Just reading Lauda Finem’s latest column on the hair-pulling farce and noticed the comments from someone calling him/herself The Ape – what did you do to him/her to bring on such a torrent of personal abuse? Kick over his/her sandcastle ? Boy oh boy…. [r0b: LF seems to be another Whaleoil sockpuppet, and frequently wrong on the facts. We don’t pay it any mind.]
Just watched the 25minutes of that thanks Rawshark. It illustrates just how awful the Charter Schools are. The extension of this will damage us. Ouch! And fancy Private Schools in the States are exempt from National Testing as it would get in the way of the real Education.
Luckily in NZ, Private Schools still have to labour over National Standards just like the State Schools. What! They are exempt? But that would not make sense!
The fact that private schools are exempt from National Standards shows that National Standards are not there to improve teaching or the results from teaching but to trash public schools.
The council says the $2.5 million would be too much. They take in $1.4 billion of rates and look whose salaries they spend it on.
The council discloses 35 people being paid over $300k and a further 106 being paid between $200k and $300K.
If you took an average of $10k off the 106 being paid between $200k -$300K and an average of $40K off the 35 being paid $300K-$860k then that would give the needed money to raise wages at the bottom.
That shouldn’t cause a problem. After all it would only be a 2-3% drop in the top wages. Easily affordable and they won’t even notice it’s gone.
And Auckland city would do well to hire a CEO who can at least count.
This is actually why public servants need to have a maximum income bracket. It would allow paying higher wages to the people doing the actual work as well as hiring more of them so as to improve services.
My suggestion is that that maximum be set at $100k. That’s more than enough to live comfortably on.
Four years after the earthquake, Christchurch youth with mental/addiction issues are squatting in ruined city buildings.
Welcome to the neoliberal heaven that is New Zealand.
Just noticed that Key is still – yesterday on Q+A – saying/implying that the waitress was wrong to not accept his advances in good humour.
In his words:
“at the time, people would have just said it was, for the most part, most people would have said it was a bit of a laugh”
How jolly decent of the PM to consider the thoughts and feelings of “most people”, a crass and vulgar phrase that can only be taken to mean “everyone except the woman I was harassing”.
We can continue averting our gaze for understandable reasons of discomfiture, but Key’s daughter is now finally in a position, far from her family and far from her father, to shove it clear as day in front of everyone’s face across the whole wide world.
Oh great, another day of exploiting Cherry Lazar’s artwork to make cheap political digs at her father.
There’s no sexism in implying a young woman publicly displaying her body is ~dirty~, or that her father has a Moral Duty to curb her ~dirty~ behaviour, no sirree.
On the face of it yes it’s not done to reference a politician’s family but Stephanie Key promotes herself in the most confrontational way and wants to be referenced as far as I can see.
This one might be a case for exemption from the don’t-bring-family-into-it rule, or at least a relaxing of said rule.
As I have just responded to Stephanie on yesterday’s post, having been called a leftwing douchbag, she doesn’t seem to be hearing this/your point about Key’s daughter at all, who is going all out to attract attention, and I wonder to what end? what is she trying to do if not invite a response?
“protecting” her implies she is a “vulnerable”, which she doesn’t seem to see herself as, so Stephanie’s response seems patronising to me.
“protecting” her implies she is a “vulnerable”, which she doesn’t seem to see herself as, so Stephanie’s response seems patronising to me.
I thought that there was enough science ‘out there’ to say that youth is a vulnerable age. That she may not recognise her vulnerability doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
If a young woman approached you on the street and exposed herself to you. Would you say “she knows what she is doing and deserves everything she gets”. Youth is a vulnerability that is why so many die needlessly.
Kia Ora Adele, I agree, she doesn’t know what she doesn’t know….yet. It’s the support she has had to invite us all to “kiss her arse” that is so very offensive to me, lucky her that she can so blatantly express her feelings to all, without any concerns for her future, which is surely protected whatever she does.
Surely she can hear feedback, as other young people do, and learn?
(It’s the message, not the nudity that offends me)
But why take offense at what a 20 something does, you give it more credence simply by holding that emotion. And its not like she has stolen your car or is growing cannabis in your maize crop.
She is just a privileged white person doing a privileged white person thing. No real biggie.
True, I guess it’s the fact someone is paying ++++ for her, and she is spending it like this, it’s insulting. Fair enough if she had earned the cash in the first place.
“……just a privileged white person doing a privileged white person thing.”
What ? You mean as opposed to the spoilt-little-brat offspring of the Neo-Liberal, Corporate Iwi Elite ? You know, the very affluent, well-connected and powerful people whose interests you regularly
champion on The Standard in the name of culturalism.
What ? You mean as opposed to the spoilt-little-brat offspring of the Neo-Liberal, Corporate Iwi Elite ? You know, the very affluent, well-connected and powerful people whose interests you regularly
champion on The Standard in the name of culturalism.
I champion Māori. Whether they be rich, poor, young, or old, well connected or broken. I certainly don’t buy into your fucked up view of the world in relation to tangata whenua. And what is culturalism?
Well, your parents must have been judgemental jerks who lasciviously gossiped about the sex lives of their neighbours while insisting they were shocked and offended by people who spread such rumours.
I mean, maybe not exactly, but that does seem to be the reflection…
Baseless personal insults against me are the best you can do is it? You want to protect Key’s daughter? Be my guest. I want to see Key gone. He is a creep, as demonstrated last week. I suspect that his creepy behaviour goes much deeper. You are free to disagree but personal insults against me add nothing to the argument.
There’s no reason for it, it has no relevance to key as a PM or as a man, and despite some long and fucked-up bows drawn based what a fecking art school grad does in the context of some apparently pretty conservative (if not 1950s) preconceptions of the commenters, it’s still not relevant. At all.
