrongly conflating as I am wont to do.
As if the struggles in 1997 of the Nysee family under the ‘regime of market rents…’ can in anyway be connected to the absolute flucking irony of a current Labour Prime Minister exploiting the birth of state housing in New Zealand at an event assuring their backers of the continuation of government obeisance to the gods of the Market.
Whew.
Thought we were looking at some kind of radical turn- the- clock- back- to -kinder times type crap.
Rosemary “the most ardent Ardern flag wavers are hanging their heads in embarrassment” After reading your comments twice I decided they say more about you than them.
The Government is building state homes, kiwi build homes and partnership homes in an endeavour to make a difference to the availability of houses as homes not gambling chips for developers. Prices have actually begun to stabilise.
You forgot to quote Jacinda’s comment that working middle NZers wanting a home had been shut out in Auckland where the average $million home was out of reach. So $649.000 is $351 000 less is a success in Auckland, and prices will be lower elsewhere in the country for a 4 bed home.
You also didn’t mention how thrilled the couple were. Quote “It felt like winning Lotto to win the ballot to get one of the first 18 houses.
So what was the point of your comment? They should build only state houses.? or
IKiwibuild is a failure because you say so? or Noone should wave a flag at Ardern/Twyford’s parade? or Perhaps I missed something?
Did you miss the bit where Ardern tried to join today’s event with Savage helping the first State House tenants move in back in 1937?
To compare the two is…well…deceitful, and the glamour only works because it seems that the premise that the COL seems to be relying on, to wit, the bulk of the voting public are fwits, holds true.
And maybe you can help me out here….the featured couple who bought the reasonably priced four bedroom Kiwibuild home…where were their children?
They have a little girl I believe. The Mother is a graduating Doctor. Yes Perhaps they should have kept those comparisons for state homes. Don’t forget as soon as in Nov their mortgage takes over, the Governments money will be recycled into another kiwi build home.
patricia, it is hard not to be skeptical after nearly a decade of National, who continued the fine work of the previous Labour government.
National took using the media to polish their image to new heights (or depths), and Key was more than happy to play the grinning fool frontman while the true power operated behind the scenes.
I am yet to be convinced that this PM is not being similarly deployed.
I am not the only left leaning voter who is immune to the hype, and it is our vote which will be needed at the next election if this government’s high sounding plans have a chance to be realised.
Today’s event was poorly constructed and Ardern’s use of the Savage reference was clumsy. And that’s the trouble with turning such an event into a political campaign….a major slip like that will be seen by all. A smart media advisor should be working out a way to mitigate the damage.
Or not.
They can gamble on securing the vote of the hard working middle and say ‘stuff the poor and the sick and the disabled, we’ll pitch to the middle with Kiwibuild and a few we-do-give-a-shit-about the-planet policies’ and hope like hell that National aren’t able to rise from the ashes by the time the hoardings go up.
Rosemary, the carer’s and poor issues should have higher priority for sure.
Housing New Zealand has news item 24th October 2018 you might find interesting. Regenerating regional nz housing.
A short and pointless attack piece from Brigitte Morten on RNZ. Actually seems like she is struggling to find an angle to attack on.
She refers to “what they delivered to taxpayers”. Of course a government should deliver to citizens, regardless of what tax they are paying. A Freudian slip from a right-wing mentality – unable to see the difference between a community and a country – and a profit-seeking business.
Because he’s an old fossil that thinks she’s really a nice young filly despite all her silly politics?
And there was also NZ’s musical icon – a balding Dave Dobbyn dressed in a designer shirt and jeans singing ‘Welcome Home’
I predicted that if Trump loses the midterms that his supporters would react violently against the people and organisations Trump regularly targets in his speeches.
It looks like one of his supporters couldn’t wait that long.
When this Right Wing violence targeting the Left breaks out, and Left act to defend themselves, I think we can expect that Donald Trump will say again, “There was violence on both sides folks.”
Before using the unrest to impose martial law.
“Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel and right-wing radio have preyed upon those who’ve seen their American Dream go up in smoke, and they have helped to create a generation of angry and violent conspiracy theorists who will believe any lie that is perpetrated on those airwaves. These angry right wing men have been openly encouraged to act on those lies, even as late as this very morning when Trump was tweeting his doubts that the bombs were real.”
After condemning violence Trump goes on to minimise the bombing threats by likening these attacks to the criticism he commonly receives from the media.
Kia ora Robert from R&R Aotearoa has some raciest bias problem but by know means is it as bad as the other 4 eyes they have a much bigger problems with raciest problems.
Stereotyping maori a theft that’s the mindset the sandflys think I have got but we know that there ancestor robbed maori .
So teaching the all the moko’s about our history and how great maori culture is will be the way to change the other cultures views on Maori .
Ka kite ano P.S Thats correct Maori are raciest to I have said what my nicname was when I was young no one is going to call me that now.
The Hui doctor Joe Williams should be given a taonga for his work in using natural .
Cream for healing eczema that has healed a lot of people.
You know that big Pharma are pushing to suppress Doctor Joe and his cures the old who suppressing alternative medicines they cannot charge you if you can use plants to heal people.
Ka pai to the first Wahine Maori Temata as the student president of Victoria University .
I say she will make a good politician Ka pai.
Ka kite ano
Obama cited a recent Trump comment that he would pass a tax cut before the November election. “Congress isn’t even in session before the election. He just makes stuff up,” he said. Ana to kai trump . Ka kite ano trump Ka kite ano link is below.
Before national got into power 10 years ago I remember seeing story comparing Aus Brit NZ grocery prices and NZ was the cheapest there is noway any peoples government should let our country have duopoly being in control of any industry let alone our food supply industry’s these company’s are just bleeding NZ dry. Time to reset there game how can it be justified that one can buy NZ grown food in Britain & Aussie cheaper than NZ .
The Countdown group of New Zealand stores reported revenue of $6.36b and profit of $284m this year, with a gross margin of 24.2 per cent.
In the South Island, Foodstuffs’ revenue was more than $3 billion, with operating profit of more than $293m. It distributed to its members $280m, an increase of $6.6m or 2.4 per cent for the latest financial year, including a “loyalty rebate” of $53m.
Foodstuffs North Island, which claims 47 per cent market share in its latest annual report, recorded revenue of $6.6 billion and operating profit of $210.4 million. Its chairman’s report said putting pressure on costs had reduced supply chain costs by $5m, and helped it distribute $140.3m to co-operative members in the year.
Ka kite ano link below.
Kia ora Newshub Its a windy day in Wellington Melisa tawhiri doing the his thing.
Eco Maori gives condolences to the family’s who lost love one in the Pittsburgh shooting.
Loyd that helicopter crash in Leicester after the soccer match is a shocker did the owner go down in that crash condolences to the family’s to .
Doctor Joe I thought it was a organic cream why has he been fined it works and some big companys are selling prouducts that kill he is not making millions off it just healing the sick. Its a illusion .
The will to live is a good Idea to support farmers mental health our farmers are put under a lot of stress. Ka kite ano P.S I have a actor that’s a little distraction
With the execution of global reciprocal tariffs, US President Donald Trump has issued his ‘declaration of economic independence for America’. The immediate direct effect on the Australian economy will likely be small, with more risk ...
The StrategistBy Jacqueline Gibson, Nerida King and Ned Talbot
AUKUS governments began 25 years ago trying to draw in a greater range of possible defence suppliers beyond the traditional big contractors. It is an important objective, and some progress has been made, but governments ...
I approach fresh Trump news reluctantly. It never holds the remotest promise of pleasure. I had the very, very least of expectations for his Rumble in the Jungle, his Thriller in Manila, his Liberation Day.God May 1945 is becoming the bitterest of jokes isn’t it?Whatever. Liberation Day he declared it ...
