In effect this place pays no tax because the workers work for free (so no PAYE) and despite being worth $38 million and turning $1.8 million profit last year paid no tax. This is because they are registered as a charity. And then they take $199K from you and me to “educate” their children. That (given that they say the outside world is evil) is really taking the piss.
I dont feel charitable. What are our MPs and the IRD doing to ensure they fulfill their obligations as we must as citizens? What is being done to protect the vulnerable young people from these patriarchal predators?
I look forward to hearing sometime in the near future that there has been a police visit with CYFS and any other necessary social services in accompaniment.
Just as long as this is not left to drag. The more media coverage there is the more edgy the elders will get, and there might be open hostility when the authorities eventually do visit.
You gotta hand it to the PM – he’s a supreme actor. Look how gleeful he was on TV3 News last night telling the MSM that shouting to the world the whereabouts of our troops was not “news”. He’d just made it THE news ! and I bet he’s pushed the ponytail saga off the front page by doing so. Distraction politics at its best !
Your right Jenny, Wag the Dog at its best, thats what they do, just like the supposed letters of milk powder contamination….we didnt get to see those or hear anything else about them…..remember the letters were brought to our attention just prior to the Northland bi-election, but that backfired on them, ha.
My partner thought he looked and sounded embarrassed but was trying to cover it with nonchalance. She didn’t think it worked. Red face… cracking voice…
I thought he had been drinking just a little too much.
Whatever, it was disgraceful, careless behaviour from the ‘leader’ who has sent 143 brave soldiers into unknown dangers and just handed their so called ‘secure’ whereabouts to the enemy on a platter……. and in enemies part of the world!
This apology of a man is fast becoming a real liability for our country and it’s citizens.
Here are some interesting articles all of which indicate the fallout from bad US policies.
1. Corporate money (political donations to members of the Senate Finance Committee) is being used to influence the Fast Track vote on TTPA bypass democracy in US.
shame on them all trying to cover this up and I hope brownlie is called out on this today. criminals the lot of them.
“The Earthquake Commission (EQC) is trying to shut down adverse findings about its top engineer Graeme Robinson to avoid reopening his 2500 Canterbury assessments.
EQC is worried the findings, if allowed to stand, will have “serious and far reaching implications” for itself and other insurers.
Robinson was found negligent and incompetent by a disciplinary committee of the Institution of Professional Engineers last year. It also found he did not act honestly and with objectivity and integrity, and cancelled his registration.
The findings have not been released officially, although it is understood most of the complaints from 11 Canterbury homeonwers have been fully or partly upheld. Robinson did more than 2500 assessments in Canterbury for EQC after September 4, 2010, and the commission now faces demands for all his assessments to be reopened.
Robinson appealed the disciplinary committee decisions at a Chartered Professional Engineers Council (CPEC) hearing in Wellington last week. Although the hearing was closed to the media, EQC asked to observe and make submissions but its request was declined.
If the appeal fails, Robinson can still appeal to the District Court.
In a December 2014 letter to the CPEC chairman Graham Shaw, obtained by The Press, EQC chief executive Ian Simpson asked the council to keep decisions about Robinson confidential until any appeal of the decisions was completed.
The letter also said EQC believed the disciplinary committee findings were not supported by the evidence and failed to “properly understand and consider the role of EQC and Mr Robinson”.
Public demands to reopen all Robinson’s assessments illustrated “the difficulties which the decisions will inevitably cause for EQC if they are allowed to stand”.
I read about your “horsing about” and it made me realise you may be able to help me with some answers I need in a hurry.
You see, a couple of weeks ago I was in this café, meeting up with a mate. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the place was pumping, with friends hooking up at the end of a hectic week. I couldn’t help noticing a very attractive young woman sitting at a table on the other side of the room. Her hair, her beautiful, lustrous, enticing hair; caught up in a pertly perfect pony tail which flicked and twitched as she nodded and smiled with her companion. Oh! How my fingers itched, just to touch that hair!
“Earth to Micko”, said my friend, “you’re drooling, mate”, and the spell was broken.
Later, I needed the loo, so I got up to go. Without even realising it, I found myself passing directly behind the young woman and couldn’t help myself saying, as I passed behind her, “Your hair looks so enticing” and, just to emphasise the point, I gave her pony tail a little tug. She swung round in her seat, looking to do battle, so I did my “cheeky schoolboy” grin and said, ” Just horsing about.” She continued to stare, but I could tell she was feeling flattered behind the ice-maiden gaze.
On the way back out I had to pass behind her, again. She saw me coming and turned her face towards me, which meant that the pony tail was out of my reach.
“Playing hard to get, are we?” I thought, as I passed, so I waited until I had gone right past her then, when she wasn’t expecting it, reached back in and gave her another little tug. “Ha, Gotcha” I said, flashing her the old million watt smile.
I got back to my table and my friend leaned in close and hissed in my ear, “Hey, Bro! Settle! Can’t you see she doesn’t like it?”
“Nah, she’s lovin’ it”, I said. Well, I could tell she was ‘cos of the way she was still switching that enticing little ponytail, all over the place.
A bit later we got to the stage of arguing over whose turn it was to pay. He held out for a while, insisting it was his turn but eventually, as I knew he would, he gave in and I got up to go and flash the plastic. Can’t have Bill thinking I owe him anything.
On the way back I was taking a look at the young woman’s face when she glanced up and we made eye contact for just a second. She looked away so quickly that I just knew she was being coquettish. Well, inspiration struck, and I went into “Cookie-Bear” monster mode, advancing on her and humming the theme from Jaws. It had just the effect I wanted. She played along beautifully, turning in her chair, so her back was to the wall, and feigning mock horror.
“I’ll still get you”, I thought, as I reached to get my hand between her head and the wall.
Next thing, I’m face down on the floor. My wrist is somewhere between my shoulder blades, there’s a knee in my back, and the end of a ponytail is flicking in my eyes, while the young woman is barking in my ear, “I am a police officer and I’m arresting you for assault”.
So, now my questions for you, John.
Do you think that if I offer this police woman a couple of bottles of nice red wine and explain how I didn’t realise, do you think that might help my case? Or do I risk being done for attempted bribery?
And what about my broken nose? My lawyer says it will go worse for me if I continue to maintain that the bit about me stumbling into the cell door isn’t actually true. He reckons I should just do a brain fade on the issue. Says it works for you. So should I put in a complaint to the IPCC or should I just stay schtum?
He also says that if I was to openly acknowledge my trichophilia, and seek help for it, then the court might be favourably inclined towards leniency. What do you think?
Hoping you can provide me with some answers,
Yours, with much feeling,
Mickomarvel.
I originally posted this on TDB, but don’t want it to disappear so I’m reposting here, slightly edited.
