Open mike 27/10/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 27th, 2020 - 185 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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185 comments on “Open mike 27/10/2020 ”

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  1. Adrian Thornton 1
    27 October 2020 at 8:21 am

    Here is some great reporting on a fantastic Left wing victory in Bolivia from The Grey Zone…which is just as well as most MSM don't seem interested in giving this any coverage ar all…in fact I don't think RNZ has even mentioned it, thought we all get to know every single little detail about the US supreme courts from them for some unknown reason?

  2. Morrissey 2
    27 October 2020 at 8:25 am

    [deleted]

    [you have to make clear what are your words and what is a cut and paste. As a mod I am over editing these, just deleting now where the commenter should know better – weka]

    • Adrian Thornton 2.1
      27 October 2020 at 10:18 am

      Well Adelson's investment has been very successful indeed. The public massacre Palestinian March of Return protesters with zero push back from any MSM including the so called liberal media has proved this beyond a doubt.

      "The UN's humanitarian body OCHA reported a total of 271 Palestinian fatalities and 29,187 injuries in the past year in Gaza, the majority during Great March of Return protests – tallying from March 30, 2018 – March 22, 2019."

      https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/killed-for-protesting-6-things-to-know-about-the-great-return-march/

      It seems that Palestinian lives have no value to gutless western media whatsoever.

    • Morrissey 2.2
      27 October 2020 at 10:58 am

      Weka, I headed that brief extract with the words "Asa Winstanley on the repulsive Trump donor Sheldon Adelson". I then linked to the article. I'm sorry if it was unclear.

      • weka 2.2.1
        27 October 2020 at 11:15 am

        Yes, I'm sure it seemed clear to you, but mods have to read a huge amount on site and if I have to stop and try and figure out what is going on it cuts into my time for doing other things like writing posts. I will help people struggling with formatting or the tech, but for commenters who have been here a long time and know better, I’m just not willing to spend any more time on it. There was no easy way to tell that the first sentence was also a cut and paste rather than your words.

        use the quote tags,

        Cut and pasted long text

        Or some other way of making the quote clearly differentiated from your own words.

        Cut and pasted long text.

        “Cut and pasted short text”

        <<<
        Old school cut and pasted text from when there were not tags (or still on FB)
        <<<

        Edited.

      • Incognito 2.2.2
        27 October 2020 at 11:20 am

        In other words, more of your own words and less of other people’s words, combined with proper formatting 😉

        • swordfish 2.2.2.1
          27 October 2020 at 5:03 pm

          more of your own words and less of other people’s words

          Yeah, but there's a good argument to be made that – despite all the smoke & mirrors – there are, in fact, only 3 individuals who have ever commented on The Standard since its inception in 2008 … Lynn Prentice, Greg Presland & Ianmac … with all the rest of us being the mere glove puppet creations of one of those 3 individuals … we've all been painstakingly crafted & designed to entertain & mislead any unsuspecting members of the public who inadvertantly happen upon the site & its associated Posts & threads.

          I'm, for instance, a classic Ianmac glove puppet (Ian delights & specialises in creating pompous oafs with a penchant for talking dreary bollocks & lacking even a modicum of self-awareness) while you, yourself, "incognito" are very much a typically suave & sophisticated Lynn Prentice creation, with McFlock bearing all the hallmarks of the sort of colourful, irascible old Walter Brennan-style sidekick character favoured by Greg.

          All of which begs the question of what "more of your own words" actually means.

          [This, of course, suggests you can take the present comment as me (ianmac) blowing the whistle on the whole charade once & for all … Lynn & Greg won't be too happy of course … this site was, after all, one of the World's longest running Anarho-Situationist pranks … but unfortunately I (ian) grew wary of the whole thing]

          • Andre 2.2.2.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 5:22 pm

            This poor puppet totally lacking in self-awareness really wants to know: who's pulling my strings, then?

          • greywarshark 2.2.2.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 5:56 pm

            swordfish Self-deprecating, ironic, humourous. I think lots of things keep people putting time aside to swap ideas, pass on info, and have a little dig, express disappointment, praise, always interesting. A good addiction.

            Andre seeker after truth? And weka earnest worker panning in the goldfields, is there a gleam of something both intelligent and useful in those many words to be read and considered?

      • Adrian Thornton 2.2.3
        27 October 2020 at 11:20 am

        AAhhh, good ol' weka the frustrated camp guard back again to show who's REALLY in charge around here…LOL.

        [2 week ban for flaming and being a dick to a moderator. My instinct is just to ban you until next year, because from memory you reasonably regularly show this disdain to the people who do the work to provide a site for you to read and comment on. But in fairness to moderation and the rest of the community you can take this short ban as a warning. I would have made it a few days, but want to make it worth my while going into the back end and I’m at an utter loss as to why I should care when you patently don’t. – weka]

        • Morrissey 2.2.3.1
          27 October 2020 at 11:35 am

          BREEN: [self-pityingly] I'm sorry if it was unclear.

          weka: [patiently] Yes, I'm sure it seemed clear to you, but mods have to read a huge amount on site and if I have to stop and try and figure out what is going on it cuts into my time for doing other things like writing posts.

          Incognito: In other words, more of your own words and less of other people’s words, combined with proper formatting

          ADRIAN: AAhhh, good ol' weka the frustrated camp guard back again to show who's REALLY in charge around here…LOL.

          BREEN: Come on now, everyone. We're all friends again now. Group hug?

          Incognito: I don't think so.

          weka: Great idea! Come here, Thornton!

          BREEN: Come here, Cognito!

          Scene dissolves into pink loveliness…

          http://gif-free.com/uploads/posts/2018-02/1519648251_kissing-rabbits.gif

          • Andre 2.2.3.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 11:49 am

            Y'know, mozzie, it would save the mods a lot of aggravation and the rest of us from seeing an unedifying spectacle if you and your fellow travellers would use your own site for your circle jerks.

            • Morrissey 2.2.3.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 11:51 am

              "Fellow travellers." Oh, that's a nice allusion. We're Russian dupes, aren't we.

            • McFlock 2.2.3.1.1.2
              27 October 2020 at 1:57 pm

              I don't mind other people's circle jerks. I skip most of the comments and have a laugh when the moderators start culling.

          • Incognito 2.2.3.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 1:38 pm

            The tolerance threshold for puerile & pathetic BS is obviously higher here on TS than on KB. Do you want to find out how much higher? You’re getting very close to an answer and it will be handed to you in bold between square brackets 😉

  3. Rosemary McDonald 3
    27 October 2020 at 8:42 am

    Natrad this morning highlighting the struggles some (predominately low decile) schools are having trying to get the Ministry of Education to do their fucking job.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018770030/school-leader-says-ministry-of-education-wasted-taxpayer-money

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018770041/former-christchurch-school-board-chair-says-ministry-of-education-toxic-after-rebuild-troubles

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018770059/ministry-of-education-property-arm-broken-principal

    There is a narrative within these three interviews that deserves a serious listen.

    The usual post-earthquake repair/rebuild crap that has become normal…topped off by a rather telling interview with the principle of a low decile Porirua school.

    And here is the bureaucrat responsible or this shameful situation..

    https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/our-role-and-our-people/our-leadership-team/

    Head of Education Infrastructure Service (EIS): Kim Shannon

    Kim is a highly experienced operational and policy leader, who has been with the Ministry since 2000. She has led significant change in the Ministry, specialising in building value, driving good business practice and high standards of public service

    Kim was involved in the early part of Christchurch’s recovery, driving the business case for the capital works programme through to Cabinet’s approval. As Head of EIS, Kim introduced the first new schools PPP (public-private partnership) in education.

    In Kim’s role of Head of Education Infrastructure Service (EIS), she is responsible for ensuring New Zealand’s schools are safe and inspiring learning environments, and oversees management of a $23.5 billion property portfolio, with a $600 million annual property spend

    I guess she'll be looking for a new job.

    • greywarshark 3.1
      27 October 2020 at 11:40 am

      I've gone looking into NZ education this morning. I don't think it is giving our young people and therefore our country's citizens the right mix of facts, systems and intelligent human thought training with an ability to communicate, that they need.

      Looking at Rosemary's comment above a notable word in the last linked report is 'business'. Referred to in the first paragraph, the second, and in the third, the value of the 'property portfolio' and the '$600 million annual property spend' are given as hard money facts that impress those who put business interests first.

      Also this woman Kim Shannon – 'As Head of EIS, Kim introduced the first new schools PPP (public-private partnership) in education. ' Which presents government property and services as a business opportunity tapping into government funds and expenditure first and foremost.

      She went to Canterbury University originally. Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and English and a Diploma in Secondary Teaching from Canterbury University. Prior to joining the Ministry, Kim worked at the Department of Internal Affairs and the State Services Commission. https://zealand3185.rssing.com/chan-60254421/all_p64.html

      I would think she is in the loop of civil service people that push forward the neolib management approach; all efficiency and smooth operation, and good accounting and tick-boxing and generic – no way would making heartfelt changes with a wide vision of education needs for future citizens fit their well-trained, tidy-desk minds. They are better at buildings and decor than understanding the educational needs of today's young people I think.

      This is a PDF which you might be able to see in full but even in the part I see it shows the direction of property management and accountants and arrangement of chairs and settees for the right modern educational look is a major preoccupation. http://www.nzpf.ac.nz/uploads/7/2/4/6/72461455/southern_regional_sector_forum-may_2014.pdf

      This link below goes to a world link which appears to skite about what NZ is achieving to keep up with world trends. I fear that it is all morale boosting for the NZ chief management; perhaps useful in gaining brownie points for getting paying overseas students. It is hosted as a French site but English translation is available. (There is an English link – too long. ) This is for OCDE – des Politiques Meilleures pour une vie Meilleure. (OECD – Better Policies for Better Lives). – http://www.oecd.org/fr/education/innovation-education/ (France is having Islamic protests resulting in President Macron bringing in stern controls – after the beheading of a teacher who reignited Islamic ire by bringing into the classroom the page which earlier dishonoured the Prophet. It seems that the French need to live up to their fine words about education.)

