“For more on the situation in Venezuela, we go to the BBC’s Orla Guerin.”
RNZ National, Thursday 31 January 2019, 6.15 a.m.
Emotion merchant Orla Guerin is “emotional” as always. Her voice throbs as she summons up an approximate imitation of earnest solicitude and sincerity. It’s clear who she’s been told to portray as the hero in this Washington-directed farce: “The authorities turning up the heat on Venezuela’s young Opposition leader….”
RNZ National Morning Report host Susie Ferguson (herself a former BBC “reporter”) ends the one minute coverage of Venezuela for the morning: “That’s the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido talking to Orla Guerin.”
Venezuela has been an object of ridicule and loathing on New Zealand’s state broadcaster for years now….
I don’t know where you get the impression I “adore” the democratically elected leader of Venezuela. I acknowledge that both he and Chávez before him were far from perfect, and made many mistakes. I was particularly incensed by Chávez’s ideological assault against El Sistema, Venezuela’s world-renowned music program. He attacked it on the barbaric and ridiculous ground that classical music was a middle class thing.
I was astonished and alarmed to see Chávez grandstanding in the U.S., ostentatiously delivering free fuel to the poor areas of some U.S. cities in order to show up the neglectful Bush administration. That always seemed like a provocative and foolish thing to do. He—and now Maduro—also did little or nothing about diversifying the country’s economy—leaving it prey to pirates like the Bush gang and its obedient vassals in the E.U., Canada, Australia, Israel and the fascist regimes of Central and South America.
They’ve been pretty damned hopeless—but they’ve never been involved in the destruction of another country, leave alone four or five. And let’s not forget that the plight of the country, the suffering and the violence, is due mainly to the extreme right-wing, democracy-hating Venezuelan insurrectionists, and the aggressive and totally illegal “sanctions” imposed by U.S. regimes, mounting in ferocity and pitilessness following the failed coup of 2002.
You either support the rule of law and democratic elections, Gabby—or you meekly give in and reluctantly support Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Bolton, and Abrams.
What d’you reckon will happen when a government takes every measure it can to destroy legitimate opposition morrie? Including creating a new legislature to do an end run around the elected one?
“Legitimate” opposition? These are the insurrectionists that fought and lost the 2002 coup. They boycott elections because they know they will never get a large enough vote to win or to even cut a deal.
Venezuela’s elections in 2013 and 2018 were praised by all observers. Not the insurrectionists and their U.S. backers, but by all people who observed the elections. They were certainly far cleaner than the U.S. elections of virtually any year. (And, no, it wasn’t those Evil Masterminds, the RUSSIANS, it was the Republican gerrymanderers and the army of corrupt officials who disenfranchised hundreds of thousands, probably millions, of mainly African American and Latino voters.)
The Communists routinely boycotted elections as a matter of strategy in many countries. Did that invalidate all those Western European elections?
Not always. But it certainly was in this case. As one of the opponents of Maduro in last year’s election, Henri Falcón, explained: “Electoral boycotts almost never work. In country after country, opposition forces that abandoned the field of electoral competition have lost ground and allowed rulers to consolidate power.”
National effectively boycotted the Epsom seat in several recent elections, so as to enable a member of the ACT cult to get a seat. They did something similar to help Peter Dunne in Ohariu. Do those boycotts invalidate New Zealand’s last three or four elections?
The elections in Venezuela in 2013 and 2018 were cleaner and more transparent than any U.S. federal election. In 2013, even Forbes magazine could not deny that. Nothing changed in the intervening years, other than the extreme right’s self-inflicted massive injury of the boycott.
Hosking dresses like a man with serious insecurity and self esteem problems.
And for Hawkesby, well that was a petulant and child-like rant. It didn’t do the Nats any favours at all which I’m sure was the purpose of the article.
She would fit right in as one of the cast in that Brit programme “Benidorm”. And yes, clothing choices are up to each person’s preference, but when KH tosses the first stone……
Yet another puerile and vitriolic rant by a Nat aligned MSM lackey. The CT backed instructions went out about 2 weeks ago I reckon – it’s “Dirty Politics” in its most virulent form from now until the next election.
Edit: Even questioned the presence of baby, Neve. She’s seven months old for God’s sake and needs her Mum. Dad might have work commitments as the moment.
Here it is:
Jacinda Ardern’s baby Neve was also there – I don’t know why, I’m not sure if other people’s kids were there, but let’s not call that weird because we’ll be lynched.
Nasty piece of work.
Wonder what her teenage brats are up to these days.
If her teenage offspring turn up half normal they’ll be doing okay. Some regularly scream about kids being to be taken off their parents to get them out of abusive environments. The sort of people who strenuously support Mike Hosking.
Is it right to leave kids in environments with polluted outlooks of their parents?
Morrissey……please put up that freaky photograph of Hosking in his ripped jeans, seemingly pointless chains, and something resembling a wannabe tough boy leather jacket……the one you posted a couple of years ago.
More things to make you go hmmmm. Steve Munchkin has possible financial links to rooskies, lifts sanctions on rooskies, rooskies hire former Drumpf transition staffer.
As the arguments about taxation culminate in the release of the tax report either today or tomorrow, the human cost of a low tax economy needs to be remembered. Richardson and Garner need to get of their high horses and go to Hospital Hill in Napier. There used to stand Napier Hospital. Closed in 1995 to pay for Bill Birchs tax cuts. It has been demolished now, but for 2 decades it stood as a reminder of where tax cuts after tax cut will enventually get us.
We need a capital gains tax. What is left of our health system need it.
We have a capital gains tax. Bridges has promised to remove it, but we don’t know how much tax revenue that will lose. (Yes there are many exemptions from treating capital gains as income – the family home being well-known.) National increased revenue from tax on capital gains by its “bright line” test which said that gains from the quick sale of property will automatically be regarded as taxable income unless there were special reasons – Bridges now wants to cut out all tax on capital gains – whoopee for those involved in buying and selling companies for a profit . . .
if you bought shares when some of the SOEs were sold, you have done quite well, but it would be good if you didn’t have to pay tax on those gains – does Bridges have a cunning plan to help a few blind trusts for retiring National politicians?
Yes. English intended to drive the Public Health system into ruin so that Presto. The Private system can ride in to pick up the broken bits that can be turned into profit. Just as in Britain it is happening so, right now.
We must have a Health system like the Americans. Right?
Yes, American’s spend the most on health care in the world and have one of the worst most expensive and inequatitable systems. I think something like 40% of American’s don’t even have access to health care and they are paying through the nose for that!
Happy to say, NZ health system is still very good, like our educations system, but you can see how the privatisation and routing and lowering of standards, while making it free (in real terms) to 4 million tourists per year and hundreds of thousands of the world living here who don’t require to pay any extra in real terms (because even if you are supposed to pay, you don’t really have to) or have private health insurance before entering the country, so the quality issues are being subtly and not so subtly pushed… We now seem to have as many people in NZ per year in NZ using all the roads, medical and hospitals and services as those who permanently live here…
The government might be aiming to stabilise migration, but decreasing immigration seems to be “in the ‘too hard basket” for now. Hope they keep their eye on the long-term ‘ball’.
“privatisation and routingrorting and lowering of standards” (just once, for info only)
Thanks Drowsy. But under Labour/NZ First/Greens last year sounds like immigration and work permits INCREASED (not stabilised) dramatically, according to TDB, 4 million tourists, 129,000 new migrants and 150,000 temporary work permits, combined they nearly equal the resident population of NZ.
Meanwhile reports of apparently work shortages seem to be lies… as local workers in constructions are having to lay off people because their wages have become too low and small (local) builders are shut out of the contracts as it becomes about who you know and lowest cost …
NZ has a quality construction issue which after lazy immigration, is the 2nd biggest problem facing the housing crisis. As fast as our Rogernomics market based construction solutions build them, they need remedial work and can’t be lived in, throwing more people out to rent who should be home owners living in their homes, and then the construction firms themselves are liquidated…
If a company is liquidated there should be proper penalties for the directors including not being able to be a company director for at least a decade… and personal fines.
Perhaps then the firms would be more choosy and of a higher standard and less likely to liquidate at the first sign of trouble so they don’t have to pay their workers and subcontractors…
It seems that being undercut by so many overseas players with deep pockets is a factor. Who knows how many of them are bringing in overseas workers and profiting from underpaying them (like the listed NZ firms) and getting payments for the job…. meanwhile the big players are able to hoover up all the housing contracts…
Also poor plans being approved by council have also been a factor…
The problem is that the firms bringing in the low cost labour and tourists are having their profits subsidised by Kiwi taxpayers who have to pay for the hospitals and schools and roads and wastewater that all these cheaper workers and tourists need, meanwhile throwing our local firms paying better wages under the bus and putting them out of work, or the standards have fallen so low with construction with planning, labour and materials that the new buildings need remedial work almost immediately and the tourist ventures are more likely to be overseas owned with substantial overseas labour to run them… so it’s a Ponzi… because it is not sustainable.
Labour and Auckland council wants more taxes on the middle classes because they are easy targets, National is seizing it’s chances to squeeze back into power… all in all very depressing…
If user pays were user pays, then shouldn’t those using the services and bringing in the workers have to pay big bucks for the visas, have a bond if their workers leave so are not actually doing the work, have a much higher threshold for being able to bring someone in, (aka pay at the top end of the pay scale for the so called ‘experience’) so that there is money to pay for the hospitals and schools and roads and waster water of their overseas workers and 4 million tourists are not subsidised by the tax payers on NZ who are also being shunted off the hospital waiting lists or spending 4 hours in traffic each day or can’t swim in their water ways because their is too much pollution.
Like wise the ‘private’ educational institutions many of whom are just conduits for residency of low quality poorly educated people, who suddenly sport a ‘masters’ they bought from a NZ institution mostly private who gets $20k per year from them.
Unlike the more well known international universities in the top 100 universities in the world, increasingly in NZ we are devaluing our tertiary institutions with paid degrees that accepts anybody with the cash… regardless of their educational ability or inability.
Unlike the more well known international universities in the top 100 universities in the world, increasingly in NZ we are devaluing our tertiary institutions with paid degrees that accepts anybody with the cash… regardless of their educational ability or inability.
Sounds good. So, what you’re saying is that NZ universities have been lowering their entry criteria and have a special category for cashed-up no-hopers. I couldn’t find any evidence for this though …
YES. And if memory still serves, wasn’t there some question about NAT’S investing in Ryman’s?? and that policy looked tailormade ????? Someone may recall.
@ianmac Re the article by Graham Adams on Noted.
I did not note any perception in the article.
Just the usual selective bias cherry picking info
and juxtaposition to ” prove” a point
Some one else comes along and through similar
cherry picking juxtaposition proves the opposite.
Does get tiresome .
No shortage of cherry pickers in this country.
There are thousands on social media 🙂
Please don’t go. You and your contributions here have been long and valued by me, and I know, many others.
I and some others (Anne, Redlogix) have been having a conversation this morning over on the post on “The world cannot afford billionaires” about behaviours here and related matters. Go and have a read – just check the sidebar as the links are there eg Anne to me, me to me, Redlogix to me etc. Hope that may help change your mind.
Re Rata, I am not going to criticise him or her as he/she has the same rights to comment here as me, provided he/she complies with the rules in the TS’ Policy.
However, since this new personality appeared recently, I have been a bit bemused by his/her postings and personally I decided the best thing to do was just ignore. IMHO he/she really does not post enough substance to bother replying to or attempting any debate on the issues raised. There is not much point when there are so many other more interesting interactions going on here.
And thank you for posting that link. I meant to do so on Sunday (?) when I first read it and we were discussing that issue on MS’s post on the $100,000 donation. So we need you to stay!!!!
veutoviper. I have a huge sense of humour (though my wife only laughs sometimes) and I was really just grinning to myself as I wrote my response to rata. I thought he was trying to be too clever so responded in that vein. I am not leaving TS. Some serious ideas here but I like the sort of response people like Robert sometimes give us too. Brightens the day.
And yes I read your plan of how a blog should run. Good stuff.
