I've decided to vote green thanks to james pointing out that lf labour slips a few more points lower and the greens don't make it back we could get an act nat government.
I just hope the greens are practical in dealing with agriculture.
'Rio Tinto is welcoming the latest party promise to work out transmission costs during its wind-down period.
Pacific operations managing director Kellie Parker said it was ‘‘recognition’’ from the Labour Party the smelter had ‘‘been paying too much for transmission costs’’.'
RIP Stephen F. who was one of the few free thinking public academic intellectuals remaining to help damp down the war mongering hysteria that has unfortunately infected large parts of the liberal left…
Very good. Cohen hits on the point we completely overlook, that Russian's judge Putin based on their own historical record, and by that measure he's the best leader they've ever had. Putin's success in stabilising Russia after it's betrayal by the West and collapse in the 90's is remarkable. He should be congratulated on this.
But the land is many ways is cursed; consisting of vast tracts of moderate to low productivity land stretched over 11 time zones with minimal internal waterways of use, and difficult transport. A long and tough winter keeps the growing seasons short. The Siberian steppes are prone to both flooding and fire. It has decent mineral and oil resources, but that's about it. In every other strategic respect, the landscape is a disaster.
On top of this the people themselves, after centuries of mis-rule, face a demographic collapse. Birth rates are appallingly low and life expectancies are somewhere between declining and outright grim.
The other aspect of Russia that we also fail to understand is just how difficult a country it is to defend. The vast, wide open steppes and river plains with no natural features or boundaries mean that traditionally the warring hordes could sweep over them at will. This has shaped their thinking deeply, more than anything else the Kremlin is obsessed with protecting their sovereignty, but faces difficult odds in doing so.
At present the Russians lack well defined geographic borders and may well be motivated to expand somewhat to meet natural features they might mount and effective defense on, but the idea they want to attack Europe or the USA is as Cohen put's it, is totally ludicrous. Their military may have some nice hardware, but utterly lack the industrial depth or demographics to support military adventure at any scale.
Literally since the Americans voted out GH Bush, their relationship with Russia has been on a downward trajectory. Trump at least came to the role as President with somewhat less of the usual Pentagon Cold War hysteria than any of his predecessors, but ultimately regardless of Trump's hopeless and botched attempts at doing a deal with Putin … the destination was always going to be the same, US alienation, isolation and withdrawal from it's post WW2 global trade order.
And this in turn leaves Russia eyeing local powers on it's immediate borders, like Germany, Turkey and China, that are now relatively free to impose their own expansionist agenda's … with considerable concern.
@RedLogix, I agree with nearly all of your assessment of Cohen’s position except your last couple of paragraphs, namely in Trumps dealings with Russia (and I am not saying he was going to do a great job on this front btw), but any good intentions or instincts around Russia/Putin he might have had have been completely distorted and undermined by the frankly unhinged Russia phobia that has been stirred up by Democratic party (on steroids since their loss in 2016) and gleefully stocked by the US military industrial complex aided in no small part by the CIA externally and the FBI internally (Russia gate).
I think you misread me a bit, because I largely agree with what you write above.
My view is that while the Americans may have won the Cold War (and no mean feat that was) … they've elected a series of Presidents since who really had very little vision about what to do with this victory.
Instead we've seen an incoherent series of betrayals, blunders and moral failures, that have resulted in the US led post-WW2 trade order to become a fragile shell of it's former self. Trump and COVID between them are going about kicking down anything left standing.
A Clinton administration would have gotten us to exactly the same destination, but more slowly and with prettier powerpoint presentations.
And yes the unhinged Russo-phobia from the Democrats is simply proof of this assertion.
The current bump in birth rates is effectively a generational echo of the baby bust they had in the 70's and 80', but it will never reach the peak it did then.
And if, as the Kremlin does, look at the data for the Russian population only, setting aside other substantial minority groups who regard themselves as separate and hostile to Moscow, the data is only worse.
good couple of posts, redlogix, also have to factor in how many millions left when soviet union collapsed , and people were allowed to leave. people who only look at overall statistics dont really get russia, they dont realise how many different races and areas there are. life expectancy in different areas are the shortest AND longest on the planet.
"Why in the world would Putin want to invade Latvia & Estonia?"
Invasion is usually good for domestic polling, the Russo-Japanese War being the best political hope of the prerevolutionary Russian government – the notoriously unsuccessful 'short victorious war'.
The reinvasion of Chechnya was the policy that brought Putin to power in the first place, and Georgia and the Ukraine can attest to his bellicosity. But his rationalizations for invading are less important than his military capacity and intentions.
One might as well ask "Why in the world would Hitler want to invade Russia?" The reasoning was not as relevant as the fact.
Yes I think Cohen gets it a bit wrong on this; I do believe there are good military reasons for Putin to expand Russia somewhat in order to establish more defensible borders.
In terms of their Siberia and Central Asian borders there is fuck all they can do about them, just too vast and open for any conceivable conventional response. All they can do is is what Putin has already made clear … put one Chinese boot into Russia and there will be no tanks or troops to meet the invasion. Just nuclear annihilation.
But European Russia, to the west of the Urals the situation is more delicate and dangerous. A complex mix of hostile groups like the Chechnya, the loss of the Baltic sea-border, the almost disastrous loss of access to the Black Sea, and the lack of any mountains to slow down invaders means the Kremlin looks to the west with considerable strategic angst. They definitely have no wish to invade Europe, but would dearly love to nudge their assets westward to borders they can defend.
I think that the Ukraine is the last of the easier cherries for Putin to pluck, but it is also much easier for the West to support, whether that be liberal democratic support, or military industrial.
The low countries of Eastern Europe are a logistical trap, frankly, which goes some way to explain why Putin has not taken them already. They are relatively low yielding, and not particularly supportive of a Russian reinvasion. The Ukraine is closer to being the industrial powerhouse Russia lost in East Germany, and they know they won't be getting that back.
Chechnya has the oil pipelines, but it is also a traditional Russian scapegoat, the terrain having allowed the locals to defeat multiple Russian conscript armies over the last few centuries. My sister-in-law was a journalist on the ground during the Chechen invasion – a very risky business.
Russian aggression is likely to continue to focus on the Ukraine, and possibly Turkey, for which they have a long religious based antipathy. But Putin is nothing if not creative, and support of various discontented groups in the sandpit, like various Yemeni factions will continue to yield disproportionate dividends – at least until the new Saudi king grows canny.