      This OECD page has little to do with the content and value of NZ education so children can understand and lean to participate as informed people, in what is happening in society. It may be that the MoE has withdrawn into property consumption and acquisition and the local Boards of Trustees are supposed to be directing the education side.

      I don't understand if this is the case as to me, what are their horizons, interests. If business people they might be excellent at management and profitability, but like my dad when he got into local council, he talked about saving money on the library, or shutting it down perhaps. Many men don't read fiction, so have little use or understanding of imagination in their thinking. How can they comprehend what they don't have knowledge of? (The vast areas of thought and history and different perceptions and the knowing what you know, and that is a tiny bit of what you don't know etc.). Of course there is the dominant internet and tech that are such a useful tool, but don't match the human-made book which prompt the reader to wonder what they can do themselves in the world outside tech.

      They need to be aware of where the jobs will be, how they can live their lives under the twin problems of climate change, and the decay of society accompanied by the outrages of manic capitalists. Now education can't be expected to refer outright to such matters, but it can guide youngsters to emotional intelligence and a wide general knowledge and personal skills in the physical world. That will result in a quiet confidence in their ability to assess the practical moves to enable them to make a living, and keep thinking of changes and learnings they must take on for future advantage.

      At the same time they should learn humanities and form their intellectual and imaginative side. You mix with people who have similar interests and they need to form their own spiritual and ethical outlook, and look for people to associate with who enjoy life, have similar values, can be trusted and become part of a network of such people. These are the ones who will emerge from 'the troubles' ahead, unbroken relatively unscathed and able to stand tall.

      Min of Ed. needs to be enculturing this, but apparently their pride and purpose is in handling property and finances with a misty look at their educational offering – of 'safe and inspiring learning environments'! That phrase is all purpose from Early Childhood Education on. What a piece of work is neoliberal man and woman!

  4. Sacha 4
    27 October 2020 at 8:43 am

    Simplistic reckon from Andrea Vance: Winston First lost because they did not suck up to the gun lobby enough whereas Act did. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300140171/election-2020-the-strategic-error-that-cost-winston-peters–and-boosted-a-determined-wily-david-seymour

    • Morrissey 4.1
      27 October 2020 at 8:46 am

      Andrea Vance's "analysis" is of the same quality as the similarly ridiculous idea that farmers voted Labour to stave off the Green monster.

      • mac1 4.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 9:48 am

        I too thought that was a ridiculous idea, especially when I heard Judith Collins in a public meeting 8 days before the election advise her 200 strong audience to two vote blue to stop the Greens getting into power. I remember at the time thinking that the logical thing would have been two votes red.

        Last night my brother told me that his National voting fellow cricket lovers in the pub before the election were considering voting Labour to frustrate the Greens.

        It seems that some did vote tactically like that. The real question is how many actually did.

        • Bearded Git 4.1.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 10:02 am

          mac1…if it had been reversed like this…Nat 46 Lab 32 Gr 8 ACT 8 …..would you have voted National to keep ACT out?

          Of course you wouldn't. It's a rubbish theory.

          People voted for Jacinda (and the Greens) because they liked them, their policies, and liked the Covid response.

          • mac1 4.1.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 10:20 am

            Bearded Git, I would not have voted that way.

            That would have been stupid. But there are stupid people out there; there are alarmists and haters.

            Remember those who believe in conpiracies could easily have been conned in this way.

            I also agree that the 'green monster' theory is propounded by those who cannot admit that the voters spurned a National party for reasons like the rejection of dirty politics; that National is no longer the smart party regarding economic wisdom; that National has lost its way with the selection of dodgy candidates; that it really had the wrong answers to Covid-19; that it was not representative; that bullying, disrespectful, narcissistic leadership is not acceptable……..

            especially when the alternative was a far more representative, caring and compassionate, determined and decisive one.

            • RedLogix 4.1.1.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 10:37 am

              That would have been stupid.

              Why? Given that the polls made it clear that Labour were going to romp in regardless, voting tactically to get the 'lesser of the two evils' (from a Nat party supporters pov) is entirely rational.

              And given that Ardern's govt is a strongly centre-left govt and has adroitly avoided scaring the right, then I can quite readily see this idea as being part of the mix.

              Besides most people don't vote with just one simplistic idea in their heads.

              Just how large a factor however is something we can only speculate about … and without any polling data to put some bones on it … it's a fairly pointless thing to be discussing.

              • PsyclingLeft.Always …
                27 October 2020 at 10:43 am

                "it's a fairly pointless thing to be discussing." And yet…here you are.

                Bored?

                [I can’t see the point of your comment other than to have a go at another commenter. There are plenty of politics to have a go at, please do that instead – weka]

              • mac1 …
                27 October 2020 at 11:12 am

                "Pointless"? Maybe at this time for more than a few canny 'reckons' to be indulged.

                However. both sides will be doing two things. Evaluating what happened and why, once the polls are all in, and then devising strategy based on that evaluation.

                For National, it is more important that they are deeply honest, at least to themselves, about the issues for them that I postulate above.

                For Labour and the Greens, knowing why 50% went to Labour for all the various reasons from (for me) being tribal Labour through to stymie the Greens and whatever is in between will be crucial for 2023 and the legislative programme up till then.

                Politics is the art of the possible. First, though, know what is possible.

                I await the good analysis which time will afford us.

            • Bearded Git 4.1.1.1.1.2
              27 October 2020 at 12:21 pm

              mac1….agree with all of that…love your list of National Party failures, when you see it like that it looks pretty horrendous……I'm not sure if the people are stupid, maybe illogical is fairer.

              In fact it is arguable that the half dozen people who voted Labour to keep the Greens out got it right.

          • Gabby 4.1.1.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 11:34 am

            Maybe, but some people think they're much more clever than they are. It's just the sort of faux machiavellian idiocy a hooters or a farret would come up with.

            • Anne 4.1.1.1.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 11:57 am

              I’m sure some people were conned into the "party vote Labour to keep out the Greens" meme, but it would have been a minority.

              The vast bulk of people voted Labour because of the outstanding success of their Covid strategy. They saw Dr Bloomfield and PM Ardern standing side by side on the 1pm Daily Show and they were impressed with their handling of the crisis.

              This 'keep out the Greens' line is just an attempt to under-value Labour's success by suggesting they didn't really deserve it because it was tactical voting blah, blah, blah.

              Let them delude themselves. It won't do them any good.

              • Bearded Git …
                27 October 2020 at 12:23 pm

                Agree Anne…that is why the MSM flew with it. But it is disappointing that Tim Watkin bought into it.

                I haven't checked, but my guess is that Bryce Edwards will have bought into the ivotedlabourtokeepthehorriblegreensout theory. His analysis is seldom original.

              • Peter 1 …
                27 October 2020 at 1:28 pm

                I have a friend who is a national party voter, he and his wife voted party vote Labour to try to keep out the greens, he is a ex farmer say no more.

                • Bearded Git …
                  27 October 2020 at 3:45 pm

                  Peter 1 ….or did they vote for charismatic Jacinda and her Covid response and then when they read the pundits the day after the election become convinced that they had voted Labour to keep the Greens out?

                  There is a lot of self-delusion in voting. People like to be thought as clever/backing the right side. They would need plenty of excuses for having voted Labour when telling their farmer-mates that is what they had done.

                  • Robert Guyton …
                    27 October 2020 at 3:51 pm

                    Nobody likes to lose. Those farmers won; the party they voted for, became the Government. Basic human nature.

                  • Peter 1 …
                    27 October 2020 at 3:53 pm

                    No they told me what they were going to do before they voted because they could see the writing on the wall. Also I think they don't like Judith.

    • RedLogix 4.2
      27 October 2020 at 9:38 am

      So why do you reckon ACT's vote increased by such an unprecedented margin?

      What was different this election?

      • Ad 4.2.1
        27 October 2020 at 12:19 pm

        Act's performance needs its own post.

        The Act Party did an outstanding job this election.

        I'll have a go at a few reasons.

        The first is that they worked effectively over the last three years on the euthenasia campaign. They worked effectively not only in Parliament, but also in the media and across the country. They could have lost the debate entirely, but they modified the bill substantially, keeping the profile very strong.

        The second is their careful targeting of the liberal voter (those who have an ethos of liberty and resisting governmental expansion of control) through the weapons buy-back and regulation proposals.

        Those two areas expanded their voter appeal in clever, targeted ways. That was reflected somewhat in their list

        The third is in their leader. He wasn't a showpony or bombastic like Rodney Hide, or an ideologue in the Richard Prebble mold. He had a positive, open demeanor that didn't take himself too seriously and was remarkably telegenic and efficient when given mainstream opportunities to be grabbed.

        The final piece was their secret weapon in Brooke van Velden. This person is pretty experienced in Parliament, but knows how to get the best out of her leader. She was the one-person coordinator that got their energies out of the Epsom seat which was their base, and out into the countryside. The result is some remarkable numbers in rural electorates.

        Now, sure, they get good donations, and they get 'gifted' a seat. But this term they will start with the election referendum results, which will start their term with a real boost. Few can claim that kind of momentum straight from election through to Parliamentary opening.

        They are now definitely as strong as they were in the Hide era – who knows whether they're whippable (that's another story).

        • woodart 4.2.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 1:01 pm

          brilliant last line ad. that question can be asked in so many ways. history has shown that right wing polies both crave, and hate, the whip.

          • Peter 1 4.2.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 1:36 pm

            ( right wing polies both crave, and hate, the whip.)

