Maybe some people are better at putting on various masks than others, I prefer the honesty of the moment probably due to a number of frustrations I'm sure it will pass.
"If Labour are out at the next election, NZ will get the future it deserves."
That's my fear in a way – that we may have to sink so low before an awakening, and by that time there'll be SFA left. (I'm a glass half full kinda guy).
My opinion is that Ardern's popularity has gone down because Ihumatao. Protesters have targeted her with their demand that she visit the site/march to her electorate office. Leading to some on the left no longer supporting her as the preferred PM.
I accept I could totally be wrong about this.
Jacinda is not the problem. If we lose the next election is will be a horror show.
BTW VTO your barely worth replying to in terms of how Ardern sounds. She is a good 30 points above Simon and I strongly believe that popularity has gone down because of Ihumatao. Its a year out to the next election. Long time in politics.
Afaik her popularity hasn't gone down. There was a rise after the mosque shootings, which seems pretty normal to me, and now it's dropped back to what it was before. Also seem normal to me.
According to the polls, and let's not forget the forces of manipulation at play from the right and the MSM.
meh – most people don’t care about Ihumātao at all. They will however if the government puts their hand in the tax payers pocket (even for a loan). Then you will really see popularity drop like a stone.
Still there are are plenty of other issues that it could be: kiwibuild, light rail not starting, complaints of sexual assault in the PMs office – the complete and dismal “year of delivery” backing off on CGT to name a few.
In 2013, as Labour's social development spokesperson, Ms Ardern criticised the drug sanctions telling NZ Herald that cutting support for drug users would reduce their chances of rehabilitation.
"All of the evidence suggests that responding in the way National has suggested doesn't work," she said.
"They will however if the government puts their hand in the tax payers pocket "
Funny there was no outcry when Joyce and National government around 2011 or so put their hand in taxpayers pocket to buy 45% of listed company Chorus for $940 mill.
Where was your outrage over that 'arrangement' James
this is my concern too. I had been hoping that Labour getting NZF votes and Greens getting Labour votes would work, but with National going right Peters may just end up following. Otoh, what can National offer him policy-wise if they've gone Trumpian right?
Which is basically National's best hope for government. But the nats are really hoping for a further-right party to be their politically-relevant friend. But that's not looking likely at all.
now I'm trying to imagine a scenario of the L/G govt and a Nat no mates and NZF opposition. I guess the Nat vote would have to collapse. Looking at the 2nd term election for Clark's government, the Nat vote went to NZF but between them they didn't have the numbers. I'm trying to remember what Labour were doing that was kept them there.
Watched the Alliance rot from the top down and made JimA deputy PM. Although Labour had ruled out a coalition with NZ1 in 2002, they played UF over the Greens.
If I were the PM and quite a few of her Ministers, I'd be putting a few of her senior officials on the Drip Dry setting. It bypasses the Spin cycle and saves time and heartache having to iron out all the bloody wrinkles afterwards.
They'd be some of those officials that thought it quite OK for example to use the likes of Thompson and Clark. As far as I know, not too many of them have yet been held to account in any sort of meaningful way
If I were the PM and quite a few of her Ministers, I'd be putting a few of her senior officials on the Drip Dry setting. It bypasses the Spin cycle and saves time and heartache having to iron out all the bloody wrinkles afterwards.
Brilliant!
I heard the other day that a person with whom I had small contact with in the course of their work as a National appointee to a disability work stream is now working in the Office of the Prime Minister. Strange, as I had the impression that this person was 'on to it' disability wise. Strange, because my constant moan at the moment when doing my usual government document search on matters disability is"… who the bloody hell is advising these Ministers???'
Another update on this from the Misery of Health’s website.
They have released this Cabinet Paper dated September 2018.
Also this 51 page tome dated around about when the announcement was made in July.
There’s over eighty pages of discussion, and since both Peter and I struggle to read volumes on screen I began to print them out.
Big mistake. Will I ever bloody learn? Not quite as many solid blacked out redactions as the Previous Incumbents’ effort that so riled readers here on Public Address back in 2013…but not far off.
By the way, I think we probably reached 'peak spin' 3 or 4 years ago.
I'm waiting for "Kaizen principles" to be reinvented and trotted out under a new label.
For the first time in my life of voting 'to the left' (Labour mostly with a tinge of Green), 2020 is going to be a bloody hard decision. (Did I tell you about the latest little Pinot Gris I've discovered darling? It goes wonderfully with the NZ salmon – which you can get 25% cheaper in Okkerland))
Yep, well to continue the analogy (from someone who has jumped in and out of the PS most of my life), there's also no need for the toxic fabric softeners either. And they just might find there'd be organisational culture improvements, the peons would feel safer and less bullied, staff turnover might get better (especially in places like the Munstry for Everything, but elsewhere),the number of Employment Court cases would reduce, and the idea of actual 'public service' (i.e. ekshully serving the public) might return.
Meanwhile ……………
It's possible they might even be able to catch up with things like Visa processing, or cases of worker exploitation, or processing Warrants and Certificates of Fitness, or closing down shoddy education, or even bloody radio interference (if that's even still on the agenda), or proper monitoring or oversight in a number of areas.