Yes a good analysis Stuart. I agree the Russian's are looking to project their power westward but it’s not going to be easy for them. Hence the uneasy tension between rhetoric and indecisive action we’re seeing.
The thinking maybe goes like this in the Kremlin: occupying and absorbing all the countries to Russia’s immediate west (except maybe Finland) would lodge Russian power against the triple barriers of the Baltic Sea, the Carpathian Mountains, and the Black Sea. Toss in the eastern half of Poland, and Russia’s open frontage would shrink by three-quarters, and that is a line the Russian army could work with.
At least that would be what might motivate them to invade, but to label this as boundless aggression comparable to Hitler's invasion of Russia, isn't a helpful comparison either. I believe the Kremlin's intentions are first and foremost defensive. And understanding this is the first step to dealing effectively with them. If nothing else there is a lot NATO could do to stop stoking Russian paranoia.
I believe the Kremlin's intentions are first and foremost defensive.
I'm not sure that I agree, but it's partly a matter of world view. Russia views the Ukraine as historically being part of their territory. Inconveniently, they have it backwards, Russia was historically part of the Ukraine.
It is more political and economic independence that goes to the heart of the matter however. With Glasnost, Russia attempted to catch up on the long season of underdevelopment that saw Russian sailors in my time taking sewing machines back to their country in triumph. Though there were fancy new startups by the truckload, the poor bore the brunt of the reforms, and there wasn't much of a state safety net. Yeltsin's coup saw the reinstatement of the old party bureaucracy who reaped the benefits of soviet empire, and Putin is their man.
Although a good argument can be made for a degree of economic nationalism, Putin immediately restarted the cold war intelligence apparatus, of which he had been part, but this time to counter predatory financiers and foreign competitors. This was to some degree laudable – but the wholesale theft of state assets carried out by Chernomyrdin (the Russian Roger Douglas) went into the pockets of Putin's associates.
The popular democracy movement did not suit the oligarchs at all, and journalists were killed, and political movements decapitated. Traditionally the US would strongly protest despotic innovations of this kind, but the Iraq invasion kept the US busy, while it utterly destroyed America's global moral authority. While that cat was away, Putin was able to gobble up a number of former satellites who preferred not to be Kremlin colonies.
It is improbable that Russia means to invade Eastern Europe at this time – but that is a function of the forces arrayed against such a possibility, not a lack of ambition on Putin's part. If cold war institutions like NATO withered and died, he would likely exploit the resulting opportunity – as can be seen from the Kremlin-backed interference in Belarus.
Thanks – Caspianreport is surprisingly fact-laden – he's become an exception to my usual avoidance of the region for its troll density.
China tends to play a long game, but Xi, though powerful at home, is much less successful abroad than Hu was. I would characterise China's efforts as a lapsed but not abandoned diplomatic and economic initiative.
If and when China's economy perks up, the effort will likely be restored, and in the meantime there will be some academic exchange. There may have been an agreement of some kind however. China moved away from its traditionally frosty relations with Russia, and gazumped a gas pipeline that had been headed for the Koreas.
They may have agreed to not contest areas of interest economically, a form of competition to which Russia is particularly susceptible, that being how they lost the first cold war after all.
" Invasion is usually good for domestic polling," as far as I know Putin has never had any problems with his domestic polling numbers whatsoever, but more importantly comparing anyone to Hitler is an automatic disqualification in any debate, so you lose…..try harder.
If you knew a bit more about Putin you wouldn't dismiss the parallel so quickly.
It's tragic really, how this murderous totalitarian picks up useful idiots on both the Left and Right, and dodgy journalists and marginal academics to support his aggression. But of course these are always the groups that pin their hopes on change, so it is natural to some extent.
How can anyone believe the news generated by Putin's bot army.
It's a numbers game. At its height there were over 2 million people in the KGB. They may not have been especially well resourced, and most of them were no Karlas, but it lent a heft to their operations that the smaller operations of their western colleagues sometimes struggled against.
The disinformation campaign that appears to have captured Billy TK may seem trivial – but another 10% and his faction would have decisive influence in parliament – no laughing matter. I'm not sure how many folk we have countering that influence, but not terribly many.
Tamihere has had enough of the left & right trying to out-bland each other.
The Māori Party would set up a separate Māori Parliament among other constitutional changes as outlined in its Mana Motuhake policy. Party co-leader John Tamihere announced the policy, which focuses on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, this morning at Waitangi.
Tamihere said it was a 25-year strategy, and the party's policies were aiming to break Māori out of welfare dependency and build a Māori middle class.
Long-term political strategy is incomprehensible to mainstream politicos, so expect much shock/horror from binary folk. I thought the guy was lightweight – maybe I got him wrong.
Tapping into the Māori middle class is hardly bold. And Tamihere is best judged on a 25 year timeframe when events may have caught up with his flapping gums.
Yeah because she's too young to realise that falling asset prices are a disaster of another kind. Banks don't lend, owners lose their equity and builders stop building. People stop spending, businesses go under and the poor get poorer. In the meantime a small minority of cashed up investors go on a bargain buying spree.
Anyone who imagines that collapsing house prices is the silver bullet to our housing crisis just hasn't been around long enough to understand.
A long laundry list of things. Off the top of my head:
Allowing local govt to get back into the subdivision game
Fund BRANZ to aggressively pursue smarter and more cost efficient building processes. Encourage continuity and skills retention in the building game, avoid boom and bust if at all possible.
Reform the RMA to streamline reasonable intensification and more efficient land use zoning
Govt puts up a $25k gift for all new home builds (as they do in Australia) and another $15k for first home buyers.
Tighter RBA limits on how much can be lent on the value of the land (as distinct from the value of the improvements)
Less emphasis on bank lending criteria around serviceability. Let people have more say in how much repayment commitment they want to take on to better account for how people work these days
Encourage multi-generational property ownership, recognise that many parents are keen to assist their children in some fashion.
More flexible occupancy types. At the moment we really have only three, owning, renting private or social housing. Overseas there are other options including group housing, and housing associations of various types that suit many people really well.
A Commission of Enquiry into costs in the building supply chain.
Allow all home owners to claim mortgage interest costs as a tax deductable to put them on an even footing with investors. (As in the USA for example.)
A more intelligent and controlled immigration policy. Good old fashioned demand vs supply remains the single largest factor driving prices.
This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list, just some items that I can quickly come up with a view to improving the efficiency of the NZ housing market.
This reads to me like a series of band-aids. Instead we need a fundamental shift away from using housing as an investment vehicle, which is what economist Steve Keen suggests. I thought you might be supportive of his stance.
