So now there’s the specter of this corporate toady coming back in when clearly she is not what the public want. And despite her denial, she couldn’t help but entertain her ego in public, and thus the public rumor mill. Same shit different day. Simply not attractive anymore.
Having her about is just sowing doubt.
Clinton led Democrats… There’s nothing attractive in it except ‘not Trump’. Is that a platform?
I bet a lot of Trumps votes were votes for not-Hillary.
It’s akin to rolling Bridges out to comment on his possibly running during our next election (I scry the fools demise). He’ll only remind us why we don’t want Nats. Out of sight out of mind is the obvious smart choice for future Nats re Bridges, and today’s Democrats re Clinton.
I don’t think she is as bad as painted, and she did win the popular vote, but I don’t think she’ll seriously run again.
I think she might keep it open as long as possible to be Faux’s boogey-woman so that they have to invent hate from scratch when the actual candidates come to the podium.
As long as she’s a might-run, they’re looking at her. The far right (and sanctimonius left) have a real bugbear about the Clintons.
So heres where she says NO – twice
“Mrs. Clinton initially said “no” when asked whether she wanted to run for president again. She then paused and repeated “no.”
because she paused and said ( hypothetically) ‘Id like to be President’ the haters have gone crazy.
Merkel is like Helen Clark. A smart, good leader, but who got blinded on some issues and did not look forward to the future as well as she should have…aka now Germany divided more. NZ divided more by neoliberalism by Clark who signed the FTA with China. Nice idea, bad details left in, that is now going to make NZ a much less equal, less democratic society run to other countries agendas.
Leadership is very hard, but it is worse when maybe the leaders like the idea of something with out looking at how it can negatively impact the positives… and really looking at the fine print. Better to not sign a flawed deal than sign one and then think you will somehow get out easily. Brexit comes to mind if the UK leaders had managed the EU expansion better with policy, Brexit would not have come to pass.
Quote via Stuff: But aviation expert Neil Hansford said it was highly unlikely a technical fault within the plane’s structure had led it to plough into the ocean and the model was among the safest in the world.
While the aircraft is yet to take to Australian skies, Virgin Australia has 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes on order, with the first of the fleet due to arrive in late 2019. It is not known if the aircraft is heading to New Zealand airlines.
Have a look at flight stats in this article, either they had a serious cockpit management issue, an onboard disturbance or major technical/ systems failure. Either way it doesn’t look good especially when they were climbing out and suddenly lose altitude before nose diving into sea at high speed.
Note: this is the first serious crash of the 737 Max 8 aircraft. There is going to be a lot riding on this IRT the out come of this investigation especially Boeing, which could add fuel to the fire over Boeing’s alleged lax safety and quality control standards in which these rumours have been around for a wee while now.
When the Nacts lost the last election ….. they were bloated with millions in donations ,,,, and could easily afford to run another election campaign immediately … given the chance.
Not so for Labour and their coalition partners …… who were financially exhausted winners.
Starting From election night where they misrepresented the result … Our slanted media has been giving us bad reporting …. and bad Hosking maths …. where being the largest minority is considered more legitimate to rule …. than getting over 50% support.
There is a concerted effort to de-legitimize the new Govt … Just read bitter old Alwyns posts for the ‘attack lines’ …. making him good for something.
Reading a ‘stuff’ story on anonymous donations …. spurred by Jamies Lee Ross $100,000 dirty donations back stabbings … I was amazed by the Dirty Politics flavor as Stuff twisted the truth
And in a Wayne Mapp like way they claimed NZ first was the worst offender / biggest problem …
However the math in NZs secret political donations was roughly something like this …
National ———– 5 Million secret backhanders
Labour ———– 2 Million or so
NZ first ———— 1.2 Million or something
Now if Im looking for the worst offenders / biggest problems ….. 5 Million by the Nats stands out like dog balls ….. unlike the election results they do have the majority…. over half …. they rule when it comes to dirty donations.
I’d like Labour to do better … but i do not vote for them …. and I suppose they feel its the only way they can stay in the buying media space electioneering game.
But my point is ….. the reporting stunk …. and mislead readers ,,,,
Dirty Politics stands aligned with the dirty money….. we are buying ourselves corruption
Too true …. and double hard to find out about or prove …. when to many in our media run cover for the criminals.
Reading either a herald or stuff report …. on the single largest forfeiture that has occurred in New Zealand to date …. $43 million seized under our proceeds of crime laws.
I was struck by the language which described an ‘agreement’ between William Yan – also known as Bill Liu, Yang Liu and Yong Ming Yan … and our courts.
Other media has described it as ‘ struck a deal ‘.
Usually criminal matters uses court language like ‘ judgements ‘ or ‘ forfeiture ‘ , ‘seized’ etc.
but the criminally rich …. reach agreements.
New Zealand ………… moderately racist …… and the last 9 years growing economic apartheid
Thats Suzie Dawson, fearless self promoter and bully , Her modus operandi is to declare herself “spokesperson” and then divert resources and publicity towards supporting herself in the manner she feels she deserves IMHO. avoid , do not engage without witnesses !.
Who the fuck cares about Dawson, what about the issues, If people were less worried about individual people and more about how policy like TPPA is going to effect themselves, their families and the next generation, it might be harder to power interests to get everything through… forget about semantics and individuals and identity politics and concentrate on the results and effects of policy.
0.5% of the population cares about the TPPA in the way you do.
Its the well off people like yourself problem. And even then its a bogey that ‘might happen’.
Do you really lie awake at night thinking ‘the government is going to be sued’
Thanks for that Link, esoteric pineapples. As the commentator says you get punched with the left fist as well as the right fist.
The Green Party were the only ones who did not sell out the people. If they were in the media for that, instead of cunts, benefit frauds or woke left discourses we would have a lot more Green MP’s representing us.
Saying that the Green Party is still the best party in NZ to preserve democracy and hopefully whatever hic up going on with the Greens and how they represent their policies, they will overcome it.
Those who spoke the best against the TPP like Norman, Cunliffe, Metiria and Harawira were harassed out of parliament and big victims of dirty politics.
Now the issue is silent. Like Rogernomics though, not forgotten.
As the US commentator says we now have sham democracies…
Of course the Greens were in the media re TPPA as they were and still are staunchly opposed. You know this. Everybody who has opposed TPPA knows this. The reality is that this is not as bigger issue with most people as it is for you. We have lost this battle, but that is no reason to abandon all the social justice issues that the Greens have always stood for. Get over yourself.
Doesn’t even make the home page of the Greens website.
Seem to remember “trains for the shore” being a big headline on the Greens website during the election and ‘Te Reo’ for all…
I know crazy, how those working multiple jobs, with kids or in poverty, bad internet does not make the effort to search Green Party policy and find those 65 articles when the Greens don’t even put it on their home page website with all their other policy directives..
It’s the people’s fault, is that what the Greens tell themselves???
missing the point again Solka, with volunteers like you for Greens it explains a lot about how they languish in the polls.