Churchill as Minister of defence in 1914 refused credit to Turkey to enable for them to regain their repaired naval ships. The result was that Turkey was powerless to withstand pressure from Germany. The Germans “gave” a ship to Turkey, raised a Turkish flag on her, then sent her in to the Black Sea to shell a Russian town. Thus, Churchill’s decision tipped Turkey into being our enemy. Well done Winston.
Churchill is one of the few people about whom I am very ambivalent. He did great things and he did terrible things, and most of his actions all came from the same place and attitude. He connected with people from all classes and was a considerate officer in the trenches, but he also set tanks and cavalry on workers. And so many other juxtapositions.
Pretty much everyone with an opinion on him is correct, lovers and haters all.
It’s perhaps worth noting that his descendants continue to wreak havoc among the underprivileged. His horrible grandson Rupert Soames was in charge of that awful Serco shitshow.
“Non a l’Eurovision 2019 en Israel!”
Move Eurovision From Israel, Peter Gabriel and Leading U.K. Artists Urge BBC
Signatories to letter say venue must change because of ‘Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights’; BBC rejects call
Haaretz, Jan. 30, 2019
Some 50 British cultural figures, including musician Peter Gabriel and actress Julie Christie, signed a letter published on Tuesday in the Guardian calling on the BBC to push for the locale of this year’s Eurovision song contest to be changed because of “Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights.”
The BBC rejected the call, saying it was ‘inappropriate to use the BBC’s participation for political reasons.’
“The European Broadcasting Union chose Tel Aviv as the venue over occupied Jerusalem – but this does nothing to protect Palestinians from land theft, evictions, shootings, beatings and more by Israel’s security forces,” read the letter.
“The BBC is bound by its charter to ‘champion freedom of expression,'” the figures said. “It should act on its principles and press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed.”
Also among the dozens of signatories were filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and musician Roger Waters.
Earlier this month, protesters in France stormed the stage after a performance by Netta Barzilai, who won the song contest in 2018, carrying a sign saying “Non a l’Eurovision 2019 en Israel!” (No to Eurovision 2019 in Israel).
I would think letting Israel host the Eurovision Song Contest would be a form of punishment for them, but they aren’t sharp enough to know the difference.
Hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel? Surely this in itself is an admission that Israel is not part of the Middle East, but an artificial Western colony, in the Middle East
Who knew Ports of Auckland were privately owned… maybe they think that they are because of the stupid COO structure but unless they were sold off by Auckland council they are still an asset owned by the ratepayers of Auckland or are supposed to be even if they are under the Rogernomics structure…
Pretty sure Ports of Auckland will face climate change issues, but of course keep head head in sand and collect bonuses…
Govt needs to fill gaps on climate infrastructure cost
Lyttleton “Port and Ports of Auckland were not included in this report as they privately-owned.”
It is hard to believe that this sentence was written by an actual journalist. As well as being factually incorrect, it is grammatically incorrect as well.
If they spoke this sentence out loud, you would wonder if they were mentally challenged.
The old economics’ engines of imperialism are outdated. Further more, no one can out China, China.
Technology, and the unstoppable nature of the demands of a increasingly multi-polar nature to world economic growth, along with those practicalities to sustainable resource management, requires the economics of Quantity, whether that be the numbers of segregated financial gains or overall volumes traded, transition to the economics of Quality ( the value systems of the less direct tangibles in the co-operative life styles of the societal demand & supply being developed – which NZ is starting upon to the terms of the Govt’s first wellbeing budget).
If shit like this doesn’t drive Lenin to rise from his grave to strangle the kleptocratic gangsters occupying the Kremlin, then nothing will.
Russia’s Justice Ministry has proposed exempting officials in “exceptional circumstances” from anti-corruption regulations in new draft legislation, following a plan set by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries, with Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index ranking it in 138th place this year out of 180 countries.
[…]
The Justice Ministry did not provide examples of the “exceptional circumstances” that would allow officials to escape punishment. Russia’s Vedomosti business daily reported Monday that the ministry would provide specific examples of exemptions to anti-corruption laws after public discussions of the proposal wrap up on Feb. 8.
The measures to amend the legislation were proposed by Putin in an anti-corruption plan he signed in June 2018.
Ilya Shumanov, the deputy head of Transparency International Russia, told the publication that the amendments provide loopholes for officials to avoid responsibility.
“There’s not a single rational explanation for the use of exceptional circumstances when an official couldn’t declare a conflict of interest,” Vedomosti quoted Shumanov as saying.
Really interesting case study of “conversion disorder”, previously referred to as mass hysteria
The diplomats withdrawn from the Cuban embassy with injuries caused by a mysterious “”sonic or microwave weapon developed by the Soviets” turned out to have been bothered by crickets
I’m feeling the same , the cicadas are crazy noisy this year.
an excerpt
” In terms of locations under pressure, embassies are strong candidates, especially when a considerable number of the staff are undercover spies. One C.I.A. agent told me that these low-grade panics happen a lot. Writing in The New Yorker in 2008, the novelist and former British spy, John le Carré, made the case that spies are susceptible to a unique form of hysteria. ”
The unknown cause struck a building of people here in NZ recently. Ambulances etc. Then the kids who smelt compost?
(I heard my first cicada for the season yesterday here in sunny Marlborough.)
Kia ora The AM Show technical you are correct mark officially a heatwave is 5 days of 5 degrees above the normal level of heat. But I say our temperature should be measured in the full Sun then we will get the actual temperature that will be 5 degrees higher than what is been reported. Why my you ask that Eco Maori is advocating this change well its to warn the vulnerable elderly people.
People under the bridge the actual temperature they will be exposed to when outside with no nice air conditioning whare /house like the wealthy can afford and minimise any deaths caused by the heat wave records are still being broken. Also that neanderthal from America that you and duncan were waving your little flags for has been suppressing any media around Papatuanukue from taking about climate change. I also know that for accuracy of the Papatuanukue temptures by metrologist the whole Papatuanukue will have to change and measure the actual temperature in the midday Sun to minimise un factual temperature readings
The Tawhirirmate wind of change is getting under big businesses skirts that its is not on that management get more money than they can spend and the people making the company’s dividends are just serviving. West Pack bank giving there workers the living wages. The AM Show is a cracked record replaying Kiwi build every day that’s a typical neanderthal trait repeat repeat can not think of a intelligent positive topic I see this trait in other Neanderthals. All intelligent people can work out whats bullshit and what’s fact 97 % of OUR scientist have proven that climate change is a fact but thee neanderthal goes with the 3% of scientists that have a conflict of interest and the oil barrons spinning and deny climate change. Your man in New York is not quite accurate the polar freezing that’s hitting New York at the minute was predicted by the 97% of scientists that neanderthals chose to ignore years ago . The cause of New York freezing is directly linked to the polar ice caps melting and that phenomenon is causing the Polar Vortex to wabble hence the polar vortex now covers thousands of miles of more land in that region than in normal condition. I did look at the story now for accuracy but I read this prediction last year.??????????.Bruce Stick LEASE HOLD LAND to foreigners. But for THE Average KIWIS that system of leaseing land will make us much more poorer Make it that foreigners only being able to lease land this will protect the average KIWIS living standards. judy why didn’t you talk about the duopoly of buildings suppliers in Aotearoa when you weren’t warming the opposition seats O that’s why the old men hogging the dividends from those 2 big companies are nationals main political donator /BRIBES Who shorted the housing market this phenomenon has been traveling throughout the Western Society’s housing markets being shorted so the wealthy can reap the capital gains. The neanderthal that are shorting housing market in the west cannot think past there own well-being or even their tamariki future.
The banks make enough profits to cover paying their employees a living wage especially when they charge life insurance policy holders 4 million people have some cover 25% in fees that’s the highest charges in the Western Papatuanukue.? Advertiseing Alcohol????. Its the cleaners the security guards that will be better off with the bank finally paying the living wage. Bull trades are getting $25 a hour +. What a the lower paid workers get has know collaborations or a effective on what the higher skilled worker earns at all. Ka kite ano. P.S know mark all commercial organisations will use most things to gain customers. The bankers don’t like – – – – Ana to kai
What Eco Maori is upset about this system is it lies to Maori & PI people the professionals say they don’t know why we have these health problems . Thats discrimanation there who cares about them If they die so be it they are infiror dosen’t matter. How is the system lieing these professionals know for a fact that SUGAR and ALCOHOL is one of the main causes of many health deases that kill US off before we get to 55 years old hence the longevity gap .The system lets business surround poorer communitys with shop’s selling these EVIL prouducts sugar and alcohol and gambling bars as well WTF. If one goes to a wealthy suburb you won’t see outlets flogging this shit for many miles. You see the innocent Tangata think we would not sell someone a prouduct that would cause there life to be shortened by 20 years so the white man would not do this they trust the system to have there best interest at heart YEA RIGHT .The capitilist system is buyer be ware on price and the effects of the prouduct has on ones health. Even if the system knows the prouduct kill’s people early one still has to prove its a FACT in the UNJUSTICE system before it becomes fact or have millions of dollars of studys dune to prove the facts that the professionals know is a fact but say nothing to keep there dividens flowing into there hip pockets from the companys that flogg this SHIT. Thats OUR reality WHANO
Western medicine says many Māori and most Pasifika people are obese. Some people are angry about the system that ‘fat-shames’ them in this way. Others are focused on finding solutions that actually work. Carmen Parahi reports.
Gina Sausau is vital, her body is strong, she fizzes with enthusiasm.
The 31-year old encourages others – mainly Māori and Pasifika people – motivating them with her words and inspiring them into action.
Yet three years ago, she was a different, physically and mentally heavier woman.
The health sector and the measures they’re using for Māori and PI is not working. They don’t take into consideration our culture. Everything they’re doing to combat obesity is not going to work.”
The New Zealand Health Survey 2017/18 found nearly a third of Kiwis are obese. Those living in deprived areas, where Māori and Pasifika peoples are often over-represented, were 1.6 times as likely to be obese.
Letele wants the Government to put a cap on the number of fast food joints allowed to operate in low socio-economic areas.
“Go and look around Mangere and parts of West Auckland. You won’t see that in Remuera or Mission Bay. We’re being targeted but we’re falling for it.
“Our kids are walking to school eating fizzy and pie. We’re bombarded with it, that’s the issue for me. We get less money, it’s just hard.” Ka kite ano links below P.S Alcohol is loaded with sugar
Well Whanau Eco Maori has been reasearching our history our tipuna’s .
I seen storys back in 1840 of maori complaining about not getting the same money for poaka as his Europeen neighbours they got $2 a poaka and maori only got $1 so one can see that this discriminational behaviour would have flowed through all froms of commerce in the New Zealand systems for 250 years. Quickly eroding Tangata Whenua money whenua and mana this is the compounding effect in reverse
A compounding effect is if my 6 X greatgrand father Jose put $2 in a bank acount it would be worth $2 million at the minute. So one can see that this Europeen behaviour to Tanagta Whenua O Aotearoa has had a devestating effect on Maori wealth how well if my 6x greatgrandfather Jose had $2 million in assets back then it would eroded down to $2 at the minute . (Kia Kaha Wahine Eco Maori Tau tokos you all they way)
First milestone for Mana Wahine claim at Waitangi Tribunal
A claim lodged by Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Awhina – the rūnanga of the Public Service Association – to address employment inequities suffered by Māori women has now been officially registered by the Waitangi Tribunal as claim Wai 2864.
“It’s fantastic the Tribunal will hear our claim. It calls out the Crown for its failure to address injustices that have relegated generations of wāhine Māori to low paid jobs with working conditions that leave them extremely vulnerable,” said Georgina Kerr, one of four PSA members who lodged the claim on behalf of Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Awhina.
This includes the failure of the education system to adequately prepare wāhine Māori for meaningful employment, the failure to eliminate bias and discrimination in the workplace, and the failure to consistently fund services that should be enhancing the lives of Māori wāhine and their whānau.
PSA Kaiwhakarite Māori Marcia Puru said “many wāhine Māori have been chronically disadvantaged by these breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. That has to stop”.
Latest figures from the State Services Commission show while Pākehā women in the Public Service earn 13% less than their male counterparts, wāhine Māori earn 22% less than Pākehā men. Ka kite ano links below
“An 82-year-old woman believes a trio of the unruly tourists scammed her out of almost $9000, claiming they would fix her roof but left a hole in her ceiling….
