Mr Harawira will launch his new Mana Party on Saturday and the Herald understands he and his strategists are considering forcing a byelection to seek a mandate for his new party from Te Tai Tokerau voters.
It would be a deliberate echo of Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia’s departure from the Labour Party over the Foreshore and Seabed Act in 2004.
And Goff fronts up in the South, carrying the NO ASSET SALES message:
However, Mr Goff said people should not be fooled by the Government’s claims that it would always maintain a controlling stake of any company formed through privatisation. He pointed to the Clyde dam, owned by Contact Energy, as an example of why assets such as dams needed to stay in public ownership.
“These things are a licence to print money. That’s why the big corporates want to buy into them. Because they are a natural monopoly, we need to keep them in the public sector.”
Mr Goff predicted asset sales would be a key election issue, along with the cost of living, employment and taxation.
he and his strategists are considering forcing a by-election
He won’t get one, not this close to the election. If he tried to force it I suspect it’d backfire on him illegitimating the party rather than giving a mandate as most voters would then see him as wasting taxpayer time and money.
I tend to think the accusations have a solid base. A number of Maori police officers have come out saying they were approached by senior police officials who asked whether they would take part in planned “Tuhoe style terror raids” against Te Whanau a Apanui.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see this occur under a National government. Using public power to protect private interests is so, so National. The integrity of NZ Inc comes before the democratic rights of citizens.
THE only royal wedding street party in Glasgow has been cancelled … due to lack of interest.
Shettleston Historical Society wanted to celebrate Prince William and Kate Middelton’s big day on April 29.
But chairman Tony Jaconelli, 77, said: “In this neck of the woods, a street party about celebrating anything to do with royalty is a bit of a no no
“The planned fuel tax increase of 1.5 cents per litre which was due to come into effect on 1 July has been deferred while economic conditions remain tight, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.”
You forgot about the GST off F&V
The deck chairs are certainly being rearranged http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10721677
and then we get this from the biggests blanket and musket seller of all time
“His calls for taking GST off food and putting a ceiling on rent increases and petrol prices were supported by most New Zealanders, Mr Harawira said” – Pity realism plays no part !!
Interesting comment from the Police this morning that initial video scans of the Pike River mine appear to show the body of a fully clothed man laying face down. Fully clothed is interesting; perhaps conditions were not as fiery as we have been told.
And in breaking news: Police last night told families of the Pike River mine victims that there was a possibility rescuers had identified a body in the mine. There was also evidence that rescue boxes in the mine had been opened.
Wonder if this will be a comfort or more distressing? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10722020
Well something doesn’t add up. PM’s office had given a very different spin didn’t they? “They show Mr Key has used the Iroquois helicopters 10 times for a total of 29.9 flying hours over the period. That doesn’t include the trip he took two weeks ago from Auckland to Hamilton in order to attend the V8 Supercar races and be back in time for a golf club dinner.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10721955
Just more proof that John Key, and National, are liars, that they think they’re entitled to waste our money however they wish and that they think that they need to keep the truth from us.
Ok, we now have conditional anti-spam. If the spam engine thinks that you might be spam then it will ask you to fill in a anti-spam recaptcha. Don’t be offended, it will give you an opportunity to correct your spam like behavior đ
We’ll try that for a while. In the meantime I’ll fix the old anti-spam in case I need to put it back in again.
Yep. Talk about a highly effective negative feedback loop (especially after I get around to getting it to give more feedback). It should massively reduce the amount of work the mods have to do ove rthe medium term.
On the 28 April 1995, 14 young people lost their lives and another four were injured, some very seriously. The disaster occurred at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park and will forever mark the 28th April a sad day to remember. A party of students from the Outdoor Recreation course at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth and the Department of Conservation’s Punakaiki Field Centre Manager went onto what appeared to be a safe viewing platform high above Cave Creek.
I remember that day very clearly…. working on the Rununga Mine Rescue centre, first it was a police car, then two ambulances and finally the rescue helicopter screaming over us. Heading into Greymouth after work it was super quiet… a real tragedy. The polytech was the spark of the town and we knew a lot of people – artists, musicians – they made that shit-hole bearable for a while.
It’s bread and circuses time… eg. Frankly I don’t give a damn & Rodders
From ‘The Medieval Inquisition’: “A slow roasting was considered preferable to quick incineration… The events were closely linked to ROYAL SPECTACLES… Such burnings were even held to help celebrate ROYAL MARRIAGES.” (emphasis added)
Also, Radio NZ yesterday reported Key and Cameron “took their shirts and ties off” after meeting at No.10 Downing St. Ye gads, olde chaps, what do those frat boysss get up to behind closed doors?
And as for getting sssssso excccccited about a corgi licking his hand . . .
When can we have a Prime Minister that SOUNDS like a New Zealander?
Just came to say hi and tell you all about the awesome day I had
I recently challenged my employer on several issues of inefficiency and incorrect practice at the job at which I have been working for just five weeks now.
My big mistake… for my efforts, today I was awarded with two weeks notice of termination of employment.
Simply because the boss decided to take it personal when I (in the most appropriate manner possible) highlighted what wasn’t being done, what needed to be done and how best to do it.
Never in my life have I been fired from a job, nor did I think anyone could be fired just for doing their job properly.
Funnily enough I don’t blame the boss for being an asshole, instead I blame the dickheads in power who made it okay for him to treat my fellow (un)employees and I like some proletariat trash who can be discarded for whatever reason he sees fit.
When I think about going back to WINZ after they fucked me around for almost three months last time I feel a pain building in my chest.
I’m young enough that I shouldn’t have to worry about having a heart attack, besides I don’t have time to die, I have to find another job so that I can make rent first.
This may not be of any interest to anyone but I just needed to have a rant so that I don’t do anything impulsive like THROW JOHN KEY UNDER A BUS.
Lucky for him he’s probably still on world tour giving foreign leaders sloppy handjobs for trade deals or kudos or whatever we benefit from paying him to ride helicopters… I don’t know… Fuck it
I’m not a union member and untill today I wasn’t even aware there was a union for the hospitality industry, which has got to be one of the most overpopulated by bad managers.
I’m looking in tosigning up tomorrow for sure.
Had a good chat to someone at the community law centre though. Really helpful people gives me a renewed sense of faith that there are people willing to help out.
Sorry to hear that, Adonijah. When you feel able, put your energies into fighting to get our country to a place where everyone is valued. In the meantime, best wishes with Work and Income.
Don’t I know it. I’ve worked too hard for too many of these clowns.
I have learned enough about how not to run a business and treat your employees that I could run my own shop if it weren’t for the huge costs involved in setting up.
I agree with your second statement but TBH I don’t know enough about how co-ops work so I may have to make a trip to the library on my day off.
Don’t just get angry Adonijah, get involved. Whether Labour, Green or even Hone’s crew get active. This is the only way that ordinary people will change things for the better.
@Adonijah
To add to what ms has already said… it will feel like an act of revenge for what was done to you, and in the process you will meet some great people.
I’m in. I give my party vote to the good guys but it still feels like pissing in the wind sometimes. I don’t really care for this government thing we have, Democracy seems like a giant misnomer to me. Demos Kratos, For the people by the people, right? Heck. Really?
