Landlords like this need to be taken to court.
And sentenced.
Severely.
Their land and properties should be confiscated.
And used to benefit those they have exploited.
Then the message would get out that this government means business.
“Papakura family are living in a cold, damp “undrained swamp” of a home, and they say their landlord is refusing to fix it.
Dawn Robbie lives at the Papakura property with her partner and two daughters, 3 and 10 months old, and said they were constantly sick because of a pond of water under the house.
The basement of the property was completely flooded, and was littered with bits of underfloor insulation and rubbish, filling the house above it with condensation, she told the Herald.
“This is under our whole house, how is this okay?” Robbie said.”
I had a house like that that had water underneath. After a lot of investigation it was deemed to be the neighbours leaking water pipe feed into their house. Contacted the neighbour and there was some sort of dispute over responsibility as water care were saying it was the neighbours responsibility. (Even though it looked like under the pavement). Eventually water care fixed it and it only took a few hours. Anything to do with combined water is a nightmare because nobody wants to do anything about it!
For anyone who has this issue, I got a decent plumber in and they gave great advice but it was a long process to work out who had the leaks and then to get that person to fix them. You also have to check roof and downpipes.
After fixing leak, insulate the underfloor, put in a heat pump (un vented gas heating will be adding to condensation. Heat pumps are best for also condensation, plus are generally cheaper sources of electricity).
Also this was on Fair go, they recommend to put black polythene on the floor underneath your house, this is a cheap way to avoid raising damp.
If they do all that they should avoid raising damp.
(I put this in, because raising damp seems to be a very common problem in NZ because we have older houses and often on clay and they never levelled the soil underneath in the old days! It is not just one fix, but multiple fixes needed and it took us around 3 months to solve the problem and we were lucky that it was even solved as the source of water leak was not our responsibility and we relied on others to do the right thing).
I had problem from neighbour’s water. There always was some drainage after ‘rain events’ that came into my basement room but it went on. Was it mine, I dreaded a bill. hoped not. Finally rang the Council and asked if they could look at it. I had to get a plumber in to check the possible source. Council sent someone with a listening device that could pick up water flow, looked here and there. I told him my theory and he listened and traced it to a burst pipe on the neighbour’s property.
The people who had built the two units on a shared section had put the pipe from the road connection into the garden of the front house with a short run to their meter, but from inside the fence a joint and a long pipe leading to the meter for the back unit. That went through the garden of the front property. It should have gone along the boundary and down the driveway side to the back. Unmetered water had been leaking out from this long stretch of pipe, gradually increasing in flow.
Council required the two properties to bring the plumbing to proper standard and place at their own expense. Problem fixed. Public water saved, and I agree with Council metering at reasonable cost; but not private companies.
There were interesting faults that showed up.
1 The Council when agreeing to the development plan did not demand the developers and builders of the properties site the water supply in the right, most suitable place. I was told they don’t specify this. Surprising.
2 The piping that was used was the wrong specification for outdoor use, not strong enough and indeed there was a lot of grey plasticy stuff used in the 80’s
that burst indoors leading to water damage and expensive replacement.
3 Once found the Council took a peremptory, threatening approach in their communication, wanting immediate remediation and I objected to them about this, as one of the owners is in her 80’s and the other was not well.
4 The reason that I knew about their approach was that they sent the letter to me as if I was one of the owners responsible. I was the person receiving the water on my property who had reported the fault. They corrected their mistake, but I noticed the abrupt way that authorities may treat people when they have powers to do so, which in this case seemed like a routine approach.
Yes, the councils/water care/vector need to take a much lighter and more collaborative approach when there is a problem like that. It tends to be much easier if the council can solve it, and then decide responsibility and ask for payment later if it is not them!
Councils also do not allow enough scrutiny to developers and their subcontractors like drainage people to rectify things and warranty their workmanship and job for enough time aka they should have guarantee for 10 years and the council can claim any repairs from them if their work doesn’t last and a log of every person who worked on site, kept on council records if there are issues later.
Saying that, blow me down on doing a good job, Vector/vectors subcontractors who have always been appalling in the past, during the storms that took out Auckland power at the beginning of the year were very helpful and actually cut down a branch on private land on the lines to get my power on without creating a massive problem by refusing to do anything.
I was expecting the worst and multiple parties and a complete night mare scenario, but they disconnected the power, cut the branch and reconnected within a short period of time. I was amazed, it really helps if during a crisis people try to get the job done without trying to find ways not to do anything! P.S. Vector AP does not work to report faults, had to wait over 1 hours to call them, but they got the job done.
The trouble with that is once its crossed the boundary its at your risk, just like your windows or doors.
The original plan would just show lines on a plan, which may not be the actual location.
The only part that is checked for actual quality and if it works is the pipes leading out – the sewage. You can see why as the health hazard is through the roof if there is a leak. But again if its on private property its the owners/tenants look out.
Yes, but my point is, the council approved the pipes in the first place and presumably a qualified contractor did the work to get it signed off – they should be responsible because the home owner can’t see under the ground and check the job but seem to have all the risk put on them! Unless it is just a really old house, old pipes then it should be the homeowner. Sometimes it’s communal pipes passing through and then it makes more sense to have the council deal with it as it effects the neighbours.
Who knows if this is the case in this house, as maybe un consented work, but the council should help the home owner correct it in the first instance and then work out who pays.
As for vector they seem to be happy to charge the line rental but they don’t always pay for line issues, even when nothing to do with home owner, aka paid their line rentals, have natural disaster but then somehow Vector can walk away? That is why there is chaos when ever there is a storm in Auckland, they don’t seem to spend enough of the line charges on having the people and respond straight away to fix stuff – of course all line rentals pass through onto private land! Luckily in my case they just got the power on!
Line rental for vector is only to the pole in the street, from there to your house is not included in ‘line rental’.
Your understanding is incorrect, plain and simple. As for natural disaster when there are 20,000 calls you have to prioritise as there isnt enough people qualified to fix all the problems inside 6 weeks.
This was all covered before . There is no magic wand to fix stuff when a disaster strikes.
I remember once telecom used to have a maintenance charge per month , something like 40c that was specifically for house wiring. That meant they could check the connection from pole to the phone plug at no extra charge.
Its important to know for what you are covered. It seems like you are assuming stuff that isnt there.
The Council isnt not interested in your roof if it leaks or if the pipes leak.
Im not trying to knock you over this , but its the way it is.
