Open mike 28/11/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 28th, 2013 - 163 comments
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163 comments on “Open mike 28/11/2013 ”

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  1. Te Reo Putake 1
    28 November 2013 at 6:41 am

    Berlusconi gets the boot from the Italian senate for corrupt practices: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/27/silvio-berlusconi-ousted-italian-parliament-tax-fraud-conviction

    Meanwhile, Banksusconi barely gets a mention in the NZ Herald despite spending yesterday in court for the same moral failings. Funny old world, eh?

    • CnrJoe 1.1
      28 November 2013 at 9:14 am

      And the exausted wheeze – I mean Geoff Robinson is leaving morning resport – World coming to?

      • Ron 1.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 12:34 pm

        Yes and it gives RNZ a good chance to insert a more right wing person into Morning Report.
        Just a thought how do people think Geoff would fit into taking over Chris Laidlaws Sunday morning slot. It would be quite a different slot and with better hours the Morning Report.
        And would only occupy a couple of days a week.

        • greywarbler 1.1.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 9:22 pm

          Geoff can retire with distinction. But he is too old and right wing to take over from Chris. There seem to be few names brought forward that aren’t already well known. There must be some thoughtful, smart middle aged men who have a wide viewpoint.

          And Berlusconi is 77. Why would old men be given so many years in power. It is a job for middle aged not pensioners who can’t give up the baubles. They get into a rut that deepens. Look at Netanyahu.

    • Foreign Waka 1.2
      28 November 2013 at 6:46 pm

      Rest assured, Europeans have condemned this men. If he goes back into Parliament all hell brakes loose. There are serious problems to be solved and this is no playground for “misunderstood” millionaires trying for a playground.

  2. Te Reo Putake 2
    28 November 2013 at 6:42 am

    Berlusconi gets the boot from the Italian senate for corrupt practices: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/27/silvio-berlusconi-ousted-italian-parliament-tax-fraud-conviction

    Meanwhile, Banksusconi barely gets a mention in the NZ Herald despite spending yesterday in court for the same moral failings. Funny old world, eh?

  3. North 3
    28 November 2013 at 7:00 am

    Curiouser and curiouser what ?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9450404/Kiwi-spies-could-be-called-to-court

    This’ll be the “on-Broadway” show of 2014. Thank goodness for the excellence of Paul Davison QC. And KDC’s freed-up bucks ensuring it reaches the stage.

  4. phillip ure 4
    28 November 2013 at 7:26 am

    bloody hell..!..al gore has gone vegan..

    ..and george monbiot has issued (another) vegan-retraction/apology…

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/27/al-gore-veganism-eating-words-sceptical-meat-eating

    “..Al Gore has gone vegan – a diet I was once sceptical about.

    Now I believe it is meat-eating that is more environmentally damaging..”

    ..phillip ure..

    • weka 4.1
      28 November 2013 at 3:39 pm

      ALL industrial food production is damaging to the environment. Full stop.

      Non-industrial food production, well it depends on the population, geography, climate etc whether it’s better to grow meat or plants or both, but there are basically no historical accounts of fully vegan cultures, ever, so what does that tell us?

      The expectations of the eaters is a huge part of it as well.

      Veganism is a great choice for individuals, but it’s not going to work for populations. I think this is even more true going into a peak resource/AGW world.

  5. Saarbo 5
    28 November 2013 at 7:43 am

    This article from todays NZ Herald explains clearly why NZ ends up selling its major assets so cheaply.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=11163100

    “Interest rates in NZ are higher than those of most other developed countries around the world and NZ’s cost of equity is certainly not lower than overseas companies so this implies the weighted average cost of capital calculated in an overseas investors DCF model is likely to be lower therefore the DCF valuation of Synlait Farms, Fletcher Forests and NZ Farming Systems is likely to be much higher for a buyer overseas than a local buyer.

    If in China the government is prepared to lend the company making the takeover at a low or zero interest rate then their WACC and thus NPV will be much higher so independent experts and independent directors will inevitably say sell. The NZ Takeover Panel, Federated Farmers, politicians etc, need to be urgently aware of these issues.”

    Kiwi’s will never be able to compete against overseas buyers…we need to implement a regulatory solution before all of our assets (Dairy Farms) are purchased by overseas buyers. This is scary.

    • vto 5.1
      28 November 2013 at 7:47 am

      Yep, there is no benefit to two things;

      1. Foreign landlords.
      2. High capital values.

      In fact though, it is worse than that as each of those are not just of no benefit, they are actually a detriment.

      Happy to be proved wrong but aint been yet on this ……

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 9:54 am

        You’re not wrong. Foreign ownership brings nothing to NZ except higher prices forcing NZers out of the market for home and business.

        • aerobubble 5.1.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 10:10 am

          Worse. Cant even buy a tin of edible bake beans thanks to the rigged market here. Cheap foods are essential for many but supermarkets are taking unsold tins and reheating them and them dumping them onto the cheaper supermarkets shelves. So the owners get a share boost when they turn unsellable stock into seemingly good food, and you stiff (me) gets to throw out a tin of bake beans. I’ve had rusted kernal corn tin, I’ve had rusted tomato tins, its getting bad when you can’t have a backup food supply in the pantry. And its the cheap foods! No wonder S.Auckland go out for takeout, when they get burnt by supermarkets since its a real risk when you have to write off a meal because bad tin of tomatoes got dumped in with the mince.

          And in part its the car cult, that makes it more time consuming to get to the one supermarket, in and out of a large car park and so you’re not about to go to the competitor to check pricing.
          We live in a wasteful consumer nightmare.

    • Flee 5.2
      28 November 2013 at 9:28 am

      Much easier and less costly for China to buy the world than to invade it.

      • aerobubble 5.2.1
        28 November 2013 at 10:24 am

        Much easier to hire a lawyer and get your former partners employees to rag on them. Revenge in the rich mans world.

        Imagine that, nobody surely would believe someone if they said they stole a quarter of a million because the person they were working for was doing drugs and wouldn’t mind. When did self admitted thieves becomes so convincing? Oh, wait, when a rich prick uses their immense media clout to smear their exit.

        Its like the roastbusters, why do people believe if they admit wrong their words are now unassailable. Why does Key get away with his open for business, we can sell the farm, its good for NZ? Well because the media here spin the great leaders every waking statement as our last great hope to stave off depression and malaise. Yet the fact is we’ve only have growth because returning kiwis escaping world depression, earthquakes, and foreigners buy low tax rental gain out of the NZ economy.

        If I claimed world calamities, natural disasters and selling out cheap (shit in the waterways of NZ and farms selling product overseas and avoiding tax here), as down to me there would be a lynch mob wanting to stop me. Key gets bloody sainted for his handling of the economy.

        Its just lies and spin, no wonder people are leaving TV its all lies and spin.

        • greywarbler 5.2.1.1
          29 November 2013 at 10:00 am

          People leaving NZ. It has got so bad that though it’s chancy in Australia, people make a considered decision that, for them, this country has nothing and cares nothing for them as citizens. So they are making a rational decision as to the best of two unsatisfactory options, and choose to go to Australia even with the punitive, discriminatory conditions they have imposed on a slight excuse.

          The right wingers in NZ Labour, followed by most of National, are taking (have taken) the country back to the state of Britain when our old relatives left to make a better life! Now is there anywhere in the English-speaking world where it’s the main language, that has a standard of politics that matches the expectations that modern, advanced, educated peoples expect?

          • aerobubble 5.2.1.1.1
            2 December 2013 at 2:13 pm

            The Australian policy toward NZ was introduced by Howard who dumbly ignored good government procedure and decided to (in the vain of Thatcher) to demand fiscal neutrality.

            So Howard wanted free trade, common rules, in goods and services, but not in employment.
            And Clark could do nothing, because how Australia impliments its laws is its business, and hell it was a damningly stupid policy, as it harms free movement of employees in what essentially is a free market between NZ and OZ.

            But the media were silent, nice neo-liberals must not be threatened by bad press at their communism/national socialism.