Leonard (the 82 year old woman) told Newshub that she recognised one of the three from the rowdy British tourist group when she saw photos.
The group caught the attention of worldwide media after a seemingly innocuous litter incident at Takapuna Beach erupted into a North Island tale of thefts, unpaid bills and general nuisance behaviour….
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...
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For the past week, Extinction Rebellion has been peacefully protesting in London to demand action on climate change. The British government's response? Ban their protests:Police have banned Extinction Rebellion protests from continuing anywhere in London, as they moved in almost without warning to clear protesters who remained at the movement’s ...
When they were running for election, Labour promised to overhaul the Employment Relations Act and introduce fair pay agreements to set basic pay and conditions on an industry level, preventing bad employers from undercutting good ones. They followed this up by establishing a working group, which reported back in January ...
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The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...
With an unfair voting system, uneven electorates and an un-elected upper house, the UK's "democracy" is barely worthy of the name. But now the government wants to make it worse:The government has been accused of suppressing voters’ rights with the potential disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of people after plans ...
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the building industry was building leaky homes which should never have been granted consent. Now it turns out they've been building dodgy office blocks as well:New imaging technology has revealed hundreds of major buildings nationwide have defective or missing concrete or reinforcing steel. ...
Local body election results were released over the weekend, to joy or despair depending on where you live. In Auckland, Phil Goff trounced John Tamihere, who is muttering darkly about running for Parliament again (but which party would want him?) Wellington is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weta Workshop, except ...
Two years have now gone by since the Friday afternoon when my university-student son and I headed out of our Barcelona flat to a nearby primary school, designated as a polling station for the vote that was to be held the following Sunday: the referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain ...
Overruled: The joint decision of Finance Minister, Grant Robertson (Labour) and his Associate Minister, David Parker (Labour) arguably the two most powerful ministers in Jacinda Ardern’s government, to grant OceanaGold the consents which Land Information Minister, Eugenie Sage (Greens) had earlier denied them, offers bitter proof of how hard fighting ...
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...
A Statement on Abortion Law Reform by the Council of Disobedient Women On the eve of bringing an end to antiquated, anti-women abortion laws Green MP Jan Logie intends to write women out of the Bill. With a stroke of the pen, the woke are aiming for total erasure ...
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...
The Ugandan government wants to murder gay people:Uganda has announced plans to impose the death penalty on homosexuals. The bill, colloquially known as “Kill the Gays” in Uganda, was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government said on Thursday it plans to resurrect it within weeks. The ...
Freedom Of Speech? The Säuberung (cleansing by fire) was the work of the German Student Union which, on 10 May 1933, under the watchful eye of the Nazi Reichminister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, consigned 25,000 books to the flames in a ritual exorcism of “un-German thought”. According to the logic of the ...
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...
New Zealand’s media is doing its part in Japan, reassuring those in the path of the storm that they won’t miss any rugby while away from their flooded homes. New Zealand sports reporters stationed in Japan for the Rugby World Cup have had the rare and heartwarming opportunity to inform ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is the only Cabinet member in favour of putting it all on green. As Finance Minister Grant Robertson finds himself with an enormous $7.5 billion surplus, the Government has begun intense, at times contentious conversations about whether to put the money on red or black at ...
by Susanne Kemp At the start of September close to 100,000 school teachers went on strike in Jordan. They demanded a 50% pay rise. A pay rise actually agreed to by the regime back in 2014. In early October, however, in the face of government repression and threats, the teachers’ ...
Back in 2011, journalist Nicky Hager published Other People's Wars, an expose on NZDF's activities over the previous decade of the "war on terror". NZDF didn't like this, and especially didn't like the fact that it was base don leaks from their own. So, they had the SIS investigate him ...
The Zero Carbon Bill is due back from select committee in two weeks, and will likely pass its final stages in November. So naturally, farmers are planning a hate-march against it. But they're not just demanding lower methane targets so they can keep on destroying the planet; they're also demanding ...
Last year, California burned. This year, to stop it happening again (or rather, to stop themselves from being found liable if it happens again), Pacific Gas and Electric is cutting power to half the state for a week:Schools are closed. Traffic lights down. Tunnels dark. Businesses unopened. Hospitals running on ...
The Best Way: Missing from the on-line voting debate is any reference to the voting system that produces turn-out figures ranging from 77 to 93 percent of registered voters. The voting system used to collect and count the votes cast in our parliamentary elections. The system that involves citizens making ...
Among the great new bunch of political friends we have been making recently is the excellent Australian-based Marxist gender-critical site, Freer Lives. So we asked the comrade who set up that blog to write something for Redline on the blog, himself, his analysis of the rise of gender politics and ...
by Don Franks The Auckland City Mission is struggling with a 40 percent increase in demand for food parcels this year. A total of 23,020 were needed by June. Last month Missioner Chris Farrelly told the Herald the “cupboards are bare” and without an emergency food drive, he can’t see ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Massey Wellington Student Association had a sit-in today. Imagine a sit-in. On a campus. Against a women’s rights meeting. Did the ’60s really happen or did we fucking dream it? They gathered in the student square, an echo chamber. Sitting on soft pillows ...
For some reasons, my post about the mystery message from inside the Downing Street bunker seemed to catch people's attention. Quite a lot of hits from NZ (unsurprisingly) and the USA (a bit more puzzlingly, but hi there, USAians!!) and 76 views from the Ukraine.I've celebrated my Ukrainian readers in ...
First, almost a score of Labour MPs seem to have sent a letter to the EU basically begging them to accept a deal - any deal - just so Britain can get the Heck on with Brexiting instead of being trapped in limbo:
by Phil Duncan In 2016 the National-led government suspended the Parent Visa Category, through which migrants were able to bring their parents into New Zealand. Since then over 5,700 people have been in immigration limbo, stuck on the visa wait list. Labour is now bringing back the scheme. Well, sort ...
The following was released yesterday (Tues, October 8) by the women’s liberation organisation Speak Up for Women. On 23 September Speak Up For Women announced that we would be holding an event at the Massey University Theaterette in Wellington. The event is called Feminism 2020. The intention of the event ...
The government is currently consulting on plans to improve freshwater quality. So naturally, farmers oppose it:South Taranaki farmers are preparing to fight proposed national freshwater changes that some fear will bankrupt them. The Government's proposed National Environment Standard on Freshwater Management, released in September, rated the Waingongoro River as one ...
Yesterday was the last day for (reliably) posting your vote away in local body elections. Turnouts are mostly much lower than the equivalent time last year (Palmerston North is down 2.3%), and so naturally people are pushing their online-voting snake oil again. Because the online census worked so well, lets ...
This essay, on the political legacy of the eugenics movement, by Kenan Malik was originally published in the Observer on 6 October 2019, under the headline ‘The spirit of eugenics is still with us, as immigrants know to their cost’. Birth control. Intelligence tests. Town planning. Immigration controls. It’s striking how ...
Another year, and the government has announced another enormous government "surplus". And just like last year, its nothing of the sort. When we have people homeless and sick and hungry, when we have schools and hospitals still falling down, when we have underpaid public servants and infrastucture unmaintained or unbuilt, ...
James Forsyth at The Spectator (I know, I know) has tapped one of his contacts inside Number Ten for an insight into the Johnson administration's thinking and strategy.It is fascinating, unsettling and quite, quite mad. Some key points:Negotiations have stalled and the Johnson administration are keen to blame the EU: ...
Fatal Contact: With the arrival of captain James Cook in October 1769, the islands of what would become New Zealand ceased to be the preserve of Polynesian navigators and settlers and became a part of both the world’s map and the world’s history.THE MAORI NATIONALIST assault upon the historical meaning ...
Another round of tactical talks about forming a Government of National Unity have come to nothing with the Liberal Democrats still refusing countenance putting Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street:Opposition talks on Monday made little headway over when to try and vote down Boris Johnson's government and who might succeed him as ...
by Nick Rogers The debate around the meaning of sex and gender made an appearance at this year’s British Labour Party conference in Brighton. Women’s Place UK – an organisation that questions the demand that biological males who self-identify as woman should have access to women’s spaces, to all-women shortlists, ...
Yesterday I went down to Wellington to participate in the Extinction Rebellion protest. Its part of the latest global wave of XR actions, with actions happening all over the world. Some of those protests are massively disruptive: in Canada, XR is blocking major bridges, stopping people from getting to work. ...
The Workshop is a charitable trust for public good. The Workshop undertake research to find ways of communicating that will build support for the solutions that work to solve complex social and environmental problems. See their Report on Talking about Poverty and Welfare Reform below. ...
Being and Being Bought (Spinifex Press, 2013) by Kajsa Ekis Ekman A synopsis and commentary of Chapters 1-2 by Daphna Whitmore Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book She opens the discussion with a definition of ...
I make no claims to having much legal knowledge, so I defer to those trained in this area.I am very much enjoying this twitter stream from m'learned friend in Edinburgh, deciphering the legal arguments around the Scottish court challenge to Boris Johnson, based on the charmingly obscure principle of Nobile ...
Ivory Folly? The University of Auckland’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon, upheld the right of the radical nationalist group, Action Zealandia to exercise their freedom of speech – not matter how distasteful that speech might be. A wiser community of students and scholars would have nodded their agreement and moved on. ...
If you are not convinced terrorist Organisation ‘Extinction Rebellion’ is very, very dangerous – watch this video at one of their recent meetings. Not only is this obviously mentally ill Woman begging the other terrorists to promote killing and “eating” babies and children, if you watch carefully other members nod ...
The Ombudsman has been surveying people about their knowledge of the OIA and the right to information. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that widespread:The Chief Ombudsman says too many New Zealanders were in the dark over their right to access official information. Peter Boshier said an independent survey released yesterday on ...
In the wake of last Friday's climate strike, Peter McKenzie had an article in The Spinoff about protest strategies. The school strike movement is "polite" and cooperates with those in power because that's its kaupapa - its led by schoolkids who understandably don't want to risk arrest. But there's more ...
So, the latest ruminations on the gnews from Westminster (Again, sorry; I'll stop making that pun right now). This follows on from, and likely repeats bits of, my last post, on the suggestion that a Government of National Unity (GNU) should be set up and then oversee a referendum before ...
New Zealand likes to think of itself as not a racist country (despite being founded on the racist dispossession and subjugation of Maori). But for years, we've had a racist refugee policy, which basicly excludes refugees from Africa and the Middle East unless they already have relatives here. Now, the ...
Several people have asked me whether a particular repeat litigant could be declared a vexatious litigant, in light of their recent decision to appeal an adverse High Court ruling. My nascent tweet thread was getting ridiculously long, so it became this blog post instead.The short answer is: no. The particular ...
Appealing To The Past: Action Zealandia, like so many of the organisations springing up on the far-Right, across what they call the “Anglosphere”, is born out of the profound confusion over what a man is supposed to be in the twenty-first century and, more importantly, what he is supposed to do.THE STATUE OF ...
The attempts of anti-democratic transactivists to (often violently) disrupt women’s rights organising is largely ignored by those sections of the left most prone to misogyny and authoritarianism in New Zealand. In Britain, however, scores of trade union and left activists added their names to a letter in July, defending ...
The Justice Committee has reported back on the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill. The Bill would establish an independent, quasi-judicial body to investigate and review potential miscarriages of justice, and refer them back to the Court of appeal if required. It would be a vital backstop to our judiciary, help ...
by The Spark On September 14, a total of 22 drones and cruise missiles struck two oil installations in Saudi Arabia, the Abqaiq processing facility and the Khurais oil field. Abqaiq is the largest oil production facility in the world. For a few days afterwards, Saudi Aramco, the Saudi national ...
How much will NeoLiberal irregulation of the building sector and subsequent leaky homes crisis cost us? $47 billion, according to a new book:The total cost to fix all of New Zealand's leaky homes would be $47 billion, probably. The estimate comes from a new book, Rottenomics written by journalist Peter ...
Below is the start of another excellent article on the Freer Lives blog. Click onto the link at the end of this extract to read the full article. The punch-a-terf, kill-a-terf message pervades social media, always righteously delivered, chin held high. By contrast, the dehumanised “terfs” themselves, that is gender-critical ...