BTW looked at Labour’s 355 day achievements, NO mention of TPPA, Labour knew nobody wanted it, fuckers. If it was that great for NZ, why no mention from Labour?
Saying that, strategically worse, is the Greens that were against it, but failed to have it on their home page even though there are 13 other policy directives such airport rail, Te reo and refugees.
What happened, run out of space???
Nothing about spying either… I guess after the Gutsy Greens were forced out, they wanted to ‘tone it’ down into what power interest feel more comfortable with.
Labour gave assurances on a number of points re TPPA and then reneged on the most important one, the investor category of ISDS. This was beyond the control of the Green Party. Even taking the government down would not have stopped CPTPP.
And they should be shouting they were the only honest ones on TPPA from the rooftops not hiding it from the public. NZ First publicly disagree with Labour all the time and they seem to get away with it.
As the US commentator says we now have sham democracies…
Representative Democracy was designed to keep the power in the hands of the rich.
That said, I can certainly see Representative Democracy being the only viable option prior to the present productivity, mass education and communications capabilities. Present capabilities allow us to drop from a 40 hour week down to a ~20 hour week while still maintaining a reasonable living standard and thus allow people time to engage in politics and voting directly for the policies that they want.
In other words, it’s time that we transitioned to Direct Democracy. Of course, that does mean shifting to online voting as paper voting simply isn’t responsive enough or give enough options.
It’s great that NZ councils are seriously thinking about climate change, emissions, pollution and more trucks on the road… (sarcasm) … In this case sounds like council is considering trucking rubbish 300KM’s away to save a few short term $$$$…
So much easier to do that than actually try to stop the pollution of rubbish at source by discouraging business from overproducing packaging rubbish, not enough compostable rubbish, or encouraging composting, less consumer goods and the the recycle of non recyclables back to the retailers or manufacturers…
@ Bearded Git- exactly surely not that hard… of course with TPPA our government probably can’t even tax manufacturers for packaging or they will sue, that’s the ‘new’ democracy… polluting corporations taking more and more taxpayer money to clean up after themselves and instead of money going to schools and hospitals it’s going to truck companies and rubbish dumps and lawyers.
They cant sue for local issues like that . They would have to use the locla courts not international arbitration
“We have narrowed their ambit. The last version of the agreement – for example – if you had disputes between the government and an overseas contractor building the Waterview Tunnel – they could have sued the government if they were in dispute through an international tribunal – now they can’t.”
An overseas contractor would now have to pursue the government through the New Zealand courts.
The government also had a bilaterial agreement with Australia and other countries that they would never use the ISDS clauses.” https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/348923/david-parker-defends-new-tpp-agreement
Not long term viable as Norway/Sweden(?) is now learning as they simply don’t create so much rubbish any more. Far better to simply not create so much in the first place and not need the furnaces.
“Far better to simply not create so much in the first place and not need the furnaces.”
Love your optimism !!
I believe they get paid to take other countries rubbish in Sweden . But building small should solve waste volume problems . On in every city as opposed to huge centralized ones.
We could save ourselves millions per year just banning the spam that arrives in the mail box. The fact that such rubbish wasn’t banned with the electronic form was because of tradition. Businesses had been doing it for decades (against everyone;s wishes which is why it’s called ‘junkmail’) and so the government decided that they couldn’t ban it despite it costing us so damn much more than electronic spam.
Speaking of junk mail.. from time to time when doIng the recycling in Feilding, I see the local junk mail distribution rooster emptying banana box after banana box (more than a dozen last count)into the paper bin.
Another example of a rate payer subsidy to business.
New Zealand Labour openly abandons all pretext of being a political party for the working classes in favour of defending the “deserving” middle classes…as if we didn’t already know…
Yes that centrist MF Phil Twyford made it quite clear in his RNZ interview this morning that the middle classes are the only kiwi’s who ‘deserve’ to own their own government built ‘affordable homes’ and that low wage earners can just get fucked.. that in the eyes of Labour that they are undeserving of the right to own their own government built ‘affordable home’.
Well one can only to come to this conclusion as Labour have and are doing absolutely nothing to change, modify, slowdown or in any way inhibit the hideous and obscene kiwi obsession with commodifying our homes into just another tradable commodity.
I read somewhere that only 40% of people can afford the ‘affordable’ houses. So what happens to the other 60%? No doubt some global corporate will come to the rescue with a taxpayer funded option.. after people live in cars and tents for a few years.
The only good news for renters, is that the locals and those that recently got residency here under the Natz are now leaving for better jobs and working conditions elsewhere and lower costs of living so I think there is a bit of boil off the rental market in Auckland. Had a look the other day and there seemed more rental properties on Trade me, maybe a sham, who knows.
Neoliberalism has screwed many industries now in NZ, hospitality, construction, I think they are after the teachers now with the big migration drive ramping up everyday in the MSM.
Not sure how a foreign teacher, new to NZ and without knowledge of our curriculum, is going to fair better than a local one with the amount of special needs kids, poverty, housing shortages and cost of living. But hey, lure them in, lure them in… don’t address the underlying problems on current teachers!!!
Only not hand in hand, because people are moving into houses that they will privately own on former state house land, but hey, the state house tenants are still in emergency hotels, housing, tents, cars and couch surfing. Not hand in hand at all, it is trickle down…
I know this is already linked to on TS, but this brilliant expose/analysis of the JLR affair (to date!) by Frank Macskasy needs to be read by everybody.
The extra strange part of this , and shows the medias working hand in glove with national.
When Mayor Browns extra marital affair was revealed , maybe 5 years ago, the other womans name wasnt mentioned by Slater at that time.
Very soon though NZ Herald put Bevan Chuang’s name all over its wrong page and multi page inside spread.
Currently the Herald just does exclusives from the National partys version of events in the Ross saga. Its our Pravda – and thats not news to a lot of people.
If one were to “go back through history” for a thought experiment of the type that King suggested, one would merely get confused. That’s because the idea that there is a separate and unique “Western civilization,” which King said was “rooted in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the United States of America and every place where the footprint of Christianity settled the world,” is actually only about a century old. Though the so-called Western canon is still studied and loved by many, the idea of Western civilization as something distinct from (or even superior to) the rest of the world is a product of a very specific early-20th-century moment.
Sighs … I never made it a cultural pissing contest. Still if the article wants posit that there is no such thing as “Western Civilisation”, then exactly on what basis can you argue for the existence of any other culture? Chinese? Polynesian? Amerindian? Mayan? Arabian? Persian? This is a very peculiar logic capable of erasing all these well-understood historic markers.
Nor would I be all that surprised if the specific notion of “Western Civilisation” arose quite late in the piece; for most of the post-Renaissance era everyone in Europe would have though of themselves as French, Italian, Spanish, Scottish, English, Hungarian, or one of many Germanic identities. The idea of a pan-European “Western” identity probably only arose almost in hindsight, and with the perspective lent by the distance across the Atlantic ocean.