Oh no, an artist has finally done something offensive?
I’m shocked, shocked I say…
BTW, why do you think I need to “see past the nudity” when my point is that, regardless of how “offensive” you find an artist, it still has no bearing on the merit one of the artist’s parents has (or lacks) as a Prime Minister?
“kiss my arse” is a bit rich from someone who has not had to earn a cent, maybe she has had to pay her own way, in which case, I would apologise, she can say what she likes if she has earned it!
It’s very easy: people can just choose not to bring up Stephanie Key in conversations about John Key. I’ve managed to do this for yeeeeeeeears so far with no ill effects.
Is she responsible for herself? I hear she is too young to know any different…or receive feedback? how would she learn? So, “kiss my arse” in the most blatant way that it could be said, is not asking for a response??? C’est too much!
The fact you have not chosen to bring up Stephanie Key for years is not surprising, she was an invisible child like any other.
Now, that is not the case.
The child is now becoming an adult and clearly markets herself as a controversial artist, and good on her. I am in the arts myself and it is not for the faint of heart.
If John Key treats young women in the way he did and pretends it was all just fun and banter then the background to the man is open for investigation.
“Ignored” is one thing.
Whether she primarily goes down in history as a mediocre PM’s daughter, or he primarily goes down in history as a famous artist’s dad, who knows. This is what loads of artists do, from Tracey Emin to the local art school. Maybe she’ll nail it.
But some of the vile innuendo? Trying to use it as ammunition to Slaterise the pm with his family as collateral damage, rather than just focusing on the facts of his performance and behaviour as pm? Nah. I’m viscerally opposed to that.
I disagree. I worked in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. Saudis look carefully at the types of people they may want to deal with, including their families. If Key wants to make a good impression in Saudi – which is already extremely unlikely due to the fact that he’s Jewish – but even so, the fact that he has a daughter who parades herself in a confronting manner will do no good at all in a strict Islamic country to either Key himself or to NZ.
Well we’ve had the sexism from cogito.
Now he throws in a bit of anti-Semitism.
What other card are you going to play?
Perhaps you plan to start referring to him as Shylock?
Actually, it wasn’t anti-Semitic, just anti-Saudi.
Frankly I think the Saudi decision makers are a lot more pragmatic than cog gives them credit for. They’re not “good”, they’ll just work with anyone to keep power.
It wasn’t an ”anti-Saudi” comment, it was completely deranged. It implied Key was on the back foot for not modelling the mores of a ”strict Islamic country” whose abuses include facilitating child rape in the form of the ”marriage” of girls.
Yeah, but he gets points for not mentioning the decapitations.
And horsing around at the big gay out or giving bottles of wine to everyone would hurt him with the crowd you’re worring about more than anything his family does art-wise.
You don’t ”blame” the Saudis for not respecting Key, and your yardstick was that his daughter ”parades” herself contrary to the mores of a violently misogynistic Islamic state.
You’re an idiot; that dynamic doesn’t count against Key.
Convicted and sentenced to life, but is now in Saudi Arabia, where the government agreed that he would spend at least twenty years in prison. Whether he will or not, or is already free, I have no idea. FJK will get on great with these people.
Discussion about what? That we should make shit up about key and to hell with the truth? That we should drag his daughter into the argument because she flashes a bit of backside in an art gallery and this somehow “reflects” on key? Bullshit, desperate “discussions” that are beneath the left and fodder for the right.
“Bullshit, desperate “discussions” that are beneath the left and fodder for the right.”
The aggression in the way you respond is “fodder for the right”
Don’t tell me what is “beneath” the left like you have a monopoly on what is worthy, and your manner strikes me as immature/disrespectful and not worthy of the left.Cheers
If you want a political landscape where everyside spreads rumour and innuendo about family as weapons against politicians, be very sure I’ll fight you every step of the way.
You have an issue with rude words? I have an issue with gross slurs especially when it’s hidden behind a facade of civilised language. It just says to me that the writer doesn’t have the courage of their convictions.
Mc Flock, lets be clear.
“respect is earned”, yep.
“issue with rude words” ? no.
“gross slurs” ? wow? who says?
You will not be “fighting” me as I am not fighting. I will also stop responding as clearly you have a very different idea about what it is to be united on the left, for me it has always been a broad church, and respect for different views ages, sexuality, gender as long as it is said in civilised language etc.
As far as I can see, Cherry Lazar is only getting press because of her proximity to the PM.
So my question is, which PR company, employed by whom is pushing the stories at the moment?
If it’s Cherry Lazar doing a bit of self-promotion? Oops, bad timing.
If it’s someone associated with the National party, or an editorial decision then it’s an incredibly crass way to distract attention from the PM and gain sympathy.
Lazar announced the exhibition on her instagram which the Herald picked up.
Which are you suggesting – that it’s bad timing for the PM, or that it’s succeeded in distracting from his troubles?
With a lot of abuse currently flying at the PM’s, another Key popping up risks being pilloried by the mob.
Stephanie highlighted some brick bats flung Lazars way in this thread.
The cynical side of me wonders if the decision to feature her work in NZ media this week was done for that purpose in order to garner sympathy for John Key.
Or maybe … I should step the fuck away from the tin foil hat. Who knows.
I’d put the tin foil hat away on this one, but I won’t be surprised if something is revealed or announced after Key’s return to distract from the issue. Key has a bit more within reach than family to try to set the agenda.
He’s relying on most people not reading the original account (and not reading news stories closely) and/or the desire of a great many NZers to play down bullying, accounts of which invoke unpleasant memories of being either perpetrator or victim.
I had thought this was going to be different, but it seems his calculated decision to take what could have been a risk – the disingenuous apology over something both disturbing and abusive – is working, although the story may have a way to run yet.
