While calling Russia the most significant and direct threat to itself, NATO said “authoritarian actors” in general were challenging its interests. In particular, China was criticized for allegedly using “its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence.”
[lprent:
1. You seem to have a problem with adding a video – does the media button not work on comments? All I had to was to remove the anchor link – and lo – it worked! You must be desperate to get people to look at a meaningless video…
2. Pays to add more of an explanation about what you’re asking people to view.
3. Along with the comment you’re responding to – neither appear to relate to the post. ]
Luxon is not doing anything, which is remarkably good use of Taxpayers’ money. However, when he speaks, he talks in platitudes and says very little or shoots off his mouth and those are the more revealing moments of his short political career so far. I can also hardly wait for the next episode of Lamentable Luxon Lost in La La Land – the gift that keeps giving.
@ Lprent: I'd edited the YT link, so I take the blame the credit for buggering it up if that’s what happened. Those inane YT clips drive me up the wall some days.
"And note that arch fantasist/conspiracist, Chantelle Baker, has "liked" Mr O'Connor's comment. So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc. So much for "sovereign citizenship"."
So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc.
Macskasy is more than a little OCD about providing references.
I see no reference to substantiate the above claim.
Nothing over-the-top there then. Talk about over-reaction.
Around three quarters of abortions in the USA these days are performed in the first 8 weeks using oral medication. Trying to stop women having the right and choice to have a termination in the USA is akin to Canute trying to control the tides.
Note: Before the attacks start-I entirely oppose what the Supreme Court has done and fully support a woman's right to choose. There will be poor people in particular who will be greatly disadvantaged by the ridiculous SC decision. The 4 SC judges who said that they would not change abortion law to facilitate their elevation to the SC bench should be disbarred.
This vandalism was a lot more pre-meditated than I first realized. Also, the "synagog of Satan" graffiti makes more sense now I know the resident's upbringing:
The police summary of facts said Pattinson was one of four men who planned for weeks to vandalise the building.
It was commonly known that Duckor-Jones was part of the LGBTQ community and raised in a Jewish household, the summary said.
The men allegedly dressed in black clothing, including black hoodies and cloth masks, and went to the property with red spray paint and a black permanent marker at 11pm.
One of the men, who has not yet appeared in court, allegedly took a rainbow pride flag, attached it to a piece of wood and partially burned it. He then stayed in the car as a getaway driver.
Pattinson wrote “dancing Israelies” and a symbol of the Star of David underneath in marker on the wall.
Another man, who has not yet been charged, wrote biblical quotes, anti-Semitic messages and drew crosses.
They left, drove to the back of the Greymouth Aerodrome and changed their clothes.
Yeh, I believe that is a hate crime too! It's good that at least one perp confessed so the events are no longer all "alleged" (e.g. the rainbow flag – maybe it just spontaneously combusted coincidentally like). The sheer number of hate crimes since the police started recording those reported to them drew some comment on Twitter:
Really harmful behaviour from the young men who did this.
The hate crime statistic need more detail. Current police policy on this is predicated on the offense felt, rather than offence given or intended. Hate crimes against people because of the protected characteristic of sex, are not recorded, because sex is not included as a hate crime characteristic.
"A hate crime is an offence perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age."
There is a good article on Gloria, co-authored by Duckor-Jones, that shows his work and his goals regarding the Pink Church he has create. The majority of the public seemed to have interacted positively with him while he has been there.
The simplified version may not include the "protected characteristic of sex", but it seems to be covered under the; "such as", in s9(1) (h) referenced in the 2021 data quality review:
that the offender committed the offence partly or wholly because of hostility towards a group of persons who have an enduring common characteristic such as race, colour, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability; and
(i)
the hostility is because of the common characteristic; and
(ii)
the offender believed that the victim has that characteristic:
Thanks, but still provides no actual details regarding those stated hate crime statistics, which would give some indication of how many are targeted in different demographics, ie. religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation etc. Even more informative, would be to know how they were targeted and what action the police took in those cases.
Might be included under "such as" is not the definitive answer that most would accept, but if you do, then well, we'll see how it plays out, in terms of hate crime statistics and hate crimes against women and girls and how they are included in police hate crime policy.
Interesting that gender identity is included, as it is not currently one of the protected characteristics under the Human Rights Act 1993, but it is because those discrimination characteristics don't come from there, but from the Sentencing Act, which has eliminated both sex and marital status, and included gender identity.
