The dairy industry is out of control and needs to be managed a lot better.
Photos reveal unacceptable conditions for calving.
SAFE said the photos revealed more cruel treatment of cattle over winter, following on from scenes of cattle standing in mud on a large feedlot in mid-Canterbury last week.
SAFE head of campaigns Marianne Macdonald said forcing cows to give birth onto fields of mud puts both mother and calf at risk.
“There is risk of infection because they are not just in mud, unfortunately their own excrement,” Ms Macdonald said.
It was a totally unacceptable way to treat animals, she said.
“Those vulnerable little calves are at risk of hypothermia in the cold, wet conditions.”
Calving in mud was not unique to Southland as it happened in most dairying areas, Ms Macdonald said.
“It seems to come as a surprise to some farmers that these conditions keep happening but we know that weather happens.”
The cows and calves needed to be protected from appalling conditions, she said
Damien O’Connor is not up to the job of dealing with rogue famrers.
As Rachel Stewart says…
Just so y’all know how Labour’s Ag minister thinks. Just like National’s Ag minister. Peas in a very thick pod.
and……
If anyone truly believes we can keep the same number of cows, cut emissions, and increase profits they’re mad. As in insane. Our Ag minister is insane.
Shane Jones is the perfect example of a politician who fully understands that corporates run the world, and he wants to take the power back. Not many, if any, pollies like that around. Sadly.
Mr Jones told Morning Report that the following about Australian banks.
“Their profits over the last 10 years have grown by 75 percent. I do believe with that level of profit they have an obligation to maintain an extensive level of service.”
The minister said he planned to speak to Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr to “establish the facts” about the requirements of banking licences and will then consider policy options.
‘The Regional Economic Development Minister says the banks are putting profits ahead of their responsibility to rural areas, as unions raise concerns over branch closures.
The banking sector is certainly not the first group to attract the ire of Shane Jones – he’s previously taken issue with supermarkets, power companies, Fonterra and Air New Zealand.’
To provide some context. That interview took place in April, during the aftermath of allegations there had been a chemical attack in Douma but before missiles had been launched into Syria..
To my mind, Jeffrey Sachs (and that’s a link to his wiki page for those interested) just goes to show that some good people do manage to survive in fairly toxic environments.
For those who either don’t like Dore’s style of presentation, or who (understandably) won’t watch 18 min vids, here’s a basic transcript of what Sachs said.
…I think we need to step back, and not put this in partisan terms. This is a US mistake that started seven years ago, and I remember the day on your show when President Obama said that Asad must go.
And I looked at you and Joe and I said “Huh? How’s he going to do do that? Where’s the policy for that?”
And we know they sent in the CIA to overthrow Assad – the CIA and Saudi Arabia, together in covert operations tried to overthrow Assad. It was a disaster. Eventually it brought in both ISIS as a splinter group to the Jihadists that went in [and] it also brought in Russia.
So we have been digging deeper and deeper. What we should do now, is get out, and not continue to throw missiles, and not have a confrontation with Russia.
Seven years has been a disaster, beginning under Obama and continuing under Trump. This is what I’d call the permanent state. This is the CIA, this is the Pentagon wanting to [missing audio] no way to do that. So we have made a proxy war in Syria. It has killed 500 000 people, displaced 10 million – and I’ll say “predictably so” because I predicted seven years ago that there was no way to do this and it would make for complete chaos.
So what I would plea to President Trump is “Get out” Like his instinct told him by the way – that was his instinct. But then all the establishment, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Pentagon…everyone said “No, no – that’s irresponsible.” But his instinct is right. Get out. We’ve done enough damage in seven years and now we really risk a confrontation with Russia that is extraordinarily dangerous – reckless.
[Interview with an admiral “chemicals chemicals, repercussions, hold to account etc]
I don’t think it’s attractive, but I think we have to understand how this happened. This happened because of us. These 600 000 are not just incidental. We started a war to overthrow a regime. It was covert. It was Timber Sycamore. People can look it up – the CIA operation, together with Saudi Arabia. It’s still shrouded in secrecy, which is part of the problem in our country. A major war effort, shrouded in secrecy, never debated by Congress, never explained to the american people, signed by President Obama. Never explained. And this created chaos. And so, just throwing more missiles in right now, is not a response.
We need, not to walk away, to go to the UN Security Council, as the Admiral says, to agree with Russia on a strategy for ending the fight. But ending the fight means that we stop trying to overthrow a government; that we stop trying to support rebels who are committed to overthrowing a government – that is where this war continues. Because we, to this day, back rebels who are trying to overthrow a government, contrary to international law; contrary to the UN charter; contrary to common sense; contrary to a practical path. We can’t do it, and it’s just creating ongoing crisis to the extent of facing an imminent confrontation with Russia
Jeffrey Sachs, can hardly be said to be speaking truth to power, appearing a little less unhinged, but in essence little different to Infowars Alex Jones. Both push the same pro-fascist, pro-genocide script.
….The “the entire world” – all the major imperialist and regional reactionary powers – has been against the revolution since its outbreak in March 2011. Their differences have been entirely tactical.
The crushing of heroic Daraa involved an unwritten agreement between the Assad regime, Russia, the US and Israel. Four ‘heroes’ of today’s global ‘alt-right’ – Assad, Netanyahu, Trump and Putin – have emerged triumphant over the corpse of the Syrian revolution.
To which I would add:
Even global imperial wars between each other, are not feared as much by the rival global elites who run our world, as much as they fear popular revolt from below.*
In 1917 in the war of intervention the Western Allies and the Entent powers both invaded Russia to overturn the results of the revolution.
Even rival empires, England and Germany who were still fighting each other on the Western Front, took part in the war of intervention.
The war of intervention lasted until 1921 and cost 1.2 million lives. The imperial powers, (though probably not realising it at the time), achieved their purpose of defeating the revolution.
– the best of the popular revolutionaries of 1917 who fell in the war of intervention, were replaced by the murderous Stalinist bureaucracy that grew to fill the vacuum. Just as the murderous Isis was a product of the Assadist genocide against the popular opposition to the dictator.
“If our white brothers dismiss as ‘rabble rousers’ and ‘outside agitators’ those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and if they refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustration and despair, seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies — a development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare,”
* Imperialist wars are fought between soldiers and working people on behalf of the rulers, they are not wars fought by soldiers and working people, against the rulers, and it is the civilians and soldiers who bear the burden of the suffering and death. In imperialist war between rival imperialist oppressors, it is hardly ever the elites who suffer, (even if they find themselves on the losing side.)
An echo chamber, also known as an ideological echo chamber[2] or the more longwinded closed ideology echo chamber,[3] is a group situation where information, ideas, and beliefs are uncritically bounced from insider to insider and amplified, while dissenting views are censored and/or ignored.
Dore has entertained numerous conspiracies relating to the Syrian Civil War.[note 1] According to Dore:
“Everything you’re being told about Syria is a lie. Everything. Fucking everything. The White Helmets are fucking liars. It’s all a lie.”[21]
Since he does not trust the mainstream media, Dore uses numerous unreliable sources of information about Syria. For example, he described RT contributor[22][23][24] and conspiracy theorist[25][note 2] Eva Bartlett as an “independent Canadian journalist”[5][26] even though she openly says she is biased in favor of the Syrian regime.[24] Dore says Bartlett is a “real journalist” who is “willing to tell the truth” and is “reporting facts” about Syria.[26][5][27] He has interviewed Bartlett on The Jimmy Dore Show twice.[27][28]
Bartlett’s conspiratorial claims about Syria include that footage from the White HelmetsWikipedia’s W.svg (a volunteer search and rescue group) contains children who have been recycled in different reports,[29] and that the media manufactured a story about a hospital being bombed that she claims never happened.[30] Bartlett also claims that the “corporate media”,[31] United Nations,[32] and human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Médecins Sans FrontièresWikipedia’s W.svg[33][34][35][36][5] are all conveniently lying about what is happening in Syria. Bartlett’s claims have been widely discredited and debunked.[24][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]
Bartlett and Dore have helped a Russia-backed disinformation campaign targeting the White Helmets[48] that positions them as a terrorist organisation.[49][50]
Dore: The White Helmets aren’t what they appear to be either. I know they got an Academy Award but there’s lots of reporting that the White Helmets are on the side of the terrorists trying to overthrow Assad, that they’re not neutral actors. There’s lots of reporting that says that about the White Helmets. Eva Bartlett from Canada, who we’ve showed on this show, she went to Syria. She had the same reporting about the White Helmets, that they’re in collusion with the jihadist rebels meaning ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.[51][note 3]
Bartlett is not the only unreliable source Dore has cited. He has used fellow conspiracy theorist SyrianGirlPartisan as a source.[52] He has cited the conspiratorial, Russian propaganda outlet RT[53][54] (and has defended them as a reliable source[55]). He repeated the conspiracy theory that the war is actually about a pipeline.[56][57][58][5] His source for this claim was the conspiracy-pseudoscience website Ecowatch.[59][60]
Dore believes that there have been multiple false flag attacks during the Syrian Civil War, including the Khan Shaykhun chemical attackWikipedia’s W.svg in April 2017.[8]
It’s the Al Qaeda who did this. They did it before, they’re probably doing it again. It doesn’t make sense that Syria would do this.[61]
[…]
This screams false flag.[62]
They’re doing it again. They’re trying to do a false flag gas attack so the United States bombs, which we’re doing.[63]
There was also gas attacks. So there was two big gas attacks. The first one Barack Obama threatened to bomb Syria. Remember, they stopped because there was an agreement between Russia, Syria and the United States to get rid of all of Assad’s chemical weapons. That was their agreement. John Kerry kind of got hoodwinked into that agreement. So they did that. They got rid of all his chemical weapons, even though it was a false flag. The second one, they did another false flag where they said “oh, it was Assad gassing his own people” which he wasn’t because he was winning the war. ISIS was just hanging on barely and their only hope was to draw the United States into the Syrian conflict so they did another false flag gas attack.[64]
He believes the attacks have been proven to be false flags:
Dore: By the way, the Syrian war is complete bullshit. Those gas attacks now have been completely debunked. I didn’t believe them the first time.
Joe Rogan: So what happened during those gas attacks?
Dore: So, that’s called a false flag. So what happens is they wanted the United States to come in on their side to bomb Assad, to overthrow him. And so what they would do is they would do a gas attack on their own people and then blame it on Assad and then…
Rogan: This has been proven?
Dore: Yes.
Rogan: That they did it?
Dore: Yes.[65]
Unsurprisingly, Dore has been proven wrong. In October 2017, investigations from the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria found that Syrian government forces were responsible for the April 2017 chemical attack.[66][67] After the UN’s investigation, Dore doubled down, blaming the CIA for “false flag attacks” in Syria:
So you don’t think that the CIA is still doing this exact same stuff today? You don’t think that’s what they’re doing in Syria? Remember when they did those false flags in Syria? The chemical attacks, those were false flag attacks. Assad did not do those attacks.[68]
In February 2018, Dore alleged that U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim MattisWikipedia’s W.svg admitted there was no evidence Assad used poison gas on his people, citing an article from Newsweek.[69]
In 2013, Barack Obama wanted to bomb Syria because they said Assad gassed his own people […] and they were sure of it by the way. Again, and this is the last one too. And then there was another one, that’s when Trump bombed Syria. They said there was another gas attack by Assad. Neither of them was by Assad. […] And so now, this is from February 8th. Newsweek: “Mattis admits there was no evidence Assad used poison gas on his people”.[70]
However, Mattis was not claiming there was no evidence that Assad was responsible for the Khan Shaykhun attack. Mattis was actually referring to recent allegations of Sarin use after the Khan Shaykhun attack.[71][72][73][74] Mattis’ actual view about the Khan Shaykhun attack is that “there is no doubt the Syrian regime is responsible for the decision to attack and for the attack itself.”[75]
After the Douma chemical attackWikipedia’s W.svg in April 2018, Dore said it was a false flag attack and he is the “best journalist in the country” because MSNBC and CNN won’t say that it was a false flag:
I’m already the best journalist in the country right now because turn on MSNBC and CNN and see if they’re telling you what’s really happening in Syria and that this is a false flag attack. Again, they won’t even mention the last one was. Do you think they’re gonna mention that frickin’ Mattis said there was no evidence of the last one?[76]
Fascinating! I’ve always been very impressed by Derek Handley whenever he’s spoken on tv. I would’ve thought he’s ideal for the job. That groundswell of tech opponents seems a significant consensus though, so their views will need careful consideration.
Duncan Grieve’s report covers the implications well and I agree it all hinges on the job description, and how accurately that depicts the liaison and coordination functions required to interface our vitally-important emerging tech industry with government.
Agree with you (both paragraphs).
I’m interested in Lprent’s take because he’s been in the industry for quite some time and has seen the good and the bad. He appears to be motivated by creation of coding that is at it’s most efficient (probably to the point of obsession – not just stuff that works), and he seems to be as intolerant of some of the muppetry we’ve seen ( I could start a rave on government IT projects for example)
I might be a little cynical (I know), but over 40 plus years, I’ve also seen the bullshit artists, the promotion of various processes and schemes – often re-inventions of past practices with new names:
Project Management Schema
Bizzniss Management ‘best practices’ earning their ticket clipping creators vast sums, self-improvement books and best practice management schemes.