The checking that is done during building consent site checks is structural area mostly, plus the plumbing inspector which is mostly focused on the SW and sewage is correct.
the point is while it might be great for Vectors bottom line, it is often completely unfeasible for the home owner to fix the wire! For a start if something falls on it in the “wrong’ place, then you need to get vector to disconnect before anyone can work on it and then reconnect – which is twice as much work and requires multiple people and coordination. How many homeowners do you know with cheery pickers at their disposal and lines knowledge. NZ user pays have created a disastrous piecemeal system for any thing to do with construction, and it shows, very expensive construction, chaos when there is a storm and every bodies lights go out.
Apparently, the German government is considering emergency financial help for Turkey. It is worried that a massive Turkish economic crisis could destabilise the region.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/defending-iran-deal-germany-looks-to-bypass-us-payment-channels.html 22 Aug 18
(You probably know what CNBC is, they don’t elucidate, I guess Canadian National Broadcasting Corporation? I could look up but why should I have to. Entities talking in acronym jargon again; the most important information, the name is not given, insiders know, and others don’t count. RNZ is another example.)
“National shame’: 147 Indigenous people die in custody in Australia in a decade
Australia’s shocking treatment of Indigenous people has been laid bare with the publication of new figures by the Guardian showing 147 Indigenous people – some of them children – have died in custody in the past 10 years.
Opposition parties have declared it a “national shame” and Aboriginal groups have demanded the government immediately allow independent monitoring of all detention centres, with Indigenous prisoners as the priority.
Just 2.8% of the Australian population identifies as Indigenous. Yet Indigenous people make up 27% of the prison population, 22% of deaths in prison custody and 19% of deaths in police custody.”
The Fault Lies In Our Stars, by Powell, Chair of US Fed
“Navigating by the stars can sound straightforward. Guiding policy by the stars in practice, however, has been quite challenging of late because our best assessments of the location of the stars have been changing significantly.”
(US stocks continue to grow, as the stars point to continued low interest rates)
If the locations of the stars were changing significantly, time to get worried. The Fed Chair is a banker, so he must refer apparent locations rather than real as an astronomer or physicist would. But he actually said their assessments have been changing. Subjective opinions.
So it’s a reference to map-reading. Deciding to look at the map differently. Either different eyes or different interpretations of the symbols & territory. So hermeneutics (not astrology).
Yes, hermeneutics rather than economic pseudoscience as taught in schools. The new board might actually be visualising a more peaceful transition to a new currency.
Excellent new political analysis of the waka-jumping legislation & implications from a Professor of Comparative Politics. “Whatever is wrong with the law, it is not ‘undemocratic’. The debate is between those who value democracy more and those who value individual liberties more”. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@politics/2018/08/27/211055/waka-jumping-bill-jack-vowles
Yes – although I am not completely comfortable with the waka-jumping bill, I think it provides important protection against the potentially corrosive effects of big money interfering in our democracy by trying to ‘turn’ MPs.
thanks Adrian nice to know bobby seal still alive ! When i was a kid i bought a paper back edition of his book Seize the time from the local dairy .I was mightily impressed by him an the black panthers way back then ..so cool that that famous gagged scene in the courthouse still being talked about and now by the man himself .
They didn’t need to hire a lawyer to come up with those recommendations. They were common sense from the start.
Back in the 1970s there was no youth division. We were all part of the general party scene. There were no alcohol issues… no violence or bullying… certainly no sexual harassment of which I was aware.
I’m not – and never have been – a fan of the trend to divide the party into “identity” blocks. By all means let ‘birds of a feather flock together’ but don’t formalise it as Labour has done in recent decades. It gets used by the ambitious for personal gain and invariably there’s trouble further down the track.
Yep, I’m out of step with majority opinion, but I’ve watched the inevitable ‘argy bargy’ play out from afar and will not be changing my mind.
Surely this is about unsupervised young people, not ‘identity blocs’ – I’ve never heard of similar problems with Pasifika, women’s or any other caucuses.
Does the report say why both the youth organiser and attending MP were in bed by 9pm? Don’t entrust lightweights with the safety and wellbeing of others is one lesson.
That’s what I am saying. But it didn’t need an expensive report to tell them what needed to be done.
The identity politics was an overall observation. And I was not referring so much to ethnic divisions.
Of course like minded individuals and members who identify with one another are going to work and socialise together. That is to be applauded. But I think Labour went too far with the identity politics thing. It can create unnecessary division. My motto is… let it all happen naturally. There has been some good examples where equality occurred naturally within the party.
‘Letting it all happen naturally’ gets us persistent disadvantage for the same social groups. Which again has nothing to do with unsupervised young people. And I agree Labour did not need a report to tell them that.
Getting such a report is because of the emerging culture over the last few decades of getting an independent report as if doing an internal report simply won’t do. It’s why we now have government getting independent reports rather than just doing the reports themselves.
Such independence costs a lot of money and produces a lot of profit.
Personally, I prefer good methodology and peer-review. It shouldn’t matter who does the report.
You will always find the the text of the independent report is rewritten to suit to person paying the bill.
What they should really say is , an independent person is going to write a report and but we will approve the final wording.
If the report finds their is no blame that will be highlighted if on the other side there are problems exposed , the wording will be fixed to lessen the impact.
Can any Standardista advise if they can use search to find their own or others’ comments? I can’t get anything except some post from 2014. Is it just my computer or have others also got that problem? I don’t log in but the system recognises me when I go to comment. Is logging necessary for searching?
I always use Googe to search this site. Here’s a few handy tips on how to use Google (and many other search engines) better.
As an example use the ‘site:’ function to limit the search to a particular site. If I wanted to search for all my comments here the search would be: site:thestandard.org.nz “draco t bastard”
Thanks DTB
I have been advised to use other ways before but thought it was a temporary thing. But I will take a copy of yours and refer to it – it won’t be hard, but I just get sick of having to constantly learn stuff that is peripheral to getting on with things.
Changeover for cellphone provider – have to go into town and identify myself. WTF – I think I could go for simple – Terry Pratchett’s clacks, I think they were called. They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you. On the basis that the less you hear about, the less you will worry in advance of it happening, or not happening. Hmmm?
What . Are you running an ‘account’ type of plan? For everyone else on the pre pay plans, you just sign up online with your new provider- get a sim etc, and once online use the change over number option and away you go.
Of course your previous pre pay plan lapses… no big deal as you have moved your number.
Are you really sure you need a business style account ?
Yeah, getting there. SQL – used to look up databases.
Trouble was that I was trying to mash data from two databases together when they had slightly different names for the many variables they had in common. Does me nut in sometimes…
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed she spoke to Speaker Trevor Mallard last Friday before he announced the cancellation of the inquiry into leaked travel expenses but says their conversation was to advise her of his decision.
“It was not a dialogue,” her spokesman said. “She did not have any input into the decision.”