            Enter Key, who is just as naive about looking fiscally stupid when legislating. The Casino license wasn’t the first and wont be the last neo-liberal ideological policy that harms free trade.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.3
      28 November 2013 at 9:58 am

      The NZ Takeover Panel, Federated Farmers, politicians etc, need to be urgently aware of these issues.

      They should already be aware of those issues. If they’re not then they either aren’t doing their job or are selling NZ out on purpose.

      We need to ban foreign ownership now.

      • Saarbo 5.3.1
        28 November 2013 at 1:20 pm

        I think it highlights the calibre of directors on boards in New Zealand. They contract an outfit like Grant Samuels to do the analysis, and Brent Sheather has shown that the analysis is a crock of bull shit (maybe they put new graduates onto work like this). Then BoD rely on this lightweight analysis to support enormous decisions….NZ BoD are still a pack of the old boys club. I understand that Labour have a policy to put a halt to sales of farm land to foreigners…maybe someone can confirm?

        • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 4:30 pm

          I understand that Labour have a policy to put a halt to sales of farm land to foreigners…maybe someone can confirm?

          Can’t recall if it was Goff or Shearer who said that Labour would limit sales of land greater than 5ha. Which I considered a little stupid as it would do nothing for the house prices which were also being driven up by foreign buyers.

  6. phillip ure 6
    28 November 2013 at 8:27 am

    how much longer will the political-deniers be able to deny..?

    http://www.alternet.org/environment/ticking-time-bomb-could-cause-such-rapid-global-warming-wed-be-unable-prevent-extinction

    “..Our planet has experienced five major extinctions over the past billion or so years –

    – do we really want to launch an irreversible 6th?..”

    ..and yep..!..it’s our cows/diet.. again..

    ..the future is really in all our hands..

    ..a future dependant on our choices..now..

    ..for how much longer will we pretend it is nothing to do with us..?

    ..that there is nothing we as individuals can do..?

    ..’cos that ‘helplessness’ is complete and utter bullshit..

    ..eh..?

    ..and as for drooling-denialists like that fucken clown colon craig..

    ..they can just fuck right off..

    ..phillip ure..

  7. Saarbo 7
    28 November 2013 at 8:29 am

    Agree.

    • Belladonna 7.1
      28 November 2013 at 9:00 am

      I just dont get why people are willing to risk their health, the environment and be complicit in the terrible cruelty involved with eating meat and dairy. A vegan diet can be delicious so what is the problem?

      • weka 7.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 3:48 pm

        Most people get sick on a vegan diet.

        Eating meat or dairy per se doesn’t damage health (plenty of healthy people and cultures that eat meat). It’s the kind of meat and how it’s eaten that affects health.

        • Naturesong 7.1.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 3:55 pm

          I know a couple of vegans, and they don’t get sick.

          They have however spent a great deal of time researching and educating themselves on food and dietery requirements. Both take small amounts of suppliments, trace elements, selenium etc.

          A fair amount of time each week is also spent on sourcing top quality fresh foods.

          Being a vegan is not a decision that should be taken lightly, and involves significant effort and time to ensure you remain healthy.

          • weka 7.1.1.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 9:06 pm

            “I know a couple of vegans, and they don’t get sick.”

            Yes, I do too. I also know some vegans who have significant health problems. But that is all beside the point. I didn’t say some people can’t do well on a vegan diet, I said most people can’t. The fact that some people do well doesn’t mean everyone can, and the illogic of trying to argue that is astounding.

            There have been no vegan cultures historically. IMO that’s because it doesn’t work at the societal level. Humans can’t sustain themselves and reproduce on a vegan diet. If they could, we would have veganism turning up in the biodiversity of evolution.

            I think the main reason there are so many vegans around now is because it’s easier to be vegan in an oil economy. Try doing it pre-industrial and it gets much harder. There are some people who will have the kind of metabolism to handle only plant nutrients, but I just don’t see any evidence that large numbers of humans are adapted to this.

        • phillip ure 7.1.1.2
          28 November 2013 at 5:11 pm

          serious lying there..eh weka..?

          ..i have been vegan for 15 yrs..

          ..i know people who have been vegan for over 30 yrs..

          ..one thing all these vegans share..

          ..is a kind of glowing good health..

          ..it was bad enough enduring yr lies that raising meat doesn’t have a heavier environmental-footprint than raising vegetables on that same land..

          ..(worthy of one of the annual whopper-awards..that one..)

          ..now you are reaching for the really big one..

          ..claiming that going vegan will make ‘most people’ sick..

          ..which means we can all just laff @ yr silliness..eh..?

          ..do you earn yr daily bread from the animal exploitation industry..?

          ..what else explains this campaign of lies from you..?

          ..phillip ure..

          • weka 7.1.1.2.1
            28 November 2013 at 9:19 pm

            “..i have been vegan for 15 yrs..

            ..i know people who have been vegan for over 30 yrs..

            ..one thing all these vegans share..

            ..is a kind of glowing good health..”

            That’s great phillip. And I can find plenty of people who can make the same claims for eating meat/dairy. I’m sure you know some yourself.

            But I didn’t say no-one can do well on a vegan diet, I said most people can’t. That is two different things. See my reply to Ns above.

        • Belladonna 7.1.1.3
          28 November 2013 at 6:35 pm

          The majority of people eat a high meat/dairy diet hence the high rates of heart disease, cancer etc.
          You eat vegan to get well!

          • weka 7.1.1.3.1
            28 November 2013 at 9:16 pm

            Heart disease, and probably the high rates of cancer are much more likely to be related to a high and refined carbohydrate diet than a meat one. But like I said, it’s not the meat per se, it’s the kind of meat and how it is eaten. Lots of cultures have meat in their diets and don’t have high rates of heart disease. I bet that grain and antibiotic fed beef in the US is a contributor to poor health stats there. But that’s a very different kind of meat than what humans have been eating historically and in evolutionary terms.

            Some people’s health improves on a vegan diet for sure. Others can do it for a period of time and then return to eating meat/dairy etc for health reasons. Others never to well on it. If you are unaware of the people that have stopped being vegan for health reasons I suggest this is because you are evangelical and those people don’t talk to you, or you don’t listen to them.

        • Belladonna 7.1.1.4
          28 November 2013 at 6:35 pm

          The majority of people eat a high meat/dairy diet hence the high rates of heart disease, cancer etc.
          You eat vegan to get well!

  8. Not a PS Staffer 8
    28 November 2013 at 8:29 am

    Roy Morgan Poll Reality Check!

    We are only now back at the point where we lost in 2008!

    Of every 20 people 9 are still supporting National, 7 Labour, 2 the Greens, 1 NZFirst and 1 between the Maori and small parties.

    In conventional terms, David Cunliffe has to get two more people to move from another camp into the Labour camp: however engaging with the enrolled non voters is where the icing on the cake is to be found.

    We must get the re-organisation of new (mainly Auckland) LECs sorted before Christmas and get on quickly with engaging the ENVs and the swing voters.

  9. ScottGN 9
    28 November 2013 at 8:34 am

    I know there’s lots of water to flow under the bridge yet before the Christchurch Town Hall restoration is realized but Warren and Mahoney’s plans look awesome. Good on the Christchurch Councillors for doing the right thing in choosing restoration for one of NZ’s most important post-war buildings in spite of Gerry Brownlee.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9450595/Town-Hall-call-likely-to-proceed

    • phillip ure 9.1
      28 November 2013 at 9:02 am

      yeah..that’s a good use of $127 million..eh..?

      ..a homage to post-war dick-stroking/building the biggest/best town-hall competitions..

      ..(why not go the whole hog..?..throw a few more mill down that piss-hole..and build a big phallic-symbol next to/towering over..this new/flash town hall..?.)

      ..for once i agree with brownlee..

      ..christchurch was offered a much better multi-use building for that same money..

      ..a real asset..

      ..and these idiots wedded/welded to colonial-pastiches of/from the past..

      ..they won..

      ..$127 million for a photo-set for when the mayor gets all flashed out in that drag that they wear..

      ..f.f.s..!

      ..phillip ure..

    • Lanthanide 9.2
      28 November 2013 at 10:22 am

      It’s a hideously ugly building and the performing arts community in Christchurch don’t want it kept because it doesn’t suit their needs. They’d rather have new purpose-built venues with the money instead.