A glaring example of a hate crime – what were they 'thinking'? These criminals may have no sense of shame – still, the more sunlight the better, imho.
Um, we really need to think about what instances like this and others mean for any sense of democracy. The anti-vax protests at parliament earlier this year took overt misogyny – hatred of women – and racism to another level. Um I know the Prime Minister’s been particularly impacted by death threats and abuse but so have other MPs and a lot of journalists as well. Then six days ago in Tauranga a building housing a Rainbow Youth and Transgender support service was burnt down after other anti-queer incidents in that district.
– Sue Bradford [29 June 2022, @ 8:40 minutes] https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018847657
Apparently not; DMK, because hate crimes do not yet legally exist as such in Aotearoa. Up at comment 2.1.1, I linked to the Sentencing Act 2002 which appears to guide police understanding of hate crime being "hostility towards a group of persons" as an aggravating factor that: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following aggravating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case"; alongside mitigating factors that likewise: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following mitigating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case".
So in the above case of the vandalism of Gloria; the Pink Church. Aggravating factors would seem to be:
(d) the extent of any loss, damage, or harm resulting from the offence:
(h) that the offender committed the offence partly or wholly because of hostility towards a group of persons who have an enduring common characteristic such as race, colour, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability
(i) premeditation on the part of the offender and, if so, the level of premeditation involved:
While mitigating factors that must be considered by the court would seem to include:
(a) the age of the offender:
(b) whether and when the offender pleaded guilty:
(c) the conduct of the victim:
(d) that there was a limited involvement in the offence on the offender’s part:
(f) any remorse shown by the offender…
(fa) that the offender has taken steps during the proceedings (other than steps to comply with procedural requirements) to shorten the proceedings or reduce their cost:
(g) any evidence of the offender’s previous good character:
The original Stuff piece as much as says the admitted hostile criminal would have got away scot free if there hadn't been people watching the case and disposed to ask inconvenient questions. And that might still happen, though at least with some public record of his actions:
Pattinson’s defence lawyer, Doug Taffs, said Pattinson accepted the charge and had written a letter to the court.
He said police had initially said they would consider diversion but that had been rescinded “at a national level due to the public interest involved”…
Taffs told the court Pattinson wanted to apply for a discharge without conviction.
Judge Jane Farish said she wanted Pattinson to have a restorative justice conference with Duckor-Jones…
Duckor-Jones said, after court, he was keen to be involved in the restorative justice process.
Ghahraman has some choice words on the topic of our lacking specific hate crime legislation in today's Daalder piece on Newsroom:
For more than a year after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15 terror attacks first recommended hate crime laws be updated, officials provided no advice to ministers on the project…
The January 2022 briefing shows Ministry of Justice officials have previously considered and rejected changes to hate crime laws.
"When the issue of hate-motivated offending has been raised in the past, Ministry of Justice officials have felt that our current system – dealing with hate motivation as part of sentencing – was a better approach than specific offences. However, following the [Royal Commission] recommendation the Ministry of Justice is revisiting the issue," officials wrote…
"I think what the officials said [in the briefing] is actively misleading, because there isn't a current approach to hate crimes in our justice system. They don't exist," Ghahraman said.
"You can record within the sentencing notes to the judge that, as an aggravating factor of committing an ordinary crime, there was presence of hate. But there is no present system, so that's actively misleading the previous minister.
A note for anyone still interested in the Ukraine war on Russia's latest casual atrocity. Never ascribe to something planned evil when casual evil is just as likely – doubly so with the Russians who governments culturally seem to specialise in dumb and casual cruelty.
The Kh-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") anti-ship missile used in the outrageous missile strike on the Kremenchuk mall attack is a huge six tonne weapon that was designed sixty years ago as a nuclear armed weapon to attack US Carrier groups in the North Atlantic. It's guidance is a simple gyroscope-stabilised autopilot in conjunction with a radio altimeter. It is hopelessly inaccurate. It has a CEP (Circular Area Probability, i.e. the circle in which it is likely to land) for an unmodified Kh-22 of 5000m(!) Now, if a CEP is 5000m that means 50% of your shots will land within 5000m of the target (more or less grouped around the centre point) but also that 50% of your shots will end up anywhere up to 15000 metres away. Accurate enough if you are firing a half dozen nuclear armed ones at a US carrier battlegroup I suppose, near enough is good enough in that case. Not much use for precision strikes though.