            What I do in the privacy of my home is my business. laughlaughlaugh

        • Stuart Munro 4.2.1.2
          27 October 2020 at 1:23 pm

          The Act Party did an outstanding job this election.

          Being the only hard right option with a pulse, and not falling into the trap of empty Covid criticism as badly as the Gnats only makes them a lesser of two evils for those inclined that way. The real test will be whether they can retain or grow their vote by 2026 – by which time the last of the Gnat deadwood should have shambled into the sunset, and the party will have a chance to revive its fortunes.

          If the Gnats rebuild, I'm betting the ACT vote will return to its usual levels.

          • Incognito 4.2.1.2.1
            28 October 2020 at 8:57 am

            Being the only hard right option with a pulse, and not falling into the trap of empty Covid criticism as badly as the Gnats only makes them a lesser of two evils for those inclined that way.

            Appearances can be very deceiving. Seymour did test the waters with Plan B but was able to read the room better than his like-minded buddies over at National.

            • Stuart Munro 4.2.1.2.1.1
              28 October 2020 at 9:20 am

              Yes, that was clever.

              But the strange passions of these suddenly new MPs are mostly untested with NZ voters. Gun nutjobbery or the like may relegate ACT to the margins even as National keeps going down like a broaching livestock carrier – the frenzied mooing and pooing doesn't seem to be helping them.

        • swordfish 4.2.1.3
          27 October 2020 at 1:25 pm

          .
          Much simpler: Fait Accompli Election: Unpopular, deeply Polarising Opposition Leader of a Party well behind in the Polls & widely perceived to be in disarray … up against a highly regarded Govt (albeit centred largely on the handling of one dominant issue) led by a stratospherically popular PM … inevitably leads – just as it did in 2002 (and to a lesser extent in 2011 & 2014) – to significant fragmentation of the Major Opposition Party's vote. Some purely pragmatic / strategic … some ideological.

          –2002– = from Nat … to … NZF, ACT & UF

          –2011 / 2014– = from Lab … to … NZF & Greens

          –2020– = from Nat … to … Lab & ACT

          No doubt amplified by the Gun Lobby's new high-profile alignment with ACT.

          • Ad 4.2.1.3.1
            27 October 2020 at 2:09 pm

            Everything's a fait accompli in retrospect, which is where you generally focus.

            Plenty of votes bled elsewhere in 2020, yet still Act performed well.

            Act peaked in late 2020 because they were ready for it.

            • swordfish 4.2.1.3.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 2:28 pm

              It was obviously a Fait Accompli election from April onwards. That massive realignment in Labour's favour always looked pretty solid & secure from April right through to October.

              When National is consistently so far behind in the polls & falling apart in the most public manner … a significant swing to ACT by a particular segment of its base at the subsequent Election is almost guaranteed. Granted, Seymour's / ACT's strategic game amplified that swing to its maximum extent … they played their cards very well … but I think the bulk of those former Nat voters were always going to be moving in that direction come what may. Already ideologically predisposed.

              Same with former Labour voters in 2011 & 2014 … younger morally-liberal Lab voters didn’t need to be convinced by intricate policy analysis or strategic appeals to swing to the Greens when Labour were deeply unpopular & in disarray … nor did older morally-conservative Lab voters need to be talked into voting NZF.

              • Ad …
                27 October 2020 at 5:12 pm

                The Labour win was assured from April, agree.

                But from April it's pretty easy to run other counterfactuals and get quite different outcomes.

                – If National had chosen Collins after Bridges in March, one could see greater National base solidity, with less bleed to Top, NewConservatives, and AdvanceNZ

                – If National had chosen a farmer-friendly candidate, the rural seats wouldn't have bled to Act

                – If Labour didn't have the second lockdown in Auckland, Greens could have risen to 10%, and we'd have a more interesting government

                – If NZFirst had figured how to attract the nut vote from Advance NZ in May, they could have had a better shot.

                Little of it is predetermined, once you get to the fringes.

        • McFlock 4.2.1.4
          27 October 2020 at 2:06 pm

          The euthenasia thing made them appear something other than cold-hearted capitalist users. When they figured that out, they softened some of their neoliberal policies to be consistent with that new image. Managing that while simultaneously courting the gun-nut crowd was a competent move.

          But also, where would right-wing nats go when the nats are obviously on a loser?

        • WeTheBleeple 4.2.1.5
          27 October 2020 at 6:14 pm

          I would add to the 'telegenic' aspect of David Seymour. When you look at ACT's policies they seem like a nasty bunch, but a lot of people rarely dig beneath the surface. On the surface, David is approachable, friendly, and makes you laugh.

          Personality over policy. Cos the hard-right run very shallow.

        • DS 4.2.1.6
          27 October 2020 at 6:28 pm

          They are a very different party from the ACT party of Hide. That ACT was a creature of Auckland and Wellington elites.

          This time round… ACT did better in Gore than Epsom. It got 10% on the West Coast, 9.7% in Invercargill… and only 11% in Epsom. It did very well in both Coromandel and Waitaki, despite those both being full of old people (why do old people vote for a party that wants to bring in the Coronavirus?).

          ACT is now a rural protest vote, in a way it never was before.

      • logie97 4.2.2
        27 October 2020 at 12:30 pm

        If, and just saying "if", former National voters put two votes Labour, then they do not understand MMP. They could have kept their beloved sitting MP, and given their party vote to Labour. But if they did know what they were doing and we give them some benefit of doubt, then Smith and Brownlee were considered beyond their use by dates, however not so sure about the Ashburton and Manawatu areas.

  5. JanM 5
    27 October 2020 at 9:10 am

    For some reason I've just read the latest comments on Kiwiblog. I've never really done that before. Best laugh I've had in weeks!

  6. Anne 6
    27 October 2020 at 9:30 am

    Yes. There's some seriously deluded people who comment on that site.

  7. PsyclingLeft.Always 7
    27 October 2020 at 9:33 am

    "A baby attacked by a dog in Hamilton on Sunday night has died in hospital."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429224/baby-in-hospital-after-dog-attack-in-hamilton-dies

    This…like so many other dog attacks on defenceless children, is no "accident". Police need to charge "owner" with some serious offence.!

    • RedLogix 7.1
      27 October 2020 at 9:48 am

      Why? All dogs are capable of this unpredictable behaviour, even if the vast majority don't.

      Unless you have some evidence of intentional wrong-doing or gross recklessness on the part of the owner, and presumable parent of this child … then prosecuting them seems nothing more than a vindictive doubling down on the tragedy they're already enduring.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 9:56 am

        Yea whatever. I'm more interested in the safety of defenceless Children.

        • greywarshark 7.1.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 11:51 am

          Yes PLA – the stats show that children under 10 are the major victims and that they are usually bitten on their own property. To get good, happy dogs that are safe around children, they need to go to puppy school for quite some time. People living erratic precarious lives and don't have spare money would have trouble finding the time, and doing the travelling to the training site, and there is probably a cost to get good training.

          There needs to be assistance I think from government to enable people to do this training. Some people can't bear being told to restrict their dog, rein themselves in, and get hostile and rude if questioned. Having a pet dog can be a great thing for children, they want to be part of your lives, while cats want you to be a part of their lives – when it suits. But the dogs and owners need training I think.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.1.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 11:58 am

            Yea, an FYI,I like Dogs…and have owned several. It is surely the OWNER that is the problem in attack cases. And seeing the terrible wounds…(including mental) inflicted on Children and Adults… MUST take care

      • Rosemary McDonald 7.1.2
        27 October 2020 at 10:05 am

        Unless you have some evidence of intentional wrong-doing or gross recklessness on the part of the owner, and presumable parent of this child…

        Hmmm…it is an actual 'thing' on interweb based egozones for numpties to film or photograph their new human baby being introduced to their fur baby. Seen in passing, and not an area I tarry in, but it has always struck me as being an inherently dangerous practice.

        Sooner or later…

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.1
          27 October 2020 at 10:12 am

          Yes the article I linked to above points out that children under 8yrs should be supervised around family pets, but in reality this must be a counsel of perfection.

      • AB 7.1.3
        27 October 2020 at 12:03 pm

        "Why? All dogs are capable of this unpredictable behaviour, even if the vast majority don't."

        If all dogs are capable of it – then that should be a factor in deciding whether you have any dogs around very small children. And it's fair to say that not all dogs are equally capable of it, or equal in the degree of damage they can inflict – the type of dog matters. In other words, we are not dealing with something that cannot be mitigated in any way, and is so rare that all we can do is throw up our hands and say "how sad".

        As a broad principle – making owners responsible for what their dogs do, as though they had done it themselves, is a good way of focusing the mind. Though as you say, in some cases it will just add a criminal conviction to the horror and distress.

        • greywarshark 7.1.3.1
          27 October 2020 at 12:16 pm

          You aren't allowed to just smack your child under our law. If we can be that draconian how come we can't make it a short prison term for allowing a dog at your home so much freedom that it can bite a person. (That would mean keeping control of relatives and friends dogs. If it was illegal you could quote that and not be accused of being a jerk throwing your weight around etc.).

          I have stopped another child from biting mine, and would act vice versa but never needed to. You don't expect it from little children but they are still random and untrained. But a dog is more prone to bite, there is no excuse for it happening to kids, and people will have to be helped, chivvied, threatened into giving a s..t.

          • solkta 7.1.3.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 1:35 pm

            It is not draconian to give children the same protection under the law as adults and dogs. If your child was biting someone then yes you could use a (light) smack to make them stop.

            • greywarshark 7.1.3.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 1:55 pm

              Is it not draconian not to be able to smack your dog! The idea is that you are trying to train, to get a psychological brain connection in place. With adults, smacking gets weird.

              • solkta …
                27 October 2020 at 2:11 pm

                If your dog is biting you can smack them to stop them, like with children. But using violence for correction is not a sound way to teach dogs, children or adults not to be violent.