The Reserve Bank is currently planning tighter banking regulation, requiring banks to hold enough local capital to survive a 1-in-200 year financial crisis in order to protect consumers. The big Aussies banks, those foreign leeches who suck $5 billion in profit out of our economy every year, don't like that, ...
Its the usual story: a police officer beats a handcuffed suspect so hard they break one of their own fingers. The IPCA investigates and concludes that the use of force was unlawful. And the police refuse to do anything about it:A man punched repeatedly in the face by a police ...
From time to time we add links to our blogroll. The latest blog we have added is Freer Lives. This is a Marxist gender-critical blog, based in Melbourne, Australia. On it you will find a bunch of excellent articles which use the tools of Marxist analysis to critique the rise ...
Last Friday say the largest protest in a generation, as 170,000 people joined the school strike and marched to demand real action on climate change. The demands of the school strike were simple and clear: declare a climate emergency, set a climate target of net-zero by 2040, impose a total ...
Labour is a rather middle of the road capitalist party and earlier this year we discussed how far from being ‘transformative’, Ardern’s government is. An article published this week in the Guardian, by Bryce Edwards (political scientist and commentator at Victoria University), looks at Ardern’s business as usual performance. Where ...
In the hours since my last interminable wittering about the possibility of a Government of National Unity (GNU) in Britain, there has been a slight maybe development:A Corbyn-led caretaker government could then sit for several months while it enacted and delivered a referendum with the support of smaller parties and ...
Jeremy Clarkson says much like Greta Thunberg, Anne Frank “didn’t like what was going on”, but “she didn’t have a tantrum about it.” Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has offered praise to historical figure Anne Frank, comparing her favourably to 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, who he attacked in ...
Press release by Speak Up For Women Lesbians from women’s rights group Speak Up For Women are furious at reports that Rainbow Tick are threatening Massey University with the removal of their ‘tick’ if they let the group’s event go ahead. The group has been under attack from trans ...
By Duncan Garner Before you jump down my throat, nobody cares about the environment more than me. I have a garden, and since my wife and I broke up, I’ve let it grow wildly out of control, so please don’t tell me I’m not doing enough for plants. They’re ten ...
Local government elections are upon us again. It is a fair bet that, when they are over, we will have all the usual complaints that, despite their undoubted importance, the turnout was depressingly low. So, why do local elections attract so little attention and involvement from the general public? I ...
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...
A six-member independent working group selected the option of moving Auckland’s port to Northport, in Whangarei, ahead of other options. In what could be New Zealand’s most ambitious infrastructure project yet, a major expansion of the Marsden Point port could happen within 15 years. The project, officially called the “Upper ...
The final Electricity Price Review recommended prohibiting prompt payment discounts but allowing “reasonable” late fees. The findings of this review was welcomed by the Coalition Government, but they hope companies will follow through with its recommendations without regulations needed to be passed. Meridian Energy had already stopped prompt payment discounts, ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi,will invest nearly $600,000 to ensure work opportunities for locals in Turangia and Whanganui, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the PGF ...
An export-led economy is one of New Zealand First’s key principles, and our commitment to achieving this is shown by the continuing skyrocketing demand for our beef and sheep meat exports. Beef + Lamb New Zealand's New Season Outlook 2019-20 report forecasts beef, lamb and mutton prices to lift from ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today in Gisborne an investment of $17.27m into bringing “world-leading” food-growing technology and the creation of more than 100 new jobs in the East Coast city. The funding comes from the Provincial Growth Fund, and included a $15 million loan to LeaderBrand, a ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development More than 100 people in Tairāwhiti’s Tolaga Bay will benefit from two employment initiatives supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. “Tolaga Bay is an incredibly tight-knit community, but one in ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is supporting Gisborne business Leaderbrand to produce salad vegetables year round and create more jobs in the Tairāwhiti region, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Our support for Leaderbrand will help them build large greenhouses ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has praised the promise by New Zealand’s biggest banks not to close any provincial branches while the Coalition Government trials regional banking hubs across the country. The Minister said the announce was the “first sign of hope for regional communities”, many of which have ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have delivered an upgrade of the SuperGold Card website and a new smartphone app, which will help unlock the full benefits of the SuperGold Card for 750,000 New Zealand seniors.Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, ...
Delivering a key election campaign promise, New Zealand First is proud to have accomplished a long overdue upgrade of the SuperGold Card today. At an event in Auckland, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters joined Minister for Seniors Hon. Tracey Martin in unveiling the new website and smartphone app which ...
Another busy week, from speaking with world leaders on the world stage about climate change, to equipping our school leavers with everything they need to get ahead in life. ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says Air New Zealand has "an obligation to look after Kiwis", and urged the national carrier not to hike up their prices after Jetstar airline announced their withdrawal from regional flights this week. The Provincial Champion also expressed his disappointment at Jetstar’s decision on ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will help fund a new dredge for the Port of Greymouth to ensure the regional fishing fleet have a reliable and productive harbour, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today “Last year the movements of ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand continues to have serious concerns for peace and stability in north-east Syria. “Recent reports that hundreds of ISIS-affiliated families have fled from a camp are deeply concerning from a humanitarian and security perspective”, Mr Peters says. “While we acknowledge Turkey’s domestic security ...
Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way. “We’re on high alert to stop BMSB arriving in NZ. The high season runs until April 30 and we’ve strengthened our measures to stop stink ...
The Government is moving swiftly to change the law to improve the welfare and pastoral care of students living in university halls of residence and other tertiary hostels. Cabinet has agreed to several changes, including creating a new mandatory Code of Practice that sets out the duty of pastoral care ...
The Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage has launched a new comprehensive trapping guide for community trappers to help them protect our native birds, plants and other wildlife, at Zealandia in Wellington today. ‘A practical guide to trapping’, has been developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and was launched during ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter welcomes PHARMAC’s move to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs). PHARMAC has today announced it will fund the full cost of Mirena and Jaydess for anyone seeking long term contraception, lifting previous restrictions on access to Mirena. “I welcome women having greater choices ...
The Government has approved the next stage of a major redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which will deliver new and improved facilities for patients. Health Minister Dr David Clark has announced details of a $300 million dollar project to build a new East Wing at the New Plymouth hospital. It ...
Extra funding will allow Rural Support Trusts to help farming families, says Minister for Rural Communities and Agriculture Damien O’Connor. “I know that rural families are worried about some of the challenges facing them, including the ongoing uncertainty created by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. “Those concerns sit alongside ongoing worries ...
Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present certificates to the 16 graduates who have completed a beekeeping course delivered by the Howard League. Let us start by acknowledging Auckland Prison’s Deputy Prison Director Tom Sherlock, and Acting Assistant Regional Commissioner of Corrections Northern Region Scott Walker - ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson leaves this weekend to attend the APEC Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile. Discussions between APEC Finance Ministers at the meeting will include the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, risks for APEC economies and sustainable development of the region. While at APEC Grant Robertson ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says for Pacific people, language can be a source of strength. It can help ground us and give us confidence. When we speak them, our languages provide us with an immediate and intimate access to our identity and our story - and ...
The Coalition Government has announced an action plan to improve the wellbeing of disabled New Zealanders by addressing inequalities in play, active recreation and sport. The initiative includes training to develop a workforce that understands the needs of children and young people with a range of impairments, advocacy for fit ...
The construction sector is being freed up to allow more homes to be built more quickly as the Government cuts through some of the red tape of the Building Act. “Every New Zealander deserves a warm, dry, safe home and old inefficiencies in the Building Act make building slow and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed further details on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to New Zealand next month. Their Royal Highnesses will visit New Zealand from 17-23 November – their third joint visit to New Zealand and first in four years. They arrive in Auckland ...
Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth and Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, heads to Thailand today to attend the final Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial meeting, as negotiations enter their final stages. “The RCEP Agreement would anchor New Zealand in a regional agreement that covers 16 countries, ...
Pacific young people living in the Hawke’s Bay, Southland and Otago regions will have access to support services that have proved successful in helping young people find new earning and learning opportunities. “Tupu Aotearoa is about changing Pacific young peoples’ lives. Our young people are talented, they are smart, they ...
Introduction As the Minister for ACC I thank you all for the work that you do supporting New Zealanders in their literally most vulnerable moments. From those who hold people’s lives in their hands, to the people who research technique, technology and trends, your work is highly valued. A special ...
Notes prepared for speeches in Christchurch – Wednesday 9 October 2019 Today’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There ...
Minister of Health Dr David Clark and Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare say this year’s World Mental Health Day theme is a reminder of why the Government’s work on mental health is so important. “This year the World Federation for Mental Health has made suicide prevention the main theme ...
Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni will represent the government at Australia’s Meeting of Cultural Ministers in Adelaide this week. “This year’s meeting is special because New Zealand is expected to become an International Member of the Meeting of Cultural Ministers at this Australian forum,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “The meeting is an opportunity to ...
The Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service has resolved 608 insurance and EQC claims in its first year in operation, Minister Megan Woods has announced. The government service, which celebrates its first birthday today, provides a one stop shop to help Cantabrians still battling to get their homes repaired or rebuilt ...
Today’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There has been an increasing amount of attention paid to the outlook ...
The Government is acting swiftly to strengthen NZTA’s regulatory role following a review into the Transport Agency, and Ministry of Transport’s performance as its monitor, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. An independent review by Martin Jenkins has found NZTA failed to properly regulate the transport sector under the previous ...
The Netherlands and New Zealand have a long-standing and close relationship based on many shared interests and values. We value the rule of law, our democracies, and multilateralism. And we value our environment – at home and globally. Right now there are major global challenges in all of these areas – ...
The Government is putting right a decade’s worth of underpayment to nurses, doctors and other health workers, says Health Minister Dr David Clark. Initial sampling of District Health Boards payroll records has found that around $550-$650 million is owed to DHB staff to comply with the Holidays Act. It’s expected ...
A strong surplus and low debt show the economy is performing well, and means the Government is in a good position to meet the challenges of global economic uncertainty. “The surplus and low levels of debt show the economy is in good shape. This allows the Government to spend more ...
New applications from mining company OceanaGold to purchase land in Waihi for new tailings ponds associated with its gold mines have been approved. Minister of Finance Grant Robertson and Associate Minister of Finance David Parker considered the applications under the Overseas Investment Act. Earlier this year, applications from OceanaGold to ...
New Zealanders in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay will witness Māori, Pākehā and Pacific voyaging traditions come together today as the Tuia 250 Voyage flotilla assembles for the first time, Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis says. “Tuia 250 is a national commemoration and an opportunity for honest conversations ...
Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker leaves tomorrow for Dubai, London and Berlin for a series of meetings to advance New Zealand’s trade interests. In Dubai he will visit New Zealand’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 where construction is underway. There he will meet Minister of State for International Cooperation, Her ...
Confirmation that PHARMAC will fund two new cancer drugs is further evidence of the good progress the Government is making to improve the treatment of New Zealand’s leading cause of death, Health Minister David Clark says. From 1 December PHARMAC will fund alectinib (Alecensa) for ALK positive advanced non-small cell ...
An additional $2.7 million has been announced for the Government Strategy for Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation on the first anniversary of the strategy’s launch. Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson gave the opening address to the first Sport NZ Women + Girls Summit in Wellington today, ...
As part of its work to ensure businesses can get the skilled workers they need, the Coalition Government is re-opening and re-setting the Parent Category visa programme, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. The move will: support skilled migrants who help fill New Zealand’s skills gaps by providing a pathway for ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has today announced Major General Evan Williams of the New Zealand Defence Force has been selected as the commander of a significant, longstanding peacekeeping mission in the Middle East. In December, Major General Williams takes over as Force Commander for the Multinational Force and Observers ...
A record number of nurses are now working to deliver health services to New Zealanders as the Government’s increased funding and new initiatives rebuild key workforces start to show results, Health Minister Dr David Clark says. • 1458 more DHB nurses since the Government took office • 106 more midwives ...
Farmer and former Nuffield scholar Mel Poulton has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, David Parker, and Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, announced today. The position supports key Government objectives, including raising the value of New Zealand agricultural goods and services. Mel is ...
New Zealand’s Pacific and Māori voyaging heritage is acknowledged and celebrated today as waka of the Tuia 250 voyage flotilla arrive in Tūranga / Gisborne. “Today we celebrate Tangata Whenua, the first people of Aotearoa, and the triumphs of the voyaging tradition that brought our ancestors here from Polynesia 1000 ...