How about you sending it to John Key, all the National MPs, leaders of all parties, Tv1, TV3 and some radio stations too? And may be to NZ Herald or some other publications who might even pay you for the article!
You could try a little honey applied to the bruises to ease the pain, Mick, it’s a lot cheaper than counselling. And if you’ve run out you could get in touch via Farcebook instead of TM, I have a few spare jars. Definitely don’t stay schtum though, you know what happens if you bottle it up. Messy, very messy…
I’m so proud of the Dunedin City Council progressively voting for divesting from investments in oil and guns. It nice to see something positive for a change. The Councillors who voted against the move range from the short sighted and crusty, through the plain bonkers, on to the right wing libertarian.
the council would also no longer invest in tobacco, arms, gambling and pornography, but it was the issue of whether to include fossil fuels which prompted the most vigorous debate.
That debate continues with; Woodhouse against, Turei supportive, while Clark & Curran (the actual electorate MPs, not just MPs resident in the electorate) were either not asked for, or didn’t provide, comment.
Mr Woodhouse said the council’s decision to dump fossil fuels from the city’s $82.5 million Waipori Fund was ”narrow minded idealism” that would cause ”significant harm to the city it purports to serve”.
”This decision sends a strong message that [oil and gas companies] are not welcome in Dunedin…
Mr Woodhouse admitted he had not spoken to anyone in the oil and gas industry about whether divestment would affect a choice on where to base operations…
Mr Woodhouse’s comments also appeared to show he was unaware of his own Government’s policy.
”The Government is a signatory to the United Nation’s Framework Convention on climate change and recently that convention endorsed fossil fuel divestment.”
The council was acting on the wishes of Dunedin people, which had been evidenced clearly through a consultation process last year.
Dunedin based Green Party co leader Metiria Turei said the council had shown ”great leadership” in choosing to divest.
”I’m sure that other councils will be looking at this decision very closely.”
thanks Pasupial, that is so good, but close eh? Congrats to the DCC. It’s a pity that Woodhouse had to make a dork of himself, these people are so on the wrong side of history and will be judged very harshly in years to come.
Hallelujah brothers and you sinful sisters…we God fearing righteous Christians here at Gloriavale must keep the sins of the world at bay! Creatures of Satan, worshippers of Mammon.
Verily did you not hear an evil satanic follower of the false prophet Feminism said unto us that our Christian school should be shut down, that the nearly $200,000 of tainted money we receive from the evil devil infested government should be denied us, for our blessed childrens learning!
Have we not rendered unto Ceasar what is Ceasars? Perhaps not in full, Caesar after all has said that we don’t as a charity owe him a thing, that our Gods mercy in the form of $1.8 million this year we can keep. No taxes to the evil rabble out in the world, no, generous devil Caesar, he blesses us with the additional money to educate our children in the ways of the Lord. Hallelujah.
Now brothers and sisters, the Lords work awaits you, go forth and toil, give your labour to the Lord, no taxes, forth slothful servants. To the greater glory of God and Hopeful Christian…..let’s take from the Devils world what evil tainted Mamman that we can and save it for the Lord (plus Hopefuls legal bills for the next evil accusations of sexual deviancy…) http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/68145084/education-researcher-calls-for-gloriavale-school-to-be-closed
“Further detail on the deployment of troops would not be provided “in accordance with our policy on non-identification of personnel and for reasons of operational security,” Brownlee said.
Prime Minister John Key said the first detachment of New Zealand troops – a “fraction” of the total deployment – would go “soonish” but he would not confirm the date.
He said he would not name the exact date for security reasons, on the advice of the Defence Force.
“They don’t go in one group of 106 people, they go in sub-groups of that.”
Oh… and human rights issues in the Middle East and a claim that Key spotted over 70 NZ products during a visit to a local supermarket…. if his lips are moving… there’s a deal to be made.
SNP will take every seat in Scotland.
Labour will get roughly the same percentage as the Tories: 16-18%
Sturgeon does not need to mention Independence: if every seat in Scotland is an SNP one then seperation has commenced.
This is a bloodless revolution. Where is the party on the 8th May? The results will start around 11am on that Friday morning.
538’s projection shows Lib Dems and Labour are highly likely to each win 1 seat in Scotland. There are two other very-close seats for Labour as well, and the southern-most seat only has SNP a hair ahead of both Conservatives and Labour, and Conservatives winning 2 other seats in the south, although one is only just ahead of the Lib Dems:
Either William Hill or Ladbrooks (can’t remember which one) are only offering odds of 3 – 1 for the SNP winning all 59 seats. As way of comparison, they were offering 1000 – 1 at the time of the last election.
Regardless, I guess their up for far more than their present 6 😉
2. Bill Drees said they will win all seats, to which I pointed out some evidence that they won’t. The wager you are offering has you profit, even if SNP doesn’t win all of the seats. So you’re offering a wager on different terms than the claim that I disputed.
3. 538’s model takes into account a lot of available polling data, as well as demographic information. This makes it more reliable than any single poll, especially polls that are written up by media outlets in order to attract readers.
1. Wine?
2. A counter offer wager?
3. I’ve been watching many polls covering Scotland since the beginning of last year. The pollsters have very solid tested data on which to model due to the IndyRef last year. 95% were enrolled and 85% of them voted.
Many, and particularly Ashcroft, have done extensive polling in individual seats around Scotland. Different polling methods, i.e. Phone, Online, Inteview, are coming up with the same trends and similar results. The “Poll of Polls” that Ashcroft presents uses ComRes, ICM, Ipsos-Mori, Opinium, Populus, Survation, TNS-BMRB and YouGov as well as Ashcroft funded polling.
Though I’ve never heard of “538” they are another one to add to the mix. Thank you for drawing them to our attention.
2. The only wager I would consider is my assertion that SNP will not win 100% of the seats in Scotland.
3. 538 correctly predicted the outcome of all 50 states in the 2012 US presidential election, and 49/50 in 2008, far more accurate than any other prediction. Their UK prediction actually comes from this site: http://electionforecast.co.uk/ which rather than a simple ‘poll of polls’, is a mathematical model of UK voting intention, taking the latest polls into account.
Further interesting on Radionz interview with Brit on coming elections there. It sounds hopeful for Labour et al. And apparently there are enough et al to make it work. And there’s more – Ed is talking, now, about limiting ownership of media, capping it or the like. The Brit said that Murdoch’s papers are having a war of words!
UK election race neck and neck – columnist ( 8′ 16″ )
08:41 With eight days to go until the UK General Election, opposition leader Ed Miliband has made a pitch for the youth vote by visiting actor Russell Brand for what’s being called “a kitchen chat” in the comedian’s multi million pound London flat.
I was reminded by my discussion with Tracey yesterday when I read this article. Seems some people want to wrap themselves in cotton wool and not confront anything that they dislike.
