Trump says Navy SEAL accused of war crimes will be moved to ‘less restrictive confinement’
“We have received reports that Chief Gallagher’s access to counsel and access to food and medical care may have been restricted,” they added. “As a result, we respectfully request that you review the Navy policies governing pretrial confinement for Chief Gallagher and other service members to ensure compliance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
Now I am the last to say that Eddie Gallagher should be treated unfairly or denied proper access to his legal defence team
Justice is supposed to be blind
Compare the case of Eddie Gallagher to another veteran who served their country, who also languishes in prison.
Chelsea Manning: supporters demand release from solitary confinement
Supporters of Chelsea Manning have demanded her release from effective solitary confinement, in which she has been held for more than two weeks since being jailed for contempt of court.
“We condemn the solitary confinement that Chelsea Manning has been subjected to during her incarceration at William G Truesdale adult detention center,” a committee of supporters said in a statement on Saturday.
Manning has been held in administrative segregation, or “adseg”, with up to 22 hours each day spent in isolation, for the duration of her detention….
…Extended periods of solitary confinement “amount to torture”, according to the United Nations special rapporteur Juan Méndez, who has argued that “solitary confinement should be banned by states as a punishment or extortion technique”.
Manning’s supporters said: “Chelsea is a principled person, and she has made clear that while this kind of treatment will harm her, and will almost certainly leave lasting scars, it will never make her change her mind about cooperating with the grand jury”.
An interesting read and very true – when racists think no one is watching they say and do stuff they would normally, shamefully, hide. But imo it’s not the hiding that is the problem it is the attitudes in the first place – hidden or not hidden the attitudes hurt EVERYONE including the racists.
It wasn’t until I started studying the experiences of Māori English teachers working in secondary schools, for my PhD, that I began to think about how my students would have carried that information about colour into their everyday lives.
The Māori teachers who took part in my research gave me insights into the role that skin colour plays in state schooling, and cause to think about how I’m positioned by my brownness. Interestingly, although perhaps not surprisingly, it was the fair-skinned teachers who talked about experiencing interpersonal racism. Not one visibly Māori English teacher gave an example of direct racism.
One fair-skinned Māori teacher recalled how a fellow trainee at teacher’s training college, a Pākehā, confided in her that, everyone thinks “I would vote for Labour, but I vote for National because I am sick of all this Māori shit”.
Another fair-skinned teacher spoke of going home and crying after hearing a Pākehā colleague commenting that if Māori students “were able to answer their exams using bro language, then perhaps they would have more of a chance of passing”.
I attended Chelsea Mannings address in the Auckland Town Hall last year. In answer to a questions from the floor, about her experience in prison, Manning said, ‘To survive the prisoners had to band together to protect themselves from the violence of the prison guards.’
So I can understand Chelsea Mannings special anxiety about being confined in solitary.
Gordon Campbell on the potential for Ardern’s representation of human rights to Xi: “It is also difficult to imagine that even a moral lecture by a New Zealand PM would do much to improve the lot of the persecuted, or make the tyrants mend their ways.”
A moral lecture would be exactly the wrong thing to deliver! Guaranteed to offend! No, she would have to be diplomatic to induce progress. Start with this question: “What will have to change in China before it becomes possible to allow Chinese citizens civil rights?”
Xi then has the option of choosing to evade or answer the question. He may say “We are communists, so we will never allow civil rights here. The hive mind must always prevail over individual free-will. Our people will continue to do as they are told.”
If Prime Minister Ardern can stand up for Muslim human rights here, she should have the courage to stand up for Muslim human rights in China, or anywhere.
Big call, Ad! I predict that there will be no media report of her doing so. That may not mean she did not do so, of course. It may just mean that nobody in the media thought she would be so bold as to advocate civil rights for muslims to Xi – so they would be unlikely to think of asking her if she did that.
As I posted elsewhere, the international Muslim community largely supports China’s efforts in Xinjiang. It is Muslims themselves who understand best the horrors unleashed by religious extremism.
I think Muslim countries elsewhere remain quiet on the plight of the Uighurs in Xinjiang from self interest, not because they agree with them.
Many of these leaders are the recipients of Chinese bribes as part of the Silk Road initiative. Many of these countries are almost totally dependent on China for trade and aid.
Anyway, who cares what other Muslim countries think of this? Mass detention and forced ‘re-education’ is just plain evil.
Actually ad, I disagree with you. I believe Ardern is absolutely genuine. She is also a pragmatist, which I greatly admire in her. I am sure she will mention human rights, but let’s face it, as was the case with the Australian detention centers there was nothing she could do or say that would shift them. She has led by example. I believe that has the biggest power to influence
You are very black and white Ad. Remember, NZ generally does not interfere in another country’s internal affairs. However, the attack in NZ may give her an opening in her 10 hour widow. I think we have to stop asking for miracles though, and settle for a mortal woman doing her best.
If you are struck by the oddness of contemporary life, Strange Planet, a series of cartoons by Nathan Pyle, is worth a look. https://www.instagram.com/nathanwpyle/
Given that gangs are involved in the most gun crime and they are saying they won’t give up their guns – what’s going to be the reaction from Jacinda ?
She’s busy making normal law abiding citizens hand in theirs – she should come down on the gangs like a ton of bricks – but dollars to donuts she won’t.
Are you aware of Police operations in your area to make that kind of claim?
You need to back up what you are claiming.
Also, it would make sense for the Police to follow their stated police of enabling a gun amnesty, then awaiting the actual change of the law that they enforce before going in too much harder on semiautomatic gun owners who are gang members.
Or, as you expect, maybe the Police are now expected to enforce what a future law that isn’t even drafted is supposed to intend.
Remember that thing called the law?
It’s what the Police enforce.
Premature, James. Let the cops do their job, eh? If they fail, then the police minister would have to hold the commisioner accountable. It would only be appropriate for the PM to get involved if the normal processes of governance fail.
James there will be fines and even imprisonment for people who don’t hand in their guns……..I am not even sure of why you raised this other than to do a “but Jacinda …..”
Is this the approach agreed on in your trolling supervision session?
Successive Governments both Labour & National have done nothing to combat organized crime and the gangs here in NZ, to the point now, where the gangs in NZ are now heavily armed and control the drug trade here in NZ ?
They probably have the best lawyers and accountants advising them how to invest the proceeds from their business activities ie cleansing the proceeds of crime ?
The average New Zealand taxpayer picks up the costs of these gang activities, police time, judiciary time, prison time, mental health problems and the other associated social problems associated with drug dealing & distribution ?
James all the gangs in NZ are armed to the teeth they need the weapons to protect themselves from the other gangs, weapons and drugs are mutually inclusive if you are involved in the narcotics trade which most NZ gangs are ?
Alex Jones also believes that the US Givernment is involved in the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11 and Vaccines are deadly. Over the years there have been more than enough commentators on this site expressing the same sentiment. While the left like to class him as “alt right” (yawn…) the reality is he has views that fit all extremes of the political spectrum.
You mean he’s a populist? Next move then: establish the Alt-Right Party, run for president. Those alienated by the left & right were over 40% in a US poll I saw several months ago. Hoover them up & he can sail through the middle, side-lining the establishment no problem.
President Jones would be an exemplary demonstration of just how clever the policy of allowing mentally-ill folk to live in the community just like everyone else actually is. I anticipate a highly-entertaining presidency! Bring it on… 😎
Calling themselves the Alt-Right Party might offend the self-image of some of the voters that might otherwise go for them. Convergence Party might be a better name.
I didn’t notice the Amnesty scandal featuring onsite here, so I’ll post a follow-up report: “Following the suicide of a staff member, Amnesty commissioned an independent review of its company culture, which found that some of its staff have been victims of bullying, public humiliation, discrimination, and abuses of power, and that these issues threaten the organisation’s credibility.”
Amnesty head Kumi Naidoo began his role in August last year, and is looking to address these issues quickly. “Our organisation, set up in 1961, has added one layer of complexity after the other as it’s evolved, and to be honest we need a complete reorganising because, in fact, the very structure of Amnesty right now is a source of certain conflicts and tensions that we need to fix urgently,” he said.
He pointed out that Amnesty chose to make the report public, and that all seven members of its senior leadership team have accepted responsibility and offered to resign. To him, this transparency is a good first step.
“I am not saying it’s going to be easy for us to recalibrate and move forward with a healing approach, if you want, but the commitment is there from myself, the board, and all parts of the organisation and we are focused on acting on it,” he said. “One year won’t sort everything out. But the term ‘toxic’ is quite a loaded word. I think within a year, I want that word off the table.”
Gotta say, I’ve viewed Amnesty International as a deeply flawed organisation ever since they adopted Mumia Abu-Jamal as one of their poster-boys. Really, of the vast selection of people treated unjustly by justice systems, that’s one they chose to highlight?
Our very own Guantanamo prisoner. What happened to the rule of law and innocent to proven guilty? Make an exception in this case, and it will be the thin edge of the wedge. We can never pick and choose when the rule of law may or may not apply, no matter how appalling the crime maybe.
He is in solitary isolation in a 3 x 4m concrete and stainless steel box, with no natural light, for 24 hours a day (half hour in a wire cage a day in the open). Indefinitely. As he is on suicide watch, the lights will also be on 24 hours a day. This is standard in NZ for ‘at risk’ prisoners, but that is usually short term, not open ended.
Yes, this is for his own safety, but compounding his hell is that he is denied all visits, all outside media. This means no reading material, no opportunity to even hear another human voice except the three times a day he his fed his 1500 calories food per day. By the time of his trial (should he even receive one) his mental state will almost certainly be psychotic. We know this from other prisoners kept in solitary for extended periods.
There have already been many calls that he should not even receive a fair trial (like Kate Hawksby to name but one). Right to evidence? When someone is on remand, they are totally dependent on a lawyer and the whims of the Police as to what evidence they receive. Unbiased judge? There will almost certainly be political pressure applied to the judge.
Yeah. Guantanamo Bay. The crime was appalling. No question. But we do have a legal framework in NZ and it is fast being scrapped, like with the 16 year old kid in ChCh who was arrested on Thursday for sharing the killers video.
We rightly condemn the US actions in Guantanamo Bay, but I guess they would use the same justification as is being used here in NZ.
Oh fuck right off.
I can tell you that because of the extremely high profile of this guy everything will be done by the book because we all know that there’s plenty of wank stains out there just dying to put the boot into Corrections or sue Corrections or both just to make a name for themselves
What a load of shit. He gets outside for an hour and human company 3 times a day (albeit briefly). Not everyone falls to pieces without company. He was a recluse anyway so he’s just peachy keen.
So you think it would be fine for the yet to be convicted, or the convicted, to receive violence and rape? Gee, I thought we had moved into more enlightened times. Obviously not.
His total isolation from people (visitors who individually must be approved by Corrections which many any sympathizers will be weeded out), isolation of reading material. Keeping in a hole is a given at this point. The rest is unprecedented.
If you have difficulty to ‘ get my head around’ that, then I would kindly suggest you learn the art of reading and thinking. It really is not that hard, although I guess it is Sunday and often ones head is fuzzy on a Sunday morning.
He hasn’t been denied reading material so before you go pointing the finger at others I suggest you read your own link.
A Corrections spokesperson confirmed today that the man has “no access to television, radio or newspapers and has no approved visitors”.
It says nothing about books. He may even have access to pen and paper to further his literary career, who knows, but there’s nothing to suggest he’s undergoing some sort of sensory deprivation. And FYI, his complaint is in regard to visitors and phone calls, nothing else.
