These war mongerers are making a big mistake. By going after Assange they are bringing attention to their sordid war crimes which will very likely end up being their undoing and lead to their own prosecution. The US elecorate and world are waking up. It is more than Assange. It is our freedom s being eroded by sordid war criminals. The people will rise up against any act to incarcerate Assange. One Love.
Jamarl, have you heard the news that Assange is unresponsive in Belmarsh hospital? Stranger Than Fiction News is saying he was poisoned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_6WitHlK0
The doctors wrote, “experience tells us that the prolonged uncertainty of indefinite detention inflicts profound psychological and physical trauma above and beyond the expected stressors of incarceration. These can include severe anxiety, pathological levels of stress, dissociation, depression, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, among others.”
A source close to Assange confirmed the reports about his health to The Gateway Pundit.
“We have been watching the slow-motion assassination of Julian Assange. They have been choking him to death by tactical psyops, siege tactics, and wilful neglect as surely as if they placed a noose tied around his neck, not just in Belmarsh Prison but in the embassy as well. The only difference between his execution and someone on death row is the same as the difference between covert and overt warfare, which makes sense because the intelligence, judicial and military agencies who are carrying out his death sentence operate within the same power structure which carries out war. First came the smears (propaganda), then came the siege (sanctions), and they staged their coup (dragged him out of the embassy) and now they’ve got him in their clutches and they can do what they want behind closed doors. That’s how you kill a nation while still looking like a nice guy, and that’s how they’re killing Assange,” independent journalist Caitlin Johnstone wrote of his conditions.
The oracle Mike Hosking has saved me considerable listening, watching, reading, discussion and pondering time today and over coming weeks.
I see his Herald headline has it, "This will be a waffle budget, not a well being budget."
Thanks Mike, I know I can rely on you for intelligent analysis. Is there somewhere I can contribute, a sort of paywallthinkingwallontoeverythingwall thing so I can acknowledge your contribution to my life and its style?
Better than sliced bread, better than instant coffee and even betterer than really soft toilet tissue!
I wouldnt get too excited about the Budget if I were anyone around here. Its going to be a fizzer just like the last one. And that is without reading the spoilers.
"Wellbeing" is just another meaningless buzzword, kinda like "Oppurtunity".
Should Peters step down for his performance in this?
Well, he most certainly got out his biggest spoon and gave the pot a good old stir.
Can find it on Stuff, but Anne quoted on Daily Review….
"From the Stuff ‘live’ news site. (A pity you didn't provide a link Anne)
Winston Peters’ take on the hacking scandal. Reckon he’s right on the money:
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, is claiming he knows how National got the ‘leaked’ documents but not revealing details.
He told reporters what they were saying was wrong – the facts were different.
“Are you saying the cleaner got hold of stuff, I don’t think so … the facts are different to that. The facts are very, very bad for the National party.”
“The information came to them in circumstances where the behaviour was totally illegal and they should have known it. That’s all I can say right now … it’s my job to know.”
He said Bridges was being “thoroughly unethical” and cashed in on the material.
“He has been found out and made a right fool of himself.”
Bridges should have called up Minister of Finance Grant Robertson to warn him about the documents and tell him something untoward was going on, Peters said.
“He’s [Bridges] gone-burger now because of this. He had a chance to show that he had ethical views, that he was fit to be a leader …”
“The information came to them in circumstances where the behaviour was totally illegal and they should have known it. That’s all I can say right now … it’s my job to know.”
But he didn't know, did he? Egg all over his face now.
Actually no. Some high profile lawyers have since come out and agreed with Peters' claim of illegality. Indeed Bridges and co. were warned that the info. was illegally obtained and they chose to ignore it.
Some high profile lawyers? More like some attention hungry sharks wanting their 5 minutes of fame. I'll go with the decision of the Police to throw this right back at Treasury. Peter's is a blowhard. Mind you, he's way smarter than the PM.
When health and safety is so strictly enforced in most work places why do we not enforce it on our roads with sensible sentences for those who kill or maim ?
I can now understand why there are so many fatal accidents every day that we read about in the news – because no one is taking this seriously," she said.
Sia Mosaferi lost her two young boys who were killed in the back seat of their car by a truck driver who did not stop.
It would be appropriate (and novel) if those at the top of the chain: directors, CEO 's etc, were in the dock too, if it can be demonstrated they allowed 'unreasonable' pressure come to bear on the poorly renumerated driver.
Education – it is the advisors, head stuffed with inadequate precepts and administrative strictures, and the politicians with no clear idea of what its for or its uses to everyone, that need re-educating. We would like something different than the way it happened in China. They had to turn themselves around, so do we. But in a kind and practical way with outcomes of people who can think widely and not seize some policy being done 'overseas' in a bigger country.
Now we have special needs teachers telling us the present provision doesn't match up to the vaunted possibilities and ideals. The meat in the sandwich is potted fishy paste. When someone suffers permanent nerve damage because the education system turns special needs classes into a sort of ultimate fight arena, unmatched volunteers of 6 foot and 5 foot; it wouldn't be allowed if it was animal animals but when it is human animals yes the Department has said that's okay, get on with it.
She said she had been left with permanent nerve damage after a 15-year-old with severe autism punched her in the back last October.
"He came up behind me, raised his arm – he's six-foot tall, I'm five-foot-one and a bit; dropped his arm into the centre of my back; I face-planted into the desk with horrific pain and the outcome is permanent nerve-damage now from the impact of the punch."
The attack happened last October and she was still having physiotherapy, Mrs Dickson said.
But it's not the first time she has been injured by an agitated student.
"Eighteen months ago, another (severely) autistic child lost the plot a little bit; he was over-sensitised in the room, lost it and just started punching and kicking me and just managed to get me on the side, dislocated my knee-cap and put me on crutches."
Another of her students is a child who is non-verbal and used a wheelchair, who had seizures up to 50 times a day, sometimes requiring an ambulance.
"She's at school for 32 hours a week and she gets 18 hours of teacher-aid funding, and the ministry say it's OK for her to be in my classroom with me, with two high-needs autistic boys that can kick off, and at times I have to deal with all that with no teacher aid. "
She said special education students needed more teacher-aid hours, and better-designed classrooms to keep them calm and teachers and students safe.
This is what adam’s above link is about – and basically it is about government delegating its authority as the people's representatives to unaccountable yoiks and pirates who are selling up the people's assets to people they feel a deep closeness to, united by recognising their type by the $ signs in others' eyeballs.
Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere is supporting a move by Councillor Mike Lee to halt the sale of the primely located 18 storey Civic Administration Building in Aotea Square until a complete commercial report is publicly tabled and discussed by elected council members.
Lee, Waitemata ward Councillor, has tabled a Notice of Motion at today’s governing body meeting demanding the council suspend any sale or transfer of ownership of the building. Lee wants a full report made public of any commercial details of the proposed transaction, including price and how heritage concerns of the listed building are resolved before full council discussion.
Tamihere said the cloak and dagger approach by Panuku – the council’s property arm – is a disgrace and as Mayor, he will ensure Council Controlled Organisations are more transparent.
This is another bad look on Wellbeing Budget day. How could the Housing Minister not be on top of this sort of thing. Everyone in Labour Coalition should know that the civil service isn't; the managers have been generically trained in best practice for shuffling people to the sidelines out of the way of their grand schemes. (The Arthur Dent method.)
The students said their families were forced to pay more for private rentals in South Auckland on top of extra costs for travel and they're families are now struggling even more than they were before.
National's Simon O'Connor, the MP for Tamaki, is urging families who have been forced out of his electorate due to housing redevelopment to come to him, saying they shouldn't have been forced out.
.
.South Auckland people have been stuck with private rentals, a housing problem for poor people shifted away after spending a generation in their locale and community. But it's a mistake says Housing NZ boss; (it was a wrong move on the chess board, perhaps the pawns can move back).
About 365 state-owned homes in the Auckland suburb of Oranga are being converted into a mix of 1000 affordable dwellings, homes for sale and social housing.
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward councillor Josephine Bartley said families living in Oranga Housing New Zealand homes were recently given 90-day eviction notices and were told they could not stay in the area….
Telling families they had to leave the area went "against [HNZ's] public commitment", Bartley said.
She was later told by HNZ chief executive Andrew McKenzie there had been a "staff mistake and they are re-training their staff to help families stay in this area", Bartley said.
National's Simon O'Connor, the MP for Tamaki, is urging families who have been forced out of his electorate due to housing redevelopment to come to him, saying they shouldn't have been forced out.
"Everyone in Labour Coalition should know that the civil service isn't; the managers have been generically trained in best practice for shuffling people to the sidelines out of the way of their grand schemes. (The Arthur Dent method.)"
It's something I've been wondering about for quite a while @grey. We're talking about the Senior and Muddle management of course, and NOT the little peons at the coalface usually, although there are one or two in the lower ranks that should be in uniform.
About the only thing I've ever agreed with Mathew Hooter over is the comments he made once on RNZ N2N – they have a vested interest in preserving the status quo. From memory it was with regard to MBIE's Post Election Briefing.
I continue to wonder whether some Ministers aren't that good a judge of character, or whether they're just masochists.
One down though (James Casson), hopefully a few more to follow
Blair is talking a lot about being honest and dealing with people's real concerns. He sounds so wise. Pity that he didn't take the whole Dorian Gray package. He kept his mindset but didn't take up the facial option. If he still looked fresh, young and relatively innocent (or simple) people might be able to overlook his malpractices and believe his utterings. But he is aged and now is just an ageing would-be statesman, who isn't sure what state he's in. But he sounds confident and knowledgable and with integrity, and BY God, wealthy men like integrity and are willing to buy it.
Can't imagine Tone would be entirely on board with the prospect of BlobbyJobby having to front up in court and account for his 350m per week lies. What's the world coming to when you have to be truthful?
Guys, please. It's not all doom and gloom. Robertson is on track to average 3% growth, 4% unemployment, 20% debt. Wtf??? That's good as. The dollars doing well against the U.S as everyone else is talking about China vs America. The only ones that care about there tiny whinny little mounds of paper is Simon bridges. Iv had traffic fines more serious that I just toor up and threw in the bin.
Mmhmm. So let's not let Simons little bit of paper over shadow the big picture. For 20 years the mantra of finance ministers has been a little bit of pain for some gains. Today's budget has a lot to deliver over the next 12 months.
You're asking a guy who once imagined a proposal to disband WINZ so to bring in a UBI. Ask away. I'd demote the head of treasury straight out. Robertson didn't stab anyone in the back so nothing really to get upset at him. I'd much prefer Jacinda seek her revenge like any other independent woman would – by succeeding.
I support a UBI as a structure for our so-called safety net, making benefits similar to obtaining a pension at a similar or above (for those deemed more in need) rate.
At this stage their is no concrete evidence Robertson knew the so-called hack was merely the constant use of a search feature, but it is highly unlikely he wasn't informed being in his position. Moreover, we know he overreached when he inferred National was in possession of hacked material. Further suggesting he was in on painting this as a hack. Making him a liability. Jacinda can't afford to have the mess laying around her, thus needs to show leadership and tidy it up.
Robertson increased the governments operating expenditure by 3.2 billion that's on top of last years 2 billion increase. Think of all that money and opportunities to grab some. Robertson ain't going no where.
Does Labour want to keep him around for a bullseye? Can they handle the barrage he will attract. There will be further questions on how dirty are his hands.
Robertson increased the governments operating expenditure by 3.2 billion that's on top of last years 2 billion increase.
Can't see that being enough to address our many urgent needs.
The greater the need the greater the work ethic. So like, you'd reform taxes, okay that should be done. New Zealand is a small to medium sized business haven anyway so all those guys you despise can go into a gulag. Oops did I say that?
And are further undermining themselves by doing little to correct it.
And the perception is not looking good. For example, this is what Martyn Bradbury says, if Grant doesn’t sack someone immediately from Treasury, Jacinda should sack Grant.
Maybe nat voters, a few nat party hacks in the press, perhaps even a tv presenter or two,
See that's plenty more just there and I've already shown the comments of one left leaner. Thus, I'm confident there will be more. Only the one eyed left will have trouble seeing it for what it was/is.
And course when you and others have no argument you roll out the old fake concern troll crap.
As for your assertion there will be no free dentist visits or doubling of the benefit in this budget, as I said before, it is expected to be a let down, thus fall short.
The amount and content of my anti govt comments dictates how badly our government is performing. So your accusation is still crap and you continue to state it cause plainly you still have no argument.
3000 of my brothers and sisters watching each others backs while we look after the people let down, and sentenced, by society is what makes me feel better
You say that, but then most people couldn't manage to stay awake in a 45 minute meeting where the topic of debate was which circumstances required writers to use an em-dash, a hyphen, or an en-dash, respectively. Feel my pain.
