Open mike 31/01/2014
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- Supporting prevention, preparedness and response to global pandemicsAotearoa New Zealand has committed to strengthen global prevention, preparedness and responses to future pandemics with seed funding for a new World Bank initiative, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We cannot afford to wait until the next pandemic. We must all play our part to support developing countries ...3 days ago
- Overseas investors converting farms to forests must show benefit to New ZealandA law change to ensure that forestry conversions by overseas investors benefit New Zealand has passed its final reading in Parliament. Previously, overseas investors wishing to convert land, such as farm land, into forestry only needed to meet the “special forestry test”. This is a streamlined test, designed to encourage ...4 days ago
- International visitors boosting economic recoveryInternational tourism recovery well underway with higher level of overseas visitor arrivals than previously expected UK and US card spend already back at pre-COVID levels Visitors staying in New Zealand longer and spending more compared to 2019 Govt support throughout pandemic helped tourism sector prepare for return of international ...4 days ago
- Ministry’s inaugural Strategy paves way for ethnic communitiesThe Ministry for Ethnic Communities has released its first strategy, setting out the actions it will take over the next few years to achieve better wellbeing outcomes for ethnic communities Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. “The Strategy that has been released today sets out ...4 days ago
- World class aquatic centre opened in Hawke’s BayThe Prime Minister has officially opened the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre today saying it is a huge asset to the region and to the country. “This is a world class facility which will be able to host national and international events including the world championships. With a 10-lane Olympic ...4 days ago
- Tulī Takes Flight winners take to the wingThe Associate Minister of Education, Aupito William Sio, has today announced the recipients of the Tulī Takes Flight scholarships which were a key part of last year’s Dawn Raids apology. The scholarships are a part of the goodwill gesture of reconciliation to mark the apology by the New Zealand Government ...4 days ago
- Govt supports free period products in over 2000 schools within one year96% of estimated menstruating students receive free period products 2085 schools involved 1200 dispensers installed Supports cost of living, combats child poverty, helps increase attendance Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti today hailed the free period products in schools, Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata, a huge success, acknowledging ...4 days ago
- Govt boosts tourism transformation to strengthen workforce and improve outcomesThe Tourism Industry Transformation Plan outlines key actions to improve the sector This includes a Tourism and Hospitality Accord to set employment standards Developing cultural competency within the workforce Improving the education and training system for tourism Equipping business owners and operators with better tools and enabling better work ...5 days ago
- NZ earns another major digital investmentMinister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark welcomes Google Cloud’s decision to make New Zealand a cloud region. “This is another major vote of confidence for New Zealand’s growing digital sector, and our economic recovery from COVID 19,” David Clark said. “Becoming a cloud region will mean ...5 days ago
- Changes to NCEA & University Entrance in response to COVID-19 disruptionsA package of changes to NCEA and University Entrance announced today recognise the impact COVID-19 has had on senior secondary students’ assessment towards NCEA in 2022, says Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti. “We have heard from schools how significant absences of students and teachers, as a result of COVID-19, ...5 days ago
- 60th Anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa- “Lifelong Fri...Te Reo Māori tauparapara… Tapatapa tū ki te Rangi! Ki te Whei-ao! Ki te Ao-mārama Tihei mauri ora! Stand at the edge of the universe! of the spiritual world! of the physical world! It is the breath of creation Formal acknowledgments… [Your Highness Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and Masiofo] ...5 days ago
- New law passed to reduce gun harmThe Government’s commitment to combatting firearms violence has reached another significant milestone today with the passage of the Firearms Prohibition Order Legislation Bill, Police Minister Chris Hipkins says. The new law helps to reduce firearm-related crime by targeting possession, use, or carriage of firearms by people whose actions and behaviours ...5 days ago
- Minister sends condolences as last Battle for Crete veteran passes awayMinister for Veterans, Hon Meka Whaitiri sends her condolences to the last Battle for Crete veteran. “I am saddened today to learn of the passing of Cyril Henry Robinson known as Brant Robinson, who is believed to be the last surviving New Zealand veteran of the Battle for Crete, Meka ...5 days ago
- Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill passes third readingLegislation to repeal the ‘Three Strikes’ law has passed its third reading in Parliament. “The Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill ends an anomaly in New Zealand’s justice system that dictates what sentence judges must hand down irrespective of relevant factors,” Justice Minister Kiri Allan said. “The three strikes law was ...5 days ago
- Government working on preliminary steps to improve support for abuse survivorsWork is under way on preliminary steps to improve the Government’s support for survivors of abuse in care while a new, independent redress system is designed, Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins says. These steps – recommended by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry – include rapid payments for ...6 days ago
- Remarks upon 77th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and NagasakiRemembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki Online Forum 77 years ago today, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Three days earlier, on the 6th of August 1945, the same fate had befallen the people of Hiroshima. Tens of thousands died instantly. In the years that followed 340,000 ...6 days ago
- Govt signs NZ–USA agreement launching new opportunities for space sectorAn agreement signed today between the New Zealand and United States governments will provide new opportunities for our space sector and closer collaboration with NASA, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash said. Stuart Nash signed the Framework Agreement with United States Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman. The signing ...6 days ago
- Govt strengthens emergency management cooperation between NZ and the USAn agreement signed today between New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will strengthen global emergency management capability, says Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty. “The Government is committed to continually strengthening our emergency management system, and this Memorandum of Cooperation ...6 days ago
- New Zealand to stay at Orange as winter continuesNew Zealand will remain at the Orange traffic light setting, while hospitalisations remain elevated and pressure on the health system continues through winter. “There’s still significant pressure on hospitals from winter illnesses, so our current measures have an ongoing role to play in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases and ...6 days ago
- Path paved for communities to reshape streetsStreets will soon be able to be transformed from unsafe and inaccessible corridors to vibrant places for all transport modes thanks to new legislation proposed today, announced Transport Minister Michael Wood. “We need to make it safe, quicker and more attractive for people to walk, ride and take public transport ...6 days ago
- Boost for agricultural and horticultural science in schoolsMore young minds eyeing food and fibre careers is the aim of new Government support for agricultural and horticultural science teachers in secondary schools, Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The Government is committing $1.6 million over five years to the initiative through the Ministry for Primary ...6 days ago
- Bumper breeding season boosts Kākāpō populationKākāpō numbers have increased from 197 to 252 in the 2022 breeding season, and there are now more of the endangered parrots than there have been for almost 50 years, Conservation Minister Poto Williams announced today. The flightless, nocturnal parrot is a taonga of Ngāi Tahu and a species unique ...6 days ago
- Relationship with Malaysia to be elevated to Strategic PartnershipThe relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Malaysia is to be elevated to the status of a Strategic Partnership, to open up opportunities for greater co-operation and connections in areas like regional security and economic development. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta met her Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah today during a ...6 days ago
- Call for New Zealanders to get on-board with rail safetyWith additional trains operating across the network, powered by the Government’s investment in rail, there is need for a renewed focus on rail safety, Transport Minister Michael Wood emphasised at the launch of Rail Safety Week 2022. “Over the last five years the Government has invested significantly to improve level ...7 days ago
