Open mike 30/07/2010
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6:00 am, July 30th, 2010 - 18 comments
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The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Child Protection Investigation Unit established
A new Child Protection Investigation Unit is being established to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in care, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “The report released by the Royal Commission into abuse in state care shows us all the risk of not acting immediately when there are serious ...9 hours ago - Speech at United States Business Summit 2024
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...9 hours ago
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- District Court Judge appointed
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- Appointments strengthen Predator Free 2050
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- Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
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- Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
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- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
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- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
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- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
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- First arrests made under gang patch ban
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- Better support for victims of sexual violence
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- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
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- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...1 day ago
- Fighting for Kiwis in Trade
Delivered at Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School Good morning and thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Lithander for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School today. A Special thanks to the University of Auckland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...1 day ago
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Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...2 days ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
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- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...2 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...3 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
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- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...3 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...3 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...3 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...3 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...3 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...3 days ago
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Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...3 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...4 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...4 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...4 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...4 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...5 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...5 days ago
- Maritime Union joins opposition to live export shipments
The Maritime Union also has zero faith in government assurances of a gold standard for ships used for the trade. ...2 hours ago - Offshore oil and gas ban ‘worst political decision’, Shane Jones says
Shane Jones says the offshore oil and gas ban is "the worst political decision" he has ever been involved with. ...3 hours ago
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A series of frantic text messages from Andrew Bayly to government staffers amid scrutiny over his actions at a winery have been revealed. ...4 hours ago
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They have pleaded with the ACT leader to stop what they say are abusive violations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...6 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Grantham, Lecturer in Communication, Griffith University Shutterstock The federal government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked widespread debate, affecting millions of young Australians, their families and educators. But will it actually work? While the aim behind this ban ...6 hours ago - Ant stings can be painful. Here’s how to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do if you do...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Stokes-Parish, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Bond University Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock If someone’s heart suddenly stops beating, they may only have minutes to live. Doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resusciation) can increase their chances of survival. CPR makes sure blood keeps pumping, providing oxygen to ...7 hours ago
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The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, $26) The slight, superb winner of the Booker Prize ...9 hours ago
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The prime minister says it wasn't appropriate behaviour but that Erica Stanford had apologised. ...10 hours ago
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The first arrest was made just three minutes after midnight, with 11 more to come. ...10 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Hanaghan, Senior Research Fellow in Latin Christianity in Late Antiquity, Australian Catholic University Warning: this article contains mild spoilers. When Gladiator I was released in 2000, I was a high school Classics student and the film brought Classical literature to life ...11 hours ago
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The first arrest was made just three minutes after midnight, with 11 more to come. ...11 hours ago
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“We are waiting for our government to announce it will arrest Netanyahu and Gallant immediately if they set foot in Aotearoa New Zealand” says PSNA National Chair John Minto. ...12 hours ago - Justice Committee Makes Further Decisions About Submissions Process For The Principles Of The Treaty...
The committee plans to hold hearings in the week starting Monday, 27 January and the weeks starting 10, 17 and 24 February 2025. ...12 hours ago
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It comes as Labour accuses National of not listening to evidence about boot camps. ...12 hours ago
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Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
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There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...18 hours ago
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Chris Carter.
Please shut the f up.
“Maybe Chris with spare time on his hands can go back to school and learn to read and write properly?
Helen and Heather are fuming in the Big Bad Apple. What a rainbow of deceit and lies New Zealand politics is. Will we EVER be free of such low down fools?”
well – what a bunch of fucking backstabbers youse mob’s turned into, huh?
Some links.
Climate change ‘undeniable’.
The dead sea.
Peter Sinclair in two parts.
Crock 1.
Crock 2.
More on Phytoplankton.
A new study concludes that an old, fundamental and widely accepted theory of how and why phytoplankton bloom in the oceans is incorrect.
Considering the hundred thousand plus troops in Afghanistan .. what it cost for just 245 of them would provide enough money to educate every child in the country … and out of education comes progress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/opinion/29kristof.html?th&emc=th
My innitial reaction was, without the troops how can the schools survive? But apparently that is not correct becuase already there are 300 schools operating without Taliban attention/destruction.
This is a big question for America but if they cut back what will be the effect on demobed troops on the already gross unemployment in the country? Along with the cut back in the production of war materials leading to further redundancies … altogether a tragic situation for the American people with capitalism ruling the roost.
Perhaps the USA troops can go back to school, learn new trades, skills, how to run small businesses. After WW2 many men got university degrees, retraining, on peacetime scholarships. Then the pent-up energy and surge of people into the labour market could become part of the renewal of USA commerce.
Or it could just add to their already high unemployment.
The military-industrial complex is primarily pushed by state senators as a way to provide employment in their states for ‘defense’ contracts.
All of that money going into the military pays people and keeps them employed.
This is the same reason why Peak Oil is going to be so disasterous – sure, people don’t need their cheap junk from China, their fancy cars, boats, clothes, perfumes, exotic foods, latest tech gadgets etc. But if you cut them out of society because they cost too much in a Peak Oil world, employment drops through the floor and along with it tax revenue and then the whole state falls over – say goodbye to pensions, healthcare and education.
I’m pretty sure that when the troops come home the pentagon will have a massive ‘lessons learned’ project.
This will provide congress with multiple metric tonnage of paper explaining precisely how and where things went wrong, and exactly which type of trillion dollar research and development programme needs to be implemented forthwith to update the warfighting needs of the the republic, going forward, as she moves in the dangerous new environment.
The old model has failed. The new model will not be as cheap.
I see the L.A. times is reporting that state run chinese media has been beating war drums over the US/korean exercises just been held.
The Great Example to us all – California is continuing to go broke. That is after the people so smartly considered and voted for so many things in referenda. Hasn’t saved them from troubles.
Now they have the idea of processing marijuana legally so they can tap this commerce with taxes. How could they even think this! The sky will fall if that happens. And when trying to nail an annoying crim a ‘plant’ of marijuana hidden somewhere for police to find won’t be the useful crime-fighting tool as in the past.
In the nothern California counties, marijuana is practically their primary industry. They haul in cash from the rest of California and Oregon, cash which is untaxed.
If/when marijuana is de-criminalised/legalised, the prices will drop and these northern counties will have their economies wiped out. On the other hand, it might also weaken the drug cartels in Mexico.
All actions have consequences.
We need something like this.
Throw in some online voting and we’ll be taking another step to that Open Government that Labour’s Clare Curran was talking about. It would actually make people feel involved in the running of their country and, IMO, we’d start to see an economy based around real resources rather than the delusional capitalist market.
EDIT: Actually, something like that for the household so people can see what their decisions mean before they make them would be awesome as well. Choice between light bulbs (energy efficient or old style) shows the full costs in environmental damage and price.
Where’s our “Friday Funny” – I could do with a good chuckle after this week!
[lprent: let me see what I can do… Busy day.]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA-Wfa87jg4&feature=related
Dunno about funny, but in my, err, faith tradition, friday has certain sacramental obligations.
Old school redneck music, from the west virginia branch of redneckery, which is a whole ol diffrint kettle of mash from that sunburnt crop farming red clay cracker bidness.
Also this from charlie parr:
Was Chris the first to jump ship, now another Chris has abandoned the Good Ship Labour, or at least moved from the left to the right !!
Labour MP Chris Carter
Right-wing political commentator Chris Trotter discusses the fallout over Labour MP Chris Carter’s suspension from caucus after he anonymously posted letters to press gallery reporters over friction within the Labour party – and then was found out for it.
http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/breakfast-friday-july-30-3679113