It’s certainly a post worthy subject, Peter. As this seems to be a good weekend for new writers, how about to you have a crack and send it to me? I’ll edit it, find some links and put it up as a guest post.
I am going to ask you to reconsider that offer of a post from peter of Chch re the gunmans human rights. See my comments below. I think the less airtime we give to the gunman the better. There are likely hundreds of others whose human rights are being violated. Better to do a post on them.
The gunman will have access to legal redress. Let that happen outside the public gaze
This is just my opinion but I would be extremely disappointed if the standard gave this guy any sort of oxygen. He is not worthy of such a post. Are human rights worthy of a post? Yes. Then cover someone else
Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote that the degree of civilisation in a society is revealed by entering its prisons. So I do think it’s relevant to discuss what the NZ minimum treatment of prisoners actually is (and that’s exactly what this guy deserves, the absolute minimum). My feeling is that at the moment, the authorities consider he remains a danger and communication with similar minded individuals in particular is putting others at risk. Again, guessing, but I would think they have looked at the Breivik trial and are learning lessons from that process.
Yes te reo. I am not saying punish the bastard etc etc. I just think let’s not give him any attention. The article is click bait. I choose to read the stories of the victims and the heroes.
I am going to ask you again not to publish anything about the gunman and his human rights.
If we need to do something on human rights in nz prisons, by all means. There has been the recent case of women and internal examinations . Maybe invite someone to take that up. Or get Arthur TAYLOR to do a guest post.
I would find it extremely disappointing if the standard offered a post about the gunman, his human rights or anything about him at all……..
Ok trp. Since you are one of the editors here I accept and understand such decisions are in your control.
I will have to see what Peter writes. I am not sure I agree with you that mine is a straw man’s arguement because Peter brought up the need for such an article in the context of a stuff article about his conditions and then further posted about the conditions themselves. I think it was reasonable for me to assume that an article by Peter would be abou/include the gunman. I do hope I am wrong about this.
I do actually trust that the gunman is being attended to in prison as set out in ours laws. I do hope that if people have concerns they will take those to their MPs or the human rights commission if they care about it enough.
The gunman has a very grim life ahead of him of that there is no doubt.
I prioritize my empathy and compassion for the innocent victims of this terrible crime. I also think it is important that we do everything to stop it happening again and the evidence I have heard to date is to starve him of any publicly whatsoever
Yep that would be the final nail for me. Fighting all the white fright here is too much. The racism on TS is chronic and not a safe space for anyone interested in indigenous rights. Very toxic environment at the moment.
Anyway this is our society, our world. For this country to truly embrace the wonderful change so needed, we need this group to lower themselves. Ha will they fuck. So the battle continues – we have change beginning – now time to build momentum!
Lol I am a shocker alright – and I’m not worried about you anymore am I? Maybe I’m not the big bad wolf after all – or maybe I am. I have exceptional intuition.
Marty, you’re also quite aware of yourself in various ways…and comfortable enough to call yourself out on it…and then apologise for it…
I would say that your intuition levels will likely match self awareness levels…
The more time we invest in self evaluating and seeking improvements in our own selves…is often matched with being able to interpret the world around us with deeper understanding…
maybe the article should not so much be about the white supremacist killer but rather of our prison conditions in itself, and how ineffective prison is in terms of reducing crime overall.
Did Andrew Little not speak about prison reform or has that been put on ice?
“New Zealand’s latest UN human rights review is being overseen by Brazil, Slovakia, and Saudi Arabia, despite the latter Arab kingdom being widely criticised over its human rights record, particularly in regards to women.”
“The final report on New Zealand’s human rights record in 2019 will be prepared by those three nations, known as the ‘troika’, with assistance from the UNHCR.” Should be a humdinger, eh?
The brilliance of the UN decision to include Saudi Arabia as critic must be acknowledged. Rarely do bureaucrats provide such exemplary instances of bureaucratic decision-making. You can imagine how mortified the eurocrats will be feeling, having been out-classed so easily.
I look foreword to seeing the inclusion of the Saudi Arabia input in the final draft: “must enforce sharia law”. Frantic masking attempts by others may be evident, and wouldn’t surprise me if “not enough amputations” is deleted.
Te Reo Putake, I am flat out this week work wise, but will do next week. This is something I feel very strongly about for personal and societal reasons.
so you want to make him the ‘man in the mask’? An object of future folklore, myth and legend?
if we don’t watch out, in ten years time when we commemorate the killed we will end up discussing with others if it happened, if the killer was white, a man, young, fairly rich etc etc and if that is not just something made up.
that is the other side of throwing people in an oubliette to satisfy our base needs for revenge.
We must never try and erase this from our memories even though we may want to. We can never separate the act from the actor and no matter how painful, not matter how disgusted we are, we have to find a way to deal with in a humane way that defines us as people.
A tendency to skip a fair trial process and deny the accused his basic human rights or do much worse (…) amounts to lowering us down to his level at which he butchered innocent people like animals with complete and utter disregard for their humanity. If we allow this to happen we will be a step closer to evil not a step away from it IMO.
He does have rights, the same we would all expect to get. However, if there are reasons, understandably due to the terrorist nature of his ‘alleged’ crimes, why he isn’t permitted phone calls and visitors, then that’s okay.
The last thing the country needs is for justice not to be seen to be done and some smart lawyer using errors to get this bag o shite off.
Fair arrest, fair trial, and hopefully whatever the NZ equivalent is of @ her majesty’s pleasure when it comes to a fair sentencing to ensure this murderer never walks amongst us again.
For sure. I’m a little confused when some commenters are saying his basic human rights are being abused when clearly they are not.
He’s well looked after. Better than many, many people in New Zealand right now.
As with many narcissistic psychopaths has chosen to represent himself and will have to apply for certain information in support of his defence. I guess he’ll have to be quite specific.
I agree, but to be honest, I don’t care if he gets above and beyond at this moment in time, just as long as it doesn’t affect the outcome of the trial.
He should still stand trial but absolute black should be in place and then off to prison as a number for the rest of his life . No one will forget it happened
And all the talk in the future will be about whether he got his human rights and his victims, the dead and injured and distressed people will be given cursory thought.
Peter Christchurch NZ
You remind me of The Clockwork Orange – a right little pervert and psychpath (is it all right to use that word?) is caught and all are shocked at the depravity of his actions and mind. Then after giving him aversion therapy and letting him out again feeling vulnerable public opinion swings around and is all weepy on his side. In the end he is unaverted?
If people can decide what is safe and reasonable control of this little shooter and sll of his ilk and keep him in prison till he is too old to shoot, if he isn’t going to have a death sentence, then we can stop worrying about him all and put that effort into whether some are in jail that could be worked with outside to turn their lives around, that would be good.
i doubt they will be forgotten. I really do. At least i don’t intend to forget them, and i would venture you don’t either.
But we already have people here in NZ and elsewhere denying that he is the killer, that the killing happened and so on and so on. So really the onus is on us to be accurate in our reporting, not only of the victims but also of the killer. At the end of it the killer will be nothing more then a footnote, albeit a footnote that can be fact checked. And so it should be.
He will be spending a lot of time in prison, but our society should also be measured how we treat the least among us. Unless really you suggest taht we do go back to the days hanging, drawing and quartering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered
“The Act also states that these entitlements can be withheld “if there is an emergency in the prison or the security of the prison is threatened or if the health or safety of any person is threatened”.
A prison director may also deny a prisoner access to the minimum entitlements if they are in segregation “for purposes of security, good order, or safety; or for the purpose of protective custody”.”
Edit… Personally I’m more concerned that he is representing himself, Ted Bundy springs to mind….
Yes, that is the justification quite rightly used, but to deny all contact with other humans (visitors etc), and the outside world (TV – which can be and is restricted for some prisoners – for example exclusion of news channels which can now be done in prisons) (reading material etc), this is not justified. Mentally destroying him is not the punishment prescribed by our laws, particular for someone who is ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
The main issue is this regime is open ended, which I would be surprised has ever before been applied in NZ.
Age 16 I spent a week in the hole for saying ‘fuck’ to an officer. I was not allowed in my bed unless sleeping time because army corners and folds and creases… so sit on edge no stool, or sit on toilet… had no writing materials no reading materials no contact except meals arriving and being taken to a yard (concrete room, wire roof) to peel potatoes for several hours a day.
I do not think it was this experience that gave me concern for the system.
Quite the contrary, I had good time to reflect on my own idiocy rather than being yelled at and bullied all day in the camp. I also became a dab hand at peeling potatoes, and was effective helping Mum cater for church camps when I got out, whereas before I’d agree to help and drift off to smoke dope.
That loser in a cell overdosed on media. Thought he’d splash his horror to the world as a viral virus. He failed. He wants to see himself in print. He failed. May he be left to think about it for a very very long time.
Yeah I was going to read that article and then instead I read about the heroes of that day and the biographies of those who died. I had it in mind it would be good to launch a campaign for people to not click on anything to do with the gun man or the trial.
And put it on the list of abuse of human rights if you like. Amesty or a human rights lawyer can take it up if they like…..imho the shooter would be on the bottom of the list of causes to take up. I would prioritize a million people ahead of him. And if people do want to, please do it behind closed doors
Ank, I think a lot of the posters on here seem to be missing the point. It is in no way about HIM. As an individual, I really could not care too much. It is about the legal and moral rights of us all.
I certainly hope I never again read another post on TS criticizing the US action in Gitmo, as clearly the posters here thoroughly approve, as the US used the same justifications
I get where you are coming from, which is broadly the same as me. Only difference is as I keep saying, human rights are universal, even to those we despise, lest we become like those we despise.
… human rights are universal, even to those we despise, lest we become like those we despise.
QED
Indeed, defending his or any prisoner’s rights is not defending him or his actions – Golriz Ghahraman or any (Human Rights) lawyer for that matter can tell you that and remember how much flak she copped. FWIIW, he’s been accused, not yet (!) convicted.
At the same time, defending his rights, despite his alleged terrorist actions that killed 50 innocent people, is defending our humanity. People seem to overlook this aspect.
We have fought for Human Rights, for fair trials and justice, and a rule-based society with a democratically elected government. It is not perfect, far from it and there’s a lot of work to do, but we cannot let the actions of one man undo the hard work of many good people over many years to allow an equally barbaric mob rule dictate how we deal with this. The next step on our descend into chaos would be to all arm ourselves with guns …
Posted to Ecosophia, this excellent point on socialist economic policy, well-worth recycling here: “people get up to all kinds of positive things when they’re not obliged to chase the next meal. In the UK, many of the biggest and most famous music bands the country produced between the 60s and the 80s were only able to get started because of very lax rules about unemployment benefits.”
“Musicians would claim the dole and use that to live while they got up to speed with their skills. Sure, most bands that did that disappeared without trace, but the ones that made it big probably repaid the entire money spent in terms of soft power, taxes, etc. Similarly, one would expect to see more garage inventors hoping to be the next Apple or Microsoft. So, there are good arguments to hope that a UBI might pay for itself.” https://www.ecosophia.net/march-2019-open-post/
In a local context Helen Clarke’s government early 2000’s had a scheme, I forget the name, but basically artists could have a go at being artists with a benefit available.
There were hoops to jump through but not restrictive: workshop type places, at least in Auckland, where one could find assistance and encouragement, and be schooled in stuff like marketing, time management, and things collectively decided on.