- Regional approach the focus at ASEAN and East Asia Summit talksThe Foreign Minister has wrapped up a series of meetings with Indo-Pacific partners in Cambodia which reinforced the need for the region to work collectively to deal with security and economic challenges. Nanaia Mahuta travelled to Phnom Penh for a bilateral meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and Aotearoa New Zealand, ...1 week ago
- Speech to the Criminal Bar AssociationKia ora koutou Firstly, thank you to the President of the Criminal Bar Association, Fiona Guy Kidd QC, for her invitation to attend the annual conference this weekend albeit unfortunately she is unable to attend, I’m grateful to the warm welcome both Chris Wilkinson-Smith (Vice-President, Whanganui) and Adam Simperingham (Vice-President, Gisborne) ...1 week ago
- The beat goes on as Government renews support for musiciansExtension of Aotearoa Touring Programme supporting domestic musicians The Programme has supported more than 1,700 shows and over 250 artists New Zealand Music Commission estimates that around 200,000 Kiwis have been able to attend shows as a result of the programme The Government is hitting a high note, with ...1 week ago
- Minister of Defence to attend Guadalcanal Commemorations in the Solomon IslandsMinister of Defence Peeni Henare will depart tomorrow for Solomon Islands to attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. While in Solomon Islands, Minister Henare will also meet with Solomon Islands Minister of National Security, Correctional Services and Police Anthony Veke to continue cooperation on security ...1 week ago
- New programme to provide insights into regenerative dairy farming The Government is partnering with Ngāi Tahu Farming Limited and Ngāi Tūāhuriri on a whole-farm scale study in North Canterbury to validate the science of regenerative farming, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The programme aims to scientifically evaluate the financial, social and environmental differences between regenerative and conventional practices. ...1 week ago
- More women on public boards than ever before52.5% of people on public boards are women Greatest ever percentage of women Improved collection of ethnicity data “Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees is now 52.5 percent, the highest ever level. The facts prove that diverse boards bring a wider range of knowledge, expertise and skill. ...1 week ago
- Awards support Pacific womenI am honoured to support the 2022 Women in Governance Awards, celebrating governance leaders, directors, change-makers, and rising stars in the community, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. For the second consecutive year, MPP is proudly sponsoring the Pacific Governance Leader category, recognising Pacific women in governance and presented to ...2 weeks ago
- Govt investment into Whakatāne regeneration reaches new milestonesToday Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash turned the sod for the new Whakatāne Commercial Boat Harbour, cut the ribbon for the revitalised Whakatāne Wharf, and inspected work underway to develop the old Whakatāne Army Hall into a visitor centre, all of which are part of the $36.8 million ...2 weeks ago
- Government determined to get a better deal for consumersNew Zealanders are not getting a fair deal on some key residential building supplies and while the Government has already driven improvements in the sector, a Commerce Commission review finds that changes are needed to make it more competitive. “New Zealand is facing the same global cost of living and ...2 weeks ago
- Business calls for ‘catch up’ migration, as participants position ahead of Albanese’s jobs sum...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Big business wants a “catch up boost” to permanent migration, with at least two thirds of the places going to skilled workers, In proposals for next month’s jobs and skills summit, the Business Council ...4 hours ago - ‘It’s important not to overreact’: Australia’s top economists on how to fix high inflationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s top economists are divided about how to tackle ballooning inflation of 6.1% that’s forecast to climb to a three-decade high of 7.75% by ...11 hours ago
- Will Fiji’s 2022 hotly contested elections further cement democracy?ANALYSIS: By Shailendra Singh of the University of the South Pacific In Fiji’s politically charged context, national elections are historically a risky period. Since the 2022 campaign period was declared open on April 26, the intensity has been increasing. Moreover, with three governments toppled by coups after the 1987, 1999 ...1 day ago
- Mark Brown confirmed as Cook Islands PM with slim gripRNZ Pacific The Queen’s Representative in the Cook Islands, Sir Tom Marsters, has confirmed Mark Brown as the Prime Minister. In a statement issued from Mark Brown’s office, Sir Tom said he was “satisfied” that Mark Brown had the majority of the MPs elected to Parliament. Following the final count ...1 day ago
- Former list MP Aaron Gilmore says Sam Uffindell bullying is 'outrageous behaviour'
Former list MP Aaron Gilmore, who resigned in 2013 after he used his position as a threat to a hotel employee, says there has been "outrageous behaviour" by those in Parliament. ...1 day ago - It’s great education ministers agree the teacher shortage is a problem, but their new plan ignores...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education, Southern Cross University Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and his state colleagues met in Canberra on Friday. Lukas Coch/AAP Last Friday, Australia’s state and federal education ministers met with emotional teachers, who spoke of working on weekends ...1 day ago
- Government's measles campaign a 'failure' – NationalNational has branded the government's two-year $20 million measles catch-up campaign as a failure that can't solely be blamed on Covid-19. ...1 day ago
- Local body nominee numbers still low as elections approachDespite an 11th-hour rush of nominations for this year's local body elections, Local Government New Zealand says the numbers could still be too low. ...2 days ago
- Labour refuses to comment on bullying claimLabour is refusing to comment on a former staff member's claim that she was bullied by an MP. ...2 days ago
- National says government must revoke idea backpackers not welcome in New ZealandThe National Party is criticising the Tourism Minister's comments on backpackers as harmful to the sector. ...2 days ago
- Efeso Collins could scoop Molloy votes – analystA political analyst says people who would have voted for Leo Molloy in Auckland's mayoral election may now turn to Efeso Collins, because both candidates have working-class appeal. ...2 days ago
- Focus on Politics: Uffindell saga has parties grappling with bullying claimsPodcast - After one of the fastest political downfalls in New Zealand's history, Political Reporter Katie Scotcher examines how both major parties now face bullying accusations. ...2 days ago
- Government's new literacy plan met with some skepticismThe government has unveiled what it is calling a radical plan to overhaul reading, writing and maths teaching after two decades of sliding literacy rates. ...2 days ago
- Russel Norman: Don’t be fooled by NZ greenwashing, the lack of real climate action is dangerousANALYSIS: By Russel Norman, executive director of Greenpeace Aotearoa Only people power can ensure genuine enduring progress on climate and people need to know the truth if they are to act on it. For that reason greenwashing is the enemy of progress on climate and where you stand on ...2 days ago
- PNG elections chief Sinai seeks extra extension for Southern HighlandsPNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says he will seek a further extension from the Governor-General for the return of writ for Southern Highlands provincial seat which has faced protracted delays in counting. He said any discussions and talks of “failing” an election and calling for a ...2 days ago
- Historic new deal puts emissions reduction at the heart of Australia’s energy sectorSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Shutterstock Australia’s energy ministers on Friday voted to make emissions reduction a key national energy goal, in a major step forward in the clean energy transition. Federal, state and territory energy ministers agreed to ...2 days ago
- Labour MP Gaurav Sharma: 'I stand by my claims of ongoing bullying'Labour MP Gaurav Sharma has launched another broadside at his own party, posting a lengthy statement on social media that details his interactions with Parliamentary Service and the Labour whips. ...2 days ago
- Ron Mark throws hat in ring to be Carterton mayor againThe former NZ First MP didn't plan to run for Carterton's mayoralty - until residents suggested otherwise. ...2 days ago
- Royal commission delivers damning interim report on defence and veteran suicide. Here’s what happe...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Wadham, Director, Open Door: Understanding and Supporting Service Personnel and their Families, Flinders University The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has released its interim report after more than 1,900 submissions and 194 witnesses. It includes recommendations considered so urgent ...2 days ago
- Three reasons why disinformation is so pervasive and what we can do about itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mathieu O’Neil, Associate Professor of Communication, News and Media Research Centre, University of Canberra GettyImages Donald Trump derided any critical news coverage as “fake news” and his unwillingness to concede the 2020 presidential election eventually led to the January 6, 2021 ...2 days ago
- Getting super growth into those tree seedlings is simple – it can be done for a song (or two) and ...