(Kaizen, SDLC’s , Martin Marrieta’s and whoever else is now in vogue, etc., etc. and other wheel reinventions)
I’m trying to keep an open mind. (It’s bloody hard when you walk down the streets of Wellington following some ‘IT professionals’ exercising their egos as well as their limbs discussing the projects they’re working on, knowing they’re trying to recreate a wheel). I’m also well-pleased to be out of it al.
I’m Oh so very PASSIONATE about it don’tcha know. I’m passionate about being entrepreneurial going forwardl
Operating in the traditional context of capitalism is understandable (when in Rome..) but it’s been obvious to me for that entire 40 year time that we need a better way forward. I’ve put stuff online about that before but for Aotearoa’s tech industry the key point is incentivising entrepreneurs in team contexts (self-interest limited by a collaborative common-interest context – stakeholder integral design).
Corporates using teams the past 30 years have mostly just been sloganeering. Has to be authentic. Employee profit-sharing, but also risk-sharing via participation in management. Ricardo Semler made it work in the eighties and Mondragon much earlier, so ain’t like the design is unproven.
The more kiwis support a local enterprise culture, the more they will wean themselves off dependency on capitalists. Never underestimate the empowering effect of agency in the psyche! We need like-mindedness on this to become contagious. Great to see sustainable business trending big nowadays but has to be more authenticity in it – a real green business is a genuine hybrid of capitalism and socialism, both in design and in how it operates.
Ae.
Need a nanna nap right now (energy levels have collapsed) but hopefully we can continue this discussion, and also Lyn might get a glimpse.
I’m hoping that ‘old school’ Jessie Mulligan will be able to put me into a deep sleep before he has to don his lycra and bile up the hill to RNZ for the Project.
Winston was 100% correct in october 2017 as he warned us all that the economy was at the top of the cliff on the night he chose to partner labour in October 2017.
Winsrton warned that this correction would happen in his election speak as he announced that he will join NZ First coalition with Labour.
“In his explanation of why New Zealand First went with Labour over National, Winston Peters said the agreement reached in talks was a summation of policies that survived negotiations.
He went on: “As the song says, You can’t always get what you want.”
“Our negotiations have taken place against a backdrop of changing international and internal economic circumstances which we cannot ignore.”
Those in New Zealand First believed that an economic correction, or a slowdown, was looming, and that the first signs were already apparent, he said.
“There’s no denying that a enormous correction is looming and pretending low business confidence is just all spite misses the much more dangerous signals”.
We see today that the Government is in trouble with “Ministerial staffing issues” again as I seemed to be at Phil Twyford’s Ministerial office in Wellington as when I was trying to get clarity out of Twyford’s staff member ‘she slamed the phone down and cut me off before the discussion ended, and now we want an enquiry into why this ‘Ministerial staffer felt it was appropproate that she can terminate a phone call before answering questions from a constituent public member.
Just as a Labour Minister is allegedgly charged with puishing a staffing member out of an office in Parlaiment perhaps we need to review the actions and performance of the “ministerial staff” and have the Minister of Internal affairs to open an enquiry into “Ministerial services” also now??????.
She probably slammed the phone down because you were rambling and making no sense. Happens all the time when you’ve got the opportunity to type and review what you are writing. I can only imagine how incoherent you’ll be talking
The GCSB’s current motto on its website is “If New Zealand has secrets worth stealing, then they’re worth protecting”. Now, the GCSB and their Five Eyes masters wants to make it radically easier for people to steal those very secrets they claim to exist to protect. How? By backdooring the encryption which protects our networks, our filesystems, our financial transactions, everything:
According to this RNZ press release;- the leaker was not actually named by RNZ!!!
So I suspect this was National party leaking again, as bad as the last one was that Simple Simon Bridges spending also was exposed, and now found to be him falsely leaking his spending for press cover.
So it looks as though I am right sadly that the “Ministerial services staff” are behind all the leaking of information for “political reasons” probably by National Party cling-ons trying to destablise the labour lead government again and this is inside collussion going on here both inside the Government Ministerial services and the publically owned media network RNZ as they are recieving illegal leaked information from the Government employees conducting ‘poitical actions against their employer.
Sources have told RNZ Ms Whaitiri was difficult to work with and point to a high staff turnover in her office. The press secretary role had been vacant for months.
RNZ has chosen not to identify the press secretary. She has not responded to requests for comment.
Both Ms Whaitiri and Ms Ardern are refusing to answer questions on the matter while the investigation is ongoing.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told RNZ Ms Ardern had alerted him to the reasons behind the inquiry but he would not elaborate on them.
He would wait until the investigation was over and “see where the cards fall” before commenting, he said.
“Allegations are not fact. They’re allegations. Let’s see whether they’re meritorious or not.”
This looks like closet-stalinism. Eugenie asked for advice from the ecologist. A public servant intercepted that advice, then censored it before passing it on to her.
I can’t see how any public servant could justify such misbehaviour. Does anyone here feel up to defending such closet-stalinists in our public service??
“Asked why the passages were deleted, Severinsen says: “The content formed a part of a larger piece of work under consideration by the department and it was not appropriate to include that subset of information until the other task was completed.”
So that is the bullshit and hows its done.. unbelievable in their audacity…time for heads to roll.
Yes Dennis I now see that when I had the phone slammed down on my conversation with Phil Twyfords staffer I felt that same “censoring’ controlling ‘stalinist’ Fed-up’ interference of my human rights to get questions answered by a ministers staffer as an employee of my government and that she also is a public servant.
She was a person I describe as without any civility or reasonable patience or bedside manner and lacked all resonable ability to offer help to any public enquiries so I would ask Government to restore “civility” to public serive employees.
To cut off during a convewrsation a enquiry from the public is unreasonable service and a stark lack of respect & humanity.
Dennis you asked; ‘Am I feed up with low public service employees’?
Yes some only, (as some are very good) – and in this case when I called Phil Twyfords office in Wellington, my human rights were clearly violated by this Ministerial staffer and Phil twyford should sack her and appologise to me for her lack of reasonable conduct, as he and his office have a recording of the conversation already and can easily review her disconduct..
I share your concern and it seems clear that you have a valid grievance. Twyford’s gate-keeper could be operating in bulldog mode. Do such people get hired on the basis of Labour Party membership or are they supposedly neutral?
If the latter, you could have a case for a formal complaint & it may be a good idea to learn how to proceed with one.
I keep reminding cleangreen that the Minister is totally the wrong person to help for the local issue.- the noise from heavy vehicles on the Kennedy Rd Overpass.
its the Regional land Transport Committee who deal with local projects at this scale.
The person in the Ministers office should have been able to assist you with their contact details
My understanding is that cleangreen has been involved in all issues transport in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay areas for many years and is well known to all people, organisations (eg District and Regional Councils including probably the local regional transport committees) in that area. He has also appeared before Select Committees etc including just a few months ago (I watched him/his group present a submission online). I suspect he is in contact with all local and regional councils and committees as well as Ministers’ offices regularly …
Will do after Tuesday possible outcome, as we called our labour MP Napier office this morning and Stuart Nash’s local PA said she would have her staffer on the case Monday to get to the bottom of this intentional devisive blocking of communication beteen our NGO and Phil Twyford.
Hope we finally get to discuss/solutions to Napiers truck gridlock noise and air polution public health problems facing our 12000 folks living alongside the truck route road HB Expressway to the port of napier, as people are badly affected by this now and are facing pysical damage to their health..
I am holdiing a letter written by Helen Cl;ark as Prime minister of NZ dated 26th October 2003 to me as seretary of Pirimai residents association advising me that she has engaged both Mark gosche and michael Cullen to meet me and our committee at the HB Expressway with Transit NZ (now NZTA) CEO Robin Dun;op to help solve our issues.
Then after several other meetings we got Michael Cullen to finally buy back our rail system to get freight back on rail and off the roads and place a smooth road along residential areas so we got help with the last labour lot.
This last nine years NZTA took the smooth road away and trebbled the truck mfreight through our residential areas so we lost alot but now labour need to come back and fix all our problems national left us with.
Interestingly the PCE report from their year long study of the HB Expressway advised Government to fix alll thse things and work with our residential groups also and we expect labour to comiit to this again. see page 22 ‘conclussions’.
Yet another reason a review of our public service, and senior public servants is way past time.
Hopefully, Skippy might remember this as one example, alongside others that encompass Health, Education, Economic Development,, Social Welfare, Employment, Standards, standards that include infrastructure and environmental risk, Local gubbamint, ……… not just the bugger’s muddle of processes and multiple organisational bureaucracy involved in child birth.
Ian Lees-Galloway might even realise that there are some very simple edicts that can be issued regarding Ummiigration that could seriously impact, if not stop much of the exploitation of workers. (The solution isn’t going to be found by soley consulting with his ‘officials’)
Right now though, we appear to be hung up on what’s best for the horse and its ability to race and support a betting industry than we are about the competencies relating to social policy and the citizenry of Aoteraroa/NuZull
Being an old codger (early 60s), I had to look up the urban dik to see what mushrooming meant – I’d asked my late 30s son first.
Oh how the response reminded me of the last time I worked in the PS. and how different it was from the first time as a clerk in the Supreme Court after leaving college.
Unbelievably apt
“The solid twatting of a ho’s face by the bulbous bell-end belonging to an erect nob. It is either an act of intense passion and loving for the mushroomed one, or an act of anger at the dislike of an unagreeable technique used during oral sex. If the face is struck hard enough with the familiar mushroom shape of said bell-end, then a bruise will be left”
In our corporatised ps, there are a number of CEOs whose job descriptions could probably reflect their position of being that ‘erect nob’
While I don’t really wish to paint over that startling but apt mental picture, I suspect NRT’s use of “mushrooming” was probably intended to evoke the idea of being kept in the dark and fed bullshit.
It was interesting that 27% of BBC staff self-identify as working class whereas only 9% at the corporate do. His advocacy for a renewal of class-consciousness will appeal to nostalgia freaks all over the UK but you don’t see many cloth-cap-wearers in the wide camera pics of British news reports so they may be all dead.
We learned yesterday that the firm that owns Burger King in New Zealand has been banned from using migrant labour (ie people on work visas, not resident non-citizens) for a year.
In light of the shortage of affordable houses, and the routing of employers to get migrants for questionable low paid occupations – and reports of employee’s paying for their questionable job, and the fact that all the new people on these low wages probably will qualify for Kiwibuild and also be competing on low cost rentals, and the amount of Maori in jail who could probably get a job flipping burgers instead of the migrants, perhaps time to rethink these bizarre immigration “skilled” skills?
30 years ago it cost around $10,000 to sponsor in a worker and therefore was only used for real high value skills. Time to put that amount with inflation (around $20,000 as least) back on the table to get rid of all the routs.
Main occupations for Skilled Migrant Category principal applicants, 2016/17
Occupation 2016/17
Number %
Chef 684 5.7%
Registered Nurse (Aged Care) 559 4.6%
Retail Manager (General) 503 4.2%
Cafe or Restaurant Manager 452 3.7%
Number of people granted Essential Skills work visas by main occupations, 2016/17
Occupation Number %
Chef 2,178 6.6%
Dairy Cattle Farm Worker 1,617 4.9%
Carpenter 1,478 4.5%
Retail Supervisor 961 2.9%
Cafe or Restaurant Manager 942 2.9%
Retail Manager (General) 767 2.3%
Aged or Disabled Carer 748 2.3%
That would be right. There is now ‘work visa specialist firms’ which travel around from shop to shop or farms telling them of the ‘cheap deal’ they can do to replace their local workers with ‘imports’ I was at the Chemist shop and such a business branded vehicle pulled up outside the dairy next door.
Hilarious, the migrants get paid correctly and the Kiwis are under paid! Maybe they were trying to get rid of the Kiwi, by underpaying them. If they can’t pay minimum wages correctly they should not be importing in workers, let alone importing in workers for that skill set!
Perhaps they need to look at who is taking the affordable houses – and do something about lazy immigration above because they already put in a fuel tax to help the lazy planners and now the government is pushing in, to screw up congestion and pollution further with being in charge of more houses!
We really need (sarcasm) 20 liquor stores and burger Kings on every corner and the people who actually do real work in the city can’t get into work with all the congestion from low paid precariat workers driving around all day going from job to job, breaking down in their trucks as they deliver food and goods around to dodgy small businesses or the truck and trailers of dirt and concrete going across the city.
God help us, even the pathetic low level IT workers are dropping off the skills list. What is that telling us as we “move” towards the digital economy? How many of those skill are growing the economy, in high tech or manufacturing for example?
The government is writing cheques for infrastructure all over the country for new houses, because the councils are so weak and pathetic that they have not provided either the infrastructure or the houses for New Zealand society for decades.
Good fucking job for the Minister kicking Councils all over the park.
Nope they are writing cheques to construction firms many of whom are overseas based and employ foreign workers with Kiwis taxes that should be paying for teachers and hospitals.