What you need to do first is to make sure that you vote left. Then persuade a mate to vote left. Then persuade 2 mates to vote left. Then persuade three mates …
Iâm so sorry to read of your plight – this kind of crap makes my blood boil.
I’ve been in my present job for some years and I’m always on guard for my fellow workers because I process the pays and know the law. I can tell you that if I wasn’t there there would be some abuses going on. As a result of this I’m not kindly regarded by management and constantly have to remind them that everything I do is completely correct and that I’ve checked with the Department of Labour.
Only today I had to say to one of them,â Well of course we have to pay for X as we can’t afford to have a whiff of scandal that we’re defrauding workers of their wages.” which I judged to be less direct than, “what, you’re going to rip this person off?” but it rankles that I have to remind people to act morally and within the law. If this person could immolate me on the spot there would be a pile of ash.
Fully agree with your sentiments on Key, he’s pure evil.
Please join a union when you can. If it’s any comfort to you, I went to some courses in the 80s run by the Employers’ Association and one guy taking a course said that middle management in NZ was some of the sorriest excuses for he’d ever seen where competence was concerned. I applaud you for pointing out what was wrong at work but unfortunately the arsehole who’s sacked you must have the most fragile ego going – heaven help us all.
I echo others’ good wishes in your having to deal with WINZ – the description in the above paragraph would seem to suit them to a T.
Aye and I wait for the MSM to say that Labour is at 32%. The way the Reid Research results were taken as valid and repeated and repeated and repeated makes you wonder about possible bias in the MSM.
Take it easy on Pete, he’s had a tough day over at the sewer. Funnily enough, some people over there think he’s a concern troll. A leftist concern troll, ho ho.
“Pete George@10:38am on the previous thread: âAh yes, and Banks. Brashâs new Exclusive Brother.â
You had quite a lot to say in 10 comments on the earlier Brash thread â much of it questioning Act / National in ever-so-reasonable tones calculated to conceal support for policies of the left.”
Ahhh MS, care to agree now that you weren’t a teensy weensy bit worried about 27%?
I’m sure you know one poll at odds with others shouldn’t be taken too seriously unless it repeats.
But of you look at the Roy Morgan poll graph you will no doubt be hoping that another sub 30 blip won’t coincide with the end of November. Look more closely – it has a record of diving in November, that’s what’s happened in 2009 and 2010.
Roy Morgan poll continuously and have a very good record.
BTW PeteG I know that you do not want to read “The Hollow Men” but I found an alternative for you. Have a look at http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-hollow-men-2008 released very fortuitously today. Watch it and be very afraid. This is about the people who could take over our country. Be very afraid …
BTW MS, I’ve never been a fan of Brash, I was pleased he failed in 2005, and I will be very wary of the Brash Act. His initial surprising success is tempered by that fact he wants Banks to try and keep Epsom in the Act camp.
BTW, I’ve never been a fan of Banks either. I rate Boscawen as a genuine guy and a hard worker. There’s nothing much else to speak of once they lose Hide’s experience – he made mistakes and wasn’t always aiming at the right targets but he had many successes too, and knew the system well.
People are getting a bad feeling about this Government, the issue is that they do not know what to do about it yet, and as a default until they do, they will keep picking National and Key.
And its going to keep declining.
I’m picking this winter to be one of the most unhappy since the mid-90s, which will ensure the GCR drops further. There must be a point on the GCR where it drags the government don with it.
After $10 Million has been spent by police, the family members of the Pike River miners and the mayor are demanding that more money be spent to remove their bodies.
Although they are grieving, it cannot be said that NZ has not gone to great efforts and money expended to retrieve the bodies. Plus open their own wallets for them.
It may be that some decisions made by the rescue team, in hindsight, were wrong but the very expensive royal commission will determine that.
Surely there is a limit to which the NZ taxpayer could be expected to go to retrieve the bodies of people who knowingly engaged in an activity that could have resulted in them being entombed in a mountain.
What really saddens me, is in holding this view, I find I am sounding like some RWNJ – but hey! It could be some recessive mutant gene coming to the fore.
Surely there is a limit to which the NZ taxpayer could be expected to go to retrieve the bodies of people who knowingly engaged in an activity that could have resulted in them being entombed in a mountain.
You would think so.
What really saddens me, is in holding this view, I find I am sounding like some RWNJ â but hey! It could be some recessive mutant gene coming to the fore.
It all depends upon why you hold the view that you do. To save limited resources or to give tax cuts to the rich. The RWNJs, of course, are all for the latter.
Bizarre item on Clive tonight – a woman whinging because Asians are buying baby “formula” to send to China, and a reporter trying to make a Chinese woman feel guilty because she’s buying it to send to her baby nephew who was caught in the Chinese earthquake last year…That’s a crime? A daddy does an email whine that he has to go to “two different ‘stores’ to get the ‘formula” for his family.
I brought up 3 kids and never used ‘formula’ ever.
(As a friend point out years ago, ‘store’ is one of the sillier americanisms. Stores are warehouses, they sell wholesale stuff, and the places that sell retail are *shops*!)
Anytime coalâs cost to America is discussed, the coal industry reflexively talks about what an economic lifeline it is for the states in which it operates. Headwaters Economics, a Bozeman-based think tank focusing on natural resource issues, has a solid new study thatâs getting national attention for undercutting those claims. For instance, the Headwaters study finds that â[f]ossil fuel production has not insulated energy-producing states from fiscal crisis,â that â[f]ossil fuel extraction has a limited influence at the state level on economic indicators such as GDP by state, personal income, and employment,â and that â[t]he volatility of fossil fuel markets poses obstacles to the stability and long-term security of economic growth in energy-producing regions.â
I think that should be enough to get everyone wondering just who benefits from coal mining in NZ as well.
After I noticed that my name had been taken yet again in vain by my friendly antagonist Tom Hunter over at No Minister, I went over to see what the fuss was about. Nothing much, but then I discovered a post about the Operation Burnham Inquiry by Psycho Milt. I ...
The COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 was extended today, until December 1st or the tenth sitting day following the resumption of Parliament after the election. It seems like a necessary extension. While we currently have eradicated the virus in New Zealand, it is still banging at the door, and ...
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The Warehouse, one of New Zealand's biggest retailers, has decided to stop selling coal. Good. Coal is a dirty, polluting fossil fuel, and the less of it we have out there, the better. Retailers choosing not to sell it sends a clear message that this is not a fuel we ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and they show that unemployment actually dropped last quarter. All told, there are 111,000 unemployed - 15,000 fewer than when the government took office. But before anyone thinks that the pandemic hasn't put people out of work, remember that this is for ...
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On Friday the Hit and Run inquiry delivered a devastating report which found that NZDF had systematically misled Ministers over civilian deaths. The report called into question civilian control of the military (and indeed, military control of the military), a fundamental principle of our democracy. So you'd expect our politicians ...
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Parliament's triennial Review of Standing Orders was released today, and it contains a number of welcome, if minor, improvements. The ones that caught my are: A move to encourage "pre-legislative engagement" - the government consulting widely on legislation before it is introduced - by promising easier passage (e.g. with ...