Beyond trade and tariff turmoil, Donald Trump pushes at the three core elements of Australia’s international policy: the US alliance, the region and multilateralism. What Kevin Rudd called the ‘three fundamental pillars’ are the heart ...
So, having broken its promise to the nation, and dumped 85% of submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill in the trash, National's stooges on the Justice Committee have decided to end their "consideration" of the bill, and report back a full month early: Labour says the Justice Select Committee ...
The 2024 Independent Intelligence Review offers a mature and sophisticated understanding of workforce challenges facing Australia’s National Intelligence Community (NIC). It provides a thoughtful roadmap for modernising that workforce and enhancing cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration. ...
OPINION AND ANALYSIS:Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s comments singling out Health NZ for “acting contrary to the law” couldn’t be clearer. If you find my work of value, do consider subscribing and/or supporting me. Thank you.Health NZ has been acting a law unto itself. That includes putting its management under extraordinary ...
Southeast Asia’s three most populous countries are tightening their security relationships, evidently in response to China’s aggression in the South China Sea. This is most obvious in increased cooperation between the coast guards of the ...
In the late 1970s Australian sport underwent institutional innovation propelling it to new heights. Today, Australia must urgently adapt to a contested and confronting strategic environment. Contributing to this, a new ASPI research project will ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital waiting list crisis just gets worse, including compelling interviews with an over-worked surgeon who is leaving, and a patient who discovered after 19 months of waiting for a referral that her bowel and ovaries were fused together with scar tissue ...
Plainly, the claims being tossed around in the media last year that the new terminal envisaged by Auckland International Airport was a gold-plated “Taj Mahal” extravagance were false. With one notable exception, the Commerce Commission’s comprehensive investigation has ended up endorsing every other aspect of the airport’s building programme (and ...
Movements clustered around the Right, and Far Right as well, are rising globally. Despite the recent defeats we’ve seen in the last day or so with the win of a Democrat-backed challenger, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, over her Republican counterpart, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, in the battle for ...
In February 2025, John Cook gave two webinars for republicEN explaining the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. 20 February 2025: republicEN webinar part 1 - BUST or TRUST? The scientific consensus on climate change In the first webinar, Cook explained the history of the 20-year scientific consensus on climate change. How do ...
After three decades of record-breaking growth, at about the same time as Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012, China’s economy started the long decline to its current state of stagnation. The Chinese Communist Party ...
The Pike River Coal mine was a ticking time bomb.Ventilation systems designed to prevent methane buildup were incomplete or neglected.Gas detectors that might warn of danger were absent or broken.Rock bolting was skipped, old tunnels left unsealed, communication systems failed during emergencies.Employees and engineers kept warning management about the … ...
Regional hegemons come in different shapes and sizes. Australia needs to think about what kind of hegemon China would be, and become, should it succeed in displacing the United States in Asia. It’s time to ...
RNZ has a story this morning about the expansion of solar farms in Aotearoa, driven by today's ground-breaking ceremony at the Tauhei solar farm in Te Aroha: From starting out as a tiny player in the electricity system, solar power generated more electricity than coal and gas combined for ...
After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and almost a year before the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, US President George H W Bush proclaimed a ‘new world order’. Now, just two months ...
Warning: Some images may be distressing. Thank you for those who support my work. It means a lot.A shopfront in Australia shows Liberal leader Peter Dutton and mining magnate Gina Rinehart depicted with Nazi imageryUS Government Seeks Death Penalty for Luigi MangioneMangione was publicly walked in front of media in ...
Aged care workers rallying against potential roster changes say Bupa, which runs retirement homes across the country, needs to focus on care instead of money. More than half of New Zealand workers wish they had chosen a different career according to a new survey. Consumers are likely to see a ...
The scurrilous attacks on Benjamin Doyle, a list Green MP, over his supposed inappropriate behaviour towards children has dominated headlines and social media this past week, led by frothing Rightwing agitators clutching their pearls and fanning the flames of moral panic over pedophiles and and perverts. Winston Peter decided that ...
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...
The landedAnd the wealthyAnd the piousAnd the healthyAnd the straight onesAnd the pale onesAnd we only mean the male ones!If you're all of the above, then you're ok!As we build a new tomorrow here today!Lyrics Glenn Slater and Allan Menken.Ah, Democracy - can you smell it?It's presently a sulphurous odour, ...
US President Donald Trump’s unconventional methods of conducting international relations will compel the next federal government to reassess whether the United States’ presence in the region and its security assurances provide a reliable basis for ...
Things seem to be at a pretty low ebb in and around the Reserve Bank. There was, in particular, the mysterious, sudden, and as-yet unexplained resignation of the Governor (we’ve had four Governors since the Bank was given its operational autonomy 35 years ago, and only two have completed their ...
Long story short:PMChristopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...
Long story short:PMChristopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. Neither side is in a position to achieve its stated objectives through military force. But now there is significant diplomatic activity as well. Ukraine has agreed to ...
One of the first aims of the United States’ new Department of Government Efficiency was shutting down USAID. By 6 February, the agency was functionally dissolved, its seal missing from its Washington headquarters. Amid the ...
If our strategic position was already challenging, it just got worse. Reliability of the US as an ally is in question, amid such actions by the Trump administration as calling for annexation of Canada, threating ...
Small businesses will be exempt from complying with some of the requirements of health and safety legislation under new reforms proposed by the Government. The living wage will be increased to $28.95 per hour from September, a $1.15 increase from the current $27.80. A poll has shown large opposition to ...
Summary A group of senior doctors in Nelson have spoken up, specifically stating that hospitals have never been as bad as in the last year.Patients are waiting up to 50 hours and 1 death is directly attributable to the situation: "I've never seen that number of patients waiting to be ...
Although semiconductor chips are ubiquitous nowadays, their production is concentrated in just a few countries, and this has left the US economy and military highly vulnerable at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. While the ...
Health and Safety changes driven by ACT party ideology, not evidence said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. Changes to health and safety legislation proposed by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden today comply with ACT party ideology, ignores the evidence, and will compound New ...
In short in our political economy this morning:Fletcher Building is closing its pre-fabricated house-building factory in Auckland due to a lack of demand, particularly from the Government.Health NZ is sending a crisis management team to Nelson Hospital after a 1News investigation exposed doctors’ fears that nearly 500 patients are overdue ...
Exactly 10 years ago, the then minister for defence, Kevin Andrews, released the First Principles Review: Creating One Defence (FPR). With increasing talk about the rising possibility of major power-conflict, calls for Defence funding to ...
In events eerily similar to what happened in the USA last week, Greater Auckland was recently accidentally added to a group chat between government ministers on the topic of transport.We have no idea how it happened, but luckily we managed to transcribe most of what transpired. We share it ...
Hi,When I look back at my history with Dylan Reeve, it’s pretty unusual. We first met in the pool at Kim Dotcom’s mansion, as helicopters buzzed overhead and secret service agents flung themselves off the side of his house, abseiling to the ground with guns drawn.Kim Dotcom was a German ...
Come around for teaDance me round and round the kitchenBy the light of my T.VOn the night of the electionAncient stars will fall into the seaAnd the ocean floor sings her sympathySongwriter: Bic Runga.The Prime Minister stared into the camera, hot and flustered despite the predawn chill. He looked sadly ...
Has Winston Peters got a ferries deal for you! (Buyer caution advised.) Unfortunately, the vision that Peters has been busily peddling for the past 24 hours – of several shipyards bidding down the price of us getting smaller, narrower, rail-enabled ferries – looks more like a science fiction fantasy. One ...
Completed reads for March: The Heart of the Antarctic [1907-1909], by Ernest Shackleton South [1914-1917], by Ernest Shackleton Aurora Australis (collection), edited by Ernest Shackleton The Book of Urizen (poem), by William Blake The Book of Ahania (poem), by William Blake The Book of Los (poem), by William Blake ...