      • ScottGN 9.2.1
        28 November 2013 at 1:27 pm

        Not everyone thinks it’s ‘hideously ugly’ Lanth. In fact quite a lot of people think it’s Sir Miles Warren’s finest building and arguably the most important public building built in the post-war period in NZ.

    • vto 9.3
      28 November 2013 at 10:56 am

      Good result,

      We need some of the fabric of our previous city to stitch the new one to. Waaay too much of the city has been knocked down, leaving the place barren and bereft of any reference to our previous place. Imo this referencing is essential for our city but it has been forgotten in all the hubbub and charge to the bright and shiny.

      The building has nationally significant architectural kudos and is a fantastic example of the pre-earthquake Christchurch / Warren & Mahoney style.

      Bring it on.

      • phillip ure 9.3.2
        28 November 2013 at 11:49 am

        “..We need some of the fabric of our previous city to stitch the new one to..”

        um..!..yr ‘fabric’ was a colonial-pastiche..a facade..

        ..yr ‘fabric’ was scraps of british wannabe/forelock-tugging-cloth..(shopfronts..?.)

        ..the town hall a screen for the elites to rule from behind..to give them some kind of (ultimately) false-gravitas..

        …(and a physical manifestation of that class-system/snobbery that made/makes christchurch so hideous..?..(‘what school did you go to..?’..)

        ..yr ‘fabric’ is a tired/ old/ borrowed cloth..

        ..time to seize the chance to get a new one..

        ..phillip ure..

        • vto 9.3.2.1
          28 November 2013 at 12:15 pm

          Your assessment is inaccurate. Not all that fabric was colonial by any means – that indicates your lack of intimate knowledge of the city. And anyway, so what re some colonial fabric… is one of the most significant aspects of NZ history. I am part colonial background and proud of what my people achieved.

          Your comments about british / what school did you go to / class system is common with Christhurch and it has cred, but the town hall fits into that not one iota.

          And finally I think the idea behind linking the past and the future via a stitch in fabric has flown way over your head (“get a new one”).

          You have let your personal prejudices about Chch blinker yourself…. silly … eh

          • phillip ure 9.3.2.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 3:24 pm

            not really..vto..it is the $127 million..

            ..and what could be done with that..

            ..and as for /prejudices’ about christchurch..?

            ..how about facts..?

            ..there is that hideous class system you admit to..

            ..the degree/levels of outright racism against anyone who isn’t white is at old south america standards..(as in truly vile..)

            ..christchurch has the most junkies in new zealand..

            ..it sits in a hollow..so has high levels of pollution/dirty air….

            ..it is arse-bitingly cold..

            ..i dunno why you all didn’t just grab the insurance monies..

            ..and move somewhere better..

            ..anywhere..really..

            ..eh..?

            ..phillip ure..

  10. dv 10
    28 November 2013 at 8:37 am

    Here is an interesting graph about debt, showing the stunning increase of the debt by the Nats

    http://theirasciblecurmudgeon.blogspot.co.nz

  11. ak 11
    28 November 2013 at 8:39 am

    Top marks David. Now keep the foot down.

    Joint LAGR pledge of zillions to save the SI Kokako.

    Visit Mike McIvor.

  12. marty mars 12
    28 November 2013 at 8:58 am

    I suspect, and hope, we will see more of this type of protest action. Blocking roads is a visible way of showing dissent and it does disturb their exploitative activities, at least for a while.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11164021

    • weka 12.1
      28 November 2013 at 9:28 pm

      Very good.

      “Mr Halliday said they were legally entitled to block the stretch of highway as it was on Maori customary land.”

      Anyone know what that’s about?

      • karol 12.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 9:40 pm

        Explained more on RNZ site:

        The demonstration south of Towai and just north of the railway crossing at Waiotu began at 10am. A Radio New Zealand reporter at the scene said up to 50 protesters lined the highway, forcing steams of traffic including logging trucks to take a 28km detour on narrow winding back roads. The road reopened about 12.25pm.

        Police said they were powerless to remove protesters because the highway at that point traverses land that was never surveyed or sold to the Crown, which makes it Maori customary land.

        • weka 12.1.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 10:46 pm

          Very generous to only close the road for 2.5 hours then, all things considered.

          • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 10:58 pm

            iwi really know how to do this shit.

            You make a point, you flex your muscles, then you back off graciously under your own power. You get all the upside of the media coverage, looking in full control, and being generous to boot.

        • Murray Olsen 12.1.1.2
          28 November 2013 at 11:13 pm

          There’s a similar piece of road on the way to Whananaki North, where a certain route was surveyed, but when the road was built, the contractors decided there was an easier route to take. Although those are the only two instances I know about, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were common all over Northland.

  13. Lanthanide 13
    28 November 2013 at 9:02 am

    Geoff Robinson is retiring from Morning Report on National Radio, after 37 years. Last day will be 1st April 2014.

  14. Colonial Viper 14
    28 November 2013 at 9:05 am

    Older, more powerful, much wealthier partner admits domestic assault on roofer husband

    I wonder how many times this has happened to him before he decided to call the police.

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/445486/Melanie-Sykes-arrested-and-cautioned-over-assault-on-toyboy-husband-Jack-Cockings

    • marty mars 14.1
      28 November 2013 at 10:27 am

      Interesting point. It relates to this article too I believe even though it is man on man.

      Why should we care about how grown men address bullying? We should care because just as Jonathan Martin is being told to “man up,” so are young boys all over the country when they are bullied. Boys are told that when they cannot physically confront a bully they are inadequate and unworthy. They are taught to remain silent in the face of insurmountable violence because speaking out is a sign of weakness, or worse, femininity. Too many boys are left with nowhere to turn when bullying makes trauma a daily experience. In this sort of environment can we really be surprised that boys are committing suicide, developing depression, and lashing out violently at incredibly high rates?

      http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/11/20/man-up-nfl-hazing-and-jonathan-martins-man-card/

      How many times do we here this phase ‘man up’ ? It seems very common indeed, in fact someone said it to me just last week!

      • marty mars 14.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 10:38 am

        ‘hear’ of course

      • Draco T Bastard 14.1.2
        28 November 2013 at 12:31 pm

        Boys are told that when they cannot physically confront a bully they are inadequate and unworthy.

        A good question: Just how much damage is being done to the boys, and thus society, when they don’t get the support that they need?

        • Naturesong 14.1.2.1
          28 November 2013 at 3:34 pm

          As a guy at school you fight back, and you lose
          And the next day you fight back, and you lose again.
          And you keep fighting back whenever you are bullied no matter how much damage you sustain.
          Even if you never win. Every day.

          And other people will start to intervene, because they know when it starts, you will keep getting up no matter how much punishment you take. Because people start to feel sick when they a small boy get beaten ot a pulp every day by a larger boy.

          But even if no one intervenes the bullies eventually give up because you are simply too much work and it’s no fun anymore.

          And when they eventually give up you’ve won. But you have to be prepared to take a lot of punishment.

          That only works for physical bullying though. The way girls bullied other girls at school using all of the social tools available to them to isolate, vilify and harrass them, that stuff would go on for months.

          At least as a guy you could do something, even when you lost and got the shit kicked out of you, you were still in control.

          • Draco T Bastard 14.1.2.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 4:34 pm

            We’re actually trying to stop the bullying and the violence – not encourage it.

          • marty mars 14.1.2.1.2
            28 November 2013 at 5:47 pm

            Naturesong – and what if you don’t fight back but go to the teachers, parents or police – what do you think of those boys? What adjective would you use to describe them?

            This attitude of fighting back is detrimental and absurd imo.

            • Naturesong 14.1.2.1.2.1
              28 November 2013 at 8:00 pm

              I think the boys are trying to figure out how to prevent the abuse from continuing, and are doing whatever they must to make it stop.
              The only boys I would pass judgement on in this instance are the ones doing the bullying.

              If going to parents, school teachers, police makes it stop, that would be the best outcome.
              But, having been down that road myself as a child, it didn’t work for me. It just made it worse.

              As a child, if you bring in authority from the outside of your peer group to solve an issue within your peer group, you lose the respect of your peer group, making you a target for bullying.