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In addition to establishing a process for setting emissions reductions plans, the Zero Carbon Act established a process for managing the risks of climate change. The first part of this is the preparation of regular risk assessments, looking at the risks to our economy, society, environment, and ecology. The first ...
Over on The spinoff, Amnesty International's Meg de Ronde has a response to Friday's release of the Hit and Run report. And in response to Attorney-General David Parker's claim that the government was being "transparent" by releasing the report, its titled "we shouldn’t have to work this hard to get ...
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There's an election next month, so you'd be expecting political parties to be telling us what they stand for and what they'd do if they'd win. But while the Greens have given us a detailed policy platform, and National has talked about roads and austerity, Labour, currently leading the polls ...
"Who's youse accusin' of innference?" Without the timely intervention of a team of top American political consultants and campaign experts, Boris Yeltsin would never have won his second term as President of the Russian Federation. The Russians waited 20 years to return the favour.WHEN IT COMES to the disinformation game, ...
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 26 through Sat, Aug 1, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe four types of climate denier, and why you should ignore them allThe shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological ...
Over the last few days, reports have emerged of people travelling from New Zealand and testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at their destination. First in South Korea and now in Australia. What might these positive tests mean?They’re false-positives As Toby Morris and I have explained before, there are ...
Former National Minister - Wayne MappYou could tell that the Hit and Run book by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was right on the money by the way former National Party Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, reacted to its now largely vindicated claims.Even though the recent inquiry into ...
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On different trajectories and from different ends of the political spectrum, last night’s One News/Colmar Brunton poll has the Green Party and ACT converging around the five percent mark. And, as odd as it may sound, they head into the election campaign with a lot in common.Putting the Greens and ...
Janet Stephenson, University of OtagoA proposed multibillion-dollar project to build a pumped hydro storage plant could make New Zealand’s electricity grid 100% renewable, but expensive new infrastructure may not be the best way to achieve this. New Zealand’s electricity generation is already around 80% renewable, with just over half ...
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. . For the mainstream media, today (22 July) was even a better day than yesterday. More Sex. More Politics. More Sex AND Politics. Yesterday, the msm dealt with Andrew Falloon. The obscure backbench MP had been found to have sent pornographic images to at least four women. The woman’s ...
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Today a full bench of the High Court is hearing Andrew Borrowdale's challenge to the legality of the COVID-19 lockdown. That lockdown ended two months ago, so the point seems moot - but it was never about ending it. Instead, as Andrew Geddis points out, its about a key principle ...
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Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... John Cook in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Major new climate study rules out less severe global warming scenariosAn analysis finds the most ...
It hasn’t taken long for the advent of Judith Collins as National party leader to change the tone of the political debate. After several days of headlines and airwaves dominated by reports of a National MP sending pornographic images to young women, the National leader had had enough of that ...
Don Franks An already fired up general election looks like getting even edgier. When final votes have been counted, a rather unlikely coalition government now seems possible As National and Labour implode with sexual proclivities while New Zealand First fling their last toys from the cot, others show more maturity. ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 19 through Sat, July 25, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe Climate Expert Who Delivered News No One Wanted to Hear From 2009: How a scientist known as the “father of global ...
There’s ultimately two key narratives overall that are seeking to take front row in order to reshape the world as a whole going forward from the COVID pandemic. The first is a very desperate attempt to reimpose “a return” to what is perceived as “the old normal”, quite impossible. ...
Henry Anderson-Elliott, University of CambridgeOn the morning of August 31 2017, I didn’t meet a remarkable polar bear. It was my third week of fieldwork-based out of Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, studying the conservation of the bears on the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Having spent a few days transcribing interviews in ...
SUNDAY JULY 26Country Calendar (TVNZ 1, 7.00pm). Tonight, kiwifruit growing in the King Country. Crazy!Normal People (TVNZ 1, 10.30pm). Holy cow, if you thought it was slow on a binge-watch, imagine what it's like in weekly doses. Nevertheless, it's like Richard Linklater's Boyhood – you don't really see the scope of ...
. . “The Martians had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere to which we have long since become immune. Once they had breathed our air, germs, which no longer affect us, began to kill them. The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines began to stop ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party have secured legislative amendments in a bill expected to pass third reading this week, to ensure better rules for school teachers and staff, so they can de-escalate children with diverse needs and cognitive differences, such as autism, rather than using unnecessary and often traumatising force. ...
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party is honoured to be remembering former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today at a public memorial service in the heart of Wellington at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s. Following her passing in March, this celebration of her life brings together her friends, family and colleagues to honour her life ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced a $2.5 million boost for South Westland to help a regional alliance of local businesses and government agencies provide nature based jobs. ...
Investing in infrastructure is one major way we can create jobs, stimulate the economy, and keep New Zealand moving post COVID-19. That's why this week we rolled out a massive number of infrastructure announcements - in Tairāwhiti, Wairarapa, Otago, Southland and more! ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says the National Party’s Auckland Transport announcement today is a breath-taking plan on the never never. While it is promising to see that National all of a sudden has rediscovered railways in Auckland, including trains ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to New Zealanders to modernise tenancy laws with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill 2020 today, says Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing), Kris Faafoi. “The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 was out-dated and the reforms in the RTA modernise our ...
New rules to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater passed into law today. Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor welcomed the gazetting of the new national direction on freshwater management. “These regulations deliver on the Government’s commitment to stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointment of Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s new Consul-General in Los Angeles. “New Zealand and the United States share a close and dynamic partnership, based on a long history of shared values and democratic traditions,” Mr Peters said. “Mr Clarke-Watson is a ...
Victims of family violence can end a tenancy with two days’ notice Landlords can terminate tenancies with 14 days’ notice if tenants assault them Timeframe brought forward for limiting rent increases to once every 12 months Extension of time Tenancy Tribunal can hear cases via phone/video conference Reform of New ...
Two employment schemes – one new and one expanded – going live today will help tens of thousands of people continue training on the job and support thousands more into work, the Government has announced. Apprenticeship Boost, a subsidy of up to $12,000 per annum for first year apprentices and ...
The Government is funding a significant infrastructure package at Omokoroa which will create 150 new jobs and help transform the Western Bay of Plenty peninsula, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the Government is investing $14 million towards the $28 million roading and water package. This ...
The Bill allowing the Government to recover some costs for managed isolation and quarantine passed its third reading today, with charges coming into force as soon as regulations are finalised. Putting regulations into force is the next step. “The COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill and its supporting regulations will ...
Today’s unemployment data shows the Government’s plan to protect jobs and cushion the blow for businesses and households against the economic impact of COVID-19 was the right decision, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ said today that New Zealand’s unemployment rate in the June quarter – which includes the ...
A new role of New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young people is being established, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Internal Affairs and for Children, Tracey Martin announced today. The Reading Ambassador, announced at a Celebration of Reading event at ...
Community Law Centres will receive a funding boost to meet the increased need for free legal services due to COVID-19, Justice Minister Andrew Little said. The $3.5m funding is for the next three financial years and is additional to the almost $8 million for Community Law Centres announced in Budget ...