And if you erase the idea of “Western Civilisation” and any possibility of it’s technical superiority, then you have zero explanation for the entire process of European colonisation which so transformed the planet. From it’s very early Portuguese origins, through to the extraordinary scope of the British Empire. You have no explanation for the first round of globalisation which began around the mid-1800’s and culminating in WW1. You have no explanation for the Scientific Revolution, for the multitude of intellectual discoveries by luminaries from Gallileo through to von Neuman. You have nothing on which to rest the Industrial Revolution, no explanation as to why it happened first in Europe and not say China, India or Mayan America. You don’t even have an explanation for the Treaty of Waitangi.
It was of course a highly materialistic revolution, and despite it’s transforming power, it has it’s own internal contradictions, it’s own terrible limitations we still grapple with. Nor does it mean there was not plenty of history happening everywhere else on the planet. But nonetheless the era of European colonisation was pivotal to the transformation of the world, from largely isolated groups of primarily tribal, insular peoples around say 1600, into the global world we live in today.
The whole of human history is highlighted by one group of people with better technology and social sophistication, overwhelming and subjugating their neighbours. The usual mistake people made was conflating their superior tools, with the idea of themselves being a superior people. If nothing else the post WW2 modern era should permanently put that mistake into the rubbish bin of history.
Because we are now on the cusp of being a single global people; there are no ‘others’ to invade, to conquer or imagine we are ‘superior’ to. That will soon be a notion as repugnant as we now consider the ancient practise of chattel slavery. We are stepping through a historic transition; our challenge now is to complete this globalised world we have all built, and breath a spiritual life into it. I rest my case by quoting the last sentence of your reference:
“Civilization is a worldwide phenomenon,” says Hunt, “and we have things in common with people everywhere.”
“‘Western civilization’ was invented during World War I as a way of explaining to American soldiers why they were going to fight in Europe, to stand up for the common values of our civilization, in this case against the Germans, who were seen as threatening the common values that the U.S. had with Britain and France,”
WW1 was a clash of civilization, and neo Darwinist ideals of the German Allmacht.
One of the most graphic pictures of the German attitude, the attitude which has rendered this war inevitable, is contained in Vernon Kellogg’s Headquarters Nights.’ It is a convincing, and an evidently truthful, exposition of the shocking, the unspeakably dreadful moral and intellectual perversion of character which makes Germany at present a menace to the whole civilized world.
The man who reads Kellogg’s sketch and yet fails to see why we are at war, and why we must accept no peace save that of over whelming victory, is neither a good American nor a true lover of mankind.
Interesting quote Poisson, and timely too. ” the unspeakably dreadful moral and intellectual perversion of character which makes ******* ( you choose the nation state ) at present a menace to the whole civilized world.”
History never repeats…?
As a Grey Power representative, I recently attended a meeting with board members and planning staff of the local District Health Board.
They were able to report that with a milder winter and a larger uptake of people taking influenza vaccinations, there has been far less hospital-based admissions. Another GP rep pointed out that the winter warmth payment will also have played its part in this positive outcome.
The CEO also reported that oral health plays a huge part in maintaining people’s general wellness. There have been good steps taken in this direction, too.
There would be some good results when the research is done and the figures published as to the positive effects that work and initiatives like this will have achieved.
Lets hope the era of ‘new build hospitals’ that have fewer beds than the ones they replace is over.
That was a political process where the future patient numbers were reduced to ‘make the business case work’ for the rebuild.
When you look at Goz and ChrisT’s comments and responses (above), it caused me to wonder what the best thing about the current gNatzi Party is.
All I can come up with with that none of them are ‘NEETS’ (Not in Empolyment, Education or Training).
They’re EMPLOYED – some as elected supposed representatives
They’re all in Ideological EDUCATION, some even reEDUCATION
And all are in TRAINING – whether it’s the martial and knife arts, or in media and spin, or re-imaging such as how to turn a Little Feat truck stop gal into a sophisticated leopard print gal who looks like she has some sort of authority bearing in mind her ‘colleagues’ are gaining experience day by day in the art of the knife.
xanthe, here’s one. I have a relative in Kiwirail who will be stoked by the retention of these electric trains, which is why I sought a link. Peters and the Greens also very happy.
Jami-Lee Ross
@jamileeross
I appreciate all the recent messages of support. I was well looked after by the fantastic people at Middlemore, and grateful for their care. On medical advice I remain on leave, but have given National my proxy vote to ensure Botany continues to be represented in Parliament.
1:45 PM – Oct 30, 2018
Jami-Lee Ross has broken his silence briefly today on Twitter to say that he was well treated at Middlemore Hospital and to thank people for their support.
He has also confirmed that he has given his proxy vote to National which allows him to continue to vote alongside his former party while he remains on leave from Parliament. This ensures the proportionality of Parliament is maintained thereby avoiding National being able to trigger the waka-jumping law.
In reality ,voting differently from national isnt a trigger for the waka jumping law.
Under the previous similar legislation Donna Awatere took her case to the Supreme court on the very issue of ‘voting with your former party’
the Court ruled , that voting didnt matter.
Once she was expelled left the party , as Ross is, and the Speaker recorded them as an ‘Independent’ that was the change in proportionality that the law talked about
All of the legal advice I have heard in the media (including a very clear opinion by Geddis) is that proportionality changes the moment JLR left the National Party, so in fact the WJL can be used.
I think National has to wait 21 days from the moment he resigned from the party before he can be chucked out.
The sentence on proportionality was clumsy, rushed wording on my part based on the Herald article, and also Ross’ letter. Mea cupla.
It does not reflect my personal view and IMO the whole issue of proportionality under the revised waka jumping additions to the Electoral Act is far from clear and constitutional lawyers are going to have a ball with this issue and its consequences.
Obviously no-one thought that the issue would arise quite so quickly (if at all) after the passing of the waka jumping amendments – ie IIRC the Royal Assent was only granted on 3 Oct and the changes then came into force from 4 Oct. (Checked – dates correct.)
It really is quite ironic that the Ross situation has arisen so soon – and that it pertains to the National Party in view of their absolute opposition to the changes. If it were not for the nature of the other issues involved (donations, sexual relationships, claims of harassment etc) one could almost wonder whether it was/is a conspriacy … LOL.
Newshub covered the whole situation last night in this article
The real question is whether National will seek to invoke the waka jumping provisions. Jane Patterson suggested this morning on RNZ Morning Report that indications are that they are very loathe to invoke the waka jumping law and that they had not yet decided whether they would even accept Ross’ proxy vote. (No audio yet up on RNZ website.)
Kia ora The Am Show I new that the media of the Papatuanuku were going to make a mountain out of a mole hill over the Earth Quake with the Prince and Duchess visiting
thats what the media does I did not feel the Quake.
That’s cool Duncan one must treat there guest with respect I wonder what they will name the new Kiwi chicks in Rotorua.
More mana for Te tangata whenua culture O Aotearoa culture with the Prince & Duchess speaking te reo ka pai.
Yes criminalizing abortion’s is a stupid .
Loyd looks quite happy with the new NZ chipped passport that skirts around the ques .