The other consideration is that hyper-controlling guys like Key are incapable of saying sorry with empathy and without qualification.
The kind of ‘casual’ guy who treats people thus:
..and ya hafta say – if henrys’ effort is like a chipmonk on meth turning up on yr doorstep @ 6.00 am..- the pace of the whole tv one show is funereal – at best..
Apparently you have to sign up to TVNZ on Demand to watch programs or clips or you can’t view. To deliver better services to consumers? I’m not signing. TVNZ really has gone to the dump.
give a false name and make a new gmail addy … worked for me ! not that there is very much worth watching at all. and be sure to use AdBlock so you don ‘t have to endure the endless garbage …
Felix Geiringer @BarristerNZ) and Steven Price (@MediaLawJournal) are part of Hager’s law team along with a QC whose name I cannot remember immediately. Steven is the guru of media law and Press Council complaints, so here is hoping.
My views too. I really want to see it go ahead on principle; but it must be Amanda’s decision, and I would fully understand if she doesn’t want to.
For this reason, I was pretty angry at McCready going ahead even if he is able to do so legally. I would much prefer to see legal experts such as Geiringer, Price and top employment lawyers involved in the various aspects of the case – but again it must be up to Amanda to decide. I recall seeing something a few days ago that Unite Union was now involved and lawyers but cannot recall where.
Meanwhile here is the continuing stooorry of our environment, its slide towards disaster. We aren’t there yet but everything is sliding satisfactorily down the slippery slope while Nero fiddles.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/272024/disappearance-of-bees-a-mystery “For 25,000 bees to leave a hive and go somewhere else is usually a symptom of a disease of some description and when a colony dies of varroa, the reason the varroa kills the bees is that it spreads viruses from bee to bee and then the typical behaviour of a bee that’s sick is that it flies away some where and dies … but when you get a large number of bees disappearing, in this case nearly everything, it suggests they’re all sick for some reason and have decided to go out and die some where else.”
Dr Goodwin said a relatively new disease to affect New Zealand honey bees, nosema ceranae, could be the cause.
“It’s a gut parasite that has jumped species from another species of Asian bee and some how found its way to New Zealand and it was located first off in the same sorts of locations in the Coromandel where most of these bee losses had been occurring, so it’s tempting to think that there’s a relationship between them and when we got bees tested, they came back with high levels of this gut parasite, but they also came back with high levels of viruses as well, so what’s cause and effect here we don’t know.”
Neonicotinoids are long-lasting insecticides which are primarily used to coat the seeds of plants, making them toxic to all insects when they grow. There is international debate on whether bees are affected by them. (Me-With opposition from the manufacturers of the toxins?? – the usual suspects.)
Europe has banned the coating of seeds of plants that are attractive to bees and, although New Zealand has not gone that far, the Environmental Protection Authority is monitoring developments in Europe.
(We are a bunch of limp voyeurs in this country. We watch everyone else before we can get up and do something proactive ourselves. We need to see which way is the cheapest way first before we decide on action. That’s the important criteria, not which works for the right outcome.)
(Did you know that animals like a sweet taste that occurs in anti-freeze and you must wipe up all spills, and watch for drips from the engine or it can have tragic consequences. Those against 1080, watch out that your favourite pig or sheep dog hasn’t died from your own cause.)
Disappearance of bees no longer a “mystery” to some apiarists in the US and Europe.
They believe that it is definitely related to the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture.
A good watch is Vanishing of the Bees on Youtube (approx 1.5 hours)
This article from last week’s Guardian mentioned that; bee-addiction to neonicotinoids, which seemed particularly cruel in light of the second Nature article regarding their toxicity to wild bee populations:
In a study published in the journal Nature, scientists from Newcastle Univeristy showed that bees have a preference for sugar solutions that are laced with the pesticides imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, possibly indicating they can become hooked on the chemicals.
Also published in Nature on Wednesday was a study that has been endorsed as the most conclusive evidence yet that the group of pesticides, neonicotinoids, harm wild bee populations, which include bumblebees and solitary bees.
Scientists from Lund University in Sweden carried out the first successful ‘real world’ experiment on the effect of neonicotinoids on bees and found that wild bee populations halved around fields treated with them. Bumblebee hives stopped growing and produced less queens where the chemical was present. However the study did not find evidence that more robust honeybees, which are used to pollinate many crops, were affected.
The study; not finding evidence that honeybee hives were affected, is not the same as; finding evidence that they were somehow immune from the effects. Just that there are more honeybees in an average hive, so it might take a bit longer for the effects to manifest:
…the field trial was not sensitive enough to detect anything less than a 20% drop in colony strength. Honeybee colonies are larger and contain far more worker bees than wild bees, meaning it would take longer for neonicotinoids to impact the hives.
Why should we care about bees more than any other creature? How bad could it get anyway?
In 2007-2008, over a third of US beehives collapsed, while European countries estimated 30 to 50 per cent of their bee colonies were completely gone. The hives were full of growing brood and food stores – but the adult bees had simply gone missing. It’s commonly estimated that a third of the human food supply requires bees for pollination. No bees, no harvest.
Geez… it must be a hard life being a ‘trader’! It’s all up for sale eh?
Stocks and shares
‘Her indoors’ loyalty
reputation
cohorts
sovereignty
pigtails and ponytails
emotions
the parliamentary press gang
the DPS
anything
anything left to commodify? how about fisiani or Gozz – what do ya reckon they’re worth
Just doing a quick whizz through of Open Mike Philip, and wanted to say I would have loved to have been able to attend your talk on the 1916 Irish Rebellion. (I saw your post about the talk last week).This is a history I really want to learn about in more detail.
