A good, concise article on Greece and the EU. It outlines what’s at stake, and shows, indirectly, why Western left wing parliamentary parties are prone to fail their supporters – they continually find themselves between a stone and a hard place.
Independently of whether you are extreme left, extreme right, extreme centre (and yes, there is such a thing as extreme centre) or a moderate of any kind, you will have to agree that what is unfolding before our eyes today is a struggle for the future not only of the European ideal, but also of neoliberal capitalism…
and Whether Syriza wins or loses the battle, the good news is that there has been a battle in the first place. The war against this sort of neoliberal capitalism that cares not about people but money is full on now.
I was quoting from an article written by someone else. However, what is happening in Greece was a catastrophic human rights disaster before the election of Syriza – I take the author to mean that it is good that the current government is at least standing up to those who are inflicting the disaster.
Fighting the neo-liberal ‘public is bad – private is good’ mantra at Auckland Council – PROVE IT!
Got speaking rights at the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting on 25 June 2015 – exposed how there is no such thing as ‘public’ transport in Auckland, and asked why should the public subsidise that which we no longer own, operate or manage?
(Scroll to 7.30 for the start of my presentation …)
There are 10 private bus companies, 4 private ferry companies and a French multi-national company operating and managing Auckland trains.
How much do Auckland citizens and ratepayers subsidise PRIVATELY owned, operated and managed ‘passenger transport’ services?
If the private sector got to own, operate and manage passenger transport services because they were purportedly ‘more efficient’ – then why do they need public subsidies?
Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analyses that PROVE that public subsidy of private passenger transport services is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public money than providing PUBLIC transport, under the ‘not for profit’ PUBLIC SERVICE model?
Why aren’t the Mayor, Councillors and Auckland Council staff asking these questions?
Why are Auckland citizens and ratepayers being told to pay a $114 per year ‘transport levy’ – when the question of the ‘cost-effectiveness’ of public money being used to subsidise privately owned, operated and managed ‘passenger transport’ apparently has never been asked?
(I am supposed to get an extensive OIA reply from Auckland Transport by
3 July 2015).
John Stringer on Colin Craig:according to Philip Matthews in ‘the Press’
“Colin seems to say whatever he needs to say to get what he wants and he disregards people he doesn’t need. He changes the narrative to suit his objective.”
Exactly – is Stringer naive or cynical?
I was brought up as the daughter of a Methodist minister (now quite removed from all of it), but I cannot get a grip on these right-wing religious weirdos, or work out how they justify their entitled, essentially unchristian stance !!??
For those interested I have posted on my website about “The role of writers as truth tellers – and the threat to freedom of speech” http://www.mandyhager.com
This headline gave me a laugh on One News Facebook feed. Appears to me someone is having a crack at Hosking;
“TPPA is one step closer to becoming reality in New Zealand. You can probably guess where Mike Hosking stands on the matter. Warning: If you’re among the many who oppose the deal, this may get your blood boiling”.
I heard Hosking raving on 7 TV1 last night on the subject of TPPA. He says TPPA is a marvellous opportunity and all those doom-sayers should butt out etc etc. What Hosking should be asked is how comes that he knows what is in it for NZ?
And does he know what the contents in TPPA are? I don’t know. We don’t know.
So either Hosking is in the elite group who do know, or he is a raving biased stooge.
(PS I watch TV1 7 so I can judge it. Wouldn’t be too bad if Hosking wasn’t there.)
I heard an interview with that dude Jessie Mullens who originally co hosted Seven Sharp. He went on about feeling bullied on the show hinting at Hosking but stopped short of naming him. I think I’d wind him up abit if a ran into him and wait for him to over step the mark and give him a crack for bullying Jessie, call it Karma lol.
I think you mean Jessie Mulligan, Skinny. Jessie was a guest panelist several years ago at the Great Mt Albert Debate, (a major fundraiser for the Mt Albert Branch of the Labour Party) always a great night out with heaps of fun with the debate.
Freedom of expression is alive and well on the NBR!