I did not like the workshops so much but the freedom to concentrate on the arts, rather than feel obliged to seek full time work, really took a lot of pressure off.
In that climate I started touring comics. We had so much talent and so little work. I grabbed (some of) who I perceived to be promising and took them to small towns who loved hosting us. Many of those ‘long term unemployed’ given a bit of leeway from that period are now full time writing acting and performing comedy, satire, chat, other media…
Some are a big deal, and have elevated NZ’s profile on the world stage.
In the bigger picture, for this cohort, lending artists some rope worked. It stands to reason creatives in many fields would benefit from taking the pressure off aka UBI.
Good feedback, WTB. So it worked here too. Govt policies that have been proven to work are the best ones to recycle – or re-apply in different contexts.
I’d like to see coalition + Greens advocating a UBI on this basis. Rarely do contributors to public discussion of socialism provide such examples of how it can work in practice, to serve our common interests & enhance the common good.
Best way forward would be to signal a UBI stakeholder conference for their second term, with the intention of establishing a bipartisan consensus, and campaign on that basis next year.
Greens are looking at how a UBI, can work.
Many practicalities to work through
For one, the cost is immediate, but the benefits could take more than the normal political cycle.
Especially as it means the wealthy would have to pay taxes. The CGT, shows how well that goes down.
Labour has been inept for years marketing the CGT. I expect the coalition to demonstrate more finesse. I hope James will take the lead in explaining how to create the essential centrist consensus to secure the public buy-in (only needs around 60% of voters to feel the overall design is unproblematic).
The crucial thing to make the consensus happen is to get the mix right (I’d include ftt, pollution taxes). Bake a cake that most people like eating. So the design of the recipe is what they must focus on getting right first. Palatability will then hinge on reduction of income tax sufficiently to enable voters to see the mix as a fair deal…
Polls show the majority agree with a CGT.
Anything which reversed the almost 50% tax cuts, the well off had had since the 80’s, was always going to get massive kick back and propaganda.
Labour has been missing in action about the need for taxes, for decades.
They had their chance recently of linking deteriorating hospitals, waiting lists, more expensive services to repeated tax cuts.
But senior members of the Labour cabinet are still fixated on Neo-Liberal, trickle down.
“During a recent trip to the southern Texas county of Hidalgo, where barriers are currently under construction, she was struck most by the numbness she encountered. “Nobody speaks about it,” she said, apart from anti-wall activists. In Brownsville, Texas, near a former Walmart where children are now detained, diners at a McDonald’s ignored the calamity next door; residents throughout the region had lost track of whether the monitoring towers above them, designed to track movements on the ground, were operative. At the same time, the sense of being watched was pervasive. Locals warned her not to speed because, they said, the area was crawling with law-enforcement officers. “The mental illness related to the wall is also related to the surveillance that goes with it,” Vallet told me. Such surveillance is part of the dystopian atmosphere that walls create.”
Immanuel Kant was an influential German philosopher. In his view, the mind shapes and structures experience, with all human experience sharing certain structural features… …Kant’s views continue to have a major influence on contemporary philosophy, especially the fields of epistemology, ethics, political theory, and post-modern aesthetics.
Philosophy Tube is a great channel with very informative videos about philosophy, it’s history and it’s ramifications. This video discusses the often-unmentioned history of racism and bigotry in the philosophy of Kant, one of the philosophers with the greatest impact on modern thought. It’s a long one (with a bad Australian accent in the cold open), but well worth it.
I am going to put out the call for no articles to appear on the Standard about the gunman, his trial or his human rights. If people such as Peter are so very concerned about this take it to Andrew little or his local MP.
In all honesty what is an article on the standard going to achieve. It is not going to get someone in the position of power to change the gunmans circumstances. We can “debate on the Standard all we like, but that doesn’t change anything in the real world.
Peter you are entitled to be concerned about the gunman. But if your concern is genuine, take some action that might led to change. Don’t raise it here. Nothing will come of it. Nothing can come of it.
[Yeah, nah. TS authors will write whatever they want to, whenever they want to. And you are putting words in Peter’s mouth. If he chooses to write a post, it should be addressed on its merits, not on your strawman positing of what he is going to write before he has even written it. Final point, the terrorist’s judicial rights are my rights and yours too. He will be treated according to NZ law, which is as it should be. TRP]
Ok trp. Since you are one of the editors here I accept and understand such decisions are in your control.
I will have to see what Peter writes. I am not sure I agree with you that mine is a straw man’s arguement because Peter brought up the need for such an article in the context of a stuff article about his conditions and then further posted about the conditions themselves. I think it was reasonable for me to assume that an article by Peter would be abou/include the gunman. I do hope I am wrong about this.
I do actually trust that the gunman is being attended to in prison as set out in ours laws. I do hope that if people have concerns they will take those to their MPs or the human rights commission if they care about it enough.
The gunman has a very grim life ahead of him of that there is no doubt.
I prioritize my empathy and compassion for the innocent victims of this terrible crime. I also think it is important that we do everything to stop it happening again and the evidence I have heard to date is to starve him of any publicly whatsoever
Ok trp. Since you are one of the editors here I accept and understand such decisions are in your control.
I think you misunderstand how TS functions. Authors have almost full autonomy over their posts and don’t need ‘approval’ from Editors (I happen to be an Editor, whatever that means).
It is a very sensitive issue that’ll require very careful wording and I’d highly recommend proofreading by others before publication to avoid chaos …
Personally, I think it would be good to pry open some minds – please keep in mind that for every commenter here there are many more ‘silent’ readers (AKA lurkers) – but I think the risks are too high with uncertain benefits …
So do you have any suggestions.
TRP has asked Peter to email an article to him/her. “The authors of The Standard will write whatever they want to whenever they want to”
I have asked that we don’t write about the gunman, but it seems that trp doesn’t agree.
An editor compared to an author has an ability to edit posts and comments in names other than their own.
Incognito has it mostly because of their service in making sure we get Open Mike each day. It means that “notices and features” can be set as the author rather than “Incognito”.
Normally editor status is given to allow moderation of comments for other authors posts.
I (as super-admin) get involved when editors start modifying or removing posts from other contributors / authors / editors / admins. It is a sure sign that we have a inter-personal problem. But it has been worth leaving in to make sure that if something really goes wrong, it can be dealt with fast.
Authors have almost full autonomy over their posts and don’t need ‘approval’ from Editors
Mike and I tend to be the “almost”. But TRP is correct about the
TS authors will write whatever they want to, whenever they want to
… that is the way that we have run the site for the last decade. I’ll get concerned about legal issues since I’m the one who gets that frame. Over the decade there have been a few issues that I have dealt with – rapidly and with extreme prejudice. But generally there have been bugger all of those. The authors want to publish here.
Similarly there have been various ideological disagreements. Generally I tend to leave these to be dealt with robust discussions between authors or commentators and authors.
But commentators can’t trash authors because the site needs them to provide well written and argued starter topics. Since the foremost reason for authors to stop doing that is getting stupidly abused by commentators (other authors know how damn hard it is – so tend not to), moderators are ruthless at discouraging author trashing.
But commentators can disagree with authors posts- they just have to be able to do it with rational arguments that largely avoid the personal attacks. Sometimes witty denigration about someone who could hold those ideas mixed in with arguments can get past that – but it is a matter of risk to those making the comments.
But outside of those bounds we run either complete freedom for authors, or they don’t have author access.
Ankerrawshark could ask if authors would like to not write about the gunman. It is up to authors if they want to.
It’s worth noting here that in a historic context there is good reason to think it was Islam itself which introduced the concept of ‘everyone as equals before the law’ into the West.
For much of our prior history the underlying idea behind kingship (or the local equivalent) was broadly modeled as ‘God’s representative on earth’. It’s why monarchs held absolute power, placed themselves above it, and were able to exempt themselves from it. It’s why killing the king was a special category of crime, above and beyond the usual murder.
By contrast Muhammad explicitly placed the idea of ‘the submission of all to God’ at the centre of his doctrine. And critically made the political rulers equally subject to the law as anyone else. This was one of the major innovations which made the early Muslim empire so successful and enlightened for the era.
History strongly suggests that the West adopted this idea from the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and over the course of the Renaissance extended it to embrace the modern legal system of rights and responsibilities, inalienable from the dignity and worth of every individual.
In my view, the idea of universal human rights originate from Islam. It would a terribly irony if we were to now walk back from them, in the name of honouring this Muslim victims of this terror.
Just an update, although others may have heard this sooner. The gunman has made a formal complaint. I trust it will be taken seriously and whatever the appropriate action (including nothing changes) , will be taken
Stephen Moore, the economics commentator chosen by Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, was found in contempt of court after failing to pay his ex-wife hundreds of thousands of dollars in alimony, child support and other debts.
Trump’s Federal Reserve pick owes $75,000 in taxes, US government alleges
Court records in Virginia obtained by the Guardian show Moore, 59, was reprimanded by a judge in November 2012 for failing to pay Allison Moore more than $300,000 in spousal support, child support and money owed under their divorce settlement.
Divert attention from one crisis by exacerbating the problems driving another crisis.
In a decision that may have the opposite effect of its intended impact, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has followed President Trump’s direction and ordered the State Department to cut off U.S. aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Mr. Trump indicated on Friday he would be cutting aid to the countries as punishment for their inability to stem the flow of migrants heading to the southern U.S. border. The countries affected make up the so-called “Northern Triangle” and account for the majority of Central American migrants who are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Interesting. Notice how both Morgan & Simmons avoid the elephant in this room: why he resigned. Perusing the top 10 policies, I feel the mix is quite good, but not really good enough. Vernon Tava seems to have formed the same opinion, but it remains to be seen whether his effort to target the same market is any better.
Morgan made it clear right from the very early days that if TOP did not get over the 5% threshold in 2017 he would not hang about making a nuisance of himself. He put this in one of TOP’s early newsletters I used to get, long before the election.
There’s no need to postulate some nefarious reason for his withdrawal, Morgan’s just following through on what he said he would do.
Okay, but it still seems like a repudiation of his creation! Does he not even comprehend the concept of political support?? Is he really `my way or the highway’ – a narcissist? Or have they adopted principles and policies he is opposed to? That would explain it better.
That’s what I was getting at. It would be interesting to know. The impression he’s leaving in the public mind is that he lacks character – or sufficient judgment to realise that folks will wonder if he is merely a dilettante. Reputational risk…
I’ve never met Morgan, but I’m still donating to a UNICEF project he kickstarted back sometime in 2005 maybe, that was building water supply systems in third world countries.
Back then the approach was the same, he’d match dollar for dollar donations up to a certain limit (several million IIRC) and then let his creation forge it’s own path with the initial momentum he had given it. And more than a decade later it’s still taking my money and sending the odd email telling me what it’s doing with it.
Morgan’s relationship with TOP is entirely consistent with this. He’s definitely a non-standard character, and I get that many people don’t gell with him at all.
It’s often said that we all stand on the shoulders of giants as we make progress; Morgan has more of knack of standing on their toes 🙂
Go away and take your stupid exploitation tools with you is my wish.
“Offshore deep-water oil and gas exploration drilling in the Great South Basin is back on the cards, after Austrian-owned OMV applied for a marine consent to operate in the southern ocean.
No final decision has been made on drilling in the Great South Basin, which lies to the east and far south of Dunedin, but a rig to be used for drilling in Taranaki could come south.”
Kia ora Newshub big fire at Hamilton dump Rotorua rubbish goes there to.