All you have done with that link is show me that you completely missed my point, not only in that thread but for posting as I do on this topic (sexual abuse). Which is fine, I need to try to be clearer in my communication of what I mean so that you don’t go off on a wrong tangent in your understanding of my point of view. I did try hard, but must do better to make my writing more understandable for some people..
It wasn’t neccessarily what you personally stated but a number of other commenters expressed opinions around that subject that reflect the views discussed in that article. One person argued that Rugby promotes violence and therefore should not be promoted. You might like to keep a narrow focus but it is an easy step to demanding massive cultural change to accomodate people’s need to feel “Safe” as per the ridiculous attempts outlined in that article.
Lol
On Planet Key a “conversation with Tracey” includes any conversation that Tracey was even slightly involved with before subsequent statements were made, but a “text conversation with the Prime Minister” does not exist if the person who has the job of being Prime Minister declares he was actively texting but only in a private capacity…
I think Cunliffe, Shearer before him, and Goff before him all genuinely believed that if they were matey enough with people like Hooton and Farrar they’d eventually come onside (or at least go easy on them).
It’s a sad delusion and I’m pleased that Andrew doesn’t appear to suffer from it.
Taika Waititi is returning to the small screen in Brown Eye, a satirical look at the news with a Maori perspective which is starting on Maori Television next month.
[…]
Waititi is a producer on the show with Bailey Mackey. He will appear on the show as Uncle Isaac, giving his insight into subjects such as the Treaty of Waitangi.
Taika Waititi is returning to the small screen in Brown Eye, a satirical look at the news with a Maori perspective which is starting on Maori Television next month.
[…]
Waititi is a producer on the show with Bailey Mackey. He will appear on the show as Uncle Isaac, giving his insight into subjects such as the Treaty of Waitangi.
“You’ll see on the video he walked very slow so there was nothing aggressive about him. He didn’t see the humvee coming, he didn’t hear the humvee coming,” Beatty said. “All he knew was that suddenly he was cut off from the cameras. Then he was grabbed by multiple people in riot gear.”
It’s a video and shows that the police went to a great deal of effort to hide their actions from the camera. I suppose this is what to expect in a police state.
Caught a story at lunch today saying there is a 1,000,000 black men in jail in america and as most of there prisons are working ones it made me think it’s slavery by stealth.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory over imperialism and the day the last American military and ‘diplomatic’ forces left Vietnam, scurrying away on their choppers. A day of abject humiliation for Washington, as they had too many choppers and not enough aircraft carriers, so a whole bunch of Hueys had to be pushed off the aircraft carriers and into the sea.
Not quite. They wanted to make room for the many hundreds of Vietnamese who understandably didn’t want to live under a communist dictatorship. Aircraft Carriers aren’t usually designed to take the land based choppers that were being flown.
They didn’t want to leave too many collaborators behind because (1) many of them had paid huge bribes, and (2) it would look bad next time they invaded a country if they were seen to abandon the torturers and black marketeers who had helped them. A bit like what they’ve done with their little helpers in Afghanistan, in fact.
There is absolutely no reason a land based helicopter can’t be accommodated on an aircraft carrier. Many makes have air force and navy versions, usually differing in the alloys used in some parts. There were just too many trying to land.
They left very many “collaborators” behind, to their eternal shame.
And as to the local losers in that tragic war, the suffering goes on.
In the 1990s if you rode a cycle-rickshaw in Ho Chi Minh City there was every chance it was being pedaled by a former South Vietnam military officer. It was the only sort of work permitted them.
Similarly, the various hill tribes lived under cruel and restrictive laws for many years after the war. Probably still do.
And as to the helicopters – you can’t operate an aircraft carrier with the decks covered in other people’s aircraft. The US Navy had no use for Vietnamese helicopters, land-based or not.
“Dame Jenny Shipley says her appointment as the first independent chair of Oravida is an important move for the company as it seeks to expand its presence in China.”
must go specially alongside her chair of the Chinese bank in Auckland and how well she did as chair of Mainzeal.
maybe someone can investigate the more secret chinese holdings she held previously with drapac … how did they get the lab space at the old DSIR in Mt Albert ? Hard to imagine without largesse and her matronage.
I love the way Fonterra is calling milk prices “volatile”. Prices have plummeted.
And the way they blame the fall on overproduction and lack of demand. NZ milk production has gone from 9.8 billion litres to 20.7 billion litres between 1996-2015
Govt inaction on housing keeping rates high
The Government’s failure to rein in the housing crisis means the Reserve Bank Governor cannot lower interest rates despite inflation being at 15-year lows, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson.
“Inflation is below the target band and the economy has actually deflated in the past two quarters, yet we have among the highest interest rates in the developed world.
“As the Reserve Bank has repeatedly pointed out the biggest reason for that is the Government’s refusal to tackle the housing crisis.
“If it wasn’t for skyrocketing housing prices in Auckland and the increased spending that comes off the back of that, there’s no doubt the Governor would be looking to lower rates.
“That would lower our overvalued dollar, make our exporters more competitive, create jobs and boost incomes, as well as lower mortgage costs for stretched families. Not to mention reduce the serious financial stability risk the Reserve Bank Governor is so worried about.
“In his commentary today, it is clear the Governor is very concerned about the impact of a high dollar on our exporters.
“National is failing to build enough houses and refuses to take action on property speculators. That failure is keeping rates high which is hurting businesses, homeowners, and all Kiwis looking to get ahead.
This is all a brilliant angle from Grant Robertson, he is actually showing he is a better Finance Spokesperson than I thought he was going to be, but then he ruins it all with his last paragraph:
“The decision on interest rates is usually seen as a headache for the Reserve Bank Governor. It’s quickly turning into a headache for everyone, thanks to John Key,” says Grant Robertson.
Come on Grant! You have just put forward a reasoned argument for why National should be doing more to tackle the housing issue, then instead of finishing with what Labour plan to do about it, or just leave it as a well reasoned attack on National’s credibility, he has to bring the political battle back to John Key vs Andrew Little rather than National vs Labour!
National use this tactic because john Key has an almost 4:1 preferred Prime Minister advantage over Andrew Little (according to the latest Colmar Brunton poll), so bringing the arguments back to man against man works for them, but the tenuous links back to John Key at the end of this Media Release is one of the reasons Labour is making no traction in the polls, lot’s of complaints about National using personality politics, then try to counter it with personality politics when you don’t have an overly popular person leading the party (only 1/3rd of his own voters want him as PM)!
When the Prime Minister says the movement of New Zealand forces through a foreign country is not newsworthy, that is the surest signal he no longer trusts the media.