Taking on ‘Rogernomics’ from ‘inside the tent’ – as it were?
My comment in response to a post by Rodney Hide:
“State’s waste leaves fewer leftovers
WEEKEND REVIEW Fri 26 Jun
We should all be wishing Jordan Williams and the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union every success.”
———————————————————————
Sorry Rodney – I beg to differ.
In my considered opinion, the ingrained and chronic waste of taxpayer and ratepayer money at central and local government, has arisen from the myth and mantra upon which neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ was/is based.
The ‘public is bad – private is good’ myth and mantra.
Under this myth and mantra – services previously provided ‘in house’ under the single layer, not-for-profit, public service model, have been replaced with a double layer, for profit private sector model – where consultants ‘project manage’ works contractors – all out to make as much as they can.
As soon as you get into contracting – you get into ‘contract management’.
Government and Council ‘in-house’ staff are regarded as being too dumb to do that – so in come the consultants.
A single layer public service ‘BUREAUCRACY ‘ is replaced with a double layer of private sector ‘CONTRACTOCRACY’.
How on earth can that be a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public money?
The late, great George Burns often quipped that the most important attribute for an actor is sincerity; fake that and you’ve got it made. Nowhere is that truism more appropriate than in the obscene farce of American politics.
In December 2013, there was widespread anger after a shameless impostor perpetrated an outrageous display of fakery at the funeral service for Nelson Mandela. Comments included: “He was moving his hands around, but there was no meaning”; “What happened at the memorial service is truly a disgraceful thing to see”; “Disgusting”; “Shameful hypocrisy” and “It should not happen at all.”
Here’s a photo of the fraudster, waving his arm in the air…. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/deaf-interpreter-nelson-mandela-memorial-fake-officials-article-1.1544251
Morrissey. If you say Obama is an imposter I suppose you would suggest that Key cliche-ing over the Whanganuian plight is equally impostering. Surely not?
Can’t quite work out why you say, “Good for Australia” – do you mean it is good for the Australian country or good on those Australians?
This idea is foul imo – this english state housing clusterfuck needs to be shut down and tied off.
I agree with Labour, “Bill English should face reality and admit his state house sell off policy has collapsed.” and the Greens on this, “Bill English is also admitting that no-one in New Zealand wants to buy them, and that his grand sell-off plan is in tatters”
“I thought that was fairly obvious from the entire sentence.”
Well I asked for clarification as nicely as I could – pity you couldn’t answer the same way – although that may be mean because that might be as nice as you can be.
“A Gold Coast non-profit charity, Horizon Housing, had visited New Zealand this week to look at the houses. It was interested in possibly buying at least 400 state houses.”
Is that, “Australia is going to be getting richer at our expense”?
Being able to love who you love and show a legal commitment is a human right. Hopefully the USA legalising it will push other countries to, like Australia. There is much more to be done on global LGBTQ+ rights, including where in some countries you can be jailed or executed simply for being who you are, but hopefully this is part of a global movement towards equality.
Where is the electoral mandate for the privatisation of State Housing – via ‘social housing’?
How desperate and obscene is THIS?
————————————————————-
Hundreds of New Zealand’s state houses could be sold to Australians, Bill English said this morning.
Appearing on TV3’s The Nation this morning, Finance Minister Bill English said it was possible state houses could be sold to an Australian company.
A Gold Coast non-profit charity, Horizon Housing, had visited New Zealand this week to look at the houses. It was interested in possibly buying at least 400 state houses.
“So far it looks interesting to us, Horizon Housing’s chief executive Jason Cubit said.
“We’d like to expand our business because we’re good at it and we [will] hopefully make some surpluses and re-invest it into the community.”
English told The Nation that Australians would be able to buy the state houses if they were registered as community housing providers.
Labour’s housing spokesperson Phil Tywford described English’s admission as “the latest lurch in the Government’s stumbling, half-baked housing policy”.
“Bill English should face reality and admit his state house sell off policy has collapsed. The Salvation Army didn’t want a bar of it. Iwi leaders said they’d only take them if they got them for free.