          • Phillip ure 7.1.3.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 2:10 pm

            So not being allowed to hit children is 'draconian'..?…really ..?… My parents did not hit me…and I never physically chastised either of my two (now adult) children..my son and I discussed it recently…how outrageously weird it was…the very idea that I would hit/hurt him..at any time in his life ..and that this could be somehow a way of showing 'love' to your children…I believe we do as we are taught…were you taught that your parents hit you because they 'love' you ..and did you duplicate those actions..?..that could explain your attitude vs. mine…eh..?

            • greywarshark 7.1.3.1.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 4:11 pm

              I'm sorry to say that my parents didn't always love me and that I didn't always love my children. However I have done everything that I could for them, and shown them with actions as well as hugs that I love them most of the time. It's all a bit OTT about not striking your child at all.

              But coldness of behaviour, little interest and little communication with your child, leaving them to others such as boarding schools to bring up, only liking them when they are winners – children who want to stop playing a sport which they excel in can find that parents withdraw from them, disappointed in not being able to show off their clever child. Then there is being inconstant, all over the child for a while, then becoming distant apparently uncaring; that shakes a child or a teenager very much, then there is the downward critical comparison with a neighbour’s child, a relative’s; ‘Pity you can’t be like …. he or she can do…. makes it look easy. You will have to try harder if you’re going to be half as good.’

              Those are the things that damage a child, not just getting a whack. And they are not illegal.

      • Gabby 7.1.4
        27 October 2020 at 6:11 pm

        Owning dangerous dog + having small child = gross recklessness.

    • Bearded Git 7.2
      27 October 2020 at 10:03 am

      100% agree Psyc. The owners should be held responsible for the behaviour of their pets. In this case as though they themselves attacked the baby.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.2.1
        27 October 2020 at 10:12 am

        Aye. Little kids have absolutely NO defense against attacking dogs. So MANY cases in NZ….and also Adults ripped open…

        Fark the number of times I, out walking/biking with family, and some 4 legged monster (large/small whatever) comes rushing (unleashed) at us. "he wont hurt you" yells numnut owner from a distance…..

        • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.2.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 10:56 am

          "If the dog has caused serious injury to a person or has killed any protected wildlife or injured it so badly its destruction is necessary to prevent further suffering, the dog owner is liable to up to three years imprisonment and a fine up to $20,000.

          The court must also order destruction of the dog, unless there are special circumstances."

          And….

          "If you see a dog attacking a person, you have the right to seize or destroy the dog to stop the attack. You can also seize or destroy a dog if you see it attacking any livestock (sheep, for example) or poultry, or any domestic animal (like a cat or other dog) or any protected wildlife.

          If a dog rushes at, startles or attacks a person, animal or vehicle, causing someone to be endangered, injured or killed, or causing any property to be damaged or endangered, any person can also seize or destroy that dog."

          https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-27-neighbourhood-life/dogs-and-other-animals/dogs-care-and-control-of-your-dog/

          Keep your fkn dogs under control

          • RedLogix 7.2.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 11:19 am

            The dog will almost certainly be put down.

            But unless there are circumstances we don't yet know about, I really cannot see any Court prosecuting the owner on this. Especially if they're the parent as well.

            There would have to be some pattern of recklessness or gross negligence involved. Otherwise it just becomes a vengeance, a doubling down on the grief and loss.

            Which I have to say is an sentiment that has become remarkably popular with parts the left in recent years.

            • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.2.1.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 11:29 am

              "Which I have to say is an sentiment that has become remarkably popular with parts the left in recent years."

              I await weka's mod note for you….

              • weka …
                27 October 2020 at 11:34 am

                My suggestion is you read the Policy. It's pretty obvious I'm already fucked off with having to moderate over stupid shit like this. Please stop trolling/flaming. If you don't understand anything about moderation, you can ask, but without the attitude please.

                • PsyclingLeft.Always …
                  27 October 2020 at 11:51 am

                  Well. Maybe I'm just missing something here. A poster regularly attacks "The Left". ( I could link, but hey). I'm on The Left. I thought this was a Left site. Anyway. I wont respond to aforesaid poster. And would appreciate same….

                  • weka …
                    27 October 2020 at 12:02 pm

                    Yes you do appear to be missing something. People are free to attack left wing politics so long as they're not making shit up or making claims of fact for what are essentially opinions.

                    People can also be rude when making comments to an extent so long as they are making a political point. The limit is where it becomes personally abusive and likely to start a flame war.

                    The point of The Standard is to provide posts and a space for robust debate. If someone is making arguments against the left, then others will come along and critique those. That's how it works.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.2.1.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 12:30 pm

            "A recent study showed that there had been over 99,000 dog bites in New Zealand in the past 10 years"

            And that was up to 2015…

            "Another dog attack on a young child has prompted the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons president Dr Sally Langley to call for tougher dog-control laws"

            https://plasticsurgery.org.nz/patient-information/news-and-issues/dog-bite-injuries-a-serious-problem-in-new-zealand/

        • Treetop 7.2.1.2
          27 October 2020 at 1:35 pm

          Any dog I do not know well, I do not want it within 2 metres of me. Any dog I know well I always supervise the children in my care.

          A dog is one way to the people on the property and another way to people who enter the property.

          • Phillip ure 7.2.1.2.1
            27 October 2020 at 2:29 pm

            Or..you can do what I do…I have two re-homed ex pig hunting dogs…big brutes…and both of them as gentle as a kitten..'cos they often have a hell life (locked in cages when not hunting..one of mine had big scabs on each of his hips when he came to me ..this from lying/living on concrete all his life..)…but the wonderful thing about these dogs is that they are trained to hunt wild pigs ..and to be friendly to every other living creature…they even differentiate between domestic and wild pigs ..and studiously ignore the former…and because they have spent so long in a pack they like other dogs ..one of them is 13 yrs old..the other is 18…and I have seen nothing but relentless friendliness from them…so…if you want a gold-plated dog…get herself an ex pig hunting one…much classier than the usual pedigree suspects..plus you will save their lives..as pig hunting dogs are treated like cows ..they have their most productive years..then they usually get a bullet…my two were heading that way when I grabbed them ..and that dog with the big/old scabs on his hips..?..the scabs are nearly gone ..and he/they now sleep on hotel-grade pillows..so ..if you want a dog ( and why wouldn't you..?)..hunt yrslf down one of those mongrels…

            • Treetop 7.2.1.2.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 3:42 pm

              A close relative of mine did pig hunting for 30 years and had a number of dogs. I know how a pig can attack the dog. His wife always wanted to meet the person when the pig hunting dog got sold.

              I think with me I show fear easily around some breeds and I feel that a dog senses this. I have a friend with an old alsation I have looked after since a pup when they are away. I am fine with the dog on my own.

              A lady down the road with 2 rottwheliers kept offering me to have a cup of tea. I never did go for the cup of tea and I would always glance for where the dogs were behind a filmsy fence.

      • RedLogix 7.2.2
        27 October 2020 at 10:25 am

        In this case as though they themselves attacked the baby.

        Accidents do happen and one of the great principles of crimminal law, built up over centuries, is that intent must be one of the factors we take into account.

        This was a great advance on the much more ancient principle of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' where any accident or misfortune would have to be compensated for with an equivalent act of retribution. In such a world any small oversight or inattention that had unintended consequences (and we all make these all the time), could result in the same or worse consequences being visited on you as well. This had the effect of driving people toward being extremely risk-averse, and is probably part of the evolutionary basis for the conservative instinct.

        It was only when we moved past retribution being the dominant driver of justice, that society as a whole also started to become less risk averse and more innovative.

        • Koff 7.2.2.1
          27 October 2020 at 11:32 am

          I write articles for U.S. personal injury lawyers, who are always trying to find ways of encouraging someone who has been injured to sue someone else. Some states have what is called a "one bite law," which means that you can only sue a dog owner if there has been a previous attack by their dog or the dog has been known to have been aggressive. These states tend to be the more conservative states. In other states, like California and New York, the dog owner is automatically liable for any attack by their dog unless the dog has been provoked, even if the attack is a first. Dog owners in these states are expected to keep their dogs under control.

          • RedLogix 7.2.2.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 1:18 pm

            A interesting perspective Koff. I can understand why the US takes this approach but I'm not a fan.

            It tends to drive excessive risk aversion and builds in huge costs. Its why for instance their medical system is such a large fraction of their GDP yet delivers so poorly for so many locked out from it.

            My preference looks a lot more like our ACC no fault model. Not perfect but a lot more efficient in my view.

        • Treetop 7.2.2.2
          27 October 2020 at 1:20 pm

          There are far too many preventable accidents.

          When it comes to children their environment needs to be managed according to their age and level of development in order to keep them safe.

          I know I sound harsh. I have looked after children for 45 years and I know how vigilant the adults need to be. Caring for children is hard work.

          There is no greater loss for a parent than the loss of a child.

        • Ad 7.2.2.3
          27 October 2020 at 2:04 pm

          There are a few more court cases against dog owners being successful here.

          But we should treat both dogs and cats as with guns: risks that destroy our environment and whose total numbers need to be regulated down.

          • Andre 7.2.2.3.1
            27 October 2020 at 7:24 pm

            You going all Gareth on us?

            I can't recall any publicised instances of kids winding up in hospital, let alone dead, from a cat attack. At worst, a hospital visit might be needed to deal with a subsequent infection from a cat defending itself, very very unlikely to be from an initial unprovoked cat attack.

            While Gareth certainly has somewhat of a point about the effects of cats on wildlife, those in my circles involved in wildlife conservation seem much more concerned about controlling dogs. The effects of cats seem to be just lumped in with rats, stoats, possums etc.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 7.2.2.3.1.1
              28 October 2020 at 6:41 pm

              Old (2006) research paper consistent with your (common sense) comment about the relative potential of cats and dogs to do serious damage to humans.