And, for anyone in Christchurch or thereabouts, I’m presenting an afternoon course at the Workers Educational Association in Gloucester Street on The Road to Selma. This is part of the CWEA’s term 2 programme and you have to enrol for it via the WEA.
Do watch Campbell Live tonight if you can, 7 pm, TV3
Tonight, a confrontation at Gloriavale as we return to get Julia's sister out, and the very latest from Nepal. https://t.co/6p4t7KK9HU— Campbell Live (@CampbellLiveNZ) April 27, 2015
The Nepalese people desperately need help. To make an automatic $3 donation to assist UNICEF's work in Nepal, text NEPAL to 2923. Please RT.— Campbell Live (@CampbellLiveNZ) April 27, 2015
NEPAL to 2923 is now trending! $81k raised and counting! @CampbellLiveNZ Let's keep this going – text NEPAL to 2923 to give $3. #NepalQuake— UNICEF New Zealand (@UNICEFNZ) April 27, 2015
Does the PM’s visit to the place of beheadings, Saudi Arabia, not undermine his decision to send our country to war because the PM “wont sit by while people are being beheaded”?
“Un Cretino must go. Thing is, how? How do we get to that point?”
Like a huge cold frozen ice block foes when heat is applied. Will slowly melt away, Little by Little, and quietly disappear to Hawaii. Watch the block melt.
I seriously do wonder what practical steps need to be taken, and how such a resignation would play out.
I’ve been to busy and too tired to raise it, (or any comment), last week but I’m sure someone has in the what looks like well over one thousand comments on TS, on the topic of our PM’s repeated abuse of Amanda Bailey.
My only other comment about a potential resignation from Un Cretino and why it needs to happen is here:
Curious! A search for up to date information on TPPA in NZ brings up the following:
In the news
It’s not about trade – it’s about control
Manawatu Standard – 8 hours ago
What do you know about the TPPA? … City Council by-election, candidates were asked about their views on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
However, the link leads to
Page Not Found
Sorry, the page you are looking for is not currently available.
Although incubated businesses have slightly higher employment, growth and sales, they also have slightly lower survival rates after they graduate. Overall, say the researchers, the difference in performance between incubated and unincubated businesses is marginal. One research paper Fetsch examined found no significant difference between incubated and non-incubated businesses. She cautions that one paper isn’t enough to determine whether or not incubators work, but she’s also concerned that so many entrepreneurs, policymakers and incubator providers believe incubators are a boon for startups. “There’s no evidence of that yet,” says Fetsch.
They rolled out RoastBuster babydaddy Suzanne Paul’s Antony Rae to promote their vapour ware a couple of years back. I started taking an interest in their non-existent product. And the sick thing is that government-incentivised shithouses like the Ice House are sucking up funds patting each other on the back pretending it’s all going to be sweet.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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 Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
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 ...
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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 iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
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 Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
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 announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 Orderimage, ...
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; ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
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A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
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The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
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Just reading Lauda Finem’s latest column on the hair-pulling farce and noticed the comments from someone calling him/herself The Ape – what did you do to him/her to bring on such a torrent of personal abuse? Kick over his/her sandcastle ? Boy oh boy….
[r0b: LF seems to be another Whaleoil sockpuppet, and frequently wrong on the facts. We don’t pay it any mind.]
Privatisation and degradation of US schools with ‘high stakes testing’
Teachers, teachers unions, parents and pupils join together in a revolt.
I always figured that Bill Gates would be the bad guy.
Just watched the 25minutes of that thanks Rawshark. It illustrates just how awful the Charter Schools are. The extension of this will damage us. Ouch! And fancy Private Schools in the States are exempt from National Testing as it would get in the way of the real Education.
Luckily in NZ, Private Schools still have to labour over National Standards just like the State Schools. What! They are exempt? But that would not make sense!
The fact that private schools are exempt from National Standards shows that National Standards are not there to improve teaching or the results from teaching but to trash public schools.
Just watch season 4 of “The Wire”. It does a good job of explaining how public schools fail – plus you get some great storytelling.
Latest in living wage news: Boo to the Auckland Council
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11438998
And Town gets $630,000 each year for that sort of rubbish.
The council says the $2.5 million would be too much. They take in $1.4 billion of rates and look whose salaries they spend it on.
The council discloses 35 people being paid over $300k and a further 106 being paid between $200k and $300K.
If you took an average of $10k off the 106 being paid between $200k -$300K and an average of $40K off the 35 being paid $300K-$860k then that would give the needed money to raise wages at the bottom.
That shouldn’t cause a problem. After all it would only be a 2-3% drop in the top wages. Easily affordable and they won’t even notice it’s gone.
And Auckland city would do well to hire a CEO who can at least count.
This is actually why public servants need to have a maximum income bracket. It would allow paying higher wages to the people doing the actual work as well as hiring more of them so as to improve services.
My suggestion is that that maximum be set at $100k. That’s more than enough to live comfortably on.
Four years after the earthquake, Christchurch youth with mental/addiction issues are squatting in ruined city buildings.
Welcome to the neoliberal heaven that is New Zealand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/67931129/squatting-in-christchurchs-quake-abandoned-buildings
Just noticed that Key is still – yesterday on Q+A – saying/implying that the waitress was wrong to not accept his advances in good humour.
In his words:
How jolly decent of the PM to consider the thoughts and feelings of “most people”, a crass and vulgar phrase that can only be taken to mean “everyone except the woman I was harassing”.
That is not an apology.
Key pulls woman’s hair often enough to make her cry, and then he laughs.
I just wonder what “most people” would think if they had a daughter who exhibited herself in this manner…. complete with ponytails.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/john-key-laughs-off-daughters-risque-nude-art-2015021218#axzz3YS9M6nA9
Just “a bit of a laugh”?
Caption of one of the ‘artworks’….