If the Prime Minister, the most accountable public servant, no longer trusts the media, his/her days with that title should be numbered.
the photographic and video images of him they have selected today makes it very clear how they all feel about his ‘middle finger’ to them.
oh, surprise surprise, they have all been changed !! But the Herald one of him with stretching jaws wide open stuffing a burger in his mouth was a perfect derogation of the hollow man.
also, stuff had a most unflattering image of him, but no links .. all gone !! funny that.
‘Gather you cynics throughout all the land,
and don ‘t criticise what you can’t understand …. ‘
( with apologies to Mr Bob Zimmerman), but this:
“The Swiss government has a long and widely-respected history of neutrality, and therefore, reports from this government on controversial subjects need to be taken more seriously than other reports from countries that are more strongly influenced by present economic and political constituencies. When one considers that two of the top five largest drug companies in the world have their headquarters in Switzerland, one might assume that this country would have a heavy interest in and bias toward conventional medicine, but such assumptions would be wrong.
In late 2011, the Swiss government’s report on homeopathic medicine represents the most comprehensive evaluation of homeopathic medicine ever written by a government and was just published in book form in English (Bornhoft and Matthiessen, 2011).
This breakthrough report affirmed that homeopathic treatment is both effective and cost-effective and that homeopathic treatment should be reimbursed by Switzerland’s national health insurance program.
The Swiss government’s inquiry into homeopathy and complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments resulted from the high demand and widespread use of alternatives to conventional medicine in Switzerland, not only from consumers but from physicians as well. Approximately half of the Swiss population have used CAM treatments and value them. Further, about half of Swiss physicians consider CAM treatments to be effective. Perhaps most significantly, 85 percent of the Swiss population wants CAM therapies to be a part of their country’s health insurance program.”
There has been many, many, more peaceful protests than violent ones – and still the MSM media won’t discuss the fact some 300 people have been murder by police in the last year. And the overwhelming majority of these people being killed are Black Americans.
I mention that I did a piece honouring Ettie Rout late yesterday which probably will drop out of sight. She was a WW1 war heroine who receved little ackowledgement and lost her position in society and friends resuting in her taking her life. http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29042015/#comment-1007830
absolutely she deserves a retrospective award … wonderful heroine who saved so many lives from syphilis and other venereal death sentences. thanks for posting, grey.
did you see the fine sam neill doco on maori tv on anzac day .. he gave her an elegant and deserved eulogy.
link for you, and it reminds well of what very good television looks like …
Earlier today, Ingleby, a postdoc at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, posted two excerpts of the anonymous review. “It would probably … be beneficial to find one or two male biologists to work with (or at least obtain internal peer review from, but better yet as active co-authors)” to prevent the manuscript from “drifting too far away from empirical evidence into ideologically biased assumptions,” the reviewer wrote in one portion.
It doesn’t matter how many extensions there are as it’s the length of the wharves that’s the problem. One will still be narrowing the width of the harbour.
“The workers and their union are asking New Zealanders not to eat at McDonald’s on May Day, and if you drive past a picket line, please toot your horn and wave in support.”
Felix Geiringer is so tongue in cheek it’s easy to miss what he really means … he is neither fisi or bob jones … suffice to know he was tweeting the other day that he was very happy to help Amanda Bailey if she needed legal advice or representation ? -)
Oh rawshark-yeshe. I immediately and fully understood that Felix was demonstrating just how absurd the Key supporters position is. (Just in case anyone thought I took him seriously. But Fisi and Jones do sound just like Felix writes.) And being very funny as well. The Geiringer family has a long and noble history of doing the right thing
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TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Opinion: Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of life, and so are anxieties about how it will change life as we know it. How it will change our jobs is just one aspect of the dystopian future we imagine it is creating. Some, if not many, of these concerns warrant serious ...
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Crown research institute GNS Science is about to officially open its new green hydrogen lab in Lower Hutt. One day it could contribute to making sure that small rural communities cut off by disaster can still power through, with stored green hydrogen used to establish a kind of micro-grid. Michelle ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
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Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
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Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
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Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
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Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
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Gloriavale. A place run by a convicted sex offender and his patriarchal mates. Heres what they take from you and me. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/68145084/education-researcher-calls-for-gloriavale-school-to-be-closed
In effect this place pays no tax because the workers work for free (so no PAYE) and despite being worth $38 million and turning $1.8 million profit last year paid no tax. This is because they are registered as a charity. And then they take $199K from you and me to “educate” their children. That (given that they say the outside world is evil) is really taking the piss.
I dont feel charitable. What are our MPs and the IRD doing to ensure they fulfill their obligations as we must as citizens? What is being done to protect the vulnerable young people from these patriarchal predators?
Nothing.
I look forward to hearing sometime in the near future that there has been a police visit with CYFS and any other necessary social services in accompaniment.
Just as long as this is not left to drag. The more media coverage there is the more edgy the elders will get, and there might be open hostility when the authorities eventually do visit.
You gotta hand it to the PM – he’s a supreme actor. Look how gleeful he was on TV3 News last night telling the MSM that shouting to the world the whereabouts of our troops was not “news”. He’d just made it THE news ! and I bet he’s pushed the ponytail saga off the front page by doing so. Distraction politics at its best !
Your right Jenny, Wag the Dog at its best, thats what they do, just like the supposed letters of milk powder contamination….we didnt get to see those or hear anything else about them…..remember the letters were brought to our attention just prior to the Northland bi-election, but that backfired on them, ha.
I call it big noting – a little man on the world stage getting his jollies off – he is not a very insightful person – a hollow man.
My partner thought he looked and sounded embarrassed but was trying to cover it with nonchalance. She didn’t think it worked. Red face… cracking voice…
He always does this. He is desperate to impress those in power so he runs his mouth off.
spot on
I thought he had been drinking just a little too much.
Whatever, it was disgraceful, careless behaviour from the ‘leader’ who has sent 143 brave soldiers into unknown dangers and just handed their so called ‘secure’ whereabouts to the enemy on a platter……. and in enemies part of the world!
This apology of a man is fast becoming a real liability for our country and it’s citizens.
I am so mad at him and his blind followers.
Here are some interesting articles all of which indicate the fallout from bad US policies.
1. Corporate money (political donations to members of the Senate Finance Committee) is being used to influence the Fast Track vote on TTPA bypass democracy in US.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/04/29/corporate-cash-vs-rest-us-fast-track
2. An example of how US foreign policy created the incentive for a journalist to become a terrorist.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/04/29/life-death-al-qaeda-spokesman/
3. Yet another report on the rorts of Charter Schools in the US
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/04/29/fraud-waste-and-lies-charter-schools-cheating-communities-out-millions-dollars
shame on them all trying to cover this up and I hope brownlie is called out on this today. criminals the lot of them.
“The Earthquake Commission (EQC) is trying to shut down adverse findings about its top engineer Graeme Robinson to avoid reopening his 2500 Canterbury assessments.