Why did he even speak to her about it, this is looking more and more like Labour have their grubby little hands all over this
Chris 73. The Speaker meets with many MPs. It would be very proper for the Speaker to inform the PM of matters affecting the operation of Parliament.
Or do you think the Speaker should not talk to the PM – or the Leader of the Opposition?
Since it supposedly is coming from inside National then no there was no reason for Jacinda to get a heads up nor was there any reason to call off the inquiry when he did
Well there was a reason of course but we’ll never know because Trevs looking out for his mates
Standardistas should nurture you Chris 73. Their very own conspiracy theorist, every blog should have one, and see they get fed plenty of compost to keep them growing and flowering well. Not forgetting to keep them lightly pruned for best results.
Mallard would have rung both the PM and the Leader of the Opposition and advised them he was cancelling the inquiry on the grounds it had been effectively confirmed by the police that the leaker was not from Parliamentary Services. That was the reason he was having the inquiry in the first place.
Bridges knows full well why Mallard cancelled the inquiry and so do you. I suspect most people will see he’s trying to obfuscate for political gain – and so are you.
Chris 73 still lame shifting the blame.
Listen to Simple Siomon’s speech pleading to protect the leaker’s identity
Because of their fragile state of mental health.
That throws the whole National caucus under the spotlight.
Don’t worry chris73, National have commissioned thier own investigation now, so all well be revealed. The National party are so honest, they wouldn’t cover anything up.
Then again, Simon said the findings from the investigation may not be made public, so you may have to just keep guessing.
Cripes the country would fall apart. Isn’t it based on the old boys (and girls) network? They probably all have their well-heeled (and) toesies in the trough.
US President Donald Trump has warned Google, Twitter and Facebook they are “treading on troubled territory” amid a row over perceived bias.
He said they had to be “very careful”, after earlier accusing Google of rigging the search results for the phrase “Trump news”.
An aide said the administration was “looking into” the issue of regulation.
Google said its search engine set no political agenda and was not biased towards any political ideology.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said Google had “really taken a lot of advantage of a lot of people, it’s a very serious thing”.
Adding the names of Facebook and Twitter, he said: “They better be careful, because you can’t do that to people… we have literally thousands of complaints coming in.”
Good job – should be a 5 year ban and $50k fine!
Funny how the ‘trainee manager’ was working close to minimum wages… what a joke for a “management” position!
The employeers should not even be allowed to get work visas or sponsorship on that type of wage because it effectively means more tax payer money ‘sponsoring’ the employer through accomodation supplements, working for families and so forth.
They used to employ students and unemployed for this type of job, now local unqualified people and students have no jobs to help get them into the workforce because employers prefer migrants who are more pliable and able to be exploited easier, and have the taxpayers and councils picking up the low worker subsidies as well as paying for the unemployed people in the area, who can’t get a job.
Burger King banned from hiring migrant workers, placed on Employment NZ’s stand-down list for year
Its ‘new work visas’, It wont affect all their existing staff, highly likely they are mostly brought into NZ by Burger King on work visas specifically for their store.
I imagine they still will employ new workers on student visas on casual basis but not for those 90 hr fourtnights
Why is government only there for the troubled, struggling and downtrodden? he asked yesterday while arguing that taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidise the All Blacks.
A society will be judged by how it treats its weakest members – Harry S. Truman
Actually this sentiment is over 4000 years old and was first written by some unknown scribe in cuneiform – but I’m blessed if I can find the link to that now.
Hosking just further demonstrates how uncivilised he truly is.
Because if you have too many “troubled, struggling and downtrodden” it all gets a bit problematic for those who aren’t.
Better to:
a.) blame them for being “troubled, struggling and downtrodden” and call it a fancy name like ‘social investment’
b.) throw them some minimal support in case they wander into the garden shed and dust the cobwebs of their granddads’ pitchforks
c.) give Mikey H free rein to rant away at them over ZB or whatever other abomination he inhabits these days
Ummm….because incessantly carping Maserati drivers and fine wine garglers are so fucking put upon and stretched to the fullest extent of their hubris, exceptionalist self-importance, and mock savoir-faire…. being as they are archetypal victims so oppressed by the weak….whom counter-intuitively are running the show apparently. Poor things.
“But generally the direction would be toward ‘a Keynesian world with planetary boundaries’: unique, autonomous economies and societies engaging in regulated international trade for specific reasons, such as food security, rather than for the sake of free trade as a principle. Individuals, organizations, and nations would approach the economy as a tool to enable a good life rather than as an end in itself.”
If you have a few problems you should take them to the Police or the Salvation Army.
They could take weight off your busy mind. They may even be able to get you to understand that there is a new Government in New Zealand now. And you won’t have to tell lies anymore.
But don’t try and guess what the Speaker said. He will think you are quite sick indeed.
All the best to you.
PS: would you like to go on Simon’s next Hot ding a ding up and down the Country. ?
“But don’t try and guess what the Speaker said. He will think you are quite sick indeed.”
You mean Trevor “even though I’m partially deaf I definitely heard something that no one else heard and I’m going to make a big deal about it and it just so happens to make National look bad” Mallard
People might give you a hard time on here but I enjoy your contributions. Just about everything you say shows me that you are one of the absolute best reasons National is not the government. You make me happy.
yes.
I was looking at the polling effects before the last election- when Turnbull bounced Abbott, their numbers went up and they were lucky to just win the election.
It seems for those Mps who are both in marginal seats AND supporters of Turnbull they are bailing , by announcing they arent running again.
I remember the results by electorate for the equal marriage referendum. The arch conservative Liberal Mps found their own electorates were largely in favour.
Those urban electorates that opposed the question were more likely to be held by labour.
The Tory Aussie Liberals have lost their marbles.
Good Morning the am Show There you go budget cut’s to Civil Defense budget’s has been cut by the last government that tell’s me they did not even think they should have put more fund’s into Civil Defense to look after the tangata safety during a disaster with Climate change here and now.
Those sales people have been prayring on innocent people for years is that not the neo capitalist way these people can smell a innocent person to rip off I rembmber one selling my grandmother one 40 years ago.
Duncan don’t you think some thing stinks now we have gang problems that you are spinning out through a megaphone coincidentally when we have just had a review of the Justice system. I bet if the Motueka story was not spun out through the media there would not be a problem there now Einstein .
Cars being keyed in Aotearoa is not that common not that I know of .
Eco Maori started working hard chipping thistles catching opossums as well at 12 I have strived to try and build a maunga for my whano but what do you know the raciest sandfly’s decided that they are going to ——— with my business ——–with my job’s It’s hard enough in Aotearoa for tangata whenua let alone have there ——play Judge and jury with my life mean while look at what’s going down with the Christian church groups. I would have had money to pay for my mokopuna’s private health care that’s why I am pissed at there——muppet’s . Ka kite ano
Here you go some well behaved sandfly’s commited to protecting all the public
Yea Right they have the same bullying culture all over Papatuanuku.