The downside of course is that Astoria's business might take a huge dive but that'd be quite easy to fix
The problem is dumping Ministers looks like the Government doesn’t know what it’s doing. !!!?? If National had a leader! The Coalition would be in shitters ditch.
Time to toughen up, speak more clearly, straighten the shoulders, do bolder things.
There's an element of truth to vto's comment.
Jacinda's tough, but it's time she showed it more. Yesterday in response to Paula Bennett she retaliated with a barb which went straight to the heart of the matter under discussion and created a minor uproar. She reminded Paula B that:
" I would never weaponise people's personal information" It was a direct reference to Bennett's release of the financial details of the two solo mums back in 2010.
“The quote by JA is around 5 mins in.)
It was a perfect response and there should be more of this kind of rhetoric coming from Jacinda Ardern. It is an essential part of the political fabric to treat 'like with like' and can't be avoided if Labour wants to remain in power.
I too, find her responses to interviewers to be less than clear on occasion both in delivery and content. It's as if she's trying to appease everyone and it often comes across as piecemeal and hard to decipher. Relatively brief down to earth responses will always have a bigger impact on voters than slightly rambling dissertations.
I was interested to discover through doing an interview with farming land use consultant, that the furore in the region I live in over people buying hill country farms and converting them to forestry has nothing to do with the government's One Billion Trees Programme. Instead he says the conversions are being driven by good commercial returns on forestry when the trees are harvested, along with additional cash flow from carbon credits. The 50 Shades of Green sheep & beef farmer lead movement seems to have conveniently conflated the two together, and it is being reported as such in the media
Often the 'hill country' is marginal for stock and prone to erosion. Usually the deal will involve keeping the flatter parts in production and only taking out the steeper parts.
What is the matter with the civil service – they are failing to do a good job for the citizens. The Home Office in the UK has been reprimanded over a misleading advertisement and their first response is to disagree. We get the Departments spending taxpayers money to fight what appear to be reasonable judicial decisions.
Brexit: Home Office advert banned for 'misleading' EU citizens
And some Brits are finding us too dear. Oh dear now someone else has noticed we aren't 100% anything maybe the gummint and smart-business will get their a into g.
It is tiresome to have so many business people parroting (on the likes of Q+A, The Nation etc) things they heard at the latest business breakfast.
"We need to get rid of red tape"
"We need to reduce government regulation"
If you cannot do business in NZ it is most likely not the fault of government.
The World Bank's latest 2019 Doing Business report has ranked NZ, for the third year running, as THE NUMBER ONE EASIEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD in which to do business.
– better than Singapore, Denmark and Hong Kong (2, 3 & 4 respectively)
– better than the US (#8), UK (#9), Australia (#18)
So why the need for a regulation bonfire? To cynically exploit an unexamined bias against government in order to gather votes? Yet another dog whistle?
If your business is not doing as well as you would like then you had better look at other factors than regulation:
1. External environmental factors (the advice given in almost any year one of a business degree – know your operating environment) i.e the world economy, weak or absent demand for the widgets you produce, trade protectionism in foreign markets etc etc
2. Internal environment factors – management failure, poor or short-sighted planning, unrealistic expectations, lack of innovation & research to keep up with customer demands etc.
In the regulations that matter most to business customers, however, businesses find massive barriers to entry against them, and plenty of government weakness to perpetuate it. There are near-cartels operating in whole industries including:
– Supermarkets
– Media
– Oil and petrol supply
– Electricity generation
– Primary and secondary education
– Telecommunications
– Insurance
– Banking
– All construction materials
– Sea ports
– Alcoholic drinks
All of those need massive competition interventions by the government because we know they are screwing us for either service or cost or both. Few are natural monopolies such as public water. So far this government has started on petrol, but we won't see any results to that this term. That's it.
National should concentrate on promising to smash some cartels up. Voters I am sure would take notice.
The upper-class authoritarian rule of the Conservatives under Boorish. Can't have a very restrained mural about the EU on a wall of a booring building.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it would make also way for Boris Johnson's new administration to hold a Queen's Speech – laying out the government's plans – on 14 October…
Laura Kuenssberg said only a small number of government ministers knew about the plan before its announcement and it would inevitably cause a huge row…
With the sale of Westland Milk, Westpower are one of the last New Zealand owned west coast corporates keeping lots of people there on good salaries. No amount of serving coffee to tourists at $18 an hour will compare to this kind of business.
I probably don't have to describe how the monolith 51% owned generator and retailer Genesis is sucking blood out of us, and the government essentially assisting them by crunching any attempt at major competition doesn't help us consumers:
Yup. As a kayaker who once upon a time might have had the skills to paddle that gorge (but would never have had the cojones for it), I do indeed support Minister Parker's decision.
In terms of adding to renewables capacity, there's hundreds of megawatts of wind farms already consented, but not being built due to lack of demand. Against that background, a decision to decline a 20MW scheme that would trash a pretty special bit of river seems just simply the right thing to do.
The people with enough money to enjoy NZ and like to do it in style should be considered as top priority? It may be good to have water conserved in a dam or lake, and make electricity too. Kayakers might have to suck it up and go elsewhere. This is not the 20th century, and we run the risk of losing a lot more than a thrilling set of rapids.