“‘Kiss my ass’ a fun game the whole family can play”
Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/john-key-laughs-off-daughters-risque-nude-art-2015021218#ixzz3YSJvhHPl
WTF?
“the whole family can play”
A case of Key family secrets coming to light…?
We can continue averting our gaze for understandable reasons of discomfiture, but Key’s daughter is now finally in a position, far from her family and far from her father, to shove it clear as day in front of everyone’s face across the whole wide world.
Oh great, another day of exploiting Cherry Lazar’s artwork to make cheap political digs at her father.
There’s no sexism in implying a young woman publicly displaying her body is ~dirty~, or that her father has a Moral Duty to curb her ~dirty~ behaviour, no sirree.
I’m with Stephanie R on this. Can we please just leave Stephanie K out of it?
Hold on.
On the face of it yes it’s not done to reference a politician’s family but Stephanie Key promotes herself in the most confrontational way and wants to be referenced as far as I can see.
This one might be a case for exemption from the don’t-bring-family-into-it rule, or at least a relaxing of said rule.
“most confrontational” is a good description, as per yesterday’s piece in the Herald: Why John Key’s daughter Stephie likes to get naked for art – ‘strong women’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11438715
Confrontational indeed.
As I have just responded to Stephanie on yesterday’s post, having been called a leftwing douchbag, she doesn’t seem to be hearing this/your point about Key’s daughter at all, who is going all out to attract attention, and I wonder to what end? what is she trying to do if not invite a response?
“protecting” her implies she is a “vulnerable”, which she doesn’t seem to see herself as, so Stephanie’s response seems patronising to me.
Kiaora whateva comes next
“protecting” her implies she is a “vulnerable”, which she doesn’t seem to see herself as, so Stephanie’s response seems patronising to me.
I thought that there was enough science ‘out there’ to say that youth is a vulnerable age. That she may not recognise her vulnerability doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
If a young woman approached you on the street and exposed herself to you. Would you say “she knows what she is doing and deserves everything she gets”. Youth is a vulnerability that is why so many die needlessly.
Kia Ora Adele, I agree, she doesn’t know what she doesn’t know….yet. It’s the support she has had to invite us all to “kiss her arse” that is so very offensive to me, lucky her that she can so blatantly express her feelings to all, without any concerns for her future, which is surely protected whatever she does.
Surely she can hear feedback, as other young people do, and learn?
(It’s the message, not the nudity that offends me)
Kiaora, whateva
But why take offense at what a 20 something does, you give it more credence simply by holding that emotion. And its not like she has stolen your car or is growing cannabis in your maize crop.
She is just a privileged white person doing a privileged white person thing. No real biggie.
True, I guess it’s the fact someone is paying ++++ for her, and she is spending it like this, it’s insulting. Fair enough if she had earned the cash in the first place.
“……just a privileged white person doing a privileged white person thing.”
What ? You mean as opposed to the spoilt-little-brat offspring of the Neo-Liberal, Corporate Iwi Elite ? You know, the very affluent, well-connected and powerful people whose interests you regularly
champion on The Standard in the name of culturalism.
Kiaora Swordfish
What ? You mean as opposed to the spoilt-little-brat offspring of the Neo-Liberal, Corporate Iwi Elite ? You know, the very affluent, well-connected and powerful people whose interests you regularly
champion on The Standard in the name of culturalism.
I champion Māori. Whether they be rich, poor, young, or old, well connected or broken. I certainly don’t buy into your fucked up view of the world in relation to tangata whenua. And what is culturalism?
“That she may not recognise her vulnerability doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist”.
Perhaps her family could assist and instil a few worthwhile values into her then.
What we have here is a father who interferes with the “vulnerability” of a waitress and then tries to excuse it.
Also a father who describes his wife as a stud-screwer.
Also a father who routinely lies and deceives this country about any and all matters of state.
Also a father who has become an international figure of derision.
What I see here is incompetence and moral vacuum.
Kiaora Cogito
What we have here is a father who interferes with the “vulnerability” of a waitress and then tries to excuse it.
So the argument is then, if it’s okay for him, it’s okay for us. You should ditch that moral vacuum of yours and get a broom.
What? I think you have completely misunderstood. Try re-reading.
A young woman drawing attention to herself still doesn’t equate her with her father.
+1 Exactly. Not sure why some are finding this so hard to work out.
Not equate, but it does reflect. To deny that is to be deliberately obtuse.
Well, your parents must have been judgemental jerks who lasciviously gossiped about the sex lives of their neighbours while insisting they were shocked and offended by people who spread such rumours.
I mean, maybe not exactly, but that does seem to be the reflection…
Baseless personal insults against me are the best you can do is it? You want to protect Key’s daughter? Be my guest. I want to see Key gone. He is a creep, as demonstrated last week. I suspect that his creepy behaviour goes much deeper. You are free to disagree but personal insults against me add nothing to the argument.
when was “sex” bought into it McFlock?
I want to see key gone, too.
But what’s the point in getting rid of him if we end up like him or slater? Serious question.
@whateva next: oh, just “reflections”./sarc
Yeah, nah.
There’s no reason for it, it has no relevance to key as a PM or as a man, and despite some long and fucked-up bows drawn based what a fecking art school grad does in the context of some apparently pretty conservative (if not 1950s) preconceptions of the commenters, it’s still not relevant. At all.
If you can see past the nudity yourself, maybe the message will strike you as rather offensive? Brought up in the 60’s I am not easily offended.
Oh no, an artist has finally done something offensive?
I’m shocked, shocked I say…
BTW, why do you think I need to “see past the nudity” when my point is that, regardless of how “offensive” you find an artist, it still has no bearing on the merit one of the artist’s parents has (or lacks) as a Prime Minister?