Now the Kremenchuk mall is within 500-1000m of any number of valid targets – a bridge over the Dnipro river, the railway station, or an industrial facility that may be engaged in refurbishing armoured vehicles. So my guess is the Russians were aiming at one of these, but using a missile that is akin to aiming at the Auckland harbour bridge with something that would count itself lucky if it ended up hitting the Auckland zoo.
The recklessness of using these weapons for what is effectively a form of area bombing on heavily built up civilian areas when no existential threat exists to Russia, they possess the ability to end the war at any moment and more accurate weapons are now in existence is astounding and definitely criminal. But also, it shows they are running out of precision guided weapons (sanctions are working) and they are pulling any old shit out of storage and slinging it at the Ukraine out of pure spite.
That sounds entirely feasible Sanc. A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage.
The blanket and unquestioning reporting by the anti-Russian pro-western media irritates me when it says that the Russians deliberately targeted a shopping mall with a 1000 people in it*. The western media loses respect by buying wholesale into what is effectively propaganda. When the Russians come out with propaganda we scorn them.
What a load of crap- noveau riche are annoying everywhere and sometimes brilliant. But to try and somehow blame this farm on the government because it was covered on a public channel shows that there are a lot of people in the rural sector who need to retire and log off.
We can sympathize that rich people buying into where you’re struggling is crap. Gentrification it is called and it is happening all over cities everywhere.
Saying PC or woke is just a sign of people who can’t articulate their real grievance or have a chip on their shoulder about some whole damn other thing.
Get some real rural leaders out front and send Rob’s mob back to the 70s. Opportunity Labour imo.
I feel bad for the kids that lost out but on a bigger picture scale this is good because its situations like this that will wake people up to what is actually happening in todays world
I also don't think that its a coincidence that Lia Thomas said this:
Andrew Little is going to make himself even more unpopular with the public. He'll never win an electorate seat. Seems like all the doctors and nurses that have spoken out are wrong and all is fine at the hospitals because Andrew has said so. Funny how so many health experts working at the coal face can be wrong.
Same as Lees-Galloway saying there's nothing wrong with the ACC system. Difference is that ACC claimants aren't listened to as much as medical practitioners whose job it is to sort us out when we're ill. Still, surprising Little has taken that view, whereas we expect that sort of shit to come out of Lees-Galloway's mouth.
Inflation / cost of living is the most important issue
facing New Zealanders today. After a significant
increase in February (53% vs 31% in Oct ‘21), the
latest Issues Monitor shows 56% of New Zealanders
now rate inflation as a top-3 issue.
Concerns around inflation mean housing is now
relatively less important as an issue, with only 37% of
New Zealanders placing it in their top 3, a
significant decline to its lowest level since Sep ‘20
(37%). However, it remains the second-highest
issue for New Zealanders.
Crime / law (26%) was the other most significant
shift, jumping up to #5 in May ‘22. This was an
increase from 19% in Feb ’22, and the highest level
of concern since tracking began in Feb ‘18.
Healthcare / hospitals (#3 at 29%) and petrol prices / fuel (#4 at 28%) are the other top-5 issues facing New Zealanders.
This survey included women! I don’t know who let them out of the kitchen but there you go lol
Good to see you focusing on the big issues, Micky. Keep up the good work.
Seymour continues to assert that we should be at level Green.
Last time I looked (though I stand to be corrected) I could not find any evidence of his qualifications as an expert in Pandemics and how they should be managed. He has seemed to be driven by which way the wind is blowing (in Remuera) when commenting.
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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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
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 ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
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, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
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It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The rate of women killed by their partners in Australia grew by 28% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, according to new statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology ...
Ministry of Disabled People employees were promised a permanent role, but were told to start packing three weeks before their fixed term contract finished, says a former employee. ...
That's the sound of imperialisms clashing
War on nature, war on each other.
Imperialism is capitalist competition writ large.
War and climate change have the same economic and political drivers.
If we can’t stop one, we can’t stop the other.
Great to see R Kelly going down for 30 years.
R. Kelly Is Sentenced to 30 Years on Sex Trafficking Charges: Live Updates – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Also Ghislaine Maxwell getting 20 years for sex trafficking.
Let's see who else gets done for assisting them both.
