Can you believe this?
The government are doing this – despite a housing crisis.
Uncaring, greedy…….
Some tenants living in the hundreds of state and council homes north of Wellington that have been put on the market are worried about what the sale mean for their future.
The Government and Horowhenua District Council have unveiled a plan to sell 364 houses across Horowhenua and Kapiti, including 151 Housing New Zealand homes in Levin, 21 in Foxton, 70 in Otaki and seven in Shannon.
Almost all of the houses are occupied and their tenants are mostly elderly, single people or single parents.
this government and its ministers seem to have no concept of what it’s like to fear your home being taken off you, the stress of not knowing if you’re going to be forcibly evicted, the humiliation of being at the mercy of those who have the power to move you on, and break up families and communities
everything this government and its compliant district councils are doing – or not doing – in regards to housing is seeding a disaster for the future, not just for state tenants but also for the next generation of New Zealanders who won’t be able to afford to buy their own home
I find it particularly depressing to hear decent people so quickly buying-in to the meme pedalled by this government, that all these reports are a media beat-up
uncaring and greedy is too kind…
I’d add one or more of these: ‘incompetent, unaware of reality, in denial, living in their comfortable bubble, complacent, arrogant, dismissive….’
My God…..it’s like they’re being picked off…….’cos they’re poor and ain’t got their own house. Vultures are circling. In this OUR New Zealand. OUR New Zealand didn’t used to be like this. Some bastards gotta be brought to account !
Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 2
Donald Trump has chosen Pence as his running mate – an extreme right wing religious nutter!
Hillary Clinton picked Kaine for VP – a pro-war, pro-Wall Street establishment neocon.
Bernie’s supporters walked out of the DNC en masse!
If Trump wins, expect to see the whole country lurch to the religious right, because I don’t believe Trump has the ability, understanding or the patience to govern. His task will be ‘to make America great again.’ Lol
If Clinton wins don’t expect any of Bernie’s platforms to be implemented. Clinton, with her best friend Bill advising her, will not move against those who own her. Errh!
It may be a wasted vote, but if I was an American, Jill Stein would get my nod. The lesser of two evils is still evil – but Jill stands for everything that needs to be changed in the USA.
[Because of the regular misuse of the word ‘establishment’ for the purposes of trolling and abuse, it has been added to the mod list. That means comments that use the word will be held in moderation until released. It might be appropriate for neo con to go in there too if it is also going to be used in ignorance and out of context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Kaine TRP]
And that stadandesters must conform to some new form of Politically Correct newspeak that is divined from up on high?
I would have thought neocon and neoliberal were in essence interchangeable after 40 odd years, especially when we have a liberal elite who have given up on a socialist programme.
Is it no longer true that the established hierarchy can and indeed has a name?
One thing about free speech, is you have to hear a whole lot of stuff you don’t like, and some of it may even offend you.
Are you serious? Moderating comments for misuse of a word…
“‘Words’, he said, ‘is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So you must simply try to be patient and stop squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know exactly what words I am wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around.”
(Just thought I’d use that line for the first and only time. I find it sneering and belittling, kind of like ‘Zip it, sweety’. But it has its fans here at TS so I suppose it’s OK.)
No coup, Adam. There has been a tightening up on abusive language for a while now. One troll in particular has been regularly misusing neocon and other similar phrases to stifle debate. So, for the time being, some words will drop comments into moderation. They’ll quickly be released if the words are being used in context, or moderated appropriately, then released, if they are not.
Read the policy (top of the page) if you are confused about how the Standard is moderated.
Can you give a list of the new words you have deemed abusive, I know policy says words, but I’m at a loss at what they are.
Is the subtext of your message another move in your public fight with Colonial Viper?
That has become truly a tired affair for the rest of us. At this point I wish you two would either copulate, or get into a right proper ruckus – teeth and all. Rather than this snippy affair that has gone on for months from both sides.
I’d like to clarify things a bit as someone who has access to the backend as an author. From what I can see, this is a decision that TRP has made on his own. There hasn’t been any discussion in the moderators’ forum. So please don’t assume this is anything other than TRP’s action.
As an author and moderator, I think it’s a bad move, the words chosen, the reasons given for the decision, and the fact that it was done unilaterally but presented as being something that the people who run the place agreed on.
It is possible that TRP has talked to other authors offsite, including Lynn.
From my experience in the front end of the site, I would say that TRP brings lots of good things to TS, but he also does some daft shit and some down right damaging shit. I would put this in the latter category (daft and damaging).
I would guess that you are right adam, that this was triggered by something to do with CV (but I haven’t looked that closely). And yes it smacks of authoritarianism. The irony there is that TRP has his own history of frequently winding up people by using political words as pejoratives. So yet another example of crazy making.
Judging something to be trolling is often very subjective. But TS traditionally has managed that quite lightly and really only premoderated words like N*zi or Tr*ll, which are well known trolling/flamming words in the internets. Premoderating words like ‘est*blisment’ is ridiculous and makes TS a laughing stock in the political blogosphere.
Having said all that, there has been a tightening up on moderation this year, and that appears to be getting good results. But the things that have changed that have made the difference, IMO, are the moderations that are clear and concise around just stepping in quickly and shutting down flame wars. I don’t see TRP’s moderated words as contributing to that and will probably just make things worse as they add to the culture of bullying and misuse of power.
btw, you can probably circumvent the premoderation by adding in asterisks. eg est*blisment. Of course TRP can then go and add ‘est*blisment’ to the list, but it’s a long word with lots of permutations, so have a play around with it.
I’d also suggest for the braver amongst us that we start using the word est*blisment as much as possible (knowing there is a risk of backlash). Or even without the asterisk. People power and all that. Plus the action deserves all the ridicule it can get. Fight back I say, but do it in a fun way.
(I don’t have the same level of author permissions as TRP so I can’t see the full range of tools that he has access to. I also can’t for instance release comments from moderation unless they are in one of my own posts).
Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 2.1.2.1.1.1
Wow! What a backlash about my (I thought) rather innocuous comments, which no-one has bothered to read – fixating on the bold at the end!
Perhaps I got the rebuke because, a day or so ago, I commented that I was with CV on the Trump/Clinton thing.
For what it’s worth, and being very careful not to use the proscribed words, I still think Trump will win – though God help us all if he does.
Both Trump and Clinton carry too much baggage (banned word?) into this campaign. Clinton’s is political, Trumps apolitical. But, again, for what it’s worth, I’d still vote for Jill Stein if I was an American.
I read what you said Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster). I liked what you said. It was the bold at the bottom, which flummoxed me.
What for the use of the word copulation and the the word ruckus? In my defense, both were and are the most humors terms I could find, rather than reach for gutter idioms.
Or at my overall discontent with an on going fight between two authors at the standard that creates an ongoing quandary for all who have to witness it?
I’d assumed it was a comment suggesting stronger moderation in relation to the idiotic, damaging and on-going spat between trp and CV. But then, it could be read in a number of ways. Maybe Ad will clarify.
Thanks, Ad. From the start, the site has tried to encourage open debate, while discouraging abuse. The levels of tolerance fluctuate and in the early years there was an almost anarchic approach (Robinsod is the exemplar for that, worth looking for his or her’s contributions for some cheap laughs when the search function comes back).
For me, the penny dropped around the time I wrote the ‘Broken’ post. So I’ve kept an eye out for words, terms or phrases that are being deliberately used in abusive ways. Happily, most commenters accept the moderation without complaint and quickly find other ways to express their opinions that add to the mix rather than close debate down.
“Thanks, Ad. From the start, the site has tried to encourage open debate, while discouraging abuse.”
Man, I was lucky to get away with what I did last night, strong abuse,………………I thought I might have been flying pretty close to the wire. Better keep my head down from now on.
I agree if one simply took the author of the post above and simply believed what he said about kaine most would think he was an evil bastard …read the wiki info and presto he isnt .Im a bit supprized anyone would need instruction regarding the word establishment tho i mean would i be in trouble if i said hillary was establishment ?
There’s no problem with the word establishment. However it has been used in conjunction with other pejorative words which have been intended to insult or abuse.. The mod filter isn’t sophisticated enough to scrub out phrases or combinations of words so it’s been caught up. However, it’s only caused a moments delay for half a dozen comments, so no harm done.
There’s no problem with the word establishment. However it has been used in conjunction with other pejorative words which have been intended to insult or abuse. The mod filter isn’t sophisticated enough to scrub out phrases or combinations of words so it’s been caught up. However, it’s only caused a moments delay for half a dozen comments, and the use of similar abusive phrases seems to have diminished as a result. So, better conversations, more intelligent debate. That’s what we all want, right?
Ten minutes isn’t ‘a moments delay’ – and that happened for at least one comment.
There was (and still are) a handful of perfectly okay comments sitting in trash. Now sure, they may have wound up there for some really weird reason (it duplicates from time to time for some reason) or just because a commenter deleted their own comment because…well, moderators don’t ever throw comments into trash. Right?
Anyway. I did manage to save the Robert Reich link that someone else had tried to post. Can’t imagine why they’d post it and then delete it (ie -send it to the trash folder) during their edit time, but hey….
Honestly can’t see where the ‘better conversations’ or ‘more intelligent debate’ is, as a result of essentially flaming everyone. But again, hey….
No worries, Bill, thanks for your thoughts. I was trying to find a soft way to moderate abuse, but clearly that’s not going to work if too many people have objections to the concept. I’ll just ban instead, though I’ll probably give a warning first, unless it’s excessive abuse.
There seem to be sneaky agendas here. I take voices passive aggressive threats as being completely unnecessary – weak personal qualities exposed – he’ll probably threaten to beat me up again for that one though.
As for cv – he is not left – end of story. Too much trumputin bullshit – he’s like trump a trojan – cv the bloody Trojan nzfirster now imo.
It’s a real dilemma when you have an otherwise fairly functional group of people with a common purpose and one of them thinks it’s about doing what they want as an individual. I don’t know the solution to that, and I’m not sure a majority vote would sort it out tbh. The impression I have is that everyone has pretty full lives and are reluctant to put energy into it, especially as there seems to be history of people having to leave.
It’s a major stumbling block to getting new authors IMO.
Hi Marty Mars, I’m afraid your gut reaction is totally on a tilt.
Trump wants to raise trade barriers, wants to bring manufacturing back from China to the USA, wants to reneg on free trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP, wants to stop spending on big wars and wants to spend on new infrastructure throughout the USA.
That’s way more left than the Democrats.
Putin has created a capitalist economy where the billionaire oligarchs are strongly reined in, where the resources of the country are heavily regulated/owned by the state, where a pension is available to every Russian, where tertiary education and public healthcare is broadly available and either free or reasonably cheap.
That’s way more left than the Democrats.
As for NZ First – their economic stance including willingness to nationalise key assets and ban foreign ownership is way more Left than Labour.