To gsays thats a very good question, I don't know how accurate this will be but at the moment:
I think the most important attribute is the ability to keep your cool and not panic when the pressure goes on (might be two different attributes in hindsight) like its one thing to think you can handle it but its another when you have a heavily tattooed gangster in your face threatening/yelling at you
If you're attacked by a prisoner the prisoner may get extra time added to their sentence, may get sent to maximum security, may lose privileges but if a CO is found to have attacked a prisoner, no matter the provocation, then you'll find yourself in court and, if found guilty, lose your job, probably go to prison and find it harder to find a new job once out so the repercussions are much worse for a CO
Another useful attribute is being able to "go with the flow" in that in Corrections its rare when things go to plan because you're with people, the very worst people this country has so while we have schedules and such like things can and do change rapidly so if you like having a set schedule and knowing what will happen at any given time then you probably won't find Corrections a good fit
Next up would be a good memory because Corrections still seems to be stuck in the "throw them in deep end" mode of training people. By this I mean you will be given roles where you haven't had any specific training in or given a hand over or indeed any explanation of what to actually do and you'll be expected to do it so you'll have to ask around of what to do so being able to remember what people tell you would be very advantageous (I wish I was making this up)
The ability to "let it go" would be a fantastic attribute as well, the things you'll hear, the things people will say to you directly, the frustration, the fear, the adrenaline and everything else that builds up over a day is huge so being able to "shake it off" when it happens or when your shifts over would be very helpful
I always found "letting it go" (which helps avoid attacking people, too) was pretty simple as a bouncer. All that abuse was just irrelevant to me, because they would have aimed it at anyone who was dealing with them.
The two big differences in prisons are the highly structured environment and the ability for the prisoners to observe/connect with their COs over extended periods of time and find the chinks in the emotional armour, e.g. young kids or cancer or whatever.
Prisoners are generally, by their very nature, manipulative and self-centered so yeah 'getting got' is a big thing but fortunately you just have to remember that they're in prison for a reason
so sad that locking people up makes you feel better.
The money wasted on the prison walls, your 'brothers and sisters' and people like Judith – Crusher of one car, would be better spend in prevention of crime rather.
Mind to an extend you and all your brothers and sister jailers are equally locked up. You just get to go home at the end of the shift.
well…………
A corrections officer is an officer responsible for the custody, safety, security, and supervision of inmates in a prison or any other correctional facility. Traditionally, terms such as jailer, jail guard, prison guard, and turnkey were used to refer to a corrections officer.
never mind, i am sure Judith likes a man in uniform. 🙂 irrespective of the uniform.
Back in the day when being a Prison Officer was akin to being in the services, P/Os held rank and went on parade for inspection, management was a quasi officer class, the F/O was akin to an RSM and ruled the roost. F/Os were directly answerable to the Superintendent and were both an inmate's best friend and worst enemy and responsible for all boob discipline. They were fucking martinets and any P/O who ran afoul of the F/O was in deep shit, too.
There are good and bad Corrections Officers. I'd like to think you are a good one, but your unwavering support for that nasty woman Collins who has an unpleasant punitive attitude towards prisoners causes me to have doubt.
you might call yourself as you wish, but at the end of the day no matter how much sugar coating you want to use to make it palatable you are a prisoners guard.
You guard people that are locked up. You are a turn key. You keep people locked up in cells, and you open the cells for recreation or something. In fact, the saddest thing about our society is that people like you have that job in the first place. If our society would do its job right we would not need you in the numbers that we obviously have atm. But then i guess for profit prisons need the beds occupied……:) or else there is no profit? right?
nothing to do with ignorance, just a different term. And frankly, if the guys and girls hate it so much they could get a different job, right? Free market and such.
I might have this wrong but you either seem to be looking for a reaction or you seem to be trying to convince yourself of what you're saying or maybe you just want to get something off your chest
I am proud to be a Corrections Officer, I'm proud to be doing a job that contributes to NZ, I'm proud of being part of a group that, mostly, runs towards danger rather than away from, metaphorically but also physically, that I've found a way to use the experiences in my life to, in some small way, correct (hence the name) someones negative behaviour
I understand that some people don't like the idea of prisons and therefore Corrections Officers, I get that people don't like the idea of people wearing uniforms and locking people away and curtailing freedom and I get that some people will think that can lead to abuse, I get all that
Nothing I say will change your mind about anything I'm sure but believe me when I say that if I could wave a magic wand and make prisons obsolete I would, I will celebrate the day I'm made redundant from Corrections because theres no more prisoners
I'll enjoy not having shift work, I'll enjoy not driving to work and then getting a text or phone call telling me I'm going to a different prison, I'll enjoy not being threatened, I'll enjoy my family not being threatened, I'll enjoy not having to worry if its my day to be assaulted at work and who knows there maybe a day when I call it quits but until that time comes there'll be a need for men and women like me to do what we do because someone has to do it (I will miss working with a great bunch of people)
Also before you start making assumptions you should check your facts, I don't work for Serco, I work for the Dept of Corrections so whatever your point was about prison profit it completely missed it
Many years ago I spent 3 evenings at the old Mt Eden Prison interviewing CO’s as part of the switch over to Serco for the facility. I was, and remain, incredibly impressed by the dedication of these people to the well being and care of those who would more often than not literally stab them in the back with little or no reason. At other times I have been involved in physical works inside AWRCF (Wiri) and Pare, and have been close up to those that inhabit these places. I doubt I’d be brave enough to do your job, and am certain that none of the keyboard warriors here would last more than a day. Ironic really, as it’s their misguided and destructive social policies/ideology that ensure high levels of dangerous criminality in our society. It should be compulsory for all lefties to see close up what they do to human behaviour. Big ups to you.
Its more like I just had a vague idea of wanting to help, of wanting to help make NZ a better place (or at least leave no worse off after I'm gone) and looking at what I can do and am willing to do Corrections seems the best place for me
I mean I couldn't do what nurses do, to me thats a really tough job. I couldn't be a teacher (who wants to hang around kids all day) and I can't be arsed getting my fitness up to join the police but I can do this so I do it
Since you've already seen the worst Corrections has to offer I reckon you would be able to handle it
The shift work and rosters are a big pain in the butt though to be fair…
We must do more to help our Pacific cousins survive sea level rising cause by Global warming climate change the Papatuanuku owes them as they have not caused as much damage to our environment as the advanced economies of Papatuanuku have to be fair .
Before, the sand used to stretch out far, and when we swam we could see the sea floor, and the coral. Now, it is cloudy all the time, and the coral is dead. Tuvalu is sinking.”
