Let us hope to see much more of this from all the opposition MPs.
If the mass public campaign being waged by the opposition parties creates enough pressure it will squeeze that political pimple Dunne, and remove Key’s razor thin majority in favor of asset sales.
Congratulations to all those involved in this campaign.
I’d love to believe that Dunne can see sense and modify his stance but let’s face it he sold out to whoever would give him some power and isn’t coming back.
Weasels like Petey G put the position out there for all to see, morality and equity sold to the highest bidder which in this case was shonkey offering the revenue minister position from which Dunne has presided over tax cuts, abolishing duty etc…..see where this is going.
Dunne was student Pres when I started Uni. He was well known to bribe the clubs with funding from the Studass fee, bit here bit there in return for votes. When he eventually lost it was off to a ALAC as CEO, another political sinecure where his well known wowserism fit only too well. Then to Labour as an MP. The rest is history, we have all been well and truly hoodwinked by this ratbag. It has only ever been about Peter, attending events around Karori has only ever been about Peter and votes. The guy is the ultimate chameleon, but under it all he is merely Peter, a charlatan, for sale to the highest bidder, scumbag.
It has sickened me to watch him turn up at every bloody event in the electorate just long enough to be seen. He even tagged on to the kids kapa haka group in the Tawa Christmas parade one year and walked down the main street with them.
Mere petty cash compared to the larcenous Jamie Dimond and the big boy banksters on Wall St. Trust? They get lauded as they thumb their noses at deposit holders, the whole facade of trust upheld because the big deposit holders are also busy ripping off you and me.
This comes as no surprise to me, and makes a lie of the government’s mantra about wanting to make every potential worker, including the sick and disabled, apply for, and take up (primarily shit work for shit pay) as part of a reserve army of casual employees on call for potential employers for their own wellbing. The mantra goes that any paid employment is always better for all individuals in all circumstances, than not undertaking paid work, even where the person is recuperating from illness or injury.
Unemployed Kiwis have a better overall level of wellbeing than “disengaged” employees, according to consulting company Gallup’s global wellbeing finder.
Some 72 per cent of New Zealanders are actively disengaged in the workforce, with 59 per cent of disengaged employees behaving poorly with family and friends after a stressful day’s work, the survey found. That compared with 34 per cent of engaged employees who behaved badly…
Sea Shepherd, Sea Shepherd U.K. and Captain Paul Watson have won the lawsuit filed by Maltese fish brokerage firm, Fish & Fish, that was filed in response to the release of 800 illegally caught Bluefin tuna in June 2010 off the coast of Libya . . .
“ACC Minister Judith Collins will set out tough new expectations in a new contract with the troubled corporation â to be tabled in Parliament today.
The document is a rolling three-year service and purchase agreement between the Government and the state insurer. ”
ACC is of course not an “insurer” in the normally used meaning of the term – it is an arm of government charged with administering aspects of an Act of Parliament. If they need instruction, surely the place to start is with the legislation. Will we see a “rolling three year service and purchase agreement” with Inland Revenue? Will they be tasked with bring in more taxation revenue than can be derived from the basis set out in relevant legislation? Are there plans to contract tax collection to Ernst and Young if IRD don’t provide “value for money”? What about Ministerial services and other government bodies? Does any other part of government have a service and purchase agreement? This appears to be the privatisation agenda being pushed again!
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACC’s books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services. That is a high proportion of disputed claims being determined against ACC – reinforced by the Prime Minister’s statement that over the past six years the average percentage of disputed decisions found in the corporation’s favour is 71.8 per cent”. Surely the extreme turnaround in results of disputed decisions should have been questioned by the reporter – getting the equivalent figures for the other 5 of those six years would be a suitable information request.
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACCâs books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services. That is a high proportion of disputed claims being determined against ACC â reinforced by the Prime Ministerâs statement that over the past six years the average percentage of disputed decisions found in the corporationâs favour is 71.8 per centâ.
I wonder how many deals were negotiated to avoid going to the Dispute Resolution Service, as with me over physio? I had some physio, but then was rejected for further physio treatment. I launched a formal process to dispute. 1st stage is it goes to some ACC managers. I then got a phone call to say the managers had upheld the rejection decision.
However, the person on the phone expressed a willingness to negotiate with me and the physio, some way of getting me some more physio. The main reason for this seemed to be to avoid me taking it to the next stage, which would be going to the Dispute Resolution Service. The person on the phone mentioned how expensive it would be for ACC to go to the resolution service. Result, some more physio, but to be used sparingly over a reasonably long period.
i.e. if you’re articulate, persistent, and clearly show ACC people you know your rights, they are more likely to bend a little.
And I was puzzled by the reference to ACC as an insurer, also. Also, Collins willingness to renegotiate with ACC according to this rolling agreement, implies that the last agreement with government was too nasty to claimants – i.e. it ultimately puts the blame onto the government for the policy of dis-entitlement, by assuming claimants are fraudsters.
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACCâs books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services…
So ACC’s own dispute service has found that half of the long-term claimants who appealed being dumped from weekly compensation in the lastest government-directed cull, were unlwafully disentitled. A few wrong decisions are, I suppose, to be expected. But if this were a private company they would be investigated for systematic fraud.
The Dispute Resolution Service has become a battle ground between claimants and ACC. I would like to know what the issues are which claimants are taking to the Dispute Resolution Service.
Yesterday I heard on RNZ that a woman has been trying to get five counselling sessions from ACC and that she will have to pay a $50 surcharge per session. This woman is a sensitive claimant and her privacy was breached, she has told ACC to shove the pathetic $250 offer for having her privacy breached.
When it comes to Bennett settling claims for children who were harmed while in Social Welfare care, she is actually being constructive, I note that she is not revictimising claimants, this cannot be said for Collins and the way that she is handling sensitive claimants at ACC.
What Collins needs to get into her brain is that when a person has PTSD there are three essential stages for recovery:
1. Establishing safety
2. Reconstructing the traumatic story
3. Restoring the connection between the survivor and the community.
There is no room for error when it comes to ACC processing sensitive claimants because, no one would wish it apon themself to contact ACC with a sensitive claim and not be able to get the help that they are entitled to from ACC.
This news about Kiwirail went public yesterday afternoon. I’ve just been re-visiting it, as I didn’t understand what “write down” meant. But it seems now the opposition parties are claiming it means the government is setting up Kiwirail for privatisation…. again!
KiwiRail’s assets have been written down by more than $6 billion as part of a major restructure, but the Prime Minister insists the move isn’t being done with a view to selling the rail company.
[…]
KiwiRail’s assets have been written down by more than $6 billion as part of a major restructure, but the Prime Minister insists the move isn’t being done with a view to selling the rail company.
Labour says the Government is setting it up to fail.
“KiwiRail is being lined up as the next asset to go on the auction block, just 24 hours after a law was passed allowing it to sell off our power companies,” state-owned enterprises spokesman Clayton Cosgrove said.
“It has no intention of turning the company around, it is simply softening up New Zealand for the news that KiwiRail is part of the asset sales agenda.”