“Fijian Language Week starts on Sunday and the theme reminds us how important it is that we each have something to anchor ourselves to, something that can help us pause and feel in control in a rapidly changing world,” says Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “Family, culture, faith, ...
The Government is establishing an Airspace Integration Trials Programme to support the safe testing and development of advanced unmanned aircraft and accelerate their integration into the aviation system, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods announced today. The Government will work with leading, innovative aviation industry partners to test and ...
It’s the end of an era at Three as MAFS NZ and Guy Williams’ new show canceled and 7 Days cut to bone, writes Duncan Greive.A trio of shows which have been amongst Three’s most important local productions are either being canceled or severely cut back, as the channel’s agonising ...
'Joker' expects viewers not only to understand its cruelty, but to understand the justified violence of a white man when the protests of black men and women in the US are regularly met with condemnation, vilification and exclusion. ...
She runs the women's Aussie Rules and netball programmes at one of Australia's oldest sports clubs, so why is Jane Woodlands-Thompson sitting on the Silver Ferns bench? ...
As someone with a severe chronic illness, Hannah McGowan has a vested interest in getting to the bottom of what cannabis can and can’t do for her health. The reality, she discovers, is complicated.Woo [colloq.]: Mystical, supernatural or pseudo-scientific beliefs not backed up by evidence. I crave a well informed, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The last PM shock jock Alan Jones slapped down was Jacinda Ardern. His language was particularly offensive, advertisers deserted his program and he apologised to New Zealand’s leader. But at least Ardern didn’t have to ...
By Michael Andrew and Sri Krishnamurthi The true story of one of the Pacific’s great waka builders and sailor has been captured in a stirring and visually gripping documentary. Loimata: The Sweetest Tears follows the final years of Ema Siope, a Samoan born kiwi who endured a tumultuous past ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Cowie, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Around one-third of Australians living with hepatitis C have been cured in the last four years. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C is ...
New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Image AsiaPacificReport.nz/RNZ.Commentators across the political spectrum seem to agree – the Labour-led Government’s popularity is being damaged by its failure to deliver in Jacinda Ardern’s self-proclaimed “Year of Delivery”. Instead, the delivery of bad news to Labour and the Government has come in ...
Internet Service Providers have cautiously greeted the news that the Government is exploring an internet filter for violent extremist and terrorist content. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Polls Richard Harman (Politik): Ardern now dependent on Peters Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern still standing, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Austin, Professor UNSW Canberra Cyber, UNSW This is part of a new series looking at the national security challenges facing Australia, how our leaders are responding to them and how these measures are impacting society. Read other stories in the series ...
Researchers from Lincoln University are investigating how to use nanotechnology in agriculture to increase productivity and reduce environmental impact. ...
The increased presence of anti-trans and white supremacist stickers around the University of Auckland campus is proof that inaction is enabling hate groups, write Anisha Sankar and Max Whitehurst.Anisha Sankar is a Chennai-born, Te Awakairangi-raised, South Indian Tamil studying at the University of Auckland. Max Whitehurst is a transgender Pākehā ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Following the Christchurch mosque shootings, the New Zealand government’s first response was to ban the firearms the alleged gunman had used to murder 51 people. Seven months later, the second tranche of this process ...
The nine members for the next three year term of the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) for Auckland have been appointed by the statutory Selection Body. Their appointments begin on 1 November 2019 and continue to 31 October 2022. Mana Whenua ...
“If we are truly to solve the challenge of poverty within the Te Ao Maori world we must lift our people from the low wage and low skills growth side of the economy. At the same time we must continue to ensure our people, no matter where they are, ...
Alex Casey asks Rose Stewart from Family Planning every single question she can think of about New Zealand’s new free IUDs. Listen up, womb-owners who love free shit and long-term contraceptive options: Pharmac announced that they will be fully funding two new long-lasting, reversible contraceptives in New Zealand from November 1, ...
Patients are increasingly being turned away for treatment and there can be no more excuses from the Government over properly funding district health boards to boost specialist numbers in public hospitals, says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the ...
Today’s Council of Trade Unions’ report, Fair Pay Agreements: A Framework for Fairness , provides a much-needed pathway to fair wages and conditions across several major industries, and the Government must deliver on its promise to introduce FPAs ...
The Speaker has limited the number of questions Simon Bridges can ask in the House as a punishment for the National Party defying Trevor Mallard by not pulling down their attack ads. ...
Sunshine capital? Check. Rich artisan tradition? Check. Incredible sausages? That’s a big check. We’ve put together a list of all you need to know before you explore the truly gorgeous Nelson region this summer. If you’ve got friends or relatives visiting Aotearoa, top of their list should be sorting out their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University In the four years since the Paris climate agreement was adopted, countries have debated the fine print of how emissions reduction should be tracked and ...
The flight drink company 1Above, partly-owned by the high profile, venture capital fund Movac and businessman Gareth Morgan, is in liquidation owing almost $10 million. ...
In recent weeks Responsible Campers Association Incorporated (RCAi) has become involved in some high level discussions about our right to camp. This began out of discussion about the disabled who which to participate in Sport and Recreation activities. ...
In their quest for a cashless society the Japanese have beaten New Zealand to its own next-gen shopping experience.New Zealanders are missing out to the Japanese on a Kiwi technology that is set to eliminate supermarket queues.The first store to implement the SmartCart cashierless shopping system will be in Osaka, ...
If you don’t like Shortland Street, or you’re unconvinced that Michael Galvin actually is a doctor, does that mean all New Zealand television is rubbish? Some say yes. Tara Ward says an emphatic no. The world is our TV oyster, but lately it seems not everyone in Godzone is feeling the ...
The National Party is accusing the Immigration Minister of a "Sroubek 2.0" after revelations he granted residence to a man with multiple drink-driving convictions. ...
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu urges the Crown to ensure that the Establishment Board of the newly formed Institute of Skills and Technology meets its Treaty obligations and addresses the statutory role of iwi as Treaty partners in redesigning the education ...
The top-selling food magazine in New Zealand is closing its print operation. Niki Bezzant, Healthy Food Guide‘s former editor, reflects on the challenges the title faced.The news that after 14 years and 176 issues Healthy Food Guide magazine is closing its print operation came as a shock to some. It ...
A unique deal saw Sky buy the rugby rights and sell some of itself to NZ Rugby. Trevor McKewen breaks down what it all means.The news came thick and fast over a remarkable five-day corporate slugfest, starting last Thursday. First, Spark Sport struck, gobbling up New Zealand Cricket’s domestic broadcasting ...
In what’s thought to be the last piece of writing Peter Wells completed before he died, he wonders about his great-grandfather, and the locket he wore all his life. ‘The Story of a Locket’ is published in part here, and features in the extraordinary collection of essays Queer Objects, released this ...
Relationship expert Holly Dixon explains why the entire Married at First Sight franchise is based on bunk science.As the third MAFS NZ season has come to an end, I thought it relevant to answer the question upon which the entire MAFS enterprise is built: Is it possible to predict attraction and ...
SkyCity Casino workers will be on strike and picketing today as Rob Campbell, the Chair of SkyCity Casino talks to other employers about making pay fair at a “Wellbeing at Work” conference today. ...
He was the prototypical high school nerd, hanging on Don Brash’s every word. Then the financial world turned upside down. This is the story of how Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr became a most unconventional economist.In 2008, Jarrod Kerr was working at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia when the global financial crisis ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriela D’Souza, Affiliate, Monash department of business statistics and econometrics, Monash University For most people the second week in October probably doesn’t hold much promise. Longer days for some, perhaps. But for those is us in the economics profession, come the second ...
One of the important parameters of the agreement’s aims was to ensure there was no threat to food production from the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. ...
A monument to Winston Peters and Think Big projects would both boost the economy, but Argentina learned the hard way they can also impoverish a nation, writes Tony Burton.Everyone who loves New Zealand should visit Argentina. There are more similarities than you might think – large areas of wild natural ...
The Salvation Army foodbank in Waitakere ran out of food last week; an indication of the strain many New Zealand whanau are under as they struggle to afford the cost of living. Wednesday, October 16 is World Food Day, and as demand for services offered ...
Phil Goff was re-elected by a huge margin on Saturday. How will he put that mandate to use this term? Hayden Donnell asks the questions.Phil Goff is once again Auckland’s mayor. Preliminary local election results show him with a lead of nearly 100,000 votes over his nearest challenger, John Tamihere. ...
Catherine Bindon from Ban the Boom has created these colourful and positive posters for you to use to show you don't support the use of fireworks in your neighbourhood over the next few weeks distressing our animals and birds. ...
On Tuesday morning the Operation Burnham inquiry hearing resumed after it was suspended three weeks ago. The hearing is being held at Royal Society of New Zealand, 11 Turnbull St, Thorndon, Wellington on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland It’s not uncommon for science and religion to be framed as two opposing forces. The Catholic church has famously struggled to accommodate scientific research in its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cat Pausé, Senior Lecturer in Human Development, Massey University The British Psychological Society is calling for changes for how we talk about fatness, suggesting we should no longer use the phrase “obese people”, but instead, “people with obesity” or “people living with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The federal government’s much-vaunted Snowy Hydro expansion is supposed to smooth out the bumps in electricity supply as Australia transitions to renewables. But not only is the project a bad deal for taxpayers, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By María Yanotti, Lecturer of Economics and Finance Tasmanian School of Business & Economics, University of Tasmania The housing market is moving again. In the past month, national prices have climbed 0.9%. What matters most to buyers (and especially to investors), along with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Principal Fellow (Hon), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, University of Melbourne It seems appropriate that a painting titled Feng Shui dominates the new exhibition of Guan Wei’s work ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Matthews, Lecturer in Digital Media and Popular Culture Researcher, Auckland University of Technology According to a recent study, the sixth leading cause of death for young men in the United States is the warranted and unwarranted use of police force. With ...
The Council of Trade Unions has today released its report - Fair Pay Agreements: A Framework for Fairness . The report details the six key principles needed for Fair Pay Agreements to deliver real change for working people, and democratic agreements ...
Too many New Zealanders endure poor working conditions in jobs that don’t pay enough and offer few opportunities for career progression, and the union movement is calling for change. ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the latest polls which show a drop in support for Labour are not a concern when it comes to forming a government. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A pair of polls put pressure on the Labour Party, a wild night of weather in the North Island, and Shane Jones snapped brandishing a semi-automatic.Parliament resumes today after a fortnight recess, and MPs were given a welcome-back present in ...
Mandy Hager, the newly elected head of the New Zealand Society of Authors, is lobbying the government to improve the lot of writers - to no avail, despite the Prime Minister's championing of the arts. ...
Given the vast impacts that poor diet have had on global health, a deficit in nutrition education in medicine represents a big problem, writes Dr Jennifer Crowley. ...
Any time Olympian Luuka Jones needs advice or encouragement in her pursuit of more canoe slalom success, she doesn’t have to look far. Jones’ coach, Campbell Walsh, is also her partner. ...
Competition for the rights to broadcast sports matches involving NZ’s top teams has produced a bonanza for the sporting bodies, forcing media companies to be a lot more innovative. ...
The Wellington suburb’s successful opposition to a proposed Bottle-O shows how the system is biased towards communities with the organisation, capacity and resources to protest effectively, says Jenesa Jeram.For those unfamiliar with Wellington geography, Khandallah is a Very Nice place to live (Aucklanders: think Remuera). So when it was reported ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, UNSW The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission conducted an inquiry into mortgage pricing as recently as last year. Now Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has asked it to do another, broader one, in order to ensure the banks’ ...
Dr Bryce EdwardsThe results of the local government elections appear to show that New Zealanders are generally supportive of a more diverse range of representatives, having voted in greater numbers for candidates from traditionally under-represented groups. The elections have therefore modernised our councils in a small but very significant ...