Just before Midnight last night, their neighbour returns swearing violently along their fenceline & then outside his house, just 4 or 5 metres from their bedroom: "F*king Ct !!!, Fking come here, you Fking Ct !!!, Fking Move, you Fking Ct !!!" at the top of his voice. Out of control abusing mate or girlfriend (who had presumably walked along road with him, lagging behind) – with clear underlying threat of violence. Went on & on outside their house in this vein for 45 mins "Fking Ct, Fking Ct"– constant very loud violent swearing & sporadic body slams into front porch wall near their bedroom … real atmosphere of impending violence. Then went off … only to return after 1:30am with stereo up full volume, thumping base with aggressive hip-hop 'Motherfucker' lyrics inside & frequent slams & bangs into internal walls until they finally headed off again around 3am.
My Mother recently turned 90, my father has just turned 89. They've lived in their house for almost 60 years … always with nice, older & middle-age neighbours … highly sociable area … never a violent neighbourhood in any way … my Mother's the sort of person with real courage who would go outside late at night if she heard someone – a child, a woman – needing help … pretty fearless … but is now very scared to go out at all. She was in the bathroom when this waste-of-space arrived home and got a real fright when someone suddenly started violently swearing straight outside their house. They rang me & I could hear this psychopathic little prick down the phone … his aggressive swearing effortlessly cut right through the heavy wind outside.
And this incident is actually relatively minor compared to the violent intimidation & severe sleep deprivation they've had to put up with for hours throughout the early morning over the past 3 years, including this guy running onto their property at 2 in the morning & smashing their fence & letterbox back in December, shouting threats, along with a whole lot more on a very frequent basis. The degree of stress & severe sleep deprivation it's caused them (esp) & for nearby neighbours as well.
Just want to thank the Labour Govt for unceremoniously dumping the most out-of-control uber-violent tenants (the ones landlords rightly avoid at all costs) on unsuspecting neighbourhoods & for the callous, bordering on sadistic No Eviction policy … cheers for turning my Elderly Parents' life into a Nightmare, two long-term Labour activists, sort of people who give to charity even when they can't afford it, always focus on other people's needs, putting themselves last, never complaining and apologetic when they're absolutely forced to … & cheers to Kris Faafoi … when you were thanking them for helping you out on election days in the past, Kris, wouldn't it have been the decent thing to let them know you were planning to dump a massive violent social problem on the other side of their bedroom wall with precisely zero chance of relief. Playthings for a Psychopath.
Yes swordfish. Redlogix is right. That is exactly what should be done. To begin with, the resultant publicity would force the landlord/lady or Winz to remove him saspo.
Secondly, I think this situation is more prevalent than most people know. There are 48 social housing apartments currently being built close to where I live. Locals are rightly fearful of the impact this might have on our neighbourhood. I'm sure the bulk of the tenants will prove to be good neighbours but it is inevitable there will be trouble makers. There is currently no easy way to have these problems solved.
Playing back would just invite threats, retaliation, violence. The chap is a nutter obviously, and there needs to be a prison where people who are anti-social like this live permanently and are kept on what would be a prison farm so they have controls on their life.
Well, you could try a citizen's arrest. Might have to join ACT, get a gun & licence first though, eh?
Every one who witnesses a breach of the peace is justified in interfering to prevent its continuance or renewal, and may detain any person committing it, in order to give him or her into the custody of a constable: provided that the person interfering shall use no more force than is reasonably necessary for preventing the continuance or renewal of the breach of the peace, or than is reasonably proportionate to the danger to be apprehended from its continuance or renewal.
Having recently been through similar, swordfish, I sympathise with your parents.
In the end, calling the police was the only thing that interrupted the behaviour. Police advice to record the incidents – and then refusal to accept the recordings – made their advice a waste of time. Actually the stress levels went drastically up when having to ensure that the interactions were being recorded
The suggestion to video the incidents was rejected by us, because of the not inconsiderable concern that openly filming incidents would both escalate and focus the aggression on the person holding the camera.
In the end, the Tenancy Tribunal hearing mediator actually advised us not to present our recordings, log or transcripts of some incidents for abusive behaviour because that would likely be overturned, and suggested that we accept the end of tenancy for failure to pay rent. When we asked how that would benefit other landlords who would look for any past incidents with the tenant, he told us not to worry about it. Did we want them out or not?
If someone can stay with your parents for a while, then call the police – even if it is more than once a day, until the tenant understands that any incident will result in a visit, and your parents have the benefit of having someone else in the house to make that decision and call.
As we were both neighbours and landlords, I was aware that the situation for any neighbour would have been the same. At least, it was only impacting on us. But, it was already difficult to get any practical action from the police, who regarded verbal abuse as not violent enough to prosecute. We were told he actually had to physically "get in your face and make threats".
Sounds like he did as much due diligence about this issue as he did when he obediently and thoughtlessly backed that insane plan to destroy Concert FM earlier this year.
Least impressive cabinet member by a considerable distance.
The type of situation you have raised is upsetting as your parents are elderly and no one should have to live like that. Were your parents not so frail the pig would not get away with it.
Some sort of action needs to be taken by a third party. Go to the local MP with your parents and take some cell phone recordings.
I have lived in fear of neighbours before and I could not wait for the day when they left.
The woman who the man is a pig to she probably fears for her life.
Guilt is bipartisan: both mainstream parties have been weakening the cops steadily the past 30 years or so. Originally that had wide public support due to paranoia about a police state, but things have slid to the opposite ridiculous extreme…
dont forget we also have polies wanting to allow more free speech and personal freedoms, and rip up RMA, which all contibute to the problem of bad neighbours . private property values versus free speech, with common decency caught in the middle. there is no easy answer , and blaming the polie you hate the most isnt a solution. blaming it on weakening police powers(?)(since when) is a sideshow. bad neighbours, like barking dogs, have always been a problem, since we all lived in adjoining caves. I know of instances(sister) where these cretins own there houses, so running to winz isnt an option. it really is a case by case problem. many of these neighbours from hell have mental health problems, addiction problems etc, so ,sometimes DHB is the best place to go. having lived in a deadend(in both meanings) street with a junkie for a neighbour , that was interesting. he kept all of the nearby villians away , and was scared of our dog, so we were good, but all the rest in the street hated him and our dog(us).
"Weakening the cops"? What do you mean by that, Dennis? Do you not consider that the police need to be monitored and controlled?