The Government’s esteem for science and science-based research findings can be gauged from a press statement released by the Ministry for Primary Industries. The statement gives a progress report on a New Zealand Forest Services’ partnership with a marae-based tree-growing project and its grant of nearly $500,000 over two years ...2 days ago - The COVIDSafe app is dead. What can we learn from this ‘failure’?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stan Karanasios, Associate professor, The University of Queensland Rob Hampson/Unsplash On August 9 2022, Australia’s COVIDSafe app was officially decommissioned, and all its features removed. People were encouraged to uninstall the app. Reports of its closure have made international news. ...2 days ago
- VIDEO: China tensions, the Barilaro affair, Albanese’s jobs summit, and more teals on the moveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Paddy Nixon talk about this week in politics. They discuss Australia’s relationship with China as tensions rise over Taiwan, the inquiry into ...2 days ago
- Personality testing in job applications: what can and can’t employers ask you?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominique Allen, Associate Professor, Monash University Photo by Sora Shimazaki/Pexels, CC BY You might have heard of jobseekers being asked to complete a “personality test” as part of a job application, or been through the process yourself. The questions can ...2 days ago
- Fetters are slapped on “fast-track” law to ensure the country benefits from forestry conversions...Buzz from the Beehive Some readers might be surprised to learn from Associate Finance Minister David Parker that the law has been changed to ensure forestry conversions by overseas investors benefit New Zealand. Did the law previously allow forestry conversions by overseas investors that would be to ...3 days ago
- 'We need more support from New Zealand': Ukraine ambassador wants tariffs lifted, free tra...The Ukrainian ambassador to New Zealand is urging the government to consider lifting tariffs temporarily to support his country. ...3 days ago
- Tax break for investors providing long-term rentalsThe government is giving long-term build-to-rent developments a tax break in a bid to increase secure rental supply for tenants for at least 10 years. ...3 days ago
- Aucklanders Now Have A Clear Choice
Aucklanders now have a clear choice between continuing the failing status quo or choosing a candidate who can fix Auckland, Mayoral candidate Wayne Brown says. “They can choose more of the same from current councillor Efeso Collins, or a new proactive ...3 days ago - New book has focus on Pacific activists against militarism, for climate justicePacific Media Watch newsdesk A new Aotearoa New Zealand book focusing on activists and their causes against militarism and for social struggles and climate justice across the Asia-Pacific is being launched in Wellington today. Peace Action: Struggles for a decolonised and demilitarised Oceania and East Asia, edited by Wellington-based activist ...3 days ago
- SIBC chief defends ‘free’ state media broadcaster in face of tighter controlsPacific Media Watch newsdesk The head of the Solomon Islands state-owned broadcaster has defended its role in the face of the government tightening control — a move that critics say is squarely aimed at controlling and censoring the news. The government said last Friday that the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation ...3 days ago
- Power Play: Houses in disorder after turbulent week for Labour, NationalWhat a difference less than a week can make: National lurching from success to controversy and Labour facing its own bombshell, Political Editor Jane Patterson writes. ...3 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Celebrating 40-years Of Anthem, Poi EDebbie Ngarewa-Packer, Te Pāti Māori co-leader and list MP based in Te Tai Hauāuru will this weekend share in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Pātea Māori club anthem, Poi E. “Iwi of Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui will be reminiscing ...3 days ago
- Auckland mayoralty candidate Leo Molloy quits raceMolloy says polls suggest he couldn't win the Auckland mayoralty race and withdrawing is the right thing to do. ...3 days ago
- Labour responds to Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma's allegations of bullying at ParliamentLabour's Whip's office says it has always acted in good faith with Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma, after he made explosive allegations about bullying. ...3 days ago
- Extinction Rebellion Whakatū Announce Their Candidate For This Year's Local Body ElectionToday, XR Whakatū are blocking the Trafalgar St to launch “The People” in the form of Te Tiriti based peoples assemblies as their candidate for this year's local body elections. “The climate and ecological crisis proves our political system ...3 days ago
- Sam Uffindell was lucky to avoid NZ’s criminal justice system as a schoolboy – but it was the ri...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Mehigan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Canterbury Getty Images However you look at it, the National Party has selected someone who once committed an act of criminal violence to represent the Tauranga electorate in parliament. It’s an unfortunate ...3 days ago
- Getting more men into nursing means a rethink of gender roles, pay and recognition. But we need them...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patricia Davidson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wollongong Shutterstock Demand for health care is soaring as the population ages, medical treatments become more widely available and more people live with chronic and complex illnesses. However, there is global shortage of health professionals ...3 days ago
- Catholic Church’s Redress Not Fit For PurposeA sexual abuse survivor group SNAP says the Government’s decision to allow faith-based institutions like the Catholic Church to continue providing redress to survivors would just re-traumatise Catholic Church survivors. SNAP’s national leader, Christopher ...3 days ago
- Additional $99,999 Available In The 2022 Round Of The Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy FundThe 2022 round of the Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund (RWLF) will see $299,999 in grants being distributed to programmes with a focus on mental health in rainbow communities thanks to a partnership with Foundation North. Foundation North, the community trust ...3 days ago
- A Slap In Face To Natural JusticeThe Government continuing to push through a Wairarapa treaty settlement without addressing serious flaws in it, is a slap in the face to natural justice and rank hypocrisy from the Crown. That’s the submission today to Parliament’s Maori Affairs ...3 days ago
- Rental Price Indexes: July 2022The rental price indexes measure the changes in prices that households pay for housing rentals. Key facts Monthly change In July 2022 compared with June 2022: the index for the stock measure of rental property prices rose 0.2 percent the index for the ...3 days ago
- Minister Unable To Back Claims Farmers Are Harming The ClimateClimate Change Minister James Shaw has been found wanting, after his response to a letter from Groundswell NZ lacked any evidence that New Zealand agriculture is contributing to climate warming, Groundswell NZ emissions spokesperson Steve Cranston ...3 days ago
- Kiwis Feel The Crunch: Over Half Of New Zealanders Have Changed Their Usual Food Purchases Due To Ri...New research from HelloFresh bites into the nation’s changing diets and reveals what’s impacting the way we eat Leading meal-kit provider, HelloFresh serves up fresh research that explores New Zealand’s changing diets, revealing how eating ...3 days ago
- Time To Throw The Book At Out Of Control Youth“The marked increase in violent youth crime has been long predicted and is being met by a chorus of excuses instead of admitting the soft youth system is a demonstrable failure,” says Darroch Ball Leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust. “Its time to ...3 days ago
- Political editors panel: Bullying behaviours under the spotlightMorning Report - This week RNZ and Stuff's political editors Jane Patterson and Luke Malpass discuss the accusations by Labour's Gaurav Sharma, and those against National's Sam Uffindell. ...3 days ago
- Government Inquiry Offers Chance For Rail Reset...3 days ago
- These unusual moths migrate over thousands of kilometres. We tracked them to reveal their secret nav...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myles Menz, Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology, James Cook University Christian Ziegler Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Author provided Migratory insects number in the trillions. They’re a major part of global ecosystems, helping to transport nutrients and pollen across continents ...3 days ago
- Why doesn’t monkeypox have a new name yet?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute As monkeypox vaccination programs roll out and health authorities release information about how to reduce the spread of the virus, progress on another aspect of the outbreak is lagging: its name. On June 14, ...3 days ago
- Beyond net-zero: we should, if we can, cool the planet back to pre-industrial levelsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Marc Pell/Unsplash, CC BY The world’s focus is sharply fixed on achieving net-zero emissions, yet surprisingly little thought has been given to what comes afterwards. In our new paper, ...3 days ago