First - A ReminderBenjamin Doyle Doesn’t Deserve ThisI’ve been following posts regarding Green MP Benjamin Doyle over the last few days, but didn’t want to amplify the abject nonsense.This morning, Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, answered the alt-right’s prayers - guaranteeing amplification of the topic, by going on ...
US President Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the checks and balances that have long protected American democracy. As the self-described ‘king’ makes a momentous power grab, much of the world watches anxiously, ...
They can be the very same words. And yet their meaning can vary very much.You can say I'll kill him about your colleague who accidentally deleted your presentation the day before a big meeting.You can say I'll kill him to — or, for that matter, about — Tony Soprano.They’re the ...
Back in 2020, the then-Labour government signed contracted for the construction and purchase of two new rail-enabled Cook Strait ferries, to be operational from 2026. But when National took power in 2023, they cancelled them in a desperate effort to make the books look good for a year. And now ...
The fragmentation of cyber regulation in the Indo-Pacific is not just inconvenient; it is a strategic vulnerability. In recent years, governments across the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, have moved to reform their regulatory frameworks for cyber ...
Welcome to the March 2025 Economic Bulletin. The feature article examines what public private partnerships (PPPs) are. PPPs have been a hot topic recently, with the coalition government signalling it wants to use them to deliver infrastructure. However, experience with PPPs, both here and overseas, indicates we should be wary. ...
Willis announces more plans of plans for supermarketsYesterday’s much touted supermarket competition announcement by Nicola Willis amounted to her telling us she was issuing a 6 week RFI1 that will solicit advice from supermarket players.In short, it was an announcement of a plan - but better than her Kiwirail Interislander ...
This was the post I was planning to write this morning to mark Orr’s final day. That said, if the underlying events – deliberate attempts to mislead Parliament – were Orr’s doing, the post is more about the apparent uselessness of Parliament (specifically the Finance and Expenditure Committee) in holding ...
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC’s plan to build a plant in the United States looks like a move made at the behest of local officials to solidify US support for Taiwan. However, it may eventually lessen ...
This is a Guest Post by Transport Planner Bevan Woodward from the charitable trust Movement, which has lodged an application for a judicial review of the Governments Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 Auckland is at grave risk of having its safer speed limits on approx. 1,500 local streets ...
We're just talkin' 'bout the futureForget about the pastIt'll always be with usIt's never gonna die, never gonna dieSongwriters: Brian Johnson / Angus Young / Malcolm YoungMorena, all you lovely people, it’s good to be back, and I have news from the heartland. Now brace yourself for this: depending on ...
Today is the last day in office for the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr. Of course, he hasn’t been in the office since 5 March when, on the eve of his major international conference, his resignation was announced and he stormed off with no (effective) notice and no ...
Treasury and Cabinet have finally agreed to a Crown guarantee for a non-Government lending agency for Community Housing Providers (CHPs), which could unlock billions worth of loans and investments by pension funds and banks to build thousands of more affordable social homes. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest:Chris Bishop ...
Australia has plenty of room to spend more on defence. History shows that 2.9 percent of GDP is no great burden in ordinary times, so pushing spending to 3.0 percent in dangerous times is very ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Winston Peters will announce later today whether two new ferries are rail ‘compatible’, requiring time-consuming container shuffling, or the more efficient and expensive rail ‘enabled,’ where wagons can roll straight on and off.Nicola Willisthreatened yesterday to break up the supermarket duopoly with ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 23, 2025 thru Sat, March 29, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...
For prospective writers out there, Inspired Quill, the publisher of my novel(s) is putting together a short story anthology (pieces up to 10,000 words). The open submission window is 29th March to 29th April. https://www.inspired-quill.com/anthology-submissions/ The theme?This anthology will bring together diverse voices exploring themes of hope, resistance, and human ...
Prime minister Kevin Rudd released the 2009 defence white paper in May of that year. It is today remembered mostly for what it said about the strategic implications of China’s rise; its plan to double ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Voters want the Government to retain the living wage for cleaners, a poll shows.The Government’s move to provide a Crown guarantee to banks and the private sector for social housing is described a watershed moment and welcomed by Community Housing Providers.Nicola Willis is ...
The recent attacks in the Congo by Rwandan backed militias has led to worldwide condemnation of the Rwandan regime of Paul Kagame. Following up on the recent Fabian Zoom with Mikela Wrong and Maria Amoudian, Dr Rudaswinga will give a complete picture of Kagame’s regime and discuss the potential ...
New Zealand’s economic development has always been a partnership between the public and private sectors.Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) have become fashionable again, partly because of the government’s ambitions to accelerate infrastructural development. There is, of course, an ideological element too, while some of the opposition to them is also ideological.PPPs come in ...
How Australia funds development and defence was front of mind before Tuesday’s federal budget. US President Donald Trump’s demands for a dramatic lift in allied military spending and brutal cuts to US foreign assistance meant ...
Questions 1. Where and what is this protest?a. Hamilton, angry crowd yelling What kind of food do you call this Seymour?b.Dunedin, angry crowd yelling Still waiting, Simeon, still waitingc. Wellington, angry crowd yelling You’re trashing everything you idiotsd. Istanbul, angry crowd yelling Give us our democracy back, give it ...
Two blueprints that could redefine the Northern Territory’s economic future were launched last week. The first was a government-led economic strategy and the other an industry-driven economic roadmap. Both highlight that supporting the Northern Territory ...
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...
A new independent review function will enable individuals and organisations to seek an expert independent review of specified civil aviation regulatory decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Civil Aviation, Acting Transport Minister James Meager has announced today. “Today we are making it easier and more affordable ...
The Government will invest in an enhanced overnight urgent care service for the Napier community as part of our focus on ensuring access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown has today confirmed. “I am delighted that a solution has been found to ensure Napier residents will continue to ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation the economy has turned the corner. Stats NZ reported today that gross domestic product grew 0.7 per cent in the three months to December following falls in the June and September quarters. “We know many families and businesses are still suffering the after-effects ...
The sealing of a 12-kilometre stretch of State Highway 43 (SH43) through the Tangarakau Gorge – one of the last remaining sections of unsealed state highway in the country – has been completed this week as part of a wider programme of work aimed at improving the safety and resilience ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says relations between New Zealand and the United States are on a strong footing, as he concludes a week-long visit to New York and Washington DC today. “We came to the United States to ask the new Administration what it wants from ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has welcomed changes to international anti-money laundering standards which closely align with the Government’s reforms. “The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) last month adopted revised standards for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism to allow for simplified regulatory measures for businesses, organisations and sectors ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he welcomes Medsafe’s decision to approve an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing pharmacies to replace their physical paper-based register. “The register, developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, is the first of its kind to be approved in New ...
The Coalition Government’s drive for regional economic growth through the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund is on track with more than $550 million in funding so far committed to key infrastructure projects, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. “To date, the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) has received more than 250 ...
[Comments following the bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; United States State Department, Washington D.C.] * We’re very pleased with our meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon. * We came here to listen to the new Administration and to be clear about what ...
The intersection of State Highway 2 (SH2) and Wainui Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be made safer and more efficient for vehicles and freight with the construction of a new and long-awaited roundabout, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. “The current intersection of SH2 and Wainui Road is ...
The Ocean Race will return to the City of Sails in 2027 following the Government’s decision to invest up to $4 million from the Major Events Fund into the international event, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ...
Improving access to mental health and addiction support took a significant step forward today with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announcing that the University of Canterbury have been the first to be selected to develop the Government’s new associate psychologist training programme. “I am thrilled that the University of Canterbury ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened the new East Building expansion at Manukau Health Park. “This is a significant milestone and the first stage of the Grow Manukau programme, which will double the footprint of the Manukau Health Park to around 30,000m2 once complete,” Mr Brown says. “Home ...
The Government will boost anti-crime measures across central Auckland with $1.3 million of funding as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Fund, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “In recent years there has been increased antisocial and criminal behaviour in our CBD. The Government ...