This awful case involving swordfish's parents is the sort of thing the police should be sorting out; instead they have wasted thousands of hours harassing—selectively harassing—people for marijuana possession, forcing Peter Ellis (R.I.P.) to regularly "check in" with the Christchurch police, and harassing journalists like Nicky Hager.
By weakening I meant the effect of funding constraints. Thus the feeble excuse the cops routinely give for failing to deal with such situations (“not enough resources”).
I agree re appropriate police tasks. Unfortunately the command/control hierarchy remains free to choose prosecuting cannabis users instead of responding to pleas for help from members of the public who are being victimised by others.
The noise in the wee hours is a straight out council noise control issue, and they will respond better if there is a clear pattern of behaviour. Documenting each incident clearly with time and date is where I would start, and play the long game.
Documenting each incident clearly with time and date is where I would start, and play the long game.
You would think so, wouldn't you. But after advising us to do so, both the police and the Tenancy Tribunal wanted nothing to do with the documentation and recordings.
The noise in the wee hours is a straight out council noise control issue, and they will respond better if there is a clear pattern of behaviour.
The tenant must have known about how the response works, because he would blast music for about 20-30 minutes then quieten down for a few hours and then repeat the pattern. Ensuring that if noise control was called, by the time they arrived all would be quiet.
Because the tenants were in a granny flat on our property we weren't able to use the noise control officer at Auckland Council. Noise control only responds to complaints made about another property.
Other neighbours are actually fairly loathe to get involved because of the quite real fear of reprisal.
On the flip side, the experience of a neighbour down the road who has battled with local council regarding an existing resource consent for a small rural venue, has neighbours (with strong local board and council links) putting in noise control complaints every time (once a month) when they have guests. Despite meeting all resource consent requirements and closing before 11pm, the council issues notices despite sound level recordings showing noise levels are well below guidelines. In our neck of the woods, the old boys network plays fast and loose with the regulations.
that's a different situation than I was commenting on. There's no guarantee that councils will do what we want, but that process of having dates and times and details is what they need to act.
I was thinking more of the age of swordfish's parents, and the escalation of stress involved in making sure all the documentation and everything is up to date. In my case, following this advice increased the already hyper-vigilance that was in place, and having that information may not be as conclusively beneficial as you would think.
They have the issue of being neighbours to someone who will likely respond negatively to the noise complaints, and any council prosecution. And even a successful prosecution might not be enough to allow the landlords to terminate the tenancy so that the neighbours were no longer there.
So there they remain. Sitting ducks for the retaliatory behaviour of the tenant.
The government and the police need to sort the loophole out when it comes to noise when drunk and disorderly behaviour occurs in a home which impacts on the neighbours. This is intimidating and a form of harassment.
ACT is nothing more than a bunch of ultra right wing white supremacists. They started out with potential – albeit well to the right on economic policies – but they ended up being taken over by the right's loony element who originally lived with National.
They're thinking is dangerously simplistic and ideologically stupid. They really should not be allowed near parliament. Seymour on his own is relatively harmless but if he brings some of the crackpots into parliament with him there will be problems.
And btw, I had some interaction with them in the mid to late 1990s so I know what I’m talking about.
Hey just wondering if anyone can help. I need to submit a link to TVNZ of the first tv debate for my complaint.
I am having difficulty doing this. I have joined tv on demand, but can't get the link to copy and have looked through various news websites including a quite glance at the Standard, but to no avail.
Nat supporters in the SFO management would have figured out the right time to kneecap Winston long ago. Labour supporters within would have adopted the Pontius Pilate stance. Morality in governance is a matter of (in)convenience…
ACT has dropped two of its more controversial policies: lowering the minimum wage and adding interest back onto student loans. Both the policies could still be found on the party’s website as of Tuesday morning, but ACT leader David Seymour said they were no longer active election policies.
So policies can now be either active or inactive. You can imagine this being enabled for public viewing of party websites: a red light for inactive policies, and a green light attached to those which are active. User-friendly for binary folk.
Health spokesperson Chris Hipkins announced the party's health policy in Auckland this morning, saying it had invested record amounts into DHBs, hospitals and mental health "after nine years of neglect under National".
Labour would:
Provide mental health support for all primary and intermediate students
The dental grant is good news. As long as the criteria is not changed for eligibility this is great news for when there is a start date. I have already been turned down twice by the DHB this year. It pays to shop around for a quote.
With the level of bias that exists in our media what guarantee does the public have that the questions being put to the PM in the debate are fair and Judith Collins has to account for her own record ?
Patrick Gower is well known for his right wing bias after his treatment of David Cunliffe in 2014 so what guarantee does the public have that this debate is fair and balanced.
I sincerely hope that any pressure from the National party wont effect the rules of the debate.
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Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
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The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
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Shaw sounding quite reasonably buoyed this morning on RNZ by the polls last night.
Now is the time for Green voters swept up in Jacindamania in 2017 to go back.
I've decided to vote green thanks to james pointing out that lf labour slips a few more points lower and the greens don't make it back we could get an act nat government.
I just hope the greens are practical in dealing with agriculture.
Why are this pair still in business?…or not in prison?
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/09/29/casual-cruelty-destroys-young-mums-boss-demands-35000-to-prevent-dismissal-more-evil-than-we-thought/
Interesting Youth leaders debate last night. Chloe knocked it out of the park as expected.
Yes Maui, and the format drew out some good answers. Some answers were questioned further. Jack does a good job.
Young Voters Debate. Starts after about 10 minutes. No ads!
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/live-stream-young-voters-debate
'Rio Tinto is welcoming the latest party promise to work out transmission costs during its wind-down period.
Pacific operations managing director Kellie Parker said it was ‘‘recognition’’ from the Labour Party the smelter had ‘‘been paying too much for transmission costs’’.'
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/decision-2020/rio-tinto-welcomes-labour-pledge
WTF ?!
Having Rio Tinto operate in this country is like having tapeworms.
If a business isn't paying the same amount as a residential place then it's not paying enough.
RIP Stephen F. who was one of the few free thinking public academic intellectuals remaining to help damp down the war mongering hysteria that has unfortunately infected large parts of the liberal left…
Very good. Cohen hits on the point we completely overlook, that Russian's judge Putin based on their own historical record, and by that measure he's the best leader they've ever had. Putin's success in stabilising Russia after it's betrayal by the West and collapse in the 90's is remarkable. He should be congratulated on this.