Nobody has even seen this mythical thousands upon thousands of affordable houses. Construction firms are build spec houses for foreigners who bring money in to buy the house and then have no or small incomes so qualify for welfare.
Government are complicit in allowing foreign buyers of apartments and foreign buyers for new builds and foreign buyers of land and employers to bring in thousands of questionable migrant workers like at Burger King.
The government are actually increasing the cost of living and congestion for the aforementioned kiwis are they supposedly helping by their pathetic policies that they have not stopped since the Natz got out.
In fact the immigration skills look even worse last year than the year before with the Natz in charge as at least that had IT on it even if it was at a numbingly low level.
Not only that, the skills is on about a third of how people get into NZ residency, the rest are relatives off the aforementioned people and marriages…
Actually the “cheques” are from the Housing Infrastructure Fund that was set up by the previous government . They are drawn down by local councils, regional councils, and NZTA. They are drawn for the purposes of building infrastructure including wastewater mains, pump stations, water supply reservoirs, and roads.
They are not drawn by developers.
And of course, this fund is entirely separate to the funds from general taxation for the salaries of teachers.
A typical example is the $24 million loan announced by Phil Twyford yesterday for the new housing development in Queenstown.
The housing being built is only mythical if you are ignorant and don’t follow the news,
The quote at the end of the article is telling: “We have to do this, because if we don’t our kids will never be able to afford to live in this town,” he told NZME.”
This is why the most effective means of getting NZer’s housed in affordable, healthy homes is not going to happen. Because the focus is firmly on maintaining a high sales prices – while simultaneously ensuring those that traditionally have had the ability to purchase – are supported while doing so.
1. No mention about how providing affordable homes in secure tenancies (ie. state housing) improves health, community and crime outcomes.
2. No mention about the number of working families reduced to living out of vehicles.
3. No mention of the long-term trajectory of house prices and creation of bad living conditions when landlords are in the game only for the financial return,
4. No suggestion of making policy, tax and other changes to reduce the attractiveness and effectiveness of putting money into residential properties to generate personal financial gain.
Just stated worries about “children” not being able to live in the city. Inference “my” children. There have been children suffering from the housing crisis for years.
No, I would like those working on housing to understand that one of the most effective ways to address all the issues regarding “our children” not being able to afford housing is for the state to embark on a massive building programme. Not in conjunction with private developers, not with financial assistance for some to purchase, but in order to house our people.
Whenever, I hear or read housing policy, these points are lightly touched on and not given the weight or priority that is required.
As I wanted to see if the housing policy has changed substantially since the last time I checked I had a look at Labour’s Housing Policy.
State Houses: People over Profit
Pretty lightweight. No mention of the security of housing for all, and the multiple benefits that come from reducing increase in transitional housing. Nothing about recreating the egalatarian approach to housing that existed and paved the way for connected communities. The “need” is the part that rankles with me. The expectation that state housing is always to be transitional despite the community benefits of having secure and long-term tenants. Also, no mention of how they determine where those communities are built – ie. are they close to all services and recreational areas. Otherwise, you have tenants who are transport poor as well as otherwise.
Kiwibuild
Pretty much what the main focus is on – particular “children” being able to enter the property market.
Investing in warm dry homes
A bit of a hotchpotch page to be honest. There have been studies showing that the installation of thermal curtains and pelmets are very effective in reduction of heat loss through single glazing. An much more affordable solution than replacing all windows with double glazing.
And the final note on that page:
This is just one of Labour’s fresh ideas to tackle the housing crisis. Labour’s comprehensive housing package includes:
– building homes people can afford to buy, and restoring the Kiwi dream of owning your own place through our KiwiBuild programme and the Affordable House Authority.
– a three point plan to crack down on speculators by banning o shore speculators from buying houses, taxing speculators who flip a house within five years, and ending the speculators’ tax loophole.
– ensuring homes are healthy to live in and building state houses for families in need.
Which is in line with how I understood the current policy focus to be. Not really sure that it has changed at all.
Is there a reason that you are going to the Labour site rather than to the site of the actual government that forms and executes actual policy as a government?
Lazily, because when I googled housing policy NZ govt the Labour policy was second on the list. The beehive link for The Future of Housing was further down and I hadn’t scrolled that far.
Once again, Ad. No concrete suggestions for the items I have mentioned. The only semi-fleshed out policy is Kiwibuild.
I firmly believe that will not solve the issues regarding housing if it remains the priority, which it seems to be.
(Also, the Labour party housing policy and the beehive link seem to be much of a muchness. Are we discussing content here?)
Protectionism. Don’t want to let any foreign criminals in because they feel the need to protect their domestic criminals. Also why they’ve started exporting kiwi crims back to here. Remember those headlines about the mafia taking over the Oz casinos in the seventies?
Australia has not yet denied Manning entry despite many media headlines (and the one here on the post re this) stating that Australia has banned her.
What Australia has done was on Wednesday they issued a Notice of Intention to deny a visa, which allows Manning to put her case why she should be granted a visa despite her convictions etc. (ie the Good Character Test). Presumably she and her sponsors etc have done this and are now awaiting a final decision.
I suspect that Australia may take a harder line than NZ, but I am really pleased that NZ has gone ahead and now allowed her to apply for a special exemption to the conviction provisions that would normally prevent her getting a visa (according the RNZ because she has not offended anywhere that she has gone to on similar speaking tours).
This means that NZ has taken a different approach to Australia which appears to be maintaining their hard line immigration approach that Dutton introduced (apart from a certain au pair…). It will be interesting to see what the Australian reaction will be to NZ’s position. LOL.
Don’t know the exact differences between NZ and Australian immigration rules, but of interest is that Canada after refusing Manning a visa last year, granted her one in May this year to do a speaking event in Montreal (or Ottawa?) albeit on very restrictive conditions re time there etc. So there is precedent for her to be granted a “special direction” allowing a visa for entry to NZ to be issued on similar conditions.
In terms of practicalities, Manning is due to speak in Sydney this Sunday so time is tight, then Melbourne next Friday before coming to NZ for Auckland Sat 8 Sept and Wellington 9 Sept, then back to Australia for Brisbane on 11 Sept.
If Australia refuses a visa it is still probably feasible that she could still come to NZ since it is for two events.
My reply above was thrown together in a hurry, but now see that my wording in para 3 could be misleading. So here is a better version with the changes in italics.
Revised para 3
I suspect that Australia may take a harder line than NZ, but I am really pleased that NZ has gone ahead and granted a special exemption to apply for a visa despite her convictions which would normally prevent her getting a visa (according the RNZ because she has not offended anywhere that she has gone to on similar speaking tours).
Here are the main points as The Australian articles usually quickly end up behind a paywall.
However, Immigration New Zealand confirmed on Friday morning it had given Manning special dispensation to apply for a visa.
“While Ms Manning was convicted of a serious offence and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment, it was noted that her sentence was commuted by President Obama in January 2017,” INZ general manager Steve Stuart said.
“The likelihood of her offending while in New Zealand is considered low … (we) could see no reason to believe Ms Manning would not comply with the terms and conditions of any visa.”
… The NZ government’s decision comes after Manning’s tour organiser, Think Inc, said this week it had received a notice of intention to deny the former soldier entry into Australia under section 501 of the Migration Act.
She was banned from entering Canada last year due to her criminal convictions in the US but was allowed to speak in Montreal in May.
Think Inc has called on the transgender activist’s supporters to lobby Australia’s new immigration minister, David Coleman, to allow her into Australia.
This may bring up an interesting situation actually
If Aussie end up barring her, I wonder if she will bother paying all the cash just to come here
Given some people on here proclaiming the difference between Manning and the Canadians is the Canadians are only it for the money, while Manning is in it to spread the word, I wonder what they say if she were to cancel
Three events in Austalia; two in NZ. Therefore more likely that she would come here even if Australia bans here than say, the Canadians where they had five in Australia and only one in NZ.
The best thing, politically speaking (as evinced by Molyneux and Southern) would have been for Manning to be denied and her message carried on the inevitable wave of outrage crashing around tha net.
All credit to Michael Woodhouse though. He tried his best. 👿
edit – won’t someone design a ‘dripping sarcasm’ tag?
If I was smarter I’d be able to come up with a witty and perhaps acerbic comment involving shovels (“The Shovel” being the source for that commentary).
Yes, after I posted it I realised that it came from The Shovel and the link was in the Gein link. I had forgotten about the Shovel so must do see what else is there recently.
Australia is alive with the sound of – not music, but calls for the Australian Govt to rethink their propose ban on Chelsea Manning being given a visa.
In less than 24 hours a Change.org petition to allow her to enter Australia has already got 15,000 signatures and counting.
Here is a link to the Guardian article that is only a few minutes’ old saying that the Australian Government is considering lots of submissions calling for Manning to be allowed entry but time is now critical and if a favourable decisions is not imminent then she is unlikely to make Sydney for the Sunday event. (As an aside, Judith Collins gets a mention calling Manning a traitor).
The Australian is apparently reporting that Di Natole, the Aussie Green Leader, is supporting allowing Manning to enter Australia, but cannot put up link as I have used my free quota of their articles.
I had never heard her speak and was neither for or against but also totally defend her right to speak.
Then Kim Hill interviewed her two weeks ago and I was very, very surprised. So much so that I would now like to go to her Wellington event but cannot afford it at present – and am also recovering from day surgery so probably too soon.
As I said elsewhere here, it was one of Hill’s better interviews and she also seemed impressed with Manning.
Re your post, I was not doxxing (I never do that as my anonymity and privacy are all important to me) and will reply later but off out now. You may be interested in my reply to Darien Fenton for a little of my experience.
Its your over-generalisation without any supporting evidence etc that gets up my nose (grrrrrr, as you also did yesterday) – and the lemmings just fall in behind when some of them probably haven’t even been in the door of the Beehive! LOL.
It there is a delay caused by process, then why not, to save us $millions of extra interest costs then transfer the debt at a later date ? If not, then how can this govt cry poor when govt workers seek fair wage increases?
Perhaps this as you commented on is the reason “The debt does exist. Just NOT under core crown debt.”
Was Shaw there? He has picked up her Associate Minister of Transport portfolio for the next six weeks, but I thought he was currently overseas. So bad luck …
PS – I just put up an update at 12.4 re Australia and Manning’s visa to enter there.
Makes me wonder about the residual powers of the Crown. Does sovereignty still enable it to hold barons accountable for misbehaviour? When captains of industry whine & moan that they’re losing confidence & the govt is to blame, would a few lashes of the legislative whip be a useful antidote? For instance, the govt could pass a law requiring all such barons to resign after issuing any such public complaint that they can no longer cope with the demands of their job.
“Mangawhai Activity Zone trustee chairman Colin Gallagher says the committee voted to close Redfern-Hardisty’s operation because of the complaints from people wanting a “normal” coffee at the park.
He wouldn’t say what the vote numbers were, but said it wasn’t close.
“We have been extremely supportive of this guy. We own the container, we don’t charge him any rent, we don’t charge him for power, we don’t charge him for water.
“But he has denied our customers choice. That’s where it is. Any customer should have a choice of whether there is plant-based or dairy-based milk in their coffee.”
Take choice away from the customers and the free market reacts…quite simple really.
That’s still not the free market speaking . If the market had spoken the vendor would have gone broke ,which he hasn’t,he s been put out of business by whingeing tossers with a little power .
The bombshell comes now for our PM Jacinda and the greens.
Maybe this may be PM Jacinda Ardern’s chance to shine again (as her generations nuclear moment) and offer the Greens something?
Another thing Jacinda has missed is our loss of oxgen in our air that sustains us all is depleting now, as the new elephant in the room and this changes everything now.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/O2DroppingFasterThanCO2Rising.php
Quote;
O2 Dropping Faster than CO2 Rising
Implications for Climate Change Policies
New research shows oxygen depletion in the atmosphere accelerating since 2003, coinciding with the biofuels boom; climate policies that focus exclusively on carbon sequestration could be disastrous for all oxygen-breathing organisms including humans Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
Threat of oxygen depletion
Mention climate change and everyone thinks of CO2 increasing in the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect heating the earth, glaciers melting, rising sea levels, floods, hurricanes, droughts, and a host of other environmental catastrophes. Climate mitigating policies are almost all aimed at reducing CO2, by whatever means.
Within the past several years, however, scientists have found that oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere has been dropping, and at higher rates than just the amount that goes into the increase of CO2 from burning fossil fuels, some 2 to 4-times as much, and accelerating since 2002-2003 [1-3]. Simultaneously, oxygen levels in the world’s oceans have also been falling [4] (see Warming Oceans Starved of Oxygen, SiS 44).
It is becoming clear that getting rid of CO2 is not enough; oxygen has its own dynamic and the rapid decline in atmospheric O2 must also be addressed.
We are still letting people sell us lies we can see that has happened many time’s in the past because of people like trump choosing to ignore the Green house effect’s of Human caused Global Warming why because he can milk it he will be getting billion’s through the back door .Wealthy or power full people have set Humanity advances back 100 years by burning books and suppression new technology that will cause these people to lose power and control the carbon( baron that back trump) . If he could make money out of it he would put LEAD back in Petrol .We new lead was poisonous and it took 50 years to rip it out of the capitalist hand’s and put it’s fact’s of a bad mistake in our history books .