- To lock out foot-and-mouth disease, Australia must help our neighbour countries bolster their biosec...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Alders, Honorary Professor, Australian National University Foot-and-mouth disease now poses a high threat to Australia. This highly contagious livestock virus is sweeping Indonesia – the closest it’s been to Australia since the 1980s. A large outbreak here could cause decimate the ...3 days ago
- NZ’s first climate adaptation plan is a good start, but crucial questions about cost and timing mu...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anita Wreford, Professor Applied Economics, Lincoln University, New Zealand Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images New Zealand’s national adaptation plan, launched last week, offers the first comprehensive approach to how communities can prepare for the inevitable impacts of a changing climate. ...3 days ago
- Australia’s teacher shortage won’t be solved until we treat teaching as a profession, not a trad...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa McLean Davies, Professor of Teacher Education, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Today, state and federal education ministers will meet in Canberra to discuss the teacher shortage. In their first in-person meeting for more than a year, they will ...3 days ago
- Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon confirms there will be no sexual violence on screen. Her...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury HBO HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones dominated television and pop culture discourse for much of a decade. Its upcoming prequel series, House of the Dragon, is similarly ...3 days ago
- Local body nomination gaps remain as deadline loomsPeople wanting to stand for local government have just a few hours left to put their name on the list. ...3 days ago
- Grattan on Friday: Will ‘teals’ strike Liberals another blow in Victorian and NSW elections?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal Liberals are in a parlous state, after an election that was not just lost to Labor but where “teals” stripped them of a batch of traditional seats. In coming months the Liberal ...3 days ago
- ‘Face of democracy is going to change’ in NZ, say Māori wāhine candidatesBy Leah Tebbutt, RNZ News reporter A number of Māori wāhine have put their hat in the ring to become mayor at this year’s Aotearoa New Zealand local body election across the motu in October. Georgina Beyer is believed to be the first and only Māori woman ever elected as ...3 days ago
- PNG has ‘gone to the dogs’, says lawyer calling on new MPs to step upBy Concy Simon of the PNG Post-Courier Leadership of Papua New Guinea has “gone to the dogs” represented by a rapid increase in prices of goods and services and the “worst national election” ever, says a lawyer. Lawyer Goiye Kondago made the crtiticism during the official declaration of Kerenga Kua ...3 days ago
- Uneasy Pacific makes wartime memories more important than everCOMMENTARY: By Barbara Dreaver, 1News Pacific correspondent Even from the grainy black and white footage of American soldiers wading towards shore while under fire, you can see and sense the fear, resignation and determination in that moment. The Battle of Midway in World War II may have been won, but ...3 days ago
- Cook Islands: Navigating the rise of third party politics and a new eraCook Islands Press By Jason Brown Tens of thousands of Cook Islanders celebrated 57th Constitution Day events these last weeks. Not just in the homeland, but overseas as well, with communities across New Zealand, Australia and beyond celebrating language, dance, culture and other arts. How many in all might be ...3 days ago
- Petition to expel Russian ambassador delivered to ParliamentA petition has been delivered to Parliament, calling for the Russian ambassador to be expelled, and for New Zealand to sever diplomatic relations. ...3 days ago
- Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma accuses Parliamentary Service of stonewalling bullying claimsA Labour backbencher has launched an extraordinary broadside, claiming MP-on-MP bullying is rampant within Parliament and facilitated by those supposed to prevent it. ...3 days ago
- Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code led the world. It’s time to finish what we startedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod Sims, Professor in the practice of public policy and antitrust, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Public interest journalism is essential to a well-functioning society, even for those who do not watch or read it. It holds ...3 days ago
- New immigration detention bill could give Australia a fresh chance to comply with international lawSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cleo Hansen-Lohrey, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania GettyImages Last week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie reintroduced to federal parliament the Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2022. This bill gives Australia the chance to bring its immigration detention ...3 days ago
- Transport Inquiry Chance To Get Regional Rail Back On TrackThe Greens will continue to push for climate friendly, affordable transport options as part of a new cross-party Parliamentary inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail in New Zealand. “Investing in rail is a great way to connect our ...3 days ago
- A production to satisfy Sydney’s darkest imaginings: Sydney Theatre Company’s Strange Case of Dr...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Huw Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/ STC Review: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, directed by Kip Williams for Sydney Theatre Company With their new production, Kip Williams and the Sydney Theatre ...3 days ago
- National leaders don't let Sam Uffindell's university life revelations shake efforts in Te...National Party's leader and deputy leader say details of Sam Uffindell's flat are "not great" and "yuck", and the party will continue improving its candidate selection processes. ...3 days ago
- Local Businessman Decides Not To Run For Council: Endorses Ali Jones For Council SeatDavid Timbs from Peter Timbs Butchers has decided not to run in this year’s local body election. Mr Timbs initially said he would be running for council but has now put his support behind independent candidate Ali Jones who is running for the Innes ...3 days ago
- Govt has dived into Covid-19 recovery funds to help build aquatic centre that – gosh! – may brin...Buzz from the Beehive Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has been busy in the past 24 hours, joining the PM for the opening of a new aquatic centre, enthusing about data from the latest visitor statistics and announcing a new industry strategy. The Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca ...3 days ago
- You can’t be what you can’t see: the benefits for and the pressures on First Nations sportswomenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University A record number of female Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander athletes represented Australia at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. While embracing their role model status, it is worth considering the weighty ...4 days ago
- Surprise discovery shows you may inherit more from your mum than you thinkSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marnie Blewitt, Head, Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute leah hetteberg/unsplash What if we could inherit more than our parents’ genes? What if we could inherit the ability to turn genes on and off? These possibilities have come ...4 days ago
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The Greens will not take votes from National; they will take them from Labour
National will not take votes from the Greens; they will take them from Labour
Labour will take votes from National by distancing itself from the Greens
Labour will take votes from the Greens by steering clear of any and all National policies
Therein lays the problem for Labour. Cosy up to the Greens and be seen as nutty or agree with some National policies and be seen as pragmatic. The Greens are poison no matter which way you look at it.
Thanks for letting all of us know that it’s the Greens that National are currently shitting their pants over. Also that National have so few routes left to forming a Government. Appreciated.
+1 smirk
Your dreaming the Melons are doing National a favour
They can only take Labour votes. Labour need to grow some balls and ditch the Melons
A vote for the Melons is a vote for massive job loses and real poverty in this country
Laughable comment Tacky-man, check out the Auckland City electorates held by National between elections 2008 and 2011, the Green Party sucked party votes out of these National held electorates by the truckload…
Check out the last couple of general elections in NZ
Yeah National won the last one by 75,000 votes.
is that including the party that voted against asset sales?
you know, the key policy that required the support of an [accused] electoral shenaniganiser
‘..mmm!!!!’..greens-slagging retro/nostalgia….!
..’melons’..!
..y’know what naki-man..?
..i reckon you have grey shoes..with velcro instead of laces..
..eh..?
..and pants with a crease that never ceases..?
..phillip ure..