Amanda thats the way we cannot have people make it the noorm to be an ASS.
The US mid turm elections most mid term elections swing against the ruling party only 2 times in 80 od years has this phenomenon not happened but not to worry the Demacrats are more intelegint than the gop party they can forecast the future and care about there effects on it.
That’s a cool story of Mr Longman ABC reporter finding his grandparents photo in the New Zealand national library . Ka kite ano
Eco Maori say if they stopped sending actors and paying them thousands to do the impossible they send in 1 a fortnight and stopped escorting me were ever I go they will save a few million instead of pissing money into the wind the sandflys have at least 3 cars following me as they are scared.
Court staff at the Hastings and Napier district courts will walk off the job at 3pm today.
The PSA this afternoon advised the Ministry of Justice of strike action to take place today at the Napier and Hastings District Courts for two hours from 3pm. ana to kai Ka kite ano Link below.
Here is reality for African American farmers being bullied and ripped off by European American’s Eco Maori Tau tokos /supports all minority’s who are being treated like dirt
It’s not fair, not right’: how America treats its black farmers .
I hope big changes are going to happen in America in the next few days you all have to get up and out and vote for you childrens and grandchildren future our future Kia kaha / stand strong. Ka kite ano link below.
Kia ora Te Karea Eco Maori doesn’t agree on war so I tau toko the protesters .
The Prince and Duchess look good wearing te korowai It was good to here Chris words I watch him and his whano on Maori TV they make me proud of our culture Piripi.
Lets hope that our goverment has made the correct move on the trade agreement with the rest of the TPP Talasa.
I say all people should be aloud to vote even if you are in Prison.
I have all ready had my say on the Ngapuhi Treaty settlement im not sure about the take .
Ka kite ano Kia Kaha to the Maori All blacks
Kia ora Newshub Jo has been lucky to survive that avalanche all the best.
Its good that Galloway is reviewing his call on that immigrant in jail.
Rotorua had a bright beautiful day for the Royal couple visit and all the Maori culture people making us all proud of our culture and country.
Samantha Its atrocious what man is doing to our wild life we do need a Global Pact to STOP the sharp decline in our wild life I intend to write a post on that subject tomorrow.
That was a big show of mana in the protest against the defence arms display show in Palmerston North ka pai .
Halloween is for Te Tamariki my children went with it in my time we only seen it on TV.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls not to many cups of tea last nite with Grizz guys.
Maa going to play for the Blues and Marty back for Otago there is a lot of people with good skills in the Kiwi .
I ts cool that the coach of the Liverpool soccer teams coach Jurgen uses the mighty Haka some times ot motivate his player .
I say Bryce is a unreliable tomato guys lol he is shinning bright hows Rodger .
James thats cool that you acknowledge Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan visit to Rotorua .
All the best to the Breakers fingers crossed.
Ka kite ano P.S nice ties guy’s
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News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
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While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
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Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
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Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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“Well I’d like to be President” – Hillary Clinton
So now there’s the specter of this corporate toady coming back in when clearly she is not what the public want. And despite her denial, she couldn’t help but entertain her ego in public, and thus the public rumor mill. Same shit different day. Simply not attractive anymore.
Having her about is just sowing doubt.
Clinton led Democrats… There’s nothing attractive in it except ‘not Trump’. Is that a platform?
I bet a lot of Trumps votes were votes for not-Hillary.
It’s akin to rolling Bridges out to comment on his possibly running during our next election (I scry the fools demise). He’ll only remind us why we don’t want Nats. Out of sight out of mind is the obvious smart choice for future Nats re Bridges, and today’s Democrats re Clinton.
Not really putting her country first, is she.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/29/hillary-clintons-curious-comments-about/?utm_term=.a62f18218179
Hillary is finding it hard to leave politics behind. She had to swallow a dead rat in Trump being elected the president.
Hillary cannot change the past. Surely there are other ways Hillary can enjoy herself, other than politics.
@Treetops “Surely there are other ways Hillary can enjoy herself, other than politics.”
the political leaders become addicted to power. Clinton should go. There was the opportunity to work with Sanders and win, the Democrats chose not to.
Labour and Greens in NZ combined and inspite of all the issues, they did managed to win.
They owe their backers…
Clinton leaves politics when she is allowed to…not when she want to…
I can’t stand Hilary and desperately hope she doesn’t run again but she is no more or less a corporate toady than Trump.
I don’t think she is as bad as painted, and she did win the popular vote, but I don’t think she’ll seriously run again.
I think she might keep it open as long as possible to be Faux’s boogey-woman so that they have to invent hate from scratch when the actual candidates come to the podium.
As long as she’s a might-run, they’re looking at her. The far right (and sanctimonius left) have a real bugbear about the Clintons.
Yep. I worry about the hate that family get generated towards them. It’s bubbling away in the “fuck the optics. I’m going in.” crew.
I don’t want them to go the Kennedy way.
Are you worried about cause, or just the effect?
Something else perhaps…
I dont understand your question.
No its not her wanting to run.
read what it says
“offered comments that some interpreted as leaning in to a 2020 run. Clinton’s words aren’t nearly so clear, ”
Interpret all you like – but shes isnt running again.
this is what she does want
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we have a Democrat in the White House come January of 2021.”
So heres where she says NO – twice
“Mrs. Clinton initially said “no” when asked whether she wanted to run for president again. She then paused and repeated “no.”
because she paused and said ( hypothetically) ‘Id like to be President’ the haters have gone crazy.
People who know Hillary is an unpopular corporate suck-up = Haters.
Is it cheaper to run a life in black and white?
Reports Merkel to quit as party leader.
Will try to stay as Chancellor til 2021.
May be a big change for Europe?
Merkel is realistic and crafty when it comes to not being able to hold power due to instability.
Merkel has chosen to go on her own terms. Maybe were Merkel gone as leader, Britain may benefit with better terms for Brexit.
Merkel is like Helen Clark. A smart, good leader, but who got blinded on some issues and did not look forward to the future as well as she should have…aka now Germany divided more. NZ divided more by neoliberalism by Clark who signed the FTA with China. Nice idea, bad details left in, that is now going to make NZ a much less equal, less democratic society run to other countries agendas.
Leadership is very hard, but it is worse when maybe the leaders like the idea of something with out looking at how it can negatively impact the positives… and really looking at the fine print. Better to not sign a flawed deal than sign one and then think you will somehow get out easily. Brexit comes to mind if the UK leaders had managed the EU expansion better with policy, Brexit would not have come to pass.
You arent reading the story properly- Comprehension 101
“Maybe were Merkel gone as leader, Britain may benefit with better terms for Brexit.”
Merkel is letting go of being CDU party leader.( who doesnt run the country)
Shes staying on as Chancellor till 2021 or so.
I need to look up the difference in power between a chancellor and a party leader.
to be honest she should have found a successor and helped that person up rather then stay on for so long.
.
Well they do have a system where the various state leaders can have an opportunity to run for national leader.