              The epidemiology of behavioural problems in dogs and cats: a survey of veterinary practitioners [PDF]

              "Destructiveness, aggression and house soiling were the most frequent complaints regarding behavioural problems in dogs, whereas house soiling was clearly considered the main behavioural complaint in cats, followed by furniture scratching and excessive vocalisation."

              Maybe they're trying to tell us something.

          • Phillip ure 7.2.2.3.2
            27 October 2020 at 9:47 pm

            Um . ..!…how do dogs 'destroy our environment's..?…cats yes ..but not dogs…

            • Ad 7.2.2.3.2.1
              28 October 2020 at 4:41 am

              Dogs wipe out Kiwi. There's practically none now left in the far north – mostly from dogs.

              • Phillip ure …
                28 October 2020 at 6:09 pm

                I would question yr claim that dogs have wiped out kiwi…surely feral cats and rats and stoats/ferrets are the culprits..?

                • joe90 …
                  28 October 2020 at 6:41 pm

                  While mustelids pose the largest threat to hatchling and juvenile Kiwi, dogs are by far the biggest threat to adult Kiwi.

        • Gabby 7.2.2.4
          27 October 2020 at 6:14 pm

          A dog attack isn't an 'accident'.

    • tc 7.3
      27 October 2020 at 12:53 pm

      Interested in the bred of dog and its age once more can be revealed.

      People often don't realise that cute doggie they have isn't until too late.

      • Treetop 7.3.1
        27 October 2020 at 1:24 pm

        The mother would have been tired.

        What sort of support did she have and how heavy was her workload?

        My heart sunk when I heard the worst happened.

        • Whispering KateWondering if the dog was jealous of the new bub. 7.3.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 1:50 pm

          Wondered if the dog was jealous of the new bub. Jealously can often be a cause of bad dog behaviour on the introduction of a new human or pet into the household. Terrible tragedy for the family and a poor outcome for the dog. Nothing worse then a poorly trained dog. Dog obedience is a must in a domestic situation.

          • weka 7.3.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 2:31 pm

            please fix username.

          • Treetop 7.3.1.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 3:52 pm

            I have read that dogs can categorise children as being subservient to the dog. Some sort of ranking system.

            • greywarshark 7.3.1.1.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 4:02 pm

              If you start a comment and then the first words go missing – look up to the name slot at the top. Suggestion if there – highlight all and Cut and paste down below. Remove your name and put back in Name slot. And keep watch so that you don't do it again or the mod has to FIFY. And that's a waste of time especially on the 3rd time of telling,

              This wasn’t to Treetop, just – To whom it may apply. Possibly me FTTT.

    • joe90 7.4
      27 October 2020 at 4:55 pm

      The animal, a rottweiler acquired as an adult, was in prey drive.

      The mother had only popped to the toilet when the tragedy unfolded, Karen said. One of the family’s two dogs apparently taking and mauling the newborn boy and attempting to bury him.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123210180/he-was-just-so-little–witness-tells-of-fatal-dog-attack-on-newborn

      • Gabby 7.4.1
        27 October 2020 at 6:16 pm

        Rottweilers are just nasty bity penis extensions.

        • solkta 7.4.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 7:06 pm

          Bullshit. Rotties are no more nasty than any other breed. As with all dogs good socialisation is the key. There are a number of Rottie regulars at the local dog park and they never cause an issue.

          In this case the dog was two years old yet the owner had only recently got it. Any dog needs to be very carefully introduced to a new baby to be sure that they understand, and a dog that you don't even know even more so or maybe never.

          • joe90 7.4.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 7:15 pm

            Food's food, be it thawing roast on the bench or a new born, and it's too much to expect a dog, especially an animal that's likely not bonded with family, to differentiate.

            • solkta 7.4.1.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 7:45 pm

              Some dogs would work it out. I had a German Shepherd who caught a baby mouse. He just wanted to lick its bum and mother it. Had to take the mouse outside myself and put a spade through it. Another time he adopted a kitten.. But yes you can't expect that.

          • RedLogix 7.4.1.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 7:31 pm

            Rotties are probably the most intelligent of all the breeds, but it comes with a heightened sense of possession and protectiveness toward their owner.

            I’d never call them nasty or aggressive, but a close friend who owned a number of them over the years was always careful to ensure that anyone new in their environment was introduced properly.

            On reading the details this seems just a sad and tragic mistake on the part of a young mother of a day old babe, and not a lot more needs saying.

            • solkta 7.4.1.1.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 7:58 pm

              The reason they are possessive and protective is because this is what the breed was bred to be.

        • Muttonbird 7.4.1.2
          27 October 2020 at 9:06 pm

          There's an excellent case for banning dangerous dog breeds. It's like having a loaded gun in your house.

    • McFlock 7.5
      27 October 2020 at 6:53 pm

      A baby has died in preventable circumstances. Outlines in the media are often incorrect or misleadingly incomplete, so speculation on the specifics is unwise.

      What often happens in these sad situations is that the trial takes place and is quickly resolved (unless there is some fact in dispute), and the judge takes into account the fact that there really is no punishment the state can apply that would come close to the punishment of the remorse of the responsible party.

      Poor little kid, and its family.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.5.1
        28 October 2020 at 12:28 am

        Yea…It was a Baby. Eaten by a 4 legged pet monster. That "remorse" wont bring back. As I've said throughout this, Children have no defence …whatsoever, against snarling biting dogs. As I've also linked, there are far too many cases.And I sure do let "owners" know when their mutt is rushing me and mine to "get your fkn dog under control"…

        I also contact Dog Control/Council.

        • McFlock 7.5.1.1
          28 October 2020 at 12:50 am

          Look, it's one of many ways small mistakes that most people make at some time turn lethal. Kids playing in driveways, tired parents leaving the kid in an overheated car, not seeing the kid tugging on the kettle cord.

          Even you – being aggressive towards a dog owner can easily put a protective dog into attack mode.

          A case can be made that there is pitiful little competence required to own a dog. Shite dogwalkers who let their dogs approach me piss me off. It's a sign that the dog itself is poorly trained, because the owner is careless. But it's a carelessness that is routine in NZ.

          Throwing the book at someone who has had a momentary lapse that many other people even in the courtroom probably have had is, frankly, a dick move. It requires a social change through education, and maybe regulation, rather than punishing an individual in a manner that is neither appropriate for rehabilitation nor an inkling of what they're already experiencing.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 7.5.1.1.1
            28 October 2020 at 12:57 am

            Look yourself. I've already stated my grounds……absolutely nothing to do with driveways,kettle cords, overheated cars…or whatever else you can slip in. Except uncontrolled dogs. Which in this case killed a Baby. Definitely a form of Child abuse.

            • McFlock 7.5.1.1.1.1
              28 October 2020 at 1:56 am

              Nope. Nowhere close. Unless a dog is deliberately set on a child, it's exactly like every other momentary but lethal lapse around a hazard that happens to children, sadly, dozens of times a year in NZ. Be it cars, dogs, waterways, electricity, whatever.

  8. greywarshark 8
    27 October 2020 at 11:58 am

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/429227/green-party-should-avoid-cabinet-positions-and-remain-an-independent-critical-voice-former-mp

    Former Green Party MP Keith Locke says his contemporaries should stay out of Cabinet in order to remain critical of Labour while also working constructively with it.

    Words of experience and wisdom.

    • Ad 8.1
      27 October 2020 at 12:22 pm

      What a retrograde softcock he is.

      Begging to go in to government with all care and no responsibility is just begging to be bullied within government and lose multiple times, and still be the person fronting to media to explain it all.

      Something like the term we've just had.

      • weka 8.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 12:24 pm

        As opposed to being in Cabinet, not being able to speak out about problems with Labour policy and approach, and still being the person fronting to media to explain it all.

      • Bearded Git 8.1.2
        27 October 2020 at 12:26 pm

        Shaw should turn down being Climate Change Minister?

        Brilliant. (sarc)

        • weka 8.1.2.1
          27 October 2020 at 12:44 pm

          or Ad wants the Green ministers in cabinet.

          • Ad 8.1.2.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 2:01 pm

            There's good reason for Green MPs to be gaining more and higher Ministerial positions than last time. SO I hope they fight for them.

            The $$$$ decisions coming up in 2021 with big Green impact include:

            – Lake Onslow

            – Light Rail

            – Wellington public transport

            – Tiwai+Manapouri+100% Renewable Generation

            – Wilding Pine+Fire risk+Drought+Water Storage

            – Landing the marijuana reforms

            – Waitemata Tunnel crossing

            I can see possibly Health getting split up into Associate Minister portfolios – both for its size and for keeping the Class of 2017 Labour intake happy.

            But for many of the sets of decisions listed above, I don't believe enough Labour MPs have enough ideological clarity or conviction to carry many of them – and the Green MPs absolutely do. We are running a parliament with a worse cult complex than under Key – and with only slightly better policy delivery results. We need Greens who will fight inside Government against the Ardern cult and win.

            • Sacha 8.1.2.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 2:30 pm

              It's Nash and the other righties in Labour who need fighting. They have a strong interest in resisting a Green influence in government accordingly.

              • Ad …
                27 October 2020 at 2:33 pm

                There are far more fault lines than that.

                They will become more apparent as clumping occurs in such a large Labour caucus next year.

            • weka 8.1.2.1.1.2
              27 October 2020 at 2:34 pm

              this is essentially the argument to vote Green. Unfortunately, it's a bit late now to start running that line. Had the Greens been on 10%, then they would have done exactly what you are talking about and we would have had an awesome L/G govt.

              The situation we're in now is whether the Greens can advance those issues better from in cabinet, outside cabinet, or on the cross benches.