The Government is moving to strengthen rules for feeding food waste to pigs to protect New Zealand from exotic animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. ‘Feeding untreated meat waste, often known as "swill", to pigs could introduce serious animal diseases like FMD and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks in New Delhi today. Fresh off announcing that New Zealand and India would commence negotiations towards a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the two Prime Ministers released a joint statement detailing plans for further cooperation between the two countries across ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the horticulture sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new Family Court Judges. The new Judges will take up their roles in April and May and fill Family Court vacancies at the Auckland and Manukau courts. Annette Gray Ms Gray completed her law degree at Victoria University before joining Phillips ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU). “This unit will boost critical care services in the lower North Island, providing extra capacity and relieving pressure on the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and emergency department. “Wellington Regional Hospital has previously relied ...
Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. What an honour it is to stand on this stage - to inaugurate this august Dialogue - with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi. My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our ...
Nearly 25 years after the "corngate" saga, the debate on genetic modification is back thanks to the Gene Technology Bill currently in select committee. ...
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A Travesty of Justice
Closed courts. Secret trials. Secret evidence. Anonymous complainants. Hearings in absentia. Secret underground court room.
How could anyone one amount a proper defence against this?
Shameful
Saudi Arabia?
One of their Western allies??
New Zealand?!?
Really?
How can this be right?
How does this gel with this country being a liberal democracy?
It doesn’t
All the accused knows is the penalty.
They don’t know who accused them.
They don’t know the evidence against them.
Shouldn’t the accused at least know the charges against them?
Shouldn’t the person or agency behind the charges be known to the accused?
Shouldn’t the accused at least have the right to be at the hearing, instead of being tried in absentia?
A fascinating case, eh? You’re right to express your concerns about it, and I feel similarly. For a citizen to have their passport cancelled on security grounds to “impede her ability to facilitate actions of the type that made her a danger to the security of a country other than New Zealand” suggests the authorities see her as an actual or potential terrorist.
Regardless of that, she has the right to know why. Freedom of information law presumably applies – it’s a puzzle that the judiciary is struggling with it.
It’s astounding
Which “other” unnamed country is it, that has taken this woman to court?
Is it Israel? Is it Saudi Arabia? Is it Australia? Is it Trump’s America? Is it Indonesia? Is it China?
There are some profound implications whichever country it is, depending on what their motivation is.
Has this country been guilty of human rights violations?
What is it that this person could allegedly do to hurt the “security” of this country?
If this woman is threatening or plotting violence against the security of this other country, why she not being charged with offences under the New Zealand Counter Terrorism Act?
Is this woman’s alleged ability to harm this country, reputational harm?
If she is not a terrorist;
Is she a journalist?
Is she a political activist?
Is she a whistle blower?
How can a foreign country take a New Zealander to court?
The implications for the case of the country of Israel seeking to obtain damages from two New Zealanders is profound.
If the US sinks into totalitarianism, (as some are saying is a very real possibility), will we see further such cases taken against New Zealanders by other countries through our security services?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/01-02-2018/no-really-new-zealanders-are-being-sued-for-asking-lorde-to-boycott-israel/
Its Australia. She was living in Melbourne. The Aussies have been cancelling passports of their citizens ‘suspected of involvement in the Syrian civil war and ISIS
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/australia-strips-five-of-citizenship-over-isis-links
and we have done this before
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-03-2018/this-isnt-the-first-time-new-zealand-has-denied-a-citizen-their-passport/
Australia also has been making those who were born overseas prove their citizenship even when reapplying for a passport. This can even affect older people born in UK, but Im sure its aimed at other ethnicities
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-31/australian-passport-holders-must-prove-citizenship-to-renew/10051488
There was a farmer in Hawkes Bay, Bill Youren, who was refused a passport to visit China in the 1950s. He argued that, although the New Zealand Government had the right to decide which foreigners were allowed to enter New Zealand they had no right to say, in the absence of a war, where New Zealand citizens were allowed to travel.
He did get his passport in the end and visited China several times.
Later on, in the time of the Kirk Government he made the same argument from what many would think was the other side of the fence. He argued, from the same viewpoint, that the New Zealand had no right at all to try and prevent a New Zealand Rugby team visiting South Africa, He didn’t win that one.
Although I have described him as a farmer, which he was for most of his life, he was well versed in the Law. He had, among other things, a LLM with First Class honours and had practised for a short time as a lawyer.
I dont think Kirk could stop the ABs touring South Africa but he did stop the Springboks coming here
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/labour-government-postpones-springbok-tour
NZ toured RSA in 1970 and again in 1976 ( after labour was defeated and national made much hay of the cancelled Springbok tour here)
Alwrong again.
Sorry. Wrong PM.
Yes it was the 1976 tour and the protests about the New Zealand team touring. The protests went on though.
Great in-depth article placed by Selwyn Manning today on TDB is worth a look as it raises concerns I bring up here to.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/10/27/special-investigation-jami-lee-ross-national-affairs-and-the-public-interest/
Great article Selwyn and thanks for keeping the ‘blowtorch’ on Bridges and co.
We all worry if the national sleaze have gotten control of all of Jami Lee Ross evidence and recordings already????
Could Jami’s ‘lover’ actually stolen or copied them?
We hope the police seized all Jami Lee Ross’s evidence and files on hard drives along with stored phone texts and voice recordings as the communications industry and the five eyes network also store these files as we all know that storing of all our communications is now stolen and confirmed by several ‘leakers’, Assange, Snowden, kim.com, and Nikki Hagar to name a few.
Quote from Selwyn Manning article; “Because the inquiry reports back to Bridges, who as leader may well be one of the protagonists. Also, the report will not be released to the public which leaves it as a golden prize, the holy grail, for any journalist and, irrespective of who it damns or exonerates, will become a currency for any MP with leadership ambitions.
As it now stands, Bridges’ worst nightmare must be not knowing what Jami-Lee Ross recorded and at what point did he begin taping the National Party leader’s conversations.
If those recordings contain further embarrassing or damaging content and references, then he will be finished as leader. Bridges, as leader, even if he has a clear conscience, must be wracking his memory as to past conversations and comments while knowing the conversations may be in the hands of people with whom he has lost their trust.
And the question remains unanswered: Was Paula Bennett recorded as well?”
[Fixed the link for ya – MS]
What’s important here is that Selwyn is acting in the public interest: “A sworn-to timeline of events is now essential so that the public interest can be satisfied.”
Those seeking to enforce the mushroom strategy via privacy law will shit themselves. He provides some moral guidance to the Nats: “The inquiry must examine the National leadership team’s actions and culture, test whether they acted in a proper and timely manner, and assess whether their actions considered a concern for the welfare and mental health of an MP they had previously supported, promoted, and embedded within their leadership team.”
Of course, none of this will happen. Denial will prevail. The toxic National culture will remain, will very likely take down their current leader, and his replacement eventually as well. National must hit rock bottom before members start to acknowledge that becoming positive role models is better politics.
“Those seeking to enforce the mushroom strategy via privacy law will shit themselves.”
No, Dennis – presuming you are talking about those of us here arguing that no-one has any right to knowledge about Ross’ medical conditions, diagnosis and related matters UNLESS Ross chooses to make this information public – we will not be “shitting ourselves”.
Selwyn understands the very big difference between publicly discussing, and expressing opinions on, the surrounding wider circumstances and timelines etc of the present National Party fiasco from a political perspective – and the much more specific and personal details of an individual person’s medical condition and information and the privacy and civil right law and rules relating to that – regardless of the fact that the person is a parliamentarian at the centre of that fiasco.
You have not understood that very real distinction throughout the discussions here and on other blogs, eg Public Address.
Selwyn does – and has steered well clear of that aspect.
His article is one of the best I have seen to date and I recommend everyone read it.