“Now Bill English is so desperate to keep his failed policy afloat that he’ll even flick the houses off to the Aussies,” he said.
………
Especially the suggested remedy to ‘ghost housing’ in Auckland?
————————————————————————-
As the Auckland property market continues to heat up, our readers share their ideas for cooling it down. Peter Johnson says it’s simple math.
The numbers are self-evident – any high school student can work out these questions yet the so-called experts can’t see the basics:
Question 1: If New Zealand has net immigration of 55,000 each year and 80 per cent move to Auckland, assuming we have four people per house how many extra houses are needed each year in Auckland?
Answer 1: 11,000
Question 2: If Auckland needs 11,000 houses per year just for immigration and is only building 7,500, how many houses short is Auckland each year?
Answer 2: 3,500
Question 3: If Auckland has been building 3,500 houses less than demand each year for 10 years, how many houses is Auckland short of?
Answer 3: 35,000
Question 4: Basic economics states that free market pricing is a combination of supply and demand. If supply is low but demand is high, what will happen to the commodity price?
Answer 4: The price will go up
Here’s how we answer these questions in relation to Auckland housing:
Limit immigration: If we do not have the housing we have nowhere for immigrants to live. In effect it is time to hang out the No Vacancy sign until there is a surplus of housing.
Build more houses: This is part of the plan and it should continue until the backlog is dealt with.
Ghost housing: Auckland has the housing stock, it just has low utilisation, which in some ways could be seen as market manipulation. A simple law that makes it illegal to have a house unoccupied for a period of 12 months without a suitable reason should be implemented. To have a situation where houses are being bought for capital gain and taken out of circulation to add heat to the market is ridiculous. Failure to have your house occupied could result in forfeit to the crown for forced sale.
Special legislation, similar to the Christchurch rebuild legislation, to fast-track building in Auckland: We have the skills, experience and personnel for the agency in Christchurch right now. Also, the agency that handled the fast-track of building Christchurch is about to be made redundant.
How can we reduce demand?
Firstly, by reducing immigration, as above.
We can also give New Zealand citizens first rights over residents and over foreign buyers. If you are a New Zealand citizen then you can have multiple ownership rights. If you are a resident then you can only own one house – the house that you live in. If you want to have multiple houses then you need to commit to New Zealand and become a citizen.
Anyone from overseas who wants to buy housing in New Zealand needs to stand in line behind New Zealand citizens and then residents. The house must first be offered to the domestic market and if it does not sell then it can be offered overseas.
If the property does sell overseas for a premium then an overseas purchase levy of 10-20 percent as way of tax/stamp duty must be paid on both purchase and sale. If we are going to sell property offshore to the detriment of New Zealand citizens then there should be some additional benefit to New Zealand.
Overseas interests can only own property for a maximum of 50 years, then the property must be put on the open market to give New Zealand citizens a chance to purchase their land back at market rates.
I see the problem as very simple math. I know there are complexities of foreign exchange flow into New Zealand propping up a poorly performing economy, but the price we are paying is just too high.
This is basic math and economics 101. Trying to sell us on the idea that supply will fix the problem is utter dribble.
———————————————————————
Penny Bright
People don’t immigrate to Auckland Penny – people immigrate to New Zealand. If there is no housing in Auckland, new immigrates will have to live in another city or town. If the Hilton is full try the Holiday Inn – not the park bench.
Also immigrates have been known to bring money into New Zealand and spend said money to build themselves a house(s), which ‘in theory boosts the economy’. Hanging out the ‘No Vacancy’ sign is premature – though your point is received.
Has the Murray McCully – in my view – the ‘Minister of Bribery’s sordid Saudi sheep gate debacle, been the reason why National have not supported
ALL ‘facilitation payments’ being outlawed as BRIBES?
————————————————————————-
The Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill:
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand minority view
The Green Party supports the majority of the Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill in its current form.