“Tuvalu is sinking” is the local catch-all phrase for the effects of climate change on this tiny island archipelago on the frontline of global warming. A Polynesian country situated in Oceania, Tuvalu is no more than a speck in the Pacific ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia.
The fourth smallest nation in the world, Tuvalu is home to just 11,000 people, most of whom live on the largest island of Fongafale, where they are packed in and fighting for space. Tuvalu’s total land area accounts for less than 26 sq km.
Already, two of Tuvalu’s nine islands are on the verge of going under, the government says, swallowed by sea-rise and coastal erosion. Most of the islands sit barely three metres above sea level, and at its narrowest point, Fongafale stretches just 20m across
During storms, waves batter the island from the east and the west, “swallowing” the country, in the words of the locals. Many say they have nightmares that the sea will soon gobble them up for good, and not just as a distant fear in their slumber – but by the next generation. Scientists predict Tuvalu could become uninhabitable in the next 50 to 100 years. Locals say they feel it could be much sooner Ka kite ano link below.
I think it a bad joke fossil fuel being subsidized by the many tangata TAX dollars giving hundreds of billions to billionaire oil barons so they can mount propaganda campaigns to turn lies into their realities. The neanderthal are climate change deniers. They don't care about the 99. % of tangata wellbeing. It's all about the power and money first in there World.
The head of the United Nations has reiterated his call to end fossil fuel subsidies after first spelling out the idea during his Pacific tour earlier this month.
Antonio Guterres was speaking in Vienna at the world summit of the environmental group, the R20 Coalition
There is a problem of bullies at some schools it not on tamariki being hit by their pears.
That shows me how much trump likes to control things making requests to have the SSSMcain hidden to keep him happy.
The Rantan 2 crew were lucky to be rescued. I seen a story about a billionaire super yacht dropping off a container ship and floating close to the surface lost to Tangaroa.
shane its good investment in the region is well over due they have been forgotten for the last ten years.
The wellbeing budget is awesome for the people but I agree totally immersion Maori language tamariki needed more.
Papatuanuku smoke free day cool
I say that's correct the East coast has higher rates of smoking than the rest of the motu that also tells me that East coast has higher poverty rates than the rest of the country that is sad because 20 years ago that was not the case.
Cool Maori Radio station getting a extra million for content that will help tau toko te reo and Maori Culture
Congratulations to Mrs King becoming a judge were needed all the tangata whenua we can get in the justice system to give the organization a way to respect tangata whenua ka kite ano
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. 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 economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
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 ...
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. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
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 ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 3 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
And now for something completely different:
https://twitter.com/dnvolz/status/1133778119767330816?s=21
Assange reportedly gravely ill, but court refuses reschedule
Write To
Julian Assange
https://writejulian.com/
Support Assange From the above the poor man is breaking down under the lies and relentless persecution aimed at him.
Julian Assange's Legal Struggle Has Gotten More Complicated, But Also There's A Positive
John Dickerson 2 hours ago
These war mongerers are making a big mistake. By going after Assange they are bringing attention to their sordid war crimes which will very likely end up being their undoing and lead to their own prosecution. The US elecorate and world are waking up. It is more than Assange. It is our freedom s being eroded by sordid war criminals. The people will rise up against any act to incarcerate Assange. One Love.
Trianabfine 1 hour ago
Jamarl, have you heard the news that Assange is unresponsive in Belmarsh hospital? Stranger Than Fiction News is saying he was poisoned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_6WitHlK0
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/julian-assange-now-in-hospital-wing-of-british-prison-in-such-bad-shape-that-he-cant-conduct-normal-conversations/
The doctors wrote, “experience tells us that the prolonged uncertainty of indefinite detention inflicts profound psychological and physical trauma above and beyond the expected stressors of incarceration. These can include severe anxiety, pathological levels of stress, dissociation, depression, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, among others.”
A source close to Assange confirmed the reports about his health to The Gateway Pundit.
There would be very few of us able to withstand the constant and universal smearing and character assassination that Assange has undergone.
The slight shift in the media conglomerate's attitude towards Assange's predicament is too little , too late.
They are complicit in his decline
The circle completes.
https://twitter.com/dmkoffler/status/870963759556243456
The oracle Mike Hosking has saved me considerable listening, watching, reading, discussion and pondering time today and over coming weeks.
I see his Herald headline has it, "This will be a waffle budget, not a well being budget."
Thanks Mike, I know I can rely on you for intelligent analysis. Is there somewhere I can contribute, a sort of paywallthinkingwallontoeverythingwall thing so I can acknowledge your contribution to my life and its style?
Better than sliced bread, better than instant coffee and even betterer than really soft toilet tissue!
I wouldnt get too excited about the Budget if I were anyone around here. Its going to be a fizzer just like the last one. And that is without reading the spoilers.
"Wellbeing" is just another meaningless buzzword, kinda like "Oppurtunity".
I'm expecting "aspirational", "forward thinking" and "foundation".
In other words….SSDD
Going forward Horeskin isn't top of mind but ennathaday he's probably right. Robbo seems comfortable with a bit of poverty among low types.
….seems comfortable with a bit of poverty among low types.
'Because, like, if the poor worked as hard as me they could drive a flash car….'
Meritocracy Mike.
If Hosking was paid according to his effort and usefulness, he couldn't afford a bicycle.
This is our song for now. The Beatles performance was a historic occasion.
So is this one for NZs. Don't talk it down anyone, look for the positives. National want to shoot it down. Don't let us on the left be sitting ducks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCtzkaL2t_Y
The 'left' want this lot dealt to…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nloJuu2rCk
And it seems that the Current Lot are as inclined to do this as the last.
@millsy (at 4)
I’m expecting it will be another failure to deliver, with the Government falling short as usual.
Robertson says he is "very disappointed" with Treasury but doesn't call for resignation nor did he offer his.
I'm guessing Jacinda backs him.
Should Peters step down for his performance in this?
Should Peters step down for his performance in this?
Well, he most certainly got out his biggest spoon and gave the pot a good old stir.
Can find it on Stuff, but Anne quoted on Daily Review….
"From the Stuff ‘live’ news site. (A pity you didn't provide a link Anne)
Winston Peters’ take on the hacking scandal. Reckon he’s right on the money:
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, is claiming he knows how National got the ‘leaked’ documents but not revealing details.
He told reporters what they were saying was wrong – the facts were different.
“Are you saying the cleaner got hold of stuff, I don’t think so … the facts are different to that. The facts are very, very bad for the National party.”
“The information came to them in circumstances where the behaviour was totally illegal and they should have known it. That’s all I can say right now … it’s my job to know.”