We are building a dam here in Tasman. I hope it is being built for practical purposes of having water available in droughts, which is the stated reason. If it is to change land use to irrigated dairying it will result in some very angry people who have lost a clean lovely river.
The west coast if it stuck to the basics of water conservation, not exporting it, and electricity at lower prices to the local area would not be disadvantaged.
Business, we have learned how to start them. But how to keep them going and profitable seems our problem.
When we decided to make exporting a push for NZ to make more money and opened up our borders and chucked out the tariffs, it put a lot of people out of jobs within a short time. The attitude was that new jobs would grow which would take us into the future at a more modern level. We would be seeing more high tech, value added jobs. But the 'hospo' jobs that have arisen have been built on low wages, and the 'modern' has disappeared. So ordinary workers have had their opportunities to make their way in life diminished by the behaviour of government.
There seems to be the same attitude to the micro businesses that people are forced to start up to have an income, and then compete with each other and profits can be absent. Competition can include foreign sharks coming from Britain to take us down! There can be barriers to income with councils working on roads and cutting off the customer access to a tiny family business. Police may shut off a road and access to shops there while they scour the area for evidence after a crime in poor areas. Sub-contractors don't get paid after working on a job because of a rort.
There need to be a group of trouble shooters who can act as movers and shakers as part of a Small Business Agency. Tiny businesses can call to them for help, when the machine of state pushes their ability to make a living aside.
I agree Aotearoa is in a great position to weather the financial storm being created by America.
The capitalists are lureing our Rangatahi to vaping our government is going to bring them back to heal with new legislation to stop the advertising targeting youth.
That's a good move putting food in lower decial school some tamariki have no food in their whare what A crying shame.
boris is just a fool who likes to win at all cost watch his party flop out.
I don't think a NZ Mp using a cryptic phone while in China is offensive to China. They know that its not about trust. Its about making sure that one coms is safe they would use those pH all the time.
Good on you Greata sailing to America to champion human cause climate change We are doing our bit to lower our carbon footprint to Ka pai.
Condolences to Pita Pione whanau I'm sure he will be missed by his whanau
I, , whanau make sure you pepi and tamariki have been vaxcernated don't risk them getting measles do all you can to avoid them catching the virus.
Our Government putting lunches in lower decial school will be great for tangata whenua Rangatahi quite a lot of our tamariki are in lower decial school.
New trade training in Manukau and other places in Auckland will help Maori and Pacific youth get a great skill set and qualification to lift them up there ladders of life. This move back to training our youth with trade training is well over due I tryed to get my son into a good trade but there were to many Awa to cross to get them in a course in those days.
That's great Tainui is mahi with the Cook Islands people that's the way many hands make light mahi.
Science is advancing fast its not going to be long before we have technology that advances learning to just PAY and down load the knowledge hence the wealth will have a huge advantage over the rest of us. Hence we need simple smart solutions to this un democratic phenomenon as everyone has to be held accountable for their Actions.
This measles outbreak is happening all Around the Western Papatuanuku cause right leaders get power they slash social security payments to the people slashed health spending and give hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidys to the carbon barons..
Food in school for the poor tamariki is a perfect opportunity to teach tamariki how to eat healthy foods. Eating and food is a very serious subject in A GREAT country France they feed there tamariki at school and teach them to eat healthy foods after all we are what we eat.
Ed music fits in with the common people across the Papatuanuku I like his music Aotearoa was one place were his music started to hit the charts first kia kaha Ed.
When we have had a government that shorts the housing market so it takes one person's wage to pay rent add organisation beening aloud to hire people on temporary no hours guarantee employment contract they don't know if they will get 2 hours or 50 hours for the week they can't guarantee putting food on the table . The price of good food has gone from being one of the cheapest in the OECD to the dearest in 9 year. Thanks steven once Head of the retailers accocation. The Trolls have a cheek trying to justify their putting down free food for tamariki. Eco Maori wrote the above words before the Wahine from Kids Can came on the show.
Fungi Truffles Mushrooms ect are a super food that is under underutilised in Europe its quite the trend to forage for mushrooms Peter I say you using our great food produce is awesome I enjoy watching your shows. That is going to be the new way to do thing use the local food or food with a low carbon footprint like ours I sit here watching sheep with 3 lambs at foot enjoying Te Ra sitting in a green grass paddock
I agree the money organising are fleece people the whole Papatuanuku over why charge heaps for a computing transactions to change currency and all the other services that are just computer transfer????????.
Tris great subject I don't agree that New Zealand did not support the Great White Shark being protected by the international community sad but this subject was under the rada there was little reported in the media on the subjects.
I think it's great that our government is investing in growing seaweed for food production it is a super food that we need to grow commercialy to feed the people in the future.
I think that study about genitics on gay people is fulse of course its genitics not just the environment effects. I have seen people from baby's displaying a gay behavior the people who commissioned this study are religious or people who are against our gay community.
No comment on the USA space commanded
Its great that Aotearoa fashion community is celebrating diversity having elderly models large models this is a great move to getting people to except equallity for all as just showing the perfect person actually discrimination against the others whom are a different culture colour.
Tahu Potiki is a well respected person in the Maori community he got a big send off.
