I usually put a marginal sign alongside significant usable points in any book, with a pencil: < . The sign is an arrowhead pointer, and an excellent book ends up featuring oodles of such pointers. This editorial method gives you key points for writing a summary of what the book's primary messages are, which may or may not also motivate an essay blending these with your own thoughts.
This morning I'd like to share one such initial point of his:
"Robert Frost saw civilisation as a small clearing in a great forest. We have hewn our space at no small cost, and the dark out there seems ever ready to close in again – a collapse into chaos should our ideation fail. In my book I shall consider Frost's clearing to be the disciplines of mind, reality-adjusted thinking, reason, logic, civilisation, society, culture. I shall consider the dark forest to be the primal stuff, the unconscious, the unknown potential—perhaps just an "empty category."
Collective ideation collapse seems a suitable description of our random walk into the 21st century that has since ensued, powered by fossil fuels, orchestrated by neolibs of the left/right. Within the banality of this whole you can always find diverse interesting clever stuff happening, fortunately. Frost's small clearing is too long ago – population explosion since has driven the spread of cities until the forest shrinkage became a global crisis, yet as metaphor the dark in the collective mind looms still.
The cosmic egg is nowadays represented by niche in evolutionary theory, and the crack is the path to the future out of that which featured as quest in legend, so its a nifty binary image in the signal becoming a triad when enacted by stepping onto that path & heading for the realm of possibility in the beyond. Doing so collectively is how humans make progress, so while neolib sheeple circle mindlessly in the middle of the paddock, those averse to terminal boredom gradually converge in synch heading for the open gate…
Nobody in their right mind would expect a lawyer to be capable of regenerating a neocolonial water distribution! All lawyers ever do is administer conformity to laws.
From about 1950 until the 70s, Wellington built most of its pipes with asbestos cement. It’s not dangerous to public health, but it turns out asbestos cement is a crappy material that only lasts half as long as ceramic pipes. So now they’re all breaking.
They put a Labour dude in charge of the thing! A perpetual recipe for evasion of the problem. All the guy needs to do to retain tenure is tell everyone the problem's underground, so out of sight out of mind is the way to retain normalcy.
He certainly used to be a Labour man. He was a Porirua Councillor and then Mayor from 1998 until 2016. During that time he was a member of the Labour Party. He then ran for Mayor of Wellington City but, because Labour had picked an official candidate in the form of Justin Lester he had to resign from the Labour Party or be expelled.
Unfortunately Lester won and proved to be a terrible Mayor for his only term before he in turn got dumped.
Still, our current and at least in my opinion even worse Mayor in Wellington has a solution to our problems.
Trumpet flourish for her solution "Water Meters". In Tory's own words "Water meters will help us take a smarter approach to identifying leaks and reduce waste".
I can suggest an even simpler solution, and one that they can start doing immediately. Start fixing the ones people report. There is one in my street that has been wasting water for at least 3 months. The water comes out in the middle of the road, runs down the hill and then follows the gutter for a few hundred meters before going down a drain. Not a terribly big flow but assuming 10 litres/minute it will have wasted about 1.3 million litres in the last 90 days.
Twice we have been advised it would be fixed during the "next week". On neither occasion did anything happen.
And yes I did report it on several occasions but nothing happens.
Quote from Tory are from the printed Post of 27/01/2024. I don't have access to the on-line paper.
I had already included a link, where I got the quote from Legget's wiki page, which pointed out he switched to the National Party, so I don't know why you have linked to it again.
" In August 2016, Labour Leader Andrew Little accused Leggett of being a "right-winger", alleging that his campaign manager for the Wellington Mayoral election was a well-known Act Party figure."
"Leggett then changed allegiance to the National Party later that year citing ideological differences with Labour's leadership"
The National Party was obviously a better fit for Legget.
If memory serves, Tory Whanau was supportive of Labour's Three Waters reforms that would have addressed long-standing water infrastructure issues that existed long before she had become mayor.
National binned the reforms without a replacement solution, so maybe your anger should be directed to Luxon's National led government.