I Say Winston is correct Bruni is going backwards with its human rights laws WTF.
With China if you live in a glass house don’t throw stones Eco Maori says.
Paddy the police force will never admit they are wrong stop chacing young children they will just flee. It’s a natural response for tamariki.
Facebook any publicity is good publicity?????????????.
Thanks to Jan for this law that Wahine will get 10 days pay for family violence some Wahine are trapped in bad relationship and need all the help they can get to break the violence cycle in some families Ka pai.
That is cool a army NZ force with out guns in Bogenvile awesome.
Ka kite ano. P.S some people think they can Pukana Eco Maori with no consequence
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Its a sad day when a Wahine has to sell her Whare to raise money for her childs health care hope they running a givealittle page as well.
It good they are getting donations from Te tangata.
I Back having more Maori at selected committees and other important discussion happing around the motu they don’t understand were we are coming from in a lot of OUR consenrns we will need big – – – – to educated the people who run NZ.
Its cool that the announcement for Shearing are trying to get how Maori names are pronounced
The minamim wage went up to ka pai Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show The minamim pay rise of $1.17 a hour rise is needed the cost of living has gone through the roof business need to be innovative to get more income to pay for it.
I SEE you and your ausse m8 having fun at my expense duncan Ma te wa Australia has some of the best conditions in the world for green solar and wind power but scotmo is OWNED by the oil barron he is backing carbon even when green energy is cheaper green energy does not use much water carbon use heaps on the dryest country in the world you think he would try and save water for the Australian environment. The people with familys get a child benefit the young and the old people with no children are struggling as they don’t get that subserdise state services the benefits system put these 2 groups of people at a disadvantage it mite be a bit hard for a ighty to grasp that reality. The Tauranga Street sleeper ban new law is kicking someone when they are down I sure its better to use the carrot and not the stick in most situations the Tauranga council should be helping there people not kicking them
NO need to comment on simon I don’t kick a person when they are down. That a very interesting debate pizza when we have storms wreaking countries that is the issue you should be taking about GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE. The oil barron money must be sweet Sips is doing a crap job they need a total over haul and have more Maori tikanga . Ka kite ano
Eco Maori agrees that climate change is going to have a major impact on MAORI and the rest of the common poor tangata
Climate change to have ‘significant impact’ on Māori businesses
Leaders in iwi and Māori fisheries are worried about climate change and how badly it may hit them. ka kite ano P.S did you see the pizza show
Here you go Whanau another case that lets the common person know that the wealthy make our LAWS TO serve them first THEYnever admit LIABILITY CHEATS
Who is paying for Monsanto’s crimes? We are A US court ordered Monsanto to pay $80m in damages because it hid cancer risks. That’s a small consolation for victims
While Bayer may dole out a few billion dollars in damages, who is really being made to pay?’ Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
The chickens are coming home to roost, as they say in farm country.
For the second time in less than eight months a US jury has found that decades of scientific evidence demonstrates a clear cancer connection to Monsanto’s line of top-selling Roundup herbicides, which are used widely by consumers and farmers. Twice now jurors have additionally determined that the company’s own internal records show Monsanto has intentionally manipulated the public record to hide the cancer risks. Both juries found punitive damages were warranted because the company’s cover-up of cancer risks was so egregious. Ka kite ano links below.
Kia ora Newshub
I give my condolences to the whano who lost there love ones in those automobile accidents.
I think it’s is good that OUR Prime minister is in China as for the Huawei I don’t see a problem with China tec I see trump is behind the propergander plan and simply.
Who built a dump by Tangaroa even if they built it 30 years ago.
Yes it sad about the environment desaster in The Solomon Islands.
News Hub its cool you are telling the story about CMV virus it sounds like quite a bad virus that affects hupu Wahine that is not well published very much
You see how the authorities treat Maori communities with the rail bridge deaths they class Maori as fools that’s their argument for not slowing the trains going over the bridge if it was a wealth part of town all the stops to lower the risk would be pulled out to save their tamariki. Ka kite ano
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Tangata whenua O Atoearoa have much in common with the Chinese tangata they open the biggest NZ embassy in China to. Meng Foon is retireing from the Gisborne mayor’s office thanks for all the years of service to Te tairawhiti.
I just hope that the teachers are doing the correct thing.??????????????????.
All the best to our sports Stars. Ka kite ano
That’s cool that Disney on Ice is going to be using te reo I told you Whanau Maori culture is receiving Great recognition from the rest of Papatuanukue Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show.
China has lifted hundreds of millions of there tangata out of poverty that speak a thousand words to Me.
I will give te whanau good advice about secess NEVER GIVE UP.
The $1000 Kiwi save is good but it need to be asset tested and capped as I know every wealth child’s is in Kiwi saver there parents accountant’s sign them up and they don’t need it I’m trying to get some people to put there tamariki savings into Kiwi saver I will keep trying there ears don’t work because of the Eco Maori effect.
I Back the climate change streakers in the gallery glueing there hands to the building good move to highlight climate change.
The crown is spending millions trying to keep a lid on Eco Maori. I have figured out that they are NOTHING TO in comparison ME. It’s going to be a good Autobiography lol.
Winston yes you have to have trust one also has to have your EYES Wide OPEN to whats is happening around Te Papatuanukue when assessing and applying that trust.
duncan you are prepositions the crown to break the human IGHTS Laws we need to make those laws stronger not weaker.
The weather around Te Papatuanukue has been very extreme we have just had one of the hottest years on record that gives Tawhirirmate more Mana.
All Aotearoa state vehicle fleet should be changed to electric vehicles they have the money to aim for the longterm fuel saving from electric and our Mokopunas environment needs to be saved. Good on the army involved in repairing the west coast bridge that Tawhirirmate broke it would be nice to see that kind of commitment to transport in Te tairawhiti and Te tai tokerou.?????????????????????Ka kite ano P.S Mokopuna dutys
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute Whanau the cops used the christchurch desaster to get there boss to aloud them to Apply emence INTIMADATION Pressure on ECO MAORI but they got Jack as usual.
Whanau you know NZ is classified as the 2nd least courpt country in the world YEA RIGHT what about Maori.
We die 10 to 20 years earlier than others we have the poorest people in the land we have the worst health Stats of any people in NZ OUR country Children are taken off family by the state In the highest numbers of any other people our children are abuse in large numbers by states people our education rates are low unemployment is the highest in the land We have the highest number of Women and men in jail in the WORLD. The rule classes try a blame this on Maori YEA RIGHT JUST A BIG LIE it’s instertutional racism at its best its that good the ruling classes LIE they have a lot of Maori covenced that if a Maori works hard head down ass up be good be nice to the neighbours you will be able to climb up to great heights on your LADDERs OF LIFE yea right not when you get tripped up at every corner by the cheating cops they will interfair in your work your personal life financially anyway they can stuff you up they will do it and not blink a EYE
What’s Worst is that the cops are breaking my right they are shitting on my family that I have built over 32 years. All the pollies know all the people in the know do to all the media people know what the cops are doing there dirty tricks on me. It doesn’t matter they are just MAORI WHO CARES so much for HONESTY it Is instertutional racism at it BEST in honest little NZ
Kia ora Newshub.
david seenothing star gazing
His opinion on the automatic gun ban is just about vote grabbing.
More roofing fraud the dirty buggers can’t help themselves robbing the innocent people.
I have said what I wanted last night on China and Aotearoa.
WTF someone using Maori to get publicity to promote their bait computer hack to get people to open the app and it gets to load it computer viruses Ka kite ano
Kia ora Maori television looks like you don’t want Eco Maori Tau toko because the cops are trying to brand Eco Maori like the shitty story about the people with ankle Bracelets on Ka kite ano. P.S the cop are breaking all the laws interviewing my whanau and playing with them as they don’t know the law they have no credible evidence to be able to get a warrant to investigate my whanau I’m going to SUE THERE ASSS OFF
Nash the police give the gangs time on the news the police have their own controls on NZ media hows – – – – was it good I see all
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You could hardly describe the Republican Party as being soft on crime. Unless of course it is a war crime.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-navy-seal-accused-of-war-crimes-to-be-moved-to-less-restrictive-confinement?cmpid=prn_msn
Now I am the last to say that Eddie Gallagher should be treated unfairly or denied proper access to his legal defence team
Justice is supposed to be blind
Compare the case of Eddie Gallagher to another veteran who served their country, who also languishes in prison.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/23/chelsea-manning-jail-solitary-confinement-wikileaks
An interesting read and very true – when racists think no one is watching they say and do stuff they would normally, shamefully, hide. But imo it’s not the hiding that is the problem it is the attitudes in the first place – hidden or not hidden the attitudes hurt EVERYONE including the racists.
https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/the-pros-and-cons-of-not-looking-maori/
I attended Chelsea Mannings address in the Auckland Town Hall last year. In answer to a questions from the floor, about her experience in prison, Manning said, ‘To survive the prisoners had to band together to protect themselves from the violence of the prison guards.’
So I can understand Chelsea Mannings special anxiety about being confined in solitary.
Gordon Campbell on the potential for Ardern’s representation of human rights to Xi: “It is also difficult to imagine that even a moral lecture by a New Zealand PM would do much to improve the lot of the persecuted, or make the tyrants mend their ways.”
A moral lecture would be exactly the wrong thing to deliver! Guaranteed to offend! No, she would have to be diplomatic to induce progress. Start with this question: “What will have to change in China before it becomes possible to allow Chinese citizens civil rights?”
Xi then has the option of choosing to evade or answer the question. He may say “We are communists, so we will never allow civil rights here. The hive mind must always prevail over individual free-will. Our people will continue to do as they are told.”
He may say “We have a five-year plan for that. We have many five-year plans! So many are in the pipeline at any one time that I really cannot tell you which one will emerge from the end of the pipe first, let alone second, third, fourth, or etc.”
http://werewolf.co.nz/2019/03/gordon-campbell-on-the-human-rights-dimension-of-jacinda-arderns-visit-to-china/
If Prime Minister Ardern can stand up for Muslim human rights here, she should have the courage to stand up for Muslim human rights in China, or anywhere.
If she doesn’t she is a fraud.
Big call, Ad! I predict that there will be no media report of her doing so. That may not mean she did not do so, of course. It may just mean that nobody in the media thought she would be so bold as to advocate civil rights for muslims to Xi – so they would be unlikely to think of asking her if she did that.
As I posted elsewhere, the international Muslim community largely supports China’s efforts in Xinjiang. It is Muslims themselves who understand best the horrors unleashed by religious extremism.
I think Muslim countries elsewhere remain quiet on the plight of the Uighurs in Xinjiang from self interest, not because they agree with them.
Many of these leaders are the recipients of Chinese bribes as part of the Silk Road initiative. Many of these countries are almost totally dependent on China for trade and aid.
Anyway, who cares what other Muslim countries think of this? Mass detention and forced ‘re-education’ is just plain evil.
… the international Muslim community largely supports China’s efforts in Xinjiang. [citation needed]
Actually ad, I disagree with you. I believe Ardern is absolutely genuine. She is also a pragmatist, which I greatly admire in her. I am sure she will mention human rights, but let’s face it, as was the case with the Australian detention centers there was nothing she could do or say that would shift them. She has led by example. I believe that has the biggest power to influence
You mean in the same way the deputy PM stood up to Erdogan? By taking a nap?
?
Shadrach ….not worth replying to
You are very black and white Ad. Remember, NZ generally does not interfere in another country’s internal affairs. However, the attack in NZ may give her an opening in her 10 hour widow. I think we have to stop asking for miracles though, and settle for a mortal woman doing her best.