Ka pai to Te Maori King for going to Rarotonga to meet their leaders
Its excellent that our government is putting money into Para kore to boost the zero waste program for marae.
Cool seeing other native cultures included in the physicalogical society a lot of western institutions ignore Te tangata whenua knowledge
I agree with Dr Kopu the stats don't lie there is case of instructional raceism in New Zealand even the Eco Maori phenomenon points directly at the problem.
That is what is needed everyone getting vaxcernated against the infection of measles through pop up clinics in Auckland.
Drug companies hide the negative effects of the drugs they make all in the name of profits.
I back the workers of sky city striking for a better wage and fair conditions.
There is great interest in Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa Arterfacts Art and culture awesome.
Checking twice for bikes is a great way to teach people to think about their fellow people on the road riding bikes Ka pai.
Its about time Brazil is making moves to stop the fire in the Amazon that farmers was just talking with his wallet no though process going on there fool.
Ka pai Jared your mahi teaching tangata whenua about living a sustainable life with a low carbon footprint is excellent I talk to everyone about zero waste and lower carbon energy. I will be copying you and planting a food forest my cus has one. With that life style one is busy most times.
A lot of doctors discrimination against tangata whenua I know how the Wahine felt. I have seen it with my own eyes I make sure I deal with them professionally mite be a bit loud but that's because Te atua gave me a strong voice.
People need to respect Ngāti Toa haka Ka mate and ask if they want to use it commercially. Its tatau tatau give and take but a lot of people just want to take take take.
Eco Maori tau toko this brave young Wahine I say all the tamariki of the Papatuanuku should join her in protecting there future environment from the lying cheating carbon barrons love of money over LIFE ON EARTH.
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg was joined by swelling and excited crowds of American teenagers at a protest outside the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, in a further blossoming of the youth environment movement given extra thrust by the Swede’s transatlantic boat crossing.
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Some US children said they were at their first ever climate demonstration; others said they had been passionate about the environment for a while but had been galvanized to act by Thunberg’s rising profile.
On Friday afternoon, Thunberg and two young activists were spontaneously invited inside the UN for a meeting with a senior leader, described as “very supportive”.
Greta Thunberg 'wants a concrete plan, not just nice words' to fight climate crisis
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Just two days after Thunberg disembarkedfrom a yacht in New York, following two weeks on rough seas crossing from the UK, young protesters dominated the crowd of up to 1,000 outside the United Nations skyscraper in Manhattan.
They came together to demand politicians and older generations take urgent and comprehensive action to reverse the climate crisis.
Carrying hand-drawn placards with messages such as “United behind the science” and “Act now or we will”, children and young people of all ages surged into a park in front of the flags of the world outside the UN on Friday morning.
Thunberg sat cheerfully but pensively in the middle of the rally, which had a rather more earnest than festive atmosphere. Young speakers gave spontaneous speeches or led chants of “System change, not climate change” and “Don’t just watch us, join us.
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I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
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 ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
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. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
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 ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
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 ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
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 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. ...
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. ...
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 ...
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Jacinda Adern doesn't come across very well any longer I think… too earnest, too many mealy words and qualifications, too much hesitation.
This combined with little real left-type action (e.g. letting the wealthy retain tax-free capital income) points to trouble with re-election imo.
Time to toughen up, speak more clearly, straighten the shoulders, do bolder things
Maybe some people are better at putting on various masks than others, I prefer the honesty of the moment probably due to a number of frustrations I'm sure it will pass.
Winston First may struggle to be re-elected for the governing coalition ditching CGT, I guess.
My awakening horror is that as National track right, NZF will pick up soft right votes and get to control the formation of government again.
If Labour are out at the next election, NZ will get the future it deserves.
"If Labour are out at the next election, NZ will get the future it deserves."
That's my fear in a way – that we may have to sink so low before an awakening, and by that time there'll be SFA left. (I'm a glass half full kinda guy).
My opinion is that Ardern's popularity has gone down because Ihumatao. Protesters have targeted her with their demand that she visit the site/march to her electorate office. Leading to some on the left no longer supporting her as the preferred PM.
I accept I could totally be wrong about this.
Jacinda is not the problem. If we lose the next election is will be a horror show.
BTW VTO your barely worth replying to in terms of how Ardern sounds. She is a good 30 points above Simon and I strongly believe that popularity has gone down because of Ihumatao. Its a year out to the next election. Long time in politics.
Afaik her popularity hasn't gone down. There was a rise after the mosque shootings, which seems pretty normal to me, and now it's dropped back to what it was before. Also seem normal to me.
According to the polls, and let's not forget the forces of manipulation at play from the right and the MSM.
meh – most people don’t care about Ihumātao at all. They will however if the government puts their hand in the tax payers pocket (even for a loan). Then you will really see popularity drop like a stone.
Still there are are plenty of other issues that it could be: kiwibuild, light rail not starting, complaints of sexual assault in the PMs office – the complete and dismal “year of delivery” backing off on CGT to name a few.
Stories like this won't be helping:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/ardern-labelled-hypocrite-enforcing-drug-sanctions-beneficiaries
In 2013, as Labour's social development spokesperson, Ms Ardern criticised the drug sanctions telling NZ Herald that cutting support for drug users would reduce their chances of rehabilitation.