NZ First leader Winston Peters says KiwiRail is being deliberately devalued so it can be “flicked off cheap” to a private investor.
“Given our disastrous history of rail infrastructure when it was sold to private owners by National in the 1990s, this latest threat needs to be taken seriously,” he said.
“The rail network is a critical part of our transport infrastructure, not a financial bauble to be parcelled around to National’s financial friends.”
Kiwirail are to shed 300 jobs. What a pity the workers are bearing the burden of recent poor spending decisions. One may have thought that Management would have mopped up the over paid contractors and consultants before the cuts. How can one justify General Managers on 40k/month (evidence available) especially when they are in these positions for years at a time.
Coming up on Question time today, Clayton Cosgrove on KiwiRail, Cunliffe on NZ’s clean green image, Clare Curran on public broadcasting, Gareth Hughes on conservation and oil exploration n marine areas.
How about this one?
MAGGIE BARRY to the Minister of Finance: How will the Better Public Services results targets announced this week contribute to a stronger economy?
Joyce just danced around trying not to directly answer the question asking for an assurance that the government wouldn’t try to sell KiwiRail. He said he wanted to give context first, showing why it wouldn’t be possible to sell KiwiRail.
When well paid (Brit) bank functionaries manipulated a system meant to give clear and transparent signals guiding interest rates (and were found out) they lost their bonuses. Oh dear, a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket. While not well-paid people hardly able to function at all – their misdemeanours involve court cases and confinement and obloquy (a word that emerged from the recesses of my mind – I wonder what else is lurking down there?)
Also on banks – see Red Logix at No.2 today. Wow cybercrime.
Brownlee and Heatley coldly put the dampers on Dr Pita Sharples pragmatic suggestion of using houses in the red zones for shelter by people sleeping in cars and less sheltered places in Christchurch during snow, sleet, hail, and bloody cold times.
Brownlee is disgusting, uncommitted to working for all Christchurch’s wellbeing. He is horribly filling my low expectations of his work level and concern for Christchurch people. Heatley, and all Housing Ministers that don’t try to cope fairly and make concrete efforts to meet the needs of the low income housing sector are just t..ds that should be properly swept away so a smart and humane politician can get in and tackle the job.
CIV 2011 004 2497, Auckland Council v The occupiers of Aotea Square
‘Contempt’ proceedings against Occupy Auckland by Auckland Council have been discontinued.
Email received from Auckland District Registry Officer 26/6/2012
“Dear All,
Please note that the counsel for the plaintiff has filed a Notice of Discontinuance, hence fixture scheduled for 29th June 2012 is vacated.
Regards
……………….
Court Registry Officer
Civil and Family Services – Case Management Team
Auckland District Court
Ministry of Justice | Tahu o te Ture ”
____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Named Party in the above-mentioned (now discontinued) proceedings.
Mr.com may walk free from court, and good on the courts for refusing to countenance the craven poodle-hood of the crown, but he will forever be tainted by the stink of John Banks.
The guy hadn’t been here long, and I really doubt with all the exciting stuff he has going on that he would care much about NZ politics. You can’t expect him to understand the politics and history of the likes of Banks on the level a local would. I recon it was far more likely Banks was chasing after the likes of Dotcom anyway. The German guy probably thought ok a former local mayor want’s to hang with me, cool, why not have an ally like this on my side. And then Banks turned out to be a rather fair weather friend, and the rest is history. If anything the whole charade gives quite a good illustration of Banks character, and I thank Mr Dotcom for his contributions on that subject for us all the share.
In a case like this the police must have been more careful than usual. It makes me wonder how many illegal warrants are served on ordinary shmucks who don’t have unlimited resources to pay for top legal teams.
What’s almost of more concern is the NZ Police going after a very high profile, highly resourced target with guns drawn…not having dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s.
Appalling judgement and preparation, costing the NZ tax payer hugely.
slapped over Crafar I
slapped over Akaroa Marine Reserve
Slapped over dotcom.
Soon to be slapped over Casino.
Soon to be slapped over Crafar II
.
.
.
I guess that’s what you get when you’re simple and slap happy.
Good news true. Lucky away back then, Mr John Key knew absolutely nothing about Dotcom before the raid. The PM wisely kept right out of the months of events leading up to the arrest. Or so says Mr Key?????
Suppose his minders might have told Key to keep right away because he had nothing to gain. But really! The PM of NZ knew nothing of a mega millionaire who lived in his Electorate? Yeah right!
…particularly when an organisation like the FBI were seeking extradition.
Time for a Tui add.
Key and his mates must have been kept very well informed of all stages of this one.
It’s time for another one of those Fran Mold interviews like the one over the Tranzrail shares. John Campbell was getting there but let the “snake” go.
Pinnochio’s nose keeps getting longer.
Yeah and a team of FBI arriving, and one of the biggest militarised raids by the police in many a year. And this guy is supposed to be absolute head of internal security or something. So whoever the 2nd in chain of command is, seems to think it’s a brilliant idea to only inform Mr key about such a major raid 24hrs before hand.
This just in (3News)..
Bull English lets go his latest brainfart… mandatory drug testing for all beneficiaries!
The Americans have already suggested that, so we know where his idea comes from…
(Interesting. The line about Ewen McDonald’s ‘intense personal hatred’ that Stuff has had up all day, comes from the Prosecution it seems.)
Intense personal hatred seems a good description given the things McDonald has admitted already. Y’know, the poison pen letters, the graffiti. The burning down the house.
Â
I think the big interest comes from the nature of the crime and the relationships of the people involved. Plus the long time before the arrest which led to tons of idle gossip. There’s a Shakespearean element to it, I guess. Or maybe it’s more Kane and Abel?
While I don’t support mandatory drug testing (for anyone) I don’t want tax dollars meant for life’s necessities being spent on drugs. Though on how to stop it I’d offer few solutions.
And then of course we could go outside the WINZ office and check their cars for warrants and regos. Not up to scratch…….fuck this underclass ! They’re not getting |”our” money.
Ridiculous……..of course. Equally ridiculous to suggest denying the benefit for a positive drugs test. At the very worst, the very worst ……..if a former beneficiary comes along to WINZ asking for reinstatement because he lost his job on failing a drug test……..say no. Until you turn up with a negative test.
You’re discriminating otherwise and you’re a mongrel. Especially when that particular lark, that fomenting of hatred against beneficiaries, is not because you really hate them. It’s simply, in the case of Blinglish et al, to keep their fat undeserving arses in parliamentary seats with ready access to all the baubles that come with that.
In the case of the non-parliametarians it reflects the pathological need to have someone “below” to kick. And those with that need are weak people who hide from their own secret sense of inadequacy.
I repeat my advice…….everybody who’s seen a National Party MP sucking on a joint, whenever it happened, come right out and say it. Make these hypoctrites live with the shit they’re so happy to heap on the “despicable poor” they’re so happy to identify and demonise. There’d be quite a few Tory aresholes sweating just a bit I reckon. Do it. Fuck their hypocrisy !