Nearly …Plastic Free July. I'm linking a page to it. Maybe not possible to go plastic free? Well there are plenty of Alternatives…and suggestions.
https://www.facebook.com/PlasticFreeJulyAotearoa/
Because this is what we are faced with….
https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-soup/more-plastic-than-fish/
And single use plastic…the worst. So a suggest starter !
https://hempplastic.com/
AS usual there is a solution but unfortunatly is doesn't benefit those that pull the strings.
Hi Bruce. Yes that does look Interesting. And apparently the Hemp uses much less Water than other Alternative Corn as well….
Just wondering..re the Biodgradeble aspect, if it needs a suitable process/conditions? I did see 6 Months…as opposed to 450 YEARS for some plastic !?
Plastic pollution is such a very recent problem (maybe 30 years? )
but Our Planet will bear the consequences for a Thousand years
I did remember hearing about this on RNZ way back…
https://dutchreview.com/culture/innovation/worlds-1st-plastic-free-aisle-in-a-dutch-supermarket/
The NZ supermarket duopoly has massive Greenwash advertising…but they are a major component of the Problem.
Thanks for your Input : )
Gee, the internal polls must be diabolical
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
For some reason it kinda reminds me of this:
[lprent:
1. You seem to have a problem with adding a video – does the media button not work on comments? All I had to was to remove the anchor link – and lo – it worked! You must be desperate to get people to look at a meaningless video…
2. Pays to add more of an explanation about what you’re asking people to view.
3. Along with the comment you’re responding to – neither appear to relate to the post. ]
I think people got the message just fine.
I can't wait for the next thrilling episode of
Our polls are tanking so we're panickingWhats Luxon done nowLuxon is not doing anything, which is remarkably good use of Taxpayers’ money. However, when he speaks, he talks in platitudes and says very little or shoots off his mouth and those are the more revealing moments of his short political career so far. I can also hardly wait for the next episode of Lamentable Luxon Lost in La La Land – the gift that keeps giving.
I heard he once held a door open for a woman…or was it that he didn't, one of the two
Yup, for Judith …
@ Lprent: I'd edited the YT link, so I take
the blamethe credit for buggering it up if that’s what happened. Those inane YT clips drive me up the wall some days.Its all good
Also while the title of the song is the point I'm trying to make its also not a bad song either so you know win-win
You were trying!? Are you going for promotion or a pay-rise?
You wouldn't believe how much I get paid for doing this but its not about the money, its the public service that counts
You lost count at one.
Interesting comment from Frank Macskasy:
"And note that arch fantasist/conspiracist, Chantelle Baker, has "liked" Mr O'Connor's comment. So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc. So much for "sovereign citizenship"."
https://frankmacskasy.substack.com/p/united-states-moves-closer-to-theocracy
So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc.
Macskasy is more than a little OCD about providing references.
I see no reference to substantiate the above claim.
Funny that.
Nothing over-the-top there then. Talk about over-reaction.
Around three quarters of abortions in the USA these days are performed in the first 8 weeks using oral medication. Trying to stop women having the right and choice to have a termination in the USA is akin to Canute trying to control the tides.
Note: Before the attacks start-I entirely oppose what the Supreme Court has done and fully support a woman's right to choose. There will be poor people in particular who will be greatly disadvantaged by the ridiculous SC decision. The 4 SC judges who said that they would not change abortion law to facilitate their elevation to the SC bench should be disbarred.
Pretty sure one doesn't have to be Nostradamus to have worked that one out from her other topics.
This vandalism was a lot more pre-meditated than I first realized. Also, the "synagog of Satan" graffiti makes more sense now I know the resident's upbringing:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129122700/man-admits-antisemitic-and-homophobic-attack-on-west-coasts-pink-church
Yeh, I believe that is a hate crime too! It's good that at least one perp confessed so the events are no longer all "alleged" (e.g. the rainbow flag – maybe it just spontaneously combusted coincidentally like). The sheer number of hate crimes since the police started recording those reported to them drew some comment on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/cjhood71/status/1542099839995252738?s=20&t=ZkgV7jW68YIUUgF-EDjzOA
Really harmful behaviour from the young men who did this.
The hate crime statistic need more detail. Current police policy on this is predicated on the offense felt, rather than offence given or intended. Hate crimes against people because of the protected characteristic of sex, are not recorded, because sex is not included as a hate crime characteristic.