😆
You don’t like hearing about the Green Taliban aye
You smoke to much weed and the heroin hasn’t helped either
Try jandals shorts and a tee shirt
You need a good steak and cheese sandwich your brain is fading
a pasted-down comb-over..?..there..?..naki-man..?
..a few strands steadfastedly holding-out..?
..old man nappies..?
..and i’ll put my fading/pot/smack-impaired brain (where did i put my keys..?..)..up against yr booze-addled empty-section..
..any time..
..eh..?
..and how many high-blood-pressure/diabetes/etc-meds are you knecking every day there..?..naki-man..
(and i don’t mean to be picky there..naki-man..but to make any sense..’to’ in that context is ‘too’..eh..?..
..and (ahem..!..punctuation..)..
..now..some may ask who am i to critique punctuation..
..but..you really should endeavour to …or – or even that sniveling-excuse for punctuation..the cowering-comma..
..’cos youse ain’t making any sense..eh..?
..are ‘jandal shorts’ a brand of jandals or shorts..?
..and..horror of horrors..
..in yr very first line..you miss-spelt ‘eh?’..
..eh..?
phillip ure..
“in yr very first line..you miss-spelt ‘eh?’..
..eh..?
phillip ure..”
As I have pointed out below…………….
Whoah! GoNaddy Man might even have a pair of sansa belt slacks to go with those grey velcro strap shoes!! (as part of the pants collection with the perfect crease)
http://beltlesspants.com/contents/media/z3204343pfr_01.jpg
And akshuly (to quote your guy) Go Naddy Man, way back in ’08 when you bought those shoes (they were still available then) I attended a pub meeting of Left Candidates which incidentally Labour weren’t invited to and Sue Bradford said to the crowd that she didn’t feel particularly offended by the watermelon tag and said ” I am after all red to my very core” or words to that effect.
And it “eh” not aye. Aye is the Scots word for yes and pronounced eye.
Stubbies shorts with those grey velcro shoes
STUNNING
Te Papa want some stubbie shorts for the collection. Perhaps they’ll add you too ‘Naki Man. in the endangered section
+1
NM
I get the melon reference to an extent; though, perhaps because it is such a straight copy from Australian RWNJ spin (akin to the hollow men/ brethren pamphlets), it doesn’t translate so well to a NZ context. Or perhaps it’s merely your ineptitude.
First of all you have to say what kind of melon you’re referencing. My preference would be honeydew; green on the outside with a delectable taste inside, nurturing the seeds of the future in it’s innermost heart.
Also; “Labour need to grow some balls and ditch the Melons”, seems to be implying that Green Party members have bigger (metaphorical) balls than Labour. This may be true; at least when it comes to opposing deep-sea oil, but hard to see how it helps your cause of discrediting the Greens.
However the metaphor you seem to be running with (having been passed a used sweaty baton, but then running off in the wrong direction) is that of the watermelon. Green exterior, red centre, black pips haphazardly arranged probably going for some racist dogwhistle, not sure what the white pith represents… In the hands of a proficient propagandist, that could almost work in Aotearoa – with you spinning this shit; there’ll be no sign of your relay team on the winner’s podium post-election.
And no understanding of the role of turnout …
+1
It serves the left for the GP to take Labour votes. Labour takes some middle votes and picks up much of the last election non-vote (assuming they keep left). This builds a very strong left, esp if Mana do well.
Sure ain’t Labour quaking at the knees for coalition partners.
Pop back to the Act leader conference, y’hear now.
Apparently there are ACT voters shifting their votes to the GP 😀
sure they’re not national voters who completely misunderstood MMP strategic voting? 🙂
and yr thoughts on ‘chem-trails’ col..?
phillip ure..
Steve James wins the award for Dumb comment of the day without a competition having to be held…
he deserves something for his efforts
Nope and nope. The Greens aren’t seen as nutty by anyone except the hard right National Party and it’s becoming obvious that agreeing with National isn’t pragmatic but delusional.
BTW, There was ~800k people who didn’t vote at the last election. If they vote then they’ll most likely vote for a left party. National are a minority party and always have been. The only way that they’ve been able to get power is due to the vagaries of FPP and/or people not voting.
Lol
tvone breakfast reach a new nadir with their coverage of the teina pora privy council story..
..they seize upon the superficialities/inanities of the story..
..clasp them to their bosoms..
..and then just repeat them..repeat them..
..who writes this fucken dross..?
..and who allows this fucken dross to go to air..?
..that guy tims’ follow-up.. roundup of old/dated internet-clips..
..is dostoevsky vs. supermarket-giveaway in comparison..
..whoar..!
(sample dialogue..in ‘live-cross’..to reporter..standing somewhere/anywhere..)
‘when will he wash his hair?’-‘rawdy’..sez:
“..where exactly will the hearing be held?”
..reporter:
..’i dunno rawdy..in a room in london’….
..phillip ure..
Phil U, it’s self inflicted torture mate. I wouldn’t waste my time watching these highly paid twits.
@phil.j..
i dunno…it’s descended into black-farce..eh..?
..half the time i am laughing my tits off at them..
..so many sharks have done so many jumps..they are now jumping thru hoops..and smiling for the camera..eh..?
..watching the exquisite car-crash that is the (non)-relationship between the co-comperes..
..(‘that-was-an-awkward-moment!) on steroids…that is..
..watching ‘rawdy’..like a guppy out of water..
..serially opening his mouth..gasping/grasping for ideas/thoughts/words..and finding none..
..the badly-fumbled cross-overs..
..their steadfast march onwards as the banner-carriers for that (oh! so 2013!) lacquered-helmet/dirty-hair-look..(and good on them..!..eh..?..someone has to..)
..the famous-netballer(i think?)/sports-person doing business-news..
..the words-from-the-mount from aged-(some say ‘addled’) sage/golf-expert/expert-on-everything peter williams..
..it just goes on and on..giving and giving..
..when yr weather-guy paddling over the harbour on a paddle-board while reading the weather..
(wot..!..no rubber-ball balanced on nose..?..for shame..!..for shame..!)
..when that paddle-board-exercise is the nearest the whole show gets to ‘serious’..?
..whoar..!
..eh..?
..i keep watching..thinking..can it get worse..?
..and yes..dear readers..yes it does..
..phillip ure..
Danish Government sells out renewable power assets to Goldman Sachs over objections of 2/3 of citizens
MPs working for the banksters.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-30/socialists-furious-denmark-lets-goldman-have-dong
As I understand it, the company needs to reduce debt. It also needs capital for planned oil and gas exploration. The Danish government sell down is to 60%, so it maintains control.
It is a non story. What would your advice be on the debt restructuring? No idea. Yeah thats what I thought.
And what the hell is a “bankster”? Do you mean banks?
It’s a government and thus can print the money.
BS and for the exact same reason that selling 49% takes control of our assets away from us – the majority owner can’t do anything that lowers the minorities profits.
You’re too stuck in your ideology to see reality.
S
Bankster; a fraudster who uses financial systems to disguise their theft. Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein is a prime example. Another example is the collusion with Greek MPs around the time of the Athens Olympics via credit default swaps leading to their current economic woes.
But you’ll know all this already, and I’m just wasting my time attempting to inform one who is so determinedly ignorant about everything.
According to you, a government voting against the express wishes of its own citizens is a “non-story”?
What are you, some kind of corporate apologist?
To me it’s a blatant betrayal of the people.
Easy mate, issue power bonds to the people who would gladly have supported their own sovereign industries.