The Green Party intends to continue with its support of this bill; it will bring us in line with our obligations under various international treaties and conventions dealing with national and international organised crime and corruption, and it will strengthen our ability to effectively respond to people trafficking and private sector corruption.
However, the Green Party holds the view that this bill is a missed opportunity to address the issue of facilitation payments, which will still be excepted from the foreign bribery offence under section 105C(3) of the Crimes Act 1961–
(3)This section does not apply if—
(a)the act that is alleged to constitute the offence was committed for the sole or primary purpose of ensuring or expediting the performance by a foreign public official of a routine government action; and
(b)the value of the benefit is small.
The Ministry of Justice departmental report refers to these payments as being for things such as “small payments relating to the grant of a permit or licence, the provision of utility services, or loading or unloading cargo.
The Ministry commented that these payments do not yield an “undue advantage”, and that measures in the bill to ensure the recording of these payments mitigate any concerns that the exception may be abused.
However, the select committee heard persuasive submissions on the issue from the Human Rights Commission, Transparency International New Zealand and Michael Macaulay, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Government.
These ‘grease’ payments are bribes, no matter their size, and help breed a culture where low-level corruption is permitted and accepted, contrary to international guidance from groups like the Serious Fraud Office, the UNCAC Implementation Review Group, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the OECD.
New Zealand is seen as a leader in public sector ethics and transparency, and we are proud of that legacy.
It is disappointing that when provided an opportunity to take a strong stance on a controversial and unethical practice like facilitation payments – a stance already taken by the United Kingdom and Australia, and allegedly being pursued in China and India – we choose to split hairs about semantics and ‘balance’, leaving the door open for facilitation payments and subtly undermining our international reputation for honesty and transparency.
———————————————————
Absolutely agree with the Greens on this point.
After the sordid Saudi sheep gate debacle – in my view – ALL political parties should support the outlawing of ‘facilitation payments’ as BRIBES – end of story.
Facilitation payments are fine with me if the desired result is achieved. Money certainly is a motivator. Facilitation payments aren’t a silver bullet though and diffidently could run parallel to bribery. If you have to bribe someone you should ask yourself, “do I really want to be in business with this kind of person/company”. I don’t see the government using facilitation payments as a magic wand… …yet…
Clearly McCully has had a bad week.
1. Found out lying to cabinet about the real reason behind the Saudi Sheep in the desert saga
2. Had to go to the dentist
3. But this tops them all. His performance last night saying he was going to solve the Israeli – Palestinian conflict 1 day into the job. This sounds like he is either trying to take the heat off the Saudi Sheep saga or, is suffering under the heat and has gone completely mad! I would suggest both. If he thinks he can get the UN into accepting his way of thinking on the Palestinian issue when he can’t even get a bilateral relationship sorted.
Maybe a very interesting cabinet conversation on Monday.
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Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Petrobas got permission to drill for oil.
Look what happened in Brazil.
http://gu.com/p/4a3bt
A good, concise article on Greece and the EU. It outlines what’s at stake, and shows, indirectly, why Western left wing parliamentary parties are prone to fail their supporters – they continually find themselves between a stone and a hard place.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/manuel-barcia/greek-economy_b_7665240.html
Independently of whether you are extreme left, extreme right, extreme centre (and yes, there is such a thing as extreme centre) or a moderate of any kind, you will have to agree that what is unfolding before our eyes today is a struggle for the future not only of the European ideal, but also of neoliberal capitalism…
and
Whether Syriza wins or loses the battle, the good news is that there has been a battle in the first place. The war against this sort of neoliberal capitalism that cares not about people but money is full on now.
“the good news is that there has been a battle in the first place”… you know this is a catastrophic human rights disaster for the Greek people right?
I was quoting from an article written by someone else. However, what is happening in Greece was a catastrophic human rights disaster before the election of Syriza – I take the author to mean that it is good that the current government is at least standing up to those who are inflicting the disaster.
Fighting the neo-liberal ‘public is bad – private is good’ mantra at Auckland Council – PROVE IT!