As well as on TDB, it can also be read here
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/10/27/special-investigation-jami-lee-ross-national-affairs-and-the-public-interest/
https://eveningreport.nz/2018/10/25/evening-report-analysis-national-affairs-and-the-public-interest/
Also – Whaleoil has a further post up this morning countering in detail some of the timeline and events reported in Fisher’s Herald article yesterday. I will not link but it is an interesting read.
Here’s an interesting Saturday morning read for those inclined….
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/29/why-are-americans-still-uncomfortable-with-atheism
Thanks, that’s an excellent work of philosophical analysis and literary criticism from a woman of discernment, with many penetrating insights. I rate her essay 10/10, and rare nowadays to be so impressed by intellectual artistry. Here’s the section I thought most timely:
“Today, the voguish version of science as religion is transhumanism, which claims that technology will overcome human limitations both physical and mental, perhaps through bioengineering or artificial intelligence or cyborgs that can carry around the contents of our brains. Gray is not sanguine about such developments, should they ever occur, because we already have a model of the mayhem that takes place when some mortals are granted godlike powers: “Anyone who wants a glimpse of what a post-human future might be like should read Homer.””
Who are the most trusted journalists and reporters in NZ?
Who are the most biased journalists and reporters in NZ?
That would be the ones who seem to support or not your views.
It’s subjective
Moderator can you correct the first word in my second question to Who.
Not sure how it got changed.
[Done – MS]
Trusted – Nicky Hager, Rod Oram for financial news, John Campbell, Gordon Campbell
Not Trusted – where do you start – about 65% of journalists in NZ – Fran O’Sulivan is just a paid for hack, who fell to dirty politics, Patrick Gower who thinks the news is about himself, Hoskings is obviously rock bottom… so many bad ones…
Fran is a curious case – writes a lot of stuff that’s no better than the likes of John Armstrong. But she is a serious journalist, capable of some intellectual rigour, and every now and then she shows it big time.
Maybe she should stop taking all those paid for trips and goodies from business… you might be capable of serious journalism But if you have no sense of personal compromise, and are for Sale, or able to be manipulated. None have any place in serious journalism.
That is, I think, a failure of the community of which she is part, as much as hers. She does stir them up from time to time, but can’t do all the heavy lifting. NZ’s commercial class are big frogs in a small pond – not good for much more than croaking.
O’Sullivan certainly can be an intelligent and thoughtful commentator. But she dumbs it down severely whenever she appears on NewstalkZzzzzB….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/ummmm-ahhhh-you-know-eloquence-of-fran.html
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-eloquence-of-fran-osullivan-13412.html
Think your wrong about Fran, she is ideologically different from you and I. But she is honest about it.
Work out how many paid ‘trips’ and ‘perks’ she receives from business and then look at what she promotes and you will see a pattern… I think she’s had free trips to China, Israel, those are the publicised ones…
It goes with the job.
You’ll notice Hosking doesn’t get them, though he writes for the same rag – he’s not journalist enough for his take to be worth anything.
Fran is establishment – but at least she’s a thinker. And there are so many muppets nowadays who aren’t.
Bernard Orsman often has things worth reading about, as much as he can operate within the bounds of Granny.
Granny also has Raybon Kan who is very funny, and also Steve Braunias.
Simon Wilson is excellent and I think unbiased
I agree.
Hager and John Campbell are my pick for most trusted.
Some presenters are slick like Lisa Owen.
Which proves my point. I think Hagar is far from trustworthy.
I think most try to do a good job.
It’s all depending on your view.
I trust Gordon Campbell. He does call labour on stuff and I always feel I am getting an informed view
As is human nature
Any one who always writes stuff someone agrees with will be their most trusted (and balanced).
Any one who writes stuff they disagree with, their most biased
They may have arrested the postal bomber in the US.
https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/clintons-obama-suspicious-packages/index.html
If found guilty I’m guessing he will be spending the rest of his life in a US super max cell. As he should. (Pity we don’t have them here).
Trump supporters are going crazy, by first claiming it was a false flag operation by those aligned to ‘liberals’, and now the evidence has pointed to an out and out Trump supporter , they are saying. It was Soros money which paid him to do it.
Trump called them ‘devices’ rather than Bombs and other ways to deny what they are.
“Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/10/26/1807470/-Just-because-a-right-wing-Trump-supporter-is-in-custody-don-t-expect-the-conspiracy-theories-to-stop
He’s certainly a tRumpanzee.
https://twitter.com/itsleobcarter/status/1055867221912752129?s=21
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1055867221912752129.html?refreshed=yes
#MAGABomber
“In the past, “false flag” theories have mostly been aired in more openly conspiratorial media outlets like Alex Jones’s Infowars.
The term has been used by Jones and other conspiracy theorists to allege that violent attacks have been carried out not by their apparent authors, but by powerful, manipulative actors seeking to deceive observers and hide their own responsibility. Its adoption this week by a broad range of rightwingers suggests an increasing openness to conspiracy theory in more mainstream conservative media.
Bombs sent, people threatened … Trump’s response? Attack the media.
The term has been used by Jones and other conspiracy theorists to allege that violent attacks have been carried out not by their apparent authors, but by powerful, manipulative actors seeking to deceive observers and hide their own responsibility. Its adoption this week by a broad range of rightwingers suggests an increasing openness to conspiracy theory in more mainstream conservative media.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/26/pipe-bombs-false-flag-claims-ann-coulter-rush-limbaugh-conspiracy-theories
Just before the alleged bomber’s account was suspended someone archived his follows page. It only caught the first twenty or so but no doubt some of his more notable followees are flat out dumping stuff down the memory hole.
http://archive.is/QG8VQ
Poor old Phil Twyford.
Imagine having to get up and, in order to protect your boss who has been lying, you have to announce that you have known for the whole year that no other local body will be allowed to have a petrol tax.
Meanwhile you have been telling at least one local body that they should apply to be allowed to levy the tax.
This was after you had told everyone that you first heard about the proposal on the day it had been announced, and you had your associate Minister say that it was the actual announcement in Parliament that was the first he had heard about it.
However the Captain has made a call and wants to lie about when she made it so you are forced to get up and tell everyone that you have a memory like a sieve, and have been gaily misleading the Local Bodies who have been relying on your word.
I realise that Twyford is incompetent but I thought he had a little bit of a spine.
Instead he seems to be like the person described so unfairly by, among others, Paul Keating, Mike Moore and Harold Wilson.
“He is a shiver looking for a spine to run up”.
What is it really about Ardern that prevents her from ever telling the truth about her actions?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12148656
From your link:
“Her comments follow Transport Minister Phil Twyford suggesting to Radio NZ this morning that he only found out about the ban yesterday, just hours before Ardern publicly ruled out any more regional fuel taxes while she is PM.”
…then…
“”I’ve been fully aware of the Prime Minister’s views on this issue going back to the beginning of this year,” Twyford said. Despite that, he did not inform any of the 14 councils that have expressed an interest in having a regional fuel tax.”
and…
“Twyford has previously encouraged Hamilton City Council to engage with the Minsitry of Transport about a regional fuel tax, and councillor Dave Macpherson said Ardern’s pledge was a kick in the guts.”
If Twyford new about “the Prime Minister’s views on this issue going back to the beginning of this year”, then why was he encouraging councils to “engage with the Minsitry of Transport about a regional fuel tax.”?
Either the PM is lying, or Twyford has lost the plot.
Maybe he thought he could get her to change her mind shadders.
Wouldn’t the best way to try to do that would be ‘in house’, rather than make one or both of them look silly?
Ardern has excellent political radar (better than Key’s) and if her instincts tell her there’s an issue or threat, she changes tack. It’s an excellent trait and will serve the Coalition Of The Numerate (COTN) extremely well for a very long time.
Twyford is a decent bloke who will ultimately be judged only on whether he can at least partially deflate the housing bubble deliberately engineered by the National Party to enrich their supporters and themselves, without caring in the least that it would mean permanent impoverishment for others.