Link below ka kite ano.
Many thanks to California for there plan’s to be 100% carbon neutral by the year 2045
Hawaii has the same goal’s to be carbon neutral by 2045
With our other Pacific Island cousins Aotearoa should be setting them up to grow fruit and vegetables aimed at OUR off season for fruit and vegetables you know the old saying it is better to teach a person to fish than it is to give that person a fish this is the logical way to do things I’m not say don’t give AID I’m just saying lets do thing’s the smarter way . link below Ka kite ano.
Good evening Newshub Business people just have to get over there insecurity of a New Government and look at how they fared 10 years ago would they prefer that we had a government that denies climate change & does not care there mokopuna’s future.
There you go another Justice system stuff up that boy dieing with a collapsed lung .
That good revamping Civil defense of Aotearoa lucky we have finally got improvements.
Aquaculture is were it’s at for Aotearoa future mapping the sound’s give’s fact’s so this industry can flourish.
There you go the Doctors on the defense this system is set up so they are not liable for there stuff ups .One thing Eco Maori say’s is right is the Food we eat manufactured food is bad for us that is why cancer are rife obesity it’s all about the profit to these people . Ka kite ano
Good evening The Crowd Goes Wild Mull’s & Makere Noline Taurua Couching the Silver Ferns all the best on your new challenge I’m sure you will do a fine Job ka pai enough said .
Serena William’s has got back into top form after having a baby good on her .
The guys in there togs a mull’s is that you Mulls on the cat walk good on them if you got it why not. What was that song Nice top Josh Ka kite ano P.S the mokopuna’s a its all about them
Good evening Newshub I warned the new Government MP that people will try there best to trip them up nothing will be out of bounds for the neo liberals supporters .
We know that people have a hard time accepting a Wahine as a boss it will be even harder for her being Maori . They need support to carry out there role .I also said that you need to make sure the people you let in your team.
I’m just going to sit on the fence with the Manning issue .
It’s cool that we have more movies that Wahine are Staring in more movies Kate.
Ka kite ano P.S The racing industry should go with these changes the time have changed so consolidation is needed to keep the industry profitable
Here a intelligent way to lower our carbon foot print just by changing the way we drive this could easly be tested on one road . We have learned a lot off Papatuanuku and Tangaroa creatures and we still have a lot more to learn link below Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub The 17 billion spend on Roads & Road safety will be good for the economy.
Has simon forgot about there South Islands MP tod barclay issues with his team bill and shonky tryed to hide it he was one of bill protegee hypocrisy from national I quite like reminding them of this Labour has a higher standard that national .
There you go Britain is going to ban energy drinks for the mokopunas they are going to vote on the age ban 16 /18 I bet that our youth are doing the same to.
Well the Coffey guy should be able to sell what types of Coffey he likes .
Thats innovation with the restocking of fish in America great rivers and lakes straight out of a fire fighting water plane.
That sky diving story I was speechless its safe and indoors just huge fans lifting the people that will be a big sport soon.
Ka kite ano P.S Nicky its been to hot that’s why the top seeds droped out of tennis
The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Hue The League will be awsome tonight 300 game’s
Thats a cool story of you & Simon Wai
Thats awsome for Tom Walsh ka pai
The tennis was warm a Hue is that because of Climate change did you hear what the Samoan Prime Minister had to say on that subject ka pai E-hoa .
West Auckland Ice Hockey team in the studio good win guys .
Ka kite ano
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
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Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
Te Pāti Māori has had to adopt a new way of debating, operating and even thinking in Parliament in response to the Government’s “onslaught” against te ao Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.In an end-of-year interview with Newsroom, the Te Tai Hauauru MP reflected on how 2024 has differed from her ...
Opinion: The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science report was announced earlier this month, yet it didn’t get the flurry of media attention and political hand-wringing that typically accompanies these announcements. This might be because it presented good news, or you could argue, no news; the results paint a ...
NewsroomBy Dr Lisa Darragh, Dr Raewyn Eden and Dr David Pomeroy
At long last, The Spinoff shells out for a nut ranking. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.It recently came to The Spinoff’s attention ...
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
Summer reissue: One anxiously attentive passenger pays attention to an in-flight safety video, and wonders ‘Why can’t I pick up my own phone?’ The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...
Summer reissue: Why do those Lange-Douglas years cast such a long shadow 40 years on? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. First published June ...
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The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
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Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
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Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
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Landlords like this need to be taken to court.
And sentenced.
Severely.
Their land and properties should be confiscated.
And used to benefit those they have exploited.
Then the message would get out that this government means business.
“Papakura family are living in a cold, damp “undrained swamp” of a home, and they say their landlord is refusing to fix it.
Dawn Robbie lives at the Papakura property with her partner and two daughters, 3 and 10 months old, and said they were constantly sick because of a pond of water under the house.
The basement of the property was completely flooded, and was littered with bits of underfloor insulation and rubbish, filling the house above it with condensation, she told the Herald.
“This is under our whole house, how is this okay?” Robbie said.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12114555
I had a house like that that had water underneath. After a lot of investigation it was deemed to be the neighbours leaking water pipe feed into their house. Contacted the neighbour and there was some sort of dispute over responsibility as water care were saying it was the neighbours responsibility. (Even though it looked like under the pavement). Eventually water care fixed it and it only took a few hours. Anything to do with combined water is a nightmare because nobody wants to do anything about it!
For anyone who has this issue, I got a decent plumber in and they gave great advice but it was a long process to work out who had the leaks and then to get that person to fix them. You also have to check roof and downpipes.
After fixing leak, insulate the underfloor, put in a heat pump (un vented gas heating will be adding to condensation. Heat pumps are best for also condensation, plus are generally cheaper sources of electricity).
Also this was on Fair go, they recommend to put black polythene on the floor underneath your house, this is a cheap way to avoid raising damp.
If they do all that they should avoid raising damp.
(I put this in, because raising damp seems to be a very common problem in NZ because we have older houses and often on clay and they never levelled the soil underneath in the old days! It is not just one fix, but multiple fixes needed and it took us around 3 months to solve the problem and we were lucky that it was even solved as the source of water leak was not our responsibility and we relied on others to do the right thing).
I had problem from neighbour’s water. There always was some drainage after ‘rain events’ that came into my basement room but it went on. Was it mine, I dreaded a bill. hoped not. Finally rang the Council and asked if they could look at it. I had to get a plumber in to check the possible source. Council sent someone with a listening device that could pick up water flow, looked here and there. I told him my theory and he listened and traced it to a burst pipe on the neighbour’s property.