Experience has told me that there is a tendency on the part of one of the moderators to insist on a link to anything I say as a fact. I quoted additional material from the Wiki entry on Leggett so, discretion being the better part of valour, I included a link to the source.
In a comment today, on a different post, I included a comment on something that John McEnroe said. "You cannot be serious". I even included a link to that spectacular rant of his, in case I was said to be inventing it.
I have no idea on whether Tory was, or was not, in favour of the 3 waters scheme. I thought it was a terrible idea though, if anyone is interested. It appeared to allow an unelected group to borrow large amounts of money which would become the responsibility of the ratepayers of the area if they could make no provision for paying of the loans.
Eight years a Nat. Calling him a 'Labour dude' is like calling Shane Jones a Labour dude. There is a reason why we have the term 'former'; and also the term 'waka-jumper'.
National and Act’s coalition agreement says the Government will amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to restrict ministerial decision-making to national security concerns only and make these decisions “much more timely”.
National and Act’s coalition agreement says the Government will amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to restrict ministerial decision-making to national security concerns only and make these decisions “much more timely”.
It would appear that NZF has compromised its long held position to enable this, something either TPM or United blocked under the Key led government (or was further than Key would go).
It means investment not in our national interest will go ahead – all so someone who owns something can get a higher price selling to a foreigner (attracted by our lack of CGT).
“Not only does the dispatch of the NZDF team to the Red Sea strengthen the impression of a diplomatic U-turn in Wellington, it also points to a selective concern about maintaining international law.
By agreeing to send an NZDF team to the Red Sea without demanding the US end its opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza, the New Zealand government seems to have retreated from an independent foreign policy based on principles and values.”
And this is only the start of the unwinding of NZ's “principles and values”. The future looks bleaker by the day.
The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen but this will be increasingly difficult especially with the ICJ ruling and the consequence that all nations are obliged to now intervene to ensure Palestinians are protected.
The US, Canada, Australia and Italy have now ceased funding UNRWA simply on allegations by Israel of involvement of 12 workers in Oct 7 without waiting for the investigation findings. Even if all 12 were complicit, this would be 0.0004% of a staff of over 30 000. This will have huge ramifications for aid to Gaza. Are we about to follow?
"The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen… "
Bald lies since the Houthis are on record as saying they will continue the attacks until the Israelis stop their attacks on Gaza. Luxon is also on record as repeating the mantra that there is "no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks". Unbelievable!
I also note Luxon's latest buzz word is "values". He has been flinging it around a lot lately:
"my government believes in upholding our values etc. etc…"
when in fact they are dismantling them one by one.
"…no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks"
Obviously there is a link but it isn't what some people seem to believe (the Houthis support for the Palestinians), because they couldn't care less about them. The link between the two is Iran, who have been arming, training and supporting their fellow Shia groups the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas for years. There aim is to destabilize the middle east, with the ultimate goal being to destroy Israel.
It's fine for the US to give billions to Israel to buy arms to carry out genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but when a small number of employees in a vast humanitarian aid organisation are accused of something the US doesn't like, funding for humanitarian aid is immediately shut off.
No wonder young people are not going to vote for Biden.
Defence of shipping is in accord with international law.
A nation has a right in international law to take military action in response to an attack.
Patman seems confused by the complexity of some diplomatic circumstances.
The real issue of the moment is the ICJ wants some focus from Israel on the well being of civilians. Yet USA and now the UK have cut off funding to UNRWA, whose work Israel has been impeding – lack of safe areas for operating and lack of supplies getting through.
New Zealand should say its funding will continue because the world should be helping here, not making things worse because of politics.
The Israeli appointee supported 2 interim decisions – end to incitement and improved well-being for the civilians, so the least that Israel and those who support its right to self-defence can do, is not play politics and get more aid in.
Shipping that is in the service of the Israeli genocide is no longer legal. Nations are on notice that any support of the destruction of the Palestinian people will bring consequences. The UNSC resolution supporting free passage in the Red Sea has now been superseded by the ICJ ruling. The ICJ is in effect the supreme court of the UN. To have the UNSC resolution and the ICJ ruling effective at the same time would be ludicrous.