I see on 3 news that the Royal NZ Navy is turning into ghost ships. May be instead of Aussie mining recruitment going to the Devon Port Base, the NZ Navy should just sail over to Aussie and unload.
Blinglish on TV One News tonight musing about denying the benefit to those who don’t pass drug tests. Loud cheering from his Federated Farmers audience.
How I would love to know the name of everyone of those cheering aresholes……and have the capacity to go through the backgrounds of every single one of them, and their kids.
We edge inexorably towards a nation utterly without morals while these bastards use any vile tactic to keep their fat arses in parliamentary seats.
How about every member of their caucus sit down and tell me the truth about what they’ve done in their lives ? I wanna hear Blinglish truthfully tell me about his university days. Also Paula When I Was On The Bennie……..everything about herself.
Or maybe people who’ve known any number of them in the course of their lives should just make a call to the old talkback tonight. Make no accusations…….just mention a name.
The FBI were under pressure from the powerful movie and music industry to send a chilling effect through the world of cyber lockers/file hosts.
Â
So who do they go after?
– The hosts housed in the US? – no.
– The hosts in Switzerland? – no.
– The hosts in Russia? – no.
– The hosts in Germany? – no.
Panama, Hong Kong, Canada, Ukraine, China, Italy, Spain?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Â
The went after someone in NZ. – Why? Because they could.
What an ideal situation for them.
A German guy. A fat guy. A larger than life character who could be portrayed as an ostentatious rich guy who is fleecing people of their money and rights. Living in a country do far away that US journalist would not travel to.
And best of all – a compliant NZ Police ready and waiting with barrels of K.J. – who are far too “aroused” at the thought of partying with the Americans.
Â
The only thing that would have made it a perfect story for the American media would be if the guy was a funder of terrorism, a terrorist himself and he was in fact French!
Â
The raids in the Urewera and Wellington.
The raid on Kim Dotcom.
The speeding ticket I got the other day.
There’s something rotten in the state police.
Ain’t it sad for NZ that the only guy who could fuck Botox Banks was the fellow you call the “fat German” ?
It’s beautiful in the consummation though so Rah Rah Rah Sir Kiwi Dotcom. Even if you were a Tory arse-lick. I’m not even gonna complain about the no-balls of the media or the aspirational wannabe wankers who voted for Smile and Wave…….currently looking like an impatient little bully who reallly can’t be fucked with it all.
Happy birthday Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A lot to argue with (which apparently is why he’s encrypted facing Voltaire in the Pantheon in Paris – so they can argue through eternity) but he did theorise the idea of egalitarianism. Something to be remembered for. Also:
His greatest work, The Social Contract, speaks up for the rights of the citizenry in the teeth of private interests. He would also be struck by the way the democracy he cherished so dearly is under siege from corporate power and a manipulative media. Society, he taught, was a matter of common bonds, not just a commercial transaction. In true republican fashion, it was a place where men and women could flourish as ends in themselves, not as a set of devices for promoting their selfish interests.
The same, he thought, should be true of education. Rousseau ranks among the great educational theorists of the modern era, even if he was the last man to put in charge of a classroom. Young adults, he thought, should be allowed to develop their capabilities in their distinctive way. They should also delight in doing so as an end in itself.
“Young adults, he thought, should be allowed to develop their capabilities in their distinctive way. They should also delight in doing so as an end in itself.”
Sounds like Neill’s type of education practice.
Anyway the civil society is very civil these days. No one at Barclays bank is going to lose their jobs after they were found to have manipulated the Libor rate.
fined 290 millions pounds but the boss only lost his 1.7 million pound bonus.
nice work if you can get it in the FREE market.
I think people are gradually understanding this government’s agenda. Over 100 000 people have signed the petition for a referendum on assets sales.
How can we further increase the ripple effect to ensure ‘Mum and Dad investors’ wake up and realise that John Key and his government does not care about them – they are only interested in the 1% investors?
Ideas please
So who owns the river bed and does the Supreme Court have the power to make case law.
These are vital questions especially after the Supreme Court decided it could do away with the supervision of the Privy Council.
Now they too are just doing what they like.
I guess Kweewee just gave them a mandate out of his mandate bag?
Bill English has privately stated, apparently, that he doesn’t think the projects will get final approval and Eric Roy has been heard saying that he doesn’t personally agree with them. Why doesn’t the Government come out and stop this waste of time and energy from both sides and declare the projects incompatible with the values of conservation environments. We could then concentrate on initiatives that bring real value to our country. Turning Fiordland into some sort of theme park is one big “fail”.
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It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
Labourâs Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the leadersâ debate on Newshubâs evening programme, and most of the pundits rated him the winner against Nationalâs Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem for Hipkins is that voters are all too ...
Buzz from the Beehive Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
The D&W analysisMichael Grimshaw writes –Â Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this yearâs general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-Â Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving.They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
Buzz from the BeehivePoint of Order has waited until now â 3.45pm – for todayâs officially posted government announcements. There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehiveâs website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
Alex Holland writes –Â In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealandâs government debt ...
Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
The Facts has posted –Â Â Â Â KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealanderâs polled: Social unity/division77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% âmuch moreâ + 35% âa little moreâ) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% âmuch lessâ + 2% âa little lessâ) ...
The centre-rightâs enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealandâs general election, Britainâs PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. Heâs announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative governmentâs approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I donât like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan â for 3000 more public homes by 2025 â is the most recent to be posted on the governmentâs official website. Another â a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. Itâs therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
Voters are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris Hipkinsâ valiant rearguard action. So where are they heading? Clearly not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that the outcome will be âcloseâ. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a few weeks ago  was ...
Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out.Graham Adams writes –Â Â With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice â including in water management, education, planning law and local government â remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. Thatâs why yesterdayâs Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
Labour is in it for you. This election Kiwis will decide what kind of country they want New Zealand to be, who they trust to have their back, and how we can be better, together. This election matters. View our full Manifesto below. ...
The National Party's U-turn on water reform has left local councils high and dry and will drive up Kiwi's rates bills, Labour Party Local Government Spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says. ...
A re-elected Labour Party will continue to tackle discriminations still faced by members of the Rainbow community in areas ranging from surrogacy and adoption to blood donation. ...
Nationalâs fiscal plan has failed to fill the massive fiscal hole in its dodgy tax scheme, it will mean more cuts to public services, more children being put into poverty and an end to action on climate change. ...
New Zealand First Policy Announcement:Law and Order New Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected. That is why New Zealand First continues to fix the flaws in ...
In last nightâs leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the âdisease of co-governanceâ that is perpetuated by the MÄori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
In last nightâs leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the âdisease of co-governanceâ that is perpetuated by the MÄori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
After years of criticising the Government on law and order, National have embarrassed themselves by conceding they have no new ideas and instead copied Labourâs Police policy announced three weeks ago, Labour Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen says. ...
Labourâs fiscal plan will continue its focus on carefully managing the books while protecting critical public services like health and education and investing to deliver high wage jobs and a low carbon economy. ...