Open Mike 31/01/2019 
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...13 hours ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...15 hours ago
For the past week, Extinction Rebellion has been peacefully protesting in London to demand action on climate change. The British government's response? Ban their protests:Police have banned Extinction Rebellion protests from continuing anywhere in London, as they moved in almost without warning to clear protesters who remained at the movement’s ...15 hours ago
The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...20 hours ago
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...4 days ago
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...5 days ago
https://mailchi.mp/7d9133add053/closing-the-gap-october-2019-newsletter ...6 days ago
For some reasons, my post about the mystery message from inside the Downing Street bunker seemed to catch people's attention. Quite a lot of hits from NZ (unsurprisingly) and the USA (a bit more puzzlingly, but hi there, USAians!!) and 76 views from the Ukraine.I've celebrated my Ukrainian readers in ...6 days ago
Local government elections are upon us again. It is a fair bet that, when they are over, we will have all the usual complaints that, despite their undoubted importance, the turnout was depressingly low. So, why do local elections attract so little attention and involvement from the general public? I ...2 weeks ago
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...15 hours ago
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...16 hours ago
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...17 hours ago
It’s the end of an era at Three as MAFS NZ and Guy Williams’ new show canceled and 7 Days cut to bone, writes Duncan Greive.A trio of shows which have been amongst Three’s most important local productions are either being canceled or severely cut back, as the channel’s agonising ...21 mins ago
A preview of the public lecture to be given at the National Library in Wellington this week by distinguished playwright Dean Parker. ...45 mins ago
Zhang Jun looks at how China can move beyond imitating its more developed counterparts to leading the world in innovation. ...45 mins ago
After two bad polls, Jacinda Ardern was greeted by a friendly crowd of unionists - but one eager for faster and greater progress. ...45 mins ago
'Joker' expects viewers not only to understand its cruelty, but to understand the justified violence of a white man when the protests of black men and women in the US are regularly met with condemnation, vilification and exclusion. ...45 mins ago
She runs the women's Aussie Rules and netball programmes at one of Australia's oldest sports clubs, so why is Jane Woodlands-Thompson sitting on the Silver Ferns bench? ...45 mins ago
Is the Government going soft on its so-called Electric Vehicles pledge? The University of Auckland's Basil Sharp doesn't think so. ...45 mins ago
Volunteer drug testers must tip-toe around a legal grey area to be able to spell out the risks of drug-taking to festival-goers. ...1 hour ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The last PM shock jock Alan Jones slapped down was Jacinda Ardern. His language was particularly offensive, advertisers deserted his program and he apologised to New Zealand’s leader. But at least Ardern didn’t have to ...8 hours ago
Internet Service Providers have cautiously greeted the news that the Government is exploring an internet filter for violent extremist and terrorist content. ...11 hours ago
The proceeds from the sale of Trump-style "Make Ardern Go Away" hats are being used to promote far right Facebook pages. ...13 hours ago
Support has risen for the general arming of police officers in the wake of March 15, but the police minister is opposed. ...13 hours ago
Researchers from Lincoln University are investigating how to use nanotechnology in agriculture to increase productivity and reduce environmental impact. ...13 hours ago
Information spread by the Coalition of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) and picked up by ACT’s David Seymour is incorrect. ...14 hours ago
The Speaker has limited the number of questions Simon Bridges can ask in the House as a punishment for the National Party defying Trevor Mallard by not pulling down their attack ads. ...15 hours ago
The real estate market has sprung back into life, but national sales volumes were flat. ...16 hours ago
The flight drink company 1Above, partly-owned by the high profile, venture capital fund Movac and businessman Gareth Morgan, is in liquidation owing almost $10 million. ...16 hours ago
Mandy Hager, the newly elected head of the New Zealand Society of Authors, is lobbying the government to improve the lot of writers - to no avail, despite the Prime Minister's championing of the arts. ...23 hours ago
An ancient Polynesian form of resource management is helping rejuvenate areas in the Cook Islands. ...1 day ago
Competition for the rights to broadcast sports matches involving NZ’s top teams has produced a bonanza for the sporting bodies, forcing media companies to be a lot more innovative. ...1 day ago
Ongoing drama surrounds the Māui and Hector's dolphin threat management plan, with worries key information is not being made public promptly. ...1 day ago
“For more on the situation in Venezuela, we go to the BBC’s Orla Guerin.”
RNZ National, Thursday 31 January 2019, 6.15 a.m.
Emotion merchant Orla Guerin is “emotional” as always. Her voice throbs as she summons up an approximate imitation of earnest solicitude and sincerity. It’s clear who she’s been told to portray as the hero in this Washington-directed farce: “The authorities turning up the heat on Venezuela’s young Opposition leader….”
RNZ National Morning Report host Susie Ferguson (herself a former BBC “reporter”) ends the one minute coverage of Venezuela for the morning: “That’s the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido talking to Orla Guerin.”
Venezuela has been an object of ridicule and loathing on New Zealand’s state broadcaster for years now….
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/01/rory-carroll-takes-advantage-of-simon.html
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/two-democratic-heroes-two-very.html
And Susie Ferguson seems to have no other modus operandi than the frivolous once-over-lightly:
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/come-back-kim-hill-urgently-oct-19-2013.html
You seem to be quite the Nick Manuro fanboi morrie, what’s your adoration based on?
I don’t know where you get the impression I “adore” the democratically elected leader of Venezuela. I acknowledge that both he and Chávez before him were far from perfect, and made many mistakes. I was particularly incensed by Chávez’s ideological assault against El Sistema, Venezuela’s world-renowned music program. He attacked it on the barbaric and ridiculous ground that classical music was a middle class thing.
I was astonished and alarmed to see Chávez grandstanding in the U.S., ostentatiously delivering free fuel to the poor areas of some U.S. cities in order to show up the neglectful Bush administration. That always seemed like a provocative and foolish thing to do. He—and now Maduro—also did little or nothing about diversifying the country’s economy—leaving it prey to pirates like the Bush gang and its obedient vassals in the E.U., Canada, Australia, Israel and the fascist regimes of Central and South America.
They’ve been pretty damned hopeless—but they’ve never been involved in the destruction of another country, leave alone four or five. And let’s not forget that the plight of the country, the suffering and the violence, is due mainly to the extreme right-wing, democracy-hating Venezuelan insurrectionists, and the aggressive and totally illegal “sanctions” imposed by U.S. regimes, mounting in ferocity and pitilessness following the failed coup of 2002.
You either support the rule of law and democratic elections, Gabby—or you meekly give in and reluctantly support Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Bolton, and Abrams.
What d’you reckon will happen when a government takes every measure it can to destroy legitimate opposition morrie? Including creating a new legislature to do an end run around the elected one?
“Legitimate” opposition? These are the insurrectionists that fought and lost the 2002 coup. They boycott elections because they know they will never get a large enough vote to win or to even cut a deal.
Venezuela’s elections in 2013 and 2018 were praised by all observers. Not the insurrectionists and their U.S. backers, but by all people who observed the elections. They were certainly far cleaner than the U.S. elections of virtually any year. (And, no, it wasn’t those Evil Masterminds, the RUSSIANS, it was the Republican gerrymanderers and the army of corrupt officials who disenfranchised hundreds of thousands, probably millions, of mainly African American and Latino voters.)
The Communists routinely boycotted elections as a matter of strategy in many countries. Did that invalidate all those Western European elections?
Boycotting is a dumbarse strategy morrie. I’m not recalling the praise of last year’s election though. Who were the praisors? Don’t count yourself.
Boycotting is a dumbarse strategy…
Not always. But it certainly was in this case. As one of the opponents of Maduro in last year’s election, Henri Falcón, explained: “Electoral boycotts almost never work. In country after country, opposition forces that abandoned the field of electoral competition have lost ground and allowed rulers to consolidate power.”
National effectively boycotted the Epsom seat in several recent elections, so as to enable a member of the ACT cult to get a seat. They did something similar to help Peter Dunne in Ohariu. Do those boycotts invalidate New Zealand’s last three or four elections?
The elections in Venezuela in 2013 and 2018 were cleaner and more transparent than any U.S. federal election. In 2013, even Forbes magazine could not deny that. Nothing changed in the intervening years, other than the extreme right’s self-inflicted massive injury of the boycott.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2013/05/14/venezuelas-election-system-holds-up-as-a-model-for-the-world/#4bb2eec671e2
Kate Hawkesby’s childish column berates Labour MPs for their clothes. Hmm, given her husband’s and her own choices, it was rather hypocritical.
To be fair for a 67 year old the make up artists do
a decent job on Mike Hosking.
Hosking dresses like a man with serious insecurity and self esteem problems.
And for Hawkesby, well that was a petulant and child-like rant. It didn’t do the Nats any favours at all which I’m sure was the purpose of the article.
Yes, our ripped jean, hairsprayed hero, Mr Hosking, and Katie’s “Ibiza nightclub” look are real fashion gems…
She would fit right in as one of the cast in that Brit programme “Benidorm”. And yes, clothing choices are up to each person’s preference, but when KH tosses the first stone……
Reality @ (2.2.1) … OMG Benidorm 🙂
Compared to KH, that show oozes class plus!
Does she not approve of clothes?
The popinjay and his flibbertigibbet
Enough +1
You beat me to it Reality:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12198959
Yet another puerile and vitriolic rant by a Nat aligned MSM lackey. The CT backed instructions went out about 2 weeks ago I reckon – it’s “Dirty Politics” in its most virulent form from now until the next election.
Edit: Even questioned the presence of baby, Neve. She’s seven months old for God’s sake and needs her Mum. Dad might have work commitments as the moment.
Here it is:
Nasty piece of work.
Wonder what her teenage brats are up to these days.
How DARE people out of the office dress like they’re out of the office. It’s creeping communism gone mad.
Yeah Gabby, as she says weird as..
I’ll get in first before some dim-witted rwnj rabbits on about conspiracy theories;
The reference to CT backed instructions… is tongue in cheek. Got it?
+1
Crime against Humanity lashes out at its perceived crime against fashion
Anne @ (2.4) …
If KH had any idea and you’d think she would being a mother, she’d realise the reason baby Neve is there, Jacinda is most likely still breastfeeding!
KH comes across to me as dripping with envy and spite!
KH comes across to me as dripping with envy and spite!
Absolutely. She, and her other half, are so up themselves they can’t bear to think anyone is more intelligent and attractive than they are.
Every so often KH does produce a reasonable piece but I’m beginning to think its more by good luck than good management.
If her teenage offspring turn up half normal they’ll be doing okay. Some regularly scream about kids being to be taken off their parents to get them out of abusive environments. The sort of people who strenuously support Mike Hosking.
Is it right to leave kids in environments with polluted outlooks of their parents?
Hosking’s wife. What would you expect?
Morrissey……please put up that freaky photograph of Hosking in his ripped jeans, seemingly pointless chains, and something resembling a wannabe tough boy leather jacket……the one you posted a couple of years ago.
http://showstudio.com/img/contributors/1601-1800/1739_480n.jpg?1380037109
Her seventh to last paragraph sums it up.
“Nothing to see here”.
Nothing to read here, either, in this article
And if she can’t actually see what is happening at a retreat for a party in government’s caucus, then she is blind.
And if she thinks that she will get close to what is happening in politics, then taking pot shots at politicians over their casual dress won’t help.
Perhaps that is why she writes the shite. She can’t hack the real stuff, so instead hacks trivia.
More things to make you go hmmmm. Steve Munchkin has possible financial links to rooskies, lifts sanctions on rooskies, rooskies hire former Drumpf transition staffer.
https://www.salon.com/2019/01/30/with-sanctions-lifted-trump-transition-member-gets-board-position-on-russian-oligarchs-company/
Just a little spasiba and there’s more where that came from.
As the arguments about taxation culminate in the release of the tax report either today or tomorrow, the human cost of a low tax economy needs to be remembered. Richardson and Garner need to get of their high horses and go to Hospital Hill in Napier. There used to stand Napier Hospital. Closed in 1995 to pay for Bill Birchs tax cuts. It has been demolished now, but for 2 decades it stood as a reminder of where tax cuts after tax cut will enventually get us.
We need a capital gains tax. What is left of our health system need it.
We have a capital gains tax. Bridges has promised to remove it, but we don’t know how much tax revenue that will lose. (Yes there are many exemptions from treating capital gains as income – the family home being well-known.) National increased revenue from tax on capital gains by its “bright line” test which said that gains from the quick sale of property will automatically be regarded as taxable income unless there were special reasons – Bridges now wants to cut out all tax on capital gains – whoopee for those involved in buying and selling companies for a profit . . .