A further consequence of the ICJ ruling is that the naval blockade of Gaza is now illegal. There are only two options that would allow the proper fulfillment of the protection orders given the infrastructure damages in Gaza. Either a complete ceasefire by Israel or a massive maritime aid convoy.
Israel has destroyed almost all hospitals. 85% of the Gazan population is internally displaced and at best, living in tents. It is winter. There is little to no access to food and no sanitation. Famine and disease are already taking hold. These kinds of deaths will now be tallied up in the list of genocidal behaviour. Famine and disease are not legitimate weapons of war. Neither is freezing to death. To prevent these kinds of deaths is exactly what the ICJ judgement is about and at this stage, it will take a massive humantarian effort. A naval blockade of Gaza makes this impossible. Continuing the destruction of Gaza makes this impossible. Israel is so far down the rabbit hole of destruction that these are the only options by which they can comply with the conditions that have been set
(of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone's mind without their being aware of it."
Act’s strategy seems to be to offer fake Treaty principles to the public, generate a few hundred thousand supportive online select-committee submissions, hold six months of heated hearings, hope for civil unrest, produce polls showing a majority wishes the Treaty had been written by Mill, and then accuse National of siding with Māori radicals against “mainstream New Zealanders”
No. I didn't watch the video. Listening to 45 minutes of him was too much to ask.
A small taster:
ACT Party Leader David Seymour reiterated his stance and plans for “real change” from the new Government in his “state of the nation” address at Auckland’s Westhaven on Sunday morning…
He outlined that New Zealand had become a “more divided” nation, and had experienced “lost decades” under previous Governments. “The good news is we have a Government prepared to accept reality and solve problems, with policies based on the right values,” he said.
That word "values" again. We've got three years of values, values and more values.
What values I hear you ask? We'll never know.
One rule for all (no Treaty, no UNDRIP), one income tax rate for all (no CGT, no wealth tax, no estate tax, no land tax, no stamp duty), one voucher to access (X Y and Z) providers. Only one party can provide liberty from other – those of ethnic or racial difference, those of lower income, those with less wealth.
Majority values, just do not expect any morality. Epsom values, our school zone.
Finish with a truth, lock out the underclass (when they cannot afford the rent).
What a Charade this "Values" laden government is!! What they say, and what they do are two different planets. Unity and Values Tui Tui .. Forked tongues!!!
Typical Randian nonsense from Seymour. The pinnacle of human achievement shall be the extraction and abuse of resources, environmental and human, for profit.
What the court ordered of Israel, where the judges came down, and what’s next for South Africa’s case alleging Israel’s violation of the Genocide Convention in Gaza
The Ugandan justice’s opine that this is a matter for diplomacy and not the court explains her voting.
Benjamin Nethanyahu's reaction, is similar to that after Oct 7, which led to statements by Gallant and Herzog that the court found incitement to genocide. Reaction, rather that a considered response. The sort of thing one would expect of the Religious Zionists group (fascists) created by Netanyahu to pose Likud as of a new centre.
The singular practice of a response by overwhelming force and then negation of any call for restraint.
When the Ottoman empire practiced this in the region pre 1900, a ME legend was created, of the flea that bit a Turk and the camel which hosted the flea was killed. A reference to collective punishment.
It is past time, Gantz demonstrated that the decision to appoint Gallant ahead of him in 2010-2011 was wrong and why. Gallant’s Dahiya doctrine getting rewarded despite the international cost reprised here on steroids.
When it failed last time, Israel had to hand over 1000 Hamas prisoners to get one captured IDF person back. Some do not learn from history – Hamas made the move because Gallant was Defence Minister and could be played.
The GOP on Capitol Hill explain that they are not hypocrites, they merely support the powerful against the weak – not international law, not collective security.
They will cut off aid to Ukraine and provide hope to those in the Kremlin that want to rule to NATO borders and then wait for the USA to withdraw from co-operation with Europe in trade and security (Trump's isolationism).