            • Patricia Bremner 8.1.2.1.1.3
              27 October 2020 at 6:23 pm

              Ad, Jacinda is not a cult. She is nothing like Key. Results will improve without Winston.

        • Ad 8.1.2.2
          27 October 2020 at 2:02 pm

          Yes. The Commission is set up.

          The real 2021 test for Shaw should be the RMA reforms.

          • greywarshark 8.1.2.2.1
            27 October 2020 at 7:26 pm

            What do you want the RMA reforms to do Ad? I am unsure, you seem to have your eye on the ball.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 8.2
      27 October 2020 at 1:07 pm

      Good analysis – that's my personal preference (as a Green voter), i.e. continuation of previous arrangements wrt confidence and supply plus ministers outside cabinet, which saw an increase in the Green party vote. The Labour and Green parties can continue to work together constructively and with mutual respect – what's not to like?

  9. logie97 9
    27 October 2020 at 12:45 pm

    QR codes and complacency.

    I am really disappointed with the seeming cavalier attitude of many of my fellow citizens.

    I have observed so many who are just breezing past the codes and going about their busy shopping. I believe there has to be a constant advertising campaign highlighting why it is essential that the scans are used. As far as I can see the current campaign just says "Keep each other safe", but doesn't explain how the tracing works.

    I happened to chattingly ask an elderly customer, at a takeaway coffee outlet in our town, if he knew whether I had the virus or not and whether he was going to use the QR prominently displayed. His response was that he knew where he had visited and wasn't bothered.

    • Whispering Kate 9.1
      27 October 2020 at 1:44 pm

      I agree with you Logie97. I too see heaps of people walking straight past obviously placed QR posters and registers with pen attached to manually write their name and phone number and they obviously need to see Specsavers. Also well placed hand sanitiser that the retailer kindly leaves out is most of the time hardly touched.

      I don't have an answer for this apathy and it should worry all of us. I realise there are folk with phones which they cannot used for the QR but there is a diary which can be obtained for personal use and they can keep tabs on their whereabouts that way. Retailers sometimes leave a register for people to use as well.

      Mask wearing has not been widely accepted here and although they can be a bit of a nuisance it still beggars belief that, for the sake of their health, they do not use them when out shoppping, on public transport and libraries etc. I am happy to wear a mask every time I go out and register I have visited. I use sanitiser regularly and just wish more did it too.

      Good on you chatting with the elderly customer and it is surprising that being elderly, he/she hadn't attained wisdom through the years to respect their health like we are meant to.smileysmiley

      • Phillip ure 9.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 9:54 pm

        Pen used by every customer..yeah..that'll help stop any virus transmission…am I the only one who won't touch them..?

    • RedBaronCV 9.2
      27 October 2020 at 3:40 pm

      Nice bit of elder shaming there. As one of the tech people put it – this app is a rich person's answer. Why not more pressure on for a solution that protects the more vulnerable – who somehow seem to be the ones the disease really hurts.

      BTW the manual diary can only be used if the app is uploaded.If the phone can't upload the app in the first place the diary isn't there. The app when I looked at it also required an email address to register – which is so yesterday – why not just the phone number?

      And finally despite all the bleating about security and privacy- guess what? If you want to take your details off the register you have to justify yourself and get MOH permission- you can't just delete it:

      If for whatever reason you choose to uninstall NZ COVID Tracer, you can request the deletion of any information you provided during the registration process by sending an email to help@covidtracer.min.health.nz. Please include the reason for your request and a contact phone number.

      https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-and-tools/nz-covid-tracer-app/privacy-and-security-nz-covid-tracer

      They also talk about the data on the Amazon servers (Ole Jeff who really doesn't pay much tax anywhere) being encrypted in transmission. Pity it isn't clear if it is just between MOH and Amazon or between the phone and amazon.

  10. greywarshark 10
    27 October 2020 at 1:12 pm

    Shipping large numbers of animals overseas. It's not good for them, and not good for the country's good standing. It encourages over stocking and we should remember that methane is still a problem for NZ. SAFE wants it stopped, and on sober consideration, I think most would agree. It may be a case that up to a hundred could go and be the basis of a herd bred in the new country, but not a whole huge herd.

    It seems a big earner for NZ, there is a lot of investment in it, and when we stop it, there will have to be a reasonable lead time to drop the number of animals and exit the bulk market in good order. Start now I say. Here is some background for it including a 2019 report of the animals being in poor condition in one country.

    Some links:

    Stuff Sep.20 https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/300107212/a-case-against-exporting-live-animals

    scoop Sep.20 https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2009/S00103/statement-from-progressive-livestock-ltd-in-relation-to-the-live-export-of-cattle-from-new-zealand.htm

    Apr.10/19 https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/nelson-mail/20190410/281857234914864 – Kiwi cattle exported to 'appalling situation'

    Sep.16/20 https://www.newsroom.co.nz/a-case-against-exporting-live-animals

    https://safe.org.nz/our-work/animals-in-need/live-export-trade/

    Sep.12/20 https://www.mpi.govt.nz/exporting/animals/live-animals-including-livestock/requirement-documents-for-exporting-live-animals/animal-welfare-export-certificates/live-sheep-and-cattle-exports/

    Dairy News Sep.20 28,000 cows
    ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/dairy-news/dairy-general-news/live-cattle-exports-in-limbo

    pggwrightson.co.nz/Livestock/Buying-and-Selling/Live-Export
    PGG Wrightson Live Export has been exporting livestock since the mid-1980's and during this time we have exported tens of thousands of animals and have …

    farmersweekly.co.nz/#
    …Across the Tasman the story is similar with up to 150,000 cattle expected to leave NZ and Australia this year, most destined for China.
    Brisbane live exporting company Austrex NZ and Australia breeding stock general manager Tom Slaughter said the live export trade is very much alive and well and a key player in farming business.

    peterwalsh.co.nz/our-company/pw-and-a-live-export/
    Throughout the year, Peter Walsh (PW&A) receive numerous requests from international clients to supply significant numbers for live export. Recently, the market has been for dairy cattle destined for China and sheep destined for mexico.

    pinnacleag.nz/
    PinnacleAg NZ can provide:
    Access to quality cattle and genetics from a disease-free industry.
    PinnacleAg is a 100 per cent New Zealand owned company operating in the grazing and live export business across the North and South Islands, dedicated to delivering quality livestock around the world.

    (This seems like the kiwifruit industry again, exporting what gives our country differentiation in our product and ultimately cutting ourselves out of markets because of the desire for short term gain. Selling the family jewels etc.)

    hedleyjohn.com/
    With the health benefits that goats milk offer, dairy goat farming has become a burgeoning industry. Hedley John is one of the world's largest dairy goat exporters,…

    Exports from NZ of live sheep and goats –
    https://figure.nz/chart/kX4EHvK0MDmkZh4x-OswZ1iBIHPmpCebE

    Vets who have provided services on board ship have spoken out against the trade in live animals. NZ has forbidden shipments, intended for slaughter, since 2003 when 4,000 sheep died in a shipment to Saudi Arabia. In Australia vets have formed VALE – Veterinarians Against Live Export. One vet was allegedly pressured to report 105 mortalities when in fact 2000 sheep had died,.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_export#New_Zealand

    • Ad 10.1
      27 October 2020 at 2:06 pm

      +100 WTF MPI

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      27 October 2020 at 2:25 pm

      This seems like the kiwifruit industry again, exporting what gives our country differentiation in our product and ultimately cutting ourselves out of markets because of the desire for short term gain. Selling the family jewels etc.

      It doesn't really matter if we export live cattle or not as far as that goes. Eventually all our export markets for dairy will be producing their own and we won't be exporting to them.

      The real problem is that we don't have any plan to replace dairy or any other primary produce export. We just keep looking to do more farming despite not having the land available to do it.

      • greywarshark 10.2.1
        27 October 2020 at 7:35 pm

        Yes beyond dairy, is there anything but tech services? It occurs to me that when we got someone lively with a sophisticated understanding of world politics and trade beyond the primary in Bill Sutch, the petty government gave him cold and frosty treatment and chased him around the raspberry bush, turning him into a villain for attempting to communicate with a Russian and perhaps give him some written notes about something.

        I've got the book Bill and Shirley on order and will learn more about this mercurial? character.

  11. McFlock 11
    27 October 2020 at 2:24 pm

    On the random topic of domestic solar, rather than primarily using it for electricity does anyone know of domestic systems to use if for direct water and home heating, i.e. much of domestic power consumption? Particularly something that would work in an Otago winter.

    Purely hypothetical spitballing in my case (unless I win lotto), but I was thinking a rack of solar water heaters and a radiator system throughout the dwelling. Independent of power supply, still gets enough power output on an overcast snowy day to do the bulk of the work (and not freeze and burst) overnight? No grid problems, no battery packs (well, except the water cylinder…).

    sure it wouldn't do aircon cooling just like that, but it's a thought. Maybe in summer could do the reverse, cooling the water (external radiators in the shade, switching between those and the north-facing roof collectors as need be?)

    • weka 11.2
      27 October 2020 at 2:39 pm

      in the sunnier parts of Otago, yes. Not so sure about Dunedin in winter, but it could certainly be used as a back up system (the power to the hot water tank switches off when water temp reaches a certain number).

      What we should be doing is building integrated systems. In Dunedin that would be passive space heating and hot water, ultra efficient wood burners for space heating, hot water, and cooking, and renewable-powered grid mains. Probably solar panels too (grid tied but I think there is work to do there on not making that so completely dependent on the centralised system because of quakes and storms). There are individual households doing that, but it needs major govt support to get it accessible to most people.

    • ianmac 11.3
      27 October 2020 at 2:50 pm

      We have 12 panels. I changed the water heating element from 3kw to 2 kw. And put a timer on the water heating so that it heats the water from 10am to 4pm. Thus the solar is mostly heating the water during the sunny part of the day. We never run out of hot water.