EQC is worried the findings, if allowed to stand, will have “serious and far reaching implications” for itself and other insurers.
Robinson was found negligent and incompetent by a disciplinary committee of the Institution of Professional Engineers last year. It also found he did not act honestly and with objectivity and integrity, and cancelled his registration.
The findings have not been released officially, although it is understood most of the complaints from 11 Canterbury homeonwers have been fully or partly upheld. Robinson did more than 2500 assessments in Canterbury for EQC after September 4, 2010, and the commission now faces demands for all his assessments to be reopened.
Robinson appealed the disciplinary committee decisions at a Chartered Professional Engineers Council (CPEC) hearing in Wellington last week. Although the hearing was closed to the media, EQC asked to observe and make submissions but its request was declined.
If the appeal fails, Robinson can still appeal to the District Court.
In a December 2014 letter to the CPEC chairman Graham Shaw, obtained by The Press, EQC chief executive Ian Simpson asked the council to keep decisions about Robinson confidential until any appeal of the decisions was completed.
The letter also said EQC believed the disciplinary committee findings were not supported by the evidence and failed to “properly understand and consider the role of EQC and Mr Robinson”.
Public demands to reopen all Robinson’s assessments illustrated “the difficulties which the decisions will inevitably cause for EQC if they are allowed to stand”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/68135509/eqc-fights-adverse-findings-against-its-top-engineer
Dear John,
I read about your “horsing about” and it made me realise you may be able to help me with some answers I need in a hurry.
You see, a couple of weeks ago I was in this café, meeting up with a mate. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the place was pumping, with friends hooking up at the end of a hectic week. I couldn’t help noticing a very attractive young woman sitting at a table on the other side of the room. Her hair, her beautiful, lustrous, enticing hair; caught up in a pertly perfect pony tail which flicked and twitched as she nodded and smiled with her companion. Oh! How my fingers itched, just to touch that hair!
“Earth to Micko”, said my friend, “you’re drooling, mate”, and the spell was broken.
Later, I needed the loo, so I got up to go. Without even realising it, I found myself passing directly behind the young woman and couldn’t help myself saying, as I passed behind her, “Your hair looks so enticing” and, just to emphasise the point, I gave her pony tail a little tug. She swung round in her seat, looking to do battle, so I did my “cheeky schoolboy” grin and said, ” Just horsing about.” She continued to stare, but I could tell she was feeling flattered behind the ice-maiden gaze.
On the way back out I had to pass behind her, again. She saw me coming and turned her face towards me, which meant that the pony tail was out of my reach.
“Playing hard to get, are we?” I thought, as I passed, so I waited until I had gone right past her then, when she wasn’t expecting it, reached back in and gave her another little tug. “Ha, Gotcha” I said, flashing her the old million watt smile.
I got back to my table and my friend leaned in close and hissed in my ear, “Hey, Bro! Settle! Can’t you see she doesn’t like it?”
“Nah, she’s lovin’ it”, I said. Well, I could tell she was ‘cos of the way she was still switching that enticing little ponytail, all over the place.
A bit later we got to the stage of arguing over whose turn it was to pay. He held out for a while, insisting it was his turn but eventually, as I knew he would, he gave in and I got up to go and flash the plastic. Can’t have Bill thinking I owe him anything.
On the way back I was taking a look at the young woman’s face when she glanced up and we made eye contact for just a second. She looked away so quickly that I just knew she was being coquettish. Well, inspiration struck, and I went into “Cookie-Bear” monster mode, advancing on her and humming the theme from Jaws. It had just the effect I wanted. She played along beautifully, turning in her chair, so her back was to the wall, and feigning mock horror.
“I’ll still get you”, I thought, as I reached to get my hand between her head and the wall.
Next thing, I’m face down on the floor. My wrist is somewhere between my shoulder blades, there’s a knee in my back, and the end of a ponytail is flicking in my eyes, while the young woman is barking in my ear, “I am a police officer and I’m arresting you for assault”.
So, now my questions for you, John.
Do you think that if I offer this police woman a couple of bottles of nice red wine and explain how I didn’t realise, do you think that might help my case? Or do I risk being done for attempted bribery?
And what about my broken nose? My lawyer says it will go worse for me if I continue to maintain that the bit about me stumbling into the cell door isn’t actually true. He reckons I should just do a brain fade on the issue. Says it works for you. So should I put in a complaint to the IPCC or should I just stay schtum?
He also says that if I was to openly acknowledge my trichophilia, and seek help for it, then the court might be favourably inclined towards leniency. What do you think?
Hoping you can provide me with some answers,
Yours, with much feeling,
Mickomarvel.
I originally posted this on TDB, but don’t want it to disappear so I’m reposting here, slightly edited.
Mickomarvel – very funny. Perhaps you can meet up at a cafe to discuss your mutual fascination with ponytails! ?
Mickomarvel, you’re on planet earth remember, not planet key
That needs to go here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/657685857619031/?pnref=lhc
Nice one.
Best ‘Dear John” letter ever written lol .. please ensure you will advise us any reply received from said ‘john’.
How about you sending it to John Key, all the National MPs, leaders of all parties, Tv1, TV3 and some radio stations too? And may be to NZ Herald or some other publications who might even pay you for the article!
You could try a little honey applied to the bruises to ease the pain, Mick, it’s a lot cheaper than counselling. And if you’ve run out you could get in touch via Farcebook instead of TM, I have a few spare jars. Definitely don’t stay schtum though, you know what happens if you bottle it up. Messy, very messy…
I’m so proud of the Dunedin City Council progressively voting for divesting from investments in oil and guns. It nice to see something positive for a change. The Councillors who voted against the move range from the short sighted and crusty, through the plain bonkers, on to the right wing libertarian.
Which way did the vote go?
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/340505/dcc-quitting-its-fossil-fuel-shares
That debate continues with; Woodhouse against, Turei supportive, while Clark & Curran (the actual electorate MPs, not just MPs resident in the electorate) were either not asked for, or didn’t provide, comment.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/340602/dcc-fossil-fuel-divestment-decision-raises-row
Weka
The vote was split 7/7 for/against amongst the councilors, with the mayor casting the deciding vote for divestment.
thanks Pasupial, that is so good, but close eh? Congrats to the DCC. It’s a pity that Woodhouse had to make a dork of himself, these people are so on the wrong side of history and will be judged very harshly in years to come.
I just found the a few links too,
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2015/04/council-joins-global-movement/
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1405/S00253/dunedin-becomes-first-nz-city-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels.htm
Hallelujah brothers and you sinful sisters…we God fearing righteous Christians here at Gloriavale must keep the sins of the world at bay! Creatures of Satan, worshippers of Mammon.