Further, Putin, Trump and Peters all understand the critical importance of *economic sovereignty* and all three are willing to act on that understanding.
That’s way more Left than most of the other political parties in NZ.
“Trump is far more Left economically than the Neocon Globalist Status Quo.”
Cool. I haven’t heard what his policies for redistribution of income and lowering societal income are. I guess you can help with that. Any idea what his taxation policies for the avoidance and minimisation schemes of the top 1% are? Is he going to strengthen trade unions and ensure fair labour laws – pay, safety etc.?
He’s going to ensure that there is massive working class employment in rebuilding the US manufacturing and infrastructure base, bringing back jobs from overseas.
He’s not going to rely on modern Lefty methods of handouts.
BTW Clinton is the oligarchy bankster candidate. She’ll protect the 0.1% exactly like Obama has.
“He’s not going to rely on modern Lefty methods of handouts.”
And the 1%?
What are are the plans for upskilling the workforce for these massive projects (maybe he’ll import skilled labour for less than it would cost to upskill?). And again – pay and conditions. I quite like that old-fashioned lefty way of ensuring people who can work get decent pay for decent work i.e. a fair share. No word on how those who can’t work in paid employment are going to get a share of the economic pie?
btw, this is about how Trump is or isn’t a lefty, not where Clinton stands.
Trump might have some economic thoughts (policies?) that sound left or leftish. But his thoughts around social issues, as far as I can tell, are very, very much to the right.
The same basic template, though not as extreme, applies to Peters.
You’re right that the establishment left has, for the most part, abandoned what we used to think of as left leaning economics.
But for fuck’s sake CV, if the economic choice is between a greater or lesser role for the state (orthodox parliamentarian leftism) or a greater or lesser role for the market (orthodox rightish parliamentarianism)…then unless Trump is going to expand the role of the state in health care and education etc…ie – have the state do all of those things that an orthodox leftist programme would call for, then he’s no more ‘left’ then fly.
What Trump actually wants is to bring the shitty low wage/ zero protection environment that’s been developed overseas by US corporations, brought back into the US. There are bugger all unions left to fight a workers corner and I just can’t envisage Trump making any good change to Labor Law in the US. Can you?
At least Clinton might be forced (reluctantly) to back a living wage and such like and she certainly won’t go all Mussolini on anyone giving her and her administration shit. Trump will be looking to have wages set by ‘the market’ (code for letting employers fuck workers over with impunity) and I suspect he could well go all Mussolini on matters.
Yes, he sounds as though he might be more isolationist, and that could be a relief for many people the world over. But at the same time, he’s saying he’ll deal with terrorists who link themselves to Islam. Short of dropping a nuclear device on Riyadh, I can’t see how he squares those two things off. Can you?
“But I’m sure he has comprehensive staff training programmes within his own casinos and hotels.”
I wonder if he’ll open up a Trump technical training school, similar to the Trump University?
Anyway, about the 1%, tax, and employee rights etc…
I guess I don’t agree with your inference that economic nationalism is solely a left-wing political concern, that the objectives and expectations of that economic nationalism are the same, or that it was the sole, or event the main basis of left wing politics.
Claire equates the excess of men in the Labour Party with JKs elimination of pests.
This is a poor analogy, Claire. Balance is not the same as elimination.
This article reflects badly on its author. WO no longer required?
Claire is getting desperate as the Tories continue to fall in the polls and fail the country.
FYI Damien O’Connor is not a list MP and he won his electorate easily just like the term before last. This time it was the biggest win for him yet, and the Nat candidate he was up against was a woman, Maureen Pugh, he wiped the floor with her. Actually I wonder if Pugh has an investment in the 1080 factory? Last I heard she had interests in a helicopter company, I guess they will be busy making $ from dropping the poison. Hey Maureen where are the missing millions? Still under investigation is it? Mhmm… we will get to the bottom of that http://www.greystar.co.nz/content/blowtorch-pugh%E2%80%99s-record
Continue to fall in the polls ? Did you actually read the last poll ?????
Also most people think the country is going in the right direction- so I think you comment about failing the country whilst universally accepted on this forum (by the lefties anyway) might is out of step with the rest of the population.
Comments were allowed on this dopy article, so I commented early this morning.
Not a single comment had been published by close of play Thursday.
Granny’s up to her old tricks again.
Whatever the causes or apparent justifications for war…. starving hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, is well into the realms of war crime:
Seige by Syrian regime on Aleppo tightens….
Government troops have repeatedly used sieges to help starve rebel-held cities into submission. Human rights groups fear the tactic will be deployed in Aleppo, where up to 300,000 people are living in areas under rebel control.
Food will run out within weeks, a group of 24 aid agencies working on the ground warned, and regime bombing raids have targeted several of the few remaining working hospitals in those parts of the city.
The West didn’t start it, Assad did by bombing and shooting his own people during the Arab spring. And you actually know that, though it does not suit your narrative. That in turn caused the armed insurrection. Only then did the West, and others (Iran) get involved. But the civil war was well underway by then.
I am sure some of the western arms supplied to various anti-Assad factions will have ended up in the hands of ISIS, since in 2012 to 2014, the anti -Assad forces were highly disparate. It is not obvious that various western countries, including Turkey had a good idea of the nature of the various factions.
Modern civil wars seem to have many more factions that in the past, where civil wars looked like two states at war (US Civil war, Spanish civil war, etc).
The West didn’t start it, Assad did by bombing and shooting his own people during the Arab spring. And you actually know that, though it does not suit your narrative. That in turn caused the armed insurrection. Only then did the West, and others (Iran) get involved. But the civil war was well underway by then.
bullshit Wayne.
Syria is in the middle of its worst drought in 1200 years (climate change). Hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers fled their failing land and headed into the cities, causing massive social instability that the west was happy to contribute to. (Producing detailed plans to destabilise the Assad regime has been a key goal of the USA for at least a decade).
This link is to a 2006 US Gov cable describing the “vulnerabilities” of the Assad regime and how they can be “exploited” to overthrow Assad.
Yes, Assad managed the resulting protests and civil unrest badly leading to hundreds of civilian deaths.
At which point the west decided to go full scale regime change, allowing thousands of Islamic fighters to infiltrate into Syria via NATO partner Turkey, and funding and arming these Islamists in a 5 year long fight to try and depose Assad.
The US did the same to Afghanistan by the way to take down the USSR. They have form and expertise in this.
In Syria the US gave the nod to its ME allies to do the same particularly: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey.
And 400,000 dead Syrians later the West is still keen to keep fighting Assad right down to the last Syrian.
But there’s a problem now Wayne. Turkey is distancing itself from its former pro-ISIS stance. Which means that the Islamic Rebels in northern Syria are about to find their lifelines back into Turkey cut.
The West didn’t start it, Assad did by bombing and shooting his own people during the Arab spring.
Considering the US has been wanting to get rid of Assad for some time now because he wouldn’t let through the pipeline that they wanted it’s a serious question as to just how much the US pushed those protests in the first place:
In the section on Syria, Bensaada focuses on a handful of Syrian opposition activists who received free US training in cyberactivism and nonviolent resistance beginning in 2006. One, Ausama Monajed, is featured in the 2011 film How to Start a Revolution about a visit with Gene Sharp in 2006. Monajed and others worked closely with the US embassy, funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). This is a State Department program that operates in countries (such as Libya and Syria) where USAID is banned.
I don’t think so.
Do you still believe the west’s propaganda?
Wonder if you’d continued to follow Goebbel’s arguments In 1943?
Anyway, here’s a refresher for you on what really has been happening.
Draco, my point in commenting was to shine the spotlight on the horror of war – not to start a pointless armchair dingdong
I have no tolerance whatsoever for people supporting Assad on whatever grounds. He should have stepped down in 2011 and this war might never have been fought.
There are over 1 million people in 52 besiged communities in the country, 49 of them are under seige by the Assad regime, 2 of them by the rebels, and 1 of them by ISIS while the Assad regime denies them aid.
Also I have no tolerance at all for people who argue the semantics, and don’t seem to be moved by people being bombed, shelled and starved into submission – as the daily reports and photos from journalists risking their lives show us, as the streams of refugees into Europe tell us, as the 24 aid agencies in Aleppo are documenting.
I find it incredibly depressing to read the bullshit partisan arguments being trotted out about who caused it all and who is worse than who, and that we are all being conned by propoganda. All sides in the Syrian war have killed and are continuing to kill. The forces with the most tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft have killed and continue to kill the most.
The US and Russia are now both directly involved in the war and both of these countries have entreated with Assad to step down. He must – that is the only way forward.
He should have stepped down in 2011 and this war might never have been fought.
Or, more likely, it would have been a hell of a lot worse. And all of the reports I’ve seen show that a majority of Syrians support Assad. If it was taken to elections, Assad would be voted back in.
Would you still be calling for him to step down then? I’m pretty sure that the US and their lickspittles would be.
Also I have no tolerance at all for people who argue the semantics, and don’t seem to be moved by people being bombed, shelled and starved into submission
And I have no tolerance for those idiots who demand that we act emotionally as it’s the wrong thing to do as it never solves anything. It has a tendency to start wars rather than end them.
The US and Russia are now both directly involved in the war and both of these countries have entreated with Assad to step down.
Last time I looked Russia was still supporting Assad and the US wants Assad to step down so that they can create a power vacuum and place another puppet government there. As they did with Iran (1953) and Iraq (1960s, 2000s).
if much of the world’s media haven’t shaken your belief in Assad, and clearly you trust the evidence that he’s highly popular, despite 5 years of destroying most of the cities of his country, and given his track record of murdering thousands of unarmed civilians to quell protests in 2011, there’s probably not much a random blogger called locus can say that will alter your views
I remain convinced that if Assad had stepped down in 2012 and Morocco had led the UN proposed democratic transition of power this war could have been averted. Your statement that this would have allowed the US to step in to create a puppet government is no less of a supposition than mine. Irrespective of who might be right, in 2012 the Russians and Chinese voted down the UN resolution for Assad to step down, despite clear advice from ME experts that the end game of this would be civil war in Syria.
I think now is not the time to argue rights and wrongs – there will be plenty of evidence uncovered in the future to bring many to trial for war crimes. Nor is it the time to be partisan about Russia or the US.
You are very much mistaken if you think you can take the emotion out of engaging effectively to stop further bloodshed, end this war and rebuild people’s lives
Morena, last night I took 3 kids to meet the next Prime Minister of NZ, they were impressed. Kids pick up on vibes, Andrew Little took the time to talk to the kids, kids felt comfortable with him straight away, he was great with them, no pretending required, wonderful human being he is.