We have to stand up and stop these people who are lieing to the whole Papatunuku
JUST to make MONEY enough said I have 2 links below KIA KAHA Green tangata
Ka kite ano P.S Watch Cosmos A Space Time Odssey season 1 episode 7 I will get my mokopunas to all watch all of this awesome programs
Newshub Nation The living wage or $20 a hour will not cause a loss of 30 k of jobs thats just the Capitals spin as always.
The worker’s deserve respect like all people is that not In the Law it would be much better for the many if we found solution’s for our low paid seasonal workers shortage I.E a way to make it more worth the effort to go to work I.E the employers need to pay more full stop.
New Zealand have no privacy we are hooked up with the who and we no they are spying on the whole Papatuanuku enough said.
Many thanks Nation for running the story on Myanmar this show’s the Papatuanuku
need to know what’s going on in all these human made greed desasters that are growing at a alarming rate . ka kite ano P.S Tod Barclay enough said boys
Some Eco Maori music M&M has just release his latest album I think we have some of the same views on our reality Ka pai E-Hoa link is below ka kite ano.
Good evening Newshub That’s going to be a Papatuanuku class Americas Cup yacht race held in Auckland Tamaki-makau-rau one will be able to watch the race from the shore .
With Napier’s problems one Great British Actor Michael Cain has made a statement that poverty is what creates crime and that’s a fact .In Napier there were heaps of jobs not now after the last nine years of money transfer policy’s ‘.
There you go Technology at its best Many thanks Alibaba enough said.
China plastic Surgery growth of 40% you know the mokopuna’s they are easily lead it’s the people of my generation that one can see that when they get longer in the tooth that they end up looking bad if they over do it ie heaps of operations .
Kate I’v been wacthing Cosmos Spacetime Odyessey narrated by Neil Degrasse all tangata should watch this series. Ka kite ano P.S I can see how fast the music of my Koauau travels around Papatuanuku
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It was just a month ago that the chief executive of Rotorua Lakes Council, Geoff Williams, described suggestions his executive team should consider taking pay cuts as “immoral”. Williams told the NZ Herald: “I am very fortunate to have around me an extremely committed, dedicated and hardworking executive team who ...
“Every day, we see the powers that promulgate laws that oblige one to take certain routes and [those] that do not follow these indications or do not want them to be part of their legislation, are accused and politely persecuted” – Pope Francis What does the Government’s decision to limit ...
In a previous post I noted that futures thinking usually tries to identify what people think will change and what they think needs to change. As lockdown constraints ease, we are seeing a lot of opinions about both. There is no shortage of shovel ready points of view ...
The Green Party says major freshwater reforms announced today provide the strongest ever protections of our waterways, to help ensure the next generation can swim in the rivers of Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Megan Woods, Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Dr David Clark, Minister of Health Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, and Health Minister David Clark today announced a COVID-19 vaccine strategy, ...
Budget 2020 is about rebuilding together, supporting jobs, getting business moving and the books back into the black. It’s an integral part of our COVID-19 economic response, and our plan to grow our economy and get New Zealand moving again.Here’s a quick look at the five top things you ...
The Coalition Government has approved $206 million in essential upgrades at Ōhakea Air Base. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the money would be spent on improving old infrastructure. He said safety issues would be addressed, as well as upgrades to taxiways, accommodation and fresh, storm and waste water systems. "This ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has introduced a Bill to Parliament that he says will "force more transparency, integrity and respect" for the domestic wood-processing sector through the registration of log traders and practice standards. The Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill had its first reading in ...
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is joining over 300 lawmakers from around the world in calling on the big banks and the IMF to forgive the debt of developing countries, in the wake of the COVID crisis. ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says concerns that carbon foresters are planting pine trees that will never be harvested are the result of "misinformation". "The billion tree strategy is an excellent idea, unfortunately from time to time it's tainted by misinformation spread by the National Party or their grandees, hiding in scattered ...
The Green Party welcomes funding in the budget to reunite more refugees with their families, ensuring they have the best chance at a new life in Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
This year’s Budget is about rebuilding New Zealand together in the face of COVID-19. Jobs are central to how we’re going to do that.There’s a lot of targeted investment for employment in this year’s Budget, with announcements on creating new jobs, training people for the jobs we have, and supporting ...
Speaking to Stuff's Coronavirus NZ podcast, Foreign Minister Winston Peters revealed China tried to dissuade New Zealand from going into lockdown.“Without speaking out of turn, they wanted a discussion as to why we were doing it, because they thought it was an overreaction,” Mr Peters told Stuff’s Coronavirus NZ podcast.He also ...
The Coalition Government is making changes to the Overseas Investment Act to ensure New Zealand assets don't fall into the hands of foreign ownership in the economic aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Associate Minister of Finance David Parker announced the Act will be amended to bring forward a national interest ...
A quick start to a trans-Tasman bubble could see the tourism industry make a swift recovery, according to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. "I believe tourism will turn around dramatically faster than people think," Mr Peters told reporters after Thursday's Budget. "Why? Because I think the Tasman bubble is [going ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Please check against deliveryhttps://vimeo.com/418303651 Budget 2020: Jobs, Business and Balance Introduction Acknowledgements to all Cabinet colleagues, and party ministers Tracey Martin, Shane Jones and Ron Mark, Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau and to caucus colleagues. Thank you for your support, your ...
The 2020 Budget includes significant support to stabilise New Zealand’s family violence services, whose work has been shown to be so essential throughout the COVID-19 lockdown. ...
The Green Party says huge new investment in public and transitional housing will get thousands more families into the warm, safe homes they deserve. ...
The Green Party says the $1.1 billion environmental investment in this year’s budget to create thousands of green jobs will help jump start a sustainable recovery from the COVID crisis. ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said today the Coalition Government told foreigners at the start of the Covid-19 crisis that if their circumstances had changed dramatically, they should go home. "And 50,000 did," Mr Peters said. Official advice to Cabinet revealed there is potentially 380,000 foreigners and migrant workers in ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the decision today to go to Alert Level 2 from midnight Wednesday, says Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters. Alert Level 2 will mean a return to work for the vast majority of New Zealand’s businesses. A return ...
Nurses now look set to get more protection from violence at work, under a proposed new law.This after NZ First MP Darroch Ball's "Protection for First Responders Bill", which introduces a six-month minimum sentence for assaults on first responders, will now also cover emergency department healthcare workers. The ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Law and Order Spokesperson An amendment to the ‘Protection of First Responders Bill’ is being tabled which will see emergency department healthcare workers included in the legislation. “During this COVID-19 crisis we have seen reports of violence and specifically increased incidents of spitting towards ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is breathing new life into the proposal to move Auckland's port to Whangārei to help in the economic recovery post Covid-19 pandemic.If New ZealandFirst was returned in the September general election, Minister Jones said a priority would be development of an "economic haven" at Northport, ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister and Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi, has today announced the appointment of Tristan Gilbertson as the new Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission. “Mr Gilbertson has considerable experience in the telecommunications industry and a strong reputation amongst his peers,” ...
The Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do. “Teacher aides are frontline ...
Subcontractors will have greater certainty, more cashflow support and job security with new changes to retention payments under the Construction Contracts Act says Minister for Building and Construction, Jenny Salesa. A recent review of the retentions money regime showed that most of the building and construction sector is complying with ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marked the first anniversary of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership with a virtual Leaders’ Meeting today. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019, provides the framework for cooperation across the four main areas of trade, defence and ...
On 17 May 2019, New Zealand and Singapore established an Enhanced Partnership to elevate our relations. The Enhanced Partnership – based on the four pillars of trade and economics, security and defence, science, technology and innovation, and people-to-people links – has seen the long-standing relationship between our countries strengthen over the ...
State-Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters has welcomed KiwiRail’s announcement that it is seeking a preferred shipyard to build two new rail-enabled ferries for the Cook Strait crossing. “This Government is committed to restoring rail to its rightful place in New Zealand. Bigger, better ships, with new technology are yet another ...
Better protection for seabirds is being put in place with a new National Plan of Action to reduce fishing-related captures, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2020 outlines our commitment to reduce fishing-related captures and associated seabird ...
Almost $1 billion in interest-free loans for small businesses More than 55,000 businesses have applied; 95% approved Average loan approx. $17,300 90% of applications from firms with ten or fewer staff A wide cross-section of businesses have applied, the most common are the construction industry, accommodation providers, professional firms, and ...
Thousands of children will have healthier lungs after the Government’s ban on smoking in cars with kids becomes law, says Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa. This comes after the third reading of Smoke-free Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Bill earlier today. “This law makes it ...
The special Epidemic Response Committee (ERC) has successfully concluded its role, Leader of the House Chris Hipkins said today. The committee was set up on 25 March by the agreement of Parliament to scrutinise the Government and its actions while keeping people safe during levels 4 and 3 of lockdown. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced four diplomatic appointments: New Zealand’s Ambassador to Belgium, High Commissioners to Nauru and Niue, and Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. “As the world seeks to manage and then recover from COVID-19, our diplomatic and trade networks are more important than ever,” Mr Peters said. “The ...
New Zealanders will be better protected from online harm through a Bill introduced to Parliament today, says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “The internet brings many benefits to society but can also be used as a weapon to spread harmful and illegal content and that is what this legislation targets,” ...
New Zealand’s world-first plan to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis is on track the latest technical data shows, says Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “Two years ago the Government, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand and industry partners made a bold decision to go hard and commit ...
Further support for New Zealanders affected by 1-in-100 year global economic shock 12-week payment will support people searching for new work or retraining Work programme on employment insurance to support workers and businesses The Government today announced a new temporary payment to support New Zealanders who lose their jobs due ...
The Provincial Growth Fund will play a vital role in New Zealand’s post-COVID-19 recovery by creating jobs in shorter timeframes through at least $600 million being refocused on projects with more immediate economic benefits, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The funding is comprised of repurposed Provincial Growth ...
Government exempts some home improvements from costly consents Homeowners, builders and DIYers will soon have an easier time making basic home improvements as the Government scraps the need for consents for low-risk building work such as sleep-outs, sheds and carports – allowing the construction sector to fire back up quicker ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the New Zealand Government has reacted with concern at the introduction of legislation in China’s National People’s Congress relating to national security in Hong Kong. “We have a strong interest in seeing confidence maintained in the ‘one country, two systems’ principle under which Hong ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, says the theme for the 2020 Samoa Language Week is a perfect fit for helping our Pacific communities cope with the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, and to prepare now for the journey ahead as New Zealand focuses on recovery plans and rebuilding New ...
A nearly 40-year programme to protect one of New Zealand’s most critically endangered birds is paying off, with a record number of adult kakī/black stilt recently recorded living in the wild, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. “Thanks to the team effort involved in the Department of Conservation’s ...
The story of the Waikato-Tainui Treaty process and its enduring impact on the community is being told with a five-part web story launched today on the 25th anniversary of settlement, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “I am grateful to Waikato-Tainui for allowing us to help capture ...
Taita College in the Hutt Valley will be redeveloped to upgrade its ageing classrooms and leaky roofs, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “The work is long overdue and will make a lasting difference to the school for generations to come,” Chris Hipkins said. “Too many of our schools are ...
The Government is allocating $36.72 million to projects in regions hard hit economically by COVID-19 to keep people working, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Projects in Hawke’s Bay, Northland, Rotorua and Queenstown will be funded from the Government’s $100 million worker ...
A $35m boost to financial capability service providers funded by MSD will help New Zealanders manage their money better both day to day and through periods of financial difficulty, announced Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “It’s always been our position to increase support to key groups experiencing or at risk ...
Dunedin barrister Melinda Broek has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court jurisdiction to be based in Rotorua, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Broek has iwi affiliations to Ngai Tai. She commenced her employment in 1996 with Scholefield Cockroft Lloyd in Invercargill specialising in family and ...
The Coalition Government has approved a business case for $206 million in upgrades to critical infrastructure at Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea, with the first phase starting later this year, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. The investment will be made in three phases over five years, and ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today released the Ministry of Transport’s review of the organisational culture at the Civil Aviation Authority. Phil Twyford says all employees are entitled to a safe work environment. “I commissioned this independent review due to the concerns I had about the culture within the CAA, and ...
Ensuring that Stats NZ’s direction and strategy best supports government policy decisions will be a key focus for a new Governance Advisory Board announced today by the Minister for Statistics, James Shaw. The new Governance Advisory Board will provide strategic advice to Stats NZ to ensure it is meeting New ...
Environment Judge David Kirkpatrick of Auckland has been appointed as the Principal Environment Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Judge Kirkpatrick was appointed an Environment Judge in February 2014. From December 2013 to July 2016 he was Chair of the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel. Prior to appointment he ...
A programme to connect marae around the country to the internet has received $1.4 million to expand to include urban marae in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Kris Faafoi and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The funding for the Marae Connectivity Programme ...