You really are a dick
That photo of Obama at Mandela’s funeral now has 7 photos in the sequence leading to the switch in seating and boy when the wife of the President looks like that, then you MOVE. Will try to forward the email I received to the CONTRIBUTE section.
Would love the link to those photos. According to many insiders Obama and wife are now sleeping in separate rooms. 😆
Isn’t that standard practice for all occupants of the White House?
Rather disappointingly the answer is apparently yes.
The only one who didn’t maintain a separate bedroom, at least in the last hundred years was Gerald Ford.
The Bartlet’s shared a room. Which has about as much relevancy as the Obamas’ sleeping arrangements.
Well… yes and no.
In France the first “partner” was unceremoniously dumped after the relationship with the French President ended because she was living of the taxpayers wallet and in France the taxpayer still has something to say.
Previous French presidents were bonking all over the place of course but they did so out of their own pocket and their wives did not, like Michelle Obama, command ridiculous entourages on the tax payers dime.
American presidents such as JFK were also known for having a very loosely zipped zipper but the women involved also did not claim tax payers expenses and the first wives gain did not command Michelle’s royal court or her traveling expenses for that matter.
As a tax payer I would like to be kept abreast of those we pay and the people being financially dependent on them and while I don’t need to know the intimate details such as they want to know from us, if it is OK to spy on tetraplegic people on benefits as to whether they have a live in companion and chuck them out of their home if they lie about it, it’s OK to demand the same of the richest of us who get paid from our hard earned money as far as I am concerned.
Still not sure how whether they sleep in the same room or not has any bearing on that. Sleeping in separate rooms is not necessarily a sign of a broken marriage. And even if their marriage doesn’t fit your idea of what a proper marriage should be, surely the issue is whether Michelle Obama is doing a good job or not. Or are you saying that she has to be having sex with her husband to do that?
She may well be rorting the US taxpayer, but are you saying that as long as the marriage is ‘good’ that that is ok?
Some it seems are more equal then others eh? That poor tetraplegic woman was hauled to every front page because she had dared to keep from us that maybe she had a person sharing what can’t have been fun for her and not a peep from you but when I dare to ask questions about the behavior of the people we have elected to do a job for us wow!!!!! you can’t do that! Well actually yes I can and you should too.
so because Housing NZ is [possibly] being dickish, we should make snide innuendo about the Obama’s sex life?
That’s very special.
Ev, I’m not saying don’t ask questions about Michelle Obama. By all means question how much money she gets and what she does with it. I just don’t know why you think that where she sleeps has anything to do with that. You still haven’t explained.
Great to see you buying into the racist TeaBagger attacks on Michelle Obama, that uppity black who has ideas above her station. “As a taxpayer”..what taxes do you pay in the US and A?
What about Metiria Turei and her fancy jacket? Any comment on that?
🙄 Sorry to disappoint you M,
I’m an equal opportunity politician hater and think that the whole upper echelon of global politicians and their hangers on is long overdue for a nice Guillotine party. The only exception so far, as far as I am concerned, is Hone Harawira whom I recently met and had the honor to shake hands with after an excellent impromptu speech on our Raglan Whale bay shores. He is my hero, black ass and all!
Did you count your fingers after the hand shake?
He is still a politician you know and I have always thought the only safe thing to do is to put on heavy gauntlets before shaking hands with any of them.
Funny you should say that but I’m sure you’re not saying that because he’s Maori and, dare I say it, of a darker skin than your pasty Pakeha, university subsidized, skin. That would not be you at all!
1. And what makes you think that I have “pasty pakeha” skin?
2. You noticed that I did say “any of them”, I suppose?
It doesn’t have a damn thing to do with him being Maori.
Had to look up the controversy about Metiria Turei and her fancy jacket. I don’ t see what I would have to say about her clothes. She is perfectly free to wear whatever clothes she wants. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about and perhaps her opponents are baiting her and that of course would be very easy to do. All they have to do is insinuate that she is spending money on clothes which as a black greeny she shouldn’t and if she reacts… BOOM!
Michelle on the other hand pretends to be a hands on greeny with and for the people while she and her husband cater only for the rich and might I add WHITE bankers like good little slaves, while raking in the perks of the job much, by the way, George W Bush another stooge for the WHITE bankers cartel, did when he was in office. Last time I looked he was also WHITE.
Mind you his wife didn’t gallivant off to exotic places on her own for a bit of a girls thang travellng on Airforce one. So hmm…..
Passed it on as an email because that is how I came to see it. Up to the Editor now.
Xox
Phil u. Thanks for your review. Breakfast to replace Seven Sharp @7 PM? Haha. Still switching TV off, watching DVD’S.
Twitter feed for the day:
Judith Collins: I’m back
Grant Robertson: Thought so, I did feel a chill in the air
Judith Collins: That, dear Grant, is fear running up and down your spine
Ain’t she good at it.
Shes wonderful 🙂
The Replicant series 6 is the pinnacle of robotics. Shame the Collins model still can’t pass a standard void/conf test though…
Collins is a wonderful example of an anemic, pale-faced subterranean cave dwelling cellulite infested lard ass insensitive burst sausage 😀
And Tolley is just a dried prune desperately in need of hydration, not a kaleidoscopic nana frock
I didn’t realise how shallow you are, I truly feel bad for you.
You and your old ducks wanna get nasty then the shit should be returned with bells on.
lol
why didn’t robertson go all ad-hom..?
..and say:..
..’no..that ‘chill’ is from the fumes from the petro-chemical-mixes/concotions cementing yr helmet-head hair-do in place’..
..eh..?..
(btw..i am available as a gun-for-hire for people seeking quick/instant authorship of twit-responses..eh..?..
..and very reasonable fees are charged for this v.fast-turnaround-service..
..y’know..?..for when you are searching for that devastating-riposte..?..and it just won’t come..?
..who d’ya call..?
..ya call phil..!
..(contact-details @whoar.co.nz..)
phillip ure..
Because Labour are running scared:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/john-armstrong-on-politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502865&objectid=11193367
” If things are going as badly wrong in New Zealand as Cunliffe claims, why are Key and National still so popular?”
because of the biased drivel espoused by sycophantic parasites like John Armstrong and the cabal of press release parrots we call mainstream journalism ?
just a wild guess
Hope that makes you feel better because it still doesn’t change National being popular
and ballistic forensics in a murder case don’t stop people still being dead but it helps convict those responsible
David Bain would disagree
touché, mon aime 🙂
You start off saying reasonably truthful things phil.
Those like “i am available” and “quick authorship”
Then you drift off into fantasyland with things like.
“devastating-riposte”
@ alwyn..
..nah..!..got nothing..
(.i am doing rawdon christie impersonations here..mouth-action and all..)
yr point..q.e.d..i guess..?
phillip ure..
Can my comment come off moderation – see 12.16pm no number. (I’ve hung this on yours phillip u – thanks for the seat.)
Further to the above about moderation. I have put comment again, realised my error in using the t. word and reshaped the mud ball. So I’m happy for you to wipe this one if you wish plus these other two hangers on about it. Won’t do it again, promise!
Who is duty right wing troll for today? Steve James?
(freedom’s tribute at 1 5 1 is very tasteful)
Naki Man giving his version of reasoned analysis?
srylands Still waiting to come into his estate somewhere?
Robertson should not engage with her on non policy matters.
Engaging in belt-way tittle tattle reinforces the negative view of Robertson as a Beehivecentric pol and does not help the Party.