Got speaking rights at the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting on 25 June 2015 – exposed how there is no such thing as ‘public’ transport in Auckland, and asked why should the public subsidise that which we no longer own, operate or manage?
http://councillive.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/video/250615-governing-body-items-7-part-2-11
(Scroll to 7.30 for the start of my presentation …)
There are 10 private bus companies, 4 private ferry companies and a French multi-national company operating and managing Auckland trains.
How much do Auckland citizens and ratepayers subsidise PRIVATELY owned, operated and managed ‘passenger transport’ services?
If the private sector got to own, operate and manage passenger transport services because they were purportedly ‘more efficient’ – then why do they need public subsidies?
Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analyses that PROVE that public subsidy of private passenger transport services is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public money than providing PUBLIC transport, under the ‘not for profit’ PUBLIC SERVICE model?
Why aren’t the Mayor, Councillors and Auckland Council staff asking these questions?
Why are Auckland citizens and ratepayers being told to pay a $114 per year ‘transport levy’ – when the question of the ‘cost-effectiveness’ of public money being used to subsidise privately owned, operated and managed ‘passenger transport’ apparently has never been asked?
(I am supposed to get an extensive OIA reply from Auckland Transport by
3 July 2015).
Penny Bright
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
John Stringer on Colin Craig:according to Philip Matthews in ‘the Press’
“Colin seems to say whatever he needs to say to get what he wants and he disregards people he doesn’t need. He changes the narrative to suit his objective.”
In other words Just another Tory politician.
Exactly – is Stringer naive or cynical?
I was brought up as the daughter of a Methodist minister (now quite removed from all of it), but I cannot get a grip on these right-wing religious weirdos, or work out how they justify their entitled, essentially unchristian stance !!??
+1
For those interested I have posted on my website about “The role of writers as truth tellers – and the threat to freedom of speech” http://www.mandyhager.com
Actual link
Why Corporations, Not Government, Are the Most Ruthless Enemies of Journalists (w/ Mark Ames)
I haven’t actually watched that yet but seems to be on the same subject.
This headline gave me a laugh on One News Facebook feed. Appears to me someone is having a crack at Hosking;
“TPPA is one step closer to becoming reality in New Zealand. You can probably guess where Mike Hosking stands on the matter. Warning: If you’re among the many who oppose the deal, this may get your blood boiling”.
I heard Hosking raving on 7 TV1 last night on the subject of TPPA. He says TPPA is a marvellous opportunity and all those doom-sayers should butt out etc etc. What Hosking should be asked is how comes that he knows what is in it for NZ?
And does he know what the contents in TPPA are? I don’t know. We don’t know.
So either Hosking is in the elite group who do know, or he is a raving biased stooge.
(PS I watch TV1 7 so I can judge it. Wouldn’t be too bad if Hosking wasn’t there.)
I heard an interview with that dude Jessie Mullens who originally co hosted Seven Sharp. He went on about feeling bullied on the show hinting at Hosking but stopped short of naming him. I think I’d wind him up abit if a ran into him and wait for him to over step the mark and give him a crack for bullying Jessie, call it Karma lol.
I think you mean Jessie Mulligan, Skinny. Jessie was a guest panelist several years ago at the Great Mt Albert Debate, (a major fundraiser for the Mt Albert Branch of the Labour Party) always a great night out with heaps of fun with the debate.
Yes that’s him. Sounds like a decent guy Jilly Bee no wonder Hosking picked on him!
Go Bernie give Clinton a dealing too!
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/25/new-hampshire-poll-shows-bernie-sanders-in-dead-heat-with-hillary-clinton/?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0
FYI.
Freedom of expression is alive and well on the NBR!
Taking on ‘Rogernomics’ from ‘inside the tent’ – as it were?
My comment in response to a post by Rodney Hide:
“State’s waste leaves fewer leftovers
WEEKEND REVIEW Fri 26 Jun
We should all be wishing Jordan Williams and the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union every success.”
———————————————————————
Sorry Rodney – I beg to differ.