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit.New Zealand Firstâs policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit.New Zealand Firstâs policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
Nationalâs cuts to funding for beneficiaries will once again leave children and their parents with less, Spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
The Green Party will double the Best Start payment and make it available for every child under three years of age - and it will be paid for with a fair tax system. ...
Labour will fund more medicines for more New Zealanders by investing over $1 billion of new funding into Pharmac if re-elected, Chris Hipkins announced today. ...
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines.With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrallâs own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines.With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrallâs own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
New Zealand faces a stark choice this election â vote for Labour to continue to confront the climate emergency with eyes wide open or bury your head in the sand alongside Christopher Luxon. ...
Labour is supercharging its plan to solve the public housing shortfall created by National, promising another 6,000 homes on top of what has already been committed says Labour Housing spokesperson Dr Megan Woods. ...
Labour will back migrant working families by introducing a 10-year multiple-entry parentsâ and grandparentsâ Super Visa, and make good on the Dawn Raids apology by providing a one-off visa for overstayers who have been in the country ten years or more, Labourâs Immigration Spokesperson Andrew Little says. ...
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour coming to the table to ensure an amnesty for overstayers, but only the Greens will ensure immigration settings actually reflect the reality of people who have been failed by our immigration system. ...
The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and replant the native forest it cleared, and protect all the remaining trees on Ngahere Road in Pukekohe after a significant number of native trees were cut ...
Latest Police data shows monthly ram raids have hit a two-year low, laying waste to Christopher Luxonâs false claim that there are two ram raids a day says Labourâs Police Spokesperson Ginny Andersen. ...
Free and healthy school lunches will be here to stay if Labour is re-elected, guaranteeing food for our kids who need it most and significant cost saving for parents. ...
The next Labour Government will build a new hospital in Hawkeâs Bay, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall announced. ...
The Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government picked up Green recommendations to improve immigration settings. ...
Green Party co leader James Shaw visited a home in Auckland today that has been upgraded with a wide range of energy improvements, similar to those that would be supported through the Green Partyâs Clean Power Payment. ...
The Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahutaâs presence in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly is a contempt of New Zealandâs âcaretaker governmentâ convention. Despite the long-standing caretaker convention, Minister Mahuta is today at the UN to sign a highly contentious âBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreementâ, delivering a ...
The Pre-Election Fiscal Update Changes EverythingWithin an hour of this speech there is going to be a debate between the political parties that the media, under MMP, still think are the only parties that matter in this campaign. Both of those parties are riddled with inexperience, as evidenced by ...
National and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...
New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. âThe NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pƫkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers â with over 200 charging ports altogether â across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu â Tuvalu Language Week. âThe Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,â Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. âMany ...
Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the MÄori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 MÄori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. âWeâve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
MÄori: Kua waitohua e Te WhÄnau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te WhÄnau a Apanui me te Karauna i tÄtahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i Ć rÄtou tÄhuhu kerÄme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mÄ rua ngÄ hapĆ« o roto mai o Te WhÄnau ...
Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. âWeâre delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
Tangi ngunguru ana ngÄ tai ki te wahapĆ« o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. TÄrehu ana ngÄ pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngÄ manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o TÄne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tĆ« ana ...
40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. âAs a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielleâs wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawkeâs Bayâs Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. âThe Repco Supercars Championship is ...
The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. âThe New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,â Grant Robertson said. âItâs continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
The Government has accepted the Environment Courtâs recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealandâs largest freshwater springs, Te WaikoropupĆ« Springs (also known as PupĆ« Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.  âTe WaikoropupĆ« Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
An export boost is supporting New Zealandâs economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. âThe economy is ...
The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the TairÄwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. âTe Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the WaipÄoa River ...
The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. âCyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,â Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. âBuilding on our earlier business support, this ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. âThis new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,â Andrew Little said. âThis Government ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. âAddressing historical pay ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last weekâs earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. âWe are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,â Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouthâs CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. âIt will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministersâ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealandâs regional counterparts. âAotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,â ...
âIf Kiwis want to see Chris Hipkins really held to account next week at the Press Leaderâs Debate, Iâll take Christopher Luxonâs place and do it,â says ACT Leader David Seymour. âWho knows, this might be exactly the change voters who were ...
National's Auckland Central candidate says he assumes he was filmed at a restaurant and the video shared by a gang member because of his party's stance on gangs. Follow the latest with RNZ's live blog. ...
With 12 days to go, Labour and National are locked in rhetorical combat over the Press debate, which had been scheduled to take place before a live audience of 2,000 in Christchurch tomorrow night. Chris Hipkinsâ positive test for Covid-19 meant a rush to reschedule, but that appears to have ...
By Khalia Strong of Pacific Media Network Dozens of Pacific Islanders and Palagi defied the bitterly cold wind and rain for a peaceful âremember the Dawn Raidsâ march along Aucklandâs Ponsonby Road at the weekend. The Savali ole Filemu march recognised the anxiety which currently faces overstayers, and the pain ...
The organisers of a high-profile leaders' election debate say they worked to the last minute to find another date and it's "extremely disappointing" it has proved to be in vain. ...
Labour and Nationalâs campaign chairs have come out swinging following the cancellation of an election debate between party leaders that was due to go ahead tomorrow Labour says National is chickening out after the party confirmed Christopher Luxon had no free evenings between now and the election to participate in The ...
The New Zealand Taxpayersâ Union is calling on New Zealand First to release costings for each of their policies citing fears that they could cost more than Labourâs election spending spree. When questioned by Jack Tame on TVNZâs Q + A yesterday ...
A leading advocacy group and philanthropic foundation have put pen to paper on a significant funding agreement for ongoing work towards universal dental in Aotearoa New Zealand. Clare Foundation is today announcing a major three-year funding agreement ...
Over the weekend The Press reportedmultiplestories about toxic culture, resignations and cashflow issues at Christchurchâs Court Theatre. Sam Brooks explains what this means for the theatre itself and theatre in NZ on the whole.What is the Court Theatre?The Court Theatre is the countryâs largest theatre company ...
A palate cleanser to top off a busy day in politics. Auckland Council announced that it has purchased 1.6 hectares of land for $12.37m on Hill Road to extend the Auckland Gardens. In a statement, mayor Wayne Brown said that a large land acquisition is a difficult time to make ...
Alongside the cost of living and crime, Jack Tame is emerging as a critical issue in election 2023.There is no better tool to compare pledges this election than Policy.nz. It is disappointing to see, however, as of the time of writing, at least one glaring omission: Jack Tame. As ...
The next planned showdown between Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon in Christchurch appears to have been scrapped after no alternative date could be agreed to by the major parties. Labour said that while Hipkinsâ Covid diagnosis meant he could not participate in The Press debate tomorrow as planned, alternative dates ...
Details on the plan remain vague, with the party suggesting a new supermarket chain "could" be given loans or the government could help secure land for them. ...
National says its candidates and volunteers have faced threats from gang members, while ACT says such concerns should be dealt with quietly by police rather than in public. ...