They will support Likud's rule over Palestinians from the river to the sea. Part of their Christian Zionism, or more simply God and mammon prosperity religion (belief where America is blessed, if they support Israel has become their imperial religion – outcome of their creationism and end time judgment fundamentalism cultural heritage).
The ram raid publicity was obviously politically motivated, it shows how a significant number of voters are easily manipulated……or you could say 'rightly ram raided'….
Great question re ram raids, love to know the answer. Seriously… All a campaign by dairy owners? Paid by their trade association? What was the role of the tobacco industry? Who set up any Facebook pages? Are ram raids still happening? Should be, its summer. Or was it great policing, social services?
My guess, joking… the dairy owners kids diddit. Grabbed the gear, gave it back to the owners, insurance for the rest and a grant for security. And a new government. Win, win, win.
I have a brother who lives in Ireland. He tells me that he used to buy a lot of stuff online from the UK when they were in the EU. It was easy and thigs would be delivered in one or two days.
Now – it is hard, there is Customs stuff and a whole bunch of extra problems. So, he now buys from France, or Belgium, or Spain and still gets the same delivery times and none of the problems.
The State Department said it would allow the sale of some $23 billion worth of fighter jets and equipment to Turkey, among the final steps in a much delayed transaction that has severely strained the relationship between Ankara and Washington.
The sale of the 40 F-16 fighter jets and upgrades to dozens of other jets became linked to Sweden's accession to NATO, with the U.S. postponing the transfer of the Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft until the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved Sweden's membership this past week.
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
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We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
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It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
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David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
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Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
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Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
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The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
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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 ...
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. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
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 ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Half a century on, I've just got around to reading The Crack in the Cosmic Egg. The author seems onto it, very deep insight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Chilton_Pearce
I usually put a marginal sign alongside significant usable points in any book, with a pencil: < . The sign is an arrowhead pointer, and an excellent book ends up featuring oodles of such pointers. This editorial method gives you key points for writing a summary of what the book's primary messages are, which may or may not also motivate an essay blending these with your own thoughts.
This morning I'd like to share one such initial point of his:
Collective ideation collapse seems a suitable description of our random walk into the 21st century that has since ensued, powered by fossil fuels, orchestrated by neolibs of the left/right. Within the banality of this whole you can always find diverse interesting clever stuff happening, fortunately. Frost's small clearing is too long ago – population explosion since has driven the spread of cities until the forest shrinkage became a global crisis, yet as metaphor the dark in the collective mind looms still.
The cosmic egg is nowadays represented by niche in evolutionary theory, and the crack is the path to the future out of that which featured as quest in legend, so its a nifty binary image in the signal becoming a triad when enacted by stepping onto that path & heading for the realm of possibility in the beyond. Doing so collectively is how humans make progress, so while neolib sheeple circle mindlessly in the middle of the paddock, those averse to terminal boredom gradually converge in synch heading for the open gate…
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Stuff reporter provides a useful primer for allocating blame, using the technique `spray & walk away': https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-01-2024/who-should-i-blame-for-wellingtons-water-shortage-a-users-guide
This will suit punters of all shapes & sizes, who have been produced by our neocolonial education system. More experienced blamers will go for the CEO of the org nominally responsible: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/about-us/governance/wellington-water-committee-3/
Nobody in their right mind would expect a lawyer to be capable of regenerating a neocolonial water distribution! All lawyers ever do is administer conformity to laws.
Seems like a resilience/governance problem. So here's the governance structure: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/about-us/governance/wellington-water-committee-2/
They put a Labour dude in charge of the thing! A perpetual recipe for evasion of the problem. All the guy needs to do to retain tenure is tell everyone the problem's underground, so out of sight out of mind is the way to retain normalcy.
The dude is not Labour.
Nicholas Oliver Leggett (born 1979) is a former New Zealand politician and, as of 2016, a member of the New Zealand National Party.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leggett#:~:text=Nicholas%20Oliver%20Leggett%20(born%201979,the%20New%20Zealand%20National%20Party.