He said Bridges was being “thoroughly unethical” and cashed in on the material.
“He has been found out and made a right fool of himself.”
Bridges should have called up Minister of Finance Grant Robertson to warn him about the documents and tell him something untoward was going on, Peters said.
“He’s [Bridges] gone-burger now because of this. He had a chance to show that he had ethical views, that he was fit to be a leader …”
He had no doubt the police would investigate.
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-29-05-2019/#comment-1622405"
I reckon he may have stirred so enthusiastically a little slopped over onto the stove top. Going to be a bugger to get the burnt bits off.
Never mind….I'll bet the lollies in the Budget will be of comfort.
He did indeed, Rosemary. And you're right, the burnt bits will be hard to get off.
As Winston said, it's his job to know and it is now evident his assertion (re how National obtained the info) was an outright lie.
I reckon he may have stirred so enthusiastically a little slopped over onto the stove top.
I readily concede he did.
Sorry about no link. Was tired at end of a busy day.
Btw. Thanks for lols @ 4.1
Think I might make a list of all the cliches this arvo.
The only worry about you not putting the link up last night is that now I can't find it…maybe lost in the live steam thingy?
“The information came to them in circumstances where the behaviour was totally illegal and they should have known it. That’s all I can say right now … it’s my job to know.”
But he didn't know, did he? Egg all over his face now.
Or worse, he did and he lied.
Actually no. Some high profile lawyers have since come out and agreed with Peters' claim of illegality. Indeed Bridges and co. were warned that the info. was illegally obtained and they chose to ignore it.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/113111605/nationals-budget-leaks-go-against-security-agencys-advice-and-treasury-breach-was-unlawful-lawyers-say
So, he just might end up having the last laugh after-all.
Some high profile lawyers? More like some attention hungry sharks wanting their 5 minutes of fame. I'll go with the decision of the Police to throw this right back at Treasury. Peter's is a blowhard. Mind you, he's way smarter than the PM.
You are forgetting the burnt bits are only a hassle when there is no Teflon involved…
When health and safety is so strictly enforced in most work places why do we not enforce it on our roads with sensible sentences for those who kill or maim ?
I can now understand why there are so many fatal accidents every day that we read about in the news – because no one is taking this seriously," she said.
Sia Mosaferi lost her two young boys who were killed in the back seat of their car by a truck driver who did not stop.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018697328/it-s-made-the-pain-all-so-much-worse
It would be appropriate (and novel) if those at the top of the chain: directors, CEO 's etc, were in the dock too, if it can be demonstrated they allowed 'unreasonable' pressure come to bear on the poorly renumerated driver.
We're not blessed with a high quality judiciary.
Education – it is the advisors, head stuffed with inadequate precepts and administrative strictures, and the politicians with no clear idea of what its for or its uses to everyone, that need re-educating. We would like something different than the way it happened in China. They had to turn themselves around, so do we. But in a kind and practical way with outcomes of people who can think widely and not seize some policy being done 'overseas' in a bigger country.
Now we have special needs teachers telling us the present provision doesn't match up to the vaunted possibilities and ideals. The meat in the sandwich is potted fishy paste. When someone suffers permanent nerve damage because the education system turns special needs classes into a sort of ultimate fight arena, unmatched volunteers of 6 foot and 5 foot; it wouldn't be allowed if it was animal animals but when it is human animals yes the Department has said that's okay, get on with it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/390860/special-needs-teacher-suffers-permanent-damage-after-incident
She said she had been left with permanent nerve damage after a 15-year-old with severe autism punched her in the back last October.
"He came up behind me, raised his arm – he's six-foot tall, I'm five-foot-one and a bit; dropped his arm into the centre of my back; I face-planted into the desk with horrific pain and the outcome is permanent nerve-damage now from the impact of the punch."
The attack happened last October and she was still having physiotherapy, Mrs Dickson said.
But it's not the first time she has been injured by an agitated student.
"Eighteen months ago, another (severely) autistic child lost the plot a little bit; he was over-sensitised in the room, lost it and just started punching and kicking me and just managed to get me on the side, dislocated my knee-cap and put me on crutches."
Another of her students is a child who is non-verbal and used a wheelchair, who had seizures up to 50 times a day, sometimes requiring an ambulance.
"She's at school for 32 hours a week and she gets 18 hours of teacher-aid funding, and the ministry say it's OK for her to be in my classroom with me, with two high-needs autistic boys that can kick off, and at times I have to deal with all that with no teacher aid. "
She said special education students needed more teacher-aid hours, and better-designed classrooms to keep them calm and teachers and students safe.
I see business as usual for the beige revolution – selling out Aucklanders asap.
https://www.waateanews.com/waateanews/x_news/MjE4MzI/National%20News/Stop-Panuku-%E2%80%9Cfire-sale%E2%80%9D
Thank goodness there is a mayoral race on, otherwise the old boys network would have done this dirty deal already.
This is what adam’s above link is about – and basically it is about government delegating its authority as the people's representatives to unaccountable yoiks and pirates who are selling up the people's assets to people they feel a deep closeness to, united by recognising their type by the $ signs in others' eyeballs.
Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere is supporting a move by Councillor Mike Lee to halt the sale of the primely located 18 storey Civic Administration Building in Aotea Square until a complete commercial report is publicly tabled and discussed by elected council members.
Lee, Waitemata ward Councillor, has tabled a Notice of Motion at today’s governing body meeting demanding the council suspend any sale or transfer of ownership of the building. Lee wants a full report made public of any commercial details of the proposed transaction, including price and how heritage concerns of the listed building are resolved before full council discussion.
Tamihere said the cloak and dagger approach by Panuku – the council’s property arm – is a disgrace and as Mayor, he will ensure Council Controlled Organisations are more transparent.
This is another bad look on Wellbeing Budget day. How could the Housing Minister not be on top of this sort of thing. Everyone in Labour Coalition should know that the civil service isn't; the managers have been generically trained in best practice for shuffling people to the sidelines out of the way of their grand schemes. (The Arthur Dent method.)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/first-up/audio/2018697388/wellbeing-budget-tamaki-residents-don-t-have-time-to-wait-for-discussion-debate-and-promises
The students said their families were forced to pay more for private rentals in South Auckland on top of extra costs for travel and they're families are now struggling even more than they were before.
National's Simon O'Connor, the MP for Tamaki, is urging families who have been forced out of his electorate due to housing redevelopment to come to him, saying they shouldn't have been forced out.
.