              Don’t you remember what the social norms were like when you were a kid?

              If you are not able to walk away or talk your way out of it, I absolutely advocate defending yourself as vigorously as you are able. If someone whats to bully you, make it cost them.

              Not because of any judgement of whether you are more of a “man” if you use your fist.
              Generally speaking if you are using your fists, it means you already lost the first part of the battle by not being able to walk away or talk yourself out of the situation.

              Maybe you didn’t get bullied at school, I did.
              I remember living in fear for months, and the only thing that stopped it was when I realised that I really didnt have anything to lose, I was already getting the snot beaten out of me on a regular basis.

              So yes, fight back with every ounce of your being!
              And when you see someone else being bullied, make those bullies stop as well.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                28 November 2013 at 9:05 pm

                Don’t you remember what the social norms were like when you were a kid?

                What social norms? Might is right? What about the autistic children who don’t pick up on the “social norms” at all, ever?

                IMO, one of the reasons that we have continuing rape culture and violence is because children aren’t taught how to socialise – they’re left to work it themselves. Unsurprisingly, they don’t do to well.

                • karol …
                  28 November 2013 at 9:16 pm

                  It is concerning. There was this article in the Independent (UK) a day or 2 ago, about how children as young as 12 are being sexually abused and raped by other children, including gangs, of a similar age:

                  Children as young as 12 are carrying out sexual violence against each other, according to “profoundly distressing” evidence highlighted in an official report.

                  The victims of these crimes are as young as 11, a damning report by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England has found.

                  The scale and nature of sexual attacks – including rape – indicates a “deep malaise” within society that needs to be addressed.
                  [..]
                  Rape is considered “inevitable” and “normal”, especially by gang members, and such cases of sexual violence were found not just in deprived, inner city neighbourhoods, the report says, but in every area of England.
                  […]
                  Research conducted by Bedfordshire University into sexual violence in gangs revealed two thirds of the young people questioned (65 per cent) knew of young women who had been pressurised or forced into sexual activity, while half could provide examples of youngsters offering sex in return for status or protection.

                  Two fifths (41 per cent) said they knew of individual cases of rape, while over a third (34 per cent) gave researchers examples of gang rape.

                  Nearly two fifths (39 per cent) of the young people who responded to the survey said they knew of cases of youngsters exchanging sex for drugs, alcohol or to pay off a debt, while almost a third (31 per cent) gave examples of girls being used as bait to attract and “set up” male members from rival gangs.

          • karol 14.1.2.1.3
            28 November 2013 at 8:07 pm

            Good to see that sort of questioning of those particular codes of masculinity.

            The way girls bullied other girls at school using all of the social tools available to them to isolate, vilify and harrass them, that stuff would go on for months.

            And for rape and sexual violence, which is most usually against those with less social or physical power, (especially women/children) there’s usually a mix of physical and psychological abuse/torture (see for instance Titford).

  15. Tracey 15
    28 November 2013 at 9:28 am

    Lanth.

    I am pleased to see him go but will hoots replace him

    joke

  16. Tracey 16
    28 November 2013 at 9:34 am

    “Len Brown’s office last night confirmed that the Auckland Mayor has not complied with the council code of conduct rules over a trip to Hong Kong.Responding to an urgent request under official information laws by the Herald, Mr Brown’s chief of staff, Phil Wilson, owned up after chief executive Doug McKay allowed the issue to simmer for two days.Mr Wilson said he understood Mr Brown did not file an annual return of interests by July 31 under the code of conduct because it was under review at the time.”As a consequence, elected members – and myself on Len’s behalf – did not file returns understanding they would be requested to do so at a later date,” Mr Wilson said.”

    • northshoreguynz 16.1
      28 November 2013 at 9:47 am

      Apart from Penny, who cares?

      • phillip ure 16.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 5:33 pm

        quite a few people ‘care’..

        ..this one has such an odor about it..

        ..and it is not the whiff of/from poontang..

        ..this is more serious than lens’ mid-life crisis..

        ..who did brown meet with..?

        ..and for why..?

        ..and why all the secrecy..?

        ..what is he hiding..?

        ..phillip ure..

  17. Tigger 17
    28 November 2013 at 9:47 am

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11163996

    GCSB staff wouldn’t be interviewed by police.

    I suggest the public start using this defence. Won’t talk to you, sorry.

  18. Morrissey 18
    28 November 2013 at 11:02 am

    Bill Ralston: “You have to trust Anadarko, really”
    As you read this, remember that Ralston calls himself a “journalist”
    The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Tuesday 26 November 2013, 5:40 p.m.
    Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Jock Anderson, Bill Ralston

    “Newstalk ZB is for ignorant louts, the intellectually challenged and the modern day version of the 1930s brown shirts.”—Anne, The Standard, 9 August 2013

    LARRY “LACKWIT” WILLIAMS: Issue number one: the Greenpeace protest against Anadarko off the Raglan coast.
    JOCK ANDERSON: Yes, it’s nothing but a publicity stunt, and they went there in their boat probably powered by a diesel engine in the calm seas.
    WILLIAMS: Yep.
    BILL RALSTON: Exactly! Greenpeace is now trying to create this sense of urgency, but it’s not going to work! They should have tried to take legal action earlier! Perhaps the courts will restore some sanity and sensibility to the question. Look, we’ve had deep-sea drilling for years! And if Anadarko say they have the best systems in the world, you have to trust them, really. [1] This is nothing more than grandstanding by Greenpeace!
    WILLIAMS: They’re flush with cash!
    BILL RALSTON: Ha ha ha! They’re as rich as some of the oil companies! Ha ha ha ha ha!
    WILLIAMS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    JOCK ANDERSON: Greenpeace twists the arms of the friendly media.
    WILLIAMS: Yep.
    BILL RALSTON: Yep.
    JOCK ANDERSON: Anadarko has been consistent throughout, but Greenpeace are just in it for the publicity!
    BILL RALSTON: They do phased campaigns, so they will have to step it up from now on. Next they will try to board the vessel.
    JOCK ANDERSON: [drily] They’ll chain someone to the drilling rig underwater perhaps.

    ……[Long, awkward pause]……

    BILL RALSTON: Ahhh, ha ha ha ha ha!
    WILLIAMS: Back after the break.

    ……Advertisements……

    WILLIAMS: Issue number two: David Cunliffe might buy the assets back!
    BILL RALSTON: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! He might, he might not!
    WILLIAMS: Yep.
    BILL RALSTON: It’s the classic stance of politicians: a foot in both camps. And it will DOOM him in the end! He is a coward. Give the government credit: they do tell you what they will do. But with Labour, there’s this duplicity. I just think it’s duplicitous.
    WILLIAMS: Duplicitous.
    JOCK ANDERSON: This thing’s going to cost nine million dollars, and it’s a strangely worded referendum. Bill’s one hundred per cent right on this. This guy should be picking his campaigns very carefully. He’s trying to be all things to all men.
    BILL RALSTON: He needs to take a strong stand!
    WILLIAMS: Bill, I think Key’s got him cornered on this!
    BILL RALSTON: Yep.

    WILLIAMS: Jock, issue number three: MM Bubbles. It’s charging extra to wax up fat people! [2]
    BILL RALSTON: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    JOCK ANDERSON: Bubbles is the gross character in Little Britain!
    WILLIAMS: That Bubbles, and that series, that was a classic!
    BILL RALSTON: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    WILLIAMS: Bill Ralston and Jock Anderson on the Huddle. It’s ten to six.

    [1] The "best systems in the world" in action….

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oupAJHchG_o

    [2] http://www.refinery29.com/2013/11/57967/waxing-fat-tax-mm-bubbles

    • Saarbo 18.1
      28 November 2013 at 1:09 pm

      Doesn’t Bill Ralston’s partner do the media training for The National Party?

      Bill Ralston is very light weight, always surprised how much commentating work he gets.

    • Tigger 18.2
      28 November 2013 at 1:33 pm

      As always, Morrissey, these quotes just make me want to punch the pundits in the face. We have to trust a fucking oil company? These people are psychotic.