The Government will provide $500,000 to the Hawke’s Bay Mayoral Drought Relief Fund to help farmers facing one of the worst droughts in living memory, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Yesterday afternoon I received a letter from Hawke's Bay's five local Government leaders asking me to contribute to the Fund. ...
Budget 2020 provides a major investment in New Zealand’s documentary heritage sector, with a commitment to leasing a new Archives Wellington facility and an increase in funding for Archives and National Library work. “Last year I released plans for a new Archives Wellington building – a purpose-built facility physically connected ...
Government Ministers are asking significant private enterprises to adopt prompt payment practices in line with the state sector, as a way to improve cashflow for small businesses. The Ministers of Finance, Small Business, Commerce and Consumer Affairs have written to more than 40 significant enterprises and banking industry representatives to ...
Maori Arts and Crafts will continue to underpin the heart of the tourism sector says Minister for Maori Development Nanaia Mahuta. “That’s why we are making a core investment of $7.6 million to Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, over two years, as part of the Government’s ...
The Government is funding more pathways to jobs through training and education programmes in regional New Zealand to support the provinces’ recovery from the economic impacts of COVID-19, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson have announced. “New Zealand’s economic recovery will be largely driven by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It was Greg Combet, one-time ACTU secretary and former Labor minister, who got Christian Porter and Sally McManus together in the early days of the pandemic. Recalling what happened, Porter told the Australian Financial Review ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristy Hess, Associate Professor (Communication), Deakin University With swift and savage force, the COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently attacked Australia’s local news media ecology, which was already battling a weakened immune system. As a researcher working on Australia’s largest academic study into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael (Mike) Joy, Senior Researcher; Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand’s government has been praised for listening to health experts in its pandemic response, but when it comes to dealing with pollution ...
Rod Oram spoke to the leaders of 16 Kiwi businesses over seven weeks, during which they and their businesses rose to meet unprecedented demands. Here's what he learned. ...
Tenants in the commercial property market continue to wait for Covid-19 relief while government coalition partners Labour and New Zealand First hammer out a deal. ...
They call themselves the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, but they’re not a church, and the treatment they sell is called Miracle Mineral Supplement – but it’s chlorine dioxide, commonly known as bleach. Susan Strongman reports for RNZ.A New Zealand website is advising people with symptoms of coronavirus ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. On Project Syndicate – and in other places in recent months – orthodox US economist Kenneth Rogoff has presented the case for deeply negative interest rates. Another financial sacred cow falls; yes, interest rates can be negative, even substantially negative. It can take ...
The Government is cracking down on nitrogen fertiliser use and asking councils to speed up their planning processes in order to clean up the country's waterways, Marc Daalder reports One in five farmers will have to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertiliser they are using under a new rule announced ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to New Zealand investor and business advisor David Bell. As a university professor ...
The calls for public health specialists for more taxpayer funding could be taken more seriously if they stopped wasting money on pointless public relations campaigns under the guise of public health, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union . Union Executive ...
The New Zealand College of Midwives is calling on the Government to release details of the funding allocated to maternity services in this year’s budget, and is supporting their GP colleagues in asking the Minister of Health to immediately release Heather ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy told a senate inquiry earlier this week our COVID-19 public health response had avoided about 14,000 deaths. This is in contrast to his deputy Paul Kelly, who ...
By Sri Krishnamurthi, contributing editor Pacific Media Watch Homegrown Australian television shows to the tune of $17.1 million will be broadcast in the Pacific in a bid believed intended to stymie China’s diplomatic and media rise in the region. Shows such as The Voice, Border Security, Neighbours and are to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nik Thompson, Senior Lecturer, Curtin University Data is the new oil, and online platforms will siphon it off at any opportunity. Platforms increasingly demand our personal information in exchange for a service. Avoiding online services altogether can limit your participation in society, ...
By RNZ News New Zealand has reported no new cases of covid-19 coronavirus today, but the death toll has risen to 22 to include a woman who died after recovering from the disease. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there were only eight active cases in the country and ...
Fisheries New Zealand is seeking public feedback on a draft Pāua Fisheries Plan and a proposed subdivision of the pāua fishery along the Kaikōura and Canterbury coasts, known as the PAU3 quota management area. “Splitting the quota management ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jarrod Haar, Professor of Human Resource Management, Auckland University of Technology When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said recently, “I’ve heard lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day week”, she inevitably ignited debate. Ardern was not, as some critics ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Bricknell, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health, CQUniversity Australia Now we have fewer cases of COVID-19, and restrictions are lifting, many of us are thinking of rejuvenating our social lives by heading to our local cafe or favourite restaurant. What can we ...
Former Race Relations Commissioner, Gregory Fortuin says he agrees with Judith Collins that no one should be superficially judge on skin colour and ethnicity . Fortuin was responding to Collins’ reported outburst about "sick of being demonised" ...
The government says it allowed the Avatar film crew back into New Zealand in spite of the current border closures because the making of the film offers “significant economic value” to our country. But this criterion is being applied unevenly. What ...
New Zealand Defence Force bases in Auckland are attacking their water use as the region battles one of the worst droughts in recent history. The taps are being turned off at Devonport Naval Base, RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai, Papakura Military ...
The Kahui Wai Maori Advisory group welcomed the announcement made by the Hon David Parker, Minister for the Environment today of the new rules designed to clean up our waterways. At the heart of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management ...
Water New Zealand says the Government’s Action for Healthy Waterways package provides a sensible and realistic way forward and will result in much-needed improvements in freshwater quality. Acting CEO John Mackie says it’s vital that there is no ...
When Claire Freeman became a wheelchair user at age 17, the questions she had about how she might enjoy sex were dismissed and she was made to feel like that part of her life was over. Here she flips the script with some advice on how to find pleasure on ...
As companies in New Zealand’s property development and building sectors digest opportunities presented by the Budget, what they need most urgently to move forwards is Resource Management Act and policy reform in order to rebuild together, says the ...
“We are pleased to see that the Government’s freshwater reforms announced today respond to some of the issues raised, and recommendations made, by the irrigation sector,” says Elizabeth Soal, Chief Executive of IrrigationNZ. “But there is ...
The government is imposing tough rules on water quality despite over 17,000 submissions, many of them complaining the move would impose a huge financial burden. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all Australians, but there are very good reasons why the impact might be more keenly felt by people with disability and their carers. Our new research on behalf ...
Freshwater campaigners are frustrated the Government has delayed a crucial decision on nitrogen pollution for a further 12 months until after the election. “We have urged the Government many times to put in place clear and unequivocal limits for ...
The government has just announced a whole lot of new rules and policies for freshwater with the aim of urgently stopping degradation and cleaning up rivers over the long term.What’s all this then? A massive package of work on freshwater quality has just been announced in an attempt to halt further ...
The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has welcomed the announcement by Ministers David Parker, Damien O’Connor and James Shaw this morning of the much-awaited freshwater reforms. “This package of changes to the present regulatory settings largely delivers ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a set of targeted tools to improve the quality of freshwater. LGNZ is the peak body representing New Zealand’s 78 local councils, providing a unified voice for ...
Many families facing newfound financial hardship due to COVID-19 may not be seeking help – believing they should be able to manage on their own or unaware they qualify for support, according to Good Shepherd NZ. The charitable organisation provides ...
Changes to central government Essential Freshwater regulations reflect farmer feedback, Federated Farmers says. "While we’re still working through the detail, the high level policy decisions indicate the government has heeded some of the rural ...
The Council of Trade Unions is congratulating teacher aides in achieving an historic pay equity offer from the government to settle their long standing concerns. "What this offer from the government does is acknowledge the historic under valuation of ...
Freshwater reforms a significant step forward The Government's policy announced today is a significant step forward in reducing pollution in our rural and our urban waterways caused by intensive farming and through council's neglect. However, there ...
Thursday, 28th May: Greenpeace is today welcoming the Government’s move to place a cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, but says more controls are needed to protect freshwater. The fertiliser cap was announced today as part of the Government’s ...
Following today’s announcements on the government’s response to the future of freshwater, it appears that despite the chorus of calls for a change in how the post-COVID future of Aotearoa is shaped - and following many months of engagement, consultation ...
Horticulture New Zealand says the Government’s decisions around freshwater recognise the importance of growing fresh fruit and vegetables in this country. ‘We applaud the Government for the pragmatic approach it is taking to meeting the long-term freshwater ...
NZ’s primary exports held up well in April, again proving the country’s farming industries are sustaining the economy despite many sectors being stricken by the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost coincidentally, a UMR probe of public opinion about farming revealed a sharp swing in perception. Instead of the negativity that had been ...
In a world where players have unfettered access to fans through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it raises the question of whether traditional media still has a role to play. But as Scotty Stevenson explains, a player-driven model powered by social media can only go so far. Among the many weird and ...
Two statements from the Beehive yesterday were enlightening for taxpayers trying to keep tabs on the burgeoning billions being spent on facilitating the economic recovery. One statement told us how much is being handed out to small businesses. Correction. One statement told us how much is being loaned to small ...
Emily Writes celebrates wholesome shows and the rise of cosy television.The world is frightening right now. From Covid-19 to climate change, just watching the news can be overwhelming let alone going outside. This horror is the perfect environment for what I call Soft TV to flourish. Wholesome reality TV isn’t ...
While many areas of the workforce have been shaken by the effects of Covid-19, a Ngāi Tahu futures lab has been working to give rangatahi Māori the opportunity to decide their own futures.Futurists have thought up myriad strategies for how the world should look post-Covid. For all its hurt, the ...
Pacific Media Centre The dramatic daily increase of covid-19 coronavirus cases in West Papua poses a “great threat” to Papua New Guinea, says the country’s deputy emergency chief. State of Emergency Deputy Controller and Acting Secretary for Health Dr Paison Dakulala said the Indonesian-ruled Papua region had seen an increase ...
Recent public opinion polls are revealing some very interesting, if somewhat contradictory, insights into New Zealanders’ current thinking about the Covid19 crisis and the national response. The most recent 1News Colmar Brunton poll reported that 92% of ...
Trucking companies have missed out on the Government’s Covid-19 money lolly scramble and this will mean increased costs across the already damaged economy, Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett says. "Despite working through the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Since last summer’s bushfire crisis, there’s been a quantum shift in public awareness of Aboriginal fire management. It’s now more widely understood that Aboriginal people used landscape burning to sustain biodiversity ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide A return to face to face teaching at universities and technical colleges “where possible” is one of the goals of the Morrison government’s three step framework for a COVIDsafe Australia. A look at ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hazel Easthope, Scientia Associate Professor, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW We’re building a lot of apartments in Australia. High-density precincts are being developed across our major cities. But these buildings and neighbourhoods are often not designed and managed in ways that meet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Kaine, Associate Professor UTS Centre for Business and Social Innovation, University of Technology Sydney Workers everywhere are feeling the impact of COVID-19 and the restrictions necessitated by COVID-19. In Australia, retail and hospitality workers have been particularly hard hit. In other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Forsyth, Professor of Workplace Law, RMIT University Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week proposed a new deal in industrial relations, bringing together the government, employers and unions to agree on reforms to create jobs and lift the economy in the post-CIVD-19 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Markey, Emeritus Professor, Macquarie University In a bid to repair the economy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an industrial relations overhaul. Business groups and unions will be brought together to try to change a system that Morrison says is “not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathon Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer Online Communication and Media, University of Sydney The constraints of coronavirus isolation have closed down most recreational activities, but some creative industries are responding in innovative ways. I have been researching “digital first personalities” – content producers who ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Mainfreight's revenues have risen since April 1 despite Covid-19 as it reports higher annual profit and stable dividend, and repays $10.6m wage subsidy. NZX 50 back to March 9 level ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Lamb, Associate Professor in Geophysics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Back in the 1970s, scientists came up with a revolutionary idea about how Earth’s deep interior works. They proposed it is slowly churning like a lava lamp, with ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Kiwibuild buyers left facing years of delays, calls for relaxation of alert levels and travel, and new details emerge in NZ First Foundation saga.Despite a reset of the policy last year, Kiwibuild is still proving to be problematic. A disastrous new ...
Dr Emily Henderson Last night, the Labour Party named Whangarei Family Court lawyer, Dr Emily Henderson, as its candidate to contest the Whangarei seat in the September general election. Emily has lived in Whangarei since she was seven years old, attending ...
Lockdown shut down an overseas couple's bid to walk the length of the country. When freed again, they returned from Auckland to the deep south to complete the task. Dressed in handmade ninja turtle costumes, hikers Becca Rolon and Diarmuid McInerney finally reached Bluff - finishing a 3000km walk the length ...
Quarantine-free travel between NZ and Pacific Islands should be our priority, ahead of plans to extend our bubble to include Australia, writes the University of Auckland's Dr Collin Tukuitonga Much has been made of the desirability of a ‘trans-Tasman’ bubble with quarantine-free air travel as a priority. There are compelling reasons ...
We can't decouple growth from its adverse effects and it's becoming clear that the same economic thinking that got us here won't get us out. A cultural shift to ‘enoughness’ and non-consumptive means of happiness could be the way forward after Covid-19, argues Lucie Greenwood. Talk of economic transition in a post-Covid-19 world ...