He may say, ‘human rights in socialist paradise are best praxis in world, in WORLD,’ franky. What you say then?
Amen.
The thing is, most Chinese are fine with having no civil rights.
If you are struck by the oddness of contemporary life, Strange Planet, a series of cartoons by Nathan Pyle, is worth a look. https://www.instagram.com/nathanwpyle/
“Do you want to trap carbon dioxide in ephemeral spheres?”
“For what purpose?”
“Enjoyment.”
Thank you Stuart Munro…just what was needed at towards the end of one of those days.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12217785
Given that gangs are involved in the most gun crime and they are saying they won’t give up their guns – what’s going to be the reaction from Jacinda ?
She’s busy making normal law abiding citizens hand in theirs – she should come down on the gangs like a ton of bricks – but dollars to donuts she won’t.
That would be too hard.
Are you aware of Police operations in your area to make that kind of claim?
You need to back up what you are claiming.
Also, it would make sense for the Police to follow their stated police of enabling a gun amnesty, then awaiting the actual change of the law that they enforce before going in too much harder on semiautomatic gun owners who are gang members.
Or, as you expect, maybe the Police are now expected to enforce what a future law that isn’t even drafted is supposed to intend.
Remember that thing called the law?
It’s what the Police enforce.
Premature, James. Let the cops do their job, eh? If they fail, then the police minister would have to hold the commisioner accountable. It would only be appropriate for the PM to get involved if the normal processes of governance fail.
You reckon she should go round and grab them jimbo?
Gabby lol perfect response to James’s
James there will be fines and even imprisonment for people who don’t hand in their guns……..I am not even sure of why you raised this other than to do a “but Jacinda …..”
Is this the approach agreed on in your trolling supervision session?
Successive Governments both Labour & National have done nothing to combat organized crime and the gangs here in NZ, to the point now, where the gangs in NZ are now heavily armed and control the drug trade here in NZ ?
They probably have the best lawyers and accountants advising them how to invest the proceeds from their business activities ie cleansing the proceeds of crime ?
The average New Zealand taxpayer picks up the costs of these gang activities, police time, judiciary time, prison time, mental health problems and the other associated social problems associated with drug dealing & distribution ?
James all the gangs in NZ are armed to the teeth they need the weapons to protect themselves from the other gangs, weapons and drugs are mutually inclusive if you are involved in the narcotics trade which most NZ gangs are ?
Natrad this morning….Insight feature on our appalling Rheumatic Fever rates…a disease that almost exclusively blights Maori and Pacifica peoples.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018686731/nz-s-heart-breaker-rheumatic-fever-rates-on-the-rise
Probably the closest Alex Jones has come to telling the truth in quite a while:
Infowars host blamed his mental state on the ‘trauma of the media and the corporations lying’, according to a deposition
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/30/alex-jones-sandy-hook-claims-psychosis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
So Alex Jones blamed his own psychosis on himself because he is a liar who runs his own powerful media corporation.
Guilty as charged your honour.
Nailed it Ad.
Alex Jones also believes that the US Givernment is involved in the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11 and Vaccines are deadly. Over the years there have been more than enough commentators on this site expressing the same sentiment. While the left like to class him as “alt right” (yawn…) the reality is he has views that fit all extremes of the political spectrum.
You mean he’s a populist? Next move then: establish the Alt-Right Party, run for president. Those alienated by the left & right were over 40% in a US poll I saw several months ago. Hoover them up & he can sail through the middle, side-lining the establishment no problem.
President Jones would be an exemplary demonstration of just how clever the policy of allowing mentally-ill folk to live in the community just like everyone else actually is. I anticipate a highly-entertaining presidency! Bring it on… 😎
Calling themselves the Alt-Right Party might offend the self-image of some of the voters that might otherwise go for them. Convergence Party might be a better name.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BCtXQt2CYAA1wLA.jpg
Good point. Might have to do a `nudge nudge, wink wink’ routine to suck in the alt-right. Nice graphic you got there!
Moonbat/Wingnut has a certain je ne c’est quoi to it, eh? From a branding perspective it could be the best bet! People go for wacky stuff big-time…
Probably right on 9/11 ?
I believe so.
Poor Alex.
https://twitter.com/thegoodgodabove/status/1112091561473593351
“you’re all pissed because you got one extra chromosome”
😆 And you’re an angry old white dude because you got one less 😆
FDOTM nails it as usual
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/29/good-to-hear-one-nation-doesnt-want-our-gun-laws-relaxed-it-certainly-sounded-like-it-did
I’m a little confused.
The farmer/Imam interviewed here…https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018688779/farming-and-faith-southland-dairy-farmer-and-spiritual-leader-reza-abdul-jabbar stated quite categorically the 51 people were murdered by the terrorist on the 15th. We received an email from an organization in Christchurch the other day also stating quite categorically that 51 people were murdered.
Yet all other reports say 50 people were murdered.
Which is correct?
Why would the figure be inconsistently published…
Surely there is a ‘single point of truth’…
Yes indeed One Two, one would think so. Especially when counting the fallen.
I flummoxed and confused.
This may be why
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12217794
I didn’t notice the Amnesty scandal featuring onsite here, so I’ll post a follow-up report: “Following the suicide of a staff member, Amnesty commissioned an independent review of its company culture, which found that some of its staff have been victims of bullying, public humiliation, discrimination, and abuses of power, and that these issues threaten the organisation’s credibility.”
“The report surveyed hundreds of employees as part of its investigation and found widespread mismanagement and a “toxic” work environment. According to the report, 39 percent of staff had developed mental or physical health issues because of working there, and 65 percent didn’t believe their well-being was a priority for Amnesty.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2019/03/amnesty-international-fix-toxic-work-culture-190328163244025.html
Amnesty head Kumi Naidoo began his role in August last year, and is looking to address these issues quickly. “Our organisation, set up in 1961, has added one layer of complexity after the other as it’s evolved, and to be honest we need a complete reorganising because, in fact, the very structure of Amnesty right now is a source of certain conflicts and tensions that we need to fix urgently,” he said.
He pointed out that Amnesty chose to make the report public, and that all seven members of its senior leadership team have accepted responsibility and offered to resign. To him, this transparency is a good first step.
“I am not saying it’s going to be easy for us to recalibrate and move forward with a healing approach, if you want, but the commitment is there from myself, the board, and all parts of the organisation and we are focused on acting on it,” he said. “One year won’t sort everything out. But the term ‘toxic’ is quite a loaded word. I think within a year, I want that word off the table.”
Gotta say, I’ve viewed Amnesty International as a deeply flawed organisation ever since they adopted Mumia Abu-Jamal as one of their poster-boys. Really, of the vast selection of people treated unjustly by justice systems, that’s one they chose to highlight?
There are a lot of very disturbing things happening since the ChCh massacre. This is one.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12217805
Our very own Guantanamo prisoner. What happened to the rule of law and innocent to proven guilty? Make an exception in this case, and it will be the thin edge of the wedge. We can never pick and choose when the rule of law may or may not apply, no matter how appalling the crime maybe.
Come on TS! An article on this is important
What entitlement under law is he being denied?
Right to a fair trial?
Right to represent himself?
Right to evidence?
Right to an unbiased judge?
Right not to be shot while praying?
Thought not.
100% Ad
He is in solitary isolation in a 3 x 4m concrete and stainless steel box, with no natural light, for 24 hours a day (half hour in a wire cage a day in the open). Indefinitely. As he is on suicide watch, the lights will also be on 24 hours a day. This is standard in NZ for ‘at risk’ prisoners, but that is usually short term, not open ended.
Yes, this is for his own safety, but compounding his hell is that he is denied all visits, all outside media. This means no reading material, no opportunity to even hear another human voice except the three times a day he his fed his 1500 calories food per day. By the time of his trial (should he even receive one) his mental state will almost certainly be psychotic. We know this from other prisoners kept in solitary for extended periods.
There have already been many calls that he should not even receive a fair trial (like Kate Hawksby to name but one). Right to evidence? When someone is on remand, they are totally dependent on a lawyer and the whims of the Police as to what evidence they receive. Unbiased judge? There will almost certainly be political pressure applied to the judge.
Yeah. Guantanamo Bay. The crime was appalling. No question. But we do have a legal framework in NZ and it is fast being scrapped, like with the 16 year old kid in ChCh who was arrested on Thursday for sharing the killers video.
We rightly condemn the US actions in Guantanamo Bay, but I guess they would use the same justification as is being used here in NZ.
Oh fuck right off.
I can tell you that because of the extremely high profile of this guy everything will be done by the book because we all know that there’s plenty of wank stains out there just dying to put the boot into Corrections or sue Corrections or both just to make a name for themselves
Peter you did read the whole article from the herald?
Did you catch my comment at 11.6?
What a load of shit. He gets outside for an hour and human company 3 times a day (albeit briefly). Not everyone falls to pieces without company. He was a recluse anyway so he’s just peachy keen.
Well I certainly wouldn’t want this chap feeling isolated and lonely …I d have no problem with him being in general population 🙂
So you think it would be fine for the yet to be convicted, or the convicted, to receive violence and rape? Gee, I thought we had moved into more enlightened times. Obviously not.
You are the only one suggesting violence and rape Peter, no one else has mentioned it. JS
The implications of Barfly post are pretty clear to me, even if not to you.
Am well versed with corrections and what happens in prison Peter. But that’s not the point.
Its Barflys point.
So you think it’s cruel keeping him in the hole, but that it would be even crueler in general population?
Will check back later, trying to get my head around where you are coming from.
His total isolation from people (visitors who individually must be approved by Corrections which many any sympathizers will be weeded out), isolation of reading material. Keeping in a hole is a given at this point. The rest is unprecedented.
If you have difficulty to ‘ get my head around’ that, then I would kindly suggest you learn the art of reading and thinking. It really is not that hard, although I guess it is Sunday and often ones head is fuzzy on a Sunday morning.
He hasn’t been denied reading material so before you go pointing the finger at others I suggest you read your own link.
A Corrections spokesperson confirmed today that the man has “no access to television, radio or newspapers and has no approved visitors”.
It says nothing about books. He may even have access to pen and paper to further his literary career, who knows, but there’s nothing to suggest he’s undergoing some sort of sensory deprivation. And FYI, his complaint is in regard to visitors and phone calls, nothing else.
Breivik had a similar complaint:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anders-breivik-norway-mass-murderer-appeal-european-human-rights-court-oslo-strasbourg-a8409861.html
It’s certainly a post worthy subject, Peter. As this seems to be a good weekend for new writers, how about to you have a crack and send it to me? I’ll edit it, find some links and put it up as a guest post.
tereoputake@gmail.com
And that’s an open invitation, folks. TS is always happy to look at publishing contributed posts.
Actually Te Reo Putake
I am going to ask you to reconsider that offer of a post from peter of Chch re the gunmans human rights. See my comments below. I think the less airtime we give to the gunman the better. There are likely hundreds of others whose human rights are being violated. Better to do a post on them.
The gunman will have access to legal redress. Let that happen outside the public gaze
This is just my opinion but I would be extremely disappointed if the standard gave this guy any sort of oxygen. He is not worthy of such a post. Are human rights worthy of a post? Yes. Then cover someone else
Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote that the degree of civilisation in a society is revealed by entering its prisons. So I do think it’s relevant to discuss what the NZ minimum treatment of prisoners actually is (and that’s exactly what this guy deserves, the absolute minimum). My feeling is that at the moment, the authorities consider he remains a danger and communication with similar minded individuals in particular is putting others at risk. Again, guessing, but I would think they have looked at the Breivik trial and are learning lessons from that process.