New Zealand has joined Canada and Chile in a new trade initiative aimed at increasing women’s participation in global trade. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker, together with Canada’s Minister for Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrés Allamand, and Chile’s Vice ...
Building owners around New Zealand have benefited from the latest round of Heritage EQUIP funding with grants totalling $2,230,166. “The Heritage EQUIP grants for seismic strengthening assist private building owners to get the professional advice they need to go ahead with their projects or support them to carry out the ...
• New paediatric facilities, including a Special Baby Care Unit • Up to 50 extra inpatient beds • New lab facilities Northland babies and their whānau will soon have access to improved hospital care when they need it with Health Minister Chris Hipkins today confirming new paediatric facilities and more ...
People walking and cycling between Featherston and Greytown, or along Wellington’s Eastern Bays will soon have a safe shared path, as part of a $220 million shovel-ready cycleways package announced by Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter. “During lockdown we saw many more families and kids out on their bikes, ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today extended New Zealand’s condolences following the death of Vanuatu’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Johnson Naviti, who passed away yesterday afternoon in Wellington. “Our thoughts are with the High Commissioner’s family and colleagues during this difficult time. This is a terrible loss both to ...
The Government has today set out the regional allocations of the $761 million Three Waters stimulus and reform funding for councils announced by Prime Minister Hon Jacinda Ardern this month. "I want to thank Councils around the country for engaging with the Central Local Government Steering Group who have been ...
Students with high and complex learning needs, as well as their teachers and parents, will benefit from a substantial increase to Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding, Associate Education Minister Martin announced today. “Nearly $160 million will go towards helping these students by lifting their base support over the next four ...
Funding for innovative projects to connect Kiwis with affordable, safe and wholesome food, reduce food waste, and help our food producers recover from COVID-19 has been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “COVID-19 has seen an increasing number of families facing unprecedented financial pressure. Foodbanks and community food service ...
Eight shovel-ready projects within Kāinga Ora large-scale developments, and the Unitec residential development in Auckland have been given the go-ahead, Minister for Housing Dr Megan Woods announced today. Megan Woods says these significant infrastructure upgrades will ensure that the provision of homes in Auckland can continue apace. “The funding announced ...
The Government is funding a new separated walking and cycleway path along Napier’s Chambers and Ellison streets to provide safer access for local students and residents across Marine Parade and State Highway 51, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Police Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Funding of $2.7 million has been ...
More than 13,000 people have been employed so far thanks to the Coalition Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has today announced. The number of jobs created by Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investments has outstripped the 10,000 jobs target that the Government and Provincial Development Unit ...
Scientists and innovative fishing operators from Stewart Island and Fiordland to Nelson, Marlborough and Wellington have been honoured in the first ever Seafood Sustainability Awards. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has congratulated the winners of the inaugural Seafood Sustainability Awards held at Parliament. “The awards night honours six winners, from a wide ...
The Government is providing an investment totalling more than $100 million for regions to protect against and mitigate the effects of climate change, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones have announced. Six regions will receive funding from the $3 billion allocated to infrastructure projects from the ...
Three major local projects at Te Kuiti and Otorohanga have been given the money to get moving after the impact of Covid 19, says the Minister of Māori Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta. The projects range from a Sports Centre for Te Kuiti, a redevelopment of the Otorohanga Kiwi House and ...
The Coalition Government has extended three New Zealand Defence Force deployments to the Middle East and Africa by two years, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “These deployments promote peace in the Middle East and Africa by protecting civilians and countering the spread of ...
The release of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment shows that the progress this Government has made to solve the climate crisis is essential to creating cleaner and safer communities across New Zealand. “Because of this report, we can see clearer than ever that the action our Government is taking ...
The second round of the Community Resilience Fund is now open for applications for sport and recreation organisations experiencing financial hardship between 1 July and 30 September 2020. “The fund opens today for five weeks – closing on September 6. The amount awarded will be decided on a case-by-case basis ...
Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today declared Rakitū Island, off the coast of Aotea/Great Barrier Island, predator free. “I’m delighted to announce that with rats now gone, Rakitū is officially predator free. This is a major milestone because Rakitū is the last DOC administered island in the Hauraki Gulf Marine ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing $8.75 million to restore significant historic sites at Ōhaeawai in the Far North, upgrade marae and fund fencing and riparian planting. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones made the announcements following a service at the historic St Michael’s Anglican Church at Ōhaeawai today. Just ...
The Chatham Islands will receive close to $40 million for projects that will improve its infrastructure, add to its attraction as a visitor destination, and create jobs through a planned aquaculture venture, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the islands, first ...
The Government is delivering more initiatives to reduce energy hardship and to give small electricity consumers a voice, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said today. “In addition to the initiatives we have already delivered to support New Zealand families, we are responding to the Electricity Price Review with further ...
Government, iwi, NGOs and rehabilitation groups are working together to turn around the fortunes of the nationally endangered hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin following a series of terrible breeding seasons. The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage helped launch the Five Year Action Plan at the annual Yellow-Eyed Penguin symposium in Dunedin today. “I ...
The membership of the Tourism Futures Taskforce has now been confirmed, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced at an event at Whakarewarewa in Rotorua today. “The main purpose of the independent Tourism Futures Taskforce is to lead the thinking on the future of tourism in New Zealand,” Kelvin Davis said. Joining ...
More than $300 million in funding has been approved to protect strategic tourism businesses, drive domestic tourism through regional events and lift digital capability in the tourism industry, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. A $400 million Tourism Recovery Package was announced at Budget 2020, and with today’s announcements is ...
From 2021 permits will be required for New Zealanders wanting to export hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage, today announced the requirements as part of New Zealand’s commitments to the Basel Convention, an international agreement of more than 180 countries which was amended in May ...
The building and construction sector is still showing strong growth, with the number of new dwellings consented up more than 8 per cent compared to last year, reflecting a welcome confidence in the Government’s COVID-19 response package, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. “While it is still too ...
Government investment of $23 million for Bay of Plenty flood protection will allow local communities to address long-standing flood risks and provide jobs, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced in Rotorua today. These projects are being funded by the Infrastructure Reference Group’s (IRG) shovel ...
Investment for projects that will create hundreds of jobs in Rotorua were announced today by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. These projects will provide opportunities for economic development in a region that has been hard hit by COVID-19,” Winston Peters said. Fletcher ...
For the first time, primary schools will have access to funding for counsellors for their students, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. “A major investment of $75.8 million will provide greater access to guidance counsellors to help primary and secondary school students deal with mental health and wellbeing issues,” ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark today welcomed the release of the Report of the Government Inquiry into Operation Burnham and related matters, and the Government response. “I thank the Inquiry for their thorough and detailed report, on a highly complex issue. I accept the recommendations of the report, and fully support ...
Parliament has just passed a new law that will leave renters with a sense of relief. But many landlords aren’t too pleased. What’s all this then?The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill passed under urgency this evening. It amends existing law around renting to increase rights for tenants. According to associate housing minister ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University From tomorrow (Thursday, August 6) only children of permitted workers will be able to attend childcare in Melbourne, which is under stage 4 restrictions. Parents and providers have been waiting to understand what ...