Greenpeace is issuing a "please explain" to the Green Party after action on agricultural emissions was left off its list of policy priorities, released yesterday. "The dairy industry is New Zealandâs biggest polluter, responsible for driving ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Aside from humans, dingoes are Australiaâs largest land-based predator. They are arguably our most maligned, misunderstood, and mismanaged native species. But evidence suggests this iconic ...
Is this the most indecent produce ever to make it to novelty auction in NZ?Theyâre firm, fuzzy and ready to go. In their profile photo, the two excited kiwifruit are perfectly poised on what appears to be a white leather couch, showing off their best angles in a way ...
Grant Robertsonâs claim that there is a âholeâ in the funding as of a result of scraping Three Waters is nonsense on stilts. Taxpayersâ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says: âGrant Robertson is trying to frame opponents of Three Waters ...
We have published some information about a performance audit we are carrying out to examine the effectiveness of government arrangements to address child poverty. Reducing child poverty is a priority for the government. Achieving the legislative ...
What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.The biggies Our Flag Means Death (season two on Neon from October 6) From Stewart Sowman-Lundâs story on why ...
Itâs Monday, October 2nd and welcome to The Spinoffâs election live updates. There are just 12 days to go! Iâm Stewart Sowman-Lund, on deck from Auckland. Get in touch with me on[email protected]Find more about the political parties at Policy.nz The agenda With Chris Hipkins out with ...
There are only 12 days until the 2023 New Zealand General Election â but you can start voting today! âChange never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the ...
The Labour Partyâs accused National leader Christopher Luxon of âtaking advantage of Chris Hipkinsâs sicknessâ. In a statement, Labourâs campaign chair Megan Woods said that Luxon was trying to âslip outâ of an agreed debate in Christchurch that had been scheduled for tomorrow night. With Hipkins out of action with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas White, Senior lecturer, University of Sydney Shutterstock The brain is an evolutionary marvel. By shifting the control of sensing and behaviour to this central organ, animals (including us) are able to flexibly respond and flourish in unpredictable environments. One ...
Jubi News in Jayapura The Indonesia Art Movement has collaborated with the Monj Hen Wani Community and environmental advocates in Papua to organise the âArumbay Tonotwiyatâ â the Womenâs Forest Peopleâs Party. The event took place beneath the lush canopy of Enggros villageâs mangrove forest Abepura District, Jayapura City last ...
Seniors and Superannuation: · NZ First will keep the age of National Superannuation entitlement at 65 years and the current 66% of net average wage maintained, and not lowered by shifting the link to inflation. · NZ First will fund rates relief for ...
Wellington ( Monday, 2 October 2023 ) - The New Zealand Initiative welcomed todayâs announcement that a re-elected Labour government would ease the path for new grocers to enter the New Zealand market. But it also warned against subsidising entry. The ...
Yesterdayâs fiery Q&A interview with Winston Peters saw the New Zealand First leader give host Jack Tame a range of unusual nicknames, including that he was a âdirt merchantâ and âcorruptâ. But Nationalâs Christopher Luxon, who may be forced to work with Peters after October 14, wouldnât go into detail ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ann Kayis-Kumar, Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney ATO Why do I suddenly owe tax this year? This is one of the most Googled questions in Australia right now. And rightly so. Ever since Australiaâs transition to self-assessment for ...
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After testing positive yesterday for Covid-19, Chris Hipkins âis still feeling quite unwellâ, according to a spokesperson. âHeâs undertaking limited duties today, but aiming to pick up more things remotely from tomorrow, such as his morning media round.â Hipkins, who has come down with the virus for the second time, will ...
On Wednesday, the winner of the 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Award will be announced. Here, the five shortlisted nominees â Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins, The Beths, UMO and Tom Scott â spread the love for each otherâs songs.Liz Stokes of The Beths on âFriday Night @ The Liquor ...
Responding to the Labour Partyâs announcement that they intend to subsidise grocery stores to try and enable competition in New Zealandâs grocery sector, Taxpayersâ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: âThere is a lack of competition in New ...
The Zero Waste Network is ramping up calls for the next government to institute an immediate moratorium on incineration of mixed solid waste following a packed out community meeting in Te Awamutu where an incinerator is being proposed. âThere ...
âThe PMC Projectâ . . . a 2016 short documentary about the centre by then student journalist and Pacific Media Watch editor Alistar Kata.Pacific Media Watch An award-winning website with an archive of thousands of Pacific news reports, videos, images and research abstracts regarded as a pioneering initiative for ...
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New Zealand Police are once again showing a political bias in the lead-up to the election. A press release from the 28th of September titled 10,000th person signs up to the Firearms Registry was celebrating the minority of firearms license holders ...
A Labour-led government would support new supermarket retailers to enter the market, said consumer affairs spokesperson Duncan Webb in a press release. Citing how Sanitarium has removed Weet Bix from budget retailer The Warehouse, Webb said assissting potential new supermarket âcould include finance, making sure land is available, regulatory changes, ...
This election day, The Spinoff will once again be bringing you nothing but live pupdates until 7pm. In 2020, we showcased big dogs, small dogs, long dogs, short dogs, hairy dogs, happy dogs, nervy dogs, silly dogs, stylish dogs, sleeping dogs, pissing dogs and not-really-dog dogs exercising their democratic right â ...
Our two major partiesâ health spokespeople say they know how to create a more sustainable health system. Labourâs Ayesha Verrall and Nationalâs Shane Reti talk to Zahra Shahtahmasebi about the different paths they would walk.Ayesha Verrallâs health philosophy is to invest in keeping New Zealanders well and out of ...
With just 12 days until polling day, you can now cast your early vote in Election 2023. âVoting places will be open before election day in convenient locations including shopping areas, transport hubs, kura, marae, community halls and sports clubs, to make it easy for people to vote as they ...
Early voting has opened and weâre now less than two weeks out from election day. With the prime minister out of action until Friday with Covid-19, hereâs how the campaignâs looking this Monday. In Auckland today, there will be a Labour Party commerce announcement with Duncan Webb. Out of ...
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Standard advance voting for the 2023 general election starts today. We walk you through the process from start to finish. How do I vote? You go to a voting place during the voting period and tick a piece of paper. Simple! I am very literally-minded and have further questions. Fire ...
Surging demand has forced a government shared ownership scheme to close its doors to prospective borrowers, Newshubâs Zane Small reports. The KÄinga Ora-backed First Home Partner scheme, which offered a path to home ownership for prospective first home buyers with low deposits, is now fully subscribed. It has more than 410 ...
Christopher Luxon has pushed back against âconspiracy theory argumentsâ during a two-hour appearance on Newstalk ZBâs Mike Hosking breakfast. Hosking read out what he called a âstupidâ question from a listener about the â20-minute cityâ theory, using it to ask Luxon how much ânuttinessâ was out on the campaign trail. ...
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The Wairarapa MP talks to Stewart Sowman-Lund about his commitment to the regions â and why he definitely doesnât want to be prime minister.Itâs a cold and blustery day in central Hawkeâs Bay, but Labour minister and Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty has still attracted a small group of prospective ...