      • Anne 18.2.1
        28 November 2013 at 5:59 pm

        No Tigger, they’re just ignorant louts, intellectually challenged and modern day versions of the 1930s brown shirts. 🙂

      • Morrissey 18.2.2
        28 November 2013 at 6:19 pm

        They are not psychotic, just intellectually lazy, and obedient repeaters of government talking-points. NewstalkZB, like Radio Live, is pretty much a National Party megaphone.

    • North 18.3
      28 November 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Sounds like Key’s got him (Ralston) on the payroll. Who’d have thunk it ? Billy Boy aye ?

  19. amirite 19
    28 November 2013 at 11:05 am

    Paddy Gower in his farticle on TV3 claims that the Greens’ leadership challenge is way crazier than Colon Cray’s belief in chemtrails. I guess that mindset is sort of expected when you’ve been a Right Wing’s colon-dweller for too long.

  20. Sanctuary 20
    28 November 2013 at 11:17 am

    The day I agree with David Farrar is an exceptionally sad one, but I have to say I was horrified to hear Deborah Russell, Massey university lecturer, regular feminist blogger, and wannabe Labour party candidate, on Jim Moras show yesterday basically advocating censorship of debating topics in relation to the mild storm in a teacup being generated by the New Zealand British Parliamentary Debating Championships which were hosted by Victoria University last weekend when they debated that “This House, as a parent, would tell their daughter to drink responsibly to avoid sexual assault”.

    Universities are meant to be bastions of free speech. End of story. No ifs. No buts. The idea that anything an ivory tower feminist deems a thought crime must not be discussed is simply intolerable in a free society.

    Deborah Russell is everything that is wrong with modern feminism – middle class, middle aged, academic, completely out of touch and now wanting to dictate what people are allowed to discuss in public.

    Labour needs her as a candidate like it needs a hole in the head.

    • Te Reo Putake 20.1
      28 November 2013 at 12:04 pm

      Yeah, what we need is ageist, sexist, anti-academic gits like yourself to tell us who to put up as candidates. That’ll really help.

      And as to the debate, whoever thought that topic was appropriate should be prevented from ever making such an awful decision again. That’s the actual ivory tower academic thought crime, right there.

      • vto 20.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 12:26 pm

        Sanctuary has a point imo. You watch Labour sink back to its usual position in the eyes of many people if it gets back into power next year. The sinking will be due to the those same factors which drove people mad when Helen had the wheel – being told what to do and think by certain types. Betcha. I see no evidence that this particular feature of the left has changed. At all.

        Running alongside this monumental risk with Labour is the fact that the Nats will dump neoliberalism and morph their economic policies to line up with the general populace mood change for less neolib shit.

        But its your party, you do as you wish…

      • Draco T Bastard 20.1.2
        28 November 2013 at 12:52 pm

        1.) That’s a great example of ensuring Labour loses a voter. Not that I’m overly concerned as I think it’d be great if Labour lost a lot more.

        2.) Nothing wrong with the topic of the debate

        • Te Reo Putake 20.1.2.1
          28 November 2013 at 1:29 pm

          Fair enough, DtB, the topic only reduced some participants to tears; but who cares, they were only women, eh. Probably their time of the month or something equally trivial.

          From the news report:

          “The spectator said many of the female participants in the tournament were adamant they did not wish to engage in the debate, but were pressured into “hardening up” and arguing the motion.

          “What resulted were many of the male debaters literally laughing at their female peers as they tried to defend their own rights to consume alcohol and have consensual sex, and there was also much joking about the circumstances in which sexual assault occurs,” she said.

          Participants were reduced to tears both during and after the debate, she said.

          “One woman began crying during the debate which she participated in, and others were crying after the debate, for reasons ranging from personal experiences with rape, to the sheer shock of feeling they had to defend those rapists.” “

          • Sanctuary 20.1.2.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 4:36 pm

            “…The spectator said…”

            One person point of view, uncorroberated by anyone else there, is enough to trigger the censorship police? Good grief, what sort of country do you want? One where sort of commissar can stand up at a debate and invoke their powers under the suppression of disagreeable thoughts act and shut the debate down?

            • Zorr 20.1.2.1.1.1
              28 November 2013 at 4:55 pm

              Actually, I expect that our august institutions are capable of saying to themselves, in their decision making process, “Hey, this might just be a little bit of an inappropriate topic and maybe we should use our supposed incredible intelligence to sidestep the issue by choosing another topic”

              How dare we demand that they think their bs through – if someone does something jerky then they deserve to be called on it. This *is* free speech. They said/did something stupid. People responded. Ball is now back in their court.

              Love how things like this reveal the thin facade that “civilized” citizens hide behind when it comes to progressive issues – the lessons haven’t been internalized, it’s all just an act and when these situations come along they no longer have any lines to follow and the mask slips

            • Rogue Trooper 20.1.2.1.1.2
              28 November 2013 at 7:05 pm

              “Laid it right on the line
              When a guy with a chip on his shoulder said,
              ‘Toss off buddy she’s mine’ ,

              Shot Down in Flames “

        • Tigger 20.1.2.2
          28 November 2013 at 1:41 pm

          There was an inherent misogyny in the topic, it was a wolf whistle to male debaters to attack the female debates on nothing but their gender. Guidelines should rule out any topic that enables debaters to attack the others at this level. But as a institution it’s my experience debating is ruled by heterosexual, older white males – of course any attempt to keep them in line is labelled ‘censorship’. Persecution politics, stop playing it, we know what you’re doing and we’re damn sick of it.

          • Zorr 20.1.2.2.1
            28 November 2013 at 4:17 pm

            +1 to both TRP and Tigger

            Not much else to add other than to be ashamed at all those otherwise relatively enlightened people who can’t see the inappropriateness of such a topic for debate. As QOT pointed out in her post, there are plenty of ways to be edgy and challenging without doing this bull

            • Sanctuary 20.1.2.2.1.1
              28 November 2013 at 4:38 pm

              Look, just to be clear – I agree it was an inappropriate topic. But I’ll be damned if I think they should be PREVENTED from debating it by some sort of thought police directed by the likes of Deborah Russell.

              • Zorr …
                28 November 2013 at 6:28 pm

                I really can’t be bothered engaging too much on this anymore because it is obvious that you are one of those people who will always feel that free speech gives you the right to be a jackass whenever you so wish. And the truth is, it does. That same free speech also extends to those that would criticize your words and/or actions.

                For those that wish to make noise about this, the objective is clear – to encourage future debate topics to be more thought through than this one was and make it clear that if it happens again they can expect a similar backlash.

                I would also like to point out here that the main reason I even bothered replying was to point out the idiocy in even using the term “thought police” here for those people who dare to have a voice and speak out about their displeasure with the situation. Is not your proposal that these people shouldn’t speak out against this an equivalent “thought police” reaction as you so used it? It is a very overused term and yet you still get it wrong.

                I guess I should just be happy you didn’t compare her opinion to the Stasi

                • karol …
                  28 November 2013 at 8:14 pm

                  As Marama Davidson said, it’s not about (suppression of) “free speech”, it’s about the “privilege of speech/speaking”. And I think that includes the privilege of being the ones who can chose a debating topic in a forum of reasonable status.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    28 November 2013 at 11:24 pm

                    And I think that includes the privilege of being the ones who can chose a debating topic in a forum of reasonable status.

                    Privilege? You don’t think that the panel who conferred on whether or not the topic was appropriate earned the right to do so?

                    • Zorr …
                      29 November 2013 at 6:20 am

                      uh… CV… you have managed to focus on a singular meaning of “privilege” and completely missed the actual point made by karol

          • Sanctuary 20.1.2.2.2
            28 November 2013 at 4:32 pm

            But the issue is not the misogyny of the topic, nor the questionable taste of the person who set the topic, nor whether or the topic somehow enforces some sort of patriarchal dominance, for those are simply a matter of your opinion. The issue is a university academic, who has presumptions to nice place on the Labour list, is advocating censorship of views that she happens to disagree with.

            So my question to you, and the very offended Te Reo Putake (although to be fair, being offended is a default setting for certain lefty liberal types) is do you, or do you not, support the censorship of debating topics that offend feminists? It is a simple question.