But the land is many ways is cursed; consisting of vast tracts of moderate to low productivity land stretched over 11 time zones with minimal internal waterways of use, and difficult transport. A long and tough winter keeps the growing seasons short. The Siberian steppes are prone to both flooding and fire. It has decent mineral and oil resources, but that's about it. In every other strategic respect, the landscape is a disaster.
On top of this the people themselves, after centuries of mis-rule, face a demographic collapse. Birth rates are appallingly low and life expectancies are somewhere between declining and outright grim.
The other aspect of Russia that we also fail to understand is just how difficult a country it is to defend. The vast, wide open steppes and river plains with no natural features or boundaries mean that traditionally the warring hordes could sweep over them at will. This has shaped their thinking deeply, more than anything else the Kremlin is obsessed with protecting their sovereignty, but faces difficult odds in doing so.
At present the Russians lack well defined geographic borders and may well be motivated to expand somewhat to meet natural features they might mount and effective defense on, but the idea they want to attack Europe or the USA is as Cohen put's it, is totally ludicrous. Their military may have some nice hardware, but utterly lack the industrial depth or demographics to support military adventure at any scale.
Literally since the Americans voted out GH Bush, their relationship with Russia has been on a downward trajectory. Trump at least came to the role as President with somewhat less of the usual Pentagon Cold War hysteria than any of his predecessors, but ultimately regardless of Trump's hopeless and botched attempts at doing a deal with Putin … the destination was always going to be the same, US alienation, isolation and withdrawal from it's post WW2 global trade order.
And this in turn leaves Russia eyeing local powers on it's immediate borders, like Germany, Turkey and China, that are now relatively free to impose their own expansionist agenda's … with considerable concern.
@RedLogix, I agree with nearly all of your assessment of Cohen’s position except your last couple of paragraphs, namely in Trumps dealings with Russia (and I am not saying he was going to do a great job on this front btw), but any good intentions or instincts around Russia/Putin he might have had have been completely distorted and undermined by the frankly unhinged Russia phobia that has been stirred up by Democratic party (on steroids since their loss in 2016) and gleefully stocked by the US military industrial complex aided in no small part by the CIA externally and the FBI internally (Russia gate).
Adrian Yeah right what a load.
Sycophantic diatribe.
I think you misread me a bit, because I largely agree with what you write above.
My view is that while the Americans may have won the Cold War (and no mean feat that was) … they've elected a series of Presidents since who really had very little vision about what to do with this victory.
Instead we've seen an incoherent series of betrayals, blunders and moral failures, that have resulted in the US led post-WW2 trade order to become a fragile shell of it's former self. Trump and COVID between them are going about kicking down anything left standing.
A Clinton administration would have gotten us to exactly the same destination, but more slowly and with prettier powerpoint presentations.
And yes the unhinged Russo-phobia from the Democrats is simply proof of this assertion.
"Birth rates are appallingly low"
Russia
The current birth rate for Russia in 2020 is 12.194 births per 1000 people,
Europe
Birth rate 9.5 births per 1,000 (2020 est.)
The US
The current birth rate for U.S. in 2020 is 11.990 births per 1000 people,
Maybe we need to redefine appalling
Life expectancy in Russia continues to rise
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041395/life-expectancy-russia-all-time/
65.48 years (2000)
The current life expectancy for Russia in 2020 is 72.57 years
Fair enough I was a bit less than accurate there. The story is complicated.
The current bump in birth rates is effectively a generational echo of the baby bust they had in the 70's and 80', but it will never reach the peak it did then.
And if, as the Kremlin does, look at the data for the Russian population only, setting aside other substantial minority groups who regard themselves as separate and hostile to Moscow, the data is only worse.
good couple of posts, redlogix, also have to factor in how many millions left when soviet union collapsed , and people were allowed to leave. people who only look at overall statistics dont really get russia, they dont realise how many different races and areas there are. life expectancy in different areas are the shortest AND longest on the planet.
"Why in the world would Putin want to invade Latvia & Estonia?"
Invasion is usually good for domestic polling, the Russo-Japanese War being the best political hope of the prerevolutionary Russian government – the notoriously unsuccessful 'short victorious war'.
The reinvasion of Chechnya was the policy that brought Putin to power in the first place, and Georgia and the Ukraine can attest to his bellicosity. But his rationalizations for invading are less important than his military capacity and intentions.
One might as well ask "Why in the world would Hitler want to invade Russia?" The reasoning was not as relevant as the fact.
Yes I think Cohen gets it a bit wrong on this; I do believe there are good military reasons for Putin to expand Russia somewhat in order to establish more defensible borders.
In terms of their Siberia and Central Asian borders there is fuck all they can do about them, just too vast and open for any conceivable conventional response. All they can do is is what Putin has already made clear … put one Chinese boot into Russia and there will be no tanks or troops to meet the invasion. Just nuclear annihilation.
But European Russia, to the west of the Urals the situation is more delicate and dangerous. A complex mix of hostile groups like the Chechnya, the loss of the Baltic sea-border, the almost disastrous loss of access to the Black Sea, and the lack of any mountains to slow down invaders means the Kremlin looks to the west with considerable strategic angst. They definitely have no wish to invade Europe, but would dearly love to nudge their assets westward to borders they can defend.
I think that the Ukraine is the last of the easier cherries for Putin to pluck, but it is also much easier for the West to support, whether that be liberal democratic support, or military industrial.
The low countries of Eastern Europe are a logistical trap, frankly, which goes some way to explain why Putin has not taken them already. They are relatively low yielding, and not particularly supportive of a Russian reinvasion. The Ukraine is closer to being the industrial powerhouse Russia lost in East Germany, and they know they won't be getting that back.
Chechnya has the oil pipelines, but it is also a traditional Russian scapegoat, the terrain having allowed the locals to defeat multiple Russian conscript armies over the last few centuries. My sister-in-law was a journalist on the ground during the Chechen invasion – a very risky business.
Russian aggression is likely to continue to focus on the Ukraine, and possibly Turkey, for which they have a long religious based antipathy. But Putin is nothing if not creative, and support of various discontented groups in the sandpit, like various Yemeni factions will continue to yield disproportionate dividends – at least until the new Saudi king grows canny.
Yes a good analysis Stuart. I agree the Russian's are looking to project their power westward but it’s not going to be easy for them. Hence the uneasy tension between rhetoric and indecisive action we’re seeing.
The thinking maybe goes like this in the Kremlin: occupying and absorbing all the countries to Russia’s immediate west (except maybe Finland) would lodge Russian power against the triple barriers of the Baltic Sea, the Carpathian Mountains, and the Black Sea. Toss in the eastern half of Poland, and Russia’s open frontage would shrink by three-quarters, and that is a line the Russian army could work with.