Yes te reo. I am not saying punish the bastard etc etc. I just think let’s not give him any attention. The article is click bait. I choose to read the stories of the victims and the heroes.
I am going to ask you again not to publish anything about the gunman and his human rights.
If we need to do something on human rights in nz prisons, by all means. There has been the recent case of women and internal examinations . Maybe invite someone to take that up. Or get Arthur TAYLOR to do a guest post.
I would find it extremely disappointing if the standard offered a post about the gunman, his human rights or anything about him at all……..
+100
Arthur Taylor! Are you serious???? I get the very clear impression that your knowledge of prisons and prisoners is somewhat thin.
Ok trp. Since you are one of the editors here I accept and understand such decisions are in your control.
I will have to see what Peter writes. I am not sure I agree with you that mine is a straw man’s arguement because Peter brought up the need for such an article in the context of a stuff article about his conditions and then further posted about the conditions themselves. I think it was reasonable for me to assume that an article by Peter would be abou/include the gunman. I do hope I am wrong about this.
I do actually trust that the gunman is being attended to in prison as set out in ours laws. I do hope that if people have concerns they will take those to their MPs or the human rights commission if they care about it enough.
The gunman has a very grim life ahead of him of that there is no doubt.
I prioritize my empathy and compassion for the innocent victims of this terrible crime. I also think it is important that we do everything to stop it happening again and the evidence I have heard to date is to starve him of any publicly whatsoever
Yep that would be the final nail for me. Fighting all the white fright here is too much. The racism on TS is chronic and not a safe space for anyone interested in indigenous rights. Very toxic environment at the moment.
Marty Mars I was going to say that too. Giving the gunman and space on this site would be the last straw for me too.
Yep its times like these I really miss weka.
Anyway this is our society, our world. For this country to truly embrace the wonderful change so needed, we need this group to lower themselves. Ha will they fuck. So the battle continues – we have change beginning – now time to build momentum!
Marty, you’re chronically rude and abusive to others here…
Abuse levels, are far above your claims of racism on this site…
Perhaps if you stopped name calling and believing you’re ‘in a fight’…it could assist with your anger levels…
And how you view/treat others at the blog…
Lol I am a shocker alright – and I’m not worried about you anymore am I? Maybe I’m not the big bad wolf after all – or maybe I am. I have exceptional intuition.
Marty, you’re also quite aware of yourself in various ways…and comfortable enough to call yourself out on it…and then apologise for it…
I would say that your intuition levels will likely match self awareness levels…
The more time we invest in self evaluating and seeking improvements in our own selves…is often matched with being able to interpret the world around us with deeper understanding…
Have a great Sunday arvo…
Too true you have a good one too one two.
We are not giving HIM the airtime. It is about the legal rights we ALL are entitled to.
Isn’t Arthur Taylor a proponent of prisoner legal rights?
maybe the article should not so much be about the white supremacist killer but rather of our prison conditions in itself, and how ineffective prison is in terms of reducing crime overall.
Did Andrew Little not speak about prison reform or has that been put on ice?
That’s exactly the content I would be hoping for, Sabine.
Here’s Andrew Little on things as they currently stand: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/01/new-zealand-s-justice-system-is-broken-andrew-little-tells-united-nations.html
Yep Sabine and Te Reo Putake, that is the issue. Not him per se.
“New Zealand’s latest UN human rights review is being overseen by Brazil, Slovakia, and Saudi Arabia, despite the latter Arab kingdom being widely criticised over its human rights record, particularly in regards to women.”
“The final report on New Zealand’s human rights record in 2019 will be prepared by those three nations, known as the ‘troika’, with assistance from the UNHCR.” Should be a humdinger, eh?
The brilliance of the UN decision to include Saudi Arabia as critic must be acknowledged. Rarely do bureaucrats provide such exemplary instances of bureaucratic decision-making. You can imagine how mortified the eurocrats will be feeling, having been out-classed so easily.
I look foreword to seeing the inclusion of the Saudi Arabia input in the final draft: “must enforce sharia law”. Frantic masking attempts by others may be evident, and wouldn’t surprise me if “not enough amputations” is deleted.
Te Reo Putake, I am flat out this week work wise, but will do next week. This is something I feel very strongly about for personal and societal reasons.
Good as gold, Peter.
If anybody else wants to write a post on the matter, the offer is open to all.
I’d be willing to share some inside stories, but only within a tasteful framework.
Solitary confinement sounds good. He’s guilty mate.
so you want to make him the ‘man in the mask’? An object of future folklore, myth and legend?
if we don’t watch out, in ten years time when we commemorate the killed we will end up discussing with others if it happened, if the killer was white, a man, young, fairly rich etc etc and if that is not just something made up.
that is the other side of throwing people in an oubliette to satisfy our base needs for revenge.
Na erasing him personally from history is a deterrent to the next psycho gun nut seeking fame .
I’m finding myself having a lot of sympathy for that view.
Agreed. His legend won’t grow from being erased from history – it’ll be just that, erased.
It certainly would grow if his followers were allowed access in order to distribute his white supremacist views though.
That would legitimise his actions which is what we are all against unless I’m mistaken.
Bwaghorn, Marty Mars in complete agreement
Completely and utterly disagree!
We must never try and erase this from our memories even though we may want to. We can never separate the act from the actor and no matter how painful, not matter how disgusted we are, we have to find a way to deal with in a humane way that defines us as people.
A tendency to skip a fair trial process and deny the accused his basic human rights or do much worse (…) amounts to lowering us down to his level at which he butchered innocent people like animals with complete and utter disregard for their humanity. If we allow this to happen we will be a step closer to evil not a step away from it IMO.
What are ‘his basic human rights’?
He’s getting food, water, clothing and warm dry shelter. That’s more than many NZ citizens right now.
He does have rights, the same we would all expect to get. However, if there are reasons, understandably due to the terrorist nature of his ‘alleged’ crimes, why he isn’t permitted phone calls and visitors, then that’s okay.
The last thing the country needs is for justice not to be seen to be done and some smart lawyer using errors to get this bag o shite off.
Fair arrest, fair trial, and hopefully whatever the NZ equivalent is of @ her majesty’s pleasure when it comes to a fair sentencing to ensure this murderer never walks amongst us again.
For sure. I’m a little confused when some commenters are saying his basic human rights are being abused when clearly they are not.
He’s well looked after. Better than many, many people in New Zealand right now.
As with many narcissistic psychopaths has chosen to represent himself and will have to apply for certain information in support of his defence. I guess he’ll have to be quite specific.
I agree, but to be honest, I don’t care if he gets above and beyond at this moment in time, just as long as it doesn’t affect the outcome of the trial.
Damnatio memoriae -and let the prick fade into obscurity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae
Many of those living on the streets are not being that well looked after, he should count himself lucky and it is FOC ?
Yeah, perhaps his punishment should be to live like the bottom end of NZ society. Pretty sure he’d be gagging to get back into solitary at Paremoremo.
He should still stand trial but absolute black should be in place and then off to prison as a number for the rest of his life . No one will forget it happened
And all the talk in the future will be about whether he got his human rights and his victims, the dead and injured and distressed people will be given cursory thought.
Peter Christchurch NZ
You remind me of The Clockwork Orange – a right little pervert and psychpath (is it all right to use that word?) is caught and all are shocked at the depravity of his actions and mind. Then after giving him aversion therapy and letting him out again feeling vulnerable public opinion swings around and is all weepy on his side. In the end he is unaverted?
If people can decide what is safe and reasonable control of this little shooter and sll of his ilk and keep him in prison till he is too old to shoot, if he isn’t going to have a death sentence, then we can stop worrying about him all and put that effort into whether some are in jail that could be worked with outside to turn their lives around, that would be good.
Victims do not count in this day and age it’s all about prisoner’s rights ?
i doubt they will be forgotten. I really do. At least i don’t intend to forget them, and i would venture you don’t either.
But we already have people here in NZ and elsewhere denying that he is the killer, that the killing happened and so on and so on. So really the onus is on us to be accurate in our reporting, not only of the victims but also of the killer. At the end of it the killer will be nothing more then a footnote, albeit a footnote that can be fact checked. And so it should be.
He will be spending a lot of time in prison, but our society should also be measured how we treat the least among us. Unless really you suggest taht we do go back to the days hanging, drawing and quartering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered
Correction’s motivations for putting him in this situation would be mostly for his own safety and the safety of other people in the institution.
If he was put into the general prison population he’d be crying that corrections aren’t looking after his safety and security.
“If he was put into the general prison population he’d be [dead already]”
FIFY.
Also from the same article Peter,
“The Act also states that these entitlements can be withheld “if there is an emergency in the prison or the security of the prison is threatened or if the health or safety of any person is threatened”.
A prison director may also deny a prisoner access to the minimum entitlements if they are in segregation “for purposes of security, good order, or safety; or for the purpose of protective custody”.”
Edit… Personally I’m more concerned that he is representing himself, Ted Bundy springs to mind….
Yes, that is the justification quite rightly used, but to deny all contact with other humans (visitors etc), and the outside world (TV – which can be and is restricted for some prisoners – for example exclusion of news channels which can now be done in prisons) (reading material etc), this is not justified. Mentally destroying him is not the punishment prescribed by our laws, particular for someone who is ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
The main issue is this regime is open ended, which I would be surprised has ever before been applied in NZ.
I doubt that being chucked in the hole up at ‘pari’ is anything like Guantanamo Bay.
Anyways, I’m outta here, got jobs to do, and have paid more than enough attention to said topic atm.
Enjoy your day, the weather is stunning.
Maybe you should talk to some people who have been there. They would differ in their views, and that is without the almost total sensory deprivation.
Age 16 I spent a week in the hole for saying ‘fuck’ to an officer. I was not allowed in my bed unless sleeping time because army corners and folds and creases… so sit on edge no stool, or sit on toilet… had no writing materials no reading materials no contact except meals arriving and being taken to a yard (concrete room, wire roof) to peel potatoes for several hours a day.
I do not think it was this experience that gave me concern for the system.
Quite the contrary, I had good time to reflect on my own idiocy rather than being yelled at and bullied all day in the camp. I also became a dab hand at peeling potatoes, and was effective helping Mum cater for church camps when I got out, whereas before I’d agree to help and drift off to smoke dope.
That loser in a cell overdosed on media. Thought he’d splash his horror to the world as a viral virus. He failed. He wants to see himself in print. He failed. May he be left to think about it for a very very long time.
Good call
Peter of Chch
Yeah I was going to read that article and then instead I read about the heroes of that day and the biographies of those who died. I had it in mind it would be good to launch a campaign for people to not click on anything to do with the gun man or the trial.
And put it on the list of abuse of human rights if you like. Amesty or a human rights lawyer can take it up if they like…..imho the shooter would be on the bottom of the list of causes to take up. I would prioritize a million people ahead of him. And if people do want to, please do it behind closed doors
Ank, I think a lot of the posters on here seem to be missing the point. It is in no way about HIM. As an individual, I really could not care too much. It is about the legal and moral rights of us all.