After the documentary on the Boeing plant and the lax attitude to safety I don’t think making this claim is wise.
Doco discussion: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2014/09/10/documentary-questions-quality-and-safety-of-boeing-787/
Quote via Stuff:
But aviation expert Neil Hansford said it was highly unlikely a technical fault within the plane’s structure had led it to plough into the ocean and the model was among the safest in the world.
While the aircraft is yet to take to Australian skies, Virgin Australia has 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes on order, with the first of the fleet due to arrive in late 2019. It is not known if the aircraft is heading to New Zealand airlines.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/108203426/aircraft-model-at-centre-of-indonesia-plane-tragedy-bound-for-australian-airline
Have a look at flight stats in this article, either they had a serious cockpit management issue, an onboard disturbance or major technical/ systems failure. Either way it doesn’t look good especially when they were climbing out and suddenly lose altitude before nose diving into sea at high speed.
Note: this is the first serious crash of the 737 Max 8 aircraft. There is going to be a lot riding on this IRT the out come of this investigation especially Boeing, which could add fuel to the fire over Boeing’s alleged lax safety and quality control standards in which these rumours have been around for a wee while now.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/the-13-minutes-before-tragedy-struck-how-the-lion-air-disaster-unfolded/news-story/28de53a23285acd177d9f5386b6731fb
Dirty Politics donations and money ….
When the Nacts lost the last election ….. they were bloated with millions in donations ,,,, and could easily afford to run another election campaign immediately … given the chance.
Not so for Labour and their coalition partners …… who were financially exhausted winners.
Starting From election night where they misrepresented the result … Our slanted media has been giving us bad reporting …. and bad Hosking maths …. where being the largest minority is considered more legitimate to rule …. than getting over 50% support.
There is a concerted effort to de-legitimize the new Govt … Just read bitter old Alwyns posts for the ‘attack lines’ …. making him good for something.
Reading a ‘stuff’ story on anonymous donations …. spurred by Jamies Lee Ross $100,000 dirty donations back stabbings … I was amazed by the Dirty Politics flavor as Stuff twisted the truth
And in a Wayne Mapp like way they claimed NZ first was the worst offender / biggest problem …
However the math in NZs secret political donations was roughly something like this …
National ———– 5 Million secret backhanders
Labour ———– 2 Million or so
NZ first ———— 1.2 Million or something
Now if Im looking for the worst offenders / biggest problems ….. 5 Million by the Nats stands out like dog balls ….. unlike the election results they do have the majority…. over half …. they rule when it comes to dirty donations.
I’d like Labour to do better … but i do not vote for them …. and I suppose they feel its the only way they can stay in the buying media space electioneering game.
But my point is ….. the reporting stunk …. and mislead readers ,,,,
Dirty Politics stands aligned with the dirty money….. we are buying ourselves corruption
Woodhouse needed to sign for approx 100 people to avoid being deported. He did not have to disclose his reason for doing so.
Were donations made to the National party to influence the immigration minister?
Probably, but proving it is another matter.
NZ is no different than any other country, when it comes to the smell of money to sway politicians.
Too true …. and double hard to find out about or prove …. when to many in our media run cover for the criminals.
Reading either a herald or stuff report …. on the single largest forfeiture that has occurred in New Zealand to date …. $43 million seized under our proceeds of crime laws.
I was struck by the language which described an ‘agreement’ between William Yan – also known as Bill Liu, Yang Liu and Yong Ming Yan … and our courts.
Other media has described it as ‘ struck a deal ‘.
Usually criminal matters uses court language like ‘ judgements ‘ or ‘ forfeiture ‘ , ‘seized’ etc.
but the criminally rich …. reach agreements.
New Zealand ………… moderately racist …… and the last 9 years growing economic apartheid
New Zealand makes it on to the Jimmy Dore Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7C6IJ-s6BQ&t=105s
Thats Suzie Dawson, fearless self promoter and bully , Her modus operandi is to declare herself “spokesperson” and then divert resources and publicity towards supporting herself in the manner she feels she deserves IMHO. avoid , do not engage without witnesses !.
And xanthe, is that your only take home from that link,
attack the person?
not actually any comment on the TPPA itself and how it came to be ratified when so many of the public were against it…
Dawson’s a self aggrandising POS who, despite being asked not to, inserted herself into a family’s grief to fulfill her own delusion of importance.
Who the fuck cares about Dawson, what about the issues, If people were less worried about individual people and more about how policy like TPPA is going to effect themselves, their families and the next generation, it might be harder to power interests to get everything through… forget about semantics and individuals and identity politics and concentrate on the results and effects of policy.
0.5% of the population cares about the TPPA in the way you do.
Its the well off people like yourself problem. And even then its a bogey that ‘might happen’.
Do you really lie awake at night thinking ‘the government is going to be sued’
Thanks for that Link, esoteric pineapples. As the commentator says you get punched with the left fist as well as the right fist.
The Green Party were the only ones who did not sell out the people. If they were in the media for that, instead of cunts, benefit frauds or woke left discourses we would have a lot more Green MP’s representing us.
Saying that the Green Party is still the best party in NZ to preserve democracy and hopefully whatever hic up going on with the Greens and how they represent their policies, they will overcome it.
Those who spoke the best against the TPP like Norman, Cunliffe, Metiria and Harawira were harassed out of parliament and big victims of dirty politics.
Now the issue is silent. Like Rogernomics though, not forgotten.
As the US commentator says we now have sham democracies…
Of course the Greens were in the media re TPPA as they were and still are staunchly opposed. You know this. Everybody who has opposed TPPA knows this. The reality is that this is not as bigger issue with most people as it is for you. We have lost this battle, but that is no reason to abandon all the social justice issues that the Greens have always stood for. Get over yourself.
Searching the Greens website for “TPPA” provides 65 articles and press releases: https://www.greens.org.nz/search/content/TPPA
Searching for “CPTPP” provides a further 6: https://www.greens.org.nz/search/content/CPTPP
Doesn’t even make the home page of the Greens website.
Seem to remember “trains for the shore” being a big headline on the Greens website during the election and ‘Te Reo’ for all…
I know crazy, how those working multiple jobs, with kids or in poverty, bad internet does not make the effort to search Green Party policy and find those 65 articles when the Greens don’t even put it on their home page website with all their other policy directives..
It’s the people’s fault, is that what the Greens tell themselves???
All press releases go on the front page as they come out and stay there in chronological order. The last on CPTPP was a week ago:
https://www.greens.org.nz/news/press-release/green-party-continues-oppose-cptpp-puts-amendments
missing the point again Solka, with volunteers like you for Greens it explains a lot about how they languish in the polls.
BTW looked at Labour’s 355 day achievements, NO mention of TPPA, Labour knew nobody wanted it, fuckers. If it was that great for NZ, why no mention from Labour?
Saying that, strategically worse, is the Greens that were against it, but failed to have it on their home page even though there are 13 other policy directives such airport rail, Te reo and refugees.
What happened, run out of space???