The return of intra-coalition dissent, on the speed of New Zealand’s move out of lockdown and freshwater policy measures, is a useful reminder that National is not the only party with political headaches, Sam Sachdeva writes For a politician who often trumpets the importance of due process when he wants ...
With the Black Ferns Sevens back in camp after lockdown, long-time star Kelly Brazier returns as a new mum, with a new rugby plan. Kelly Brazier is used to having crowds cheer her on in stadiums around the world. But with countries shutting down, sport being cancelled and ...
An essay by Martin Edmond in response to the monumental second volume by Peter Simpson on artist Colin McCahon.I. Bro Aspect I first met Peter Simpson at Sally and Alan’s place in Coromandel Street, Newtown, Wellington, 1988. Alan Brunton and Sally Rodwell, the founders of Red Mole. They ...
Open Mike 31/08/2018 
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The dairy industry is out of control and needs to be managed a lot better.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/365324/photos-reveal-unacceptable-conditions-for-calving-safe-says
Damien O’Connor is not up to the job of dealing with rogue famrers.
As Rachel Stewart says…
and……
.
Rachel Stewart speaks truth to power.
Mr Jones told Morning Report that the following about Australian banks.
The minister said he planned to speak to Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr to “establish the facts” about the requirements of banking licences and will then consider policy options.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/365265/aus-banks-take-skinflint-approach-to-nz-shane-jones
‘The Regional Economic Development Minister says the banks are putting profits ahead of their responsibility to rural areas, as unions raise concerns over branch closures.
The banking sector is certainly not the first group to attract the ire of Shane Jones – he’s previously taken issue with supermarkets, power companies, Fonterra and Air New Zealand.’
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/365333/champion-of-regions-jones-holds-true-to-title
We used to have regional community owned banks exactly for that purpose.
TSB is the only one left.
Yes we do agree with more community banks now for sure, -and we have switched to TSB 12 yrs ago and recommend TSB as HB/Gisborne based residents..
Third talking point.
When Jeffrey Sachs speaks truth to power about Syria.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ending-disastrous-american-role-in-syria-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2018-02?barrier=accesspaylog
To provide some context. That interview took place in April, during the aftermath of allegations there had been a chemical attack in Douma but before missiles had been launched into Syria..
To my mind, Jeffrey Sachs (and that’s a link to his wiki page for those interested) just goes to show that some good people do manage to survive in fairly toxic environments.
For those who either don’t like Dore’s style of presentation, or who (understandably) won’t watch 18 min vids, here’s a basic transcript of what Sachs said.
Jeffrey Sachs, can hardly be said to be speaking truth to power, appearing a little less unhinged, but in essence little different to Infowars Alex Jones. Both push the same pro-fascist, pro-genocide script.
‘
The Geo-politics of Counter-revolution
Michael Karadjis – August 23, 2018
To which I would add:
Even global imperial wars between each other, are not feared as much by the rival global elites who run our world, as much as they fear popular revolt from below.*
In 1917 in the war of intervention the Western Allies and the Entent powers both invaded Russia to overturn the results of the revolution.
Even rival empires, England and Germany who were still fighting each other on the Western Front, took part in the war of intervention.
In an echo of Assad, Churchill used gas weapons in an effort to exterminate the revolutionaries.
The war of intervention lasted until 1921 and cost 1.2 million lives. The imperial powers, (though probably not realising it at the time), achieved their purpose of defeating the revolution.
– the best of the popular revolutionaries of 1917 who fell in the war of intervention, were replaced by the murderous Stalinist bureaucracy that grew to fill the vacuum. Just as the murderous Isis was a product of the Assadist genocide against the popular opposition to the dictator.
Martin Luther King explained this process:
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – April 16, 1963
* Imperialist wars are fought between soldiers and working people on behalf of the rulers, they are not wars fought by soldiers and working people, against the rulers, and it is the civilians and soldiers who bear the burden of the suffering and death. In imperialist war between rival imperialist oppressors, it is hardly ever the elites who suffer, (even if they find themselves on the losing side.)
Unlike a war between oppressors. The same cannot be said for a war against the oppressors.
The Geo-politics of Counter-revoluion
Tea Partier Ron Paul’s Liberty Report.
RT.
Eva Bartlett
Vanessa Beeley
And now the Jimmy Dore Show?
Tea Partiers, RT propagandists, Conspiracy Theorists?
Really Bill?
Are these the sources of your information on Syria?
Talk about an echo chamber.
Rational Wiki:
Jimmy Dore
Rational Wiki
I’d be interested in hearing/seeing Lprent’s take:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/29-08-2018/nz-tech-is-losing-it-over-the-idea-of-derek-handley-as-cto-of-new-zealand/
…… and others
I’d be interested in hearing/seeing Lprent’s take:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/29-08-2018/nz-tech-is-losing-it-over-the-idea-of-derek-handley-as-cto-of-new-zealand/
…… and others
Fascinating! I’ve always been very impressed by Derek Handley whenever he’s spoken on tv. I would’ve thought he’s ideal for the job. That groundswell of tech opponents seems a significant consensus though, so their views will need careful consideration.
Duncan Grieve’s report covers the implications well and I agree it all hinges on the job description, and how accurately that depicts the liaison and coordination functions required to interface our vitally-important emerging tech industry with government.
Agree with you (both paragraphs).
I’m interested in Lprent’s take because he’s been in the industry for quite some time and has seen the good and the bad. He appears to be motivated by creation of coding that is at it’s most efficient (probably to the point of obsession – not just stuff that works), and he seems to be as intolerant of some of the muppetry we’ve seen ( I could start a rave on government IT projects for example)
I might be a little cynical (I know), but over 40 plus years, I’ve also seen the bullshit artists, the promotion of various processes and schemes – often re-inventions of past practices with new names:
Project Management Schema
Bizzniss Management ‘best practices’ earning their ticket clipping creators vast sums, self-improvement books and best practice management schemes.
(Kaizen, SDLC’s , Martin Marrieta’s and whoever else is now in vogue, etc., etc. and other wheel reinventions)
I’m trying to keep an open mind. (It’s bloody hard when you walk down the streets of Wellington following some ‘IT professionals’ exercising their egos as well as their limbs discussing the projects they’re working on, knowing they’re trying to recreate a wheel). I’m also well-pleased to be out of it al.
I’m Oh so very PASSIONATE about it don’tcha know. I’m passionate about being entrepreneurial going forwardl
Operating in the traditional context of capitalism is understandable (when in Rome..) but it’s been obvious to me for that entire 40 year time that we need a better way forward. I’ve put stuff online about that before but for Aotearoa’s tech industry the key point is incentivising entrepreneurs in team contexts (self-interest limited by a collaborative common-interest context – stakeholder integral design).
Corporates using teams the past 30 years have mostly just been sloganeering. Has to be authentic. Employee profit-sharing, but also risk-sharing via participation in management. Ricardo Semler made it work in the eighties and Mondragon much earlier, so ain’t like the design is unproven.
The more kiwis support a local enterprise culture, the more they will wean themselves off dependency on capitalists. Never underestimate the empowering effect of agency in the psyche! We need like-mindedness on this to become contagious. Great to see sustainable business trending big nowadays but has to be more authenticity in it – a real green business is a genuine hybrid of capitalism and socialism, both in design and in how it operates.
Ae.
Need a nanna nap right now (energy levels have collapsed) but hopefully we can continue this discussion, and also Lyn might get a glimpse.
I’m hoping that ‘old school’ Jessie Mulligan will be able to put me into a deep sleep before he has to don his lycra and bile up the hill to RNZ for the Project.
Winston was 100% correct in october 2017 as he warned us all that the economy was at the top of the cliff on the night he chose to partner labour in October 2017.
Winsrton warned that this correction would happen in his election speak as he announced that he will join NZ First coalition with Labour.
Time to refresh our memories here.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11934973
QUOTE;
“In his explanation of why New Zealand First went with Labour over National, Winston Peters said the agreement reached in talks was a summation of policies that survived negotiations.
He went on: “As the song says, You can’t always get what you want.”
“Our negotiations have taken place against a backdrop of changing international and internal economic circumstances which we cannot ignore.”
Those in New Zealand First believed that an economic correction, or a slowdown, was looming, and that the first signs were already apparent, he said.
“There’s no denying that a enormous correction is looming and pretending low business confidence is just all spite misses the much more dangerous signals”.
This is the latest current issue with ‘Ministerial services’ botch-up again;
Who are Ministerial services overseen by?
Could the ‘Ministerial Services’ be operated by several National Party ‘cling-ons trying to destabilise the labour lead Government’????
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/365337/labour-mp-accused-of-manhandling-press-secretary
We see today that the Government is in trouble with “Ministerial staffing issues” again as I seemed to be at Phil Twyford’s Ministerial office in Wellington as when I was trying to get clarity out of Twyford’s staff member ‘she slamed the phone down and cut me off before the discussion ended, and now we want an enquiry into why this ‘Ministerial staffer felt it was appropproate that she can terminate a phone call before answering questions from a constituent public member.
Just as a Labour Minister is allegedgly charged with puishing a staffing member out of an office in Parlaiment perhaps we need to review the actions and performance of the “ministerial staff” and have the Minister of Internal affairs to open an enquiry into “Ministerial services” also now??????.
Press secretaries are employed more or less directly by their minister. Ministerial services just pays the salary
She probably slammed the phone down because you were rambling and making no sense. Happens all the time when you’ve got the opportunity to type and review what you are writing. I can only imagine how incoherent you’ll be talking
The opposite of security
The GCSB’s current motto on its website is “If New Zealand has secrets worth stealing, then they’re worth protecting”. Now, the GCSB and their Five Eyes masters wants to make it radically easier for people to steal those very secrets they claim to exist to protect. How? By backdooring the encryption which protects our networks, our filesystems, our financial transactions, everything:
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-opposite-of-security.html
According to this RNZ press release;- the leaker was not actually named by RNZ!!!
So I suspect this was National party leaking again, as bad as the last one was that Simple Simon Bridges spending also was exposed, and now found to be him falsely leaking his spending for press cover.
So it looks as though I am right sadly that the “Ministerial services staff” are behind all the leaking of information for “political reasons” probably by National Party cling-ons trying to destablise the labour lead government again and this is inside collussion going on here both inside the Government Ministerial services and the publically owned media network RNZ as they are recieving illegal leaked information from the Government employees conducting ‘poitical actions against their employer.
National “dirty politics part two”???.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/365337/labour-mp-accused-of-manhandling-press-secretary
Sources have told RNZ Ms Whaitiri was difficult to work with and point to a high staff turnover in her office. The press secretary role had been vacant for months.
RNZ has chosen not to identify the press secretary. She has not responded to requests for comment.
Both Ms Whaitiri and Ms Ardern are refusing to answer questions on the matter while the investigation is ongoing.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told RNZ Ms Ardern had alerted him to the reasons behind the inquiry but he would not elaborate on them.
He would wait until the investigation was over and “see where the cards fall” before commenting, he said.
“Allegations are not fact. They’re allegations. Let’s see whether they’re meritorious or not.”
Low level corruption with high level impact……how to undo a 9 year legacy?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/08/30/216721/ministerial-advice-doctored
This looks like closet-stalinism. Eugenie asked for advice from the ecologist. A public servant intercepted that advice, then censored it before passing it on to her.
I can’t see how any public servant could justify such misbehaviour. Does anyone here feel up to defending such closet-stalinists in our public service??
“Asked why the passages were deleted, Severinsen says: “The content formed a part of a larger piece of work under consideration by the department and it was not appropriate to include that subset of information until the other task was completed.”
So that is the bullshit and hows its done.. unbelievable in their audacity…time for heads to roll.
Yes Dennis I now see that when I had the phone slammed down on my conversation with Phil Twyfords staffer I felt that same “censoring’ controlling ‘stalinist’ Fed-up’ interference of my human rights to get questions answered by a ministers staffer as an employee of my government and that she also is a public servant.
She was a person I describe as without any civility or reasonable patience or bedside manner and lacked all resonable ability to offer help to any public enquiries so I would ask Government to restore “civility” to public serive employees.
To cut off during a convewrsation a enquiry from the public is unreasonable service and a stark lack of respect & humanity.
Dennis you asked; ‘Am I feed up with low public service employees’?
Yes some only, (as some are very good) – and in this case when I called Phil Twyfords office in Wellington, my human rights were clearly violated by this Ministerial staffer and Phil twyford should sack her and appologise to me for her lack of reasonable conduct, as he and his office have a recording of the conversation already and can easily review her disconduct..
I share your concern and it seems clear that you have a valid grievance. Twyford’s gate-keeper could be operating in bulldog mode. Do such people get hired on the basis of Labour Party membership or are they supposedly neutral?
If the latter, you could have a case for a formal complaint & it may be a good idea to learn how to proceed with one.
I keep reminding cleangreen that the Minister is totally the wrong person to help for the local issue.- the noise from heavy vehicles on the Kennedy Rd Overpass.
its the Regional land Transport Committee who deal with local projects at this scale.