    • McFlock 11.4
      27 October 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Cheers for that, all.

      The house I grew up in was in the "deep south", as they call it, and was rural. I recall we did the full thing – wetback on the fireplace, solar water heating, and of course electric lines connection. Ever since then I've been partial to having at least two different energy types for heating and cooking (or boiling water for a cuppa).

      Electric generation at home is all well and good, but a solar flare or ship's radar could screw with it in the middle of winter – which would suck. So I'm thinking resilience as well as low energy bills.

      • RedBaronCV 11.4.1
        27 October 2020 at 3:55 pm

        Does anyone know how hot and how much water is needed to run a heating system? Been checking the weather this winter and figured there was only about a week when the weather was too cold to have heated water. It wouldn't hurt the budget to break out the old bar heater once a year.
        Saw someone heating the house with coke cans painted black can the panels be avoided when heating the water.

        • Descendant Of Smith 11.4.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 4:45 pm

          Battery storage and downloading off the grid at night when rates are cheaper can also be useful and reduces pressure on the grid during the day.

          I have friends who do this in Europe – I'm not sure of the cost effectiveness here – might depend on the day/night price differential.

          • mac1 11.4.1.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 4:57 pm

            Batteries are expensive but I am reliably informed are to shortly drop in price according to the former CEO of Pulse Energy who spoke about solar farms in NZ to the Grey Power AGM just finished.

          • RedBaronCV 11.4.1.1.2
            27 October 2020 at 7:44 pm

            I checked this at one point and night rates look to have gone from a number of suppliers. I think some people had set up battery farms downloaded at night and sold back during the day. Don't think the power companies were into it

            • mac1 11.4.1.1.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 10:31 pm

              Is that a bit like the rorting low life in Golden Bay who used an EV to get free power from the charger generously donated by the local power provider to Takaka township who then drove home and used the car as a battery to provide free power to his house?

              That free facility is now gone.

    • mac1 11.5
      27 October 2020 at 4:55 pm

      Just had installed a further 8 panels and a diverter which channels solar power in excess to the current current demand of the house to the HW cylinder and after all else to the grid.

      The diverter has four settings- pure solar, pure grid, and two booster settings at 2.5 and 5 hrs per day. The booster settings are 'smart' and react to the speed of heating the cylinder. The solar only option does away with the need for a timer as ianmac writes about at 11.3 below. About $500 for the diverter. The HW cylinder consumes about 2 kw/h per day and thereby the diverter saves up to 50c per day in diverting power which otherwise would have gone to the grid at 7 cents per kw/h and buying it in at 30 cents per kw/h. Money back in less than three years.

      The diverter also is able to detect too low a temperature in the cylinder thus risking Legionnaires Disease and adjust accordingly. I believe.

      https://www.zenenergy.co.nz/solar-diverters-alternative-energy-storage-option-for-your-solar-energy-system/

    • Draco T Bastard 11.6
      27 October 2020 at 11:30 pm

      Passive Heating:

      By combining good design with effective insulation, you can collect and store the sun's energy to provide your home with warmth day and night, throughout most of the year.

      An interesting point is that if sunlight is striking something then that something will be heated by the sun light. The darker it is the more heat will be absorbed as well as the more square on to the sun it is.

      After that is the question of storing it. Water is actually good for that and it can be pumped where needed either electrically or through convection. That does mean a large water tank and possibly lots of pipes.

      Radiant Heat with Solar Hot Water Evacuated Tube Ground Mount

      • McFlock 11.6.1
        28 October 2020 at 12:59 am

        yeah, requiring lots of pipes is the same as the radiator systems found in many older buildings (although most of them would have been coal or gas heating the radiator medium).

        But it allows one to move heat around, or not heat some rooms, like electricity does. And lets one have rooms unencumbered by all that horrible natural light.

  12. RedBaronCV 12
    27 October 2020 at 3:11 pm

    Be nice if our corporate leaders could count a little better. Making proposals to govt on reducing carbon emissions. For vehicles some of it is good – put in minimum emission standards so we don't have a lot of old inefficient vehicles imported.

    But the main recommendation for private vehicles is remove FBT on corporate fleets.

    Really? – if they could count they would very quickly realise that the reduction in petrol costs would more than pay for any higher price tag. And hybrids for one are now coming in at the lower price ranges. Most pressing need is to enable the under $14k buyer to bridge the gap to a $25k electric. Maybe we should be getting employers with those sorts of premises to seriously look at solar generation and free plug in charging in the employee car park during the day.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/123179899/bring-in-road-congestion-charges-says-big-business-to-govt

  13. Andre 13
    27 October 2020 at 5:08 pm

    "Handmaid" Barrett confirmed to SCOTUS on the same day that court opens the door to stealing the election for Repugs (again).

    The ruling is nominally about whether mailed ballots in Wisconsin received after election day but postmarked before are to be counted, and SCOTUS sez no. But included in the judgement was a side opinion from Kavanaugh suggesting sympathy to the idea that counting of all ballots must be completed by midnight Election Day.

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-trump-2020-election_n_5f977b16c5b6e1e7076381c2

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-wisconsin-absentee-ballots_n_5f975dd8c5b63fd49cef5106

    • Ad 13.1
      27 October 2020 at 5:14 pm

      I'd look forward to the older Republican votes cast on the day not being counted in time, leaving the Democrat-favouring early votes done and dusted.

      • Andre 13.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 5:19 pm

        You'd hope so. But apparently the way the counting goes in Pennsylvania is counting the votes on the day comes first, then when the counters are caught up on those, they'll nibble away at the votes that came in before election day until a new bunch of on-the-day votes need to be dealt with. I'm under the impression some other states that don't allow early processing of early votes are the same, which is why Michigan and Wisconsin aren't expected to declare a result election night.

    • RedBaronCV 13.2
      27 October 2020 at 7:47 pm

      For that they deserve to lose both Texas and Florida especially Texas where according to the media early voting in some of those big counties has now exceeded the whole vote there for 2016. Yee ha go get them repugs cowboy.

  14. joe90 14
    27 October 2020 at 6:33 pm

    Barking.

    This past weekend, thousands of witches apparently plotted together to cast some kind of “binding” spell on Donald Trump, according to Steve Warren of CBN News.

    Why anyone was worried about this, I don’t know. But this is something that’s been happening for years now with no discernible effect.

    And yet the Christian Broadcasting Network was deeply concerned, treating it as yet another obstacle for Trump to overcome.

    As if battling House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry against him wasn’t enough, President Donald Trump will next have to face a “binding spell” cast by “thousands” of witches late Friday night.

    As Halloween approaches at the end of the month, several media outlets are reporting witches who oppose President Trump are planning to cast a “binding spell” on his administration. Such reports of witchcraft being used against the President are nothing new. Witches have been trying to cast spells against Trump since his inauguration in 2017.

    Scheduled for Oct. 25 at 11:59 pm, these self-proclaimed “witches” are planning to conduct a ritual which is meant to “bind,” but not harm the President unlike a “curse” or a “hex.” These witches believe they are doing something positive for the entire country by not allowing President Trump to cause harm to the US by his actions.

    Well, it didn’t work. He’s still spreading COVID wherever he goes, and that’s not even getting into his policies or the Supreme Court.

    https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/10/26/the-christian-broadcasting-network-is-worried-that-witches-cast-a-spell-on-trump/?

  15. Morrissey 15
    27 October 2020 at 6:59 pm

    Social media’s erasure of Palestinians is a grim warning for our future

    by JONATHAN COOK, Middle East Eye, 26 October 2020

    There is a growing unease that the decisions taken by social media corporations can have a harmful impact on our lives. These platforms, despite enjoying an effective monopoly over the virtual public square, have long avoided serious scrutiny or accountability.

    In a new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, former Silicon Valley executives warn of a dystopian future. Google, Facebook and Twitter have gathered vast quantities of data on us to better predict and manipulate our desires. Their products are gradually rewiring our brains to addict us to our screens and make us more pliable to advertisers. The result, as we are consigned to discrete ideological echo chambers, is ever greater social and political polarisation and turmoil.

    As if to underline the ever-tightening grip these tech corporations exert on our lives, Facebook and Twitter decided this month to openly interfere in the most contentious US presidential election in living memory. Theycensored a story that could harm the electoral prospects of Joe Biden, the Democratic challenger to incumbent President Donald Trump.

    Given that nearly half of Americans receive their news chiefly via Facebook, the ramifications of such a decision on our political life were not hard to interpret. In excising any debate about purported corruption and influence-peddling by Biden’s son, Hunter, carried out in his father’s name, these social media platforms stepped firmly into the role of authoritarian arbiterof what we are allowed to say and know.

    Read more….

    https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2020-10-26/facebook-twitter-google-erasure-warning/

    • Andre 15.1
      27 October 2020 at 7:15 pm

      It's a truly gobsmacking degree of convergence moonbat fuckwittery that would lead someone to whine about organisations dealing with news choosing to not amplify a completely fabricated smear that's been thoroughly debunked.

      Particularly when a go-to move of said fuckwits is to whine about decades-old previous instances of news media publishing stories with insufficient evidence that have later turned out to be wrong.

      • The Al1en 15.1.1
        27 October 2020 at 7:18 pm

        Forget the content – It's irrelevant.

        This is not much more than a boundary testing exercise after being told off this morning.

        • Morrissey 15.1.1.1
          27 October 2020 at 7:22 pm

          ????

          I made it quite clear that it was Jonathan Cook's article, not mine. I wasn't "testing" anything; I don't want to provoke or tease weka or any of the other moderators. I posted a fragment of a typically thoughtful and well written article by one of the outstanding journalists of our time, and I made it clear it was written by him, not by me. Nothing more than that.