I have no interest in becoming a member of the Judith Collins CBT club, thank you very much. She is not wonderful at all and should be trying to learn how to do her job, not causing priapism in the likes of Chris73.
What’s “CBT”? Do I want to know?
@ cbt..it’s an esoteric s& m practice..long favoured by tories..
..i understand umbrellas have a role to play..
..phillip ure..
p.u.
Is CBT sort of political fencing?
Is there a prize for getting the right answer?
Will someone play my choice of the Greatest Song of All Time?
You probably don’t want to know. It’s something Tories seem to like. Not for our side of the divide at all.
And she’s proud of that. What a piece of shit she is.
Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson has reacted with renewed anger with news having ‘leaked’ that HousingNZ is negotiating to sell the Gordon Wilson housing complex which housed 100+ low income tenants to Victoria University,
Located within walking distance of the Uni the Gordon Wilson apartments were closed earlier this year because of what many saw as minor safety concerns which should have taken mere months to remedy and i commented at the time of the closure that ‘the plan’ was to flick the apartments off on the cheap to the University,
There are two major concerns here, one being while there are 100’s of people on the HousingNZ waiting list all over New Zealand the HousingNZ estate is being ransacked by this Government with no replacements in sight anywhere which simply puts more demand on the housing ‘market’ to provide what is in most cases barely affordable rental accommodation which also pushes demand and prices up in the private housing market,
The second concern, is the wholesale sell-off of the HousingNZ estate an Asset Sale as large, if not larger than the sell off of the Electricity Generators???,
My view is Yes, with the HousingNZ estate valued at some 50 billion dollars and Un-Housing Minister Nick Smith and HousingNZ CEO Sowry,(a National Party Puppet),making statements ”My plan is for HousingNZ to supply 20% less of social housing in the future”, and, ”If a HousingNZ property is worth 700,000 and is empty it will be sold”, you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to work out how much of the estate will be flicked off to private interests,
As HousingNZ have shown no intention of building any replacement stock for what has already been sold,(some 500 homes last year), it is becoming obvious that it is not that organization which is receiving the monies from this mass sell off of social housing, just where is the money going,
My view is that such monies are in fact being use by Slippery’s National Government in it’s efforts to declare a budget surplus and the bigger the hole in their projected finances the more of the States social housing stock they will sell…
Well bad12, looks like SSLands will have to share that Idiot of the Day trophy with Steve James (freedom’s image above) after his reply to you at 11. (9.59am)
Lolz Rosie, i just came back to ‘Open Mike’ and as it’s grown since this morning i read it from the bottom and got to SSlands really dumb comment befor yours,
Thought to myself ”damn i have already given away an award for dumbest comment of the day”, which means your spot on, the ‘Two Ronnies’ can share the award and i am really sure market forces will sort out the division of it…
I have to put a plug in for chris73 – he’s really trying hard and in some ways he has at least caught up with the other two and he really is giving it a good go…
When he starts waxing lyrical about collins I get the distinct impression that his fanfic blog is called “Fifty Shades of Blue”.
Yep his skinsuit is slipping, maybe it’s “Fifty shades of moo”
ha
Shes a marvelous women
Lolz Marty, you do that well, sorry tho i am outta awards for the day….
c’mon..!
..ol’ polyester-pants naki-man has to be in with a chance..?
..surely..?
..phillip ure..
Recently I rediscovered Backlight a series of Dutch public service TV documentaries. The series which is still being made today takes on subjects such as banking and the hideous consequences of an out of control banking system on the global economy amongst others.
Here is the first installment of a two part series on the mindset of your average investment banker/trader and with John Key and his asset selling, NZ economy trashing, privatizing ways in mind I thought I’d provide the link here. (For subtitling of the few Dutch spoken parts turn the captions settings to on)
I wouldn’t worry. The complex is ugly. VUW can fix it up for student accommodation.
As I understand it HousingNZ is simply trying to lift the value they deliver by adjusting their housing stock to better meet the needs of prospectuve clients. It doesn’t matter who owns the house. The market wil sort out any issues anyway.
I think you should disclose you live in a State house. That colours your judgements.
Maybe everyone should disclose where they live, all the time. I’ll give you a hand:
Source: http://thestandard.org.nz/buy-meridian-shares-mrp/#comment-687282
S
I think you should disclose you live in Australia. That colours your judgements.
[Edit] Looks like Hayden beat me to the button (which he hit right on).
I think srylands should disclose that they don’t live in a State house. That colours their judgement.
Hi srylands – lol
Ah, the blind faith of the zealot.
“The market wil sort out any issues anyway.”
You truly are an ideological muppet aren’t you..
Muppet – who? You tguy? You have yourself chosen one for your gravatar or whatever.
And remember it takes an ideological muppet, to recognise another.
As Johnny Cash and Pete Seeger sang, It Takes a Worried Man – to really see who’s who.
(Listen on the links we put up for Pete Seeger death if you know who he was. Now he knew what ideological was.)
Interesting view GW. I ordinarily agree with a lot of what you say but you seem to have got a bit tangential on this one.
Public debate is about to heat up in Dunedin, come along & take a stand:
“Protesters are vowing to ”peacefully confront” Anadarko’s drill ship when it arrives off Otago’s coast, but another seismic survey vessel working for oil giant Shell has already slipped into the area… The survey ship’s arrival came as Anadarko’s drill ship, [ig]Noble Bob Douglas, was due to begin drilling a test well 60km off the Otago Peninsula coast, at the bottom of the Canterbury Basin, next month. ”
Veteran protester Henk Haazen, on board his sailing ship SV Tiama, was due in Dunedin this morning to discuss plans with [Oil Free Otago]… former anti-nuclear protester, was also involved in protests against Petrobras’ deep-sea oil drilling plans off the North Island’s East Coast, in 2010, and more recently drilling by Anadarko off Raglan”
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/289952/protests-planned-against-drill-ship
Prostituting Otago Oil’s response has been typically corporate from such a bought&sold lobby group:
“City councillor Andrew Whiley [Coyote], a vocal supporter of exploratory drilling off the Otago coast, was yesterday named as the spokesman for Pro Gas Otago. The supporters’ group was launched last month as Pro Oil and Gas Otago, but announced a ”restructure” yesterday.”
Hilary Calvert was the only person I ranked lower on last year’s STV councillor election than that oil-sands-land “golf professional”.
I have been looking at the drilling question and its validity in New Zealand.
I came across the following comment.
The Gorgon project got under way in 2009. It is Australia’s largest ever natural resource investment and one of the biggest oil and gas projects in the world. Gorgon’s total gas reserves amount to 40 trillion cubic feet. …It is believed it will last for 40 years and yield a total sales revenue of US$500 billion.
Still – makes you think what may be available after test drilling.
PapaMike
Will Oz then want to trade us for water, barrel for barrel. Still – it makes you think. They wouldn’t bother, they would just buy up the country, own the land, and the water they could utilise at will except for troublesome negotiations over long-term water licences the previous Free NZ Gummint had set up.
In yesterday’s parliamentary Q and A, I found this exchange and especially Mr Winston Peters’ point of order at the end very amusing :
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. The difficulty I have is that the member Mr Brownlee has not actually raised any new points at all. He has just asked me to reflect on the matter. I am happy to reflect on the matter and I will come back to not only Mr Brownlee but also to the House, if that is so required.