The person in the Ministers office should have been able to assist you with their contact details
My understanding is that cleangreen has been involved in all issues transport in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay areas for many years and is well known to all people, organisations (eg District and Regional Councils including probably the local regional transport committees) in that area. He has also appeared before Select Committees etc including just a few months ago (I watched him/his group present a submission online). I suspect he is in contact with all local and regional councils and committees as well as Ministers’ offices regularly …
Thanks again Dennis,
Will do after Tuesday possible outcome, as we called our labour MP Napier office this morning and Stuart Nash’s local PA said she would have her staffer on the case Monday to get to the bottom of this intentional devisive blocking of communication beteen our NGO and Phil Twyford.
Hope we finally get to discuss/solutions to Napiers truck gridlock noise and air polution public health problems facing our 12000 folks living alongside the truck route road HB Expressway to the port of napier, as people are badly affected by this now and are facing pysical damage to their health..
I am holdiing a letter written by Helen Cl;ark as Prime minister of NZ dated 26th October 2003 to me as seretary of Pirimai residents association advising me that she has engaged both Mark gosche and michael Cullen to meet me and our committee at the HB Expressway with Transit NZ (now NZTA) CEO Robin Dun;op to help solve our issues.
Then after several other meetings we got Michael Cullen to finally buy back our rail system to get freight back on rail and off the roads and place a smooth road along residential areas so we got help with the last labour lot.
This last nine years NZTA took the smooth road away and trebbled the truck mfreight through our residential areas so we lost alot but now labour need to come back and fix all our problems national left us with.
Interestingly the PCE report from their year long study of the HB Expressway advised Government to fix alll thse things and work with our residential groups also and we expect labour to comiit to this again. see page 22 ‘conclussions’.
Yet another reason a review of our public service, and senior public servants is way past time.
Hopefully, Skippy might remember this as one example, alongside others that encompass Health, Education, Economic Development,, Social Welfare, Employment, Standards, standards that include infrastructure and environmental risk, Local gubbamint, ……… not just the bugger’s muddle of processes and multiple organisational bureaucracy involved in child birth.
Ian Lees-Galloway might even realise that there are some very simple edicts that can be issued regarding Ummiigration that could seriously impact, if not stop much of the exploitation of workers. (The solution isn’t going to be found by soley consulting with his ‘officials’)
Right now though, we appear to be hung up on what’s best for the horse and its ability to race and support a betting industry than we are about the competencies relating to social policy and the citizenry of Aoteraroa/NuZull
I just happened on NORightTurn’s http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/08/mushrooming-minister.html.
Being an old codger (early 60s), I had to look up the urban dik to see what mushrooming meant – I’d asked my late 30s son first.
Oh how the response reminded me of the last time I worked in the PS. and how different it was from the first time as a clerk in the Supreme Court after leaving college.
Unbelievably apt
“The solid twatting of a ho’s face by the bulbous bell-end belonging to an erect nob. It is either an act of intense passion and loving for the mushroomed one, or an act of anger at the dislike of an unagreeable technique used during oral sex. If the face is struck hard enough with the familiar mushroom shape of said bell-end, then a bruise will be left”
In our corporatised ps, there are a number of CEOs whose job descriptions could probably reflect their position of being that ‘erect nob’
While I don’t really wish to paint over that startling but apt mental picture, I suspect NRT’s use of “mushrooming” was probably intended to evoke the idea of being kept in the dark and fed bullshit.
Jeremy Corbyn proposes new media model in the UK…bit of fight back from JC.
And the bit I really like…Jeremy Corbyn calls on the BBC to declare staff ‘social class’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/08/22/jeremy-corbyn-call-bbc-declare-social-class-presenters-journalists/
…I would love to see the ‘social class’ breakdown at The Guardian…wouldn’t be to many surprises there I bet.
It was interesting that 27% of BBC staff self-identify as working class whereas only 9% at the corporate do. His advocacy for a renewal of class-consciousness will appeal to nostalgia freaks all over the UK but you don’t see many cloth-cap-wearers in the wide camera pics of British news reports so they may be all dead.
Not much substance in those two links Adrian (due to usual tv focus on froth), but this report goes through his specific proposals in some detail: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2018/08/jeremy-corbyn-proposal-media-speech-edinburgh
We learned yesterday that the firm that owns Burger King in New Zealand has been banned from using migrant labour (ie people on work visas, not resident non-citizens) for a year.
In light of the shortage of affordable houses, and the routing of employers to get migrants for questionable low paid occupations – and reports of employee’s paying for their questionable job, and the fact that all the new people on these low wages probably will qualify for Kiwibuild and also be competing on low cost rentals, and the amount of Maori in jail who could probably get a job flipping burgers instead of the migrants, perhaps time to rethink these bizarre immigration “skilled” skills?
30 years ago it cost around $10,000 to sponsor in a worker and therefore was only used for real high value skills. Time to put that amount with inflation (around $20,000 as least) back on the table to get rid of all the routs.
Main occupations for Skilled Migrant Category principal applicants, 2016/17
Occupation 2016/17
Number %
Chef 684 5.7%
Registered Nurse (Aged Care) 559 4.6%
Retail Manager (General) 503 4.2%
Cafe or Restaurant Manager 452 3.7%
Number of people granted Essential Skills work visas by main occupations, 2016/17
Occupation Number %
Chef 2,178 6.6%
Dairy Cattle Farm Worker 1,617 4.9%
Carpenter 1,478 4.5%
Retail Supervisor 961 2.9%
Cafe or Restaurant Manager 942 2.9%
Retail Manager (General) 767 2.3%
Aged or Disabled Carer 748 2.3%
https://croakingcassandra.com/2018/08/30/work-visas-for-shop-managers/
That would be right. There is now ‘work visa specialist firms’ which travel around from shop to shop or farms telling them of the ‘cheap deal’ they can do to replace their local workers with ‘imports’ I was at the Chemist shop and such a business branded vehicle pulled up outside the dairy next door.
Betcha that firm makes the migrants pay a hefty fee to them too. Sad NZ has turned into scam city for jobs.
Yes. Thats how it works too.
Wasn’t flipping burgers. It was the manager
Was interesting that story
I heard about it a couple of days ago
It was actually a kiwi worker that they were under paying
A manager they were paying less than minimum wage to, but the punishment is not being able to get foreigners
All good with the punishment, but the law must be written quite weird.
It must kind of assume it would be a foreigner being under paid or something
Hilarious, the migrants get paid correctly and the Kiwis are under paid! Maybe they were trying to get rid of the Kiwi, by underpaying them. If they can’t pay minimum wages correctly they should not be importing in workers, let alone importing in workers for that skill set!
I hope the government is writing the cheque for the infrastructure for the aforementioned houses… not expecting the rate payers to pay for it…
Government to strip Auckland Council of powers over major housing developments
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/government-to-strip-auckland-council-of-powers-over-major-housing-developments.html
Perhaps they need to look at who is taking the affordable houses – and do something about lazy immigration above because they already put in a fuel tax to help the lazy planners and now the government is pushing in, to screw up congestion and pollution further with being in charge of more houses!
We really need (sarcasm) 20 liquor stores and burger Kings on every corner and the people who actually do real work in the city can’t get into work with all the congestion from low paid precariat workers driving around all day going from job to job, breaking down in their trucks as they deliver food and goods around to dodgy small businesses or the truck and trailers of dirt and concrete going across the city.
God help us, even the pathetic low level IT workers are dropping off the skills list. What is that telling us as we “move” towards the digital economy? How many of those skill are growing the economy, in high tech or manufacturing for example?
The government is writing cheques for infrastructure all over the country for new houses, because the councils are so weak and pathetic that they have not provided either the infrastructure or the houses for New Zealand society for decades.
Good fucking job for the Minister kicking Councils all over the park.
Nope they are writing cheques to construction firms many of whom are overseas based and employ foreign workers with Kiwis taxes that should be paying for teachers and hospitals.
Nobody has even seen this mythical thousands upon thousands of affordable houses. Construction firms are build spec houses for foreigners who bring money in to buy the house and then have no or small incomes so qualify for welfare.
Government are complicit in allowing foreign buyers of apartments and foreign buyers for new builds and foreign buyers of land and employers to bring in thousands of questionable migrant workers like at Burger King.
The government are actually increasing the cost of living and congestion for the aforementioned kiwis are they supposedly helping by their pathetic policies that they have not stopped since the Natz got out.
In fact the immigration skills look even worse last year than the year before with the Natz in charge as at least that had IT on it even if it was at a numbingly low level.
Not only that, the skills is on about a third of how people get into NZ residency, the rest are relatives off the aforementioned people and marriages…
Actually the “cheques” are from the Housing Infrastructure Fund that was set up by the previous government . They are drawn down by local councils, regional councils, and NZTA. They are drawn for the purposes of building infrastructure including wastewater mains, pump stations, water supply reservoirs, and roads.
They are not drawn by developers.
And of course, this fund is entirely separate to the funds from general taxation for the salaries of teachers.
A typical example is the $24 million loan announced by Phil Twyford yesterday for the new housing development in Queenstown.
The housing being built is only mythical if you are ignorant and don’t follow the news,
The quote at the end of the article is telling: “We have to do this, because if we don’t our kids will never be able to afford to live in this town,” he told NZME.”
This is why the most effective means of getting NZer’s housed in affordable, healthy homes is not going to happen. Because the focus is firmly on maintaining a high sales prices – while simultaneously ensuring those that traditionally have had the ability to purchase – are supported while doing so.
1. No mention about how providing affordable homes in secure tenancies (ie. state housing) improves health, community and crime outcomes.
2. No mention about the number of working families reduced to living out of vehicles.
3. No mention of the long-term trajectory of house prices and creation of bad living conditions when landlords are in the game only for the financial return,
4. No suggestion of making policy, tax and other changes to reduce the attractiveness and effectiveness of putting money into residential properties to generate personal financial gain.
Just stated worries about “children” not being able to live in the city. Inference “my” children. There have been children suffering from the housing crisis for years.
Would you like him to summarise his entire housing and tenancy policies to make you feel better?
There are active policies and reviews instigated by this Miniser to respond to all of those points.
No, I would like those working on housing to understand that one of the most effective ways to address all the issues regarding “our children” not being able to afford housing is for the state to embark on a massive building programme. Not in conjunction with private developers, not with financial assistance for some to purchase, but in order to house our people.
Whenever, I hear or read housing policy, these points are lightly touched on and not given the weight or priority that is required.
As I wanted to see if the housing policy has changed substantially since the last time I checked I had a look at Labour’s Housing Policy.
State Houses: People over Profit
Pretty lightweight. No mention of the security of housing for all, and the multiple benefits that come from reducing increase in transitional housing. Nothing about recreating the egalatarian approach to housing that existed and paved the way for connected communities. The “need” is the part that rankles with me. The expectation that state housing is always to be transitional despite the community benefits of having secure and long-term tenants. Also, no mention of how they determine where those communities are built – ie. are they close to all services and recreational areas. Otherwise, you have tenants who are transport poor as well as otherwise.
Kiwibuild
Pretty much what the main focus is on – particular “children” being able to enter the property market.
Investing in warm dry homes
A bit of a hotchpotch page to be honest. There have been studies showing that the installation of thermal curtains and pelmets are very effective in reduction of heat loss through single glazing. An much more affordable solution than replacing all windows with double glazing.
And the final note on that page:
Which is in line with how I understood the current policy focus to be. Not really sure that it has changed at all.
Is there a reason that you are going to the Labour site rather than to the site of the actual government that forms and executes actual policy as a government?
http://www.thebeehive.govt.nz is where you will find actual government policy on housing.
Lazily, because when I googled housing policy NZ govt the Labour policy was second on the list. The beehive link for The Future of Housing was further down and I hadn’t scrolled that far.
Once again, Ad. No concrete suggestions for the items I have mentioned. The only semi-fleshed out policy is Kiwibuild.
I firmly believe that will not solve the issues regarding housing if it remains the priority, which it seems to be.
(Also, the Labour party housing policy and the beehive link seem to be much of a muchness. Are we discussing content here?)
RNZ says Chelsea Manning has been cleared by Immigration NZ to apply for work visa for 2 speaking gigs.
Also Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106718206/chelsea-manning-granted-special-direction-to-apply-for-visa
I’m interested in the policy differences between our Immigration Service clearing Chelsea for entry here, but Australia denying entry.
Any view on the policy or operational or regulatory differences for the different result?
I haven’t seen one. RNZ says NZ Immigration used a category “special direction”. Aussie authorities say Manning has failed a “good character test”.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/365358/chelsea-manning-cleared-to-enter-nz-for-speaking-tour
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-29/chelsea-manning-australian-government-may-ban-entry/10180236
Protectionism. Don’t want to let any foreign criminals in because they feel the need to protect their domestic criminals. Also why they’ve started exporting kiwi crims back to here. Remember those headlines about the mafia taking over the Oz casinos in the seventies?
Australia has not yet denied Manning entry despite many media headlines (and the one here on the post re this) stating that Australia has banned her.
What Australia has done was on Wednesday they issued a Notice of Intention to deny a visa, which allows Manning to put her case why she should be granted a visa despite her convictions etc. (ie the Good Character Test). Presumably she and her sponsors etc have done this and are now awaiting a final decision.