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As advance voting gets under way, the signs point to a significant drop in participation, reckons Toby Manhire.âIt seems to me from a distance,â said former Tory minister Rory Stewart, beginning a question to Chris Hipkins, âmaybe this is very unfair ââ Doubt it, Rory, carry on. âThat when ...
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The Greens led campaign really seems to have spooked the government and Key in particular.
Leading from a back foot position, it is heartening to see what an parliamentary opposition party can do, when they get stuck in.
http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=24458
Let us hope to see much more of this from all the opposition MPs.
If the mass public campaign being waged by the opposition parties creates enough pressure it will squeeze that political pimple Dunne, and remove Key’s razor thin majority in favor of asset sales.
Congratulations to all those involved in this campaign.
Kia kaha keep up the good work.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7175222/Asset-sales-fight-not-over-vows-Opposition
I’d love to believe that Dunne can see sense and modify his stance but let’s face it he sold out to whoever would give him some power and isn’t coming back.
Weasels like Petey G put the position out there for all to see, morality and equity sold to the highest bidder which in this case was shonkey offering the revenue minister position from which Dunne has presided over tax cuts, abolishing duty etc…..see where this is going.
Dunne was student Pres when I started Uni. He was well known to bribe the clubs with funding from the Studass fee, bit here bit there in return for votes. When he eventually lost it was off to a ALAC as CEO, another political sinecure where his well known wowserism fit only too well. Then to Labour as an MP. The rest is history, we have all been well and truly hoodwinked by this ratbag. It has only ever been about Peter, attending events around Karori has only ever been about Peter and votes. The guy is the ultimate chameleon, but under it all he is merely Peter, a charlatan, for sale to the highest bidder, scumbag.
It has sickened me to watch him turn up at every bloody event in the electorate just long enough to be seen. He even tagged on to the kids kapa haka group in the Tawa Christmas parade one year and walked down the main street with them.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10815884
http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/201226/SCCZEN_270612SPLDUNN1_460x230.jpg
My hair may look funny, but it makes me the money! He looked pretty sheepish on back benchers last night. Jacinda challenged him to save backbenchers.
I didn’t see the episode. Did Jacinda promise to restablish Backbenchers in 2014? If not, why not?
Can’t answer as I haven’t yet watched it and am about to do so, but here is a link to it on TVNZ On Demand.
http://tvnz.co.nz/back-benches/s8-ep20-video-4948969
Jacinda said, if Backbenches wasn’t re-instated before Labour got into power in 2014, then Labour would re-instate.
And Dunne accused Turei of being ideologically biased/blinded on asset sales, which he said make perfect economic sense.
đ đ đ
Oh Jenny, ‘squeeze that political pimple Dunne’ – what a funny analogy.
Given that the entire banking system is based on trust… is this the end of trust?
Mere petty cash compared to the larcenous Jamie Dimond and the big boy banksters on Wall St. Trust? They get lauded as they thumb their noses at deposit holders, the whole facade of trust upheld because the big deposit holders are also busy ripping off you and me.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10815932
This comes as no surprise to me, and makes a lie of the government’s mantra about wanting to make every potential worker, including the sick and disabled, apply for, and take up (primarily shit work for shit pay) as part of a reserve army of casual employees on call for potential employers for their own wellbing. The mantra goes that any paid employment is always better for all individuals in all circumstances, than not undertaking paid work, even where the person is recuperating from illness or injury.
Unemployed Kiwis have a better overall level of wellbeing than “disengaged” employees, according to consulting company Gallup’s global wellbeing finder.
Some 72 per cent of New Zealanders are actively disengaged in the workforce, with 59 per cent of disengaged employees behaving poorly with family and friends after a stressful day’s work, the survey found. That compared with 34 per cent of engaged employees who behaved badly…
.
Some good news . . .
Very good news, Watson may have faults – arguable, but he gets the job done. An activist you can respect.
Does anyone else find this article a little bizarre?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7182650/New-contract-to-rebalance-ACC-targets
“ACC Minister Judith Collins will set out tough new expectations in a new contract with the troubled corporation â to be tabled in Parliament today.
The document is a rolling three-year service and purchase agreement between the Government and the state insurer. ”
ACC is of course not an “insurer” in the normally used meaning of the term – it is an arm of government charged with administering aspects of an Act of Parliament. If they need instruction, surely the place to start is with the legislation. Will we see a “rolling three year service and purchase agreement” with Inland Revenue? Will they be tasked with bring in more taxation revenue than can be derived from the basis set out in relevant legislation? Are there plans to contract tax collection to Ernst and Young if IRD don’t provide “value for money”? What about Ministerial services and other government bodies? Does any other part of government have a service and purchase agreement? This appears to be the privatisation agenda being pushed again!
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACC’s books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services. That is a high proportion of disputed claims being determined against ACC – reinforced by the Prime Minister’s statement that over the past six years the average percentage of disputed decisions found in the corporation’s favour is 71.8 per cent”. Surely the extreme turnaround in results of disputed decisions should have been questioned by the reporter – getting the equivalent figures for the other 5 of those six years would be a suitable information request.
Hmm… but this:
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACCâs books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services. That is a high proportion of disputed claims being determined against ACC â reinforced by the Prime Ministerâs statement that over the past six years the average percentage of disputed decisions found in the corporationâs favour is 71.8 per centâ.
I wonder how many deals were negotiated to avoid going to the Dispute Resolution Service, as with me over physio? I had some physio, but then was rejected for further physio treatment. I launched a formal process to dispute. 1st stage is it goes to some ACC managers. I then got a phone call to say the managers had upheld the rejection decision.
However, the person on the phone expressed a willingness to negotiate with me and the physio, some way of getting me some more physio. The main reason for this seemed to be to avoid me taking it to the next stage, which would be going to the Dispute Resolution Service. The person on the phone mentioned how expensive it would be for ACC to go to the resolution service. Result, some more physio, but to be used sparingly over a reasonably long period.
i.e. if you’re articulate, persistent, and clearly show ACC people you know your rights, they are more likely to bend a little.
And I was puzzled by the reference to ACC as an insurer, also. Also, Collins willingness to renegotiate with ACC according to this rolling agreement, implies that the last agreement with government was too nasty to claimants – i.e. it ultimately puts the blame onto the government for the policy of dis-entitlement, by assuming claimants are fraudsters.
Parliament has been told that Dispute Resolution Services upheld almost half of the appeals lodged by long-term claimants kicked off ACCâs books in 2012, and that the district court had also overturned half of ACC decisions upheld by Dispute Resolution Services…
So ACC’s own dispute service has found that half of the long-term claimants who appealed being dumped from weekly compensation in the lastest government-directed cull, were unlwafully disentitled. A few wrong decisions are, I suppose, to be expected. But if this were a private company they would be investigated for systematic fraud.
The Dispute Resolution Service has become a battle ground between claimants and ACC. I would like to know what the issues are which claimants are taking to the Dispute Resolution Service.
Yesterday I heard on RNZ that a woman has been trying to get five counselling sessions from ACC and that she will have to pay a $50 surcharge per session. This woman is a sensitive claimant and her privacy was breached, she has told ACC to shove the pathetic $250 offer for having her privacy breached.