He certainly used to be a Labour man. He was a Porirua Councillor and then Mayor from 1998 until 2016. During that time he was a member of the Labour Party. He then ran for Mayor of Wellington City but, because Labour had picked an official candidate in the form of Justin Lester he had to resign from the Labour Party or be expelled.
Unfortunately Lester won and proved to be a terrible Mayor for his only term before he in turn got dumped.
Still, our current and at least in my opinion even worse Mayor in Wellington has a solution to our problems.
Trumpet flourish for her solution "Water Meters". In Tory's own words "Water meters will help us take a smarter approach to identifying leaks and reduce waste".
I can suggest an even simpler solution, and one that they can start doing immediately. Start fixing the ones people report. There is one in my street that has been wasting water for at least 3 months. The water comes out in the middle of the road, runs down the hill and then follows the gutter for a few hundred meters before going down a drain. Not a terribly big flow but assuming 10 litres/minute it will have wasted about 1.3 million litres in the last 90 days.
Twice we have been advised it would be fixed during the "next week". On neither occasion did anything happen.
And yes I did report it on several occasions but nothing happens.
Quote from Tory are from the printed Post of 27/01/2024. I don't have access to the on-line paper.
Material about Leggett is from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leggett
I had already included a link, where I got the quote from Legget's wiki page, which pointed out he switched to the National Party, so I don't know why you have linked to it again.
" In August 2016, Labour Leader Andrew Little accused Leggett of being a "right-winger", alleging that his campaign manager for the Wellington Mayoral election was a well-known Act Party figure."
"Leggett then changed allegiance to the National Party later that year citing ideological differences with Labour's leadership"
The National Party was obviously a better fit for Legget.
If memory serves, Tory Whanau was supportive of Labour's Three Waters reforms that would have addressed long-standing water infrastructure issues that existed long before she had become mayor.
National binned the reforms without a replacement solution, so maybe your anger should be directed to Luxon's National led government.
" I don't know why you have linked to it again."
Experience has told me that there is a tendency on the part of one of the moderators to insist on a link to anything I say as a fact. I quoted additional material from the Wiki entry on Leggett so, discretion being the better part of valour, I included a link to the source.
In a comment today, on a different post, I included a comment on something that John McEnroe said. "You cannot be serious". I even included a link to that spectacular rant of his, in case I was said to be inventing it.
I have no idea on whether Tory was, or was not, in favour of the 3 waters scheme. I thought it was a terrible idea though, if anyone is interested. It appeared to allow an unelected group to borrow large amounts of money which would become the responsibility of the ratepayers of the area if they could make no provision for paying of the loans.
I see. You didn't quote any additional material, it was more like a synopsis.
"an unelected group"? who are you referring to? and it was not a general election.
You appear to not know very much about the water reforms that National has shortsightedly got rid of, which will force councils to increase rates.
About the Water Services Reform Programme
https://www.dia.govt.nz/Water-services-reform-about-the-reform-programme
I thought the Kaipara Council covered the Three Waters reforms quite well.
https://www.kaipara.govt.nz/news/post/377-Three-waters-explained
Eight years a Nat. Calling him a 'Labour dude' is like calling Shane Jones a Labour dude. There is a reason why we have the term 'former'; and also the term 'waka-jumper'.
mac1
I don't recall this in NATZAZ campaign'
Pay off for support?
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/26/plans-to-scale-back-ministers-powers-over-foreign-investment/
NZ put on the block to the highest bidder.
NZ citizens the low-cost labour under our wealthy overlords.
All to plan, I would think!
It would appear that NZF has compromised its long held position to enable this, something either TPM or United blocked under the Key led government (or was further than Key would go).
It means investment not in our national interest will go ahead – all so someone who owns something can get a higher price selling to a foreigner (attracted by our lack of CGT).
Robert G Patman has upended the Luxon Govt.’s confused announcements in relation to the Houthi Red Sea attacks and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/27/new-zealands-red-sea-deployment-points-to-a-selective-concern-over-international-law
And this is only the start of the unwinding of NZ's “principles and values”. The future looks bleaker by the day.