I suspect that Australia may take a harder line than NZ, but I am really pleased that NZ has gone ahead and now allowed her to apply for a special exemption to the conviction provisions that would normally prevent her getting a visa (according the RNZ because she has not offended anywhere that she has gone to on similar speaking tours).
This means that NZ has taken a different approach to Australia which appears to be maintaining their hard line immigration approach that Dutton introduced (apart from a certain au pair…). It will be interesting to see what the Australian reaction will be to NZ’s position. LOL.
Don’t know the exact differences between NZ and Australian immigration rules, but of interest is that Canada after refusing Manning a visa last year, granted her one in May this year to do a speaking event in Montreal (or Ottawa?) albeit on very restrictive conditions re time there etc. So there is precedent for her to be granted a “special direction” allowing a visa for entry to NZ to be issued on similar conditions.
In terms of practicalities, Manning is due to speak in Sydney this Sunday so time is tight, then Melbourne next Friday before coming to NZ for Auckland Sat 8 Sept and Wellington 9 Sept, then back to Australia for Brisbane on 11 Sept.
If Australia refuses a visa it is still probably feasible that she could still come to NZ since it is for two events.
My reply above was thrown together in a hurry, but now see that my wording in para 3 could be misleading. So here is a better version with the changes in italics.
Revised para 3
I suspect that Australia may take a harder line than NZ, but I am really pleased that NZ has gone ahead and granted a special exemption to apply for a visa despite her convictions which would normally prevent her getting a visa (according the RNZ because she has not offended anywhere that she has gone to on similar speaking tours).
Here is what The Australian is saying re the NZ decision and where the Australian is at.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/chelsea-manning-allowed-into-new-zealand/news-story/22cd171161203c3f99c55139c1531ac9
Here are the main points as The Australian articles usually quickly end up behind a paywall.
However, Immigration New Zealand confirmed on Friday morning it had given Manning special dispensation to apply for a visa.
“While Ms Manning was convicted of a serious offence and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment, it was noted that her sentence was commuted by President Obama in January 2017,” INZ general manager Steve Stuart said.
“The likelihood of her offending while in New Zealand is considered low … (we) could see no reason to believe Ms Manning would not comply with the terms and conditions of any visa.”
… The NZ government’s decision comes after Manning’s tour organiser, Think Inc, said this week it had received a notice of intention to deny the former soldier entry into Australia under section 501 of the Migration Act.
She was banned from entering Canada last year due to her criminal convictions in the US but was allowed to speak in Montreal in May.
Think Inc has called on the transgender activist’s supporters to lobby Australia’s new immigration minister, David Coleman, to allow her into Australia.
Good on her
This may bring up an interesting situation actually
If Aussie end up barring her, I wonder if she will bother paying all the cash just to come here
Given some people on here proclaiming the difference between Manning and the Canadians is the Canadians are only it for the money, while Manning is in it to spread the word, I wonder what they say if she were to cancel
Three events in Austalia; two in NZ. Therefore more likely that she would come here even if Australia bans here than say, the Canadians where they had five in Australia and only one in NZ.
Good point
Never checked the difference in itinerary
The best thing, politically speaking (as evinced by Molyneux and Southern) would have been for Manning to be denied and her message carried on the inevitable wave of outrage crashing around tha net.
All credit to Michael Woodhouse though. He tried his best. 👿
edit – won’t someone design a ‘dripping sarcasm’ tag?
Just for you Bill.
http://www.geinzooi.nl/funny-fake-news/chelsea-manning-successfully-enters-australia-disguised-as-an-au-pair/
That’s quite amusing.
If I was smarter I’d be able to come up with a witty and perhaps acerbic comment involving shovels (“The Shovel” being the source for that commentary).
But I’m not. So I can’t. 🙂
Yes, after I posted it I realised that it came from The Shovel and the link was in the Gein link. I had forgotten about the Shovel so must do see what else is there recently.
Will woodhouse paint a sign and organise a protest? Imagine….. hehehehe
UPDATE TIME
Australia is alive with the sound of – not music, but calls for the Australian Govt to rethink their propose ban on Chelsea Manning being given a visa.
In less than 24 hours a Change.org petition to allow her to enter Australia has already got 15,000 signatures and counting.
http://junkee.com/chelsea-manning-visa-petition/173779
Here is a link to the Guardian article that is only a few minutes’ old saying that the Australian Government is considering lots of submissions calling for Manning to be allowed entry but time is now critical and if a favourable decisions is not imminent then she is unlikely to make Sydney for the Sunday event. (As an aside, Judith Collins gets a mention calling Manning a traitor).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/31/chelsea-manning-cleared-new-zealand-speaking-tour-visa
The Australian is apparently reporting that Di Natole, the Aussie Green Leader, is supporting allowing Manning to enter Australia, but cannot put up link as I have used my free quota of their articles.
So time will tell. Good move NZ.
I irrationally don’t like Chelsea Manning but will totally defend her ability to annoy me by speaking here. 🙂
I had never heard her speak and was neither for or against but also totally defend her right to speak.
Then Kim Hill interviewed her two weeks ago and I was very, very surprised. So much so that I would now like to go to her Wellington event but cannot afford it at present – and am also recovering from day surgery so probably too soon.
As I said elsewhere here, it was one of Hill’s better interviews and she also seemed impressed with Manning.
Here is a link if you want to try it.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday
Re your post, I was not doxxing (I never do that as my anonymity and privacy are all important to me) and will reply later but off out now. You may be interested in my reply to Darien Fenton for a little of my experience.
Its your over-generalisation without any supporting evidence etc that gets up my nose (grrrrrr, as you also did yesterday) – and the lemmings just fall in behind when some of them probably haven’t even been in the door of the Beehive! LOL.
For those who process information visually
Fuck.
That’s a wicked as link, thanks Pat.
!!!!!!!!!
!
Come clean Labour.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106698295/how-helen-clark-would-have-handled-the-youth-camp-sex-assaults
Maybe the malefactor has mental health issues indy.
Its ok, this will be the most transparent government ever
Fake news: “Helen Clark might not have meant to fire a “missile” at Jacinda Ardern” according to a political scientist. No missile was fired.
The Government is looking at new and novel ways of financing infrastructure without breaking its strict budget responsibility rules.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106704499/billions-borrowed-for-new-state-homes-against-treasury-advice
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/04/22/105712/twyford-bends-budget-rules
“A later analysis estimated an additional $3m-$6m in annual interest costs for every $1b borrowed by Housing New Zealand. ” So to ensure that we are within “Budget Responsibility Rules” it costs us more, yet in the financial records this debt doesn’t “really” exist !!!
This appears to me to be a National MO, not an upfront Labour led govt
The annual budget process costs in delays and treasury rigamarole for something like Housing NZ.
The debt does exist. Just not under core crown debt.
It there is a delay caused by process, then why not, to save us $millions of extra interest costs then transfer the debt at a later date ? If not, then how can this govt cry poor when govt workers seek fair wage increases?
Perhaps this as you commented on is the reason “The debt does exist. Just NOT under core crown debt.”
The ockoes have a policy of giving the Immigration portfolio to arseholes addy.
Tough break for the Greens and for Minister Genter that she’s still off while the government announces $4 billion to boost road safety.
Otherwise it would have been the best-ever Greens policy win by $$.
Was Shaw there? He has picked up her Associate Minister of Transport portfolio for the next six weeks, but I thought he was currently overseas. So bad luck …
PS – I just put up an update at 12.4 re Australia and Manning’s visa to enter there.
No it was Twyford and CE of NZTA at the media scrum.
Labour needs to throw the greens a few bones . If the greens die labour more than likely lose the next election.
Trotter allows his sense of humour out for a run around the park: http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2018/08/compassing-economys-death.html
Makes me wonder about the residual powers of the Crown. Does sovereignty still enable it to hold barons accountable for misbehaviour? When captains of industry whine & moan that they’re losing confidence & the govt is to blame, would a few lashes of the legislative whip be a useful antidote? For instance, the govt could pass a law requiring all such barons to resign after issuing any such public complaint that they can no longer cope with the demands of their job.
I love how free markets operate.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/106717422/cafe-operator-closed-down-for-going-dairyfree
Did you read it ??
What’s free market got to do with it being forced to close by a bunch of dick heads . ??
“Mangawhai Activity Zone trustee chairman Colin Gallagher says the committee voted to close Redfern-Hardisty’s operation because of the complaints from people wanting a “normal” coffee at the park.
He wouldn’t say what the vote numbers were, but said it wasn’t close.
“We have been extremely supportive of this guy. We own the container, we don’t charge him any rent, we don’t charge him for power, we don’t charge him for water.
“But he has denied our customers choice. That’s where it is. Any customer should have a choice of whether there is plant-based or dairy-based milk in their coffee.”
Take choice away from the customers and the free market reacts…quite simple really.
That’s still not the free market speaking . If the market had spoken the vendor would have gone broke ,which he hasn’t,he s been put out of business by whingeing tossers with a little power .
The bombshell comes now for our PM Jacinda and the greens.
Maybe this may be PM Jacinda Ardern’s chance to shine again (as her generations nuclear moment) and offer the Greens something?
Another thing Jacinda has missed is our loss of oxgen in our air that sustains us all is depleting now, as the new elephant in the room and this changes everything now.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/O2DroppingFasterThanCO2Rising.php
Quote;
O2 Dropping Faster than CO2 Rising
Implications for Climate Change Policies
New research shows oxygen depletion in the atmosphere accelerating since 2003, coinciding with the biofuels boom; climate policies that focus exclusively on carbon sequestration could be disastrous for all oxygen-breathing organisms including humans Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
Threat of oxygen depletion
Mention climate change and everyone thinks of CO2 increasing in the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect heating the earth, glaciers melting, rising sea levels, floods, hurricanes, droughts, and a host of other environmental catastrophes. Climate mitigating policies are almost all aimed at reducing CO2, by whatever means.
Within the past several years, however, scientists have found that oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere has been dropping, and at higher rates than just the amount that goes into the increase of CO2 from burning fossil fuels, some 2 to 4-times as much, and accelerating since 2002-2003 [1-3]. Simultaneously, oxygen levels in the world’s oceans have also been falling [4] (see Warming Oceans Starved of Oxygen, SiS 44).
It is becoming clear that getting rid of CO2 is not enough; oxygen has its own dynamic and the rapid decline in atmospheric O2 must also be addressed.
On the upside about 50-85% of oxygen comes from phytoplankton (ocean plants)
It happens with their photosynthesis so yay global warming and sun shine!!
The is a joke!!! (before I get lynched)
Chris
Breathe deep while you can sunshine.
(get an oxygen supply for the day you cant)
We are still letting people sell us lies we can see that has happened many time’s in the past because of people like trump choosing to ignore the Green house effect’s of Human caused Global Warming why because he can milk it he will be getting billion’s through the back door .Wealthy or power full people have set Humanity advances back 100 years by burning books and suppression new technology that will cause these people to lose power and control the carbon( baron that back trump) . If he could make money out of it he would put LEAD back in Petrol .We new lead was poisonous and it took 50 years to rip it out of the capitalist hand’s and put it’s fact’s of a bad mistake in our history books .
We have to stand up and stop these people who are lieing to the whole Papatunuku
JUST to make MONEY enough said I have 2 links below KIA KAHA Green tangata
Ka kite ano P.S Watch Cosmos A Space Time Odssey season 1 episode 7 I will get my mokopunas to all watch all of this awesome programs
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-03/29/c_136167676.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40593353
Newshub Nation The living wage or $20 a hour will not cause a loss of 30 k of jobs thats just the Capitals spin as always.
The worker’s deserve respect like all people is that not In the Law it would be much better for the many if we found solution’s for our low paid seasonal workers shortage I.E a way to make it more worth the effort to go to work I.E the employers need to pay more full stop.
New Zealand have no privacy we are hooked up with the who and we no they are spying on the whole Papatuanuku enough said.
Many thanks Nation for running the story on Myanmar this show’s the Papatuanuku
need to know what’s going on in all these human made greed desasters that are growing at a alarming rate . ka kite ano P.S Tod Barclay enough said boys
Some Eco Maori music M&M has just release his latest album I think we have some of the same views on our reality Ka pai E-Hoa link is below ka kite ano.
Good evening Newshub That’s going to be a Papatuanuku class Americas Cup yacht race held in Auckland Tamaki-makau-rau one will be able to watch the race from the shore .
With Napier’s problems one Great British Actor Michael Cain has made a statement that poverty is what creates crime and that’s a fact .In Napier there were heaps of jobs not now after the last nine years of money transfer policy’s ‘.
There you go Technology at its best Many thanks Alibaba enough said.
China plastic Surgery growth of 40% you know the mokopuna’s they are easily lead it’s the people of my generation that one can see that when they get longer in the tooth that they end up looking bad if they over do it ie heaps of operations .
Kate I’v been wacthing Cosmos Spacetime Odyessey narrated by Neil Degrasse all tangata should watch this series. Ka kite ano P.S I can see how fast the music of my Koauau travels around Papatuanuku