At least that would be what might motivate them to invade, but to label this as boundless aggression comparable to Hitler's invasion of Russia, isn't a helpful comparison either. I believe the Kremlin's intentions are first and foremost defensive. And understanding this is the first step to dealing effectively with them. If nothing else there is a lot NATO could do to stop stoking Russian paranoia.
I believe the Kremlin's intentions are first and foremost defensive.
I'm not sure that I agree, but it's partly a matter of world view. Russia views the Ukraine as historically being part of their territory. Inconveniently, they have it backwards, Russia was historically part of the Ukraine.
It is more political and economic independence that goes to the heart of the matter however. With Glasnost, Russia attempted to catch up on the long season of underdevelopment that saw Russian sailors in my time taking sewing machines back to their country in triumph. Though there were fancy new startups by the truckload, the poor bore the brunt of the reforms, and there wasn't much of a state safety net. Yeltsin's coup saw the reinstatement of the old party bureaucracy who reaped the benefits of soviet empire, and Putin is their man.
Although a good argument can be made for a degree of economic nationalism, Putin immediately restarted the cold war intelligence apparatus, of which he had been part, but this time to counter predatory financiers and foreign competitors. This was to some degree laudable – but the wholesale theft of state assets carried out by Chernomyrdin (the Russian Roger Douglas) went into the pockets of Putin's associates.
The popular democracy movement did not suit the oligarchs at all, and journalists were killed, and political movements decapitated. Traditionally the US would strongly protest despotic innovations of this kind, but the Iraq invasion kept the US busy, while it utterly destroyed America's global moral authority. While that cat was away, Putin was able to gobble up a number of former satellites who preferred not to be Kremlin colonies.
It is improbable that Russia means to invade Eastern Europe at this time – but that is a function of the forces arrayed against such a possibility, not a lack of ambition on Putin's part. If cold war institutions like NATO withered and died, he would likely exploit the resulting opportunity – as can be seen from the Kremlin-backed interference in Belarus.
Interesting, you make good points there.
And at a tangent, here may well be another factor complicating matters …China's growing attempts gain influence in Eastern Europe.
Thanks – Caspianreport is surprisingly fact-laden – he's become an exception to my usual avoidance of the region for its troll density.
China tends to play a long game, but Xi, though powerful at home, is much less successful abroad than Hu was. I would characterise China's efforts as a lapsed but not abandoned diplomatic and economic initiative.
If and when China's economy perks up, the effort will likely be restored, and in the meantime there will be some academic exchange. There may have been an agreement of some kind however. China moved away from its traditionally frosty relations with Russia, and gazumped a gas pipeline that had been headed for the Koreas.
They may have agreed to not contest areas of interest economically, a form of competition to which Russia is particularly susceptible, that being how they lost the first cold war after all.
" Invasion is usually good for domestic polling," as far as I know Putin has never had any problems with his domestic polling numbers whatsoever, but more importantly comparing anyone to Hitler is an automatic disqualification in any debate, so you lose…..try harder.
If you knew a bit more about Putin you wouldn't dismiss the parallel so quickly.
It's tragic really, how this murderous totalitarian picks up useful idiots on both the Left and Right, and dodgy journalists and marginal academics to support his aggression. But of course these are always the groups that pin their hopes on change, so it is natural to some extent.
Especially with Putins connections to the russian mafia/KGB .
Democracy has been usurped Putin is a Dicktator.Trump wants to emulate him.
Putin is now much richer than Trump.
How can anyone believe the news generated by Putin's bot army.
How can anyone believe the news generated by Putin's bot army.
It's a numbers game. At its height there were over 2 million people in the KGB. They may not have been especially well resourced, and most of them were no Karlas, but it lent a heft to their operations that the smaller operations of their western colleagues sometimes struggled against.
The disinformation campaign that appears to have captured Billy TK may seem trivial – but another 10% and his faction would have decisive influence in parliament – no laughing matter. I'm not sure how many folk we have countering that influence, but not terribly many.
Tamihere has had enough of the left & right trying to out-bland each other.
Long-term political strategy is incomprehensible to mainstream politicos, so expect much shock/horror from binary folk. I thought the guy was lightweight – maybe I got him wrong.
Tapping into the Māori middle class is hardly bold. And Tamihere is best judged on a 25 year timeframe when events may have caught up with his flapping gums.
Tamahere has used up all his capital a last gasp.
The Maori Parties connection to the National Party has done irreparable damage.
Tamahere is no fool. He is a qualified lawyer and has done the hard yards.
Bomber's incoherent review of the youth leader's debate features this emote:
Grammar & spelling are ever so 20th century, so he's mastering postmodern style…
I understand the only youth leader that agreed house prices needed to drop was Chloe Swarbrick.
‘Tame asked the candidates a yes or no answer question: Should house prices go down?
Swarbrick was the only one who played ball with a direct answer – yes, she said, they should.
The rest couldn’t give a straight answer.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/427149/politicians-try-to-woo-young-voters-in-fiery-debate
Revealing
Yeah because she's too young to realise that falling asset prices are a disaster of another kind. Banks don't lend, owners lose their equity and builders stop building. People stop spending, businesses go under and the poor get poorer. In the meantime a small minority of cashed up investors go on a bargain buying spree.
Anyone who imagines that collapsing house prices is the silver bullet to our housing crisis just hasn't been around long enough to understand.
"Anyone who imagines that collapsing house prices is the silver bullet to our housing crisis just hasn't been around long enough to understand."
Perhaps you should tell Nobel prize winning 93 year old behavioural economist Vernon Smith hes too young to understand then
Maybe Waring was also "too young" to realise some things as a first-term MP, but she was a fast learner – reckon Swarbrick might be too.
So what would be your answers to housing affordability issues?
A long laundry list of things. Off the top of my head:
This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list, just some items that I can quickly come up with a view to improving the efficiency of the NZ housing market.
And CGT on all residential property speculation ie on all but the family home.
And get stuck in to a STATE house building programme.
This reads to me like a series of band-aids. Instead we need a fundamental shift away from using housing as an investment vehicle, which is what economist Steve Keen suggests. I thought you might be supportive of his stance.