The people who had built the two units on a shared section had put the pipe from the road connection into the garden of the front house with a short run to their meter, but from inside the fence a joint and a long pipe leading to the meter for the back unit. That went through the garden of the front property. It should have gone along the boundary and down the driveway side to the back. Unmetered water had been leaking out from this long stretch of pipe, gradually increasing in flow.
Council required the two properties to bring the plumbing to proper standard and place at their own expense. Problem fixed. Public water saved, and I agree with Council metering at reasonable cost; but not private companies.
There were interesting faults that showed up.
1 The Council when agreeing to the development plan did not demand the developers and builders of the properties site the water supply in the right, most suitable place. I was told they don’t specify this. Surprising.
2 The piping that was used was the wrong specification for outdoor use, not strong enough and indeed there was a lot of grey plasticy stuff used in the 80’s
that burst indoors leading to water damage and expensive replacement.
3 Once found the Council took a peremptory, threatening approach in their communication, wanting immediate remediation and I objected to them about this, as one of the owners is in her 80’s and the other was not well.
4 The reason that I knew about their approach was that they sent the letter to me as if I was one of the owners responsible. I was the person receiving the water on my property who had reported the fault. They corrected their mistake, but I noticed the abrupt way that authorities may treat people when they have powers to do so, which in this case seemed like a routine approach.
Yes, the councils/water care/vector need to take a much lighter and more collaborative approach when there is a problem like that. It tends to be much easier if the council can solve it, and then decide responsibility and ask for payment later if it is not them!
Councils also do not allow enough scrutiny to developers and their subcontractors like drainage people to rectify things and warranty their workmanship and job for enough time aka they should have guarantee for 10 years and the council can claim any repairs from them if their work doesn’t last and a log of every person who worked on site, kept on council records if there are issues later.
Saying that, blow me down on doing a good job, Vector/vectors subcontractors who have always been appalling in the past, during the storms that took out Auckland power at the beginning of the year were very helpful and actually cut down a branch on private land on the lines to get my power on without creating a massive problem by refusing to do anything.
I was expecting the worst and multiple parties and a complete night mare scenario, but they disconnected the power, cut the branch and reconnected within a short period of time. I was amazed, it really helps if during a crisis people try to get the job done without trying to find ways not to do anything! P.S. Vector AP does not work to report faults, had to wait over 1 hours to call them, but they got the job done.
The trouble with that is once its crossed the boundary its at your risk, just like your windows or doors.
The original plan would just show lines on a plan, which may not be the actual location.
The only part that is checked for actual quality and if it works is the pipes leading out – the sewage. You can see why as the health hazard is through the roof if there is a leak. But again if its on private property its the owners/tenants look out.
Yes, but my point is, the council approved the pipes in the first place and presumably a qualified contractor did the work to get it signed off – they should be responsible because the home owner can’t see under the ground and check the job but seem to have all the risk put on them! Unless it is just a really old house, old pipes then it should be the homeowner. Sometimes it’s communal pipes passing through and then it makes more sense to have the council deal with it as it effects the neighbours.
Who knows if this is the case in this house, as maybe un consented work, but the council should help the home owner correct it in the first instance and then work out who pays.
As for vector they seem to be happy to charge the line rental but they don’t always pay for line issues, even when nothing to do with home owner, aka paid their line rentals, have natural disaster but then somehow Vector can walk away? That is why there is chaos when ever there is a storm in Auckland, they don’t seem to spend enough of the line charges on having the people and respond straight away to fix stuff – of course all line rentals pass through onto private land! Luckily in my case they just got the power on!
Line rental for vector is only to the pole in the street, from there to your house is not included in ‘line rental’.
Your understanding is incorrect, plain and simple. As for natural disaster when there are 20,000 calls you have to prioritise as there isnt enough people qualified to fix all the problems inside 6 weeks.
This was all covered before . There is no magic wand to fix stuff when a disaster strikes.
I remember once telecom used to have a maintenance charge per month , something like 40c that was specifically for house wiring. That meant they could check the connection from pole to the phone plug at no extra charge.
Its important to know for what you are covered. It seems like you are assuming stuff that isnt there.
The Council isnt not interested in your roof if it leaks or if the pipes leak.
Im not trying to knock you over this , but its the way it is.
The checking that is done during building consent site checks is structural area mostly, plus the plumbing inspector which is mostly focused on the SW and sewage is correct.
the point is while it might be great for Vectors bottom line, it is often completely unfeasible for the home owner to fix the wire! For a start if something falls on it in the “wrong’ place, then you need to get vector to disconnect before anyone can work on it and then reconnect – which is twice as much work and requires multiple people and coordination. How many homeowners do you know with cheery pickers at their disposal and lines knowledge. NZ user pays have created a disastrous piecemeal system for any thing to do with construction, and it shows, very expensive construction, chaos when there is a storm and every bodies lights go out.
Some people should not be allowed to be landlords
Yes.
News you won’t hear in the Herald……
Apparently, the German government is considering emergency financial help for Turkey. It is worried that a massive Turkish economic crisis could destabilise the region.
I noticed interesting headlines on Turkey and money some time ago.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/08/germany-us-heiko-maas/568129/ 22 Aug 18
Germany’s Foreign Minister Just Proposed a Way to Skirt U.S. Sanctions
It’s not clear Angela Merkel agrees—but she’s also worried about America.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/defending-iran-deal-germany-looks-to-bypass-us-payment-channels.html 22 Aug 18
(You probably know what CNBC is, they don’t elucidate, I guess Canadian National Broadcasting Corporation? I could look up but why should I have to. Entities talking in acronym jargon again; the most important information, the name is not given, insiders know, and others don’t count. RNZ is another example.)
http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/398781-sleepwalking-toward-a-us-germany-trade-war 25 July 18
https://www.rt.com/business/427177-who-why-dumping-us-dollar/ 19 May 18
Crypotocurrency
10 Aug 18
https://www.coindesk.com/turkey-crypto-exchanges-bitcoin-lira/
4July 2018
https://www.newsbtc.com/2018/07/04/report-18-of-people-in-turkey-own-crypto-compared-to-8-in-the-us/
11 Jan 2018
https://medium.com/dether/the-world-of-cryptocurrency-in-turkey-1e6c5cd5575d
As Turkey Teeters, Germany Considers Offering a Financial Lifeline
Germany not considering financial aid for Turkey: German official
Which to believe.
🙂 Yeah, German government or Wall St reporter, um, ah, er, gosh, that’s a tough one…
Wall St would be looking to protect its loan book to Turkey, thats why they are pushing that story
News you won’t read in the Herald today….