Gone By Lunchtime’s Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas denounce new poll results that very slightly contradict their opinions.The height of the summit for the National Party? A poll came out last week with Labour at 53%, and that was considered good news for Judith Collins and the Strong ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Melatos, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney Virgin Australia’s plan to sack about 3,000 of its 9,000 staff, axe its budget brand Tigerair, streamline its fleet to only Boeing 737s and suspend long-haul international flying indefinitely should come as no ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Reilly, Professor, University of Western Australia In international affairs, words are bullets, according to an old diplomatic saying. If so, Australia in recent years has begun firing new ammunition. In his address to the Aspen Security Forum today, Prime Minister Scott ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aisling Rayne, PhD candidate, University of Canterbury Whakapapa [genealogy] binds tākata whenua [people of the land] to the mountains, rivers, coasts and other landscapes, linking the health of the people with that of the environment. Like humans, species have whakapapa that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel da Silva, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne The Lebanese capital Beirut was rocked on Tuesday evening local time by an explosion that has killed at least 78 people and injured thousands more. The country’s prime minister Hassan Diab ...
The MacDiarmid Institute DiscoveryCamp gives Māori and Pasefika high school students a taste of life as a scientist. Teuila Fuatai finds the experience often leads to much more. Eden Skipper loves eeling. “It is a family tradition,” he says proudly. The 22-year-old of Ngāi Tahu descent grew up on the east ...
Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs, has announced Allot Limited as the new service provider for the Digital Child Exploitation Filter (DCEF) from 1 August 2020. The filter operates as a service provided to most New Zealand Internet ...
In the wake of National’s leadership woes, The Spinoff sat down with the party’s most popular face in recent history to talk Covid-19, Judith Collins – and why he thinks our border should be more ‘flexible’.John Key is confident about our country’s future.In part, that’s because he tunes in each ...
The new National Policy Statement and National Environmental Standard for Freshwater, gazetted by the Government today, is a significant step forward in reducing pollution in our rural and urban waterways caused by intensive farming and through regional ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David McCooey, Professor of Writing and Literature, Deakin University In our series Art for Trying Times, authors nominate a work they turn to for solace or perspective during this pandemic. One day in 1984, a friend and I went to have lunch ...
Data released by Stats NZ today shows the impact of Covid-19 on New Zealand jobs during the June quarter was disproportionately felt by women. Mary Jo Vergara from KiwiEconomics breaks down what it all means.Women have historically fared well in times of war and crisis. During the Second World War, ...
The Sir Julius Vogel Awards last Thursday were meant to be a celebration of some of our best genre writers. It didn’t turn out that way, as Casey Lucas, one of the winners, explains. This is the story of how the nominees and recipients of the 2020 Sir Julius Vogel ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Jeffrey, Director and CEO of the Australia India Institute; Professor of Development Geography, University of Melbourne In recent days, the Indian government approved a new education policy — the first for 34 years. The policy comes after an expert group produced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Elliott, Executive Director, National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, and Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University With cases of COVID-19 on the rise, many Australians are asking: what happens if I test positive? With no known cure ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Professor Marcia Langton, Foundation Chair in Australian Indigenous Studies, University of Melbourne This is an edited transcript of the 2020 Thea Astley Address delivered by Marcia Langton at the Byron Writers Festival. It’s a longer read at 4,500 words. You can listen ...
As Auckland business leaders and the city’s economic development agency hold a day-long summit to thrash out a Covid-19 economic recovery plan, Finance Minister Grant Robertson is singing from a different song- book. He reckons NZ’s economy is doing well and “ … as we look ahead, there are ...
The National Party says it would create a new Auckland Transport-like authority and green-light a second Terrace tunnel National Party leader Judith Collins has announced National would give greater government funding for the Wellington region's existing transport plan and for a new agency to end the region's transport bickering. Collins made ...
Latest from the Beehive – The public debt is among the victims of the Covid-19 epidemic. According to the 2020 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update, in the current year and the next two fiscal years, operating deficits (operating balance before gains and losses) average around $28 billion while net core ...
The latest round of economic data won’t carry Judith Collins and the National Party into the promised land, and she’ll need to come up with something else to save her chances, writes political commentator Ben Thomas.The government has delivered an economic miracle! How else to describe today’s labour market statistics ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage John PerryFrom Masaya, Nicaragua An extraordinary leaked document gives a glimpse of the breadth and complexity of the US government’s plan to interfere in Nicaragua’s internal affairs up to and after its presidential election in 2021. The plan,[1] a 14-page extract from a ...
The Cook Islands language video.Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The Cook Islands episode in AUT’s Pacific language video series – “Adapting to a changing world, shaping resilient futures” – is out now. The video is narrated in Cook Islands Māori (with English subtitles) to acknowledge the language being celebrated in ...
Community Law Centres welcome the additional Government funding announced to help address increased demand for free legal services due to COVID-19. Minister of Justice Andrew Little today announced an additional $3.47m over three years for Community ...
New Zealand’s unemployment rate has just fallen, defying experts and flying in the face of everything we expected. But according to Stats NZ, the devil is in the detail.What’s all this then?In a bizarre turn of events, New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has actually fallen from 4.2% to 4% ...
The outgoing immigration minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, has told MPs income criteria imposed on residents who want their parents to join them are "far too high". ...
Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling on the Government to increase abatement thresholds and lift benefits to liveable levels to support people affected by the growth of unemployment due to COVID-19. “Unemployment numbers do not tell us whether ...
A national survey of public drinking fountains around Aotearoa, recently undertaken by RefillNZ , has shown that, on average, there is only one drinking fountain for every 3,303 people and as few as one fountain for every 17,000 people in the worst-affected ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Ortmann, Professor, UNSW Sweden has become something of a cautionary tale for what happens when you attempt to tackle coronavirus without lockdowns. In The Conversation last week The Grattan Institute’s Stephen Duckett and Will Mackey said its freer approach caused almost ...
In the June 2020 quarter, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent, down from 4.2 percent last quarter, while underutilisation rose, Stats NZ said today. ...
A conference on Auckland and the Covid-19 crisis hears calls for flexibility from the Government, including a loan to fund big projects and allowing foreign students into university quarantine Former Prime Minister John Key is urging the Government to throw out the rulebook and give Auckland Council a big, interest-free ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The safe reopening of entry points into six Pacific Islands countries amid the covid-19 pandemic is being discussed at a meeting in Fiji this week. The virtual roundtable is being convened by the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank with representatives from Solomon Islands, Kiribati, ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is welcoming confirmation from the National Party that income tax bracket indexation remains party policy. However, suggestions that the National Party has no plans to cut income taxes will come as a major disappointment ...
The Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council, Matthew Tukaki, has said unemployment in New Zealand will rise significantly over the next quarter and the figures out today are just the tip of a very fast-moving iceberg. Tukaki has said ...