Nothing about spying either… I guess after the Gutsy Greens were forced out, they wanted to ‘tone it’ down into what power interest feel more comfortable with.
Labour gave assurances on a number of points re TPPA and then reneged on the most important one, the investor category of ISDS. This was beyond the control of the Green Party. Even taking the government down would not have stopped CPTPP.
And they should be shouting they were the only honest ones on TPPA from the rooftops not hiding it from the public. NZ First publicly disagree with Labour all the time and they seem to get away with it.
Representative Democracy was designed to keep the power in the hands of the rich.
That said, I can certainly see Representative Democracy being the only viable option prior to the present productivity, mass education and communications capabilities. Present capabilities allow us to drop from a 40 hour week down to a ~20 hour week while still maintaining a reasonable living standard and thus allow people time to engage in politics and voting directly for the policies that they want.
In other words, it’s time that we transitioned to Direct Democracy. Of course, that does mean shifting to online voting as paper voting simply isn’t responsive enough or give enough options.
It’s great that NZ councils are seriously thinking about climate change, emissions, pollution and more trucks on the road… (sarcasm) … In this case sounds like council is considering trucking rubbish 300KM’s away to save a few short term $$$$…
So much easier to do that than actually try to stop the pollution of rubbish at source by discouraging business from overproducing packaging rubbish, not enough compostable rubbish, or encouraging composting, less consumer goods and the the recycle of non recyclables back to the retailers or manufacturers…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/369743/rubbish-offer-forces-councils-to-reconsider-42m-landfill-plan
The QLDC trucks all of Wanaka’s rubbish over to the Wakatipu Basin, about 80km.
There has to be a better way. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
@ Bearded Git- exactly surely not that hard… of course with TPPA our government probably can’t even tax manufacturers for packaging or they will sue, that’s the ‘new’ democracy… polluting corporations taking more and more taxpayer money to clean up after themselves and instead of money going to schools and hospitals it’s going to truck companies and rubbish dumps and lawyers.
TPPA?
They cant sue for local issues like that . They would have to use the locla courts not international arbitration
“We have narrowed their ambit. The last version of the agreement – for example – if you had disputes between the government and an overseas contractor building the Waterview Tunnel – they could have sued the government if they were in dispute through an international tribunal – now they can’t.”
An overseas contractor would now have to pursue the government through the New Zealand courts.
The government also had a bilaterial agreement with Australia and other countries that they would never use the ISDS clauses.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/348923/david-parker-defends-new-tpp-agreement
Burn in a furnace to make power .
Not long term viable as Norway/Sweden(?) is now learning as they simply don’t create so much rubbish any more. Far better to simply not create so much in the first place and not need the furnaces.
In Qtown it just might work. Tourists aren’t going to stop with the rubbish any time soon.
“Far better to simply not create so much in the first place and not need the furnaces.”
Love your optimism !!
I believe they get paid to take other countries rubbish in Sweden . But building small should solve waste volume problems . On in every city as opposed to huge centralized ones.
I believe so as well.
Problem: Other countries are also reducing the trash that they produce.
As I say – not feasible long term.
Works for Seoul. Doesn’t meet all their energy needs of course – but still worth doing.
Really, all the facility needs to do is cover its costs minus whatever trucking and tip fees would have been.
Why waste the energy and resources to create the waste in the first place?
“Burn in a furnace to make power”
What century do you live in???
Sounds like you are still back in the 1900’s…
We could save ourselves millions per year just banning the spam that arrives in the mail box. The fact that such rubbish wasn’t banned with the electronic form was because of tradition. Businesses had been doing it for decades (against everyone;s wishes which is why it’s called ‘junkmail’) and so the government decided that they couldn’t ban it despite it costing us so damn much more than electronic spam.
Speaking of junk mail.. from time to time when doIng the recycling in Feilding, I see the local junk mail distribution rooster emptying banana box after banana box (more than a dozen last count)into the paper bin.
Another example of a rate payer subsidy to business.
So much waste.
Yeah, that too.
New Zealand Labour openly abandons all pretext of being a political party for the working classes in favour of defending the “deserving” middle classes…as if we didn’t already know…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018668919/collins-kiwibuild-criticism-mean-spirited-twyford
Yes that centrist MF Phil Twyford made it quite clear in his RNZ interview this morning that the middle classes are the only kiwi’s who ‘deserve’ to own their own government built ‘affordable homes’ and that low wage earners can just get fucked.. that in the eyes of Labour that they are undeserving of the right to own their own government built ‘affordable home’.
Well one can only to come to this conclusion as Labour have and are doing absolutely nothing to change, modify, slowdown or in any way inhibit the hideous and obscene kiwi obsession with commodifying our homes into just another tradable commodity.
Turn Labour Left!
well the ‘deserving middle class’ may well have just been gifted negative equity…..something many who missed out may be quite happy not to receive
I read somewhere that only 40% of people can afford the ‘affordable’ houses. So what happens to the other 60%? No doubt some global corporate will come to the rescue with a taxpayer funded option.. after people live in cars and tents for a few years.
The only good news for renters, is that the locals and those that recently got residency here under the Natz are now leaving for better jobs and working conditions elsewhere and lower costs of living so I think there is a bit of boil off the rental market in Auckland. Had a look the other day and there seemed more rental properties on Trade me, maybe a sham, who knows.
Neoliberalism has screwed many industries now in NZ, hospitality, construction, I think they are after the teachers now with the big migration drive ramping up everyday in the MSM.
Not sure how a foreign teacher, new to NZ and without knowledge of our curriculum, is going to fair better than a local one with the amount of special needs kids, poverty, housing shortages and cost of living. But hey, lure them in, lure them in… don’t address the underlying problems on current teachers!!!
Thats because you havent been doing any reading.
Twyford has made clear , Kiwibuild and more State house build go hand in hand in the future plans
Yeah, shut and wait poor people, you we’re told!!!
Actually, if you look at the HNZ stock between March and June 2018, it increased by almost 500 homes in those three months.
Kiwibuild homes completed in that time? Somewhere around zero?
It seems Labour made the middle class wait…
Kiwbuild owners middle class?
They included a warehouse worker, concrete worker , nurses etc..
Find another grievance to have a whinge about….. to spare us all , maybe not.
lol true, I should have guessed the nats would be pulling the most extreme case they can bullshit from, as well.
But it’s also nice to see the HNZ stock increasing again. HNZ stock dropped 9.5% from 2011 to 2017.
Your link is crap – what am i supposed to look at – the ministry massaging figures? *sigh* you labour party hacks are almost as bad as the Tory scum.
Nice example of wilful blindness there. Reality doesn’t suit your fixation, therefore the figures must be wrong even if you can’t explain how.
never mind Flock, hes just a local jumped up left wing Trump type. let him wallow in his ignorance
Oh look dukeofurl, brefet of actual ideas to discuss a point so does their usual – abuse the commentator.
As for the trump rib, you might want to examine your behaviour – your the one who acts like trump not me.
If the NZH stock increase why is the waiting list for state housing increasing. More poverty perhaps or just dodgy figures???