"All of the evidence suggests that responding in the way National has suggested doesn't work," she said.
"They will however if the government puts their hand in the tax payers pocket "
Funny there was no outcry when Joyce and National government around 2011 or so put their hand in taxpayers pocket to buy 45% of listed company Chorus for $940 mill.
Where was your outrage over that 'arrangement' James
Not forgetting SCF, mediaw**ks, and AMI….
Personally think it hasn’t really come down.
It has just returned to what it was before the massive jump from Ch Ch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election#Individual_polls
"If Labour are out at the next election, NZ will get the future it deserves."
A plausible scenario next election is Greens bigger vote than NZ First who then decide to go with National.
That means Labour and Greens out . Winston has always liked a 'simple coalition' rather than 3 legged stools
this is my concern too. I had been hoping that Labour getting NZF votes and Greens getting Labour votes would work, but with National going right Peters may just end up following. Otoh, what can National offer him policy-wise if they've gone Trumpian right?
Which is basically National's best hope for government. But the nats are really hoping for a further-right party to be their politically-relevant friend. But that's not looking likely at all.
now I'm trying to imagine a scenario of the L/G govt and a Nat no mates and NZF opposition. I guess the Nat vote would have to collapse. Looking at the 2nd term election for Clark's government, the Nat vote went to NZF but between them they didn't have the numbers. I'm trying to remember what Labour were doing that was kept them there.
Watched the Alliance rot from the top down and made JimA deputy PM. Although Labour had ruled out a coalition with NZ1 in 2002, they played UF over the Greens.
Lots of parties in parliament in those days.
Might be spending too much time with her 'officials' ?
"Ultimately" it will all sort itself out in the wash "going forward"
Thanks for your observations, I am sure they'll be noted with the gravity they deserve.
ha ha, I'm sure 2c goes a long way in Wellington…. can you even buy a lolly for 2c there?
Fancy admitting your observations are only worth 2c VTO. Mind you, that might be infinitely more than Sanctuary thinks they are worth.
If I were the PM and quite a few of her Ministers, I'd be putting a few of her senior officials on the Drip Dry setting. It bypasses the Spin cycle and saves time and heartache having to iron out all the bloody wrinkles afterwards.
They'd be some of those officials that thought it quite OK for example to use the likes of Thompson and Clark. As far as I know, not too many of them have yet been held to account in any sort of meaningful way
If I were the PM and quite a few of her Ministers, I'd be putting a few of her senior officials on the Drip Dry setting. It bypasses the Spin cycle and saves time and heartache having to iron out all the bloody wrinkles afterwards.
Brilliant!
I heard the other day that a person with whom I had small contact with in the course of their work as a National appointee to a disability work stream is now working in the Office of the Prime Minister. Strange, as I had the impression that this person was 'on to it' disability wise. Strange, because my constant moan at the moment when doing my usual government document search on matters disability is"… who the bloody hell is advising these Ministers???'
From my recent post on Pubic Address…https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/access-reviewing-funded-family-care-and-repealing/?p=382656#post382656
Another update on this from the Misery of Health’s website.
They have released this Cabinet Paper dated September 2018.
Also this 51 page tome dated around about when the announcement was made in July.
There’s over eighty pages of discussion, and since both Peter and I struggle to read volumes on screen I began to print them out.
Big mistake. Will I ever bloody learn? Not quite as many solid blacked out redactions as the Previous Incumbents’ effort that so riled readers here on Public Address back in 2013…but not far off.
Simply not acceptable.
Not.Fucking. Okay.
Open and transparent government my arse.
Heard of the Ombudsman and their OIA guidelines. Check it out and if you dont like the deletions APPEAL.
Clearly its a major interest for you but dont just let it slip.
By the way, I think we probably reached 'peak spin' 3 or 4 years ago.
I'm waiting for "Kaizen principles" to be reinvented and trotted out under a new label.
For the first time in my life of voting 'to the left' (Labour mostly with a tinge of Green), 2020 is going to be a bloody hard decision. (Did I tell you about the latest little Pinot Gris I've discovered darling? It goes wonderfully with the NZ salmon – which you can get 25% cheaper in Okkerland))
Yep, well to continue the analogy (from someone who has jumped in and out of the PS most of my life), there's also no need for the toxic fabric softeners either. And they just might find there'd be organisational culture improvements, the peons would feel safer and less bullied, staff turnover might get better (especially in places like the Munstry for Everything, but elsewhere),the number of Employment Court cases would reduce, and the idea of actual 'public service' (i.e. ekshully serving the public) might return.
Meanwhile ……………
It's possible they might even be able to catch up with things like Visa processing, or cases of worker exploitation, or processing Warrants and Certificates of Fitness, or closing down shoddy education, or even bloody radio interference (if that's even still on the agenda), or proper monitoring or oversight in a number of areas.
The downside of course is that Astoria's business might take a huge dive but that'd be quite easy to fix
And is anyone listening to them? – organisational culture sets the filtering out of 'distractions'.
The problem is dumping Ministers looks like the Government doesn’t know what it’s doing. !!!?? If National had a leader! The Coalition would be in shitters ditch.