“kiss my arse” is a bit rich from someone who has not had to earn a cent, maybe she has had to pay her own way, in which case, I would apologise, she can say what she likes if she has earned it!
It still has no bearing on Key’s lack of merit as PM.
She’s fast becoming a celebrity.
looking forward, I don’t see how the link can be ignored, positively or negatively.
It’s very easy: people can just choose not to bring up Stephanie Key in conversations about John Key. I’ve managed to do this for yeeeeeeeears so far with no ill effects.
Sorry in advance, but I have to say it…it’s not all about you Stephanie, even if you moderate, which I do realise is a hard job.
well, I can do it too, so no, it’s not just Stephanie who can talk about john key without bringing up his family.
I agree. Basically kids aren’t responsible for their parents.
Is she responsible for herself? I hear she is too young to know any different…or receive feedback? how would she learn? So, “kiss my arse” in the most blatant way that it could be said, is not asking for a response??? C’est too much!
The fact you have not chosen to bring up Stephanie Key for years is not surprising, she was an invisible child like any other.
Now, that is not the case.
The child is now becoming an adult and clearly markets herself as a controversial artist, and good on her. I am in the arts myself and it is not for the faint of heart.
If John Key treats young women in the way he did and pretends it was all just fun and banter then the background to the man is open for investigation.
On what grounds are pop-psych interpretations of CL’s art and following innuendo “open for investigation”?
“Ignored” is one thing.
Whether she primarily goes down in history as a mediocre PM’s daughter, or he primarily goes down in history as a famous artist’s dad, who knows. This is what loads of artists do, from Tracey Emin to the local art school. Maybe she’ll nail it.
But some of the vile innuendo? Trying to use it as ammunition to Slaterise the pm with his family as collateral damage, rather than just focusing on the facts of his performance and behaviour as pm? Nah. I’m viscerally opposed to that.
Could have been a valuable debate!
” it has no relevance to key as a PM or as a man”
I disagree. I worked in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. Saudis look carefully at the types of people they may want to deal with, including their families. If Key wants to make a good impression in Saudi – which is already extremely unlikely due to the fact that he’s Jewish – but even so, the fact that he has a daughter who parades herself in a confronting manner will do no good at all in a strict Islamic country to either Key himself or to NZ.
Well we’ve had the sexism from cogito.
Now he throws in a bit of anti-Semitism.
What other card are you going to play?
Perhaps you plan to start referring to him as Shylock?
Actually, it wasn’t anti-Semitic, just anti-Saudi.
Frankly I think the Saudi decision makers are a lot more pragmatic than cog gives them credit for. They’re not “good”, they’ll just work with anyone to keep power.
It wasn’t an ”anti-Saudi” comment, it was completely deranged. It implied Key was on the back foot for not modelling the mores of a ”strict Islamic country” whose abuses include facilitating child rape in the form of the ”marriage” of girls.
Yeah, but he gets points for not mentioning the decapitations.
And horsing around at the big gay out or giving bottles of wine to everyone would hurt him with the crowd you’re worring about more than anything his family does art-wise.
Responding to the various comments above.
I am neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Saudi.
On the contrary I have the greatest respect for the business people and sheikhs I had the privilege of working with in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
While the Saudis will no doubt deal with Key, he will never be someone they will like or respect…. and, frankly, I don’t blame them one bit.
You don’t ”blame” the Saudis for not respecting Key, and your yardstick was that his daughter ”parades” herself contrary to the mores of a violently misogynistic Islamic state.
You’re an idiot; that dynamic doesn’t count against Key.
Good talking to you all. Have a good week.
مع السلامة
From what I’ve seen, the Saudi princes will do business with anyone and also treat the help very badly. Key may have gone up in their estimation.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/oct/05/saudi-prince-abdulaziz-killed-servant-court-hears
That is a very interesting story. Do you know how the trial ended? Was he convicted or did he go free?
Convicted and sentenced to life, but is now in Saudi Arabia, where the government agreed that he would spend at least twenty years in prison. Whether he will or not, or is already free, I have no idea. FJK will get on great with these people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saud_bin_Abdulaziz_bin_Nasser_Al_Saud
I don’t think Alwyn or Mc Flock are in the mood for a discussion, looks more like baiting it looks from here.
Discussion about what? That we should make shit up about key and to hell with the truth? That we should drag his daughter into the argument because she flashes a bit of backside in an art gallery and this somehow “reflects” on key? Bullshit, desperate “discussions” that are beneath the left and fodder for the right.
“Bullshit, desperate “discussions” that are beneath the left and fodder for the right.”
The aggression in the way you respond is “fodder for the right”
Don’t tell me what is “beneath” the left like you have a monopoly on what is worthy, and your manner strikes me as immature/disrespectful and not worthy of the left.Cheers
Respect is earned.
If you want a political landscape where everyside spreads rumour and innuendo about family as weapons against politicians, be very sure I’ll fight you every step of the way.
You have an issue with rude words? I have an issue with gross slurs especially when it’s hidden behind a facade of civilised language. It just says to me that the writer doesn’t have the courage of their convictions.
Mc Flock, lets be clear.
“respect is earned”, yep.
“issue with rude words” ? no.
“gross slurs” ? wow? who says?
You will not be “fighting” me as I am not fighting. I will also stop responding as clearly you have a very different idea about what it is to be united on the left, for me it has always been a broad church, and respect for different views ages, sexuality, gender as long as it is said in civilised language etc.
you might want to reread the thread, particularly cogito’s comments, if you want to see what your urge to discuss politicians’ families turns into.
+1
+2
I agree and find people having a crack at Key through his daughter is about as class less as Ms Lazar’s style of body art.
As far as I can see, Cherry Lazar is only getting press because of her proximity to the PM.
So my question is, which PR company, employed by whom is pushing the stories at the moment?