Verily did you not hear an evil satanic follower of the false prophet Feminism said unto us that our Christian school should be shut down, that the nearly $200,000 of tainted money we receive from the evil devil infested government should be denied us, for our blessed childrens learning!
Have we not rendered unto Ceasar what is Ceasars? Perhaps not in full, Caesar after all has said that we don’t as a charity owe him a thing, that our Gods mercy in the form of $1.8 million this year we can keep. No taxes to the evil rabble out in the world, no, generous devil Caesar, he blesses us with the additional money to educate our children in the ways of the Lord. Hallelujah.
Now brothers and sisters, the Lords work awaits you, go forth and toil, give your labour to the Lord, no taxes, forth slothful servants. To the greater glory of God and Hopeful Christian…..let’s take from the Devils world what evil tainted Mamman that we can and save it for the Lord (plus Hopefuls legal bills for the next evil accusations of sexual deviancy…)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/68145084/education-researcher-calls-for-gloriavale-school-to-be-closed
WTF!!!
Russell Brand and Ed Miliband on the Trews. Guardian link
The full Trews here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZm9_uKtyo
Just watching it now, good value so far. Miliband is going to be a great PM, I reckon!
“Further detail on the deployment of troops would not be provided “in accordance with our policy on non-identification of personnel and for reasons of operational security,” Brownlee said.
Prime Minister John Key said the first detachment of New Zealand troops – a “fraction” of the total deployment – would go “soonish” but he would not confirm the date.
He said he would not name the exact date for security reasons, on the advice of the Defence Force.
“They don’t go in one group of 106 people, they go in sub-groups of that.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/67756596/first-new-zealand-troops-set-to-deploy-to-iraq
Oh… and human rights issues in the Middle East and a claim that Key spotted over 70 NZ products during a visit to a local supermarket…. if his lips are moving… there’s a deal to be made.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2015/04/27/New-Zealand-ISIS-fighters-prompt-security-talks.html
SNP will take every seat in Scotland.
Labour will get roughly the same percentage as the Tories: 16-18%
Sturgeon does not need to mention Independence: if every seat in Scotland is an SNP one then seperation has commenced.
This is a bloodless revolution. Where is the party on the 8th May? The results will start around 11am on that Friday morning.
538’s projection shows Lib Dems and Labour are highly likely to each win 1 seat in Scotland. There are two other very-close seats for Labour as well, and the southern-most seat only has SNP a hair ahead of both Conservatives and Labour, and Conservatives winning 2 other seats in the south, although one is only just ahead of the Lib Dems:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/uk-general-election-predictions/
Based solely on these predictions, the chances of SNP winning all seats in Scotland is essentially nil.
Either William Hill or Ladbrooks (can’t remember which one) are only offering odds of 3 – 1 for the SNP winning all 59 seats. As way of comparison, they were offering 1000 – 1 at the time of the last election.
Regardless, I guess their up for far more than their present 6 😉
Are you a betting person Lanthanide?
The Scotsman -Edinburgh: SNP on course to win every Scottish Seat.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/snp-on-course-to-win-every-scottish-seat-1-3757713
The Herald – Glasgow: Poll: SNP could win all 59 Scottish seats in general election.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/poll-snp-could-win-all-59-scottish-seats-in-general-election.1430300172
The Independent – London: “….as new poll predicts SNP will win all seats north of the border”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-labours-scottish-leader-predicts-cameron-will-remain-as-pm-as-new-poll-predicts-snp-will-win-all-seats-north-of-the-border-10214211.html
What say I buy you an pint for every non SNP seat and you buy me a pint for every SNP seat over 50?
1. I don’t drink beer.
2. Bill Drees said they will win all seats, to which I pointed out some evidence that they won’t. The wager you are offering has you profit, even if SNP doesn’t win all of the seats. So you’re offering a wager on different terms than the claim that I disputed.
3. 538’s model takes into account a lot of available polling data, as well as demographic information. This makes it more reliable than any single poll, especially polls that are written up by media outlets in order to attract readers.
1. Wine?
2. A counter offer wager?
3. I’ve been watching many polls covering Scotland since the beginning of last year. The pollsters have very solid tested data on which to model due to the IndyRef last year. 95% were enrolled and 85% of them voted.
Many, and particularly Ashcroft, have done extensive polling in individual seats around Scotland. Different polling methods, i.e. Phone, Online, Inteview, are coming up with the same trends and similar results. The “Poll of Polls” that Ashcroft presents uses ComRes, ICM, Ipsos-Mori, Opinium, Populus, Survation, TNS-BMRB and YouGov as well as Ashcroft funded polling.
Though I’ve never heard of “538” they are another one to add to the mix. Thank you for drawing them to our attention.
1. Wine comes in Pints?
2. The only wager I would consider is my assertion that SNP will not win 100% of the seats in Scotland.
3. 538 correctly predicted the outcome of all 50 states in the 2012 US presidential election, and 49/50 in 2008, far more accurate than any other prediction. Their UK prediction actually comes from this site: http://electionforecast.co.uk/ which rather than a simple ‘poll of polls’, is a mathematical model of UK voting intention, taking the latest polls into account.
Further interesting on Radionz interview with Brit on coming elections there. It sounds hopeful for Labour et al. And apparently there are enough et al to make it work. And there’s more – Ed is talking, now, about limiting ownership of media, capping it or the like. The Brit said that Murdoch’s papers are having a war of words!
UK election race neck and neck – columnist ( 8′ 16″ )
08:41 With eight days to go until the UK General Election, opposition leader Ed Miliband has made a pitch for the youth vote by visiting actor Russell Brand for what’s being called “a kitchen chat” in the comedian’s multi million pound London flat.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201752458
I was reminded by my discussion with Tracey yesterday when I read this article. Seems some people want to wrap themselves in cotton wool and not confront anything that they dislike.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/opinion/sunday/judith-shulevitz-hiding-from-scary-ideas.html?_r=0
Yes mean the way you refuse to discuss anything you can’t quantify as an economic equation?
All you have done with that link is show me that you completely missed my point, not only in that thread but for posting as I do on this topic (sexual abuse). Which is fine, I need to try to be clearer in my communication of what I mean so that you don’t go off on a wrong tangent in your understanding of my point of view. I did try hard, but must do better to make my writing more understandable for some people..
It wasn’t neccessarily what you personally stated but a number of other commenters expressed opinions around that subject that reflect the views discussed in that article. One person argued that Rugby promotes violence and therefore should not be promoted. You might like to keep a narrow focus but it is an easy step to demanding massive cultural change to accomodate people’s need to feel “Safe” as per the ridiculous attempts outlined in that article.
Then why name me specifically if it was what “other commenters expresed opinions around”?
Sigh, cos asking to be respected requires a “massive” cultural change just so lsome people can feel “safe” … do you ever re-read what you write?