Time to toughen up, speak more clearly, straighten the shoulders, do bolder things.
There's an element of truth to vto's comment.
Jacinda's tough, but it's time she showed it more. Yesterday in response to Paula Bennett she retaliated with a barb which went straight to the heart of the matter under discussion and created a minor uproar. She reminded Paula B that:
" I would never weaponise people's personal information" It was a direct reference to Bennett's release of the financial details of the two solo mums back in 2010.
“The quote by JA is around 5 mins in.)
It was a perfect response and there should be more of this kind of rhetoric coming from Jacinda Ardern. It is an essential part of the political fabric to treat 'like with like' and can't be avoided if Labour wants to remain in power.
I too, find her responses to interviewers to be less than clear on occasion both in delivery and content. It's as if she's trying to appease everyone and it often comes across as piecemeal and hard to decipher. Relatively brief down to earth responses will always have a bigger impact on voters than slightly rambling dissertations.
Never hurt Key to be full of cliches and catch phrases. ….."at the end of the day"
VTO. 1 Wow nothing to add from me except support for your comment.
Great animation of nations ranked by military spending year by year, 1914-2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw2Wm8T6tio
Great graphic Sacha. Thank you.
I learned a lot in that short time.
I was interested to discover through doing an interview with farming land use consultant, that the furore in the region I live in over people buying hill country farms and converting them to forestry has nothing to do with the government's One Billion Trees Programme. Instead he says the conversions are being driven by good commercial returns on forestry when the trees are harvested, along with additional cash flow from carbon credits. The 50 Shades of Green sheep & beef farmer lead movement seems to have conveniently conflated the two together, and it is being reported as such in the media
Often the 'hill country' is marginal for stock and prone to erosion. Usually the deal will involve keeping the flatter parts in production and only taking out the steeper parts.
What is the matter with the civil service – they are failing to do a good job for the citizens. The Home Office in the UK has been reprimanded over a misleading advertisement and their first response is to disagree. We get the Departments spending taxpayers money to fight what appear to be reasonable judicial decisions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49488324
Brexit: Home Office advert banned for 'misleading' EU citizens
And some Brits are finding us too dear. Oh dear now someone else has noticed we aren't 100% anything maybe the gummint and smart-business will get their a into g.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/397602/what-makes-britain-great-fewer-brits-up-sticks-to-head-our-way
So we are set for a "bonfire" of regulations?
It is tiresome to have so many business people parroting (on the likes of Q+A, The Nation etc) things they heard at the latest business breakfast.
"We need to get rid of red tape"
"We need to reduce government regulation"
If you cannot do business in NZ it is most likely not the fault of government.
The World Bank's latest 2019 Doing Business report has ranked NZ, for the third year running, as THE NUMBER ONE EASIEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD in which to do business.
– better than Singapore, Denmark and Hong Kong (2, 3 & 4 respectively)
– better than the US (#8), UK (#9), Australia (#18)
https://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf
So why the need for a regulation bonfire? To cynically exploit an unexamined bias against government in order to gather votes? Yet another dog whistle?
If your business is not doing as well as you would like then you had better look at other factors than regulation:
1. External environmental factors (the advice given in almost any year one of a business degree – know your operating environment) i.e the world economy, weak or absent demand for the widgets you produce, trade protectionism in foreign markets etc etc
2. Internal environment factors – management failure, poor or short-sighted planning, unrealistic expectations, lack of innovation & research to keep up with customer demands etc.
<sigh>
In the regulations that matter most to business customers, however, businesses find massive barriers to entry against them, and plenty of government weakness to perpetuate it. There are near-cartels operating in whole industries including:
– Supermarkets
– Media
– Oil and petrol supply
– Electricity generation
– Primary and secondary education
– Telecommunications
– Insurance
– Banking
– All construction materials
– Sea ports
– Alcoholic drinks
All of those need massive competition interventions by the government because we know they are screwing us for either service or cost or both. Few are natural monopolies such as public water. So far this government has started on petrol, but we won't see any results to that this term. That's it.
National should concentrate on promising to smash some cartels up. Voters I am sure would take notice.
Biggest barrier to small business is National, impoverishing our customers.
Their sneaky charges, support for businesses who underpay migrant staff, and cuts to business services don’t help either.
The upper-class authoritarian rule of the Conservatives under Boorish. Can't have a very restrained mural about the EU on a wall of a booring building.
https://katv.com/news/entertainment/banksys-brexit-mural-disappears-from-wall-in-seaside-port
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LjF-oAJza4
Eddie Izzard says we have to be both brave and curious as far as getting on with the world is concerned. 4.40 with Joe Rogan – thoughts on Brexit.
Jordan Peterson thinks that referendums are a bad way of governing the country – Brexit 10 mins
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou62KYgXu_I&t=143s
Christopher Hitchens Destroys Angry Conservatives, Theists & Liberals 13 mins Religion leads to authoritarianism is theme.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/397690/uk-government-to-request-queen-to-suspend-parliament-ahead-of-brexit-deadline
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it would make also way for Boris Johnson's new administration to hold a Queen's Speech – laying out the government's plans – on 14 October…
Laura Kuenssberg said only a small number of government ministers knew about the plan before its announcement and it would inevitably cause a huge row…
Government to hold a Queen’s Speech, just as all new Governments do. https://t.co/fgKSmLdOzb
— James Cleverly MP (@JamesCleverly) August 28, 2019
I am sure there will be avid kayakers who will support this decision of Minister Parker to stop the power station on the West Coast Waitaha River.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12262859
But to me it's a much bigger call than Minister Smith declining the gondola concession into Fiordland National Park a few years ago.