“National shame’: 147 Indigenous people die in custody in Australia in a decade
Australia’s shocking treatment of Indigenous people has been laid bare with the publication of new figures by the Guardian showing 147 Indigenous people – some of them children – have died in custody in the past 10 years.
Opposition parties have declared it a “national shame” and Aboriginal groups have demanded the government immediately allow independent monitoring of all detention centres, with Indigenous prisoners as the priority.
Just 2.8% of the Australian population identifies as Indigenous. Yet Indigenous people make up 27% of the prison population, 22% of deaths in prison custody and 19% of deaths in police custody.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/28/national-shame-147-indigenous-people-die-in-custody-in-australia-in-a-decade
You won’t read anything in the hearsld Ed. You may have forgotten you boycotted it ages ago.
For more information on a shameful subject james could not give a stuff about …. http://johnpilger.com/videos/utopia-subtitled-version-
http://johnpilger.com/videos/welcome-to-australia
http://johnpilger.com/
The Fault Lies In Our Stars, by Powell, Chair of US Fed
“Navigating by the stars can sound straightforward. Guiding policy by the stars in practice, however, has been quite challenging of late because our best assessments of the location of the stars have been changing significantly.”
(US stocks continue to grow, as the stars point to continued low interest rates)
If the locations of the stars were changing significantly, time to get worried. The Fed Chair is a banker, so he must refer apparent locations rather than real as an astronomer or physicist would. But he actually said their assessments have been changing. Subjective opinions.
So it’s a reference to map-reading. Deciding to look at the map differently. Either different eyes or different interpretations of the symbols & territory. So hermeneutics (not astrology).
Yes, hermeneutics rather than economic pseudoscience as taught in schools. The new board might actually be visualising a more peaceful transition to a new currency.
Excellent new political analysis of the waka-jumping legislation & implications from a Professor of Comparative Politics. “Whatever is wrong with the law, it is not ‘undemocratic’. The debate is between those who value democracy more and those who value individual liberties more”. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@politics/2018/08/27/211055/waka-jumping-bill-jack-vowles
Yes – although I am not completely comfortable with the waka-jumping bill, I think it provides important protection against the potentially corrosive effects of big money interfering in our democracy by trying to ‘turn’ MPs.
That’s actually a good write-up that explains things well. We actually need the waka jumping bill to protect our democracy.
+100
The first party to use it might well be national when the find the name of the leaker
Can you explain, using references to the legislation, how National would do that?
Bobby Seal talks about coalition politics and fighting the man, new interview from Democracy Now!…
thanks Adrian nice to know bobby seal still alive ! When i was a kid i bought a paper back edition of his book Seize the time from the local dairy .I was mightily impressed by him an the black panthers way back then ..so cool that that famous gagged scene in the courthouse still being talked about and now by the man himself .
The report on the events at the Labour Party Youth camp has been released:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12115498
They didn’t need to hire a lawyer to come up with those recommendations. They were common sense from the start.
Back in the 1970s there was no youth division. We were all part of the general party scene. There were no alcohol issues… no violence or bullying… certainly no sexual harassment of which I was aware.
I’m not – and never have been – a fan of the trend to divide the party into “identity” blocks. By all means let ‘birds of a feather flock together’ but don’t formalise it as Labour has done in recent decades. It gets used by the ambitious for personal gain and invariably there’s trouble further down the track.
Yep, I’m out of step with majority opinion, but I’ve watched the inevitable ‘argy bargy’ play out from afar and will not be changing my mind.
Surely this is about unsupervised young people, not ‘identity blocs’ – I’ve never heard of similar problems with Pasifika, women’s or any other caucuses.
Does the report say why both the youth organiser and attending MP were in bed by 9pm? Don’t entrust lightweights with the safety and wellbeing of others is one lesson.
Surely this is about unsupervised young people,…
That’s what I am saying. But it didn’t need an expensive report to tell them what needed to be done.
The identity politics was an overall observation. And I was not referring so much to ethnic divisions.
Of course like minded individuals and members who identify with one another are going to work and socialise together. That is to be applauded. But I think Labour went too far with the identity politics thing. It can create unnecessary division. My motto is… let it all happen naturally. There has been some good examples where equality occurred naturally within the party.
‘Letting it all happen naturally’ gets us persistent disadvantage for the same social groups. Which again has nothing to do with unsupervised young people. And I agree Labour did not need a report to tell them that.
Getting such a report is because of the emerging culture over the last few decades of getting an independent report as if doing an internal report simply won’t do. It’s why we now have government getting independent reports rather than just doing the reports themselves.
Such independence costs a lot of money and produces a lot of profit.
Personally, I prefer good methodology and peer-review. It shouldn’t matter who does the report.
+1
Independent report is just whitewash.
You will always find the the text of the independent report is rewritten to suit to person paying the bill.
What they should really say is , an independent person is going to write a report and but we will approve the final wording.
If the report finds their is no blame that will be highlighted if on the other side there are problems exposed , the wording will be fixed to lessen the impact.
Peer review is costly too but it is (usually) not (always) the requestor who pays for it; the true cost tends to be hidden and moved elsewhere.
Can any Standardista advise if they can use search to find their own or others’ comments? I can’t get anything except some post from 2014. Is it just my computer or have others also got that problem? I don’t log in but the system recognises me when I go to comment. Is logging necessary for searching?
I always use Googe to search this site. Here’s a few handy tips on how to use Google (and many other search engines) better.
As an example use the ‘site:’ function to limit the search to a particular site. If I wanted to search for all my comments here the search would be: site:thestandard.org.nz “draco t bastard”
Thanks DTB
I have been advised to use other ways before but thought it was a temporary thing. But I will take a copy of yours and refer to it – it won’t be hard, but I just get sick of having to constantly learn stuff that is peripheral to getting on with things.
Changeover for cellphone provider – have to go into town and identify myself. WTF – I think I could go for simple – Terry Pratchett’s clacks, I think they were called. They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you. On the basis that the less you hear about, the less you will worry in advance of it happening, or not happening. Hmmm?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2015/mar/17/terry-pratchetts-name-lives-on-in-the-clacks-with-hidden-web-code
” have to go into town and identify myself.”
What . Are you running an ‘account’ type of plan? For everyone else on the pre pay plans, you just sign up online with your new provider- get a sim etc, and once online use the change over number option and away you go.
Of course your previous pre pay plan lapses… no big deal as you have moved your number.
Are you really sure you need a business style account ?
Yeah I’ve been meaning to mention that, too. It looks like the search options are confined to “posts” no matter what boxes one ticks.
That 2014 post comes up because you’re mentioned in the post itself.