Ed1 yes business would like that.
if you bought shares when some of the SOEs were sold, you have done quite well, but it would be good if you didn’t have to pay tax on those gains – does Bridges have a cunning plan to help a few blind trusts for retiring National politicians?
Bill English’s role in the destruction of a world class health system in this country has been forgotten. Which is a pity.
Yes. English intended to drive the Public Health system into ruin so that Presto. The Private system can ride in to pick up the broken bits that can be turned into profit. Just as in Britain it is happening so, right now.
We must have a Health system like the Americans. Right?
Yes, American’s spend the most on health care in the world and have one of the worst most expensive and inequatitable systems. I think something like 40% of American’s don’t even have access to health care and they are paying through the nose for that!
Happy to say, NZ health system is still very good, like our educations system, but you can see how the privatisation and routing and lowering of standards, while making it free (in real terms) to 4 million tourists per year and hundreds of thousands of the world living here who don’t require to pay any extra in real terms (because even if you are supposed to pay, you don’t really have to) or have private health insurance before entering the country, so the quality issues are being subtly and not so subtly pushed… We now seem to have as many people in NZ per year in NZ using all the roads, medical and hospitals and services as those who permanently live here…
The government might be aiming to stabilise migration, but decreasing immigration seems to be “in the ‘too hard basket” for now. Hope they keep their eye on the long-term ‘ball’.
“privatisation and
routingrorting and lowering of standards” (just once, for info only)Thanks Drowsy. But under Labour/NZ First/Greens last year sounds like immigration and work permits INCREASED (not stabilised) dramatically, according to TDB, 4 million tourists, 129,000 new migrants and 150,000 temporary work permits, combined they nearly equal the resident population of NZ.
Meanwhile reports of apparently work shortages seem to be lies… as local workers in constructions are having to lay off people because their wages have become too low and small (local) builders are shut out of the contracts as it becomes about who you know and lowest cost …
Smaller Christchurch building companies struggling to find work
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/381149/smaller-christchurch-building-companies-struggling-to-find-work
Chch builders out of work as rebuild construction dries up
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018680157/chch-builders-out-of-work-as-rebuild-construction-dries-up
Meanwhile a lot of money spent on middle men touting to place overseas workers into NZ…
New Zealand Job Openings for Filipinos, No Placement Fee Country, and Manpower Agency List
https://mattscradle.com/new-zealand-job-openings-for-filipinos/
NZ has a quality construction issue which after lazy immigration, is the 2nd biggest problem facing the housing crisis. As fast as our Rogernomics market based construction solutions build them, they need remedial work and can’t be lived in, throwing more people out to rent who should be home owners living in their homes, and then the construction firms themselves are liquidated…
If a company is liquidated there should be proper penalties for the directors including not being able to be a company director for at least a decade… and personal fines.
Perhaps then the firms would be more choosy and of a higher standard and less likely to liquidate at the first sign of trouble so they don’t have to pay their workers and subcontractors…
It seems that being undercut by so many overseas players with deep pockets is a factor. Who knows how many of them are bringing in overseas workers and profiting from underpaying them (like the listed NZ firms) and getting payments for the job…. meanwhile the big players are able to hoover up all the housing contracts…
Also poor plans being approved by council have also been a factor…
Big builder Corbel Construction in liquidation
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12170789
Leaky building repairs drag on: $24m bill yet 81 townhouses still uninhabitable
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12098276
Auckland construction company folds, 55 staff laid off, more failures predicted
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11909184
The problem is that the firms bringing in the low cost labour and tourists are having their profits subsidised by Kiwi taxpayers who have to pay for the hospitals and schools and roads and wastewater that all these cheaper workers and tourists need, meanwhile throwing our local firms paying better wages under the bus and putting them out of work, or the standards have fallen so low with construction with planning, labour and materials that the new buildings need remedial work almost immediately and the tourist ventures are more likely to be overseas owned with substantial overseas labour to run them… so it’s a Ponzi… because it is not sustainable.
Labour and Auckland council wants more taxes on the middle classes because they are easy targets, National is seizing it’s chances to squeeze back into power… all in all very depressing…
If user pays were user pays, then shouldn’t those using the services and bringing in the workers have to pay big bucks for the visas, have a bond if their workers leave so are not actually doing the work, have a much higher threshold for being able to bring someone in, (aka pay at the top end of the pay scale for the so called ‘experience’) so that there is money to pay for the hospitals and schools and roads and waster water of their overseas workers and 4 million tourists are not subsidised by the tax payers on NZ who are also being shunted off the hospital waiting lists or spending 4 hours in traffic each day or can’t swim in their water ways because their is too much pollution.
Like wise the ‘private’ educational institutions many of whom are just conduits for residency of low quality poorly educated people, who suddenly sport a ‘masters’ they bought from a NZ institution mostly private who gets $20k per year from them.
Unlike the more well known international universities in the top 100 universities in the world, increasingly in NZ we are devaluing our tertiary institutions with paid degrees that accepts anybody with the cash… regardless of their educational ability or inability.
Sounds good. So, what you’re saying is that NZ universities have been lowering their entry criteria and have a special category for cashed-up no-hopers. I couldn’t find any evidence for this though …
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/applications-and-admissions/entry-requirements/undergraduate-entry-requirements.html
You can make a donation but I don’t believe they give you an academic degree for that, just a receipt for IRD.
https://www.giving.auckland.ac.nz/en/Home.html
YES. And if memory still serves, wasn’t there some question about NAT’S investing in Ryman’s?? and that policy looked tailormade ????? Someone may recall.
+1 millsy
Reality drew attention to a very interesting column on Noted. It is very perceptive written by Graham Adams. It gives a insight into the words of Jacinda, the background to Paula, Jamie Lee, and Sarah. Worth reading for its own sake.
Thanks Reality.
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/politics/sarah-dowie-jami-lee-ross-parliaments-star-crossed-lovers-who-crossed-each-other/
Thanks ianmac.
Filed for future reference.
@ianmac Re the article by Graham Adams on Noted.
I did not note any perception in the article.
Just the usual selective bias cherry picking info
and juxtaposition to ” prove” a point
Some one else comes along and through similar
cherry picking juxtaposition proves the opposite.
Does get tiresome .
No shortage of cherry pickers in this country.
There are thousands on social media 🙂
Your cynicism rata, could be applied to all and every point of view especially where no scientific evidence is available but even then bias can twist.
So by your rule there is no value in exploring any idea ever. How boring.
Sorry The Standard has been killed off by Rata. Goodbye all.
Rata would have improved his ‘argument’ with examples and evidence.
Ianmac
Please don’t go. You and your contributions here have been long and valued by me, and I know, many others.
I and some others (Anne, Redlogix) have been having a conversation this morning over on the post on “The world cannot afford billionaires” about behaviours here and related matters. Go and have a read – just check the sidebar as the links are there eg Anne to me, me to me, Redlogix to me etc. Hope that may help change your mind.
Re Rata, I am not going to criticise him or her as he/she has the same rights to comment here as me, provided he/she complies with the rules in the TS’ Policy.
However, since this new personality appeared recently, I have been a bit bemused by his/her postings and personally I decided the best thing to do was just ignore. IMHO he/she really does not post enough substance to bother replying to or attempting any debate on the issues raised. There is not much point when there are so many other more interesting interactions going on here.
And thank you for posting that link. I meant to do so on Sunday (?) when I first read it and we were discussing that issue on MS’s post on the $100,000 donation. So we need you to stay!!!!
Same sentiments from me ian.
veutoviper. I have a huge sense of humour (though my wife only laughs sometimes) and I was really just grinning to myself as I wrote my response to rata. I thought he was trying to be too clever so responded in that vein. I am not leaving TS. Some serious ideas here but I like the sort of response people like Robert sometimes give us too. Brightens the day.
And yes I read your plan of how a blog should run. Good stuff.
I am pleased you were grinning to yourself – but I didn’t laugh because I thought you were serious! Agree re Robert’s responses.
And my other comments were not a plan – just thoughts.
Stay please ianmac. Your posts are always interesting and informative.
Another interesting snapshot of how perceptions of women’s and men’s performance varies even when doing the same job.
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/01/theres-a-bigger-difference-between-6-and-10-than-you-think/
50 years ago the Beatles played their rooftop concert.
It was their last appearance together as a band.
Ace.
Lennon and McCartney = the greatest composers of popular music since Mozart
This utube clip has had over 205 million views….
Cough cough, Bob Dylan, cough cough.
Cough, cough, Michael Maybrick, cough cough.
Cough, cough, Irving Berlin, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Gerry Goffin, Ellie Greenwich, Paul Kelly….
Yeah…nah.
If I hummed tunes, the 50+ masses would excel at identifying the Beatles numbers. The Beatles ownership of popular music is waning but what a run.
C’mon Morrisey, I could whistle 30 Beatles tunes and you’d identify every one of them.
Thanks for that…is so easy to forget how timelessly good they were/are
Idiot Piers Morgan upset when historian points out that
Churchill was responsible for the starvation of millions of Bengalis.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/piers-morgan-in-furious-row-with-msp-over-tweet-labelling-churchill-a-white-supremacist-mass-a4051366.html
https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/did-churchill-cause-the-bengal-famine/
Churchill as Minister of defence in 1914 refused credit to Turkey to enable for them to regain their repaired naval ships. The result was that Turkey was powerless to withstand pressure from Germany. The Germans “gave” a ship to Turkey, raised a Turkish flag on her, then sent her in to the Black Sea to shell a Russian town. Thus, Churchill’s decision tipped Turkey into being our enemy. Well done Winston.
Churchill is one of the few people about whom I am very ambivalent. He did great things and he did terrible things, and most of his actions all came from the same place and attitude. He connected with people from all classes and was a considerate officer in the trenches, but he also set tanks and cavalry on workers. And so many other juxtapositions.
Pretty much everyone with an opinion on him is correct, lovers and haters all.
He certainly contained multitudes.
It’s perhaps worth noting that his descendants continue to wreak havoc among the underprivileged. His horrible grandson Rupert Soames was in charge of that awful Serco shitshow.
‘
“I know Churchill is a monster. But he is our monster”
Clement Attlee
Starts off badly as it’s possible to start off, by endorsing a less than mediocre book by that numbskull Boris Johnson, for pity’s sake.
The “Churchill Project” is going to be about as rigorous as a Mike Hosking three minute radio rant.
It is all referenced and appears to be in direct contradiction to the piece you have chosen to troll with.
It starts off by endorsing Boris Johnson. Any organization with so little judgment is neither serious nor credible.
The sort of stupidity and bureaucracy we have come to expect from NZ officials…
Kaikoura homeless sent 260km away as housing units sit empty
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018680086/kaikoura-homeless-sent-260km-away-as-housing-units-sit-empty
“Non a l’Eurovision 2019 en Israel!”
Move Eurovision From Israel, Peter Gabriel and Leading U.K. Artists Urge BBC
Signatories to letter say venue must change because of ‘Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights’; BBC rejects call
Haaretz, Jan. 30, 2019
Some 50 British cultural figures, including musician Peter Gabriel and actress Julie Christie, signed a letter published on Tuesday in the Guardian calling on the BBC to push for the locale of this year’s Eurovision song contest to be changed because of “Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights.”
The BBC rejected the call, saying it was ‘inappropriate to use the BBC’s participation for political reasons.’
“The European Broadcasting Union chose Tel Aviv as the venue over occupied Jerusalem – but this does nothing to protect Palestinians from land theft, evictions, shootings, beatings and more by Israel’s security forces,” read the letter.
“The BBC is bound by its charter to ‘champion freedom of expression,'” the figures said. “It should act on its principles and press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed.”
Also among the dozens of signatories were filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and musician Roger Waters.
Earlier this month, protesters in France stormed the stage after a performance by Netta Barzilai, who won the song contest in 2018, carrying a sign saying “Non a l’Eurovision 2019 en Israel!” (No to Eurovision 2019 in Israel).
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/01/peter-gabriel-move-eurovision-from.html
I would think letting Israel host the Eurovision Song Contest would be a form of punishment for them, but they aren’t sharp enough to know the difference.
Hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel? Surely this in itself is an admission that Israel is not part of the Middle East, but an artificial Western colony, in the Middle East
Ha ! Staging Miss Universe in Moscow ‘pisses all over’ that,
Sounds like something Trump might have been involved in.
He was certainly “involved” in a few beauty contests in the U.S.
“I sorta get away with things like that….”
Who knew Ports of Auckland were privately owned… maybe they think that they are because of the stupid COO structure but unless they were sold off by Auckland council they are still an asset owned by the ratepayers of Auckland or are supposed to be even if they are under the Rogernomics structure…
Pretty sure Ports of Auckland will face climate change issues, but of course keep head head in sand and collect bonuses…
Govt needs to fill gaps on climate infrastructure cost
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/381388/govt-needs-to-fill-gaps-on-climate-infrastructure-cost
Hi Save, (from the RNZ link you supplied)
It is hard to believe that this sentence was written by an actual journalist. As well as being factually incorrect, it is grammatically incorrect as well.
If they spoke this sentence out loud, you would wonder if they were mentally challenged.
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/362616-uk-finance-industry-to-shrug-off-brexit-and-grow—hammond
https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5879428/hard-brexit-could-be-hard-on-aussie-farm-export-plans/
The old economics’ engines of imperialism are outdated. Further more, no one can out China, China.
Technology, and the unstoppable nature of the demands of a increasingly multi-polar nature to world economic growth, along with those practicalities to sustainable resource management, requires the economics of Quantity, whether that be the numbers of segregated financial gains or overall volumes traded, transition to the economics of Quality ( the value systems of the less direct tangibles in the co-operative life styles of the societal demand & supply being developed – which NZ is starting upon to the terms of the Govt’s first wellbeing budget).
A Brexit of that for example,
https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/high-earners-pay-to-rise-seven-times-faster-than-average-in-2019-37766793.html
isn’t really that different to the outcomes on societal market forces to a free trade deal with expansionist China perhaps.
If shit like this doesn’t drive Lenin to rise from his grave to strangle the kleptocratic gangsters occupying the Kremlin, then nothing will.
Russia’s Justice Ministry has proposed exempting officials in “exceptional circumstances” from anti-corruption regulations in new draft legislation, following a plan set by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries, with Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index ranking it in 138th place this year out of 180 countries.
[…]
The Justice Ministry did not provide examples of the “exceptional circumstances” that would allow officials to escape punishment. Russia’s Vedomosti business daily reported Monday that the ministry would provide specific examples of exemptions to anti-corruption laws after public discussions of the proposal wrap up on Feb. 8.
The measures to amend the legislation were proposed by Putin in an anti-corruption plan he signed in June 2018.
Ilya Shumanov, the deputy head of Transparency International Russia, told the publication that the amendments provide loopholes for officials to avoid responsibility.
“There’s not a single rational explanation for the use of exceptional circumstances when an official couldn’t declare a conflict of interest,” Vedomosti quoted Shumanov as saying.
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-moves-decriminalize-unavoidable-corruption-following-putins-proposal-64316
Really interesting case study of “conversion disorder”, previously referred to as mass hysteria
The diplomats withdrawn from the Cuban embassy with injuries caused by a mysterious “”sonic or microwave weapon developed by the Soviets” turned out to have been bothered by crickets
I’m feeling the same , the cicadas are crazy noisy this year.
an excerpt
” In terms of locations under pressure, embassies are strong candidates, especially when a considerable number of the staff are undercover spies. One C.I.A. agent told me that these low-grade panics happen a lot. Writing in The New Yorker in 2008, the novelist and former British spy, John le Carré, made the case that spies are susceptible to a unique form of hysteria. ”
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/01/the-real-story-behind-the-havana-embassy-mystery
Strangely the Guardian is still pumping this fake news story
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/31/canada-cuts-staff-in-cuba-embassy-after-mystery-illness-strikes-again
The unknown cause struck a building of people here in NZ recently. Ambulances etc. Then the kids who smelt compost?
(I heard my first cicada for the season yesterday here in sunny Marlborough.)
BlandLiarSarah@Swamp:
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/01/30/sarah-sanders-cbn-god-wanted-trump-president-sot-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/?fbclid=IwAR3l6s7xPK_cJ5IG8T8ezT2GisvaHi7u_72N-bW7zM6lloituzZn2LpUv7k
Guess Nancy Pelosi’s fucked then……
God’s will Trumps all, North and South.
Kia ora The AM Show technical you are correct mark officially a heatwave is 5 days of 5 degrees above the normal level of heat. But I say our temperature should be measured in the full Sun then we will get the actual temperature that will be 5 degrees higher than what is been reported. Why my you ask that Eco Maori is advocating this change well its to warn the vulnerable elderly people.
People under the bridge the actual temperature they will be exposed to when outside with no nice air conditioning whare /house like the wealthy can afford and minimise any deaths caused by the heat wave records are still being broken. Also that neanderthal from America that you and duncan were waving your little flags for has been suppressing any media around Papatuanukue from taking about climate change. I also know that for accuracy of the Papatuanukue temptures by metrologist the whole Papatuanukue will have to change and measure the actual temperature in the midday Sun to minimise un factual temperature readings
The Tawhirirmate wind of change is getting under big businesses skirts that its is not on that management get more money than they can spend and the people making the company’s dividends are just serviving. West Pack bank giving there workers the living wages. The AM Show is a cracked record replaying Kiwi build every day that’s a typical neanderthal trait repeat repeat can not think of a intelligent positive topic I see this trait in other Neanderthals. All intelligent people can work out whats bullshit and what’s fact 97 % of OUR scientist have proven that climate change is a fact but thee neanderthal goes with the 3% of scientists that have a conflict of interest and the oil barrons spinning and deny climate change. Your man in New York is not quite accurate the polar freezing that’s hitting New York at the minute was predicted by the 97% of scientists that neanderthals chose to ignore years ago . The cause of New York freezing is directly linked to the polar ice caps melting and that phenomenon is causing the Polar Vortex to wabble hence the polar vortex now covers thousands of miles of more land in that region than in normal condition. I did look at the story now for accuracy but I read this prediction last year.??????????.Bruce Stick LEASE HOLD LAND to foreigners. But for THE Average KIWIS that system of leaseing land will make us much more poorer Make it that foreigners only being able to lease land this will protect the average KIWIS living standards. judy why didn’t you talk about the duopoly of buildings suppliers in Aotearoa when you weren’t warming the opposition seats O that’s why the old men hogging the dividends from those 2 big companies are nationals main political donator /BRIBES Who shorted the housing market this phenomenon has been traveling throughout the Western Society’s housing markets being shorted so the wealthy can reap the capital gains. The neanderthal that are shorting housing market in the west cannot think past there own well-being or even their tamariki future.
The banks make enough profits to cover paying their employees a living wage especially when they charge life insurance policy holders 4 million people have some cover 25% in fees that’s the highest charges in the Western Papatuanukue.? Advertiseing Alcohol????. Its the cleaners the security guards that will be better off with the bank finally paying the living wage. Bull trades are getting $25 a hour +. What a the lower paid workers get has know collaborations or a effective on what the higher skilled worker earns at all. Ka kite ano. P.S know mark all commercial organisations will use most things to gain customers. The bankers don’t like – – – – Ana to kai
What Eco Maori is upset about this system is it lies to Maori & PI people the professionals say they don’t know why we have these health problems . Thats discrimanation there who cares about them If they die so be it they are infiror dosen’t matter. How is the system lieing these professionals know for a fact that SUGAR and ALCOHOL is one of the main causes of many health deases that kill US off before we get to 55 years old hence the longevity gap .The system lets business surround poorer communitys with shop’s selling these EVIL prouducts sugar and alcohol and gambling bars as well WTF. If one goes to a wealthy suburb you won’t see outlets flogging this shit for many miles. You see the innocent Tangata think we would not sell someone a prouduct that would cause there life to be shortened by 20 years so the white man would not do this they trust the system to have there best interest at heart YEA RIGHT .The capitilist system is buyer be ware on price and the effects of the prouduct has on ones health. Even if the system knows the prouduct kill’s people early one still has to prove its a FACT in the UNJUSTICE system before it becomes fact or have millions of dollars of studys dune to prove the facts that the professionals know is a fact but say nothing to keep there dividens flowing into there hip pockets from the companys that flogg this SHIT. Thats OUR reality WHANO
Western medicine says many Māori and most Pasifika people are obese. Some people are angry about the system that ‘fat-shames’ them in this way. Others are focused on finding solutions that actually work. Carmen Parahi reports.
Gina Sausau is vital, her body is strong, she fizzes with enthusiasm.
The 31-year old encourages others – mainly Māori and Pasifika people – motivating them with her words and inspiring them into action.
Yet three years ago, she was a different, physically and mentally heavier woman.
The health sector and the measures they’re using for Māori and PI is not working. They don’t take into consideration our culture. Everything they’re doing to combat obesity is not going to work.”
The New Zealand Health Survey 2017/18 found nearly a third of Kiwis are obese. Those living in deprived areas, where Māori and Pasifika peoples are often over-represented, were 1.6 times as likely to be obese.
Letele wants the Government to put a cap on the number of fast food joints allowed to operate in low socio-economic areas.
“Go and look around Mangere and parts of West Auckland. You won’t see that in Remuera or Mission Bay. We’re being targeted but we’re falling for it.
“Our kids are walking to school eating fizzy and pie. We’re bombarded with it, that’s the issue for me. We get less money, it’s just hard.” Ka kite ano links below P.S Alcohol is loaded with sugar
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/110265031/the-stigma-of-a-system-that-
fat-shames-mori-and-pasifika-people
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Well Whanau Eco Maori has been reasearching our history our tipuna’s .
I seen storys back in 1840 of maori complaining about not getting the same money for poaka as his Europeen neighbours they got $2 a poaka and maori only got $1 so one can see that this discriminational behaviour would have flowed through all froms of commerce in the New Zealand systems for 250 years. Quickly eroding Tangata Whenua money whenua and mana this is the compounding effect in reverse
A compounding effect is if my 6 X greatgrand father Jose put $2 in a bank acount it would be worth $2 million at the minute. So one can see that this Europeen behaviour to Tanagta Whenua O Aotearoa has had a devestating effect on Maori wealth how well if my 6x greatgrandfather Jose had $2 million in assets back then it would eroded down to $2 at the minute . (Kia Kaha Wahine Eco Maori Tau tokos you all they way)
First milestone for Mana Wahine claim at Waitangi Tribunal
A claim lodged by Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Awhina – the rūnanga of the Public Service Association – to address employment inequities suffered by Māori women has now been officially registered by the Waitangi Tribunal as claim Wai 2864.
“It’s fantastic the Tribunal will hear our claim. It calls out the Crown for its failure to address injustices that have relegated generations of wāhine Māori to low paid jobs with working conditions that leave them extremely vulnerable,” said Georgina Kerr, one of four PSA members who lodged the claim on behalf of Te Rūnanga o Ngā Toa Awhina.
This includes the failure of the education system to adequately prepare wāhine Māori for meaningful employment, the failure to eliminate bias and discrimination in the workplace, and the failure to consistently fund services that should be enhancing the lives of Māori wāhine and their whānau.
PSA Kaiwhakarite Māori Marcia Puru said “many wāhine Māori have been chronically disadvantaged by these breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. That has to stop”.
Latest figures from the State Services Commission show while Pākehā women in the Public Service earn 13% less than their male counterparts, wāhine Māori earn 22% less than Pākehā men. Ka kite ano links below
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1901/S00144/first-milestone-for-mana-wahine-claim-at-waitangi-tribunal.htm
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
Was it really the “unruly tourists?”
“An 82-year-old woman believes a trio of the unruly tourists scammed her out of almost $9000, claiming they would fix her roof but left a hole in her ceiling….
Leonard (the 82 year old woman) told Newshub that she recognised one of the three from the rowdy British tourist group when she saw photos.
The group caught the attention of worldwide media after a seemingly innocuous litter incident at Takapuna Beach erupted into a North Island tale of thefts, unpaid bills and general nuisance behaviour….
…The police arrived shortly after, saying they had tracked the car’s registration to a motel but that they had not yet made any arrests.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz//nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12199489&ref=clavis