Aggrieved members of the Firearms Community - from all over Canterbury and beyond - will once again take to the streets of Ashburton in good numbers this Saturday, 8th August. They continue to protest against the government’s Firearms Law Firearms ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Senior Lecturer, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide What does a pandemic smell like? If dogs could talk, they might be able to tell us. We’re part of an international research team, led by Dominique Grandjean at ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Americans were alarmed last week when their president suggested on Twitter that the November 3 presidential election should be delayed because mail-in ballots would be fraudulent. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Mullan, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong According to 2016 Census data, 3.5% of Australians have limited English proficiency. When they’re receiving health care, it’s essential these Australians have access to interpreters. Research has shown professional interpreters facilitate effective ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aliza Werner-Seidler, Senior Research Fellow in Mental Health & Clinical Psychologist, UNSW Access to mental health support has never been more important, as Melburnians are hit with a stage 4 lockdown and much of the rest of Australia braces for a potential ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Osman, Scientist, Energy Efficiency & Renewables, CSIRO Yesterday, Australia’s eastern states felt a vicious cold snap, and these wintry blasts make hunkering down in isolation at home a little easier. But as the temperature rises at home, so does our carbon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Brent, Professor and Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Prestridge, Senior Lecturer, Griffith University In early July, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced government school students in prep to Year 10 — in Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire —would learn from home for term three. Students in Years 11 and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgia Cervin, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Western Australia The new Netflix documentary Athlete A details how Larry Nassar, the US women’s gymnastics team doctor, was brought to justice after sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts. Since its release, gymnasts around the world ...
Welcome to Election Live for August 5, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Get in touch at ...
The Social Services and Community Committee is calling for public submissions on the Oranga Tamariki (Youth Justice Demerit Points) Amendment Bill, which was referred to the committee on 21 July 2020. This Member’s Bill would introduce a youth demerit ...
Ryman Healthcare's plans in Australia's Covid-19 hit state of Victoria prompt a note of caution, plus the Super Fund buys New Zealand's major lab testing company ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: IPCA and police at odds over decision not to charge officer, Canterbury DHB in crisis, and Shane Jones job creation claims disputed.The Independent Police Conduct Authority has issued a call for charges for an officer who used excessive force in ...
Covid-19 has underscored that the Government cannot address issues of magnitude alone. Dawn Freshwater looks at where universities fit into our country's recovery. University researchers have shown remarkable agility in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. They have conducted research in new fields, collaborated across traditional disciplinary boundaries and joined forces ...
Fonterra’s proposed wastewater plant near Cambridge has drawn opposition from locals who say it should take place on industrial-zoned land, not in the middle of farms, lifestyle blocks and retirement homes Residents in a rural area of Cambridge are unhappy about Fonterra’s proposal to put a wastewater treatment plant on ...
Our first world weightlifting gold medallist, Kanah Andrews-Nahu, has struggled coming out of lockdown. But it’s helped her realise that to be great, she must be committed. Not only in sport, but a medical career too. This year’s North and South Island Olympic weightlifting championships were, understandably, like no other. Instead ...
It's time to end to the manipulation of newsfeeds, demand fact-checking and smash our echo chambers, writes Gehan Gunasekara Data privacy has now become a mainstream election issue on par with the likes of health or education. People care deeply how their personal information is managed. This is evidenced by the ...
The market failure imposed by the use of Tiwai Point as an aluminium smelter does not mean that there are no other good options. Nicola Gaston gives explores five of them. So it’s happened. Rio Tinto has announced it is pulling the plug on the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, due to crashing prices ...
An essay by Ruby Solly about whakapapa, resistance, and the markers of history that often go unseen In my dark hair, there is a red fleck. Like Tiger's Eye stone, you see it run when the light hits it. The red fleck of totoweka, the blood in the stone. My ...
The first episode of our new podcast series tackles equality and equity and the role of our education system as a solution. Subscribe now to Conversations that Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take, for essential insight into the future of Aotearoa. The idea that all New Zealanders should have access to ...
When does advance voting open, when do the results get announced, and when are the TV debates? The essential election calendar.To read our bumper Q&A on the cannabis legalisation referendum see here, on the assisted dying referendum, see here. For all The Spinoff’s Election 2020 coverage go here.This post will ...
Alongside the general election of 2020, New Zealanders will be asked to vote on the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which legalises restricted access to cannabis. Here’s our bumper question-and-answer special on what it involves.Click here for everything you need to know about the assisted dying referendum. Read more from the ...
Here’s what we have planned for the weeks to come.A month from today, on Saturday September 5, voting begins in the general election of 2020. Election day itself isn’t for another fortnight, on September 19, but if the trends of recent times is a guide, more than half of all ...
Alongside the general election of 2020, New Zealanders will be asked to vote on the End of Life Choice bill, which allows voluntary euthanasia for those suffering terminal illnesses. Here’s our bumper question-and-answer special on what it involves.Click here for everything you need to know about the cannabis referendum. Read ...
After China's succession of food scares, and post-Covid wariness, consumer demands there are changing. New Zealand can take advantage of that, or be left behind Covid-19 has heightened Chinese consumer concerns about food safety, and industry players are warning New Zealand businesses to keep up. Today The Detail looks ...
Our banks are charging retailers hundreds of millions of dollars every year, for electronic payments. While credit card companies cut some fees this week, small Kiwi retailers are still paying too much. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison says the COVID-19 crisis has created new opportunities for “like-minded economies” to work together – but warned against “solely transactional” trade approaches undermining these relationships. In a Wednesday keynote speech to the US ...
A new Twilight book launches today. Its author talked to Catherine Woulfe about gender politics, anxiety, and the challenges of telling the Twilight story from Edward Cullen’s perspective. Midnight Sun is the original Twilight story, except instead of Bella Swan narrating it’s her vampire love, Edward Cullen.It’s a book that ...
Papua New Guinea has one new case of the novel coronavirus covid-19 reported yesterday bringing total cases to 111, reports EMTV News. National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning in a statement late yesterday said the new case was a 27-year-old male of the National Department of Health and was in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Should the public know the details of all the Victorian aged care facilities that have had COVID-19 cases? “Yes” seems the obvious answer. But not according to the Health department or Aged Care Minister Richard ...
The $3 billion PGF needs to be more transparent about how it operates, the auditor general says. The minister in charge of the fund, Shane Jones, disagrees. ...
Open mike 28/04/2011 
After I noticed that my name had been taken yet again in vain by my friendly antagonist Tom Hunter over at No Minister, I went over to see what the fuss was about. Nothing much, but then I discovered a post about the Operation Burnham Inquiry by Psycho Milt. I ...5 hours ago
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Judy Kavanagh I’m OK with wearing a CovidCard. But are you? There’s no point me doing it alone.
As many good things come in threes (as the saying goes), we are happy to announce a third partnership between Skeptical Science and other websites. Fakebook.eco in Brazil is joining Klimafakten.de in Germany and Nauka o Klimacie in Poland to leverage translated rebuttal material and to make the information readily available in other ...1 day ago
This interview on RNZ with Ross Tucker, the scientist who headed a review of transgender athletes playing in women’s rugby, discusses the findings of the review and what it means for women in sports. The review that World Rugby undertook had a broad range of independent experts and included a ...1 day ago
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New Zealand First is facing a difficult struggle to get re-elected, but Josh Van Veen, who was once a researcher for Winston Peters, argues that there is still a very significant section of cultural conservatives who oppose mass immigration and political correctness and might yet be won back over to ...2 days ago
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...3 days ago
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And some other stories of the day, tommorrow, the weekend & for the future:
Harawira contemplates a by-election
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10721960
And Goff fronts up in the South, carrying the NO ASSET SALES message:
http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/otago/157987/goff-points-govt-sell-plan-fault
He won’t get one, not this close to the election. If he tried to force it I suspect it’d backfire on him illegitimating the party rather than giving a mandate as most voters would then see him as wasting taxpayer time and money.