The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen but this will be increasingly difficult especially with the ICJ ruling and the consequence that all nations are obliged to now intervene to ensure Palestinians are protected.
The US, Canada, Australia and Italy have now ceased funding UNRWA simply on allegations by Israel of involvement of 12 workers in Oct 7 without waiting for the investigation findings. Even if all 12 were complicit, this would be 0.0004% of a staff of over 30 000. This will have huge ramifications for aid to Gaza. Are we about to follow?
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/01/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-113-a-day-after-icj-ruling-u-s-and-allies-withdraw-funding-to-unrwa/
My bad. As a percentage its 0.04
"The US and probably Luxon are desperate to unlink Gaza and Yemen… "
Bald lies since the Houthis are on record as saying they will continue the attacks until the Israelis stop their attacks on Gaza. Luxon is also on record as repeating the mantra that there is "no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks". Unbelievable!
I also note Luxon's latest buzz word is "values". He has been flinging it around a lot lately:
"my government believes in upholding our values etc. etc…"
when in fact they are dismantling them one by one.
"Are we about to follow?"
Of course.
To be fair, Luxon is both dishonest and deeply stupid.
"…no link between the Red Sea attacks and the Gaza attacks"
Obviously there is a link but it isn't what some people seem to believe (the Houthis support for the Palestinians), because they couldn't care less about them. The link between the two is Iran, who have been arming, training and supporting their fellow Shia groups the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas for years. There aim is to destabilize the middle east, with the ultimate goal being to destroy Israel.
It's fine for the US to give billions to Israel to buy arms to carry out genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but when a small number of employees in a vast humanitarian aid organisation are accused of something the US doesn't like, funding for humanitarian aid is immediately shut off.
No wonder young people are not going to vote for Biden.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/07/joe-biden-youth-vote-gaza-climate-change
Like sheep into the arms of someone far, far worse.
The GOP are more hardline on support for Israel, are anti-GW action, and would reduce protection for the environment and labour.
Its really just an incredibly crap electoral system largely based on dosh.
So young people and others with a moral compass have to support Genocide Joe rather than Mussolini/Hitler Trump? Jeez. What a choice.
Exactly Grey.
Defence of shipping is in accord with international law.
A nation has a right in international law to take military action in response to an attack.
Patman seems confused by the complexity of some diplomatic circumstances.
The real issue of the moment is the ICJ wants some focus from Israel on the well being of civilians. Yet USA and now the UK have cut off funding to UNRWA, whose work Israel has been impeding – lack of safe areas for operating and lack of supplies getting through.
New Zealand should say its funding will continue because the world should be helping here, not making things worse because of politics.
The Israeli appointee supported 2 interim decisions – end to incitement and improved well-being for the civilians, so the least that Israel and those who support its right to self-defence can do, is not play politics and get more aid in.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68119268
Shipping that is in the service of the Israeli genocide is no longer legal. Nations are on notice that any support of the destruction of the Palestinian people will bring consequences. The UNSC resolution supporting free passage in the Red Sea has now been superseded by the ICJ ruling. The ICJ is in effect the supreme court of the UN. To have the UNSC resolution and the ICJ ruling effective at the same time would be ludicrous.
A further consequence of the ICJ ruling is that the naval blockade of Gaza is now illegal. There are only two options that would allow the proper fulfillment of the protection orders given the infrastructure damages in Gaza. Either a complete ceasefire by Israel or a massive maritime aid convoy.
The ICJ did not mention any of that in its ruling. You've extrapolated a lot out of what it did say.
Israel has destroyed almost all hospitals. 85% of the Gazan population is internally displaced and at best, living in tents. It is winter. There is little to no access to food and no sanitation. Famine and disease are already taking hold. These kinds of deaths will now be tallied up in the list of genocidal behaviour. Famine and disease are not legitimate weapons of war. Neither is freezing to death. To prevent these kinds of deaths is exactly what the ICJ judgement is about and at this stage, it will take a massive humantarian effort. A naval blockade of Gaza makes this impossible. Continuing the destruction of Gaza makes this impossible. Israel is so far down the rabbit hole of destruction that these are the only options by which they can comply with the conditions that have been set
You must consider his pen name and its meaning.