Forest and Bird of course love it. Even though I'm a member, I disagree with them on this one. Their statement:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1908/S00698/waitaha-river-saved-from-hydro-scheme.htm
With the sale of Westland Milk, Westpower are one of the last New Zealand owned west coast corporates keeping lots of people there on good salaries. No amount of serving coffee to tourists at $18 an hour will compare to this kind of business.
Here's the Minister's statement in full:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1908/S00281/waitaha-river-hydro-application-declined.htm
I probably don't have to describe how the monolith 51% owned generator and retailer Genesis is sucking blood out of us, and the government essentially assisting them by crunching any attempt at major competition doesn't help us consumers:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1908/S00781/update-genesis-underlying-profit-up-on-improved-retail.htm
Also hard to see anyone wanting to invest in the ability to make us 100% energy renewable using any kind of water resource after this.
Bit of a bugger for the West Coast all round.
Yup. As a kayaker who once upon a time might have had the skills to paddle that gorge (but would never have had the cojones for it), I do indeed support Minister Parker's decision.
In terms of adding to renewables capacity, there's hundreds of megawatts of wind farms already consented, but not being built due to lack of demand. Against that background, a decision to decline a 20MW scheme that would trash a pretty special bit of river seems just simply the right thing to do.
'Consented' is therefore of no consequence to whether the West Coast or electricity renewals will benefit then.
WestPower had the money and will to do it.
Nothing was going to be "trashed". Fully backed by DoC.
The people with enough money to enjoy NZ and like to do it in style should be considered as top priority? It may be good to have water conserved in a dam or lake, and make electricity too. Kayakers might have to suck it up and go elsewhere. This is not the 20th century, and we run the risk of losing a lot more than a thrilling set of rapids.
We are building a dam here in Tasman. I hope it is being built for practical purposes of having water available in droughts, which is the stated reason. If it is to change land use to irrigated dairying it will result in some very angry people who have lost a clean lovely river.
The west coast if it stuck to the basics of water conservation, not exporting it, and electricity at lower prices to the local area would not be disadvantaged.
Business, we have learned how to start them. But how to keep them going and profitable seems our problem.
When we decided to make exporting a push for NZ to make more money and opened up our borders and chucked out the tariffs, it put a lot of people out of jobs within a short time. The attitude was that new jobs would grow which would take us into the future at a more modern level. We would be seeing more high tech, value added jobs. But the 'hospo' jobs that have arisen have been built on low wages, and the 'modern' has disappeared. So ordinary workers have had their opportunities to make their way in life diminished by the behaviour of government.
There seems to be the same attitude to the micro businesses that people are forced to start up to have an income, and then compete with each other and profits can be absent. Competition can include foreign sharks coming from Britain to take us down! There can be barriers to income with councils working on roads and cutting off the customer access to a tiny family business. Police may shut off a road and access to shops there while they scour the area for evidence after a crime in poor areas. Sub-contractors don't get paid after working on a job because of a rort.
There need to be a group of trouble shooters who can act as movers and shakers as part of a Small Business Agency. Tiny businesses can call to them for help, when the machine of state pushes their ability to make a living aside.
Kia Ora Newshub.
I agree Aotearoa is in a great position to weather the financial storm being created by America.
The capitalists are lureing our Rangatahi to vaping our government is going to bring them back to heal with new legislation to stop the advertising targeting youth.
That's a good move putting food in lower decial school some tamariki have no food in their whare what A crying shame.
boris is just a fool who likes to win at all cost watch his party flop out.
I don't think a NZ Mp using a cryptic phone while in China is offensive to China. They know that its not about trust. Its about making sure that one coms is safe they would use those pH all the time.
Good on you Greata sailing to America to champion human cause climate change We are doing our bit to lower our carbon footprint to Ka pai.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Condolences to Pita Pione whanau I'm sure he will be missed by his whanau
I, , whanau make sure you pepi and tamariki have been vaxcernated don't risk them getting measles do all you can to avoid them catching the virus.
Our Government putting lunches in lower decial school will be great for tangata whenua Rangatahi quite a lot of our tamariki are in lower decial school.
New trade training in Manukau and other places in Auckland will help Maori and Pacific youth get a great skill set and qualification to lift them up there ladders of life. This move back to training our youth with trade training is well over due I tryed to get my son into a good trade but there were to many Awa to cross to get them in a course in those days.
That's great Tainui is mahi with the Cook Islands people that's the way many hands make light mahi.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Science is advancing fast its not going to be long before we have technology that advances learning to just PAY and down load the knowledge hence the wealth will have a huge advantage over the rest of us. Hence we need simple smart solutions to this un democratic phenomenon as everyone has to be held accountable for their Actions.