            • weka 20.1.2.2.2.1
              28 November 2013 at 11:03 pm

              http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2577836/the-panel-with-dita-de-boni-and-lisa-scott-part-1

              Starts at 15:45

              I think you overstate the case Sanctuary. Deborah expressed her opinion that she thinks it wasn’t an ok topic, she said it was “an unwise topic”. She doesn’t say that the University should be prevented from setting the topic. In other words, she isn’t advocating censorship. That you have confused the two things says more about your reactions I’m afraid.

              Plus what Zorr said. Misusing concepts of free speech is also unwise.

              I am curious though, do you really think any and all topics should be allowed in such a setting (an international competition)? How about debating the merits of having sex with children?

              • weka …
                28 November 2013 at 11:11 pm

                Oh and really you should read this (h/t QoT)

                http://freethoughtblogs.com/brutereason/2013/04/03/my-oppression-is-not-your-thought-experiment/

                Fourth, take care that your philosophizing is not unintentionally contributing to the problem that you’re discussing. There is a long history of rationalizing away sexual assault, and Amanda Marcotte notes in her post:

                Colleges in this country are suffering from a rape problem that is all too real and not some kind of cutesy thought experiment. Rapists and their enablers are known to seize on claims like the one Landsburg is kicking around here, that it doesn’t count if you didn’t have to beat the victim to subdue her. In fact, one of the witnesses who saw the Steubenville rape but didn’t try to stop it used exactly that excuse: “It wasn’t violent. I didn’t know exactly what rape was. I thought it was forcing yourself on someone.” Having a popular professor casually endorse this rationalization through wanky and ultimately irrelevant thought “experiments” isn’t just offensive, but could be dangerous as well.

              • Colonial Viper …
                28 November 2013 at 11:30 pm

                I am curious though, do you really think any and all topics should be allowed in such a setting (an international competition)? How about debating the merits of having sex with children?

                There are very good reasons why academic or parliamentary debate should be given the widest latitudes and freedom from limitations possible.

                How about debating the merits of having sex with children?

                How about debating the merits of homicide, animal cruelty or arson?

                • weka …
                  29 November 2013 at 10:03 am

                  “How about debating the merits of having sex with children?

                  How about debating the merits of homicide, animal cruelty or arson?”

                  They’re not really the same though. I can think of instances where homicide, animal cruelty and arson are all justified. Can you think of an instance where sex with a child is?

                  Here’s another one:

                  “This House, as a parent, would tell their son how to not get caught if they decide to rape someone”

                  Is that useful to debate? Why?

              • Zorr …
                29 November 2013 at 12:16 am

                Interesting that you should bring up that particular debate topic weka because today I am struggling with the recent revelation (to myself) that the front-man of a band I enjoyed some few years back (http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/9451940/Lostprophets-singers-victims-in-the-hundreds) recently plead guilty to some of the most heinous acts I have heard described. It is difficult because I went to a BDO specifically to see them and bought their albums so I feel that my support of their band, despite being just one among many, fed in to the cult of celebrity that enabled the acts.

                When we talk rape culture and the multifarious facets that it possesses in our society, we have to confront these evils and debate how to respond to them. The fact in this situation, the topic setter thought it pertinent to return to the Dark Ages mentality of framing the discussion in terms of victim blaming is abhorrent to me. They may as well have made the debate over “In our house, do we keep our women in the kitchen to prevent them from being overly promiscuous?”

                *rage* *rant* *seethe*

                • Tat Loo (CV) …
                  29 November 2013 at 1:03 am

                  When we talk rape culture and the multifarious facets that it possesses in our society, we have to confront these evils and debate how to respond to them.

                  But apparently some people only want the debate framed on their terms only.

                  • Zorr …
                    29 November 2013 at 6:25 am

                    Congratulations on being late to the party and jumping right in to the hole left by Sanctuary

                    We have been discussing why the framing has been important and that no-one has said the debating panel *had* to choose a different topic but that the choice was “unwise” and now they are suffering some backlash for it. I’m not going to get all indignant over it, all over again but you could actually try go read the entire debate before jumping in with a knee jerk to a single line

                    • Tat Loo (CV) …
                      29 November 2013 at 7:30 am

                      Unwise? Or simply distasteful? Or distasteful and controversial? Debating championships shouldn’t use distasteful or contraversial topics?

                      But if it was a distasteful or contraversial topic framed in the reverse sense, eg in this house we don’t need to teach girls to not be intoxicated, you’d be fine with it?

                    • Zorr …
                      29 November 2013 at 7:54 am

                      uh CV… you continue to miss the point

                      The example provided in the comments of QOTs post is the reverse (“In this house, we don’t teach boys to rape”), not the example you provide which is just the neg of the debate topic.

                      And yes, I would still have an issue with it.

                      I feel like we are being asked to expect *less* of our august institutions and because they are in positions of authority, they shouldn’t have to think their shit through?

                      As also pointed out by another commenter on QOTs post, the topic fits the mold of “This house as [$AUTHORITY_FIGURE] would tell [$INDIVIDUAL] to [perform $ACTION] to avoid [$MORAL_AND/OR_PHYSICAL_PERIL]”. This is an absurd structure of topic, in a professional sense, without even touching on the morality of the issue.

                      They failed hard on so many levels.

                    • weka …
                      29 November 2013 at 10:11 am

                      “Unwise? Or simply distasteful? Or distasteful and controversial? Debating championships shouldn’t use distasteful or contraversial topics?

                      But if it was a distasteful or contraversial topic framed in the reverse sense, eg in this house we don’t need to teach girls to not be intoxicated, you’d be fine with it?”

                      You think this is about alcohol consumption?

                      You think rape is ‘distasteful’?

                      I suspect you have missed the major part of the objections to the topic. It’s not about distaste, it’s not about controversy (ffs, you think us commenting here have a problem with controversy? Really? Maybe consider how controversial it is talking about rape culture in a culture that is in denial of it). It’s about rape culture and the things that perpetuate it. It’s also about how the powers in the patriarchy get to set the agenda. The issue of women (and probably some men) being triggered in that debate, that alone is worth not having chosen that topic. But the only response I have seen to that issue is that it’s based on one anonymous person’s report therefore it might not be true. No-one has addressed the substance of the issue, and instead the best that can be done is to try and marginalise the experiences. Why is that? Think about that carefully, because it tells alot about this whole situation.

                      “But apparently some people only want the debate framed on their terms only.”

                      Or perhaps we want equitable access to setting the agenda. Why should people who know shit about rape culture get to set the agenda?

            • felix 20.1.2.2.2.2
              29 November 2013 at 6:52 am

              Hi Sanctuary.

              Why are you advocating for the censorship of Deborah Russel’s free speech?

      • Sanctuary 20.1.3
        28 November 2013 at 4:24 pm

        You sound like a wonderful fellow.

    • weka 20.2
      28 November 2013 at 3:55 pm

      Deborah is awesome. I didn’t hear the piece, but read QoT’s take on it yesterday.

      http://ideologicallyimpure.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/university-debating-supports-patriarchy/

      • karol 20.2.1
        28 November 2013 at 6:42 pm

        I read that last night. Very good post about the academic style of debating that puts strategies for winning an argument (just for the sake of winning) above matters of principle.

        Too much of parliamentary/mainstream left politics has moved away from matters of principle for my liking: prioritising winning and strategies for winning, over matters of policy, principle and conviction.

        • ropata 20.2.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 11:50 pm

          unfortunately if you don’t win an election your policies will just be smoke in the wind

          • Tat Loo (CV) 20.2.1.1.1
            29 November 2013 at 7:38 am

            And the political Left (or Right) don’t get to define and issue what is principled or what is not, for everyone else, without going through the hard work of justifying the points and persuading people eg. Via things like debates.

            • weka 20.2.1.1.1.1
              29 November 2013 at 10:15 am

              Can I take that to mean that you think that teaching women how not to get drunk in order to prevent rape, is a valid approach rape prevention? Because I can’t see any other way to interpret what you just said.