"subliminal"
adjective
PSYCHOLOGY
Of course he can make out these ideas.
Thank you Alwyn
Further evidence this government stands for nothing other than the money it receives from large corporate backers.
New Zealand backs away from deep-sea trawling restrictions.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350157805/new-zealand-backs-away-deep-sea-trawling-restrictions
Also fast tracking development of coastal fisheries, mining on conservation land etc.
Waitangi is a long way for an old fart to drive.
Does anybody know of a peaceful/silent protest happening closer to auckland to demonstrate our disgust at the governments treaty proposals
Hoots on Nact's wilful disingenuity.
.
Act’s strategy seems to be to offer fake Treaty principles to the public, generate a few hundred thousand supportive online select-committee submissions, hold six months of heated hearings, hope for civil unrest, produce polls showing a majority wishes the Treaty had been written by Mill, and then accuse National of siding with Māori radicals against “mainstream New Zealanders”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/national-and-act-are-failing-the-good-faith-test-over-treaty-principles-bill-matthew-hooton/MTKZFN6HPFBFDIT3GIYOKEFWAM/
https://archive.li/eOrVe
And right on cue:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350160501/acts-david-seymour-promises-real-change
No. I didn't watch the video. Listening to 45 minutes of him was too much to ask.
A small taster:
That word "values" again. We've got three years of values, values and more values.
What values I hear you ask? We'll never know.
One rule for all (no Treaty, no UNDRIP), one income tax rate for all (no CGT, no wealth tax, no estate tax, no land tax, no stamp duty), one voucher to access (X Y and Z) providers. Only one party can provide liberty from other – those of ethnic or racial difference, those of lower income, those with less wealth.
Majority values, just do not expect any morality. Epsom values, our school zone.
Finish with a truth, lock out the underclass (when they cannot afford the rent).
What a Charade this "Values" laden government is!! What they say, and what they do are two different planets. Unity and Values Tui Tui .. Forked tongues!!!
Typical Randian nonsense from Seymour. The pinnacle of human achievement shall be the extraction and abuse of resources, environmental and human, for profit.
The legal stuff
The Ugandan justice’s opine that this is a matter for diplomacy and not the court explains her voting.
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/making-sense-of-the-icj%27s-provisional-measures-in-south-africa-v.-israel
Benjamin Nethanyahu's reaction, is similar to that after Oct 7, which led to statements by Gallant and Herzog that the court found incitement to genocide. Reaction, rather that a considered response. The sort of thing one would expect of the Religious Zionists group (fascists) created by Netanyahu to pose Likud as of a new centre.
The singular practice of a response by overwhelming force and then negation of any call for restraint.
When the Ottoman empire practiced this in the region pre 1900, a ME legend was created, of the flea that bit a Turk and the camel which hosted the flea was killed. A reference to collective punishment.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350160567/netanyahu-defiant-after-un-court-ruling-deaths-gaza-offensive-continue
It is past time, Gantz demonstrated that the decision to appoint Gallant ahead of him in 2010-2011 was wrong and why. Gallant’s Dahiya doctrine getting rewarded despite the international cost reprised here on steroids.
When it failed last time, Israel had to hand over 1000 Hamas prisoners to get one captured IDF person back. Some do not learn from history – Hamas made the move because Gallant was Defence Minister and could be played.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoav_Gallant
The 37th government of Israel (the most inept in its history) had advance warning.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html
Seymour says he believes in "equal opportunity for all"!
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/seymour-slams-opposition-to-treaty-bill-takes-aim-at-key-ardern-in-state-of-the-nation-speech/ar-BB1hmh67?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=0f8647e572274aba8c61568a29326154&ei=28
Does that mean he supports 100% inheritance tax?
Well, not until after he inherits. He's a silver spoon boy. Clearly evident by the whinging when someone disagrees with diddums
The GOP on Capitol Hill explain that they are not hypocrites, they merely support the powerful against the weak – not international law, not collective security.