I’m already super impressed with Andrew, he is a incredible speaker, and a born leader, he is the next PM of NZ, and on a cold winters night in Motueka there was standing room only a wonderful turn out. He took the time to go around and talk to everyone there, not just a few words, rather he took the time because he was genuinely interested in listening to the people. Thanks for coming to Motueka Andrew Little, hope to see you here again soon, keep up the good work.
That said, glad you went out and meet Andrew Little, Jens.
I’m glad you liked him, he is a very affable chap. Shame our media can’t give him more than a 5 second sound bite most days. I think more people would warm to him if he was given even half a chance.
You may have guessed I’m no supporter of labour, however the media have done, and continue to do a number on Little, and we should all try to redress that situation.
I’d encourage everyone who’s interesting in Auckland or housing to have a look at Matt’s excellent little taster over at TransportBlog on the independent panel’s version of the growth of Auckland, and how it will be accommodated:
New Zealand’s population is heading for 6 million in 30 years, and Auckland’s will be well into the 2 million. Regrettably, and to a degree that’s nearly unique in the world, Auckland is the biggest part of our society and economy. How this plan works really matters.
Silly question, historically Auckland and the Auckland region gets just over half of the country’s population. So if we move towards a figure of 6 million, would it not follow that Auckland population will probably be a city of 3 million, not 2?
Frightening to think Auckland will be a city of 2 million in thirty years. It’s struggling now, with the division between haves and have nots are quite stark, I can’t imagine that expanded as well, will be any good for a society.
Actually the percentage is slowly changing. Over the last thirty years it has gone from 30% to 34%, and is headed to 40% over the next 30 years. In fact Auckland needs to be planning for 3 million people since that will happen (or close to it) in the next 30 years. The city (Pukekohe to Wellsford) is already close to 1.7 million.
In many ways NZ will become like Queensland where the major city has nearly half the population.
“like Queensland where the major city has nearly half the population.”
Queensland has in fact the least concentrated population of the five larger (ie excluding Tasmania) Australian States..
About 43% live in Brisbane. In NW it is around 56% and in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia it is over 68% in each case.
Actually, it isn’t that unique. Lots of countries have a single dominant city. However, it is questionable if this is good for the overall country or not.
It seems the Greens and Labour broadly support the changes as well…
“Proposed changes to Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) look promising, but should not overshadow that there is still an urgent funding crisis in CYFS, the Green Party said today.”
“The independent panel tasked with overhauling our child protection agency has come up with some useful solutions, but they will only succeed if the Government pays more than lip service to early intervention.” Labour website.
“We owe it, at least to the taxpayer, but absolutely to the people needing our help, to use every tool available to change lives,” said the deputy prime minister, Bill English, in a data conference this year. “Lives which are described by the data.”
The New Zealand government believes that increasing use of predictive modelling techniques based on personal data from beneficiaries (incorporating data from child, youth and family payments, work and income, and the criminal justice system) will help it identify the most vulnerable in society and intervene at an earlier stage so they do not become long-term or lifetime beneficiaries.
The government says in the four years since implementing the regime, it has saved the welfare system $12bn it would have otherwise had to spend in the future.
This model – called “actuarial valuation” – is what the Australian government want to emulate.
But poverty experts in New Zealand say the Australians are signing up to a system that is routinely harming, rather than helping, New Zealand’s most needy.
Similar to calling your political party “Labour”, it either sounds like 24 hours of excruciating pain, or being subjected to backbreaking work, either way a terrible name that is also dated.
Based on the results of this investigation, we want to be more clear about (1) how we expect people to behave, (2) where people can take complaints and problems, (3) what will happen when complaints are received.
Putting procedures in place is more difficult for the Tor Project than for other organizations, because the staff of the Tor Project works in partnership with a broader Tor community, many of whom are volunteers or employed by other organizations. It is not a traditional top-down management environment. I am pleased, therefore, to announce that both the Tor Project and the Tor community are taking active steps to strengthen our ability to handle problems of unprofessional behavior. Specifically, the Tor Project has created an anti-harassment policy, a conflicts of interest policy, procedures for submitting complaints, and an internal complaint review process. They were recently approved by Tor’s board of directors, and they will be rolled out internally this week.
In addition, the Tor community has created a community council to help to resolve intra- community difficulties, and it is developing membership guidelines, a code of conduct, and a social contract that affirms our shared values and the behaviors we want to model. We expect these to be finalized and approved by the community at or before our next developer meeting at the end of September.
I believe these new policies and practices will make the Tor Project and the Tor community significantly healthier and stronger. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the work we’ve done so far, and also to those who will contribute in the coming months.
I am watching Paul Henry at the moment. Coming back into NZ and seeing the media here is jarring. I am not sure if people realise how much of a pro government propaganda tool the MSM is now in NZ.
It is Alice in Wonderland stuff.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
National allows farmers to plunder rivers for private benefit.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
National indulges in tokenistic effort to clean up rivers.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
Media criticises Greens for criticising wonderful government initiative that addresses their criticism.
….major claim to fame was giving the single digit salute to the 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons, which he saw as patronising and counter-productive….
So place your hard-earned peanuts in my tin
And thank the Creator you’re not in the state I’m in
So long have I been languished on the shelf
I must give all proceedings to myself
Yes we are well aware of it and even Natrad doesn’t (can’t ?) rattle anyone’s cage sufficiently anymore. Imo this is one of the biggest problems facing us – the power of the media is immense and it is being controlled by the right. The likes of Newstalk ZB, TV3,TVNZ, in fact all of the commercial stations, and all the corporate papers are all based on planet Key. Sorry – this is in reply to Sanctuary ( 11. )
Education consultant and parenting commentator Joseph Driessen talks about what parents of children who succeed at school are doing right.”
…not available yet…but well worth a listen, and bugger me if the solutions to the problem of poor engagement with learning are completely cost free. (In dollar terms)
Just returned from a week in Ozzie. The MSM media in Australia is far broader and deeper than in NZ. The difference is stark and very disappointing. We don’t know what we are missing. Our public media is disgraceful. TVNZ is a disaster and, sad to say, Radio New Zealand is on the same skids. I’ve switched off, and onto other Internet sources for quality information and news.
It is another failure of the neo-liberal paradigm where it’s all about ratings, entertainment and profits rather than informing people.
I do wonder if the percentage of the population that actually watches TV or listens to the radio is dropping. I know I don’t and I know that several others that read this forum don’t either.
Natcorp leader John Key needs to do the honourable thing and resign if the TPPA he undemocratically pushed so strongly upon us is rejected by the American’s.
With a 10% jump I would guess that is a very safe assumption, it still directly contradicts Stuart’s point though, so I thought it was relevant.
Stuart seems to be another one of these people that think that because this is National’s 3rd term, Labour just win by default at the next election… I don’t think it is quite that straight forward.
Because John Key has wrecked the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders therefore if he fucked off it would be good thing regardless of any other reason?
Sorry to burst your bubble, leftie, but I don’t love John Key and I’m not a John Key or National supporter and I in fact despise the guy, his politics and everything he represents. I do see, however, how you could’ve thought otherwise.
Silly naive Angela Merkel. She imposed refugees on Europe ( a Trojan Horse?) …and she didnt question the causes of the mass refugee crisis and demand justice for the refugees and their rights to be returned safely to their own countries, which have been ravaged by war… because she supports NATO and the USA ( who bombed the shit out of Iraq, Libya, and wants to get rid of Assad?..who created the vacuum for Isis?…and who has designs on destabilising Iran and Russia?)
‘Merkel’s open-border policies are destroying Europe’ – Willy Wimmer’
You are aware this government is slavishly copying the errors of neoliberalism, an ideology that has ruined the US and the UK’s citizens.
Instead of looking to the Icelandic model or the Finnish model or the Danish model.
But you know that.
And still support this incompetent, corrupt client regime of banker Key.
Shame.
As is usual the 1% doesn’t care about the costs, which they will promptly dump on to the rest of society while they scoop off the benefits all for themselves.
Listening to Susie Ferguson having a go at Andrew Little this morning on RNZ at being at odds with the Greens and their statement of lowering the house prices. She was obviously and determined to undermine and try to drive a wedge between Labour and the Greens at not being on the same page together. I thought what a bloody nerve, National are forever bringing up new ideas on the hoof where one Cabinet Minister doesn’t know one thing from the other Cabinet Minister and are not keeping themselves informed and “being on the same page”. Paula Benefit for one with her shifting and changing trying to get people out of Auckland or back again – whatever day she seems fit to pontificate on. The Minister of Everything is another with his chucking goodies to Northland left, right and centre without a thought of what he was doing. At least Labour and the Greens are separate parties and are entitled to have their differences.
If RNZ’s morning crew expended as much energy being fair to all parties it would be easier on the ears for everybody – its so darned obvious even a baboon would be able to see through it. Andrew Little should have just told her to shut her gob and give him a chance to speak and repeat what the Gov. says all the time – “well the government in power does it, why don’t you have a go at them as well about it”. Fat chance of that, he is too good mannered for that.
LAB/GR need to be showing off their new teamwork and co-ordination to the electorate.
Especially as the wedge driving has only started. Wait until 2017. National will have a tonne of wood wedges handy and a lot of sledge hammers to bang them in with.
Handled badly on both sides I think. The Greens for not giving Labour a headsup, Labour for Little slagging off the GP policy esp without understanding what it is.
Winston seems to be the only one ( I won’t call him “opposition” because you can’t tell with him) who does not let the interviewer derail what he wants to say. Time and again “our lot ” let the interviewer walk all over them . Why ? Is it just lack of media training ? I think it’s more than that. There just doesn’t seem to be anyone on the left in NZ who can handle the media.
I agree whispering kate. Andrew Little is too polite sometimes. He endeavours to get his point across politely then when the interviewer intervenes he gets flustered and starts repeating himself which only makes it look like he’s trying to spin a lie.
I’ve said it a hundred times and I still say it. He needs more media training.
(Wriggling around in the further recesses of my memory banks is a campaign from the early seventies for some sort of price relief on moisturisers and sunscreens. The argument was that the NZ climate was cruel on skin (and this was before melanoma became an issue) and there should be cheaper and more effective products available.)
And when Bennett was social welfare minister she lambasted claims that hygiene products couldn’t be purchased at the supermarket using a special needs grant for food. Her comments were made after an overzealous checkout operator refused to sell a packet of pads because they were going to be paid for using an SNG voucher. The only things that couldn’t be bought were alcohol and tobacco but the checkout operator decided to add hygiene products. Bennett waded in and said that wasn’t right.
Well, since then, the social security tribunal has changed that again by saying people cannot get hygiene products using the food SNG, nor soap or shampoo or any kind of personal or cleaning products. What’s interesting is that Work and Income defended the appeal despite their minister saying that people could use the SNG for this purpose.
Will try to track down the tribunal decision that contradicts what Bennett said. It’s appalling that Work and Income let it go to the tribunal in the first place if its position really was as Bennett said.