.South Auckland people have been stuck with private rentals, a housing problem for poor people shifted away after spending a generation in their locale and community. But it's a mistake says Housing NZ boss; (it was a wrong move on the chess board, perhaps the pawns can move back).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/112513739/councillor-says-families-misadvised-over-moving-home-by-housing-new-zealand
About 365 state-owned homes in the Auckland suburb of Oranga are being converted into a mix of 1000 affordable dwellings, homes for sale and social housing.
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward councillor Josephine Bartley said families living in Oranga Housing New Zealand homes were recently given 90-day eviction notices and were told they could not stay in the area….
Telling families they had to leave the area went "against [HNZ's] public commitment", Bartley said.
She was later told by HNZ chief executive Andrew McKenzie there had been a "staff mistake and they are re-training their staff to help families stay in this area", Bartley said.
🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
+1
"Everyone in Labour Coalition should know that the civil service isn't; the managers have been generically trained in best practice for shuffling people to the sidelines out of the way of their grand schemes. (The Arthur Dent method.)"
It's something I've been wondering about for quite a while @grey. We're talking about the Senior and Muddle management of course, and NOT the little peons at the coalface usually, although there are one or two in the lower ranks that should be in uniform.
About the only thing I've ever agreed with Mathew Hooter over is the comments he made once on RNZ N2N – they have a vested interest in preserving the status quo. From memory it was with regard to MBIE's Post Election Briefing.
I continue to wonder whether some Ministers aren't that good a judge of character, or whether they're just masochists.
One down though (James Casson), hopefully a few more to follow
Try not to vomit
Blair is talking a lot about being honest and dealing with people's real concerns. He sounds so wise. Pity that he didn't take the whole Dorian Gray package. He kept his mindset but didn't take up the facial option. If he still looked fresh, young and relatively innocent (or simple) people might be able to overlook his malpractices and believe his utterings. But he is aged and now is just an ageing would-be statesman, who isn't sure what state he's in. But he sounds confident and knowledgable and with integrity, and BY God, wealthy men like integrity and are willing to buy it.
One can sound confident and knowledgable and with integrity and still end up on the wrong side of history.
Can't imagine Tone would be entirely on board with the prospect of BlobbyJobby having to front up in court and account for his 350m per week lies. What's the world coming to when you have to be truthful?
What are you going to do Grant Robertson, defamation case or stand down?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/vicious-and-orchestrated-attempt-by-grant-robertson-to-gag-opposition-matthew-hooton.html
Option 3: Ignore
Pretty safe to ignore Matthew Hooton, I think.
Ignoring it will merely confirm (in the general public's eye) the negative perception being painted.
Nah. People recognise Matthew Hooton as a shrill Nimby agitator. A RWNJ, and he has described that beautifully today.
No-one listens to him.
Perhaps on here, but he's generally accepted out in the real world.
And I'm guessing he won't be the only one beating this drum. Grant is going to have to make a move, or Jacinda may have to do it for him.
I think you are over-estimating Hooton's reach. Or, perhaps he does resonate in the circles you move in..?
"ignore" – pretty much.
Guys, please. It's not all doom and gloom. Robertson is on track to average 3% growth, 4% unemployment, 20% debt. Wtf??? That's good as. The dollars doing well against the U.S as everyone else is talking about China vs America. The only ones that care about there tiny whinny little mounds of paper is Simon bridges. Iv had traffic fines more serious that I just toor up and threw in the bin.
Yet, as a Nation we struggle to feed and house the poor and sufficiently care for the ill and well being of many.
Mmhmm. So let's not let Simons little bit of paper over shadow the big picture. For 20 years the mantra of finance ministers has been a little bit of pain for some gains. Today's budget has a lot to deliver over the next 12 months.
We can discuss the Budget once it has been released. In the meantime, people are wondering who's heads will roll?
Will Jacinda show leadership and demand accountability before the public start demanding it of her?
No one apart from nats are demanding heads.
No one apart from nats are demanding accountability off the PM.
No one apart from nats are pushing the issue on The Standard.
Total rubbish. And I have proven all three in this thread discussion.
Now you are resorting to lying.
@Chairman
You're asking a guy who once imagined a proposal to disband WINZ so to bring in a UBI. Ask away. I'd demote the head of treasury straight out. Robertson didn't stab anyone in the back so nothing really to get upset at him. I'd much prefer Jacinda seek her revenge like any other independent woman would – by succeeding.
I support a UBI as a structure for our so-called safety net, making benefits similar to obtaining a pension at a similar or above (for those deemed more in need) rate.
At this stage their is no concrete evidence Robertson knew the so-called hack was merely the constant use of a search feature, but it is highly unlikely he wasn't informed being in his position. Moreover, we know he overreached when he inferred National was in possession of hacked material. Further suggesting he was in on painting this as a hack. Making him a liability. Jacinda can't afford to have the mess laying around her, thus needs to show leadership and tidy it up.
Robertson increased the governments operating expenditure by 3.2 billion that's on top of last years 2 billion increase. Think of all that money and opportunities to grab some. Robertson ain't going no where.
Does Labour want to keep him around for a bullseye? Can they handle the barrage he will attract. There will be further questions on how dirty are his hands.
Can't see that being enough to address our many urgent needs.
The greater the need the greater the work ethic. So like, you'd reform taxes, okay that should be done. New Zealand is a small to medium sized business haven anyway so all those guys you despise can go into a gulag. Oops did I say that?
With this negative perception now being painted in the public domain, it looks like Robertson is now becoming a liability, what will Jacinda do?
Jizz proof shorts – Check.
All good to go for another day of playing at concerted effort to undermine the government.
🙄
The Government undermined themselves.
And are further undermining themselves by doing little to correct it.
And the perception is not looking good. For example, this is what Martyn Bradbury says, if Grant doesn’t sack someone immediately from Treasury, Jacinda should sack Grant.
And this is from a left leaning commentator.
In your and Hooton's opinion.
After what has been revealed, I'm positive plenty more will agree.
Couple this with the let down I'm sure the Budget will produce, come the end of the day, it's not going to be a good day for Labour.
The Budget is of their own doing and they should have owned this mishap re the Budget info from day one.
Maybe nat voters, a few nat party hacks in the press, perhaps even a tv presenter or two, but no left wingers – Well, not real left wingers anyway.
Again, you're not fooling anyone here in what you're up to with a clear and obvious anti government, anti left agenda. 100% fake concern troll.
No free dentist visits or doubling of the benefit in this budget. You're gonna need more vitamin e, stat.