There’s a certain drug lord who needs a place when he comes out of prison whose recently been granted residency.
Only not hand in hand, because people are moving into houses that they will privately own on former state house land, but hey, the state house tenants are still in emergency hotels, housing, tents, cars and couch surfing. Not hand in hand at all, it is trickle down…
I know this is already linked to on TS, but this brilliant expose/analysis of the JLR affair (to date!) by Frank Macskasy needs to be read by everybody.
https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2018/10/30/some-troubling-questions-about-the-ross-affair/
The extra strange part of this , and shows the medias working hand in glove with national.
When Mayor Browns extra marital affair was revealed , maybe 5 years ago, the other womans name wasnt mentioned by Slater at that time.
Very soon though NZ Herald put Bevan Chuang’s name all over its wrong page and multi page inside spread.
Currently the Herald just does exclusives from the National partys version of events in the Ross saga. Its our Pravda – and thats not news to a lot of people.
You reckon if a gnats backbencher wanted to get her version of events out there, the hibbled would just sit on it dukky? Ok..
Myth busting. This is one for you red.
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4413537/steve-king-subgroup-western-civilization
Sighs … I never made it a cultural pissing contest. Still if the article wants posit that there is no such thing as “Western Civilisation”, then exactly on what basis can you argue for the existence of any other culture? Chinese? Polynesian? Amerindian? Mayan? Arabian? Persian? This is a very peculiar logic capable of erasing all these well-understood historic markers.
Nor would I be all that surprised if the specific notion of “Western Civilisation” arose quite late in the piece; for most of the post-Renaissance era everyone in Europe would have though of themselves as French, Italian, Spanish, Scottish, English, Hungarian, or one of many Germanic identities. The idea of a pan-European “Western” identity probably only arose almost in hindsight, and with the perspective lent by the distance across the Atlantic ocean.
And if you erase the idea of “Western Civilisation” and any possibility of it’s technical superiority, then you have zero explanation for the entire process of European colonisation which so transformed the planet. From it’s very early Portuguese origins, through to the extraordinary scope of the British Empire. You have no explanation for the first round of globalisation which began around the mid-1800’s and culminating in WW1. You have no explanation for the Scientific Revolution, for the multitude of intellectual discoveries by luminaries from Gallileo through to von Neuman. You have nothing on which to rest the Industrial Revolution, no explanation as to why it happened first in Europe and not say China, India or Mayan America. You don’t even have an explanation for the Treaty of Waitangi.
It was of course a highly materialistic revolution, and despite it’s transforming power, it has it’s own internal contradictions, it’s own terrible limitations we still grapple with. Nor does it mean there was not plenty of history happening everywhere else on the planet. But nonetheless the era of European colonisation was pivotal to the transformation of the world, from largely isolated groups of primarily tribal, insular peoples around say 1600, into the global world we live in today.
The whole of human history is highlighted by one group of people with better technology and social sophistication, overwhelming and subjugating their neighbours. The usual mistake people made was conflating their superior tools, with the idea of themselves being a superior people. If nothing else the post WW2 modern era should permanently put that mistake into the rubbish bin of history.
Because we are now on the cusp of being a single global people; there are no ‘others’ to invade, to conquer or imagine we are ‘superior’ to. That will soon be a notion as repugnant as we now consider the ancient practise of chattel slavery. We are stepping through a historic transition; our challenge now is to complete this globalised world we have all built, and breath a spiritual life into it. I rest my case by quoting the last sentence of your reference:
“Civilization is a worldwide phenomenon,” says Hunt, “and we have things in common with people everywhere.”
“‘Western civilization’ was invented during World War I as a way of explaining to American soldiers why they were going to fight in Europe, to stand up for the common values of our civilization, in this case against the Germans, who were seen as threatening the common values that the U.S. had with Britain and France,”
WW1 was a clash of civilization, and neo Darwinist ideals of the German Allmacht.
One of the most graphic pictures of the German attitude, the attitude which has rendered this war inevitable, is contained in Vernon Kellogg’s Headquarters Nights.’ It is a convincing, and an evidently truthful, exposition of the shocking, the unspeakably dreadful moral and intellectual perversion of character which makes Germany at present a menace to the whole civilized world.
The man who reads Kellogg’s sketch and yet fails to see why we are at war, and why we must accept no peace save that of over whelming victory, is neither a good American nor a true lover of mankind.
Theodore Roosevelt .
https://archive.org/details/headquarters00kell/page/30
Interesting quote Poisson, and timely too. ” the unspeakably dreadful moral and intellectual perversion of character which makes ******* ( you choose the nation state ) at present a menace to the whole civilized world.”
History never repeats…?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VqNLjMBY8Y
Such a good song.
Positive news.
As a Grey Power representative, I recently attended a meeting with board members and planning staff of the local District Health Board.
They were able to report that with a milder winter and a larger uptake of people taking influenza vaccinations, there has been far less hospital-based admissions. Another GP rep pointed out that the winter warmth payment will also have played its part in this positive outcome.
The CEO also reported that oral health plays a huge part in maintaining people’s general wellness. There have been good steps taken in this direction, too.
There would be some good results when the research is done and the figures published as to the positive effects that work and initiatives like this will have achieved.
Thats good to hear.
Lets hope the era of ‘new build hospitals’ that have fewer beds than the ones they replace is over.
That was a political process where the future patient numbers were reduced to ‘make the business case work’ for the rebuild.
Excellent news.
🙂
When you look at Goz and ChrisT’s comments and responses (above), it caused me to wonder what the best thing about the current gNatzi Party is.
All I can come up with with that none of them are ‘NEETS’ (Not in Empolyment, Education or Training).
They’re EMPLOYED – some as elected supposed representatives
They’re all in Ideological EDUCATION, some even reEDUCATION
And all are in TRAINING – whether it’s the martial and knife arts, or in media and spin, or re-imaging such as how to turn a Little Feat truck stop gal into a sophisticated leopard print gal who looks like she has some sort of authority bearing in mind her ‘colleagues’ are gaining experience day by day in the art of the knife.
Can anybody else see anything to redeem them?
Great to see Peters and Twyford overrule Kiwirail to keep the electric trains on North Island main trunk line.
Good refurb work for the Hutt workshops as well as good sustainability outcomes.
Thats wonderful news ..stoked!! gota link?
xanthe, here’s one. I have a relative in Kiwirail who will be stoked by the retention of these electric trains, which is why I sought a link. Peters and the Greens also very happy.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1810/S00286/government-saves-electric-trains.htm
Yay! so we do now actually have a functioning government , who woulda thunk it.
yippie 🙂
Here’s another link to the reasoning of Dr Roger Blakeley who supported this move in September this year.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/106777341/will-electric-locomotives-on-main-trunk-line-be-scrapped
I guess the Chinese train builder that national had lined up wont be too happy
Perhaps national will return their donation
Thanks Ad for that good, news indeed.
Perhaps it is time for a change or three iin Kiwirail’s board.