When it comes to Bennett settling claims for children who were harmed while in Social Welfare care, she is actually being constructive, I note that she is not revictimising claimants, this cannot be said for Collins and the way that she is handling sensitive claimants at ACC.
What Collins needs to get into her brain is that when a person has PTSD there are three essential stages for recovery:
1. Establishing safety
2. Reconstructing the traumatic story
3. Restoring the connection between the survivor and the community.
http://anjperez.hubpages.com/hub/Stages-of-Recovery-in-PTSD
There is no room for error when it comes to ACC processing sensitive claimants because, no one would wish it apon themself to contact ACC with a sensitive claim and not be able to get the help that they are entitled to from ACC.
Got to love those Greens. Eat it and smile.
Shonkey caught being Shonkey. Again. Another set of dismal figures from ACC provide evidence of right wing incompetence. Again.
I’m being charitable by describing it as incompetence, because if it’s deliberate it’s despicable.
Choosing a time period like that aint incompetence, it is pants on fire nose growing dishonesty.
This news about Kiwirail went public yesterday afternoon. I’ve just been re-visiting it, as I didn’t understand what “write down” meant. But it seems now the opposition parties are claiming it means the government is setting up Kiwirail for privatisation…. again!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/109320/kiwirail%27s-balance-sheet-restructured
http://www.3news.co.nz/KiwiRail-will-be-sold-opposition-says/tabid/423/articleID/259356/Default.aspx
And in 2 years NACTs will be able to crow that they have doubled the return on assets base.
Ha
Kiwirail are to shed 300 jobs. What a pity the workers are bearing the burden of recent poor spending decisions. One may have thought that Management would have mopped up the over paid contractors and consultants before the cuts. How can one justify General Managers on 40k/month (evidence available) especially when they are in these positions for years at a time.
Coming up on Question time today, Clayton Cosgrove on KiwiRail, Cunliffe on NZ’s clean green image, Clare Curran on public broadcasting, Gareth Hughes on conservation and oil exploration n marine areas.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QOA/2/f/3/00HOH_OralQuestions-List-of-questions-for-oral-answer.htm
How about this one?
MAGGIE BARRY to the Minister of Finance: How will the Better Public Services results targets announced this week contribute to a stronger economy?
Joyce just danced around trying not to directly answer the question asking for an assurance that the government wouldn’t try to sell KiwiRail. He said he wanted to give context first, showing why it wouldn’t be possible to sell KiwiRail.
When well paid (Brit) bank functionaries manipulated a system meant to give clear and transparent signals guiding interest rates (and were found out) they lost their bonuses. Oh dear, a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket. While not well-paid people hardly able to function at all – their misdemeanours involve court cases and confinement and obloquy (a word that emerged from the recesses of my mind – I wonder what else is lurking down there?)
Also on banks – see Red Logix at No.2 today. Wow cybercrime.
Brownlee and Heatley coldly put the dampers on Dr Pita Sharples pragmatic suggestion of using houses in the red zones for shelter by people sleeping in cars and less sheltered places in Christchurch during snow, sleet, hail, and bloody cold times.
Brownlee is disgusting, uncommitted to working for all Christchurch’s wellbeing. He is horribly filling my low expectations of his work level and concern for Christchurch people. Heatley, and all Housing Ministers that don’t try to cope fairly and make concrete efforts to meet the needs of the low income housing sector are just t..ds that should be properly swept away so a smart and humane politician can get in and tackle the job.
a little something to cheer up the teachers out there
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/18/957925/-What-do-I-MAKE-I-m-a-teacher-and-I-make-a-goddamn-difference-Now-what-about-you
freedom don,t get carried away Michelle Ghee is on her way a right wing con artist who has found away of making lots of money denigrating teachers.
VICTORY FOR OCCUPY AUCKLAND!
CIV 2011 004 2497, Auckland Council v The occupiers of Aotea Square
‘Contempt’ proceedings against Occupy Auckland by Auckland Council have been discontinued.
Email received from Auckland District Registry Officer 26/6/2012
“Dear All,
Please note that the counsel for the plaintiff has filed a Notice of Discontinuance, hence fixture scheduled for 29th June 2012 is vacated.
Regards
……………….
Court Registry Officer
Civil and Family Services – Case Management Team
Auckland District Court
Ministry of Justice | Tahu o te Ture ”
____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Named Party in the above-mentioned (now discontinued) proceedings.
Good news.
I see the DOTCOM search warrants were illegal to. Interesting times.
Indeed!
Mr.com may walk free from court, and good on the courts for refusing to countenance the craven poodle-hood of the crown, but he will forever be tainted by the stink of John Banks.
The guy hadn’t been here long, and I really doubt with all the exciting stuff he has going on that he would care much about NZ politics. You can’t expect him to understand the politics and history of the likes of Banks on the level a local would. I recon it was far more likely Banks was chasing after the likes of Dotcom anyway. The German guy probably thought ok a former local mayor want’s to hang with me, cool, why not have an ally like this on my side. And then Banks turned out to be a rather fair weather friend, and the rest is history. If anything the whole charade gives quite a good illustration of Banks character, and I thank Mr Dotcom for his contributions on that subject for us all the share.
In a case like this the police must have been more careful than usual. It makes me wonder how many illegal warrants are served on ordinary shmucks who don’t have unlimited resources to pay for top legal teams.
What’s almost of more concern is the NZ Police going after a very high profile, highly resourced target with guns drawn…not having dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s.
Appalling judgement and preparation, costing the NZ tax payer hugely.
What happens when the case totally falls over and Mr Dotcom sues the NZ govt for the billions of dollars of damage to his business?
This National government …
slapped over Crafar I
slapped over Akaroa Marine Reserve
Slapped over dotcom.
Soon to be slapped over Casino.
Soon to be slapped over Crafar II
.
.
.
I guess that’s what you get when you’re simple and slap happy.
feel free to add more
soon to be slapped for infringing on the rights of tobacco companies.
Tobacco corporations are people too…(well according to the US Supreme Court)
Good news true. Lucky away back then, Mr John Key knew absolutely nothing about Dotcom before the raid. The PM wisely kept right out of the months of events leading up to the arrest. Or so says Mr Key?????
Suppose his minders might have told Key to keep right away because he had nothing to gain. But really! The PM of NZ knew nothing of a mega millionaire who lived in his Electorate? Yeah right!
…particularly when an organisation like the FBI were seeking extradition.
Time for a Tui add.
Key and his mates must have been kept very well informed of all stages of this one.
It’s time for another one of those Fran Mold interviews like the one over the Tranzrail shares. John Campbell was getting there but let the “snake” go.
Pinnochio’s nose keeps getting longer.
Yeah and a team of FBI arriving, and one of the biggest militarised raids by the police in many a year. And this guy is supposed to be absolute head of internal security or something. So whoever the 2nd in chain of command is, seems to think it’s a brilliant idea to only inform Mr key about such a major raid 24hrs before hand.