              • Colonial Viper …
                10 December 2013 at 1:12 am

                Women can do anything that they want to. And these days, that includes harming themselves more and more with more and more alcohol in increasing numbers and increasing frequency. Women are getting almost as good as men in that regard now. I guess if you have the freedom, you might as well use it. Maybe you might even approve of a debate competition topic on the subject.

                • McFlock …
                  10 December 2013 at 2:02 am

                  self-harm from alcohol has nothing to do with harm from others.
                  The first might be your choice, the second is someone else’s avoidable decision.

    • Rogue Trooper 20.3
      28 November 2013 at 4:12 pm

      Nope Sanctuary, that is a shocking point to debate.
      as Tigger identifies; wash your mouth out with soap 😉

    • thechangeling 20.4
      10 December 2013 at 12:52 am

      The conflict I can also see is that feminism is incompatible with neo liberal ideology as is free speech, both of which are social democratic practices that promote debate and exchange of ideas so better collective outcomes can hopefully be reached for the betterment of us all.

      • Colonial Viper 20.4.1
        10 December 2013 at 1:05 am

        Women can do anything that men can do. Is that a feminist message? And as we have seen, women can be neoliberal CEOs or neoliberal politicians, exactly like men can be, and sometimes even out-do men at being right wing.

        • thechangeling 20.4.1.1
          10 December 2013 at 3:47 pm

          I think this is actually quite a complex set of interrelated ideas. I know that neo-liberalism seeks to breakdown (atomise) collectively operating systems in society so that wealth can be extracted and power can be concentrated into the hands of those already within the wealthy elite classes, and takes into account neither gender, culture, race, age, social strata, etc while this process unfolds, deepens and embeds itself into the economic, political and social systems of national and international territories.

  22. Seti 22
    28 November 2013 at 11:56 am

    So the average household has more disposable income now?

    Weekly household spending has risen more than 9 per cent in the past three years to $1111, as Kiwis cough up more for food, transport, housing and power.

    But it’s not all bad news with Statistics NZ figures out today showing that average household income grew even faster over the same time, up 11.5 per cent to an annual income of $85,588.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/9453094/Household-spending-on-the-rise

    • Zorr 22.1
      28 November 2013 at 12:12 pm

      The important word there is the “average” income

      What is the median income?

      • Seti 22.1.1
        28 November 2013 at 1:30 pm

        Since National’s won office in 2008 inflation/CPI has increased by 10.8%, yet the median household income has increased by 15.6%, from $59,345 to $68,626.

        • Zorr 22.1.1.1
          28 November 2013 at 3:51 pm

          How the hell do you get your figures?

          I went straight to the horses mouth (NZ.Stat) and dragged the same figures out that Flee has:

          Median household income in 2008 – $65364
          Median household income in 2013 – $70616

          Total %age increase in that period is 8.035%

          Thank you, thank you
          I’ll be here all evening

          • Rogue Trooper 22.1.1.1.1
            28 November 2013 at 4:16 pm

            make sure you rehydrate.

          • ghostrider888 22.1.1.1.2
            28 November 2013 at 4:24 pm

            gotta’ keep ya’ flammable fluids up.

          • Seti 22.1.1.1.3
            28 November 2013 at 6:22 pm

            Do I need to break out the sock puppets?

            Go here – Stats NZ Household Economic Survey.

            Click on the table and you’ll see the median income for year end June 2008 for Total Regular and Recurring Income is $59,345, as I quoted. You’ll also see for the YE 2013 is $68,626. Total increase = 15.6%.

            Dunno what you’re looking at.

            • Foreign Waka 22.1.1.1.3.1
              28 November 2013 at 7:08 pm

              OK, I do not know anybody who earns that kind of money. Is this the average income of a government employee? One would be earning $ 1320 per week. Sorry man, it just shows how far away some of the people are from the daily reality for most. The average spend on food however has gone up by about 13% if I look at the weekly spend of our household. Comparing apples against apples I may add. EVERYBODY who is not a high flyer out there is hurting. Petrol, also bus fares, rent – all the basics have gone up. Talk to people who work in the Warehouse, Petrol Stations or general offices and the true picture will soon emerge. And no, there are no puppets needed for the average battler out there. It could backfire offering such.

            • Zorr 22.1.1.1.3.2
              28 November 2013 at 8:49 pm

              In all honesty, I am very confused right now because their own report building tool disagrees with that published household economic survey. If you go use their tool you will see what I mean just by going to:

              http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx#

              And then “Income by Region” selecting “All Regions” and that gives the figures I used

              Who to believe? Stats NZ or Stats NZ?

              EDIT: Apologies – I am looking at the median income (which I though was the figure we were looking at) and the Household Economic Survey focuses on the mean income.

              I guess this goes to prove that in NZ, the rich got much richer and the poor got much poorer.

        • Adele 22.1.1.2
          28 November 2013 at 5:38 pm

          Kiaora Seti

          The Ministry of Social Development has published Household Incomes in NZ: trends in indicators of inequality and hardship 1982-2012 which essentially says the complete opposite to your assertions. To quote:

          ..From just before the impact of the GFC to the beginning of recovery (from HES 2009 to HES 2012, that is, approximately from calendar 2008 to 2011), the net change in median household income in real terms was close to zero (+0.5% over three years)…

      • Flee 22.1.2
        28 November 2013 at 2:25 pm

        http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx#

        2013 Household Income (all sources)
        Weekly Average income = $1,601 * 52 = $83,252 pa
        Weekly Median income = $ 1,358 * 52 = $70,616 pa

        2013 Wage and Salary Income
        Weekly Average income = $1,223 * 52 = $63,596 pa
        Weekly Median income = $ 1,036 * 52 = $53,872 pa

        A higher average (mean) than median means that there are a few households earning some big bucks dragging the average up. 50% households get less than $70K. If you do not earn the average $83K you are in company with over half the households in NZ.

        The second set of numbers better reflect households without income earning assets who have to rely on just wages or salaries.

        More people need to be informed of inequality in NZ. The news media is rubbish when it come to reporting numbers and worse at analysis. NZ Stats web site is rubbish but numbers can be got and processed a bit better than what I’ve done for a quick post.

        The discrepancy between these and reported numbers depends on what SS you look at but the points are the same.

      • bad12 22.1.3
        28 November 2013 at 5:27 pm

        i would say the real figures should be published of the number of the population who earn less than the average prefferably in $10,000 brackets, such a chart should show a ten year time frame and the number of wage earners either moving up or down the wage scale,

        Medium and median incomes are a simple ruse to hide the true picture of poverty…

    • bad12 22.2
      28 November 2013 at 12:29 pm

      Yes and those ‘averages’ tell an incredibly false story where a third of the population exist relying upon far far less than the ‘average wage’ and has between 1 and 200 dollars a week of disposable income mostly spent upon food at the supermarket…

  23. captain hook 23
    28 November 2013 at 12:27 pm

    I see in the Dompost this a.m. that National is getting to ready to privatise the Universities.
    Is that so they can give jobs to their mates or let their mates examine the universities for any nice little earners they can sell off to themselves.
    It cant be about governance because the universities seem to be doing an ok job at the moment.

  24. captain hook 24
    28 November 2013 at 12:28 pm

    I see in the Dompost this a.m. that National is getting to ready to privatise the Universities.
    Is that so they can give jobs to their mates or let their mates examine the universities for any nice little earners they can sell off to themselves.
    It cant be about governance because the universities seem to be doing an ok job at the moment.

    • risildowgtn 24.1
      28 November 2013 at 2:42 pm

      Have you got a link for that Cpt. Hook please?

    • millsy 24.2
      28 November 2013 at 8:29 pm

      I looked everywhere on the DomPost but couldnt find anywhere.

      Wouldnt suprise me though — Shipley’s government tried to pull off a stunt like that in 98/99, but time ran out, and Bradford was run out.

    • karol 24.3
      28 November 2013 at 9:01 pm

      Is it this article?