They will cut off aid to Ukraine and provide hope to those in the Kremlin that want to rule to NATO borders and then wait for the USA to withdraw from co-operation with Europe in trade and security (Trump's isolationism).
They will support Likud's rule over Palestinians from the river to the sea. Part of their Christian Zionism, or more simply God and mammon prosperity religion (belief where America is blessed, if they support Israel has become their imperial religion – outcome of their creationism and end time judgment fundamentalism cultural heritage).
If you have any other explanation for this …
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-01-25/ty-article-magazine/.premium/republicans-are-looking-at-netanyahu-for-how-to-combat-bidens-post-war-gaza-plans/0000018d-4162-d35c-a39f-eb7a4a6e0000?gift=77e2c95918264f3585e10ec0d656c57a
Where have all the ram raids gone……..
Just asking for a friend…
Still there, but less reported???
Still happening.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350160632/second-michael-hill-jewellery-store-targeted-many-days
Where’s the comment from the local MP? Mark Mitchell. MIA?
Not a peep out of Sunny Kaushal either.
The ram raid publicity was obviously politically motivated, it shows how a significant number of voters are easily manipulated……or you could say 'rightly ram raided'….
Great question re ram raids, love to know the answer. Seriously… All a campaign by dairy owners? Paid by their trade association? What was the role of the tobacco industry? Who set up any Facebook pages? Are ram raids still happening? Should be, its summer. Or was it great policing, social services?
My guess, joking… the dairy owners kids diddit. Grabbed the gear, gave it back to the owners, insurance for the rest and a grant for security. And a new government. Win, win, win.
If only the experts had warned someone, anyone….
//
24 hours of Brexit failures
Collapsed trade deals, rising food prices, more border checks and not enough flowers for Valentine’s Day – thanks a bunch
Edwin Hayward
[…]
The UK government gave up trying to renew our temporary rollover trade deal with Canada
[…]
Incoming border checks were deemed to increase the cost of our imported food and drink by £200 million a year
[…]
There were warnings that the new incoming border checks could lead to flower shortages in the run-up to Valentine’s Day
[…]
The EU is setting up an Entry-Exit System that will collect biometrics from every passenger
[…]
France’s Constitutional Council blocked a preferential visa clause in a new French immigration bill
[…]
Health sector professionals warned that the EU is planning to bulk buy key medicines and establish a shared stockpile for its 27 members
[…]
Rishi Sunak’s pledge that all new laws will be screened to ensure they do not create trade barriers in the Irish Sea is causing ructions
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/24-hours-of-brexit-failures/
https://archive.li/Q50tD
( links https://twitter.com/edwinhayward/status/1750673173069140381 )
I have a brother who lives in Ireland. He tells me that he used to buy a lot of stuff online from the UK when they were in the EU. It was easy and thigs would be delivered in one or two days.
Now – it is hard, there is Customs stuff and a whole bunch of extra problems. So, he now buys from France, or Belgium, or Spain and still gets the same delivery times and none of the problems.
It was always about the planes.
.
The State Department said it would allow the sale of some $23 billion worth of fighter jets and equipment to Turkey, among the final steps in a much delayed transaction that has severely strained the relationship between Ankara and Washington.
The sale of the 40 F-16 fighter jets and upgrades to dozens of other jets became linked to Sweden's accession to NATO, with the U.S. postponing the transfer of the Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft until the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved Sweden's membership this past week.
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/27/1227418505/f-16s-turkey-sweden-nato-kurds-greece
Looks like Labour members have sent a strong message to the Labour Council – re introducing a CGT of some sort:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/michael-wood-among-familiar-faces-to-win-labour-election-as-party-mulls-tax-discussion/MB3XPAEYIBFULNDNCMEP7RD6YQ/
Kia ora whano .
The sandflies can’t catch me legally so they cheat and use the mental health act to lock me up.
and they have people going around spreading the lies about my mental health.
In reality the sandflies have been shitting on my Mana for years .
my mental health is and has always been perfectly fine
ka kite ano