"A hate crime is an offence perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age."
https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/advice-victims/hate-crime
There is a good article on Gloria, co-authored by Duckor-Jones, that shows his work and his goals regarding the Pink Church he has create. The majority of the public seemed to have interacted positively with him while he has been there.
https://www.renews.co.nz/i-painted-a-church-pink-in-greymouth-a-house-of-queer-worship/
The simplified version may not include the "protected characteristic of sex", but it seems to be covered under the; "such as", in s9(1) (h) referenced in the 2021 data quality review:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM135545.html
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/annual-report-police-data-quality-2021
Which I was looking at after reading this from a couple of years back:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/431996/hate-crimes-almost-half-complaints-to-police-wrongly-downgraded
Thanks, but still provides no actual details regarding those stated hate crime statistics, which would give some indication of how many are targeted in different demographics, ie. religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation etc. Even more informative, would be to know how they were targeted and what action the police took in those cases.
Might be included under "such as" is not the definitive answer that most would accept, but if you do, then well, we'll see how it plays out, in terms of hate crime statistics and hate crimes against women and girls and how they are included in police hate crime policy.
Interesting that gender identity is included, as it is not currently one of the protected characteristics under the Human Rights Act 1993, but it is because those discrimination characteristics don't come from there, but from the Sentencing Act, which has eliminated both sex and marital status, and included gender identity.
A glaring example of a hate crime – what were they 'thinking'? These criminals may have no sense of shame – still, the more sunlight the better, imho.
Apparently not; DMK, because hate crimes do not yet legally exist as such in Aotearoa. Up at comment 2.1.1, I linked to the Sentencing Act 2002 which appears to guide police understanding of hate crime being "hostility towards a group of persons" as an aggravating factor that: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following aggravating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case"; alongside mitigating factors that likewise: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following mitigating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case".
So in the above case of the vandalism of Gloria; the Pink Church. Aggravating factors would seem to be:
While mitigating factors that must be considered by the court would seem to include:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM135545.html
The original Stuff piece as much as says the admitted hostile criminal would have got away scot free if there hadn't been people watching the case and disposed to ask inconvenient questions. And that might still happen, though at least with some public record of his actions:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129122700/man-admits-antisemitic-and-homophobic-attack-on-west-coasts-pink-church
Ghahraman has some choice words on the topic of our lacking specific hate crime legislation in today's Daalder piece on Newsroom:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/unexplained-year-long-delay-on-hate-crime-reform?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1656559440-1
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/06/30/guest-blog-ian-powell-train-wrecks-and-election-outcomes/
Ian Powell telling it how it is about our health system and how restructuring will do sfa to change this crisis. Try not to get sick people.
Thanks for the link Anker, if what is said is true, it is very disappointing but somehow, not surprising.
We are getting a neo-liberal solution to problems caused by that way of thinking.
Poor old Grant Robertson now has Covid. Lets hope he doesn't get it too bad else Kelvin Davis will be acting PM.
Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson comes down with Covid-19 | Stuff.co.nz
Oh dear lord no!
Get well quickly Grant, your country needs you!
"Get well quickly Grant, your country needs you!"
A never-to-be-forgotten quote, Pucky!
I'm sure he would be grateful for your genuine support and encouragement. Thank you on his behalf. 👋
PM is overseas, deputy PM has the spicey cough – time for Laura Roslin!
I just that no one on here finds out Luxon squeezes the toothpaste from the middle of the tube
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Will do.
I've also heard rumours he once failed to indicate while he was merging…
Nah, that’s BS, Luxon is always in the Right lane.
Excellent!
Nah, that's the chauffeur's job, as he drives from one side of the street to the other.
Pucky! Incognito and RBO took you to task, elegantly.
You made it too easy.
Thanks though (thumbs-up emoji).
A note for anyone still interested in the Ukraine war on Russia's latest casual atrocity. Never ascribe to something planned evil when casual evil is just as likely – doubly so with the Russians who governments culturally seem to specialise in dumb and casual cruelty.
The Kh-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") anti-ship missile used in the outrageous missile strike on the Kremenchuk mall attack is a huge six tonne weapon that was designed sixty years ago as a nuclear armed weapon to attack US Carrier groups in the North Atlantic. It's guidance is a simple gyroscope-stabilised autopilot in conjunction with a radio altimeter. It is hopelessly inaccurate. It has a CEP (Circular Area Probability, i.e. the circle in which it is likely to land) for an unmodified Kh-22 of 5000m(!) Now, if a CEP is 5000m that means 50% of your shots will land within 5000m of the target (more or less grouped around the centre point) but also that 50% of your shots will end up anywhere up to 15000 metres away. Accurate enough if you are firing a half dozen nuclear armed ones at a US carrier battlegroup I suppose, near enough is good enough in that case. Not much use for precision strikes though.