If it’s Cherry Lazar doing a bit of self-promotion? Oops, bad timing.
If it’s someone associated with the National party, or an editorial decision then it’s an incredibly crass way to distract attention from the PM and gain sympathy.
Lazar announced the exhibition on her instagram which the Herald picked up.
Which are you suggesting – that it’s bad timing for the PM, or that it’s succeeded in distracting from his troubles?
With a lot of abuse currently flying at the PM’s, another Key popping up risks being pilloried by the mob.
Stephanie highlighted some brick bats flung Lazars way in this thread.
The cynical side of me wonders if the decision to feature her work in NZ media this week was done for that purpose in order to garner sympathy for John Key.
Or maybe … I should step the fuck away from the tin foil hat. Who knows.
I’d put the tin foil hat away on this one, but I won’t be surprised if something is revealed or announced after Key’s return to distract from the issue. Key has a bit more within reach than family to try to set the agenda.
He’s relying on most people not reading the original account (and not reading news stories closely) and/or the desire of a great many NZers to play down bullying, accounts of which invoke unpleasant memories of being either perpetrator or victim.
I had thought this was going to be different, but it seems his calculated decision to take what could have been a risk – the disingenuous apology over something both disturbing and abusive – is working, although the story may have a way to run yet.
The other consideration is that hyper-controlling guys like Key are incapable of saying sorry with empathy and without qualification.
The kind of ‘casual’ guy who treats people thus:
”I looked him in the eye and asked “is it self defence, with your security here, if I have to physically stop you from touching me?” and he countered, with a smile, “defence against what?”.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/04/22/exclusive-the-prime-minister-and-the-waitress/
And for your morning entertainment, ponygate the musical …
(a review of tvone breakfast..)
(excerpt..)
..and ya hafta say – if henrys’ effort is like a chipmonk on meth turning up on yr doorstep @ 6.00 am..- the pace of the whole tv one show is funereal – at best..
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/comment-whoar-tvone-breakfast-show-review/
Brave of you to watch….
it has lurched over into black-comedy/trainwreck-television – and deserves an audience/recognition for just those reasons..
..and i had it burbling away in the background as i hunt down stories for whoar..
..not so much ‘watching’ – as glancing/over-hearing..
..and if tvone breakfast is the titanic it seems to be – christie is the iceberg..
..and sure to sink it..
Apparently you have to sign up to TVNZ on Demand to watch programs or clips or you can’t view. To deliver better services to consumers? I’m not signing. TVNZ really has gone to the dump.
give a false name and make a new gmail addy … worked for me ! not that there is very much worth watching at all. and be sure to use AdBlock so you don ‘t have to endure the endless garbage …
It looks like some good and capable people are now offering to assist Amanda Bailey if she wants to take complaints to the Press Council etc.
https://twitter.com/BarristerNZ/status/592243689549791232
Hamish Keith’s earlier tweet and responses before the start of the above thread:
https://twitter.com/hamish_keith/status/592155835461013504
Felix Geiringer @BarristerNZ) and Steven Price (@MediaLawJournal) are part of Hager’s law team along with a QC whose name I cannot remember immediately. Steven is the guru of media law and Press Council complaints, so here is hoping.
I hope it goes ahead. I can throw in a few bucks. On the other hand, I completely understand if Amanda wants nothing to do with it.
My views too. I really want to see it go ahead on principle; but it must be Amanda’s decision, and I would fully understand if she doesn’t want to.
For this reason, I was pretty angry at McCready going ahead even if he is able to do so legally. I would much prefer to see legal experts such as Geiringer, Price and top employment lawyers involved in the various aspects of the case – but again it must be up to Amanda to decide. I recall seeing something a few days ago that Unite Union was now involved and lawyers but cannot recall where.
[PS -Hope all is well. ]
All good here. Thanks.
Meanwhile here is the continuing stooorry of our environment, its slide towards disaster. We aren’t there yet but everything is sliding satisfactorily down the slippery slope while Nero fiddles.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/272024/disappearance-of-bees-a-mystery
“For 25,000 bees to leave a hive and go somewhere else is usually a symptom of a disease of some description and when a colony dies of varroa, the reason the varroa kills the bees is that it spreads viruses from bee to bee and then the typical behaviour of a bee that’s sick is that it flies away some where and dies … but when you get a large number of bees disappearing, in this case nearly everything, it suggests they’re all sick for some reason and have decided to go out and die some where else.”
Dr Goodwin said a relatively new disease to affect New Zealand honey bees, nosema ceranae, could be the cause.
“It’s a gut parasite that has jumped species from another species of Asian bee and some how found its way to New Zealand and it was located first off in the same sorts of locations in the Coromandel where most of these bee losses had been occurring, so it’s tempting to think that there’s a relationship between them and when we got bees tested, they came back with high levels of this gut parasite, but they also came back with high levels of viruses as well, so what’s cause and effect here we don’t know.”
and
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/271988/bees-show-taste-for-toxic-pesticides-study
A study published in the science journal Nature this week shows bees prefer food laced with neonicotinoids in lab tests undertaken at Newcastle University.
Neonicotinoids are long-lasting insecticides which are primarily used to coat the seeds of plants, making them toxic to all insects when they grow. There is international debate on whether bees are affected by them. (Me-With opposition from the manufacturers of the toxins?? – the usual suspects.)
Europe has banned the coating of seeds of plants that are attractive to bees and, although New Zealand has not gone that far, the Environmental Protection Authority is monitoring developments in Europe.
(We are a bunch of limp voyeurs in this country. We watch everyone else before we can get up and do something proactive ourselves. We need to see which way is the cheapest way first before we decide on action. That’s the important criteria, not which works for the right outcome.)