In my considered opinion, the ingrained and chronic waste of taxpayer and ratepayer money at central and local government, has arisen from the myth and mantra upon which neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ was/is based.
The ‘public is bad – private is good’ myth and mantra.
Under this myth and mantra – services previously provided ‘in house’ under the single layer, not-for-profit, public service model, have been replaced with a double layer, for profit private sector model – where consultants ‘project manage’ works contractors – all out to make as much as they can.
As soon as you get into contracting – you get into ‘contract management’.
Government and Council ‘in-house’ staff are regarded as being too dumb to do that – so in come the consultants.
A single layer public service ‘BUREAUCRACY ‘ is replaced with a double layer of private sector ‘CONTRACTOCRACY’.
How on earth can that be a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public money?
Where’s the ‘prudent stewardship’?
Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analysis?
How is this not corporate welfare – on steroids?
Who else is asking THIS question Rodney?
Kind regards
Penny Bright
It can’t be but it does make the rich so much more profit.
This shameless imposter should be in prison
The late, great George Burns often quipped that the most important attribute for an actor is sincerity; fake that and you’ve got it made. Nowhere is that truism more appropriate than in the obscene farce of American politics.
In December 2013, there was widespread anger after a shameless impostor perpetrated an outrageous display of fakery at the funeral service for Nelson Mandela. Comments included: “He was moving his hands around, but there was no meaning”; “What happened at the memorial service is truly a disgraceful thing to see”; “Disgusting”; “Shameful hypocrisy” and “It should not happen at all.”
Here’s a photo of the fraudster, waving his arm in the air….
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/deaf-interpreter-nelson-mandela-memorial-fake-officials-article-1.1544251
Six months before that outrage, the impostor had disgusted the world with a display of OTT method acting….
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video
And now, unfortunately, the impostor is at it again. This time he’s pretending to be Martin Luther King….
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/06/26/obama-sings-amazing-grace-during-pinckney-eulogy-sot-nr.cnn
Morrissey. If you say Obama is an imposter I suppose you would suggest that Key cliche-ing over the Whanganuian plight is equally impostering. Surely not?
As horrible and hypocritical as Key is, he is not presiding over a world-wide programme of torture, kidnapping and extra-judicial assassination.
A short spiel on the Neutral Observer fallacy.
It appears that the government is going to sell the state houses to Australia:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1506/S00499/national-to-put-state-houses-in-overseas-hands.htm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1506/S00500/dont-sell-our-state-houses-to-the-aussies-mr-english.htm
Good for Australia but we get to see even more of our hard work going to support foreigners for no gain.
Can’t quite work out why you say, “Good for Australia” – do you mean it is good for the Australian country or good on those Australians?
This idea is foul imo – this english state housing clusterfuck needs to be shut down and tied off.
I agree with Labour, “Bill English should face reality and admit his state house sell off policy has collapsed.” and the Greens on this, “Bill English is also admitting that no-one in New Zealand wants to buy them, and that his grand sell-off plan is in tatters”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11472186
I mean Australia is going to be getting richer at our expense. I thought that was fairly obvious from the entire sentence.
Yep. It’s just more legalised theft of NZs’ assets and wealth.
“I thought that was fairly obvious from the entire sentence.”
Well I asked for clarification as nicely as I could – pity you couldn’t answer the same way – although that may be mean because that might be as nice as you can be.
“A Gold Coast non-profit charity, Horizon Housing, had visited New Zealand this week to look at the houses. It was interested in possibly buying at least 400 state houses.”
Is that, “Australia is going to be getting richer at our expense”?
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/26/gay-marriage-legal-supreme-court
Same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states in the USA!
The White House is also lit up in rainbow lights in celebration! https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/vb.63811549237/10153566817364238/?type=2&theater Truly amazing sight.
Being able to love who you love and show a legal commitment is a human right. Hopefully the USA legalising it will push other countries to, like Australia. There is much more to be done on global LGBTQ+ rights, including where in some countries you can be jailed or executed simply for being who you are, but hopefully this is part of a global movement towards equality.