See that's plenty more just there and I've already shown the comments of one left leaner. Thus, I'm confident there will be more. Only the one eyed left will have trouble seeing it for what it was/is.
And course when you and others have no argument you roll out the old fake concern troll crap.
As for your assertion there will be no free dentist visits or doubling of the benefit in this budget, as I said before, it is expected to be a let down, thus fall short.
Yeah, the amount and content of your anti govt comments dictate it's not a crap accusation.
You can't kid a kidder, Kiddo. Really, you can't.
My prediction for the budget – You'll make dozens of post slagging the government, labour and the green party.
Yep the marechin will have got a brand new 3 pack of ankle socks for this occasion – gonna be a looong night.
The amount and content of my anti govt comments dictates how badly our government is performing. So your accusation is still crap and you continue to state it cause plainly you still have no argument.
hah
Mallard will be pleased about all this budget leak / hacking news as everyone has forgotten he accused a person of rape
Fascinating story behind the cover shot of the Wellbeing Budget.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12235798
"I would vote Greens because I'm a bit of gypsy and I don't get into what's going on."
I'm sure shes representative of a lot of Green voters 🙂
Single issue voter? Nothing wrong with that.
Perhaps you’d like people to pass a test before becoming eligible for the electoral roll?
Shes probably a very nice person but in the interview shes comes across as a bit of a dingbat
I wonder what people make of you, a prison guard.
I'm sorry I don't know what a prison guard is as there is no such thing as a prison guard in NZ
There are Corrections Officers though 🙂
Whatever makes you feel better. 😆
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrections_Association_of_New_Zealand
3000 of my brothers and sisters watching each others backs while we look after the people let down, and sentenced, by society is what makes me feel better
Oops, sorry if I offended you.
😂
I don't mind taking any opportunity to point out that I have chosen to take on a role that most people couldn't, or wouldn't, be able to handle
Yourself included
How could you possibly know that?
You say that, but then most people couldn't manage to stay awake in a 45 minute meeting where the topic of debate was which circumstances required writers to use an em-dash, a hyphen, or an en-dash, respectively. Feel my pain.
Hey don't get me wrong, its not a bad thing you just don't seem the type to be able to handle the pressure,
If I am wrong and you think you can handle it then think about applying
https://corrections.nga.net.nz/cp/index.cfm?event=jobs.listJobs&jobListid=9C635771-AA94-5ACC-5AB1-9AFBFE2CE8C2
Plenty of roles available all over the country especially in Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury
Hey PR, I am keen to know what you reckon the top three attributes/skills of a good corrections officer are.
Thats true McFlock and I do feel your pain 🙂
I'd make a fine Prison Guard.
🔓🔒
See, easy!
To gsays thats a very good question, I don't know how accurate this will be but at the moment:
I think the most important attribute is the ability to keep your cool and not panic when the pressure goes on (might be two different attributes in hindsight) like its one thing to think you can handle it but its another when you have a heavily tattooed gangster in your face threatening/yelling at you
If you're attacked by a prisoner the prisoner may get extra time added to their sentence, may get sent to maximum security, may lose privileges but if a CO is found to have attacked a prisoner, no matter the provocation, then you'll find yourself in court and, if found guilty, lose your job, probably go to prison and find it harder to find a new job once out so the repercussions are much worse for a CO
Another useful attribute is being able to "go with the flow" in that in Corrections its rare when things go to plan because you're with people, the very worst people this country has so while we have schedules and such like things can and do change rapidly so if you like having a set schedule and knowing what will happen at any given time then you probably won't find Corrections a good fit
Next up would be a good memory because Corrections still seems to be stuck in the "throw them in deep end" mode of training people. By this I mean you will be given roles where you haven't had any specific training in or given a hand over or indeed any explanation of what to actually do and you'll be expected to do it so you'll have to ask around of what to do so being able to remember what people tell you would be very advantageous (I wish I was making this up)
The ability to "let it go" would be a fantastic attribute as well, the things you'll hear, the things people will say to you directly, the frustration, the fear, the adrenaline and everything else that builds up over a day is huge so being able to "shake it off" when it happens or when your shifts over would be very helpful
Good question
So on par with septic tank cleaners. Thanks.
I always found "letting it go" (which helps avoid attacking people, too) was pretty simple as a bouncer. All that abuse was just irrelevant to me, because they would have aimed it at anyone who was dealing with them.
The two big differences in prisons are the highly structured environment and the ability for the prisoners to observe/connect with their COs over extended periods of time and find the chinks in the emotional armour, e.g. young kids or cancer or whatever.
To McFlock
Prisoners are generally, by their very nature, manipulative and self-centered so yeah 'getting got' is a big thing but fortunately you just have to remember that they're in prison for a reason
Andy Dufresne is fictional for a reason
so sad that locking people up makes you feel better.
The money wasted on the prison walls, your 'brothers and sisters' and people like Judith – Crusher of one car, would be better spend in prevention of crime rather.
Mind to an extend you and all your brothers and sister jailers are equally locked up. You just get to go home at the end of the shift.
well…………
A corrections officer is an officer responsible for the custody, safety, security, and supervision of inmates in a prison or any other correctional facility. Traditionally, terms such as jailer, jail guard, prison guard, and turnkey were used to refer to a corrections officer.
never mind, i am sure Judith likes a man in uniform. 🙂 irrespective of the uniform.
https://www.correctionsone.com/careers/articles/180412187-Why-COs-hate-being-called-guard/
I do need to point out I don't hate being called a guard because the person saying it is most likely is saying it out of ignorance rather than malice
You're a screw/screw cunt/fucking screw.
Still am according to some prisoners
Is the F/O still a thing?
Whats F/O?
First Officer.
Back in the day when being a Prison Officer was akin to being in the services, P/Os held rank and went on parade for inspection, management was a quasi officer class, the F/O was akin to an RSM and ruled the roost. F/Os were directly answerable to the Superintendent and were both an inmate's best friend and worst enemy and responsible for all boob discipline. They were fucking martinets and any P/O who ran afoul of the F/O was in deep shit, too.
Now called PCO (principle corrections officer)
There are good and bad Corrections Officers. I'd like to think you are a good one, but your unwavering support for that nasty woman Collins who has an unpleasant punitive attitude towards prisoners causes me to have doubt.
Chur for up thread.
I'’d imagine having each other'(?)s back would be big part of the role.
you might call yourself as you wish, but at the end of the day no matter how much sugar coating you want to use to make it palatable you are a prisoners guard.