“Ms Thompson said another woman tried to use a Winz supermarket card at the check-out at her local supermarket, and the card didn’t work.
“The cashier called Winz to find out why the card wouldn’t work, and found out it was because she had tampons amongst the items she was purchasing. She had to return them.””
So…not just at the discretion of the checkout operator….actually built into the system.
Especially when special needs grants come under a programme the minister has direct control over. Bennett says sanitary items can be bought with a grant issued to purchase items from a supermarket, and then when a beneficiary appeals a decision that’s inconsistent with what she says her ministry defends it all the way to the tribunal. Bennett’s a piece of work at the best of times. I’m still totally flabbergasted that she thinks it’s okay to put the poorest of people into $80,000+ of debt to meet the cost of emergency housing simply because “they signed up for it”.
“I’m still totally flabbergasted that she thinks it’s okay to put the poorest of people into $80,000+ of debt to meet the cost of emergency housing …”
In her world, ’emergency housing’ could also mean a cardboard carton in the park, or under a bridge, or perhaps in a (usually) dry stormwater pipe. Or a vehicle.
The Auckland Action Against Poverty group in Auckland said they were challenging those debts. I hope they’re successful. It beggars belief that people can end up with that kind of debt via simple operation of legislation that’s meant to help our poorest. It beggars fucking belief.
What’s equally distressing is that nobody’s that up in arms about it at all. It’s as close to the crime of the century as you’ll get but nobody seems to give a stuff.
This film is amazing. A mirror image of what happens here in NZ.
In addition to this, what’s alarming in NZ is the current trend of shifting rules around how and when people qualify for social security into regulations. This has the effect of removing the necessary legal flexibility that allows need to be met regardless of differences in circumstances. The nature of regulations means that if circumstances don’t fit neatly into the tightly prescribed rules then it’s quite legal for Work and Income to say no. This is the main thrust behind the rewrite Bill currently before Parliament. The government says it’s about tidying up existing complexity etc and that there’s no major change but that’s a load of shite. The Bill is in effect another benefit cut – not necessarily by way of reducing rates but by giving the executive branch of government the ability to make binding regulations that make it legal to refuse people help. Labour began the trend when it axed the special benefit in 2004 and replaced it with the temporary additional support benefit, and then again in 2007 by introducing the ability to make regulations that overrode the statutory definition of income. This latest rewrite Bill takes the concept to dangerously new heights. Work and Income staff won’t be required to treat people badly in order to deny issuing help. They’ll be able to say no ever so politely and with a clear conscience because the law won’t allow any alternative.
Yes, I’ve seen the trailers and felt sad and angry. I think it’s on at NZIFF at the moment. Just viewing the trailers previously, it’s apparent at how NZ’s welfare rules are blending with the UK’s. It’s really quite sinister.
Watched “Where To Invade Next” by Michael Moore the other night. It’s mainly a comparison of a sample of how European states educational, health, and justice systems work compared to USA. A good Vs bad sort of comparison, very simple but there is an important message. One feeling I took away was a sense of growing alarm at how far we have come from our own equitable roots and have marooned ourselves in some vast ocean with no horizon, gradually floating towards the USA.
To me, it says alot about what we have allowed to happen to our society.
There is also a French film called Tomorrow that offers future solutions to the present economic structure to save our society and our planet.
Models to learn from were Finland ( education) , Iceland ( people’s democracy, France ( permaculture) , Bristol, England ( money system ), San Francisco ( waste), Copenhagen ( city design and transport), France ( a new industrial structure)
amongst other inspirational models.
Watch it when it comes to Wellington.
Well that’s just bad luck. There’s nothing you can do about that. Kind of like nature, you know, survival of the fittest, and all that, eh? It’s about nature. Nobody can fuck with nature.
Donald Trump has made restoring American jobs a centerpiece of his campaign, a pledge he reiterated last week when he accepted the Republican nomination for president: “I’m going to bring our jobs back to Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York and Michigan and all of America,” he said.
This month, Trump is bringing jobs to Florida, as he looks to hire 78 servers, housekeepers, and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and the nearby Trump National Golf Club, Jupiter.
Of course! That’s why I included the links to the two party’s policies. I thought it would be good for the facts to speak for themselves. Great post, weka.
Don’t start with me either TRP, I’m not in the mood. I know how both you and CV get into these arguments and your reasonable on the surface comment is classic entry point.
Whatev’s. You’re in the mood to criticise me, but when I accept with good grace your position on this post, you go off on one. Lighten up.
[Banned permanently from this post for telling an author what to do, and picking a fight when already asked not to. I’m making note of the gas lighting too. Subthread moved to Open Mike – weka]
lol…can we have a video clip of a mud wrestling fight?…i bet weka would get a lot of fast pecks in and TRP would wallow around like a baby and splutter and shout
[lprent: Or I could just give my impression of a 5kg troll crushing hammer. Of course I’d need someone to use it on.. ]
No. I didn’t ‘set’ any ban length. I banned someone for six weeks and explained why I was banning them. That ban could have been for one week. It could also have been for six months. In the event, it was six weeks – a fairly arbitrary decision.
It is a hopeful sign that people throughout the Washington-dominated world are discovering the power of “nyet.” The establishment may still look spiffy on the outside, but under the shiny new paint there hides a rotten hull, with water coming in though every open seam. A sufficiently resounding “nyet” will probably be enough to cause it to founder, suddenly making room for some very necessary changes. When that happens, please remember to thank Russia… or, if you insist, Putin.
I’m reasonably certain that Trump will win the US presidential election. This will be a disaster in many ways for the world but I think it will also do some good as it will expose the complete failure and corruption of our Western systems. IMO, it will be the final nail in the coffin of capitalism.
Is there anyone else who’s getting fucked off with TS being the playground/battleground of a few likely suspects ? Comment after comment after comment all about them. Which is so childish and John Key.
Clever, erudite, no-ones’ fool, wah wah wah, but Jesus! they love fucking Donald Trump. I just don’t know……
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Can you believe this?
The government are doing this – despite a housing crisis.
Uncaring, greedy…….
Some tenants living in the hundreds of state and council homes north of Wellington that have been put on the market are worried about what the sale mean for their future.
The Government and Horowhenua District Council have unveiled a plan to sell 364 houses across Horowhenua and Kapiti, including 151 Housing New Zealand homes in Levin, 21 in Foxton, 70 in Otaki and seven in Shannon.
Almost all of the houses are occupied and their tenants are mostly elderly, single people or single parents.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/82526332/housing-new-zealand-council-plan-to-sell-hundreds-of-state-and-council-homes
this government and its ministers seem to have no concept of what it’s like to fear your home being taken off you, the stress of not knowing if you’re going to be forcibly evicted, the humiliation of being at the mercy of those who have the power to move you on, and break up families and communities
everything this government and its compliant district councils are doing – or not doing – in regards to housing is seeding a disaster for the future, not just for state tenants but also for the next generation of New Zealanders who won’t be able to afford to buy their own home
I find it particularly depressing to hear decent people so quickly buying-in to the meme pedalled by this government, that all these reports are a media beat-up
uncaring and greedy is too kind…
I’d add one or more of these: ‘incompetent, unaware of reality, in denial, living in their comfortable bubble, complacent, arrogant, dismissive….’
+100 Paul and locus
My God…..it’s like they’re being picked off…….’cos they’re poor and ain’t got their own house. Vultures are circling. In this OUR New Zealand. OUR New Zealand didn’t used to be like this. Some bastards gotta be brought to account !
We know them by the company they keep!
Donald Trump has chosen Pence as his running mate – an extreme right wing religious nutter!
Hillary Clinton picked Kaine for VP – a pro-war, pro-Wall Street establishment neocon.
Bernie’s supporters walked out of the DNC en masse!
If Trump wins, expect to see the whole country lurch to the religious right, because I don’t believe Trump has the ability, understanding or the patience to govern. His task will be ‘to make America great again.’ Lol
If Clinton wins don’t expect any of Bernie’s platforms to be implemented. Clinton, with her best friend Bill advising her, will not move against those who own her. Errh!
It may be a wasted vote, but if I was an American, Jill Stein would get my nod. The lesser of two evils is still evil – but Jill stands for everything that needs to be changed in the USA.
[Because of the regular misuse of the word ‘establishment’ for the purposes of trolling and abuse, it has been added to the mod list. That means comments that use the word will be held in moderation until released. It might be appropriate for neo con to go in there too if it is also going to be used in ignorance and out of context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Kaine TRP]
Has a stalinist coup happened on the Standard?
And that stadandesters must conform to some new form of Politically Correct newspeak that is divined from up on high?
I would have thought neocon and neoliberal were in essence interchangeable after 40 odd years, especially when we have a liberal elite who have given up on a socialist programme.
Is it no longer true that the established hierarchy can and indeed has a name?
One thing about free speech, is you have to hear a whole lot of stuff you don’t like, and some of it may even offend you.
Are you serious? Moderating comments for misuse of a word…
“‘Words’, he said, ‘is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So you must simply try to be patient and stop squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know exactly what words I am wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around.”
Agree with you guys. Watch out next week, Blairite, Sanders and Jill Stein will be thrown into moderation too..
Yes, dear.
(Just thought I’d use that line for the first and only time. I find it sneering and belittling, kind of like ‘Zip it, sweety’. But it has its fans here at TS so I suppose it’s OK.)
Frankly, I am falling over in near disbelief this night Thursday……
No coup, Adam. There has been a tightening up on abusive language for a while now. One troll in particular has been regularly misusing neocon and other similar phrases to stifle debate. So, for the time being, some words will drop comments into moderation. They’ll quickly be released if the words are being used in context, or moderated appropriately, then released, if they are not.
Read the policy (top of the page) if you are confused about how the Standard is moderated.
Can you give a list of the new words you have deemed abusive, I know policy says words, but I’m at a loss at what they are.
Is the subtext of your message another move in your public fight with Colonial Viper?
That has become truly a tired affair for the rest of us. At this point I wish you two would either copulate, or get into a right proper ruckus – teeth and all. Rather than this snippy affair that has gone on for months from both sides.
I’d like to clarify things a bit as someone who has access to the backend as an author. From what I can see, this is a decision that TRP has made on his own. There hasn’t been any discussion in the moderators’ forum. So please don’t assume this is anything other than TRP’s action.
As an author and moderator, I think it’s a bad move, the words chosen, the reasons given for the decision, and the fact that it was done unilaterally but presented as being something that the people who run the place agreed on.
It is possible that TRP has talked to other authors offsite, including Lynn.
From my experience in the front end of the site, I would say that TRP brings lots of good things to TS, but he also does some daft shit and some down right damaging shit. I would put this in the latter category (daft and damaging).
I would guess that you are right adam, that this was triggered by something to do with CV (but I haven’t looked that closely). And yes it smacks of authoritarianism. The irony there is that TRP has his own history of frequently winding up people by using political words as pejoratives. So yet another example of crazy making.