      Universities should not be managed like factories

      Government plans to change the way our universities are run could damage them, writes Peter Curson [Pof of population and security at Sydney Uni]

      THERE is talk in New Zealand of changing the governance structure of universities and quite possibly excluding academic staff and students from a place on such councils.
      […]
      The driving force behind this seems to be a belief that universities are not responsive and adaptive enough to modern business practices and an overall desire to see universities behave and be governed more like multinational businesses.
      […]
      But in the long run do we want to see the governance of our universities become remote from the people they represent and who strive to make the place attractive, competitive and successful, as well as producing important breakthroughs in science, social sciences and the arts? I think not.
      In the final analysis universities are special cases with traditions that extend back centuries. Their system of governance, for all its shortcomings, has always placed emphasis on accountability, transparency, equity and participation. All are values that we should treasure and not expect our universities to be run like factories.

      pA 15: Opinion section.

  25. Fair Observer 25
    28 November 2013 at 12:44 pm

    [deleted]

    [lprent: Already banned. Another IP for autospam. ]

  26. Draco T Bastard 26
    28 November 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Having a great deal of difficulty with the site today. Whenever I make a comment I get directed to

    http://thestandard.org.nz/wp-comments-post.php

    And it’s also really slow.

  27. Draco T Bastard 27
    28 November 2013 at 1:04 pm

    Through random wanderings of the interwebs I found this which I considered worth sharing:

    Now the extra-judicial harassment of journalists has begun. And a bunch of folks are saying “How could this happen?”

    You’ve been letting it happen and grow for 50 years. Congratulations on noticing. Now do something about it, because you’re next.

  28. shorts 28
    28 November 2013 at 3:00 pm

    jesus wept… Shane Jones may as well cross the floor and sit with his mates

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11164241&ref=rss

    • Ake ake ake 28.1
      28 November 2013 at 4:05 pm

      “cross”?
      You mean there is a chance he will get off his arse and actually do something constructive for himself and the Labour Party?
      The Labour MPs need to kick him off the Labour benches.

    • Murray Olsen 28.2
      29 November 2013 at 12:35 am

      Sealord Jones probably costs them a lot of votes. If they want to show that there’s any tinge of red in there, they really do need to boot the useless kupapa.

  29. Pascal's bookie 29
    28 November 2013 at 3:35 pm

    ruhroh for Amy Adams, making the PM look bad by fucking shit up:

    New Zealand First, the Maori Party and United Future are all vowing to oppose any legislation which would overrule the Commerce Commission on broadband pricing

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9454120/NZ-First-won-t-overule-on-copper-pricing

  30. Tiger Mountain 30
    28 November 2013 at 4:50 pm

    Grrr! Chris Trotter on RNZ “Afternoons” today raised again the matter of Willie and JT’s freedom of speech. They still have their freedom of speech just not paid on air at the moment.

    Ironic or is there a more apt word to describe Chris raising this on the very programme that dispatched Bomber Bradbury.

  31. ScottGN 31
    28 November 2013 at 5:05 pm

    CBC is reporting that Snowden files reveal that Stephen Harper and the Conservative Government in Canada allowed the U.S. to use the NSA to spy in Canada (based in their Ottawa Embassy) during the 2010 G8 and G20 meetings.
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-snowden-docs-show-u-s-spied-during-g20-in-toronto-1.2442448

  32. Morrissey 32
    28 November 2013 at 6:03 pm

    They’re not crude misogynists, they’re “working-class guys”;
    Just look who’s sticking up for Willie and J.T.
    The Panel, Radio NZ National, Thursday 28 November 2013
    Jim Mora, Ellen Read, Chris Trotter

    If you were bored enough, unfortunate enough or foolhardy enough to be listening to Jim Mora’s light chat show this afternoon, you will have heard Chris Trotter embark on yet another of his windy, wandery exercises in verbal casuistry. Today’s low-grade lecture wasn’t quite as depraved as his pompous oratory on behalf of the Zimmerman jury [1]; however, it was still an odious and pestilential defense of the indefensible, and it clearly upset his fellow guest Ellen Read and even managed to perplex the normally unflappable host Jim Mora.

    According to Trotter, Willie and J.T. are misunderstood because they are a couple of working class guys who lack the sophistication and middle class smarts to sound intelligent, and are in reality really nice guys who do a lot of good for young women—-when they are not snarling at rape victims and badgering them on their crummy radio show. [2] Trotter-watchers are all too familiar with his cogitations on this subject; for many years, he has condescendingly and inaccurately pontificated about the need for Labour politicians to understand a sub-species of lowlife he pretentiously labels “Waitakere Man”—a sub-species which is (according to the likes of Trotter) too thick to understand concepts like human rights.

    As Trotter vapoured on, and on, and on, Ellen Read became very agitated, protesting several times. Jim Mora also demurred several times, but Trotter bored on for a good three minutes, which seemed much longer.

    Appalled, I fired off the following email….

    “Middle class reaction”?
    Dear Jim,
    All of the working class women I know were absolutely disgusted by Willie and JT’s crude bullying of that young girl on their radio show.

    Please tell that to Chris Trotter, that self-appointed spokesmen for the working class.

    Yours in astonishment at glib “liberal” pundits,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    This time, Jim didn’t read my letter out. One listener’s text did get through, however; just before the end of the show, Jim Mora read this: “Tell Chris Trotter all speech has consequences.”

    “That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” said Ellen Read. What a pity she didn’t confront Trotter more assertively as he was actually unloading this latest pile of crap.

    [1] http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19072013/#comment-664870
    [2] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11151911

  33. One Anonymous Knucklehead 33
    28 November 2013 at 6:41 pm

    Ex-marine does a Titford?

  34. karol 34
    28 November 2013 at 7:58 pm

    Very good contributions from Cunliffe on Citizen A.

    Hitting the right/left notes – clear and articulate as usual.

    • karol 35.1
      28 November 2013 at 8:30 pm

      Thanks. Some growing old gracefully – others got an “Oh, dear” response from me. Especially the botoxed/face lifted ones – looking at you Marc Almond.

      Frankie Goes to Hollywood now looks like a businessman.

    • Rogue Trooper 35.2
      28 November 2013 at 9:11 pm

      The Things That Dreams are Made Of . 😀

      Terri Nunn, yummy!

  36. weka 36
    28 November 2013 at 9:26 pm

    Lynn, are you around? Any idea why I keep going into moderation? It’s been going on for the past week or so. Anything I can do at my end?

    • lprent 36.1
      29 November 2013 at 1:14 am

      Akismet does our main spam filtering. All comments go through it. It was a bad day for them, and us…

      http://blog.akismet.com/2013/11/28/api-outage-november-28th/

      There was an API outage on November 28th. Switch failures led to cascading problems that took approximately 50 minutes to stabilize.

      At 04:19 UTC on the 28th November, a switch began failing. Traffic was routed to an alternate data center. Unfortunately a software bug meant that those servers were attempting to write to a master server in the first data center, and so those servers stalled. As a result from 04:20 UTC to 04:38 UTC the API was not responding.

      Between 04:38 UTC and 05:01 UTC we deployed a series of fixes. Availability was between 95% and 50% during that time. The switch came back online at 05:11 UTC and availability returned to 100%.

      At 07:20 UTC another switch failed, which caused a very brief outage and availability dropped to 60% during that time. This time however, traffic switched over to an alternate data center and by 07:32 UTC, the API returned to 100% availability.

      WordPress users will have seen messages indicating that spam comments were temporarily held in the moderation queue during the outage. The Akismet plugin will re-try those now that the API is back up.

      We’ve fixed several software problems already as a result of the failure. We’ve also identified some systems and software improvements that will prevent the same condition from happening in future, and we’re working to get those in place as soon as possible.

      Note my italics… The times quoted are 13 hours behind ours.

      Been cleaning comments out of the moderation queue all day. But they’ve been having problems off and on for days now. I boosted the site on to a higher priority at akismet. Also boosted the web servers as they’re having to deal with a much large volume of comments than usual.

      I’ll see what it is like in the morning. But I also need to improve the captcha again..

      • weka 36.1.1
        29 November 2013 at 11:43 am

        Ok, thanks. I’ve been going into moderation for a week or so, but will keep an eye out over the next day or two.

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    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    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-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    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 announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    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, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    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 ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    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 KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    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 ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    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 ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    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 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    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 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    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 Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    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; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    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 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    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 ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    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 ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    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. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    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 PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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