You guard people that are locked up. You are a turn key. You keep people locked up in cells, and you open the cells for recreation or something. In fact, the saddest thing about our society is that people like you have that job in the first place. If our society would do its job right we would not need you in the numbers that we obviously have atm. But then i guess for profit prisons need the beds occupied……:) or else there is no profit? right?
nothing to do with ignorance, just a different term. And frankly, if the guys and girls hate it so much they could get a different job, right? Free market and such.
But you are no officer of anything, you are a prison guard. Heck, according to the Corrections absolutely anyone who can sign on the dotted line can be a jailer. https://www.corrections.govt.nz/careers/types_of_careers/offender_facing_roles/corrections_officer2.html
I might have this wrong but you either seem to be looking for a reaction or you seem to be trying to convince yourself of what you're saying or maybe you just want to get something off your chest
I am proud to be a Corrections Officer, I'm proud to be doing a job that contributes to NZ, I'm proud of being part of a group that, mostly, runs towards danger rather than away from, metaphorically but also physically, that I've found a way to use the experiences in my life to, in some small way, correct (hence the name) someones negative behaviour
I understand that some people don't like the idea of prisons and therefore Corrections Officers, I get that people don't like the idea of people wearing uniforms and locking people away and curtailing freedom and I get that some people will think that can lead to abuse, I get all that
Nothing I say will change your mind about anything I'm sure but believe me when I say that if I could wave a magic wand and make prisons obsolete I would, I will celebrate the day I'm made redundant from Corrections because theres no more prisoners
I'll enjoy not having shift work, I'll enjoy not driving to work and then getting a text or phone call telling me I'm going to a different prison, I'll enjoy not being threatened, I'll enjoy my family not being threatened, I'll enjoy not having to worry if its my day to be assaulted at work and who knows there maybe a day when I call it quits but until that time comes there'll be a need for men and women like me to do what we do because someone has to do it (I will miss working with a great bunch of people)
Also before you start making assumptions you should check your facts, I don't work for Serco, I work for the Dept of Corrections so whatever your point was about prison profit it completely missed it
Good on you PR.
Many years ago I spent 3 evenings at the old Mt Eden Prison interviewing CO’s as part of the switch over to Serco for the facility. I was, and remain, incredibly impressed by the dedication of these people to the well being and care of those who would more often than not literally stab them in the back with little or no reason. At other times I have been involved in physical works inside AWRCF (Wiri) and Pare, and have been close up to those that inhabit these places. I doubt I’d be brave enough to do your job, and am certain that none of the keyboard warriors here would last more than a day. Ironic really, as it’s their misguided and destructive social policies/ideology that ensure high levels of dangerous criminality in our society. It should be compulsory for all lefties to see close up what they do to human behaviour. Big ups to you.
Its more like I just had a vague idea of wanting to help, of wanting to help make NZ a better place (or at least leave no worse off after I'm gone) and looking at what I can do and am willing to do Corrections seems the best place for me
I mean I couldn't do what nurses do, to me thats a really tough job. I couldn't be a teacher (who wants to hang around kids all day) and I can't be arsed getting my fitness up to join the police but I can do this so I do it
Since you've already seen the worst Corrections has to offer I reckon you would be able to handle it
The shift work and rosters are a big pain in the butt though to be fair…
mfinhamburg. You started off ok, then just a massive train crash.
🤣
I thought some good points were made 🙂
mfinhamburg – "It should be compulsory for all lefties to see close up what they do to human behaviour. "
Yes, just look at the marxist, communist USA for example. Huge crime rate… cause Bernie… or something.
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/DgGr_n4fgyI
We must do more to help our Pacific cousins survive sea level rising cause by Global warming climate change the Papatuanuku owes them as they have not caused as much damage to our environment as the advanced economies of Papatuanuku have to be fair .
Before, the sand used to stretch out far, and when we swam we could see the sea floor, and the coral. Now, it is cloudy all the time, and the coral is dead. Tuvalu is sinking.”
“Tuvalu is sinking” is the local catch-all phrase for the effects of climate change on this tiny island archipelago on the frontline of global warming. A Polynesian country situated in Oceania, Tuvalu is no more than a speck in the Pacific ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia.
The fourth smallest nation in the world, Tuvalu is home to just 11,000 people, most of whom live on the largest island of Fongafale, where they are packed in and fighting for space. Tuvalu’s total land area accounts for less than 26 sq km.
Already, two of Tuvalu’s nine islands are on the verge of going under, the government says, swallowed by sea-rise and coastal erosion. Most of the islands sit barely three metres above sea level, and at its narrowest point, Fongafale stretches just 20m across
During storms, waves batter the island from the east and the west, “swallowing” the country, in the words of the locals. Many say they have nightmares that the sea will soon gobble them up for good, and not just as a distant fear in their slumber – but by the next generation. Scientists predict Tuvalu could become uninhabitable in the next 50 to 100 years. Locals say they feel it could be much sooner Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/16/one-day-disappear-tuvalu-sinking-islands-rising-seas-climate-change
I think it a bad joke fossil fuel being subsidized by the many tangata TAX dollars giving hundreds of billions to billionaire oil barons so they can mount propaganda campaigns to turn lies into their realities. The neanderthal are climate change deniers. They don't care about the 99. % of tangata wellbeing. It's all about the power and money first in there World.
The head of the United Nations has reiterated his call to end fossil fuel subsidies after first spelling out the idea during his Pacific tour earlier this month.
Antonio Guterres was speaking in Vienna at the world summit of the environmental group, the R20 Coalition
Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/390964/un-head-calls-again-for-end-to-fossil-fuel-subsidies
Kia ora Newshub.
The snow looks heavy down the south island .
There is a problem of bullies at some schools it not on tamariki being hit by their pears.
That shows me how much trump likes to control things making requests to have the SSSMcain hidden to keep him happy.
The Rantan 2 crew were lucky to be rescued. I seen a story about a billionaire super yacht dropping off a container ship and floating close to the surface lost to Tangaroa.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora te ao Maori news.
shane its good investment in the region is well over due they have been forgotten for the last ten years.
The wellbeing budget is awesome for the people but I agree totally immersion Maori language tamariki needed more.
Papatuanuku smoke free day cool
I say that's correct the East coast has higher rates of smoking than the rest of the motu that also tells me that East coast has higher poverty rates than the rest of the country that is sad because 20 years ago that was not the case.
Cool Maori Radio station getting a extra million for content that will help tau toko te reo and Maori Culture
Congratulations to Mrs King becoming a judge were needed all the tangata whenua we can get in the justice system to give the organization a way to respect tangata whenua ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/h4DFXUndvbw
I'm having the day off