Where is the electoral mandate for the privatisation of State Housing – via ‘social housing’?
How desperate and obscene is THIS?
————————————————————-
Hundreds of New Zealand’s state houses could be sold to Australians, Bill English said this morning.
Appearing on TV3’s The Nation this morning, Finance Minister Bill English said it was possible state houses could be sold to an Australian company.
A Gold Coast non-profit charity, Horizon Housing, had visited New Zealand this week to look at the houses. It was interested in possibly buying at least 400 state houses.
“So far it looks interesting to us, Horizon Housing’s chief executive Jason Cubit said.
“We’d like to expand our business because we’re good at it and we [will] hopefully make some surpluses and re-invest it into the community.”
English told The Nation that Australians would be able to buy the state houses if they were registered as community housing providers.
Labour’s housing spokesperson Phil Tywford described English’s admission as “the latest lurch in the Government’s stumbling, half-baked housing policy”.
“Bill English should face reality and admit his state house sell off policy has collapsed. The Salvation Army didn’t want a bar of it. Iwi leaders said they’d only take them if they got them for free.
“Now Bill English is so desperate to keep his failed policy afloat that he’ll even flick the houses off to the Aussies,” he said.
………
Penny Bright
What do folks think about this one?
Especially the suggested remedy to ‘ghost housing’ in Auckland?
————————————————————————-
As the Auckland property market continues to heat up, our readers share their ideas for cooling it down. Peter Johnson says it’s simple math.
The numbers are self-evident – any high school student can work out these questions yet the so-called experts can’t see the basics:
Question 1: If New Zealand has net immigration of 55,000 each year and 80 per cent move to Auckland, assuming we have four people per house how many extra houses are needed each year in Auckland?
Answer 1: 11,000
Question 2: If Auckland needs 11,000 houses per year just for immigration and is only building 7,500, how many houses short is Auckland each year?
Answer 2: 3,500
Question 3: If Auckland has been building 3,500 houses less than demand each year for 10 years, how many houses is Auckland short of?
Answer 3: 35,000
Question 4: Basic economics states that free market pricing is a combination of supply and demand. If supply is low but demand is high, what will happen to the commodity price?
Answer 4: The price will go up
Here’s how we answer these questions in relation to Auckland housing:
Limit immigration: If we do not have the housing we have nowhere for immigrants to live. In effect it is time to hang out the No Vacancy sign until there is a surplus of housing.
Build more houses: This is part of the plan and it should continue until the backlog is dealt with.
Ghost housing: Auckland has the housing stock, it just has low utilisation, which in some ways could be seen as market manipulation. A simple law that makes it illegal to have a house unoccupied for a period of 12 months without a suitable reason should be implemented. To have a situation where houses are being bought for capital gain and taken out of circulation to add heat to the market is ridiculous. Failure to have your house occupied could result in forfeit to the crown for forced sale.
Special legislation, similar to the Christchurch rebuild legislation, to fast-track building in Auckland: We have the skills, experience and personnel for the agency in Christchurch right now. Also, the agency that handled the fast-track of building Christchurch is about to be made redundant.
How can we reduce demand?
Firstly, by reducing immigration, as above.
We can also give New Zealand citizens first rights over residents and over foreign buyers. If you are a New Zealand citizen then you can have multiple ownership rights. If you are a resident then you can only own one house – the house that you live in. If you want to have multiple houses then you need to commit to New Zealand and become a citizen.
Anyone from overseas who wants to buy housing in New Zealand needs to stand in line behind New Zealand citizens and then residents. The house must first be offered to the domestic market and if it does not sell then it can be offered overseas.
If the property does sell overseas for a premium then an overseas purchase levy of 10-20 percent as way of tax/stamp duty must be paid on both purchase and sale. If we are going to sell property offshore to the detriment of New Zealand citizens then there should be some additional benefit to New Zealand.
Overseas interests can only own property for a maximum of 50 years, then the property must be put on the open market to give New Zealand citizens a chance to purchase their land back at market rates.