Update on my Parents
Just before Midnight last night, their neighbour returns swearing violently along their fenceline & then outside his house, just 4 or 5 metres from their bedroom: "F*king Ct !!!, Fking come here, you Fking Ct !!!, Fking Move, you Fking Ct !!!" at the top of his voice. Out of control abusing mate or girlfriend (who had presumably walked along road with him, lagging behind) – with clear underlying threat of violence. Went on & on outside their house in this vein for 45 mins "Fking Ct, Fking Ct"– constant very loud violent swearing & sporadic body slams into front porch wall near their bedroom … real atmosphere of impending violence. Then went off … only to return after 1:30am with stereo up full volume, thumping base with aggressive hip-hop 'Motherfucker' lyrics inside & frequent slams & bangs into internal walls until they finally headed off again around 3am.
My Mother recently turned 90, my father has just turned 89. They've lived in their house for almost 60 years … always with nice, older & middle-age neighbours … highly sociable area … never a violent neighbourhood in any way … my Mother's the sort of person with real courage who would go outside late at night if she heard someone – a child, a woman – needing help … pretty fearless … but is now very scared to go out at all. She was in the bathroom when this waste-of-space arrived home and got a real fright when someone suddenly started violently swearing straight outside their house. They rang me & I could hear this psychopathic little prick down the phone … his aggressive swearing effortlessly cut right through the heavy wind outside.
And this incident is actually relatively minor compared to the violent intimidation & severe sleep deprivation they've had to put up with for hours throughout the early morning over the past 3 years, including this guy running onto their property at 2 in the morning & smashing their fence & letterbox back in December, shouting threats, along with a whole lot more on a very frequent basis. The degree of stress & severe sleep deprivation it's caused them (esp) & for nearby neighbours as well.
Just want to thank the Labour Govt for unceremoniously dumping the most out-of-control uber-violent tenants (the ones landlords rightly avoid at all costs) on unsuspecting neighbourhoods & for the callous, bordering on sadistic No Eviction policy … cheers for turning my Elderly Parents' life into a Nightmare, two long-term Labour activists, sort of people who give to charity even when they can't afford it, always focus on other people's needs, putting themselves last, never complaining and apologetic when they're absolutely forced to … & cheers to Kris Faafoi … when you were thanking them for helping you out on election days in the past, Kris, wouldn't it have been the decent thing to let them know you were planning to dump a massive violent social problem on the other side of their bedroom wall with precisely zero chance of relief. Playthings for a Psychopath.
Time to start telling a few home truths …
Record it. Get it on video. Take it to the media. It's right before an election.
Similar situation last year in USA: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12296654
Yes swordfish. Redlogix is right. That is exactly what should be done. To begin with, the resultant publicity would force the landlord/lady or Winz to remove him saspo.
Secondly, I think this situation is more prevalent than most people know. There are 48 social housing apartments currently being built close to where I live. Locals are rightly fearful of the impact this might have on our neighbourhood. I'm sure the bulk of the tenants will prove to be good neighbours but it is inevitable there will be trouble makers. There is currently no easy way to have these problems solved.
Record the noise and playback very loud at 7am next day for several hours
Yea dont think that would help much. Its the Police' job to get involved. So they should.
Yeah probably But payback sometimes is fun.
Playing back would just invite threats, retaliation, violence. The chap is a nutter obviously, and there needs to be a prison where people who are anti-social like this live permanently and are kept on what would be a prison farm so they have controls on their life.
Well, you could try a citizen's arrest. Might have to join ACT, get a gun & licence first though, eh?
An intolerable situation.
I would make suggestions, but I am sure you have tried them all, or at least thought about them.
I completely understand your feelings on this one.
Some people deserve to be shipped off to an island and left to fend for themselves.
Having recently been through similar, swordfish, I sympathise with your parents.
In the end, calling the police was the only thing that interrupted the behaviour. Police advice to record the incidents – and then refusal to accept the recordings – made their advice a waste of time. Actually the stress levels went drastically up when having to ensure that the interactions were being recorded
The suggestion to video the incidents was rejected by us, because of the not inconsiderable concern that openly filming incidents would both escalate and focus the aggression on the person holding the camera.
In the end, the Tenancy Tribunal hearing mediator actually advised us not to present our recordings, log or transcripts of some incidents for abusive behaviour because that would likely be overturned, and suggested that we accept the end of tenancy for failure to pay rent. When we asked how that would benefit other landlords who would look for any past incidents with the tenant, he told us not to worry about it. Did we want them out or not?
If someone can stay with your parents for a while, then call the police – even if it is more than once a day, until the tenant understands that any incident will result in a visit, and your parents have the benefit of having someone else in the house to make that decision and call.
As we were both neighbours and landlords, I was aware that the situation for any neighbour would have been the same. At least, it was only impacting on us. But, it was already difficult to get any practical action from the police, who regarded verbal abuse as not violent enough to prosecute. We were told he actually had to physically "get in your face and make threats".
& cheers to Kris Faafoi…
Sounds like he did as much due diligence about this issue as he did when he obediently and thoughtlessly backed that insane plan to destroy Concert FM earlier this year.
Least impressive cabinet member by a considerable distance.
The type of situation you have raised is upsetting as your parents are elderly and no one should have to live like that. Were your parents not so frail the pig would not get away with it.
Some sort of action needs to be taken by a third party. Go to the local MP with your parents and take some cell phone recordings.
I have lived in fear of neighbours before and I could not wait for the day when they left.
The woman who the man is a pig to she probably fears for her life.
@ 9 …Wow sympathy…I'm presuming Police were called? Not sure you can blame Labour ?
Guilt is bipartisan: both mainstream parties have been weakening the cops steadily the past 30 years or so. Originally that had wide public support due to paranoia about a police state, but things have slid to the opposite ridiculous extreme…
dont forget we also have polies wanting to allow more free speech and personal freedoms, and rip up RMA, which all contibute to the problem of bad neighbours . private property values versus free speech, with common decency caught in the middle. there is no easy answer , and blaming the polie you hate the most isnt a solution. blaming it on weakening police powers(?)(since when) is a sideshow. bad neighbours, like barking dogs, have always been a problem, since we all lived in adjoining caves. I know of instances(sister) where these cretins own there houses, so running to winz isnt an option. it really is a case by case problem. many of these neighbours from hell have mental health problems, addiction problems etc, so ,sometimes DHB is the best place to go. having lived in a deadend(in both meanings) street with a junkie for a neighbour , that was interesting. he kept all of the nearby villians away , and was scared of our dog, so we were good, but all the rest in the street hated him and our dog(us).
"Weakening the cops"? What do you mean by that, Dennis? Do you not consider that the police need to be monitored and controlled?