(Did you know that animals like a sweet taste that occurs in anti-freeze and you must wipe up all spills, and watch for drips from the engine or it can have tragic consequences. Those against 1080, watch out that your favourite pig or sheep dog hasn’t died from your own cause.)
Disappearance of bees no longer a “mystery” to some apiarists in the US and Europe.
They believe that it is definitely related to the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture.
A good watch is Vanishing of the Bees on Youtube (approx 1.5 hours)
gw
This article from last week’s Guardian mentioned that; bee-addiction to neonicotinoids, which seemed particularly cruel in light of the second Nature article regarding their toxicity to wild bee populations:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/22/bees-may-become-addicted-to-nicotine-like-pesticides-study-finds
The study; not finding evidence that honeybee hives were affected, is not the same as; finding evidence that they were somehow immune from the effects. Just that there are more honeybees in an average hive, so it might take a bit longer for the effects to manifest:
Why should we care about bees more than any other creature? How bad could it get anyway?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/element-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503340&objectid=11264788
Two fascinating articles about Australia and Anzac Day.
The first is by veteran socialist activist and writer Tom O’Lincoln, on what the ‘diggers’ returned to in Oz after WW1: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/after-world-war-1-the-horrors-of-peace-at-home-australia/
The second is about the cops shutting down an Aboriginal protest about the Frontier Wars, the wars whose name dare not be spoken but which played a far greater role in shaping Australian society than Gallipoli did: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/australian-cops-shut-down-aboriginal-anzac-day-march/
Geez… it must be a hard life being a ‘trader’! It’s all up for sale eh?
Stocks and shares
‘Her indoors’ loyalty
reputation
cohorts
sovereignty
pigtails and ponytails
emotions
the parliamentary press gang
the DPS
anything
anything left to commodify? how about fisiani or Gozz – what do ya reckon they’re worth
Mex? maybe
http://thestandard.org.nz/pull-the-other-one-ponytails-minimisation-and-male-privilege/#comment-1006203
Hey CT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXbe9vgS3yw
For anyone in Dunedin, on Tuesday I’m doing a followup to last week’s talk on the 1916 Rebellion in Ireland. This one is on the aftermath, looking at the republican reorganisation and the war for independence, following the massive republican electoral victory in Ireland in 1918.
Details of the meeting are here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/dunedin-talk-after-the-1916-rebellion-the-irish-war-for-independence-and-its-outcome/
Phil
Just doing a quick whizz through of Open Mike Philip, and wanted to say I would have loved to have been able to attend your talk on the 1916 Irish Rebellion. (I saw your post about the talk last week).This is a history I really want to learn about in more detail.
The follow up talk would also be fascinating 🙂
Cheers,
Rosie.
The Road to Selma, Sat, May 8, 1-5pm
And, for anyone in Christchurch or thereabouts, I’m presenting an afternoon course at the Workers Educational Association in Gloucester Street on The Road to Selma. This is part of the CWEA’s term 2 programme and you have to enrol for it via the WEA.
The afternoon course is about the American civil rights movement.
See: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/canterbury-workers-educational-association-course-the-road-to-selma-sat-may-8/
Phil
Do watch Campbell Live tonight if you can, 7 pm, TV3
thanx..will do
Campbell Live retweeted :
Purple blob invades NZ
http://pamola.um.maine.edu/fcst_frames/GFS-025deg/DailySummary/GFS-025deg_NH-SAT5_PMSL.png
Does the PM’s visit to the place of beheadings, Saudi Arabia, not undermine his decision to send our country to war because the PM “wont sit by while people are being beheaded”?
or yeah nah
fuck what a joke key has made everything
everything
a fucking joke
I really genuinely sincerely actually factually do not get that John Key will not stand down…..
when his backbench MP Aaron Gilmore had to stand down for harassing waiting staff
and
when his Cera boss Roger Sutton had to stand down for harassing staff
How does that work? How does that work and credibility reside in the same place? Who sets the rules? Why are they not being followed ?
Who is asking these questions?
My thoughts exactly vto. Its been bothering me all week, those comparisons and the resulting hypocrisy.
Un Cretino must go. Thing is, how? How do we get to that point?
“Un Cretino must go. Thing is, how? How do we get to that point?”
Like a huge cold frozen ice block foes when heat is applied. Will slowly melt away, Little by Little, and quietly disappear to Hawaii. Watch the block melt.
I seriously do wonder what practical steps need to be taken, and how such a resignation would play out.
I’ve been to busy and too tired to raise it, (or any comment), last week but I’m sure someone has in the what looks like well over one thousand comments on TS, on the topic of our PM’s repeated abuse of Amanda Bailey.
My only other comment about a potential resignation from Un Cretino and why it needs to happen is here:
http://thestandard.org.nz/a-friend-first-and-a-boss-second-probably-an-entertainer-third/#comment-1006421
Woops, ‘does’, not foes
Curious! A search for up to date information on TPPA in NZ brings up the following:
In the news
It’s not about trade – it’s about control
Manawatu Standard – 8 hours ago
What do you know about the TPPA? … City Council by-election, candidates were asked about their views on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
However, the link leads to
Page Not Found
Sorry, the page you are looking for is not currently available.
Research Questions Whether Or Not Incubators Help Startups
This is a concern as our government seems to have faith in these incubators.
It doesn’t matter how long you incubate a turd, it’s still a turd.
A good example of this is Auckland tech/social media start-up “Real Stew”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG5Tf3gTsVA
They rolled out RoastBuster babydaddy Suzanne Paul’s Antony Rae to promote their vapour ware a couple of years back. I started taking an interest in their non-existent product. And the sick thing is that government-incentivised shithouses like the Ice House are sucking up funds patting each other on the back pretending it’s all going to be sweet.
It’s not going to be sweet.