I certainly hope I never again read another post on TS criticizing the US action in Gitmo, as clearly the posters here thoroughly approve, as the US used the same justifications
Then don’t do an article on him. Do one on human rights abuses in nz prisons about others
I get where you are coming from, which is broadly the same as me. Only difference is as I keep saying, human rights are universal, even to those we despise, lest we become like those we despise.
QED
Indeed, defending his or any prisoner’s rights is not defending him or his actions – Golriz Ghahraman or any (Human Rights) lawyer for that matter can tell you that and remember how much flak she copped. FWIIW, he’s been accused, not yet (!) convicted.
At the same time, defending his rights, despite his alleged terrorist actions that killed 50 innocent people, is defending our humanity. People seem to overlook this aspect.
We have fought for Human Rights, for fair trials and justice, and a rule-based society with a democratically elected government. It is not perfect, far from it and there’s a lot of work to do, but we cannot let the actions of one man undo the hard work of many good people over many years to allow an equally barbaric mob rule dictate how we deal with this. The next step on our descend into chaos would be to all arm ourselves with guns …
Posted to Ecosophia, this excellent point on socialist economic policy, well-worth recycling here: “people get up to all kinds of positive things when they’re not obliged to chase the next meal. In the UK, many of the biggest and most famous music bands the country produced between the 60s and the 80s were only able to get started because of very lax rules about unemployment benefits.”
“Musicians would claim the dole and use that to live while they got up to speed with their skills. Sure, most bands that did that disappeared without trace, but the ones that made it big probably repaid the entire money spent in terms of soft power, taxes, etc. Similarly, one would expect to see more garage inventors hoping to be the next Apple or Microsoft. So, there are good arguments to hope that a UBI might pay for itself.”
https://www.ecosophia.net/march-2019-open-post/
In a local context Helen Clarke’s government early 2000’s had a scheme, I forget the name, but basically artists could have a go at being artists with a benefit available.
There were hoops to jump through but not restrictive: workshop type places, at least in Auckland, where one could find assistance and encouragement, and be schooled in stuff like marketing, time management, and things collectively decided on.
I did not like the workshops so much but the freedom to concentrate on the arts, rather than feel obliged to seek full time work, really took a lot of pressure off.
In that climate I started touring comics. We had so much talent and so little work. I grabbed (some of) who I perceived to be promising and took them to small towns who loved hosting us. Many of those ‘long term unemployed’ given a bit of leeway from that period are now full time writing acting and performing comedy, satire, chat, other media…
Some are a big deal, and have elevated NZ’s profile on the world stage.
In the bigger picture, for this cohort, lending artists some rope worked. It stands to reason creatives in many fields would benefit from taking the pressure off aka UBI.
Good feedback, WTB. So it worked here too. Govt policies that have been proven to work are the best ones to recycle – or re-apply in different contexts.
I’d like to see coalition + Greens advocating a UBI on this basis. Rarely do contributors to public discussion of socialism provide such examples of how it can work in practice, to serve our common interests & enhance the common good.
Best way forward would be to signal a UBI stakeholder conference for their second term, with the intention of establishing a bipartisan consensus, and campaign on that basis next year.
Greens are looking at how a UBI, can work.
Many practicalities to work through
For one, the cost is immediate, but the benefits could take more than the normal political cycle.
Especially as it means the wealthy would have to pay taxes. The CGT, shows how well that goes down.
Labour has been inept for years marketing the CGT. I expect the coalition to demonstrate more finesse. I hope James will take the lead in explaining how to create the essential centrist consensus to secure the public buy-in (only needs around 60% of voters to feel the overall design is unproblematic).
The crucial thing to make the consensus happen is to get the mix right (I’d include ftt, pollution taxes). Bake a cake that most people like eating. So the design of the recipe is what they must focus on getting right first. Palatability will then hinge on reduction of income tax sufficiently to enable voters to see the mix as a fair deal…
Polls show the majority agree with a CGT.
Anything which reversed the almost 50% tax cuts, the well off had had since the 80’s, was always going to get massive kick back and propaganda.
Labour has been missing in action about the need for taxes, for decades.
They had their chance recently of linking deteriorating hospitals, waiting lists, more expensive services to repeated tax cuts.
But senior members of the Labour cabinet are still fixated on Neo-Liberal, trickle down.
Mental illness and walls.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/do-walls-change-how-we-think?utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social&mbid=social_facebook&utm_brand=tny&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1-8vk_B_MxEpJD7madycno18-c6RahlmIQ6ISrzpCO3dwlxpOQRMK7_uQ
“During a recent trip to the southern Texas county of Hidalgo, where barriers are currently under construction, she was struck most by the numbness she encountered. “Nobody speaks about it,” she said, apart from anti-wall activists. In Brownsville, Texas, near a former Walmart where children are now detained, diners at a McDonald’s ignored the calamity next door; residents throughout the region had lost track of whether the monitoring towers above them, designed to track movements on the ground, were operative. At the same time, the sense of being watched was pervasive. Locals warned her not to speed because, they said, the area was crawling with law-enforcement officers. “The mental illness related to the wall is also related to the surveillance that goes with it,” Vallet told me. Such surveillance is part of the dystopian atmosphere that walls create.”
http://shorthand.radionz.co.nz/remember-the-heroes/index.htmlI
This is really worth reading. Heart breaking. And also inspirational stories of people’s bravery and courage.
Link sans the appended figure.
http://shorthand.radionz.co.nz/remember-the-heroes/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weiz9wbIcGQ
Philosophy Tube is a great channel with very informative videos about philosophy, it’s history and it’s ramifications. This video discusses the often-unmentioned history of racism and bigotry in the philosophy of Kant, one of the philosophers with the greatest impact on modern thought. It’s a long one (with a bad Australian accent in the cold open), but well worth it.
I am going to put out the call for no articles to appear on the Standard about the gunman, his trial or his human rights. If people such as Peter are so very concerned about this take it to Andrew little or his local MP.
In all honesty what is an article on the standard going to achieve. It is not going to get someone in the position of power to change the gunmans circumstances. We can “debate on the Standard all we like, but that doesn’t change anything in the real world.
Peter you are entitled to be concerned about the gunman. But if your concern is genuine, take some action that might led to change. Don’t raise it here. Nothing will come of it. Nothing can come of it.
[Yeah, nah. TS authors will write whatever they want to, whenever they want to. And you are putting words in Peter’s mouth. If he chooses to write a post, it should be addressed on its merits, not on your strawman positing of what he is going to write before he has even written it. Final point, the terrorist’s judicial rights are my rights and yours too. He will be treated according to NZ law, which is as it should be. TRP]
Ok trp. Since you are one of the editors here I accept and understand such decisions are in your control.
I will have to see what Peter writes. I am not sure I agree with you that mine is a straw man’s arguement because Peter brought up the need for such an article in the context of a stuff article about his conditions and then further posted about the conditions themselves. I think it was reasonable for me to assume that an article by Peter would be abou/include the gunman. I do hope I am wrong about this.
I do actually trust that the gunman is being attended to in prison as set out in ours laws. I do hope that if people have concerns they will take those to their MPs or the human rights commission if they care about it enough.
The gunman has a very grim life ahead of him of that there is no doubt.
I prioritize my empathy and compassion for the innocent victims of this terrible crime. I also think it is important that we do everything to stop it happening again and the evidence I have heard to date is to starve him of any publicly whatsoever
I think you misunderstand how TS functions. Authors have almost full autonomy over their posts and don’t need ‘approval’ from Editors (I happen to be an Editor, whatever that means).
It is a very sensitive issue that’ll require very careful wording and I’d highly recommend proofreading by others before publication to avoid chaos …
Personally, I think it would be good to pry open some minds – please keep in mind that for every commenter here there are many more ‘silent’ readers (AKA lurkers) – but I think the risks are too high with uncertain benefits …
Thanks incognito.
So do you have any suggestions.
TRP has asked Peter to email an article to him/her. “The authors of The Standard will write whatever they want to whenever they want to”
I have asked that we don’t write about the gunman, but it seems that trp doesn’t agree.
An editor compared to an author has an ability to edit posts and comments in names other than their own.
Incognito has it mostly because of their service in making sure we get Open Mike each day. It means that “notices and features” can be set as the author rather than “Incognito”.
Normally editor status is given to allow moderation of comments for other authors posts.
I (as super-admin) get involved when editors start modifying or removing posts from other contributors / authors / editors / admins. It is a sure sign that we have a inter-personal problem. But it has been worth leaving in to make sure that if something really goes wrong, it can be dealt with fast.
Mike and I tend to be the “almost”. But TRP is correct about the
… that is the way that we have run the site for the last decade. I’ll get concerned about legal issues since I’m the one who gets that frame. Over the decade there have been a few issues that I have dealt with – rapidly and with extreme prejudice. But generally there have been bugger all of those. The authors want to publish here.
Similarly there have been various ideological disagreements. Generally I tend to leave these to be dealt with robust discussions between authors or commentators and authors.
But commentators can’t trash authors because the site needs them to provide well written and argued starter topics. Since the foremost reason for authors to stop doing that is getting stupidly abused by commentators (other authors know how damn hard it is – so tend not to), moderators are ruthless at discouraging author trashing.
But commentators can disagree with authors posts- they just have to be able to do it with rational arguments that largely avoid the personal attacks. Sometimes witty denigration about someone who could hold those ideas mixed in with arguments can get past that – but it is a matter of risk to those making the comments.
But outside of those bounds we run either complete freedom for authors, or they don’t have author access.
Ankerrawshark could ask if authors would like to not write about the gunman. It is up to authors if they want to.
I completely accept that iprent
It’s worth noting here that in a historic context there is good reason to think it was Islam itself which introduced the concept of ‘everyone as equals before the law’ into the West.
For much of our prior history the underlying idea behind kingship (or the local equivalent) was broadly modeled as ‘God’s representative on earth’. It’s why monarchs held absolute power, placed themselves above it, and were able to exempt themselves from it. It’s why killing the king was a special category of crime, above and beyond the usual murder.
By contrast Muhammad explicitly placed the idea of ‘the submission of all to God’ at the centre of his doctrine. And critically made the political rulers equally subject to the law as anyone else. This was one of the major innovations which made the early Muslim empire so successful and enlightened for the era.
History strongly suggests that the West adopted this idea from the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and over the course of the Renaissance extended it to embrace the modern legal system of rights and responsibilities, inalienable from the dignity and worth of every individual.
In my view, the idea of universal human rights originate from Islam. It would a terribly irony if we were to now walk back from them, in the name of honouring this Muslim victims of this terror.
Just an update, although others may have heard this sooner. The gunman has made a formal complaint. I trust it will be taken seriously and whatever the appropriate action (including nothing changes) , will be taken
Swamping the drain.
Stephen Moore, the economics commentator chosen by Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, was found in contempt of court after failing to pay his ex-wife hundreds of thousands of dollars in alimony, child support and other debts.
Trump’s Federal Reserve pick owes $75,000 in taxes, US government alleges
Court records in Virginia obtained by the Guardian show Moore, 59, was reprimanded by a judge in November 2012 for failing to pay Allison Moore more than $300,000 in spousal support, child support and money owed under their divorce settlement.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/30/trump-stephen-moore-federal-reserve-board?
I just wonder if there is actually anyone this “president” has picked for public service that hasn’t been before the courts for one crime or other.
Well, state capture organised crime does require criminals.
Classic! …or will be before the courts.
Divert attention from one crisis by exacerbating the problems driving another crisis.