Because the discussion was around a topic you kicked off.
Lol
On Planet Key a “conversation with Tracey” includes any conversation that Tracey was even slightly involved with before subsequent statements were made, but a “text conversation with the Prime Minister” does not exist if the person who has the job of being Prime Minister declares he was actively texting but only in a private capacity…
Starting right now on Nine to Noon, Muslim women’s rights with Mona Eltahawy, Egyptian author of Headscarves and Hymens.
need a laff..?
hooton and little are clawing at each other..
..little has called hooton a ‘total nutbar’…
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/andrew-little-and-matthew-hooton-have-a-twit-spat-little-calls-hooton-a-total-nutbar/
Thems fighting words!
Can’t imagine Cunliffe would’ve said something like that.
I think Cunliffe, Shearer before him, and Goff before him all genuinely believed that if they were matey enough with people like Hooton and Farrar they’d eventually come onside (or at least go easy on them).
It’s a sad delusion and I’m pleased that Andrew doesn’t appear to suffer from it.
and two of them weren’t sure they could oppose some issues with a straight face
Shearer? YES.
Cunliffe? NO.
Māori Television takes the lead, again.
Taika Waititi is returning to the small screen in Brown Eye, a satirical look at the news with a Maori perspective which is starting on Maori Television next month.
[…]
Waititi is a producer on the show with Bailey Mackey. He will appear on the show as Uncle Isaac, giving his insight into subjects such as the Treaty of Waitangi.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11440530
Thanks joe
Something to look forward to on Māori Television.
Taika Waititi is returning to the small screen in Brown Eye, a satirical look at the news with a Maori perspective which is starting on Maori Television next month.
[…]
Waititi is a producer on the show with Bailey Mackey. He will appear on the show as Uncle Isaac, giving his insight into subjects such as the Treaty of Waitangi.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11440530
Baltimore activist ‘kidnapped’ on live TV is in jail despite having hands up ‘the whole time’
It’s a video and shows that the police went to a great deal of effort to hide their actions from the camera. I suppose this is what to expect in a police state.
He was calmly urging others to refrain from violence and to go home peacefully.
Can’t be having that. The only peace that counts is a peace imposed by force and fear.
The KKK is alive and well in the USA. And it wears blue. The Grand Dragons are now ‘Police Commissioners’.
Caught a story at lunch today saying there is a 1,000,000 black men in jail in america and as most of there prisons are working ones it made me think it’s slavery by stealth.
The new Jim Crow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Jim_Crow
http://newjimcrow.com/about
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory over imperialism and the day the last American military and ‘diplomatic’ forces left Vietnam, scurrying away on their choppers. A day of abject humiliation for Washington, as they had too many choppers and not enough aircraft carriers, so a whole bunch of Hueys had to be pushed off the aircraft carriers and into the sea.
I’ve written about the Vietnam War, or as the Vietnamese called it, The Great Patriotic War, here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/vietnam-40th-anniversary-of-the-triumph-over-imperialism/
Phil
Not quite. They wanted to make room for the many hundreds of Vietnamese who understandably didn’t want to live under a communist dictatorship. Aircraft Carriers aren’t usually designed to take the land based choppers that were being flown.
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/312/563/05d.jpg
They didn’t want to leave too many collaborators behind because (1) many of them had paid huge bribes, and (2) it would look bad next time they invaded a country if they were seen to abandon the torturers and black marketeers who had helped them. A bit like what they’ve done with their little helpers in Afghanistan, in fact.
There is absolutely no reason a land based helicopter can’t be accommodated on an aircraft carrier. Many makes have air force and navy versions, usually differing in the alloys used in some parts. There were just too many trying to land.
They left very many “collaborators” behind, to their eternal shame.
And as to the local losers in that tragic war, the suffering goes on.
In the 1990s if you rode a cycle-rickshaw in Ho Chi Minh City there was every chance it was being pedaled by a former South Vietnam military officer. It was the only sort of work permitted them.
Similarly, the various hill tribes lived under cruel and restrictive laws for many years after the war. Probably still do.
And as to the helicopters – you can’t operate an aircraft carrier with the decks covered in other people’s aircraft. The US Navy had no use for Vietnamese helicopters, land-based or not.
Indeed. And it wasn’t a “war” and it was a draw not a loss /sarc
:pokey tongue out face:
Library access to scoop.co.nz denied
Independent of what/who
“Dame Jenny Shipley says her appointment as the first independent chair of Oravida is an important move for the company as it seeks to expand its presence in China.”
must go specially alongside her chair of the Chinese bank in Auckland and how well she did as chair of Mainzeal.
maybe someone can investigate the more secret chinese holdings she held previously with drapac … how did they get the lab space at the old DSIR in Mt Albert ? Hard to imagine without largesse and her matronage.
Shipley would be the ideal candidate to be independent of integrity, accountability, honesty, public service, and ethics.
Engish as NZ traitor: headline says it all.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/68152582/government-offloads-2800-state-houses-to-auckland-development-company
nb: use of the verb “offload’ in the headline.
nb2: English’s action includes givng the developer a $200 million instant line of credit to get them start !
Brian Donnelly has been involved in “developing” state housing for a while now.
http://www.nzsef.org.nz/the-2007-fellowship/brian-donnelly
Thanks for the link Murray. It is well worth a read folks.
It is kind of what the Housing Corporation used to do? Now they rely on direct funding from the public.
But quick. Look over there, people are taking up the grants to buy their own houses… Govt is good for low income folks looking for a home..
I love the way Fonterra is calling milk prices “volatile”. Prices have plummeted.
And the way they blame the fall on overproduction and lack of demand. NZ milk production has gone from 9.8 billion litres to 20.7 billion litres between 1996-2015
Power problem. Fallback failed yet again.
Sneaker fallback worked. May as well take lunch back with me.
When are Labour going to learn!
Press release this morning from Grant Robertson:
Govt inaction on housing keeping rates high
The Government’s failure to rein in the housing crisis means the Reserve Bank Governor cannot lower interest rates despite inflation being at 15-year lows, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson.
“Inflation is below the target band and the economy has actually deflated in the past two quarters, yet we have among the highest interest rates in the developed world.
“As the Reserve Bank has repeatedly pointed out the biggest reason for that is the Government’s refusal to tackle the housing crisis.
“If it wasn’t for skyrocketing housing prices in Auckland and the increased spending that comes off the back of that, there’s no doubt the Governor would be looking to lower rates.
“That would lower our overvalued dollar, make our exporters more competitive, create jobs and boost incomes, as well as lower mortgage costs for stretched families. Not to mention reduce the serious financial stability risk the Reserve Bank Governor is so worried about.
“In his commentary today, it is clear the Governor is very concerned about the impact of a high dollar on our exporters.