Dayle Takitimu, spokeswoman for Te Whanau a Apanui, informs me that the Police are planning “raids” against protestors.
http://mauistreet.blogspot.com/2011/04/terror-raids-in-te-whanau-apanui.html
http://mauistreet.blogspot.com/2011/04/terror-raids-in-te-whanau-apanui-2.html
I tend to think the accusations have a solid base. A number of Maori police officers have come out saying they were approached by senior police officials who asked whether they would take part in planned “Tuhoe style terror raids” against Te Whanau a Apanui.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see this occur under a National government. Using public power to protect private interests is so, so National. The integrity of NZ Inc comes before the democratic rights of citizens.
this made me smile this morning
đ
Now if we could just get the same attitude here đ
“The planned fuel tax increase of 1.5 cents per litre which was due to come into effect on 1 July has been deferred while economic conditions remain tight, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.”
The lolly scramble has started folks.
You forgot about the GST off F&V
The deck chairs are certainly being rearranged
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10721677
and then we get this from the biggests blanket and musket seller of all time
“His calls for taking GST off food and putting a ceiling on rent increases and petrol prices were supported by most New Zealanders, Mr Harawira said” – Pity realism plays no part !!
It would be nice to see realism form part of a politicians world view and the vision they had for our society.
Interesting comment from the Police this morning that initial video scans of the Pike River mine appear to show the body of a fully clothed man laying face down. Fully clothed is interesting; perhaps conditions were not as fiery as we have been told.
And in breaking news: Police last night told families of the Pike River mine victims that there was a possibility rescuers had identified a body in the mine. There was also evidence that rescue boxes in the mine had been opened.
Wonder if this will be a comfort or more distressing?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10722020
Well something doesn’t add up. PM’s office had given a very different spin didn’t they?
“They show Mr Key has used the Iroquois helicopters 10 times for a total of 29.9 flying hours over the period. That doesn’t include the trip he took two weeks ago from Auckland to Hamilton in order to attend the V8 Supercar races and be back in time for a golf club dinner.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10721955
Just more proof that John Key, and National, are liars, that they think they’re entitled to waste our money however they wish and that they think that they need to keep the truth from us.
An interesting blog about taxation in the US in an analysis from the 60’s to 2011
‘Rather than equalizing society, governments have shifted the burden of taxes from the wealthy to those of lower and middle income .
http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2011/04/rich-get-richer-how-taxation-in-america.html
Via Anrewj at interest.co
Would it be possible for someone to do the same for NZ?
Ok, we now have conditional anti-spam. If the spam engine thinks that you might be spam then it will ask you to fill in a anti-spam recaptcha. Don’t be offended, it will give you an opportunity to correct your spam like behavior đ
We’ll try that for a while. In the meantime I’ll fix the old anti-spam in case I need to put it back in again.
Does that mean there’s no captcha unless some software thinks the comment looks like spam?
Yep. Talk about a highly effective negative feedback loop (especially after I get around to getting it to give more feedback). It should massively reduce the amount of work the mods have to do ove rthe medium term.
Write a spammer type comment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Truth_movement
http://www.slate.com/id/2292081/
[lprent: Ok that did it – wound up in moderation after I did the correct words. ]
Asshole of the Week Award
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/04/asshole-of-week-award_28.html
On the 28 April 1995, 14 young people lost their lives and another four were injured, some very seriously. The disaster occurred at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park and will forever mark the 28th April a sad day to remember. A party of students from the Outdoor Recreation course at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth and the Department of Conservation’s Punakaiki Field Centre Manager went onto what appeared to be a safe viewing platform high above Cave Creek.
I remember that day very clearly…. working on the Rununga Mine Rescue centre, first it was a police car, then two ambulances and finally the rescue helicopter screaming over us. Heading into Greymouth after work it was super quiet… a real tragedy. The polytech was the spark of the town and we knew a lot of people – artists, musicians – they made that shit-hole bearable for a while.
It’s bread and circuses time… eg. Frankly I don’t give a damn & Rodders
From ‘The Medieval Inquisition’: “A slow roasting was considered preferable to quick incineration… The events were closely linked to ROYAL SPECTACLES… Such burnings were even held to help celebrate ROYAL MARRIAGES.” (emphasis added)
* 29 + 4 + 2011 = 19. 1 + 9 = 10. 1 + 0 = 1 World (dis)Order
Also, Radio NZ yesterday reported Key and Cameron “took their shirts and ties off” after meeting at No.10 Downing St. Ye gads, olde chaps, what do those frat boysss get up to behind closed doors?
And as for getting sssssso excccccited about a corgi licking his hand . . .
When can we have a Prime Minister that SOUNDS like a New Zealander?
So! J Key professes in France to be a great rugby supporter, yet he can’t recall his position re the 81 tour.
I can, it hurt, lots.
Just came to say hi and tell you all about the awesome day I had
I recently challenged my employer on several issues of inefficiency and incorrect practice at the job at which I have been working for just five weeks now.
My big mistake… for my efforts, today I was awarded with two weeks notice of termination of employment.
Simply because the boss decided to take it personal when I (in the most appropriate manner possible) highlighted what wasn’t being done, what needed to be done and how best to do it.
Never in my life have I been fired from a job, nor did I think anyone could be fired just for doing their job properly.
Funnily enough I don’t blame the boss for being an asshole, instead I blame the dickheads in power who made it okay for him to treat my fellow (un)employees and I like some proletariat trash who can be discarded for whatever reason he sees fit.
When I think about going back to WINZ after they fucked me around for almost three months last time I feel a pain building in my chest.
I’m young enough that I shouldn’t have to worry about having a heart attack, besides I don’t have time to die, I have to find another job so that I can make rent first.
This may not be of any interest to anyone but I just needed to have a rant so that I don’t do anything impulsive like THROW JOHN KEY UNDER A BUS.
Lucky for him he’s probably still on world tour giving foreign leaders sloppy handjobs for trade deals or kudos or whatever we benefit from paying him to ride helicopters… I don’t know… Fuck it
It’s of interest to most of is Adonijah, that’s why we’re here.
Is there a union at your workplace you can talk to?
Thanks r0b appreciate it
I’m not a union member and untill today I wasn’t even aware there was a union for the hospitality industry, which has got to be one of the most overpopulated by bad managers.
I’m looking in tosigning up tomorrow for sure.
Had a good chat to someone at the community law centre though. Really helpful people gives me a renewed sense of faith that there are people willing to help out.
Glad to hear it – and good luck.
Sorry to hear that, Adonijah. When you feel able, put your energies into fighting to get our country to a place where everyone is valued. In the meantime, best wishes with Work and Income.
Thanks JS.