Twitter
Jami-Lee Ross
@jamileeross
I appreciate all the recent messages of support. I was well looked after by the fantastic people at Middlemore, and grateful for their care. On medical advice I remain on leave, but have given National my proxy vote to ensure Botany continues to be represented in Parliament.
1:45 PM – Oct 30, 2018
Jami-Lee Ross has broken his silence briefly today on Twitter to say that he was well treated at Middlemore Hospital and to thank people for their support.
He has also confirmed that he has given his proxy vote to National which allows him to continue to vote alongside his former party while he remains on leave from Parliament. This ensures the proportionality of Parliament is maintained thereby avoiding National being able to trigger the waka-jumping law.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108219413/disgraced-mp-jamilee-ross-still-voting-alongside-national
In his absence, Ross’s office has been moved from the National Party quarters in the Beehive to Bowen House.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12151346
In reality ,voting differently from national isnt a trigger for the waka jumping law.
Under the previous similar legislation Donna Awatere took her case to the Supreme court on the very issue of ‘voting with your former party’
the Court ruled , that voting didnt matter.
Once she was
expelledleft the party , as Ross is, and the Speaker recorded them as an ‘Independent’ that was the change in proportionality that the law talked abouthttp://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/cases/richard-prebble-and-ken-shirley-v-donna-awatere-huata-1/@@images/fileDecision
But of course a Supreme court could rule differently if the new law is worded differently, or even if the current judges think differently
Keeping all his options open!
All of the legal advice I have heard in the media (including a very clear opinion by Geddis) is that proportionality changes the moment JLR left the National Party, so in fact the WJL can be used.
I think National has to wait 21 days from the moment he resigned from the party before he can be chucked out.
The sentence on proportionality was clumsy, rushed wording on my part based on the Herald article, and also Ross’ letter. Mea cupla.
It does not reflect my personal view and IMO the whole issue of proportionality under the revised waka jumping additions to the Electoral Act is far from clear and constitutional lawyers are going to have a ball with this issue and its consequences.
Obviously no-one thought that the issue would arise quite so quickly (if at all) after the passing of the waka jumping amendments – ie IIRC the Royal Assent was only granted on 3 Oct and the changes then came into force from 4 Oct. (Checked – dates correct.)
It really is quite ironic that the Ross situation has arisen so soon – and that it pertains to the National Party in view of their absolute opposition to the changes. If it were not for the nature of the other issues involved (donations, sexual relationships, claims of harassment etc) one could almost wonder whether it was/is a conspriacy … LOL.
Newshub covered the whole situation last night in this article
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/10/jami-lee-ross-gears-up-for-return-to-parliament.amp.html
Some of the related issues were also covered previously in these two articles prior to the waka jumping bill going through.
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/waka-jumping-bill-raises-constitutional-concerns
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/politics/waka-jumping-bill-brouhaha-not-clear-cut/
The real question is whether National will seek to invoke the waka jumping provisions. Jane Patterson suggested this morning on RNZ Morning Report that indications are that they are very loathe to invoke the waka jumping law and that they had not yet decided whether they would even accept Ross’ proxy vote. (No audio yet up on RNZ website.)
On behalf of the Tax Payers
It is amazing how Hateful the females of National are. They use every opportunity to display their viciousness.
One of the most vile is Judith Collins who has been in Parliament for nearly forever. Earned a hell of a lot of easy money from the Tax Payers.
But achieved absolutely nothing. ! Nothing.
Just a grumpy old frumpy waste of time. The usual national aggressive female.
Kia ora The Am Show I new that the media of the Papatuanuku were going to make a mountain out of a mole hill over the Earth Quake with the Prince and Duchess visiting
thats what the media does I did not feel the Quake.
That’s cool Duncan one must treat there guest with respect I wonder what they will name the new Kiwi chicks in Rotorua.
More mana for Te tangata whenua culture O Aotearoa culture with the Prince & Duchess speaking te reo ka pai.
Yes criminalizing abortion’s is a stupid .
Loyd looks quite happy with the new NZ chipped passport that skirts around the ques .
Amanda thats the way we cannot have people make it the noorm to be an ASS.
The US mid turm elections most mid term elections swing against the ruling party only 2 times in 80 od years has this phenomenon not happened but not to worry the Demacrats are more intelegint than the gop party they can forecast the future and care about there effects on it.
That’s a cool story of Mr Longman ABC reporter finding his grandparents photo in the New Zealand national library . Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbXWrmQW-OE
It’s cool having a vip escort were ever I go some ECO MAORI music for the minute https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=usN-pKfw6Q8
Eco Maori say if they stopped sending actors and paying them thousands to do the impossible they send in 1 a fortnight and stopped escorting me were ever I go they will save a few million instead of pissing money into the wind the sandflys have at least 3 cars following me as they are scared.
Court staff at the Hastings and Napier district courts will walk off the job at 3pm today.
The PSA this afternoon advised the Ministry of Justice of strike action to take place today at the Napier and Hastings District Courts for two hours from 3pm. ana to kai Ka kite ano Link below.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12151493
Here is reality for African American farmers being bullied and ripped off by European American’s Eco Maori Tau tokos /supports all minority’s who are being treated like dirt
It’s not fair, not right’: how America treats its black farmers .
I hope big changes are going to happen in America in the next few days you all have to get up and out and vote for you childrens and grandchildren future our future Kia kaha / stand strong. Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/30/america-black-farmers-louisiana-sugarcane
Kia ora Te Karea Eco Maori doesn’t agree on war so I tau toko the protesters .
The Prince and Duchess look good wearing te korowai It was good to here Chris words I watch him and his whano on Maori TV they make me proud of our culture Piripi.
Lets hope that our goverment has made the correct move on the trade agreement with the rest of the TPP Talasa.
I say all people should be aloud to vote even if you are in Prison.
I have all ready had my say on the Ngapuhi Treaty settlement im not sure about the take .
Ka kite ano Kia Kaha to the Maori All blacks
Kia ora Newshub Jo has been lucky to survive that avalanche all the best.
Its good that Galloway is reviewing his call on that immigrant in jail.
Rotorua had a bright beautiful day for the Royal couple visit and all the Maori culture people making us all proud of our culture and country.
Samantha Its atrocious what man is doing to our wild life we do need a Global Pact to STOP the sharp decline in our wild life I intend to write a post on that subject tomorrow.
That was a big show of mana in the protest against the defence arms display show in Palmerston North ka pai .
Halloween is for Te Tamariki my children went with it in my time we only seen it on TV.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls not to many cups of tea last nite with Grizz guys.
Maa going to play for the Blues and Marty back for Otago there is a lot of people with good skills in the Kiwi .
I ts cool that the coach of the Liverpool soccer teams coach Jurgen uses the mighty Haka some times ot motivate his player .
I say Bryce is a unreliable tomato guys lol he is shinning bright hows Rodger .
James thats cool that you acknowledge Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan visit to Rotorua .
All the best to the Breakers fingers crossed.
Ka kite ano P.S nice ties guy’s