Judging something to be trolling is often very subjective. But TS traditionally has managed that quite lightly and really only premoderated words like N*zi or Tr*ll, which are well known trolling/flamming words in the internets. Premoderating words like ‘est*blisment’ is ridiculous and makes TS a laughing stock in the political blogosphere.
Having said all that, there has been a tightening up on moderation this year, and that appears to be getting good results. But the things that have changed that have made the difference, IMO, are the moderations that are clear and concise around just stepping in quickly and shutting down flame wars. I don’t see TRP’s moderated words as contributing to that and will probably just make things worse as they add to the culture of bullying and misuse of power.
btw, you can probably circumvent the premoderation by adding in asterisks. eg est*blisment. Of course TRP can then go and add ‘est*blisment’ to the list, but it’s a long word with lots of permutations, so have a play around with it.
I’d also suggest for the braver amongst us that we start using the word est*blisment as much as possible (knowing there is a risk of backlash). Or even without the asterisk. People power and all that. Plus the action deserves all the ridicule it can get. Fight back I say, but do it in a fun way.
(I don’t have the same level of author permissions as TRP so I can’t see the full range of tools that he has access to. I also can’t for instance release comments from moderation unless they are in one of my own posts).
Wow! What a backlash about my (I thought) rather innocuous comments, which no-one has bothered to read – fixating on the bold at the end!
Perhaps I got the rebuke because, a day or so ago, I commented that I was with CV on the Trump/Clinton thing.
For what it’s worth, and being very careful not to use the proscribed words, I still think Trump will win – though God help us all if he does.
Both Trump and Clinton carry too much baggage (banned word?) into this campaign. Clinton’s is political, Trumps apolitical. But, again, for what it’s worth, I’d still vote for Jill Stein if I was an American.
Hillary Clinton is the candidate of the Structural Status Quo.
You know it and I know it. The truth is bleeding obvious.
Not everyone can handle the truth however.
I read what you said Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster). I liked what you said. It was the bold at the bottom, which flummoxed me.
I would definitely encourage stronger moderation here.
What for the use of the word copulation and the the word ruckus? In my defense, both were and are the most humors terms I could find, rather than reach for gutter idioms.
Or at my overall discontent with an on going fight between two authors at the standard that creates an ongoing quandary for all who have to witness it?
I’d support banning lol, rotflmao or similar
Pretty damned pertinent piece (on a couple of levels) by Robert Reich.
http://www.salon.com/2016/07/25/hillary_doesnt_get_it_she_doesnt_need_to_move_toward_the_middle_she_needs_to_move_toward_the_anti_establishment_partner/
I’d assumed it was a comment suggesting stronger moderation in relation to the idiotic, damaging and on-going spat between trp and CV. But then, it could be read in a number of ways. Maybe Ad will clarify.
No, just generally here.
Adam you were fine.
Thanks, Ad. From the start, the site has tried to encourage open debate, while discouraging abuse. The levels of tolerance fluctuate and in the early years there was an almost anarchic approach (Robinsod is the exemplar for that, worth looking for his or her’s contributions for some cheap laughs when the search function comes back).
For me, the penny dropped around the time I wrote the ‘Broken’ post. So I’ve kept an eye out for words, terms or phrases that are being deliberately used in abusive ways. Happily, most commenters accept the moderation without complaint and quickly find other ways to express their opinions that add to the mix rather than close debate down.
Or you could just use Google.
20 Tips To Use Google Search Efficiently
“Thanks, Ad. From the start, the site has tried to encourage open debate, while discouraging abuse.”
Man, I was lucky to get away with what I did last night, strong abuse,………………I thought I might have been flying pretty close to the wire. Better keep my head down from now on.
Every one gets one free hit, Rosie. House rules 😉
Some people are candidates of the structural status quo, some people are supporters of the structural status quo.
It’s very easy for people to figure it out.
the prevailing political/social order too.
A particularly peculiar mix of odd orthodoxarians and aggravated authoritarians?
I agree if one simply took the author of the post above and simply believed what he said about kaine most would think he was an evil bastard …read the wiki info and presto he isnt .Im a bit supprized anyone would need instruction regarding the word establishment tho i mean would i be in trouble if i said hillary was establishment ?
There’s no problem with the word establishment. However it has been used in conjunction with other pejorative words which have been intended to insult or abuse.. The mod filter isn’t sophisticated enough to scrub out phrases or combinations of words so it’s been caught up. However, it’s only caused a moments delay for half a dozen comments, so no harm done.
There’s no problem with the word establishment. However it has been used in conjunction with other pejorative words which have been intended to insult or abuse. The mod filter isn’t sophisticated enough to scrub out phrases or combinations of words so it’s been caught up. However, it’s only caused a moments delay for half a dozen comments, and the use of similar abusive phrases seems to have diminished as a result. So, better conversations, more intelligent debate. That’s what we all want, right?
Ten minutes isn’t ‘a moments delay’ – and that happened for at least one comment.
There was (and still are) a handful of perfectly okay comments sitting in trash. Now sure, they may have wound up there for some really weird reason (it duplicates from time to time for some reason) or just because a commenter deleted their own comment because…well, moderators don’t ever throw comments into trash. Right?
Anyway. I did manage to save the Robert Reich link that someone else had tried to post. Can’t imagine why they’d post it and then delete it (ie -send it to the trash folder) during their edit time, but hey….
Honestly can’t see where the ‘better conversations’ or ‘more intelligent debate’ is, as a result of essentially flaming everyone. But again, hey….
No worries, Bill, thanks for your thoughts. I was trying to find a soft way to moderate abuse, but clearly that’s not going to work if too many people have objections to the concept. I’ll just ban instead, though I’ll probably give a warning first, unless it’s excessive abuse.
Maybe you authors should have a vote and let democracy decide the next steps. Seriously – this shitfight that is going on imo needs to be RESOLVED.
Not telling you what to do of course but I am asking. Non violent communication is a good model for resolving conflicts.
I can’t say I haven’t tried.
I know Bill.
There seem to be sneaky agendas here. I take voices passive aggressive threats as being completely unnecessary – weak personal qualities exposed – he’ll probably threaten to beat me up again for that one though.
As for cv – he is not left – end of story. Too much trumputin bullshit – he’s like trump a trojan – cv the bloody Trojan nzfirster now imo.
Anyhow good luck with it all.
It’s a real dilemma when you have an otherwise fairly functional group of people with a common purpose and one of them thinks it’s about doing what they want as an individual. I don’t know the solution to that, and I’m not sure a majority vote would sort it out tbh. The impression I have is that everyone has pretty full lives and are reluctant to put energy into it, especially as there seems to be history of people having to leave.
It’s a major stumbling block to getting new authors IMO.
Trump is far more Left economically than the Neocon Globalist Status Quo.
Putin is also far more Left economically than the Neocon Globalist Status Quo.
And NZ First is far further Left economically than National and Labour.
You need your bearings checked mate they are shot.
Classic – what a joke. Your slogans belong from another time they are hilarious – you have become a caricature little trumputin.
Hi Marty Mars, I’m afraid your gut reaction is totally on a tilt.
Trump wants to raise trade barriers, wants to bring manufacturing back from China to the USA, wants to reneg on free trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP, wants to stop spending on big wars and wants to spend on new infrastructure throughout the USA.
That’s way more left than the Democrats.
Putin has created a capitalist economy where the billionaire oligarchs are strongly reined in, where the resources of the country are heavily regulated/owned by the state, where a pension is available to every Russian, where tertiary education and public healthcare is broadly available and either free or reasonably cheap.
That’s way more left than the Democrats.
As for NZ First – their economic stance including willingness to nationalise key assets and ban foreign ownership is way more Left than Labour.
🙄
Further, Putin, Trump and Peters all understand the critical importance of *economic sovereignty* and all three are willing to act on that understanding.
That’s way more Left than most of the other political parties in NZ.
He will appoint an ultra conservative judge to the Supreme Court though.
yes weka, that’s undeniable.
And build a wall
Did you see the 8 foot steel and wire wall the Democrats built around their convention? To keep other Democrats out?
No. But what about this trumpwall, do you actually agree with that?
You’re not a real country if you cannot control the integrity of your borders and your seas. So the generic concept of the TrumpWall I agree with*
*PS it will never be built, he’s only trolling the Left Wing on this.
“Trump is far more Left economically than the Neocon Globalist Status Quo.”
Cool. I haven’t heard what his policies for redistribution of income and lowering societal income are. I guess you can help with that. Any idea what his taxation policies for the avoidance and minimisation schemes of the top 1% are? Is he going to strengthen trade unions and ensure fair labour laws – pay, safety etc.?
He’s going to ensure that there is massive working class employment in rebuilding the US manufacturing and infrastructure base, bringing back jobs from overseas.
He’s not going to rely on modern Lefty methods of handouts.
BTW Clinton is the oligarchy bankster candidate. She’ll protect the 0.1% exactly like Obama has.
What are his plans for people that can’t work?
Same as Obama’s. Let their unemployment insurance expire and throw them on the $140/month welfare scrap heap implemented by Bill Clinton.
“He’s not going to rely on modern Lefty methods of handouts.”
And the 1%?
What are are the plans for upskilling the workforce for these massive projects (maybe he’ll import skilled labour for less than it would cost to upskill?). And again – pay and conditions. I quite like that old-fashioned lefty way of ensuring people who can work get decent pay for decent work i.e. a fair share. No word on how those who can’t work in paid employment are going to get a share of the economic pie?
btw, this is about how Trump is or isn’t a lefty, not where Clinton stands.
He’ll elucidate on his plans more as the Presidential campaign gets going.
But I’m sure he has comprehensive staff training programmes within his own casinos and hotels.
Trump might have some economic thoughts (policies?) that sound left or leftish. But his thoughts around social issues, as far as I can tell, are very, very much to the right.
The same basic template, though not as extreme, applies to Peters.
You’re right that the establishment left has, for the most part, abandoned what we used to think of as left leaning economics.
But for fuck’s sake CV, if the economic choice is between a greater or lesser role for the state (orthodox parliamentarian leftism) or a greater or lesser role for the market (orthodox rightish parliamentarianism)…then unless Trump is going to expand the role of the state in health care and education etc…ie – have the state do all of those things that an orthodox leftist programme would call for, then he’s no more ‘left’ then fly.
What Trump actually wants is to bring the shitty low wage/ zero protection environment that’s been developed overseas by US corporations, brought back into the US. There are bugger all unions left to fight a workers corner and I just can’t envisage Trump making any good change to Labor Law in the US. Can you?
At least Clinton might be forced (reluctantly) to back a living wage and such like and she certainly won’t go all Mussolini on anyone giving her and her administration shit. Trump will be looking to have wages set by ‘the market’ (code for letting employers fuck workers over with impunity) and I suspect he could well go all Mussolini on matters.