Such was the moral failure of the foetid Key-English government that no-one will be listening to your partisan nit-picking for years. This is a very, very good thing.
Note: COTN means those people who realise that 37 + 7 +5 > 43
Chris Trotter has a moan at the Greens, and I was rather surprised to conclude upon reading his rationale that I need offer no critique. Bill’s stance has seemed similar.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/who-do-greens-think-they-are.html
It would help if the Green movement in Aotearoa had an authorititative non-parliamentary media presence. All we have currently is a sporadic stream of single-issue commentary from a bunch of Green groups content to rest on their laurels as an exhibition of middle-class complacency.
Trotter hates the Greens and has never really tried to understand them. He wants rid of them.
He is an unreconstructed Old Lefty and writes very well, often brilliantly, about that sector of traditional left-wing union-dominated politics. Nothing wrong with any of that BTW-all power to the unions.
But why he attacks the Greens when Labour will probably never be able to form a government without the Greens I can’t fathom.
Meanwhile the Greens are polling 7% and doing fine.
You are right Trotter has never been too positive about the Greens, but the current Greens needs a kick up their arses and a dose of the real world.
Banning Twitter is a must so they have interact with real people. Also going outside their normal cliques would probably keep them on a more even keel. Thankfully the Marama and James ‘tweets’ buttons on their websites don’t work or are empty- a metaphor??? who knows.
The new look Green website has been changed so that Marama and James profiles are the leading navigation now.. (Policy 6th along), and about 60% of the site is made up of pics of Marama- crazy
They should join forces with Patrick Gower as the news is starting to be about themselves against what is really going on.
The only interesting thing I found was they they want to make donations over $1000 declared, but in my views does not go far enough, everything or at least everything over $100 should be declared plus make a crime for multiple donations to not be declared if they go over the figure. Do they want transparency or not?
Green Party welcomes review of Overseas Investment, will push for protection of water and Māori cultural values
https://www.greens.org.nz/news/press-release/green-party-welcomes-review-overseas-investment-will-push-protection-water-and
Again Greens are on the right track but then woefully don’t go far enough.
The issue for OIA is also that the applicants put forward all these great proposals via their lawyers for OIA and there is no time frames or penalty if they fail to do what they say.
They need to make the applicant who fails to do what they say to sell the asset and give the full amount back to government plus a fine based on the amount of the assets and the OIA legal costs, if they don’t come through with what they said they would when they bought the asset.
There should also be some sort of public good as well in OIA, at present some of these assets are just being bought and what ever the applicant promised coming to zero with lost jobs, lost assets to community and doing the opposite of their intention.
Banning Twitter is a must so they have interact with real people.
Oh dear, not only do we have to deal with the fake left but now fake people as well.
Yes some naive still believe that social media is a true representation.
“Up to 9.5 million net neutrality comments were made with stolen identities
NY AG subpoenas lobby firms, says fake comments “distort[ed] public opinion.”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/10/up-to-9-5-million-net-neutrality-comments-were-made-with-stolen-identities/
Mmmm…thanks for that SaveNZ….yes the cult of Marama weird.
Transport is a good issue for the Greens-they need Genter back and firing.
But they were the only party to vote against TPPA this week (or whatever it is called now). Trotter could have mentioned that.
Still better policy from Greens as you say the TPPA, but sadly instead of being the frontrunner on their promotions of their party… we get the Marama cult pics.
A party promoting their new co-leader, how ridiculous.
ridiculous, if it is at the expense of their polices and other members and community. 60% hogging of a website if ridiculous, as is forgetting to put on the real news of real policy fights aka Bearded Git says about TPPA – that is one of Greens big differences from all the other parties that sold out – they should be crying it from the roof tops.
60% hogging of a website
You must be looking at a different website.
Yes you are right 60% is an overreaction. I guess I’m more interested in the party and it’s policies than the people. I don’t like the new look navigation that has too much (in my view) of the leaders rather than highlighting Green policy which in my view is why people like the Greens aka their Policy.
Too late for me to delete the above comment but I withdraw it, aka suggesting Marama is hogging the website, which is unfair. Sorry, when I looked again at the website again and wider subjects I could see that my comment was wrong.
Trotter has attacked labour too
Lovely story about Billy Connolly.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/107964345/billy-connolly-would-like-to-correct-a-misconception
He had to correct a BBC reporter who was doing a sit down interview
“”This must mean a lot to you, with you coming from nothing?”
I looked at her, and I laughed.
“I didnae come from nothing,” I told her. “I come from something.”
he explains
“There is this viewpoint that if you have come from the working class you have come from nothing, whereas the middle and upper classes are something, and I don’t hold with that opinion. I think the working class is something. It is everything. They are the builders of society, and without them the whole house falls down.”
and
“I am very proud to be working class, and especially a working-class Glaswegian who has worked in the shipyards. It is something, and don’t you forget it. I come from something. I come from the working class. And, most of all, I come from Scotland.”
Man, I can’t stand Connolly. Give me Dylan Moran or Louis C.K. any day
Cant stand Connolly ?
Look again
https://bettygeorgeassociates.com/2017/06/13/gp-prescribes-watching-billy-connolly-to-treat-depression/
‘facilitated a change of state within his patient through: laughter, guided visualisation and metaphor – because that is what Billy Connolly does so brilliantly.’
Nope, just don’t like his comedy or style
Louis CK? He was one of the many guys who got busted for sexual harassment wasn’t he? That’s some great quotes from Connolly, and true too, “from nothing”, how insulting.
Indeed he was but that doesn’t make him any less funny, his assault admission not withstanding of course
I dunno. I really liked a lot of LCK’s stuff, but now it palls a bit. Especially the wank jokes.
At least it wasn’t a cover to enable his offending, though, like it was for Cosby.
You are right in some of CK’s are less “imagine if…” and more “I did this…” if you follow me. Still funny as hell
Dukeofurl:I do like those words from Billy. They resonate. And those other middle class people who have been pulled and pushed “up” by wealthy parents, are not real people to me. To be measured by wealth seems so wrong.
I’m doing a NZ blog check. What are people’s favourite blogs, including their own? And can yiou give a brief reason?
Mine is currently being reconfigured but the dated original is still online, plus the other: http://www.alternativeaotearoa.org/ & http://altaotearoa.blogspot.com/
I don’t actually have a favourite, seeing design and/or functionality flaws in all. I rate Public Address for combining culture with politics in a non-partisan frame suitable for centrists, whilst seeing it as inadequate at the political interface.
Bowalley Road is an ongoing parade of Trotter’s antique leftism, but I’ll give him credit for wising up compared to the Political Review, which was show instead of substance.
Pundit has the fatal flaw of being fronted by people most of whom have been absent non-contributors for years. Old wallpaper. Yet it still has helpful essays and discussions now & then. Werewolf disappoints more often than delivers. I was a fan when Gordon was doing his thing for the Listener in the seventies.
The Archdruid is often excellent on political analysis, and on cultural analysis too. His esoterica is only partially compatible with mine, but he has Green street cred big-time.
Favourite blog, the standard 100+
I read Newsroom (good) Zerohedge (bit crappy very right wing but sometimes good info especially financial) thecanary (left wing UK) Realclearpolitics and nate silver’s site fivethirtyeight (to follow the US elections) but always start with the Standard.
Thanks for the replies. Any others who have a favourite one which should be read? .I will check again.
I used to read The Political Scientist by Puddleglum but there hasn’t been a post for over a year now. They were long, intelligent & insightful, and full of compassion without being patronising, arrogant, or moralising. I do miss it.
I also like exhALANt. Long posts on a wide variety of topics that are well supported with links and clearly not written in just half an hour – clearly a lot of background work goes into those posts (quality & quantity!). Again, compassionate comes to mind.