        • McFlock 15.1.1.2
          27 October 2020 at 7:26 pm

          You reckon the lack of any quotation marks or blockquote formatting was intentional? I just figured mossie's brain had deleted its cache with the second tide, like any other moonbat.

          • The Al1en 15.1.1.2.1
            27 October 2020 at 7:28 pm

            Totally intentional, as was ignoring the other advice given to add more of their own opinion to a piece, so a double whammy f u is my deduction.

          • Morrissey 15.1.1.2.2
            27 October 2020 at 7:32 pm

            So it's not permissible to post a small section of a larger piece by some writer, without at least some comment by this writer, i.e. moi. Goddit!

            [Dear Mr Breen,

            I regret to have to advise you that you have been banned from this site for two months.

            Yours sincerely,

            Incognito

            PS The reasons for your self-inflicted demise are obvious. However, for the record, I shall spell them out for you:

            1) A Moderator gave you clear instruction here (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27-10-2020/#comment-1762468) and instructional examples here (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27-10-2020/#comment-1762510) how to copy & paste and format quoted text. You opted to ignore this and repeated the same ‘mistake’ again.

            2) In a dedicated Post today on how this site works and in particular, how Moderation works on this site, the Author-Moderator wrote:

            “Both of the main moderators at the moment are short on patience for spamming the site with long cut and pastes. Use your own words, a short quote and link.” [my italics]

            As a long time regular of this site, you know this. You also know that you and others today were exhausting Moderators’ patience. You opted to ignore this.

            3) In that same dedicated Post it was made clear that wasting Moderator time is not tolerated, especially when Moderators are short on patience, which they are at present. In addition, commenters don’t like having their time wasted either or their browsing polluted by wasteful comments. You know all this. You opted to ignore it.

            4) You have one particularly bad habit, which is “to post [i.e. paste] a small section of a larger piece by some writer, without at least some comment by this writer” [your own words]. This is intellectually dishonest because you don’t own the words. Usually, in your case, it is about who said those words rather than what was said. In any case, you don’t stick your neck out and it is almost always about somebody else’s views and opinion, which you either strongly agree or disagree with, as you so aptly demonstrate with your superlatives. For this reason, responses to your comments tend to go nowhere and robust debate almost never ensues. This is wasting people’s precious time here. You continually opt to ignore this.

            5) Read more…. [in other words, I can’t be bothered giving any more reasons for your short ban]

            The End]

            • McFlock 15.1.1.2.2.1
              27 October 2020 at 7:38 pm

              Why are you asking me what is "permissible"? I'm not a moderator.

              • Morrissey …
                27 October 2020 at 7:42 pm

                I wasn't asking you anything, I was construing your comments. Did you see a question mark somewhere?

                • McFlock …
                  27 October 2020 at 7:55 pm

                  Fair call.

                  Foolish of me to assume that you were seeking confirmation for a theory, rather than basing a random assumption on an irrelevant comment (a comment made by someone who is by no means an authority on the matter that your assumption concerns).

                  • Morrissey …
                    27 October 2020 at 8:53 pm

                    I was using you as a prop for my own nefarious ends, my friend. I hope that, in time, you will forgive me for taking such a liberty.

                    • McFlock …
                      27 October 2020 at 9:11 pm

                      "nefarious" is not a synonym for "imaginary", which would be more accurate.

                    • Morrissey …
                      27 October 2020 at 9:15 pm

                      No, yet again, you are dead wrong. I was not imagining anything; I simply restated a truism, viz., we need to follow a protocol when posting material from other sources.

                      Your dismissive attitude does you no favours, my floundering friend.

            • Incognito 15.1.1.2.2.2
              27 October 2020 at 10:15 pm

              See my Moderation note @ 7:32 PM.

      • Morrissey 15.1.2
        27 October 2020 at 7:19 pm

        What are you talking about? It seems that you are, yet again, having a go at Jonathan Cook. He's a "convergence moonbat fuckwit", is he?

        • Andre 15.1.2.1
          27 October 2020 at 7:28 pm

          Both you and Cook are involved in the idiot whining. Cook for writing it, you for linking and quoting it. And both equally deserve to be considered fuckwits for doing so.

          • Morrissey 15.1.2.1.1
            27 October 2020 at 7:34 pm

            Cook is "whining"? Could you explain how, exactly?

            By the way, here’s another “convergence moonbat” for your delectation. What she describes—“judgment and scorn” by Clintonistas— is pretty much a summary of your own attitudes and behaviours …

            • Andre 15.1.2.1.1.1
              27 October 2020 at 7:41 pm

              Cook is whining that Twitter et al are choosing to not amplify the fabricated smear about Hunter Biden. Twitter et al have done this because it has been thoroughly debunked, and shown to be an outright fabrication.

              He is cloaking his whining in the guise of objecting to the idea of suppressing debate. But if the party trying to start a "debate" is simply peddling a lie, it's not debate, it's at best propaganda. Which seems to be something Cook is well practised in foisting on gullible convergence moonbats.

              edit: nice addition to your post after I had started responding and not having the honesty to note that it was an edit. But linking to Krystal Ball merely reinforces my point about your susceptibility to propaganda tailored to convergence moonbats.

              • Morrissey …
                27 October 2020 at 7:44 pm

                It has not been "thoroughly debunked" at all. Maybe you confused it with Mueller's wasted year and a bit.

                By the way, your shouting “moonbat” —tonight you’ve used it in an attempt to ridicule two of the most respected and brightest journalists of the modern age—adds not a whit of credibility to whatever you are trying to say.

                • Andre …
                  27 October 2020 at 8:05 pm

                  Excuse me, I said "convergence moonbats". Moonbats are more skeptical and discriminating when it comes to repackaged alt-right propaganda, and tend not to fall for it. Nor do moonbats tend to spread around re-packaged alt-right propaganda in the way convergence moonbats like yourself do.

                  • Morrissey …
                    27 October 2020 at 8:57 pm

                    That phrase carried no weight when the drones of the Daily Beast and the New Yorker peddled it. Coming from someone in New Zealand, it's even more ridiculous.

                    The National Party's desperate propaganda about voting Labour to stymie the Greens carries more heft than that circle you've found to illustrate your "theory."

                    Let me state it plainly for you, since you seem not to comprehend: criticizing and/or opposing Biden or Clinton or Obama or Pelosi or Schumer or any of those grotesques who have control of the Democratic Party does not make anyone—not Jill Stein, not Bernie Sanders, not Glenn Greenwald, not Jonathan Cook, not Krystal Ball, not Matt Taibbi, and not this writer, i.e. moi—a “moonbat” or a “convergence moonbat” or a “traitor” or, as your equivalents in Red China would have snarled, an “Imperialist Running Dog.”

                    Capisci?

                    • Andre …
                      28 October 2020 at 7:03 am

                      While I dislike responding to someone that's been banned, because of the inability to reply, your last comment contains misrepresentations that need to be addressed.

                      Asking google for instances of the phrase "convergence moonbats" turns up nothing from Daily Beast or New Yorker. It appears you're just indulging your Drumpfian habit of saying what feels good to you in the moment, without any regard for whether it might be accurate.

                      I have no objection to fact-based criticism of Biden or either Clinton or Pelosi or Schumer or anyone else. My objection is to when the people ignore facts and repeat smears that have been repeatedly debunked, ignore what has been found in non-partisan investigations, or even in some cases, by partisan investigators that have the integrity to publish results against their partisan interests. Such as Mueller, a lifelong Republican appointed by Rosenstein, a lifelong Republican.

                      I also object to when situations are misrepresented by omitting relevant facts, and when misleading emotive language is used about what actually happened. Which I have previously explained about Cook's writing here: https://thestandard.org.nz/assanges-torture-and-the-death-of-journalism/#comment-1748820

                      I also object to propaganda pieces that attempt to set a tone with irrelevancies before getting to their actual topic. Seriously, WTF does Hunter Biden have to do with Palestinians? In contrast, Nepotism Barbie's hubby the Cowardly Scion actually has plenty of involvement in the shit getting done to Palestinians right now, but if Cook saw fit to mention that, I missed it in my brief scan of the piece.

                      I also object to those that take smears generated elsewhere and repackage them for a convergence moonbat audience, without doing fact-checking of their own. Such as Krystal Ball did with Tara Reade.

                      All of the individuals you've approvingly listed above indulge in one or more of those gross propaganda practices. Which is why I view them as propagandists rather than reliable information sources. And why I have contempt for those that uncritically swallow that propaganda and regurgitate it here.

  16. mosa 16
    27 October 2020 at 11:19 pm

    "

    Food costs in this country are getting out of hand. Even buying locally and in season, it seems the price of tomatoes and bread is forever ridiculous. After living in New Zealand 23 years, I still can’t answer the question: if we produce so much milk, why does it cost so much?

    A $9.5 million house is being built in Christchurch. Shaped like the letter Z, swimming pool and tennis court. When completed, it’s going to be one of the biggest and priciest properties€ in town. The owner? A director at Foodstuffs South Island and owner of Pak 'n Save Wainoni, one of Christchurch’s poorest areas.

    My blood boils when I think of the families who anxiously push half-empty trolleys through that store, selecting items that are a few cents cheaper and a little less nutritious, so they can squeeze more out of their wages to feed their families for another week, while helping to fund that Fendalton swimming pool and import its Italian tiles.

    The duopoly in New Zealand supermarkets must end and the Ardern government can instruct the Commerce Commission to investigate. There should be more competition in this lucrative market, better regulation of prices, and more options for small suppliers to access mainstream markets.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/123193640/govt-needs-to-target-our-soaring-cost-of-living

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    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    18 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
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    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
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    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
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    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
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    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
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    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
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    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
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    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
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    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
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    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
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    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
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    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
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    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
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    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
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    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
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    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
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    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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