Yes, he sounds as though he might be more isolationist, and that could be a relief for many people the world over. But at the same time, he’s saying he’ll deal with terrorists who link themselves to Islam. Short of dropping a nuclear device on Riyadh, I can’t see how he squares those two things off. Can you?
shitshitshit…rant over. For now.
“But I’m sure he has comprehensive staff training programmes within his own casinos and hotels.”
I wonder if he’ll open up a Trump technical training school, similar to the Trump University?
Anyway, about the 1%, tax, and employee rights etc…
I guess I don’t agree with your inference that economic nationalism is solely a left-wing political concern, that the objectives and expectations of that economic nationalism are the same, or that it was the sole, or event the main basis of left wing politics.
CV Have been to Spec Savers lately?
What other words or phases have you got concerns about? You know the ones intended to insult or abuse.
“Claire Trevett: Rats! Labour caught in a trap of its own making”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11682586
Claire equates the excess of men in the Labour Party with JKs elimination of pests.
This is a poor analogy, Claire. Balance is not the same as elimination.
This article reflects badly on its author. WO no longer required?
Claire is getting desperate as the Tories continue to fall in the polls and fail the country.
FYI Damien O’Connor is not a list MP and he won his electorate easily just like the term before last. This time it was the biggest win for him yet, and the Nat candidate he was up against was a woman, Maureen Pugh, he wiped the floor with her. Actually I wonder if Pugh has an investment in the 1080 factory? Last I heard she had interests in a helicopter company, I guess they will be busy making $ from dropping the poison. Hey Maureen where are the missing millions? Still under investigation is it? Mhmm… we will get to the bottom of that
http://www.greystar.co.nz/content/blowtorch-pugh%E2%80%99s-record
Continue to fall in the polls ? Did you actually read the last poll ?????
Also most people think the country is going in the right direction- so I think you comment about failing the country whilst universally accepted on this forum (by the lefties anyway) might is out of step with the rest of the population.
Comments were allowed on this dopy article, so I commented early this morning.
Not a single comment had been published by close of play Thursday.
Granny’s up to her old tricks again.
Whatever the causes or apparent justifications for war…. starving hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, is well into the realms of war crime:
Seige by Syrian regime on Aleppo tightens….
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/27/dozens-dead-in-syria-bomb-blast-qamishli?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Email
Ah, so it’s only a fear and not actually happening.
If the West didn’t want a sectarian war in Syria perhaps they shouldn’t have started one.
Draco,
The West didn’t start it, Assad did by bombing and shooting his own people during the Arab spring. And you actually know that, though it does not suit your narrative. That in turn caused the armed insurrection. Only then did the West, and others (Iran) get involved. But the civil war was well underway by then.
I am sure some of the western arms supplied to various anti-Assad factions will have ended up in the hands of ISIS, since in 2012 to 2014, the anti -Assad forces were highly disparate. It is not obvious that various western countries, including Turkey had a good idea of the nature of the various factions.
Modern civil wars seem to have many more factions that in the past, where civil wars looked like two states at war (US Civil war, Spanish civil war, etc).
bullshit Wayne.
Syria is in the middle of its worst drought in 1200 years (climate change). Hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers fled their failing land and headed into the cities, causing massive social instability that the west was happy to contribute to. (Producing detailed plans to destabilise the Assad regime has been a key goal of the USA for at least a decade).
This link is to a 2006 US Gov cable describing the “vulnerabilities” of the Assad regime and how they can be “exploited” to overthrow Assad.
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06DAMASCUS5399_a.html
Yes, Assad managed the resulting protests and civil unrest badly leading to hundreds of civilian deaths.
At which point the west decided to go full scale regime change, allowing thousands of Islamic fighters to infiltrate into Syria via NATO partner Turkey, and funding and arming these Islamists in a 5 year long fight to try and depose Assad.
The US did the same to Afghanistan by the way to take down the USSR. They have form and expertise in this.
In Syria the US gave the nod to its ME allies to do the same particularly: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey.
And 400,000 dead Syrians later the West is still keen to keep fighting Assad right down to the last Syrian.
But there’s a problem now Wayne. Turkey is distancing itself from its former pro-ISIS stance. Which means that the Islamic Rebels in northern Syria are about to find their lifelines back into Turkey cut.
Considering the US has been wanting to get rid of Assad for some time now because he wouldn’t let through the pipeline that they wanted it’s a serious question as to just how much the US pushed those protests in the first place:
“The West didn’t start it, ”
much of the middle east consider the crusades to have never ended
its all about where you put the starting point isnt it
I don’t think so.
Do you still believe the west’s propaganda?
Wonder if you’d continued to follow Goebbel’s arguments In 1943?
Anyway, here’s a refresher for you on what really has been happening.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=Mapp%2Bwar
I wouldn’t believe anything ‘Wayne the bad mapp’ claims about wars ….
This horrible [deleted] individual is prepared to join illegal wars where children get burned, maimed and killed …………. so NZ can get trade deals ….
Wayne is not only full of shit ……………… it’s really really bad shit.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=Mapp%2Bwar
[Allegation deleted because it can’t be substantiated. TRP]
Ah, so it’s only a fear and not actually happening.
If the West didn’t want a sectarian war in Syria perhaps they shouldn’t have started one.
Draco, my point in commenting was to shine the spotlight on the horror of war – not to start a pointless armchair dingdong
I have no tolerance whatsoever for people supporting Assad on whatever grounds. He should have stepped down in 2011 and this war might never have been fought.
There are over 1 million people in 52 besiged communities in the country, 49 of them are under seige by the Assad regime, 2 of them by the rebels, and 1 of them by ISIS while the Assad regime denies them aid.
https://thesyriacampaign.org
Also I have no tolerance at all for people who argue the semantics, and don’t seem to be moved by people being bombed, shelled and starved into submission – as the daily reports and photos from journalists risking their lives show us, as the streams of refugees into Europe tell us, as the 24 aid agencies in Aleppo are documenting.
I find it incredibly depressing to read the bullshit partisan arguments being trotted out about who caused it all and who is worse than who, and that we are all being conned by propoganda. All sides in the Syrian war have killed and are continuing to kill. The forces with the most tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft have killed and continue to kill the most.
The US and Russia are now both directly involved in the war and both of these countries have entreated with Assad to step down. He must – that is the only way forward.
Or, more likely, it would have been a hell of a lot worse. And all of the reports I’ve seen show that a majority of Syrians support Assad. If it was taken to elections, Assad would be voted back in.
Would you still be calling for him to step down then? I’m pretty sure that the US and their lickspittles would be.
And I have no tolerance for those idiots who demand that we act emotionally as it’s the wrong thing to do as it never solves anything. It has a tendency to start wars rather than end them.
Last time I looked Russia was still supporting Assad and the US wants Assad to step down so that they can create a power vacuum and place another puppet government there. As they did with Iran (1953) and Iraq (1960s, 2000s).
if much of the world’s media haven’t shaken your belief in Assad, and clearly you trust the evidence that he’s highly popular, despite 5 years of destroying most of the cities of his country, and given his track record of murdering thousands of unarmed civilians to quell protests in 2011, there’s probably not much a random blogger called locus can say that will alter your views
I remain convinced that if Assad had stepped down in 2012 and Morocco had led the UN proposed democratic transition of power this war could have been averted. Your statement that this would have allowed the US to step in to create a puppet government is no less of a supposition than mine. Irrespective of who might be right, in 2012 the Russians and Chinese voted down the UN resolution for Assad to step down, despite clear advice from ME experts that the end game of this would be civil war in Syria.
I think now is not the time to argue rights and wrongs – there will be plenty of evidence uncovered in the future to bring many to trial for war crimes. Nor is it the time to be partisan about Russia or the US.
You are very much mistaken if you think you can take the emotion out of engaging effectively to stop further bloodshed, end this war and rebuild people’s lives
Morena, last night I took 3 kids to meet the next Prime Minister of NZ, they were impressed. Kids pick up on vibes, Andrew Little took the time to talk to the kids, kids felt comfortable with him straight away, he was great with them, no pretending required, wonderful human being he is.
I’m already super impressed with Andrew, he is a incredible speaker, and a born leader, he is the next PM of NZ, and on a cold winters night in Motueka there was standing room only a wonderful turn out. He took the time to go around and talk to everyone there, not just a few words, rather he took the time because he was genuinely interested in listening to the people. Thanks for coming to Motueka Andrew Little, hope to see you here again soon, keep up the good work.
Is that you Andrew?
Sheesh Puckish I know you guys do dirty politics as modus operandi.
But please don’t think everyone else does, it tiresome.
Not dirty politics so much as a lame attempt at humour
Epic fail then.
Try some new lines.
Here one for free.
Mooning over Little in Motueka…
That said, glad you went out and meet Andrew Little, Jens.
I’m glad you liked him, he is a very affable chap. Shame our media can’t give him more than a 5 second sound bite most days. I think more people would warm to him if he was given even half a chance.
You may have guessed I’m no supporter of labour, however the media have done, and continue to do a number on Little, and we should all try to redress that situation.
That’s quite good actually
Public speaking around NZ would be of huge benefit to him, Winny styles, rock on up with the P&A in a public place and go for it. Andrew speaks well.
My party vote didn’t go to Labour last election, however my person vote did, Damien O’Connor is super switched on.
Agree with you re the media Adam
Pr is tiresome. And puerile.
End of story.
P Rogue. Your reply to Jens comment is just plain juvenile and rude.
Is that you Munter?
sorries tis just me, Jens, no fluoride round these parts, it’s all good here
+1 nice one Jens 🙂
opening our paua shell up for ‘commercial fishing’
our Ministry of Primary Industry is doing good work then?
https://www.facebook.com/NativeAffairsLive/videos/470344439702723/
fuck is there anything that the National Party led Government will not sell?
….the truth?
that one they killed a long time ago.
No. National will sell everything and then blame the workers for the country being so poor.
If there are any workers left.
@Sabine, fuck is there anything that the National Party led Government will not sell?
nope.
Hope the don’t start on harvesting human organs for export soon.
First MSM will have the poor little Maori kid who needs a donation.
Then how we have so little donors in this country.
Then how we have too many prisoners and dying WINZ and student loan debtors and we could turn a profit from it.
Then get a report form an expert like Restock to recommend it.
Then once the public is fully softened up, sell the contract for prisoner/debtors organs and so forth to the highest offshore bidder…
How to make money from poverty, 101.
They know the value of nothing.