“National is failing to build enough houses and refuses to take action on property speculators. That failure is keeping rates high which is hurting businesses, homeowners, and all Kiwis looking to get ahead.
This is all a brilliant angle from Grant Robertson, he is actually showing he is a better Finance Spokesperson than I thought he was going to be, but then he ruins it all with his last paragraph:
“The decision on interest rates is usually seen as a headache for the Reserve Bank Governor. It’s quickly turning into a headache for everyone, thanks to John Key,” says Grant Robertson.
Come on Grant! You have just put forward a reasoned argument for why National should be doing more to tackle the housing issue, then instead of finishing with what Labour plan to do about it, or just leave it as a well reasoned attack on National’s credibility, he has to bring the political battle back to John Key vs Andrew Little rather than National vs Labour!
National use this tactic because john Key has an almost 4:1 preferred Prime Minister advantage over Andrew Little (according to the latest Colmar Brunton poll), so bringing the arguments back to man against man works for them, but the tenuous links back to John Key at the end of this Media Release is one of the reasons Labour is making no traction in the polls, lot’s of complaints about National using personality politics, then try to counter it with personality politics when you don’t have an overly popular person leading the party (only 1/3rd of his own voters want him as PM)!
When the Prime Minister says the movement of New Zealand forces through a foreign country is not newsworthy, that is the surest signal he no longer trusts the media.
If the Prime Minister, the most accountable public servant, no longer trusts the media, his/her days with that title should be numbered.
the photographic and video images of him they have selected today makes it very clear how they all feel about his ‘middle finger’ to them.
oh, surprise surprise, they have all been changed !! But the Herald one of him with stretching jaws wide open stuffing a burger in his mouth was a perfect derogation of the hollow man.
also, stuff had a most unflattering image of him, but no links .. all gone !! funny that.
the ice is thinning under key’s feet.
but this odd choice of image survives on TV3 .. proves my point !
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/key-troop-deployment-not-newsworthy-2015042911#axzz3Yb448UjV
‘Gather you cynics throughout all the land,
and don ‘t criticise what you can’t understand …. ‘
( with apologies to Mr Bob Zimmerman), but this:
“The Swiss government has a long and widely-respected history of neutrality, and therefore, reports from this government on controversial subjects need to be taken more seriously than other reports from countries that are more strongly influenced by present economic and political constituencies. When one considers that two of the top five largest drug companies in the world have their headquarters in Switzerland, one might assume that this country would have a heavy interest in and bias toward conventional medicine, but such assumptions would be wrong.
In late 2011, the Swiss government’s report on homeopathic medicine represents the most comprehensive evaluation of homeopathic medicine ever written by a government and was just published in book form in English (Bornhoft and Matthiessen, 2011).
This breakthrough report affirmed that homeopathic treatment is both effective and cost-effective and that homeopathic treatment should be reimbursed by Switzerland’s national health insurance program.
The Swiss government’s inquiry into homeopathy and complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments resulted from the high demand and widespread use of alternatives to conventional medicine in Switzerland, not only from consumers but from physicians as well. Approximately half of the Swiss population have used CAM treatments and value them. Further, about half of Swiss physicians consider CAM treatments to be effective. Perhaps most significantly, 85 percent of the Swiss population wants CAM therapies to be a part of their country’s health insurance program.”
Full article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathic-medicine-_b_1258607.html
“For the times, they are a changin’ ” …
Well worth watching – Good work by the activist. Great media work.
Also good analysis from the folks from Young Turks.
https://twitter.com/deray
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing
#baltimoreuprising
There has been many, many, more peaceful protests than violent ones – and still the MSM media won’t discuss the fact some 300 people have been murder by police in the last year. And the overwhelming majority of these people being killed are Black Americans.
Lest we forget – Freddie Gray.
In four months 386 people have been killed by police.
http://www.killedbypolice.net/
https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice?fref=nf
Maybe it was 300 people since the start of the year, was the quote I heard.
That said, any figure over 0 is a tragedy. 300+ is morally bankrupt, corrupt system that is failing.
I mention that I did a piece honouring Ettie Rout late yesterday which probably will drop out of sight. She was a WW1 war heroine who receved little ackowledgement and lost her position in society and friends resuting in her taking her life.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29042015/#comment-1007830
absolutely she deserves a retrospective award … wonderful heroine who saved so many lives from syphilis and other venereal death sentences. thanks for posting, grey.
did you see the fine sam neill doco on maori tv on anzac day .. he gave her an elegant and deserved eulogy.
link for you, and it reminds well of what very good television looks like …
https://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/anzac-2015/S01E001/anzac-2015-anzac-tides-blood
Thanks for thinking of that r-yeshe. I haven’t got tv at moment but should get set up for Maori TV.
you can watch online if you have a computer … just use the same link …
Updated: Sexist peer review elicits furious Twitter response, PLOS apology
Bold mine and all I can say to that is: WTF???
wow
comments are an interesting read (plus that video, lolz).
Can’t say I’m too surprised. Women talking about gender, how could they not be biased 😉
Is Len Brown a corporate stooge or is it just that he’s overly thick and mendacious ?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11441189
A bit of both?
It doesn’t matter how many extensions there are as it’s the length of the wharves that’s the problem. One will still be narrowing the width of the harbour.
@Draco..yes pretty much.
They say we get the leaders we deserve… not sure what we did to deserve our current local and government leaders.
Boycott McDonald’s Tomorrow : May 1 :
“The workers and their union are asking New Zealanders not to eat at McDonald’s on May Day, and if you drive past a picket line, please toot your horn and wave in support.”
See more at:
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/04/30/guest-blog-anonymous-mcdonalds-worker-old-mcdonalds-had-a-strike/#sthash.cBVnfPll.dpuf
I’m glad to say that will be very easy for me…never eaten there and never intend to do so.
“Louise Upston spouts meaningless waffle when she talks about women’s issues.”
Dita de BonI writes:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11440715
Felix Geiringer: “Will ‘bit of fun’ end up like pate polishing? “A very funny look at the Hair Pulling Brigade. Sounds just like Fisi or Bob Jones.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11440603
(Funny thing is that to click on the agree hand the vote evaporates when reloading page.)
Felix Geiringer is so tongue in cheek it’s easy to miss what he really means … he is neither fisi or bob jones … suffice to know he was tweeting the other day that he was very happy to help Amanda Bailey if she needed legal advice or representation ? -)
Oh rawshark-yeshe. I immediately and fully understood that Felix was demonstrating just how absurd the Key supporters position is. (Just in case anyone thought I took him seriously. But Fisi and Jones do sound just like Felix writes.) And being very funny as well. The Geiringer family has a long and noble history of doing the right thing
it was the fisi reference that had me fooled ! no insult to you intended ianmac!