In a decision that may have the opposite effect of its intended impact, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has followed President Trump’s direction and ordered the State Department to cut off U.S. aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Mr. Trump indicated on Friday he would be cutting aid to the countries as punishment for their inability to stem the flow of migrants heading to the southern U.S. border. The countries affected make up the so-called “Northern Triangle” and account for the majority of Central American migrants who are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-department-cuts-off-aid-to-el-salvador-guatemala-and-honduras/?
Morgan takes his ball home as Top sets up to flop again.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/111679703/tops-money-plan-now-financial-backer-gareth-morgan-is-gone
Interesting. Notice how both Morgan & Simmons avoid the elephant in this room: why he resigned. Perusing the top 10 policies, I feel the mix is quite good, but not really good enough. Vernon Tava seems to have formed the same opinion, but it remains to be seen whether his effort to target the same market is any better.
Morgan made it clear right from the very early days that if TOP did not get over the 5% threshold in 2017 he would not hang about making a nuisance of himself. He put this in one of TOP’s early newsletters I used to get, long before the election.
There’s no need to postulate some nefarious reason for his withdrawal, Morgan’s just following through on what he said he would do.
Okay, but it still seems like a repudiation of his creation! Does he not even comprehend the concept of political support?? Is he really `my way or the highway’ – a narcissist? Or have they adopted principles and policies he is opposed to? That would explain it better.
That’s what I was getting at. It would be interesting to know. The impression he’s leaving in the public mind is that he lacks character – or sufficient judgment to realise that folks will wonder if he is merely a dilettante. Reputational risk…
I’ve never met Morgan, but I’m still donating to a UNICEF project he kickstarted back sometime in 2005 maybe, that was building water supply systems in third world countries.
Back then the approach was the same, he’d match dollar for dollar donations up to a certain limit (several million IIRC) and then let his creation forge it’s own path with the initial momentum he had given it. And more than a decade later it’s still taking my money and sending the odd email telling me what it’s doing with it.
Morgan’s relationship with TOP is entirely consistent with this. He’s definitely a non-standard character, and I get that many people don’t gell with him at all.
It’s often said that we all stand on the shoulders of giants as we make progress; Morgan has more of knack of standing on their toes 🙂
The Cat Killer pulling the pin ?
Go away and take your stupid exploitation tools with you is my wish.
“Offshore deep-water oil and gas exploration drilling in the Great South Basin is back on the cards, after Austrian-owned OMV applied for a marine consent to operate in the southern ocean.
No final decision has been made on drilling in the Great South Basin, which lies to the east and far south of Dunedin, but a rig to be used for drilling in Taranaki could come south.”
https://www.odt.co.nz/business/deep-water-prospecting-may-resume
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111581226/getting-along-with-your-drunk-uncle-in-the-new-normalhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111581226/getting-along-with-your-drunk-uncle-in-the-new-normal
Well if you’re after the redneck, racist vote for political survival, who else to give it to apart from national or nz1st.
“Christchurch crackdown could provide opening for ACT to increase meagre support”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111646197/christchurch-crackdown-could-provide-opening-for-act-to-increase-meagre-support
Kia ora Newshub big fire at Hamilton dump Rotorua rubbish goes there to.
I Say Winston is correct Bruni is going backwards with its human rights laws WTF.
With China if you live in a glass house don’t throw stones Eco Maori says.
Paddy the police force will never admit they are wrong stop chacing young children they will just flee. It’s a natural response for tamariki.
Facebook any publicity is good publicity?????????????.
Thanks to Jan for this law that Wahine will get 10 days pay for family violence some Wahine are trapped in bad relationship and need all the help they can get to break the violence cycle in some families Ka pai.
That is cool a army NZ force with out guns in Bogenvile awesome.
Ka kite ano. P.S some people think they can Pukana Eco Maori with no consequence
Agree + 100% Eco Maori
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Its a sad day when a Wahine has to sell her Whare to raise money for her childs health care hope they running a givealittle page as well.
It good they are getting donations from Te tangata.
I Back having more Maori at selected committees and other important discussion happing around the motu they don’t understand were we are coming from in a lot of OUR consenrns we will need big – – – – to educated the people who run NZ.
Its cool that the announcement for Shearing are trying to get how Maori names are pronounced
The minamim wage went up to ka pai Ka kite ano
Likewise Agree + 100%
Kia ora The AM Show The minamim pay rise of $1.17 a hour rise is needed the cost of living has gone through the roof business need to be innovative to get more income to pay for it.
I SEE you and your ausse m8 having fun at my expense duncan Ma te wa Australia has some of the best conditions in the world for green solar and wind power but scotmo is OWNED by the oil barron he is backing carbon even when green energy is cheaper green energy does not use much water carbon use heaps on the dryest country in the world you think he would try and save water for the Australian environment. The people with familys get a child benefit the young and the old people with no children are struggling as they don’t get that subserdise state services the benefits system put these 2 groups of people at a disadvantage it mite be a bit hard for a ighty to grasp that reality. The Tauranga Street sleeper ban new law is kicking someone when they are down I sure its better to use the carrot and not the stick in most situations the Tauranga council should be helping there people not kicking them
NO need to comment on simon I don’t kick a person when they are down. That a very interesting debate pizza when we have storms wreaking countries that is the issue you should be taking about GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE. The oil barron money must be sweet Sips is doing a crap job they need a total over haul and have more Maori tikanga . Ka kite ano
Eco Maori agrees that climate change is going to have a major impact on MAORI and the rest of the common poor tangata
Climate change to have ‘significant impact’ on Māori businesses
Leaders in iwi and Māori fisheries are worried about climate change and how badly it may hit them. ka kite ano P.S did you see the pizza show
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/385786/climate-change-to-have-significant-impact-on-maori-businesses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT5FDoomVg4
Here you go Whanau another case that lets the common person know that the wealthy make our LAWS TO serve them first THEYnever admit LIABILITY CHEATS
Who is paying for Monsanto’s crimes? We are A US court ordered Monsanto to pay $80m in damages because it hid cancer risks. That’s a small consolation for victims
While Bayer may dole out a few billion dollars in damages, who is really being made to pay?’ Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
The chickens are coming home to roost, as they say in farm country.
For the second time in less than eight months a US jury has found that decades of scientific evidence demonstrates a clear cancer connection to Monsanto’s line of top-selling Roundup herbicides, which are used widely by consumers and farmers. Twice now jurors have additionally determined that the company’s own internal records show Monsanto has intentionally manipulated the public record to hide the cancer risks. Both juries found punitive damages were warranted because the company’s cover-up of cancer risks was so egregious. Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/30/who-is-paying-for-monsantos-crimes-we-are
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5M2WZiAy6k
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/aujvc3SVKpc
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJD1fzHHm3Q
Kia ora Newshub
I give my condolences to the whano who lost there love ones in those automobile accidents.
I think it’s is good that OUR Prime minister is in China as for the Huawei I don’t see a problem with China tec I see trump is behind the propergander plan and simply.
Who built a dump by Tangaroa even if they built it 30 years ago.
Yes it sad about the environment desaster in The Solomon Islands.
News Hub its cool you are telling the story about CMV virus it sounds like quite a bad virus that affects hupu Wahine that is not well published very much
You see how the authorities treat Maori communities with the rail bridge deaths they class Maori as fools that’s their argument for not slowing the trains going over the bridge if it was a wealth part of town all the stops to lower the risk would be pulled out to save their tamariki. Ka kite ano
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Tangata whenua O Atoearoa have much in common with the Chinese tangata they open the biggest NZ embassy in China to. Meng Foon is retireing from the Gisborne mayor’s office thanks for all the years of service to Te tairawhiti.
I just hope that the teachers are doing the correct thing.??????????????????.
All the best to our sports Stars. Ka kite ano
That’s cool that Disney on Ice is going to be using te reo I told you Whanau Maori culture is receiving Great recognition from the rest of Papatuanukue Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show.
China has lifted hundreds of millions of there tangata out of poverty that speak a thousand words to Me.
I will give te whanau good advice about secess NEVER GIVE UP.
The $1000 Kiwi save is good but it need to be asset tested and capped as I know every wealth child’s is in Kiwi saver there parents accountant’s sign them up and they don’t need it I’m trying to get some people to put there tamariki savings into Kiwi saver I will keep trying there ears don’t work because of the Eco Maori effect.
I Back the climate change streakers in the gallery glueing there hands to the building good move to highlight climate change.
The crown is spending millions trying to keep a lid on Eco Maori. I have figured out that they are NOTHING TO in comparison ME. It’s going to be a good Autobiography lol.
Winston yes you have to have trust one also has to have your EYES Wide OPEN to whats is happening around Te Papatuanukue when assessing and applying that trust.
duncan you are prepositions the crown to break the human IGHTS Laws we need to make those laws stronger not weaker.
The weather around Te Papatuanukue has been very extreme we have just had one of the hottest years on record that gives Tawhirirmate more Mana.
All Aotearoa state vehicle fleet should be changed to electric vehicles they have the money to aim for the longterm fuel saving from electric and our Mokopunas environment needs to be saved. Good on the army involved in repairing the west coast bridge that Tawhirirmate broke it would be nice to see that kind of commitment to transport in Te tairawhiti and Te tai tokerou.?????????????????????Ka kite ano P.S Mokopuna dutys
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute Whanau the cops used the christchurch desaster to get there boss to aloud them to Apply emence INTIMADATION Pressure on ECO MAORI but they got Jack as usual.
https://youtu.be/hlfQVvsNLFk
PS I haven’t even Changed my simcard Eco Maori has nothing to hide
Whanau you know NZ is classified as the 2nd least courpt country in the world YEA RIGHT what about Maori.
We die 10 to 20 years earlier than others we have the poorest people in the land we have the worst health Stats of any people in NZ OUR country Children are taken off family by the state In the highest numbers of any other people our children are abuse in large numbers by states people our education rates are low unemployment is the highest in the land We have the highest number of Women and men in jail in the WORLD. The rule classes try a blame this on Maori YEA RIGHT JUST A BIG LIE it’s instertutional racism at its best its that good the ruling classes LIE they have a lot of Maori covenced that if a Maori works hard head down ass up be good be nice to the neighbours you will be able to climb up to great heights on your LADDERs OF LIFE yea right not when you get tripped up at every corner by the cheating cops they will interfair in your work your personal life financially anyway they can stuff you up they will do it and not blink a EYE
What’s Worst is that the cops are breaking my right they are shitting on my family that I have built over 32 years. All the pollies know all the people in the know do to all the media people know what the cops are doing there dirty tricks on me. It doesn’t matter they are just MAORI WHO CARES so much for HONESTY it Is instertutional racism at it BEST in honest little NZ
https://youtu.be/iqeOTg2a-l8
Kia ora Newshub.
david seenothing star gazing
His opinion on the automatic gun ban is just about vote grabbing.
More roofing fraud the dirty buggers can’t help themselves robbing the innocent people.
I have said what I wanted last night on China and Aotearoa.
WTF someone using Maori to get publicity to promote their bait computer hack to get people to open the app and it gets to load it computer viruses Ka kite ano
Kia ora Maori television looks like you don’t want Eco Maori Tau toko because the cops are trying to brand Eco Maori like the shitty story about the people with ankle Bracelets on Ka kite ano. P.S the cop are breaking all the laws interviewing my whanau and playing with them as they don’t know the law they have no credible evidence to be able to get a warrant to investigate my whanau I’m going to SUE THERE ASSS OFF
Nash the police give the gangs time on the news the police have their own controls on NZ media hows – – – – was it good I see all