I do believe in us fighting for a better country, however I know that it’s not a fair fight.
Cheers for the support much appreciated
New Zealand is full of really really shit managers holding our enterprises back.
Which is why I think we should move to worker owned co-ops, mutual organisations, and not for profit private sector operations.
Don’t I know it. I’ve worked too hard for too many of these clowns.
I have learned enough about how not to run a business and treat your employees that I could run my own shop if it weren’t for the huge costs involved in setting up.
I agree with your second statement but TBH I don’t know enough about how co-ops work so I may have to make a trip to the library on my day off.
Any recommended reading?
Don’t just get angry Adonijah, get involved. Whether Labour, Green or even Hone’s crew get active. This is the only way that ordinary people will change things for the better.
@Adonijah
To add to what ms has already said… it will feel like an act of revenge for what was done to you, and in the process you will meet some great people.
I’m in. I give my party vote to the good guys but it still feels like pissing in the wind sometimes. I don’t really care for this government thing we have, Democracy seems like a giant misnomer to me. Demos Kratos, For the people by the people, right? Heck. Really?
What you need to do first is to make sure that you vote left. Then persuade a mate to vote left. Then persuade 2 mates to vote left. Then persuade three mates …
Name and shame the place of business.
Adonijah
Iâm so sorry to read of your plight – this kind of crap makes my blood boil.
I’ve been in my present job for some years and I’m always on guard for my fellow workers because I process the pays and know the law. I can tell you that if I wasn’t there there would be some abuses going on. As a result of this I’m not kindly regarded by management and constantly have to remind them that everything I do is completely correct and that I’ve checked with the Department of Labour.
Only today I had to say to one of them,â Well of course we have to pay for X as we can’t afford to have a whiff of scandal that we’re defrauding workers of their wages.” which I judged to be less direct than, “what, you’re going to rip this person off?” but it rankles that I have to remind people to act morally and within the law. If this person could immolate me on the spot there would be a pile of ash.
Fully agree with your sentiments on Key, he’s pure evil.
Please join a union when you can. If it’s any comfort to you, I went to some courses in the 80s run by the Employers’ Association and one guy taking a course said that middle management in NZ was some of the sorriest excuses for he’d ever seen where competence was concerned. I applaud you for pointing out what was wrong at work but unfortunately the arsehole who’s sacked you must have the most fragile ego going – heaven help us all.
I echo others’ good wishes in your having to deal with WINZ – the description in the above paragraph would seem to suit them to a T.
Latest Roy Morgan, not much change, Nats and Labour up marginally. Next one should be interesting, ACT up, Nats down?
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2011/4661/
Aye and I wait for the MSM to say that Labour is at 32%. The way the Reid Research results were taken as valid and repeated and repeated and repeated makes you wonder about possible bias in the MSM.
The sort of bias multi million dollar loans at below market interest rates buys? Nah, couldn’t possibly happen here!
I was wrong above, by the way. The Nats haven’t improved, but the overall right lead went up by one due to a lift for the Maori party.
It suggests TV3/Reid was a blip and anyway it’s sort of moot since the polling was done before Brash got hyper on Easter eggs.
It may take two or three polls to get an idea of how things are likely to pan out.
Ahhh PeteG
Care to agree now that you may not have been right trumpeting that Labour was down to 27% and that the Reid Research poll may not have been accurate?
Take it easy on Pete, he’s had a tough day over at the sewer. Funnily enough, some people over there think he’s a concern troll. A leftist concern troll, ho ho.
“Pete George@10:38am on the previous thread: âAh yes, and Banks. Brashâs new Exclusive Brother.â
You had quite a lot to say in 10 comments on the earlier Brash thread â much of it questioning Act / National in ever-so-reasonable tones calculated to conceal support for policies of the left.”
Loved ‘exclusive brother’ though, Pete!
Ahhh MS, care to agree now that you weren’t a teensy weensy bit worried about 27%?
I’m sure you know one poll at odds with others shouldn’t be taken too seriously unless it repeats.
But of you look at the Roy Morgan poll graph you will no doubt be hoping that another sub 30 blip won’t coincide with the end of November. Look more closely – it has a record of diving in November, that’s what’s happened in 2009 and 2010.
Roy Morgan poll continuously and have a very good record.
BTW PeteG I know that you do not want to read “The Hollow Men” but I found an alternative for you. Have a look at http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-hollow-men-2008 released very fortuitously today. Watch it and be very afraid. This is about the people who could take over our country. Be very afraid …
BTW MS, I’ve never been a fan of Brash, I was pleased he failed in 2005, and I will be very wary of the Brash Act. His initial surprising success is tempered by that fact he wants Banks to try and keep Epsom in the Act camp.
BTW, I’ve never been a fan of Banks either. I rate Boscawen as a genuine guy and a hard worker. There’s nothing much else to speak of once they lose Hide’s experience – he made mistakes and wasn’t always aiming at the right targets but he had many successes too, and knew the system well.
Wow PeteG
I agree with almost everything you said except the suggestion that Hide achieved anything positive …
That trend on the GCR doesn’t look very good for the government.
And its going to keep declining.
People are getting a bad feeling about this Government, the issue is that they do not know what to do about it yet, and as a default until they do, they will keep picking National and Key.
And its going to keep declining.
I’m picking this winter to be one of the most unhappy since the mid-90s, which will ensure the GCR drops further. There must be a point on the GCR where it drags the government don with it.
The location of that point depends on a large extent on the guts of the opposition parties.
Key must fumble, but the Opposition must be in position to catch the ball when he does that, and must then run with it straight to the try line.
After $10 Million has been spent by police, the family members of the Pike River miners and the mayor are demanding that more money be spent to remove their bodies.
Although they are grieving, it cannot be said that NZ has not gone to great efforts and money expended to retrieve the bodies. Plus open their own wallets for them.
It may be that some decisions made by the rescue team, in hindsight, were wrong but the very expensive royal commission will determine that.
Surely there is a limit to which the NZ taxpayer could be expected to go to retrieve the bodies of people who knowingly engaged in an activity that could have resulted in them being entombed in a mountain.
What really saddens me, is in holding this view, I find I am sounding like some RWNJ – but hey! It could be some recessive mutant gene coming to the fore.
You would think so.
It all depends upon why you hold the view that you do. To save limited resources or to give tax cuts to the rich. The RWNJs, of course, are all for the latter.
Bizarre item on Clive tonight – a woman whinging because Asians are buying baby “formula” to send to China, and a reporter trying to make a Chinese woman feel guilty because she’s buying it to send to her baby nephew who was caught in the Chinese earthquake last year…That’s a crime? A daddy does an email whine that he has to go to “two different ‘stores’ to get the ‘formula” for his family.
I brought up 3 kids and never used ‘formula’ ever.
(As a friend point out years ago, ‘store’ is one of the sillier americanisms. Stores are warehouses, they sell wholesale stuff, and the places that sell retail are *shops*!)
Idiotic people thinking food out of a machine is better for baby than food from an in tune with her own baby mother’s body.
National Coal Expert: âMining is a Loserâ in Practically Every Way
I think that should be enough to get everyone wondering just who benefits from coal mining in NZ as well.