Tui ad right there.
The police involved should be charged with home invasion.
This just in (3News)..
Bull English lets go his latest brainfart… mandatory drug testing for all beneficiaries!
The Americans have already suggested that, so we know where his idea comes from…
(Interesting. The line about Ewen McDonald’s ‘intense personal hatred’ that Stuff has had up all day, comes from the Prosecution it seems.)
Unbiased media? Probably not…
They do keep banging on about the public obsession about the case! (I suppose it justifies their 24/7 coverage.)
Intense personal hatred seems a good description given the things McDonald has admitted already. Y’know, the poison pen letters, the graffiti. The burning down the house.
Â
I think the big interest comes from the nature of the crime and the relationships of the people involved. Plus the long time before the arrest which led to tons of idle gossip. There’s a Shakespearean element to it, I guess. Or maybe it’s more Kane and Abel?
While I don’t support mandatory drug testing (for anyone) I don’t want tax dollars meant for life’s necessities being spent on drugs. Though on how to stop it I’d offer few solutions.
And then of course we could go outside the WINZ office and check their cars for warrants and regos. Not up to scratch…….fuck this underclass ! They’re not getting |”our” money.
Ridiculous……..of course. Equally ridiculous to suggest denying the benefit for a positive drugs test. At the very worst, the very worst ……..if a former beneficiary comes along to WINZ asking for reinstatement because he lost his job on failing a drug test……..say no. Until you turn up with a negative test.
You’re discriminating otherwise and you’re a mongrel. Especially when that particular lark, that fomenting of hatred against beneficiaries, is not because you really hate them. It’s simply, in the case of Blinglish et al, to keep their fat undeserving arses in parliamentary seats with ready access to all the baubles that come with that.
In the case of the non-parliametarians it reflects the pathological need to have someone “below” to kick. And those with that need are weak people who hide from their own secret sense of inadequacy.
I repeat my advice…….everybody who’s seen a National Party MP sucking on a joint, whenever it happened, come right out and say it. Make these hypoctrites live with the shit they’re so happy to heap on the “despicable poor” they’re so happy to identify and demonise. There’d be quite a few Tory aresholes sweating just a bit I reckon. Do it. Fuck their hypocrisy !
I agree. Â Politicians should be randomly drug tested to make sure that they are not spending public money on drugs. Â No exceptions. Â All of them.
I think we can all relate….
We have probably all been there…
(Edit: Fixed broken link)
Haha nice. Clever.
I see on 3 news that the Royal NZ Navy is turning into ghost ships. May be instead of Aussie mining recruitment going to the Devon Port Base, the NZ Navy should just sail over to Aussie and unload.
Was that where I thought I saw some comment about the Government having more value in Ministerial cars than in the Airforce – or something like that.
Blinglish on TV One News tonight musing about denying the benefit to those who don’t pass drug tests. Loud cheering from his Federated Farmers audience.
How I would love to know the name of everyone of those cheering aresholes……and have the capacity to go through the backgrounds of every single one of them, and their kids.
We edge inexorably towards a nation utterly without morals while these bastards use any vile tactic to keep their fat arses in parliamentary seats.
How about every member of their caucus sit down and tell me the truth about what they’ve done in their lives ? I wanna hear Blinglish truthfully tell me about his university days. Also Paula When I Was On The Bennie……..everything about herself.
Or maybe people who’ve known any number of them in the course of their lives should just make a call to the old talkback tonight. Make no accusations…….just mention a name.
Hone called it: test MPs for alcohol when going into the House.
The FBI were under pressure from the powerful movie and music industry to send a chilling effect through the world of cyber lockers/file hosts.
Â
So who do they go after?
– The hosts housed in the US? – no.
– The hosts in Switzerland? – no.
– The hosts in Russia? – no.
– The hosts in Germany? – no.
Panama, Hong Kong, Canada, Ukraine, China, Italy, Spain?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Â
The went after someone in NZ. – Why? Because they could.
What an ideal situation for them.
A German guy. A fat guy. A larger than life character who could be portrayed as an ostentatious rich guy who is fleecing people of their money and rights. Living in a country do far away that US journalist would not travel to.
And best of all – a compliant NZ Police ready and waiting with barrels of K.J. – who are far too “aroused” at the thought of partying with the Americans.
Â
The only thing that would have made it a perfect story for the American media would be if the guy was a funder of terrorism, a terrorist himself and he was in fact French!
Â
The raids in the Urewera and Wellington.
The raid on Kim Dotcom.
The speeding ticket I got the other day.
There’s something rotten in the state police.
Ain’t it sad for NZ that the only guy who could fuck Botox Banks was the fellow you call the “fat German” ?
It’s beautiful in the consummation though so Rah Rah Rah Sir Kiwi Dotcom. Even if you were a Tory arse-lick. I’m not even gonna complain about the no-balls of the media or the aspirational wannabe wankers who voted for Smile and Wave…….currently looking like an impatient little bully who reallly can’t be fucked with it all.
Choice !!!
As Winston says. “Mr Spray and Walk Away!”
Happy birthday Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A lot to argue with (which apparently is why he’s encrypted facing Voltaire in the Pantheon in Paris – so they can argue through eternity) but he did theorise the idea of egalitarianism. Something to be remembered for. Also:
Indeed, I did enjoy the works of Rousseau as I did other enlightenment figures. Hume was also particularly interesting
“Young adults, he thought, should be allowed to develop their capabilities in their distinctive way. They should also delight in doing so as an end in itself.”
Sounds like Neill’s type of education practice.
Anyway the civil society is very civil these days. No one at Barclays bank is going to lose their jobs after they were found to have manipulated the Libor rate.
fined 290 millions pounds but the boss only lost his 1.7 million pound bonus.
nice work if you can get it in the FREE market.
I think people are gradually understanding this government’s agenda. Over 100 000 people have signed the petition for a referendum on assets sales.
How can we further increase the ripple effect to ensure ‘Mum and Dad investors’ wake up and realise that John Key and his government does not care about them – they are only interested in the 1% investors?
Ideas please
So who owns the river bed and does the Supreme Court have the power to make case law.
These are vital questions especially after the Supreme Court decided it could do away with the supervision of the Privy Council.
Now they too are just doing what they like.
I guess Kweewee just gave them a mandate out of his mandate bag?
Judging by the numbers in the room, the passion and the quality of those leading the protest…the government should be worried. This could be the “Save Manapouri” for this generation:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/te-anau-turmoil-and-tunnel.html
That s very well written, well expressed, knowledgeable and accurate.
I recommend everyone reads this and takes note.
Mate of mine was there. There was talk from farmers about protesting the proposed construction of the tunnel using tractors to block progress.
And where was English?
Bill English has privately stated, apparently, that he doesn’t think the projects will get final approval and Eric Roy has been heard saying that he doesn’t personally agree with them. Why doesn’t the Government come out and stop this waste of time and energy from both sides and declare the projects incompatible with the values of conservation environments. We could then concentrate on initiatives that bring real value to our country. Turning Fiordland into some sort of theme park is one big “fail”.