This measles outbreak is happening all Around the Western Papatuanuku cause right leaders get power they slash social security payments to the people slashed health spending and give hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidys to the carbon barons..
Food in school for the poor tamariki is a perfect opportunity to teach tamariki how to eat healthy foods. Eating and food is a very serious subject in A GREAT country France they feed there tamariki at school and teach them to eat healthy foods after all we are what we eat.
Ed music fits in with the common people across the Papatuanuku I like his music Aotearoa was one place were his music started to hit the charts first kia kaha Ed.
When we have had a government that shorts the housing market so it takes one person's wage to pay rent add organisation beening aloud to hire people on temporary no hours guarantee employment contract they don't know if they will get 2 hours or 50 hours for the week they can't guarantee putting food on the table . The price of good food has gone from being one of the cheapest in the OECD to the dearest in 9 year. Thanks steven once Head of the retailers accocation. The Trolls have a cheek trying to justify their putting down free food for tamariki. Eco Maori wrote the above words before the Wahine from Kids Can came on the show.
Fungi Truffles Mushrooms ect are a super food that is under underutilised in Europe its quite the trend to forage for mushrooms Peter I say you using our great food produce is awesome I enjoy watching your shows. That is going to be the new way to do thing use the local food or food with a low carbon footprint like ours I sit here watching sheep with 3 lambs at foot enjoying Te Ra sitting in a green grass paddock
I agree the money organising are fleece people the whole Papatuanuku over why charge heaps for a computing transactions to change currency and all the other services that are just computer transfer????????.
Tris great subject I don't agree that New Zealand did not support the Great White Shark being protected by the international community sad but this subject was under the rada there was little reported in the media on the subjects.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub
I think it's great that our government is investing in growing seaweed for food production it is a super food that we need to grow commercialy to feed the people in the future.
I think that study about genitics on gay people is fulse of course its genitics not just the environment effects. I have seen people from baby's displaying a gay behavior the people who commissioned this study are religious or people who are against our gay community.
No comment on the USA space commanded
Its great that Aotearoa fashion community is celebrating diversity having elderly models large models this is a great move to getting people to except equallity for all as just showing the perfect person actually discrimination against the others whom are a different culture colour.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Tahu Potiki is a well respected person in the Maori community he got a big send off.
Ka pai to Te Maori King for going to Rarotonga to meet their leaders
Its excellent that our government is putting money into Para kore to boost the zero waste program for marae.
Cool seeing other native cultures included in the physicalogical society a lot of western institutions ignore Te tangata whenua knowledge
I agree with Dr Kopu the stats don't lie there is case of instructional raceism in New Zealand even the Eco Maori phenomenon points directly at the problem.
Ka kite Ano
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
https://youtu.be/5Yj4j_lZMBo
Kia Ora Newshub.
That is what is needed everyone getting vaxcernated against the infection of measles through pop up clinics in Auckland.
Drug companies hide the negative effects of the drugs they make all in the name of profits.
I back the workers of sky city striking for a better wage and fair conditions.
There is great interest in Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa Arterfacts Art and culture awesome.
Checking twice for bikes is a great way to teach people to think about their fellow people on the road riding bikes Ka pai.
Its about time Brazil is making moves to stop the fire in the Amazon that farmers was just talking with his wallet no though process going on there fool.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Ka pai Jared your mahi teaching tangata whenua about living a sustainable life with a low carbon footprint is excellent I talk to everyone about zero waste and lower carbon energy. I will be copying you and planting a food forest my cus has one. With that life style one is busy most times.
A lot of doctors discrimination against tangata whenua I know how the Wahine felt. I have seen it with my own eyes I make sure I deal with them professionally mite be a bit loud but that's because Te atua gave me a strong voice.
People need to respect Ngāti Toa haka Ka mate and ask if they want to use it commercially. Its tatau tatau give and take but a lot of people just want to take take take.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Eco Maori tau toko this brave young Wahine I say all the tamariki of the Papatuanuku should join her in protecting there future environment from the lying cheating carbon barrons love of money over LIFE ON EARTH.
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg was joined by swelling and excited crowds of American teenagers at a protest outside the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, in a further blossoming of the youth environment movement given extra thrust by the Swede’s transatlantic boat crossing.
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Some US children said they were at their first ever climate demonstration; others said they had been passionate about the environment for a while but had been galvanized to act by Thunberg’s rising profile.
On Friday afternoon, Thunberg and two young activists were spontaneously invited inside the UN for a meeting with a senior leader, described as “very supportive”.
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Just two days after Thunberg disembarkedfrom a yacht in New York, following two weeks on rough seas crossing from the UK, young protesters dominated the crowd of up to 1,000 outside the United Nations skyscraper in Manhattan.
They came together to demand politicians and older generations take urgent and comprehensive action to reverse the climate crisis.
Carrying hand-drawn placards with messages such as “United behind the science” and “Act now or we will”, children and young people of all ages surged into a park in front of the flags of the world outside the UN on Friday morning.
Thunberg sat cheerfully but pensively in the middle of the rally, which had a rather more earnest than festive atmosphere. Young speakers gave spontaneous speeches or led chants of “System change, not climate change” and “Don’t just watch us, join us.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/30/greta-thunberg-un-climate-protest-new-york