Now the Kremenchuk mall is within 500-1000m of any number of valid targets – a bridge over the Dnipro river, the railway station, or an industrial facility that may be engaged in refurbishing armoured vehicles. So my guess is the Russians were aiming at one of these, but using a missile that is akin to aiming at the Auckland harbour bridge with something that would count itself lucky if it ended up hitting the Auckland zoo.
The recklessness of using these weapons for what is effectively a form of area bombing on heavily built up civilian areas when no existential threat exists to Russia, they possess the ability to end the war at any moment and more accurate weapons are now in existence is astounding and definitely criminal. But also, it shows they are running out of precision guided weapons (sanctions are working) and they are pulling any old shit out of storage and slinging it at the Ukraine out of pure spite.
Yep. Pretty much sums up this latest atrocity. Attempts to justify it, because "storing weapons" – easily proven to be BS.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/29/evidence-contradicts-russian-claims-about-kremenchuk-mall-attack
That sounds entirely feasible Sanc. A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage.
The blanket and unquestioning reporting by the anti-Russian pro-western media irritates me when it says that the Russians deliberately targeted a shopping mall with a 1000 people in it*. The western media loses respect by buying wholesale into what is effectively propaganda. When the Russians come out with propaganda we scorn them.
*There seem to be around 50 deaths not hundreds
"A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage."
Not surprising. Seemed to be an odd target from the start. How to ensure the rest of the planet is dead against you.
Gee there’s some confusion out there: hating on the noveau riche and their habits is apparently ‘woke’.
We hate capitalists and free enterprise say farmers and the Herald.
Sorry it’s a link to stuff the next day.
What a load of crap- noveau riche are annoying everywhere and sometimes brilliant. But to try and somehow blame this farm on the government because it was covered on a public channel shows that there are a lot of people in the rural sector who need to retire and log off.
We can sympathize that rich people buying into where you’re struggling is crap. Gentrification it is called and it is happening all over cities everywhere.
Saying PC or woke is just a sign of people who can’t articulate their real grievance or have a chip on their shoulder about some whole damn other thing.
Get some real rural leaders out front and send Rob’s mob back to the 70s. Opportunity Labour imo.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/27/trans-woman-beats-13-year-old-in-womens-skateboarding-contest/
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/grid.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1918
I feel bad for the kids that lost out but on a bigger picture scale this is good because its situations like this that will wake people up to what is actually happening in todays world
I also don't think that its a coincidence that Lia Thomas said this:
https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-college-swimming-united-states-olympic-team-14e7fd8d820a331d7aeb72b34cdc83e6
“It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through.”
then this happens:
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7
However for those interested I've managed to find a video of the competition:
Andrew Little is going to make himself even more unpopular with the public. He'll never win an electorate seat. Seems like all the doctors and nurses that have spoken out are wrong and all is fine at the hospitals because Andrew has said so. Funny how so many health experts working at the coal face can be wrong.
'An absolute lie': Healthcare workers savage Health Minister's claim hospital demand is 'dissipating' (msn.com)
Same as Lees-Galloway saying there's nothing wrong with the ACC system. Difference is that ACC claimants aren't listened to as much as medical practitioners whose job it is to sort us out when we're ill. Still, surprising Little has taken that view, whereas we expect that sort of shit to come out of Lees-Galloway's mouth.
Labour's internal polling must be appalling. 🙂
This survey included women! I don’t know who let them out of the kitchen but there you go lol
Good to see you focusing on the big issues, Micky. Keep up the good work.
https://www.ipsos.com/en-nz/17th-ipsos-nz-issues-monitor-june-2022
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Comments that argue the irrelevancy of a Post without addressing anything in/of the Post get a short sharp shrift to OM.
Pandemic
Seymour continues to assert that we should be at level Green.
Last time I looked (though I stand to be corrected) I could not find any evidence of his qualifications as an expert in Pandemics and how they should be managed. He has seemed to be driven by which way the wind is blowing (in Remuera) when commenting.