Walkout leaves large swaths of seating empty.
http://wallstreetonparade.com/2016/07/sanders-delegates-stage-walkout-protest-on-hillary-clinton-nomination/
I’d encourage everyone who’s interesting in Auckland or housing to have a look at Matt’s excellent little taster over at TransportBlog on the independent panel’s version of the growth of Auckland, and how it will be accommodated:
http://transportblog.co.nz/2016/07/28/unitary-plan-recommendations-revealed/
New Zealand’s population is heading for 6 million in 30 years, and Auckland’s will be well into the 2 million. Regrettably, and to a degree that’s nearly unique in the world, Auckland is the biggest part of our society and economy. How this plan works really matters.
Silly question, historically Auckland and the Auckland region gets just over half of the country’s population. So if we move towards a figure of 6 million, would it not follow that Auckland population will probably be a city of 3 million, not 2?
I was going by the Dept. of Statistics average growth projections for both.
Frightening to think Auckland will be a city of 2 million in thirty years. It’s struggling now, with the division between haves and have nots are quite stark, I can’t imagine that expanded as well, will be any good for a society.
A hard cap needs to be put on the Auckland population.
Auckland City has around 1/3rd of the population. That doesn’t appear to be changing in the projections.
The region is not the city by itself.
Yes, I stand corrected.
Draco,
Actually the percentage is slowly changing. Over the last thirty years it has gone from 30% to 34%, and is headed to 40% over the next 30 years. In fact Auckland needs to be planning for 3 million people since that will happen (or close to it) in the next 30 years. The city (Pukekohe to Wellsford) is already close to 1.7 million.
In many ways NZ will become like Queensland where the major city has nearly half the population.
I’d prefer it if NZ planned to develop the regions and so keep Auckland from growing so massively.
“like Queensland where the major city has nearly half the population.”
Queensland has in fact the least concentrated population of the five larger (ie excluding Tasmania) Australian States..
About 43% live in Brisbane. In NW it is around 56% and in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia it is over 68% in each case.
Actually, it isn’t that unique. Lots of countries have a single dominant city. However, it is questionable if this is good for the overall country or not.
More dominant than Paris, London, Moscow, or even Kuala Lumpur.
Melbourne is about right as comparator but it’s a state.
Which OECD or G20 countries have more than a third of their population in one main city?
Apart from Singapore…
We need to cap the population of New Zealand at 5 million. We simply can’t afford to let Auckland bloat past 2 million people.
THIS
I see that CYPS is getting a name change to Ministry for Vulnerable Children .
Yep that will fix it!!!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/faces-of-innocents/82526149/faces-of-innocents-cyf-to-be-shut-down-and-replaced-by-a-new-ministry
i wonder how many days of $ 2000 pay the Dame Rebstock got to charge to come up with this name.
And who gets to define ‘vulnerable’.
Just think… all that money for reorganisation, rebranding and refit… that could actually be spent on the children.
+1 Jones. How to see a clusterfuck – rebranding exercises take place…
At least the Nats will have to ‘own’ this one, no blaming Labour. (Personally I don’t see what diference a new logo will achieve).
If you think its just a rebanding exercise then its clear you have not read any detail.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Q-and-A.pdf
It seems the Greens and Labour broadly support the changes as well…
“Proposed changes to Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) look promising, but should not overshadow that there is still an urgent funding crisis in CYFS, the Green Party said today.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1604/S00088/cyfs-changes-should-not-overshadow-the-funding-crisis.htm
“The independent panel tasked with overhauling our child protection agency has come up with some useful solutions, but they will only succeed if the Government pays more than lip service to early intervention.” Labour website.
http://www.labour.org.nz/cyf_report_should_only_be_the_start_of_reforms
“Barnardos welcomes recommendations on care of vulnerable children”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1604/S00101/recommendations-on-care-of-vulnerable-children-welcomed.htm
“IHC is welcoming the news that children with disability will finally get equal treatment when going into out of home care.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jul/28/new-zealand-experts-warn-australia-data-driven-welfare-abuses-and-brutalises
“We owe it, at least to the taxpayer, but absolutely to the people needing our help, to use every tool available to change lives,” said the deputy prime minister, Bill English, in a data conference this year. “Lives which are described by the data.”
The New Zealand government believes that increasing use of predictive modelling techniques based on personal data from beneficiaries (incorporating data from child, youth and family payments, work and income, and the criminal justice system) will help it identify the most vulnerable in society and intervene at an earlier stage so they do not become long-term or lifetime beneficiaries.
The government says in the four years since implementing the regime, it has saved the welfare system $12bn it would have otherwise had to spend in the future.
This model – called “actuarial valuation” – is what the Australian government want to emulate.
But poverty experts in New Zealand say the Australians are signing up to a system that is routinely harming, rather than helping, New Zealand’s most needy.
nope just stuff.
i hope you are right, i don’t have a lot faith in natz planning ability.
but we will see.
Terrible name. Reeks of Victorian despair. Sounds like something out of Dickens, it’s that dated.
Similar to calling your political party “Labour”, it either sounds like 24 hours of excruciating pain, or being subjected to backbreaking work, either way a terrible name that is also dated.
Many businesses and other groups could learn from this:
I am watching Paul Henry at the moment. Coming back into NZ and seeing the media here is jarring. I am not sure if people realise how much of a pro government propaganda tool the MSM is now in NZ.
It is Alice in Wonderland stuff.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
National allows farmers to plunder rivers for private benefit.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
National indulges in tokenistic effort to clean up rivers.
Greens criticise state of rivers.
Media criticises Greens for criticising wonderful government initiative that addresses their criticism.
Alice in Wonderland.
Sanctuary -28 July 2016 at 9:36 am said, “I am watching Paul Henry at the moment…”
Why?
It happened to be on where I was staying, I only watched like ten minutes, may God have mercy on my soul.
Sanc- You are forgiven my child.Say 3 ‘hail henrys’…Godel
I agree with Rodel,
Why?
I mean, I know sado masochism is all the rage, but Paul Henery – that just crosses the line…
“….but Paul Henry – that just crosses the line…”
But it’s nice to be a lunatic!
Thanks Rosmary, that was a great!!
You may be interested in Drury’s bio….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Dury
….major claim to fame was giving the single digit salute to the 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons, which he saw as patronising and counter-productive….
Respect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6isXNVdguI8
So place your hard-earned peanuts in my tin
And thank the Creator you’re not in the state I’m in
So long have I been languished on the shelf
I must give all proceedings to myself
“I must give all proceedings to myself”
as echoed in the rather brilliant movie…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_I%27m_Dancing
….Inside I’m Dancing….where the lead characters do the ‘hold out the bucket for the poor crips’ thing, then bugger off to the pub to party.
Thanks for the link joe90. Been a very long time since I heard that song.
Oh my yes.
Yes we are well aware of it and even Natrad doesn’t (can’t ?) rattle anyone’s cage sufficiently anymore. Imo this is one of the biggest problems facing us – the power of the media is immense and it is being controlled by the right. The likes of Newstalk ZB, TV3,TVNZ, in fact all of the commercial stations, and all the corporate papers are all based on planet Key. Sorry – this is in reply to Sanctuary ( 11. )
Poor old Natrad….sad to see what was good journalism now having to hang on by their collective fingernails.
However…a few much welcome giggles this am with KR’s interview with UK Correspondent Dame Anne Leslie…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201809961/uk-correspondent-dame-anne-leslie
And currently, a topic dear to mine own heart,
“11:25 Helping your child succeed at school
Education consultant and parenting commentator Joseph Driessen talks about what parents of children who succeed at school are doing right.”
…not available yet…but well worth a listen, and bugger me if the solutions to the problem of poor engagement with learning are completely cost free. (In dollar terms)
Just returned from a week in Ozzie. The MSM media in Australia is far broader and deeper than in NZ. The difference is stark and very disappointing. We don’t know what we are missing. Our public media is disgraceful. TVNZ is a disaster and, sad to say, Radio New Zealand is on the same skids. I’ve switched off, and onto other Internet sources for quality information and news.
^^^^
THIS
So very very true. And I only watch ABC kids! NZ kids don’t know what they are missing.
It is another failure of the neo-liberal paradigm where it’s all about ratings, entertainment and profits rather than informing people.
I do wonder if the percentage of the population that actually watches TV or listens to the radio is dropping. I know I don’t and I know that several others that read this forum don’t either.
Natcorp leader John Key needs to do the honourable thing and resign if the TPPA he undemocratically pushed so strongly upon us is rejected by the American’s.
Why?
Because its the only way the left will beat John Key?
The left don’t need to beat John Key – his failure to meaningfully react to the housing crisis has destroyed him.
Hmm: http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6902-roy-morgan-new-zealand-voting-intention-july-2016-201607211639
I’m sure that’s just a rogue poll that we can safely ignore. Right?
With a 10% jump I would guess that is a very safe assumption, it still directly contradicts Stuart’s point though, so I thought it was relevant.
Stuart seems to be another one of these people that think that because this is National’s 3rd term, Labour just win by default at the next election… I don’t think it is quite that straight forward.
Because John Key has wrecked the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders therefore if he fucked off it would be good thing regardless of any other reason?
Sorry to burst your bubble, leftie, but I don’t love John Key and I’m not a John Key or National supporter and I in fact despise the guy, his politics and everything he represents. I do see, however, how you could’ve thought otherwise.
+1 Skinny – only JK needs removal for lying an cheating too as well as selling us out.
Natcorp leader John Key needs to do the honourable thing and resign if the TPPA he pushed so strongly is rejected by the American’s.
Testing the establishment.
pretty sure that that went into moderation but got releaseed quickly, but the asterisked one below didn’t, so just testing again.
Testing the establishment.
Testing the est*blishment.
Good on ya Weka!
The (insert forbidden word here) needs ALL the testing it can get!
Cheers Rosemary! Ridicule and parody seem the order of the day 🙂
Silly naive Angela Merkel. She imposed refugees on Europe ( a Trojan Horse?) …and she didnt question the causes of the mass refugee crisis and demand justice for the refugees and their rights to be returned safely to their own countries, which have been ravaged by war… because she supports NATO and the USA ( who bombed the shit out of Iraq, Libya, and wants to get rid of Assad?..who created the vacuum for Isis?…and who has designs on destabilising Iran and Russia?)
‘Merkel’s open-border policies are destroying Europe’ – Willy Wimmer’
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/353568-france-germany-terror-attacks-wimmer/
The good thing about NZ is that we can see what’s happening in Europe and we can learn from their mistakes
Whether we do is another matter entirely
Well, this government certainly seems to be determined not to learn as it ties us ever more closely to the foreign policy of the US.
You are aware this government is slavishly copying the errors of neoliberalism, an ideology that has ruined the US and the UK’s citizens.
Instead of looking to the Icelandic model or the Finnish model or the Danish model.
But you know that.
And still support this incompetent, corrupt client regime of banker Key.
Shame.