I also used to read Boots Theory but that has gone quiet too. Good shorter posts from a strong intelligent woman with a great sense of humour.
The only other NZ blogsite I visit is Sciblogs that covers a very wide range of topics, mostly on science stuff of course, but also the politics around it and its place in society. The MSM really dropped the ball in terms of science communication & reporting.
That’s it for me as far as NZ blogs go; a surprisingly small number to keep an eye on
TS takes up much of my very few spare hours during the week and my mind can only cope with so much
Thanks incognito
I’ve noted those.
I can concur withe your last para, and did a cost-benefit analysis! It showed too high an opportunity cost. Don’t know where Puddleglum went to but always worth reading, also Olwyn, always good, and many others gone. Some may be dead – a lot of us putting our minds to events are getting aged and maybe our minds give out or our time, as we need to pay attention to our failing cohort.
I’m glad to say that Puddleglum is still alive; the other day Carolyn_Nth, who’s apparently on Twitter, mentioned Puddleglum’s Twitter status: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21-10-2018/#comment-1539608
Most but not all people when they get older learn to distinguish between what’s more and less important and accordingly waste less of their time on irrelevant trivia.
One would hope and like to think that many a good poster/commenter here on TS have active lives outside of TS and more enjoyable activities than banging their heads on an electronic device
This was (also) on my mind to me when I wrote my Post Fighting for a just cause is empowering.
Thanks for that. I always enjoyed reading Puddlegum’s comments so it is good to know they are still around and have now bookmarked the Twitter account.
I also rechecked Weka’s Twitter account this morning, and it seems she has not tweeted since April when she left here also.
I do hope all is well with her. And Tracey also.
I cannot shine any light on Weka but I do join you in wishing her and Tracey all the best for them.
+1
It certainly will be empowering when you are with a keen, enquiring, friendly, envisaging and visionary, loyal team.
Tragic story
Mum of boy who died in gas-powered shower talks of her pain
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12148046
Hope they get to the bottom of what caused the poisoning as it sounds like it was installed by a plumber.
Can’t think of anything worse than losing a child – especially in a freak accident like that.
The other day was talking to someone and they said a gas powered oven blew up because a ring that was supposed to be fitted to meet NZ standards had not been fitted. The oven was fine, it was correctly installed, but the reseller had not inserted the correct part.
Chris Trotter has also published an analysis of the warping effect of parliament on how the media report politics. His thesis identifies proximity to power as the warp factor. All very `absolutely negatively Wellington’…
“National’s proposed review does, however, serve as a useful pointer to our capital city’s flawed culture of power – as well as to its long-standing imperviousness to reform. There is simply too much power on offer in Wellington for anyone with the slightest chance of wielding it, limiting it.”
“Proximity lies at the heart of the capital’s power culture. The higher an ambitious person climbs, the closer they get to the people who exercise decisive political authority. This proximity works both vertically and horizontally. The higher one climbs, the more opportunities one finds to influence the course of events. This, in turn, encourages other ambitious souls to get as close as possible to the successful climber. Power in Wellington thus flows not only up and down the city’s many hierarchies, but also through them, spreading outwards in all directions.”
“In the centre of this three-dimensional web of power looms the parliamentary complex. The Beehive and the House of Representatives are the most obvious repositories of executive and legislative authority. Easily forgotten, however, when mapping the distribution of power, is the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Its members enjoy an enviable degree of access to the entire cast of Government and Opposition players. In the proximity-to-power stakes, few get as up-close-and-personal as political journalists.”
He proceeds to explain the incentive structure that motivates the reportage, to establish a persuasive thesis: http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/too-close-for-comfort.html
And we see the curtain parted slightly when Bridges went ballistic against the Gallery media, as in this Tracy Watkins story
Bridges’ valve burst Wednesday evening when he phoned around political editors to warn them he had been defamed and his reputation damaged.[ie repeat it and the lawyers will go after you]
In his conversation with me, he threatened to walk away from our weekly interview because I was too negative.
Warning the political editors about defamation seems to have worked, the only words about Ross tapes now acceptable is ‘exonerated’ – when of course it does no such thing, as Ross will still have additional first hand testimony
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/107971088/the-jamilee-ross-saga–dirty-ugly-nasty-politics-with-no-end-in-sight
Yes indeed. Could be just me, but does seem rather trumpian of him to venture off into an aggressive campaign against the media. One can easily imagine the political psychology motivating him: “Me Don Quixote, have big lance, will joust vigorously against the nasty media barbarians!”
I skimmed the Trotter story and this stood out for me
If the true function of a parliamentary press gallery journalist is act as the glove into which power inserts its steely hand, then their formal democratic role is nothing but a sham.
and this is a follow up to questions about how close Ross was to journalists and some that have ‘lost their voice totally in the last 2 weeks’- never a good thing to have writers block when your beat is a fast news cycle ! LOL
“Was Jami-Lee’s downfall the result of him having too many enemies in National’s caucus – or too many friends in the Press Gallery”
If you need a laugh. 30 minutes.
Love the drag name!!!
“If you need a laugh.”
Yes. Please. Thank you.
Nicely rounds out Connolly, and a belated introduction to Jim Jeffries.
So, gala event in Papakura today. They have the lights, cameras, the politicians and most importantly the iconic Kiwi bard warbling in the background.
Welcome Home!
To your affordable $649,000 Kiwibuild house.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108157197/first-kiwibuild-families-welcomed-to-new-homes-by-prime-minister
And, now here is where you have to suspend credulity a little…
“First KiwiBuild families continues Labour tradition of providing decent, warm, dry homes…..”I won’t be carrying a coffee table today,” Ardern told residents at the new McLennan Park development, a reference to the famous image of former Labour Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage lifting a dining table through the crowd at the opening of the first state house in 1937.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12149888
Sorry if others have already shared these wonderful news stories here…I did look…
Perhaps even the most ardent Ardern flagwavers are hanging their heads in embarrassment?
Is anyone else thinking this will bite them in the arse once those buyers find themselves underwater?
Spiralling cost of living + looming GFC mark II, the depression version *shakes head* equals historic moment, but not one you necessarily want photographed.
spiralling cost of living + looming GFC mark II, the depression, etc will do in anyone – mortgage holder or not.
in fact those holding a mortgage can at least try to find flat mates to help with the cost, but those who rent a shit outta luck under your scenario and can fight for a place under a bridge or in a bus stop??…..
what would be an affordable houseprice price for a million + people city, powerhouse – in fact teh only place in NZ where once has at least a fighting chance at full time all year round work ?
compared to the rest of the country? Serious question.
And then next serious question, why do all houses need to come with a double garage, a ‘entrance hallway with chandelier’, dishwasher and such? Maybe people don’t actually want affordable, but rather trimmings n shit.
“Is anyone else thinking this will bite them in the arse….?”
I thought earlier that their arses would have been well and truly bitten by the mere fact that Our Shiny New Leader very clumsily referenced Savage helping the first State House tenants move in in 1937….their rent being one third of the household’s income. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/we-call-it-home/first-state-house
As if we wouldn’t go lookitup! Fast forward to the 60th birthday of that very first state house and the…
“…the Nysse family, John and Winnie and their three children. The family told the New Zealand Herald that they were finding it difficult to make ends meet under the regime of market rents introduced in 1991. The family’s sole source of income was John’s pension, which brought in $292 per week. After paying a rental of $215, the family was left with just $77 to live on. Whereas the McGregor family had handed over about a third of their income to live in 12 Fife Lane, the Nysse family paid nearly three-quarters of theirs.”
I digress. And am wrongly conflating as I am wont to do.
As if the struggles in 1997 of the Nysee family under the ‘regime of market rents…’ can in anyway be connected to the absolute flucking irony of a current Labour Prime Minister exploiting the birth of state housing in New Zealand at an event assuring their backers of the continuation of government obeisance to the gods of the Market.
Whew.