LPrent: I’m browsing with Firefox Quantum 61.0.2
Oh thanks McFlock I threw my hands up and didn’t enquire further. You are S.Holmes. Hope your SQRL or whatever you were grappling with, worked out.
Yeah, getting there. SQL – used to look up databases.
Trouble was that I was trying to mash data from two databases together when they had slightly different names for the many variables they had in common. Does me nut in sometimes…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12114502
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed she spoke to Speaker Trevor Mallard last Friday before he announced the cancellation of the inquiry into leaked travel expenses but says their conversation was to advise her of his decision.
“It was not a dialogue,” her spokesman said. “She did not have any input into the decision.”
Why did he even speak to her about it, this is looking more and more like Labour have their grubby little hands all over this
Keep chugging that koolaid, Chris.
So why did he speak to her if, and its looking like a shady if now, it supposedly is coming from within National
Chris 73. The Speaker meets with many MPs. It would be very proper for the Speaker to inform the PM of matters affecting the operation of Parliament.
Or do you think the Speaker should not talk to the PM – or the Leader of the Opposition?
Since it supposedly is coming from inside National then no there was no reason for Jacinda to get a heads up nor was there any reason to call off the inquiry when he did
Well there was a reason of course but we’ll never know because Trevs looking out for his mates
At least thats what its looking like
There was every reason to call off the inquiry. It wasn’t a public service issue.
“There was every reason to call off the inquiry.”
I bet there was
Excluding your and National’s conspiracy theories of course.
Go on… live your denial. I gave you credit for being a more credible rwnj than most. Seems I was wrong.
Standardistas should nurture you Chris 73. Their very own conspiracy theorist, every blog should have one, and see they get fed plenty of compost to keep them growing and flowering well. Not forgetting to keep them lightly pruned for best results.
What a load of bullshit c73.
Mallard would have rung both the PM and the Leader of the Opposition and advised them he was cancelling the inquiry on the grounds it had been effectively confirmed by the police that the leaker was not from Parliamentary Services. That was the reason he was having the inquiry in the first place.
Bridges knows full well why Mallard cancelled the inquiry and so do you. I suspect most people will see he’s trying to obfuscate for political gain – and so are you.
I want Trev to release what he knows, Trevs the person causing this problem
No, it’s National and their sycophants causing this problem.
Chris 73 still lame shifting the blame.
Listen to Simple Siomon’s speech pleading to protect the leaker’s identity
Because of their fragile state of mental health.
That throws the whole National caucus under the spotlight.
Yes so lets get the information out there so we all know exactly whats happening and not what Trevor Mallard thinks we should know
Don’t worry chris73, National have commissioned thier own investigation now, so all well be revealed. The National party are so honest, they wouldn’t cover anything up.
Then again, Simon said the findings from the investigation may not be made public, so you may have to just keep guessing.
Park Geun He has been jailed for 24 years for corruption, and Lee Myun Bak is up next.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korean-ex-president-lee-myung-bak-indicted-for-corruption
Time similar prosecutorial effort was devoted to corruption under the Key kleptocracy.
Cripes the country would fall apart. Isn’t it based on the old boys (and girls) network? They probably all have their well-heeled (and) toesies in the trough.
They’d be astonished how well the place would run without them.
Getting his despot on.
US President Donald Trump has warned Google, Twitter and Facebook they are “treading on troubled territory” amid a row over perceived bias.
He said they had to be “very careful”, after earlier accusing Google of rigging the search results for the phrase “Trump news”.
An aide said the administration was “looking into” the issue of regulation.
Google said its search engine set no political agenda and was not biased towards any political ideology.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said Google had “really taken a lot of advantage of a lot of people, it’s a very serious thing”.
Adding the names of Facebook and Twitter, he said: “They better be careful, because you can’t do that to people… we have literally thousands of complaints coming in.”
He gave no details of what action he might take.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45331210
Good job – should be a 5 year ban and $50k fine!
Funny how the ‘trainee manager’ was working close to minimum wages… what a joke for a “management” position!
The employeers should not even be allowed to get work visas or sponsorship on that type of wage because it effectively means more tax payer money ‘sponsoring’ the employer through accomodation supplements, working for families and so forth.
They used to employ students and unemployed for this type of job, now local unqualified people and students have no jobs to help get them into the workforce because employers prefer migrants who are more pliable and able to be exploited easier, and have the taxpayers and councils picking up the low worker subsidies as well as paying for the unemployed people in the area, who can’t get a job.
Burger King banned from hiring migrant workers, placed on Employment NZ’s stand-down list for year
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12115610
Its ‘new work visas’, It wont affect all their existing staff, highly likely they are mostly brought into NZ by Burger King on work visas specifically for their store.
I imagine they still will employ new workers on student visas on casual basis but not for those 90 hr fourtnights
What a sad, bitter, irrelevant parody Hosking is.
Why is government only there for the troubled, struggling and downtrodden? he asked yesterday while arguing that taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidise the All Blacks.
Ummm…
As if that was even true, that government existed only for downtrodden.
A society will be judged by how it treats its weakest members – Harry S. Truman
Actually this sentiment is over 4000 years old and was first written by some unknown scribe in cuneiform – but I’m blessed if I can find the link to that now.
Hosking just further demonstrates how uncivilised he truly is.
Because if you have too many “troubled, struggling and downtrodden” it all gets a bit problematic for those who aren’t.
Better to:
a.) blame them for being “troubled, struggling and downtrodden” and call it a fancy name like ‘social investment’
b.) throw them some minimal support in case they wander into the garden shed and dust the cobwebs of their granddads’ pitchforks
c.) give Mikey H free rein to rant away at them over ZB or whatever other abomination he inhabits these days
Ummm….because incessantly carping Maserati drivers and fine wine garglers are so fucking put upon and stretched to the fullest extent of their hubris, exceptionalist self-importance, and mock savoir-faire…. being as they are archetypal victims so oppressed by the weak….whom counter-intuitively are running the show apparently. Poor things.
“But generally the direction would be toward ‘a Keynesian world with planetary boundaries’: unique, autonomous economies and societies engaging in regulated international trade for specific reasons, such as food security, rather than for the sake of free trade as a principle. Individuals, organizations, and nations would approach the economy as a tool to enable a good life rather than as an end in itself.”
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/95552/paper-un-sustainable-development-project-argues-why-and-how-ways-energy-transport-food
It appears the Finn’s may be leading the way again.
https://www.interest.co.nz/sites/default/files/embedded_images/bios-governance_of_economic_transition.pdf
Concerning
Chris73
If you have a few problems you should take them to the Police or the Salvation Army.