The German 1% wanted cheap non-unionised workers. Now they have them.
yes but at what price?…time will tell at what ‘cost’ to society
As is usual the 1% doesn’t care about the costs, which they will promptly dump on to the rest of society while they scoop off the benefits all for themselves.
too true
Listening to Susie Ferguson having a go at Andrew Little this morning on RNZ at being at odds with the Greens and their statement of lowering the house prices. She was obviously and determined to undermine and try to drive a wedge between Labour and the Greens at not being on the same page together. I thought what a bloody nerve, National are forever bringing up new ideas on the hoof where one Cabinet Minister doesn’t know one thing from the other Cabinet Minister and are not keeping themselves informed and “being on the same page”. Paula Benefit for one with her shifting and changing trying to get people out of Auckland or back again – whatever day she seems fit to pontificate on. The Minister of Everything is another with his chucking goodies to Northland left, right and centre without a thought of what he was doing. At least Labour and the Greens are separate parties and are entitled to have their differences.
If RNZ’s morning crew expended as much energy being fair to all parties it would be easier on the ears for everybody – its so darned obvious even a baboon would be able to see through it. Andrew Little should have just told her to shut her gob and give him a chance to speak and repeat what the Gov. says all the time – “well the government in power does it, why don’t you have a go at them as well about it”. Fat chance of that, he is too good mannered for that.
LAB/GR need to be showing off their new teamwork and co-ordination to the electorate.
Especially as the wedge driving has only started. Wait until 2017. National will have a tonne of wood wedges handy and a lot of sledge hammers to bang them in with.
Handled badly on both sides I think. The Greens for not giving Labour a headsup, Labour for Little slagging off the GP policy esp without understanding what it is.
Neither of those things were necessary.
Winston seems to be the only one ( I won’t call him “opposition” because you can’t tell with him) who does not let the interviewer derail what he wants to say. Time and again “our lot ” let the interviewer walk all over them . Why ? Is it just lack of media training ? I think it’s more than that. There just doesn’t seem to be anyone on the left in NZ who can handle the media.
agree about Winston…why he will probably get my vote
Not a lack of media training; a lack of belief in their party’s principles.
It helps that journos are afraid of Winston – they don’t try as much shit.
Suzie Ferguson.
Just another spokesperson for the establishment.
The liberal chattering class have failed society.
Chris Hedges.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2hImYfdl5pE
I agree whispering kate. Andrew Little is too polite sometimes. He endeavours to get his point across politely then when the interviewer intervenes he gets flustered and starts repeating himself which only makes it look like he’s trying to spin a lie.
I’ve said it a hundred times and I still say it. He needs more media training.
Hopefully Andrew mentioned all that stuff. It would be a shame if he sat there spluttering.
Natrad also expands on the unaffordable feminine hygiene products story…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/309591/girls-using-'telephone-books,-rags'-as-sanitary-products
with pictures…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIY1EdZJG8
(Wriggling around in the further recesses of my memory banks is a campaign from the early seventies for some sort of price relief on moisturisers and sunscreens. The argument was that the NZ climate was cruel on skin (and this was before melanoma became an issue) and there should be cheaper and more effective products available.)
And when Bennett was social welfare minister she lambasted claims that hygiene products couldn’t be purchased at the supermarket using a special needs grant for food. Her comments were made after an overzealous checkout operator refused to sell a packet of pads because they were going to be paid for using an SNG voucher. The only things that couldn’t be bought were alcohol and tobacco but the checkout operator decided to add hygiene products. Bennett waded in and said that wasn’t right.
Well, since then, the social security tribunal has changed that again by saying people cannot get hygiene products using the food SNG, nor soap or shampoo or any kind of personal or cleaning products. What’s interesting is that Work and Income defended the appeal despite their minister saying that people could use the SNG for this purpose.
I would dearly love to see a link to this….not that I don’t believe you….but it should be on the record somewhere.
Are there media articles or any other documentation?
(Because it is exactly this sort of bizarre shit that disappears…poof! Gone! Never happened!)
((And quick….because They will get in first…suggest you do a quick copy and paste into a word doc if you can;t easily download a file.)
Regards, the othertinfoilhatwearer. 😉
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11110932
Will try to track down the tribunal decision that contradicts what Bennett said. It’s appalling that Work and Income let it go to the tribunal in the first place if its position really was as Bennett said.
“Ms Thompson said another woman tried to use a Winz supermarket card at the check-out at her local supermarket, and the card didn’t work.
“The cashier called Winz to find out why the card wouldn’t work, and found out it was because she had tampons amongst the items she was purchasing. She had to return them.””
So…not just at the discretion of the checkout operator….actually built into the system.
Bennett was bullshitting.
Especially when special needs grants come under a programme the minister has direct control over. Bennett says sanitary items can be bought with a grant issued to purchase items from a supermarket, and then when a beneficiary appeals a decision that’s inconsistent with what she says her ministry defends it all the way to the tribunal. Bennett’s a piece of work at the best of times. I’m still totally flabbergasted that she thinks it’s okay to put the poorest of people into $80,000+ of debt to meet the cost of emergency housing simply because “they signed up for it”.
“I’m still totally flabbergasted that she thinks it’s okay to put the poorest of people into $80,000+ of debt to meet the cost of emergency housing …”
In her world, ’emergency housing’ could also mean a cardboard carton in the park, or under a bridge, or perhaps in a (usually) dry stormwater pipe. Or a vehicle.
No sign up required.
It’s all about choice.
The Auckland Action Against Poverty group in Auckland said they were challenging those debts. I hope they’re successful. It beggars belief that people can end up with that kind of debt via simple operation of legislation that’s meant to help our poorest. It beggars fucking belief.
“It beggars fucking belief.”
Don’t try to understand it….your brain will turn inside out.
What’s equally distressing is that nobody’s that up in arms about it at all. It’s as close to the crime of the century as you’ll get but nobody seems to give a stuff.
This film is amazing. A mirror image of what happens here in NZ.
In addition to this, what’s alarming in NZ is the current trend of shifting rules around how and when people qualify for social security into regulations. This has the effect of removing the necessary legal flexibility that allows need to be met regardless of differences in circumstances. The nature of regulations means that if circumstances don’t fit neatly into the tightly prescribed rules then it’s quite legal for Work and Income to say no. This is the main thrust behind the rewrite Bill currently before Parliament. The government says it’s about tidying up existing complexity etc and that there’s no major change but that’s a load of shite. The Bill is in effect another benefit cut – not necessarily by way of reducing rates but by giving the executive branch of government the ability to make binding regulations that make it legal to refuse people help. Labour began the trend when it axed the special benefit in 2004 and replaced it with the temporary additional support benefit, and then again in 2007 by introducing the ability to make regulations that overrode the statutory definition of income. This latest rewrite Bill takes the concept to dangerously new heights. Work and Income staff won’t be required to treat people badly in order to deny issuing help. They’ll be able to say no ever so politely and with a clear conscience because the law won’t allow any alternative.
Yes, I’ve seen the trailers and felt sad and angry. I think it’s on at NZIFF at the moment. Just viewing the trailers previously, it’s apparent at how NZ’s welfare rules are blending with the UK’s. It’s really quite sinister.
Watched “Where To Invade Next” by Michael Moore the other night. It’s mainly a comparison of a sample of how European states educational, health, and justice systems work compared to USA. A good Vs bad sort of comparison, very simple but there is an important message. One feeling I took away was a sense of growing alarm at how far we have come from our own equitable roots and have marooned ourselves in some vast ocean with no horizon, gradually floating towards the USA.
To me, it says alot about what we have allowed to happen to our society.
There is also a French film called Tomorrow that offers future solutions to the present economic structure to save our society and our planet.
Models to learn from were Finland ( education) , Iceland ( people’s democracy, France ( permaculture) , Bristol, England ( money system ), San Francisco ( waste), Copenhagen ( city design and transport), France ( a new industrial structure)
amongst other inspirational models.
Watch it when it comes to Wellington.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NUN0QxRB7e0
And for those in the provinces?
They made their choice when they moved there so I’ve got not a jot of sympathy.
What if you were born in the provinces?
Well that’s just bad luck. There’s nothing you can do about that. Kind of like nature, you know, survival of the fittest, and all that, eh? It’s about nature. Nobody can fuck with nature.
Thanks Paul.
I’ve seen this film.
It is brilliant.
Bennett, Smith, Key and company are ruthless ******** to allow WINZ to be a carbon copy of the UK model.
Work and Income should make all their staff see it.
Yeah, he really does care.
/
Donald Trump has made restoring American jobs a centerpiece of his campaign, a pledge he reiterated last week when he accepted the Republican nomination for president: “I’m going to bring our jobs back to Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York and Michigan and all of America,” he said.
This month, Trump is bringing jobs to Florida, as he looks to hire 78 servers, housekeepers, and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and the nearby Trump National Golf Club, Jupiter.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicagarrison/trump-seeks-more-foreign-guestworkers-for-his-companies
Of course! That’s why I included the links to the two party’s policies. I thought it would be good for the facts to speak for themselves. Great post, weka.
Don’t start with me either TRP, I’m not in the mood. I know how both you and CV get into these arguments and your reasonable on the surface comment is classic entry point.
Whatev’s. You’re in the mood to criticise me, but when I accept with good grace your position on this post, you go off on one. Lighten up.
[Banned permanently from this post for telling an author what to do, and picking a fight when already asked not to. I’m making note of the gas lighting too. Subthread moved to Open Mike – weka]
lol…the giants fight
LOL! It’s like watching two mastodons bellowing at each other across the primeval swamp.
Go Te Reo! No, no, get ‘im, weka!!!! How THRILLING this is!
lol…can we have a video clip of a mud wrestling fight?…i bet weka would get a lot of fast pecks in and TRP would wallow around like a baby and splutter and shout
[lprent: Or I could just give my impression of a 5kg troll crushing hammer. Of course I’d need someone to use it on.. ]
You could ban TRP permanently from the site for being a NZ First supporter?
[Bill has set the ban length for telling lies about an author at 6 weeks. Only warning. TRP]
No. I didn’t ‘set’ any ban length. I banned someone for six weeks and explained why I was banning them. That ban could have been for one week. It could also have been for six months. In the event, it was six weeks – a fairly arbitrary decision.
The Power of “Nyet”
I’m reasonably certain that Trump will win the US presidential election. This will be a disaster in many ways for the world but I think it will also do some good as it will expose the complete failure and corruption of our Western systems. IMO, it will be the final nail in the coffin of capitalism.
hey Ms Viper
someone agrees with you
https://theintercept.com/2016/07/26/russian-intelligence-hack-dnc-nsa-know-snowden-says/
Is there anyone else who’s getting fucked off with TS being the playground/battleground of a few likely suspects ? Comment after comment after comment all about them. Which is so childish and John Key.
Clever, erudite, no-ones’ fool, wah wah wah, but Jesus! they love fucking Donald Trump. I just don’t know……