Thought we were looking at some kind of radical turn- the- clock- back- to -kinder times type crap.
Rosemary “the most ardent Ardern flag wavers are hanging their heads in embarrassment” After reading your comments twice I decided they say more about you than them.
The Government is building state homes, kiwi build homes and partnership homes in an endeavour to make a difference to the availability of houses as homes not gambling chips for developers. Prices have actually begun to stabilise.
You forgot to quote Jacinda’s comment that working middle NZers wanting a home had been shut out in Auckland where the average $million home was out of reach. So $649.000 is $351 000 less is a success in Auckland, and prices will be lower elsewhere in the country for a 4 bed home.
You also didn’t mention how thrilled the couple were. Quote “It felt like winning Lotto to win the ballot to get one of the first 18 houses.
So what was the point of your comment? They should build only state houses.? or
IKiwibuild is a failure because you say so? or Noone should wave a flag at Ardern/Twyford’s parade? or Perhaps I missed something?
Did you miss the bit where Ardern tried to join today’s event with Savage helping the first State House tenants move in back in 1937?
To compare the two is…well…deceitful, and the glamour only works because it seems that the premise that the COL seems to be relying on, to wit, the bulk of the voting public are fwits, holds true.
And maybe you can help me out here….the featured couple who bought the reasonably priced four bedroom Kiwibuild home…where were their children?
They have a little girl I believe. The Mother is a graduating Doctor. Yes Perhaps they should have kept those comparisons for state homes. Don’t forget as soon as in Nov their mortgage takes over, the Governments money will be recycled into another kiwi build home.
And, as if on cue, Ardern shares a wee note on Instagram from a new friend….
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12149999
patricia, it is hard not to be skeptical after nearly a decade of National, who continued the fine work of the previous Labour government.
National took using the media to polish their image to new heights (or depths), and Key was more than happy to play the grinning fool frontman while the true power operated behind the scenes.
I am yet to be convinced that this PM is not being similarly deployed.
I am not the only left leaning voter who is immune to the hype, and it is our vote which will be needed at the next election if this government’s high sounding plans have a chance to be realised.
Today’s event was poorly constructed and Ardern’s use of the Savage reference was clumsy. And that’s the trouble with turning such an event into a political campaign….a major slip like that will be seen by all. A smart media advisor should be working out a way to mitigate the damage.
Or not.
They can gamble on securing the vote of the hard working middle and say ‘stuff the poor and the sick and the disabled, we’ll pitch to the middle with Kiwibuild and a few we-do-give-a-shit-about the-planet policies’ and hope like hell that National aren’t able to rise from the ashes by the time the hoardings go up.
Rosemary, the carer’s and poor issues should have higher priority for sure.
Housing New Zealand has news item 24th October 2018 you might find interesting. Regenerating regional nz housing.
A short and pointless attack piece from Brigitte Morten on RNZ. Actually seems like she is struggling to find an angle to attack on.
She refers to “what they delivered to taxpayers”. Of course a government should deliver to citizens, regardless of what tax they are paying. A Freudian slip from a right-wing mentality – unable to see the difference between a community and a country – and a profit-seeking business.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/369614/few-fireworks-in-labour-nz-first-marriage-but-is-govt-delivering
That article seems weird. Is there just the six paragraphs to it?
That opinion writer of course is a past National Party communications person.
RNZ continues to be a disappointment.
The sad thing is I think she’s actually being serious too.
It is really short – just having a jab at the government as a reflex action. No substance at all.
Why does Bernard Orsman need to comment on what Jacinda’s wearing? What a twat.
Did you not see Phil’s tie?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12149888
Because he’s an old fossil that thinks she’s really a nice young filly despite all her silly politics?
And there was also NZ’s musical icon – a balding Dave Dobbyn dressed in a designer shirt and jeans singing ‘Welcome Home’
Great shot from Greg Bowker. I went to photo school with him.
The Trumpocalypse rumbles on.
I predicted that if Trump loses the midterms that his supporters would react violently against the people and organisations Trump regularly targets in his speeches.
It looks like one of his supporters couldn’t wait that long.
When this Right Wing violence targeting the Left breaks out, and Left act to defend themselves, I think we can expect that Donald Trump will say again, “There was violence on both sides folks.”
Before using the unrest to impose martial law.
Trump denounces Right Wing violence
(Sort of)
After condemning violence Trump goes on to minimise the bombing threats by likening these attacks to the criticism he commonly receives from the media.
any day now America will be great again.
Apparently it’s their financial anxiety that leads them believe anything.
but only the economic anxiety of the white male working class matter. All other workers need not apply.
Brain bleach, STAT!
A tough night. but so you don’t have to …
@JudithCollinsMP ;
“Now, this makes me happy. Good men focused on helping others in need.”
https://twitter.com/JudithCollinsMP/status/1055629668680757250
Hypocrisy. Or Code?
RIP
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/25/292240/tvnz-could-merge-with-rnz-kevin-kenrick
We get to see if Faafoi is worth a damn. TVNZ and RNZ need to be kept far apart. RNZ while less than perfect, is still the last bastion
Kia ora Robert from R&R Aotearoa has some raciest bias problem but by know means is it as bad as the other 4 eyes they have a much bigger problems with raciest problems.
Stereotyping maori a theft that’s the mindset the sandflys think I have got but we know that there ancestor robbed maori .
So teaching the all the moko’s about our history and how great maori culture is will be the way to change the other cultures views on Maori .
Ka kite ano P.S Thats correct Maori are raciest to I have said what my nicname was when I was young no one is going to call me that now.
The Hui doctor Joe Williams should be given a taonga for his work in using natural .
Cream for healing eczema that has healed a lot of people.
You know that big Pharma are pushing to suppress Doctor Joe and his cures the old who suppressing alternative medicines they cannot charge you if you can use plants to heal people.
Ka pai to the first Wahine Maori Temata as the student president of Victoria University .
I say she will make a good politician Ka pai.
Ka kite ano
Obama cited a recent Trump comment that he would pass a tax cut before the November election. “Congress isn’t even in session before the election. He just makes stuff up,” he said. Ana to kai trump . Ka kite ano trump Ka kite ano link is below.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/27/barack-obama-takes-aim-at-donald-trump-for-making-stuff-up-us-midterms
Before national got into power 10 years ago I remember seeing story comparing Aus Brit NZ grocery prices and NZ was the cheapest there is noway any peoples government should let our country have duopoly being in control of any industry let alone our food supply industry’s these company’s are just bleeding NZ dry. Time to reset there game how can it be justified that one can buy NZ grown food in Britain & Aussie cheaper than NZ .
The Countdown group of New Zealand stores reported revenue of $6.36b and profit of $284m this year, with a gross margin of 24.2 per cent.
In the South Island, Foodstuffs’ revenue was more than $3 billion, with operating profit of more than $293m. It distributed to its members $280m, an increase of $6.6m or 2.4 per cent for the latest financial year, including a “loyalty rebate” of $53m.
Foodstuffs North Island, which claims 47 per cent market share in its latest annual report, recorded revenue of $6.6 billion and operating profit of $210.4 million. Its chairman’s report said putting pressure on costs had reduced supply chain costs by $5m, and helped it distribute $140.3m to co-operative members in the year.
Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/108114861/is-new-zealands-supermarket-duopoly-ripping-us-off
Kia ora Newshub Its a windy day in Wellington Melisa tawhiri doing the his thing.
Eco Maori gives condolences to the family’s who lost love one in the Pittsburgh shooting.
Loyd that helicopter crash in Leicester after the soccer match is a shocker did the owner go down in that crash condolences to the family’s to .
Doctor Joe I thought it was a organic cream why has he been fined it works and some big companys are selling prouducts that kill he is not making millions off it just healing the sick. Its a illusion .
The will to live is a good Idea to support farmers mental health our farmers are put under a lot of stress. Ka kite ano P.S I have a actor that’s a little distraction