I see the problem as very simple math. I know there are complexities of foreign exchange flow into New Zealand propping up a poorly performing economy, but the price we are paying is just too high.
This is basic math and economics 101. Trying to sell us on the idea that supply will fix the problem is utter dribble.
———————————————————————
Penny Bright
People don’t immigrate to Auckland Penny – people immigrate to New Zealand. If there is no housing in Auckland, new immigrates will have to live in another city or town. If the Hilton is full try the Holiday Inn – not the park bench.
Also immigrates have been known to bring money into New Zealand and spend said money to build themselves a house(s), which ‘in theory boosts the economy’. Hanging out the ‘No Vacancy’ sign is premature – though your point is received.
Has the Murray McCully – in my view – the ‘Minister of Bribery’s sordid Saudi sheep gate debacle, been the reason why National have not supported
ALL ‘facilitation payments’ being outlawed as BRIBES?
————————————————————————-
The Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill:
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand minority view
The Green Party supports the majority of the Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill in its current form.
The Green Party intends to continue with its support of this bill; it will bring us in line with our obligations under various international treaties and conventions dealing with national and international organised crime and corruption, and it will strengthen our ability to effectively respond to people trafficking and private sector corruption.
However, the Green Party holds the view that this bill is a missed opportunity to address the issue of facilitation payments, which will still be excepted from the foreign bribery offence under section 105C(3) of the Crimes Act 1961–
(3)This section does not apply if—
(a)the act that is alleged to constitute the offence was committed for the sole or primary purpose of ensuring or expediting the performance by a foreign public official of a routine government action; and
(b)the value of the benefit is small.
The Ministry of Justice departmental report refers to these payments as being for things such as “small payments relating to the grant of a permit or licence, the provision of utility services, or loading or unloading cargo.
The Ministry commented that these payments do not yield an “undue advantage”, and that measures in the bill to ensure the recording of these payments mitigate any concerns that the exception may be abused.
However, the select committee heard persuasive submissions on the issue from the Human Rights Commission, Transparency International New Zealand and Michael Macaulay, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Government.
These ‘grease’ payments are bribes, no matter their size, and help breed a culture where low-level corruption is permitted and accepted, contrary to international guidance from groups like the Serious Fraud Office, the UNCAC Implementation Review Group, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the OECD.
New Zealand is seen as a leader in public sector ethics and transparency, and we are proud of that legacy.
It is disappointing that when provided an opportunity to take a strong stance on a controversial and unethical practice like facilitation payments – a stance already taken by the United Kingdom and Australia, and allegedly being pursued in China and India – we choose to split hairs about semantics and ‘balance’, leaving the door open for facilitation payments and subtly undermining our international reputation for honesty and transparency.
———————————————————
Absolutely agree with the Greens on this point.
After the sordid Saudi sheep gate debacle – in my view – ALL political parties should support the outlawing of ‘facilitation payments’ as BRIBES – end of story.
Penny Bright
Facilitation payments are fine with me if the desired result is achieved. Money certainly is a motivator. Facilitation payments aren’t a silver bullet though and diffidently could run parallel to bribery. If you have to bribe someone you should ask yourself, “do I really want to be in business with this kind of person/company”. I don’t see the government using facilitation payments as a magic wand… …yet…
mmmmmmm tasty lamb
‘Aotearoa Now’ a Short film by from Ryan Fielding.
https://vimeo.com/122342786
crikey!
Clearly McCully has had a bad week.
1. Found out lying to cabinet about the real reason behind the Saudi Sheep in the desert saga
2. Had to go to the dentist
3. But this tops them all. His performance last night saying he was going to solve the Israeli – Palestinian conflict 1 day into the job. This sounds like he is either trying to take the heat off the Saudi Sheep saga or, is suffering under the heat and has gone completely mad! I would suggest both. If he thinks he can get the UN into accepting his way of thinking on the Palestinian issue when he can’t even get a bilateral relationship sorted.
Maybe a very interesting cabinet conversation on Monday.