They could take weight off your busy mind. They may even be able to get you to understand that there is a new Government in New Zealand now. And you won’t have to tell lies anymore.
But don’t try and guess what the Speaker said. He will think you are quite sick indeed.
All the best to you.
PS: would you like to go on Simon’s next Hot ding a ding up and down the Country. ?
“But don’t try and guess what the Speaker said. He will think you are quite sick indeed.”
You mean Trevor “even though I’m partially deaf I definitely heard something that no one else heard and I’m going to make a big deal about it and it just so happens to make National look bad” Mallard
People might give you a hard time on here but I enjoy your contributions. Just about everything you say shows me that you are one of the absolute best reasons National is not the government. You make me happy.
https://theconversation.com/amp/poll-wrap-worst-reaction-to-midterm-pm-change-in-newspoll-history-contrary-polls-in-duttons-dickson-102186 looks more and more likely we’ll have labour governments on both sides of the tasman next year!
yes.
I was looking at the polling effects before the last election- when Turnbull bounced Abbott, their numbers went up and they were lucky to just win the election.
This time its the other way round!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Australian_federal_election#Opinion_polls
It seems for those Mps who are both in marginal seats AND supporters of Turnbull they are bailing , by announcing they arent running again.
I remember the results by electorate for the equal marriage referendum. The arch conservative Liberal Mps found their own electorates were largely in favour.
Those urban electorates that opposed the question were more likely to be held by labour.
The Tory Aussie Liberals have lost their marbles.
“reason to James”
Classic!
Good Morning the am Show There you go budget cut’s to Civil Defense budget’s has been cut by the last government that tell’s me they did not even think they should have put more fund’s into Civil Defense to look after the tangata safety during a disaster with Climate change here and now.
Those sales people have been prayring on innocent people for years is that not the neo capitalist way these people can smell a innocent person to rip off I rembmber one selling my grandmother one 40 years ago.
Duncan don’t you think some thing stinks now we have gang problems that you are spinning out through a megaphone coincidentally when we have just had a review of the Justice system. I bet if the Motueka story was not spun out through the media there would not be a problem there now Einstein .
Cars being keyed in Aotearoa is not that common not that I know of .
Eco Maori started working hard chipping thistles catching opossums as well at 12 I have strived to try and build a maunga for my whano but what do you know the raciest sandfly’s decided that they are going to ——— with my business ——–with my job’s It’s hard enough in Aotearoa for tangata whenua let alone have there ——play Judge and jury with my life mean while look at what’s going down with the Christian church groups. I would have had money to pay for my mokopuna’s private health care that’s why I am pissed at there——muppet’s . Ka kite ano
Here you go some well behaved sandfly’s commited to protecting all the public
Yea Right they have the same bullying culture all over Papatuanuku.
Link below ka kite ano.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/29/arrest-warrant-leak-fuels-suspicions-of-far-right-links-with-german-police
Many thanks to California for there plan’s to be 100% carbon neutral by the year 2045
Hawaii has the same goal’s to be carbon neutral by 2045
With our other Pacific Island cousins Aotearoa should be setting them up to grow fruit and vegetables aimed at OUR off season for fruit and vegetables you know the old saying it is better to teach a person to fish than it is to give that person a fish this is the logical way to do things I’m not say don’t give AID I’m just saying lets do thing’s the smarter way . link below Ka kite ano.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/29/california-electricity-fossil-fuels-wind-solar-vote
Here is a good story on one way to solve OUR housing problem but I say turn it up a bit and start SME based around OUR Marae link is below ka kite an
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/106628206/ive-found-the-solution-to-the-housing-crisis-and-its-been-here-all-along
P.S te kumara never tell’s how sweet it is
Human caused Global Climate Change is here and now watch out there’s a ad with shonky on it link below Ka kite ano
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-flood-is-coming1/
Good evening Newshub Business people just have to get over there insecurity of a New Government and look at how they fared 10 years ago would they prefer that we had a government that denies climate change & does not care there mokopuna’s future.
There you go another Justice system stuff up that boy dieing with a collapsed lung .
That good revamping Civil defense of Aotearoa lucky we have finally got improvements.
Aquaculture is were it’s at for Aotearoa future mapping the sound’s give’s fact’s so this industry can flourish.
There you go the Doctors on the defense this system is set up so they are not liable for there stuff ups .One thing Eco Maori say’s is right is the Food we eat manufactured food is bad for us that is why cancer are rife obesity it’s all about the profit to these people . Ka kite ano
Good evening The Crowd Goes Wild Mull’s & Makere Noline Taurua Couching the Silver Ferns all the best on your new challenge I’m sure you will do a fine Job ka pai enough said .
Serena William’s has got back into top form after having a baby good on her .
The guys in there togs a mull’s is that you Mulls on the cat walk good on them if you got it why not. What was that song Nice top Josh Ka kite ano P.S the mokopuna’s a its all about them
Good evening Newshub I warned the new Government MP that people will try there best to trip them up nothing will be out of bounds for the neo liberals supporters .
We know that people have a hard time accepting a Wahine as a boss it will be even harder for her being Maori . They need support to carry out there role .I also said that you need to make sure the people you let in your team.
I’m just going to sit on the fence with the Manning issue .
It’s cool that we have more movies that Wahine are Staring in more movies Kate.
Ka kite ano P.S The racing industry should go with these changes the time have changed so consolidation is needed to keep the industry profitable
Here a intelligent way to lower our carbon foot print just by changing the way we drive this could easly be tested on one road . We have learned a lot off Papatuanuku and Tangaroa creatures and we still have a lot more to learn link below Ka kite ano
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12116513
Good evening Newshub The 17 billion spend on Roads & Road safety will be good for the economy.
Has simon forgot about there South Islands MP tod barclay issues with his team bill and shonky tryed to hide it he was one of bill protegee hypocrisy from national I quite like reminding them of this Labour has a higher standard that national .
There you go Britain is going to ban energy drinks for the mokopunas they are going to vote on the age ban 16 /18 I bet that our youth are doing the same to.
Well the Coffey guy should be able to sell what types of Coffey he likes .
Thats innovation with the restocking of fish in America great rivers and lakes straight out of a fire fighting water plane.
That sky diving story I was speechless its safe and indoors just huge fans lifting the people that will be a big sport soon.
Ka kite ano P.S Nicky its been to hot that’s why the top seeds droped out of tennis
The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Hue The League will be awsome tonight 300 game’s
Thats a cool story of you & Simon Wai
Thats awsome for Tom Walsh ka pai
The tennis was warm a Hue is that because of Climate change did you hear what the Samoan Prime Minister had to say on that subject ka pai E-hoa .
West Auckland Ice Hockey team in the studio good win guys .
Ka kite ano