This awful case involving swordfish's parents is the sort of thing the police should be sorting out; instead they have wasted thousands of hours harassing—selectively harassing—people for marijuana possession, forcing Peter Ellis (R.I.P.) to regularly "check in" with the Christchurch police, and harassing journalists like Nicky Hager.
By weakening I meant the effect of funding constraints. Thus the feeble excuse the cops routinely give for failing to deal with such situations (“not enough resources”).
I agree re appropriate police tasks. Unfortunately the command/control hierarchy remains free to choose prosecuting cannabis users instead of responding to pleas for help from members of the public who are being victimised by others.
The situation has history. And isn't Labour proposing to make it harder to remove bad tenants? Seems highly relevant.
Welll..I'm pretty sure the POLICE are still in charge of
https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-31-police-powers/being-arrested-or-detained-held-by-the-police-their-powers-and-your-rights/
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM331230.html
And keep calling them….
Oh and surely this is also the Landlords responsibility too? Some would give 2 fks as long as the rent was paid…)
I don't think advice was being asked for. And you've heard of how intimidation works when limp authorities are called in by neighbours?
whatever…
The noise in the wee hours is a straight out council noise control issue, and they will respond better if there is a clear pattern of behaviour. Documenting each incident clearly with time and date is where I would start, and play the long game.
Documenting each incident clearly with time and date is where I would start, and play the long game.
You would think so, wouldn't you. But after advising us to do so, both the police and the Tenancy Tribunal wanted nothing to do with the documentation and recordings.
The noise in the wee hours is a straight out council noise control issue, and they will respond better if there is a clear pattern of behaviour.
The tenant must have known about how the response works, because he would blast music for about 20-30 minutes then quieten down for a few hours and then repeat the pattern. Ensuring that if noise control was called, by the time they arrived all would be quiet.
What did the council do?
Because the tenants were in a granny flat on our property we weren't able to use the noise control officer at Auckland Council. Noise control only responds to complaints made about another property.
Other neighbours are actually fairly loathe to get involved because of the quite real fear of reprisal.
On the flip side, the experience of a neighbour down the road who has battled with local council regarding an existing resource consent for a small rural venue, has neighbours (with strong local board and council links) putting in noise control complaints every time (once a month) when they have guests. Despite meeting all resource consent requirements and closing before 11pm, the council issues notices despite sound level recordings showing noise levels are well below guidelines. In our neck of the woods, the old boys network plays fast and loose with the regulations.
that's a different situation than I was commenting on. There's no guarantee that councils will do what we want, but that process of having dates and times and details is what they need to act.
I understand.
I was thinking more of the age of swordfish's parents, and the escalation of stress involved in making sure all the documentation and everything is up to date. In my case, following this advice increased the already hyper-vigilance that was in place, and having that information may not be as conclusively beneficial as you would think.
They have the issue of being neighbours to someone who will likely respond negatively to the noise complaints, and any council prosecution. And even a successful prosecution might not be enough to allow the landlords to terminate the tenancy so that the neighbours were no longer there.
So there they remain. Sitting ducks for the retaliatory behaviour of the tenant.
The government and the police need to sort the loophole out when it comes to noise when drunk and disorderly behaviour occurs in a home which impacts on the neighbours. This is intimidating and a form of harassment.
Evil fucks.
https://twitter.com/richardhills777/status/1310468565980516353
ACT is nothing more than a bunch of ultra right wing white supremacists. They started out with potential – albeit well to the right on economic policies – but they ended up being taken over by the right's loony element who originally lived with National.
They're thinking is dangerously simplistic and ideologically stupid. They really should not be allowed near parliament. Seymour on his own is relatively harmless but if he brings some of the crackpots into parliament with him there will be problems.
And btw, I had some interaction with them in the mid to late 1990s so I know what I’m talking about.
Hey just wondering if anyone can help. I need to submit a link to TVNZ of the first tv debate for my complaint.
I am having difficulty doing this. I have joined tv on demand, but can't get the link to copy and have looked through various news websites including a quite glance at the Standard, but to no avail.
Any ideas/
This it?
edit:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/live-updates-first-leaders-debate-jacinda-ardern-v-judith-collins
Thanks so much Joe90
https://www.twitter.com/TovaOBrien/status/1310764782081826816
https://www.twitter.com/TovaOBrien/status/1310767419137220608
I've no time for NZF, but for any party to have this hanging over them in an election campaign is just wrong.
SFO should either have said "no decision before election" or made that decision about charges long ago.
Nat supporters in the SFO management would have figured out the right time to kneecap Winston long ago. Labour supporters within would have adopted the Pontius Pilate stance. Morality in governance is a matter of (in)convenience…
Peters should have known better and structured party finances in a way which would not go before the SFO.
Looks like NZF could suck the Kumara this time around ?
ACT gets real for a change: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300119429/election-2020-act-sheds-two-controversial-policies-as-david-seymours-star-rises
So policies can now be either active or inactive. You can imagine this being enabled for public viewing of party websites: a red light for inactive policies, and a green light attached to those which are active. User-friendly for binary folk.
Good news about social welfare from Labour on Radionz.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/427162/labour-health-policy-mental-health-for-school-children-mobile-dental-clinics
Health spokesperson Chris Hipkins announced the party's health policy in Auckland this morning, saying it had invested record amounts into DHBs, hospitals and mental health "after nine years of neglect under National".
Labour would:
The party has also already signalled it would implement reforms recommended by the Heather Simpson health and disability report, including establishing a Māori health authority and national public health agency, reducing the number of DHBs from 20 to between eight and 12, and abolishing DHB elections.
The dental grant is good news. As long as the criteria is not changed for eligibility this is great news for when there is a start date. I have already been turned down twice by the DHB this year. It pays to shop around for a quote.
The teeth are actually a very important part of the human anatomy.
Oh dear Winston
An open letter to Mediaworks.
With the level of bias that exists in our media what guarantee does the public have that the questions being put to the PM in the debate are fair and Judith Collins has to account for her own record ?
Patrick Gower is well known for his right wing bias after his treatment of David Cunliffe in 2014 so what guarantee does the public have that this debate is fair and balanced.
I sincerely hope that any pressure from the National party wont effect the rules of the debate.
Regards
Just cancels out Campbell tbh.
Ying and Yang and all that.
Sounds a bit like you don't actually know which is witch in any case..
Nat list MP Yang has called it quits (quite good of him really) – not sure about ‘Ying‘.
The teeth are actually a very important part of the human anatomy.