Hon David Parker: Speaking to that point, how could the Speaker be willing to reconsider the matter without being willing to consider the Opposition’s view on that? There are points to be made here, arising out of the Leader of the House’s submission to you, that I think are germane and I think I should have the opportunity to do that.
Mr SPEAKER: If the member can succinctly put his point of view, I am happy to hear it.
Hon David Parker: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The problem with the Leader of the House’s position, set out in his submission to you, is that it is within the right of the Opposition not to have confidence in the Government and Ministers, as we do in respect of motions such as the motion on the Prime Minister’s statement. That same ruling applies to questions such as Mr Mallard’s question, and therefore your original ruling is correct and Mr Brownlee is incorrect.
Mr SPEAKER: I will hear from the Rt Hon Winston Peters.
Rt Hon Winston Peters: In consideration of the request by Mr Brownlee, in your further consideration, as he has invited you to undergo, do you want to know the date, the time, and the room where the leak took place?
Mr SPEAKER: And the member should go back to his office and practise raising relevant points of order.
——
That was Q # 11.
Here is the video :
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/22769
Yes Clemgeopin. An interesting set of exchanges. And the Winston point at the end capped the whole issue of who did the leaking and it is still deeply suspicious and must be a concern for the PM.
Serialiarandfraudster
Does he work for Crosby Textor or thr Center for Idependent Studies or both.
Some good news, because each little step towards sanity makes the journey ever shorter http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2014/shell-ices-plans-to-drill-in-america-s-arctic-sea
How appropeeit to see DonKeyotee at the dunny paper factory on teevee last night. He is full of shit so I hope they gave him plenty of free samples.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9670970/Collins-jumps-in-racist-clothes-fight
– “Oh my goodness, isn’t she a sensitive wee sausage?”
Judith Collins knows just how to cut someone off at the knees and make them look petty.
Zip it sweety
Bennets good but Judith Collins is in a class of her own which is why I don’t want her to be the next leader of National.
In all honesty, I no longer understand what is going on here. Obviously (from yesterday’s Open Mike), my viewpoint of the situation aligns with Metiria Turei’s.
However, if one were to characterize this as a mud fight, why the hell is Collins now jumping in? No matter what she said, she was going to come away muddy…
Well you might be able to tell me how Tolleys comment could be considered racist, no one else has bothered to explain.
I think it wasn’t racist and Tureis playing the race card.
And whys Collins jumping in? Because its teamwork and because she can I suppose…a guy wouldn’t want to jump into this one.
Turei explained it right at the outset you numpty
Yes but Tureis playing the race card and looking for sympathy
🙄
“no one else has bothered to explain.”
“Turei explained it”
“Yes but Tureis playing the race card and looking for sympathy”
You’re an idiot
Ok then Tolley explained why it wasn’t racist so they’ve each cancelled each other out and neither of them would have ulterior motives
you’re an idiot
Why? People here seem to be accepting its a racist comment simply because Turei says it is
Thats idiotic (or lazy)
you’re an idiot because you’ve reduced your assessment of the question to how many people explain in favour one way or the other, rather than looking at the quality of those explanations.
because you’ve been bleating on how nobody has explained it, McFlock showed that Turei had, and you agreed! So your whole line is exposed for the idiocy it always was. But still you’ll argue like a fool…
Better then being lazy. Let me break down the lefts side in all this: I don’t like Anne Tolley, Turei says Tolley said something racist there Tolley did say something racist.
you’re an idiot.
And the latest of the many reasons for this assessment is because your summary of “the lefts side” demonstrates just how oblivious you are to the slightly more complex nuances of comments like this.
i don’t think it was a racist attack on turei..
..i see it more as the tories trying to portray turei to her voter-base as a compromised sell-out..
..this is an old-skool tory political-tactic..
..and turei needs to toughen-up..
..the nats see attacking the greens as a top-priority this election-year..
..so she is facing a year of this..
..would turei prefer the greens go back to being studiously ignored..
..(and as an aside..i wonder if turei reckons my go’s at her over/for her (oh! so green..!..) penchant of hanging around bbq’s..while wrapped in dead-animal skins..
..i wonder if she construes those critiques as ‘racist’..?..)
..and are my piss-takes of kate willamsons’ wholehearted support for the nz collar-manufacturing industry..
..are they somehow ‘racist’..?
phillip ure..
This is a great laugh, anyone wanting to know the genesis of the fight between Tolley and Metiria only need cast their minds back to a RadioNZ National pre-election debate in 2011 where tired of Tolley’s puerile interjections while She was trying to make Her point Mets let go a blast at Tolley that resembled nicely many of the power tools i have working at full capacity,
That shut Tolley’s mouth for the remainder of the debate and hardened Slippery the Prime Minister’s resolve to give Tolley the kick from the education portfolio, since then Tolley, septic at the best of times, has had a huge hate on for Metiria which dwarfs the usual Tory hate for the Green Party by a country mile,
Metiria is simply playing Tolley like a fish, Collins a slow swimmer has just decided to make it a ‘school’ and anyone thinking that Metiria Turei need ‘harden up’ is deluded,
The longer Metiria can make Tolley and now Collins spit venom the better, ‘wing-nuts’ everywhere are of course going to leap about with glee in the belief that Tolley/Collins are giving Mets a serve, Party members like myself are going to watch this quietly laughing because we know that young born to rule National Party voters with a strong ecological/conservationist leaning are going to hear this vicious rubbish being spewed by Tolley/Collins and quietly think to themselves,like they did in droves last election, yeah why not follow my heart and give the Green Party a vote…
Lolz, as an afterthought all the Green Party MP’s should attend the Chamber on the next sitting day of the Parliament dressed in suits made of sack-cloth and spend question time quizzing Tolley on the appropriateness of their attire…
Morgan Godfery did bother to explain:
bad12:
That would be just so hilarious. I could see it bringing in a lot of young voters for the Greens too.
Judes is jumping in because she’s good at this sort of catfight.
They remind me of the Nat. Party equivalent of those vicious teenage girls who hang around waiting for some ‘normal’ teenager to wander by and then beat them up. The kids only no one way to bully and demean and that is with their fists. Bennett, Tolley and Collins can use the power of their political office to do the same thing without using fists.
Jacinda Ardern better watch out because when jealousy is involved it can get really nasty.
It’s petty schoolgirl stuff and will be seen as such. Metiria’s not going to convince anyone it’s racism. The boys in parliament do the same sort of thing in their own way. We’ve been tolerating such childish behaviour from MPs for so long now it’s hardly a surprise the girls have at last descended to cattiness about clothes.
Metiria has already convinced me that it’s part of a well orchestrated litany of racist attacks undertaken by the Tories against herself and Hone Harawira. It is not an isolated event. The pattern has been established.
Fair enough. I thought the same thing when those UK journos all went bananas when Helen Clark wore a pants suit to meet the quoon. Racist blighters I thought.
jeepers girl – read your comms before submitting. It’s:
the kids only know one way to bully….
Anne
We knew what you meant and that you would know that we would know and there was no way we could get the wrong message.
😀
Pedantic me.
Quite right Anne – Collins is like every girl’s school bully, demeaning personal comments to prevent anyone criticising her in-crowd. OTOH I don’t think that comment will have made her any new friends
No c73
It makes Collins look petty and shallow. Also Ann Tolley. We already know that. And we are not impressed. But apparently you are. You perhaps are drawn to the aggressive people that say the things you would never dare.
You’re right, as a guy I don’t make comments on what women are wearing unless its positive.
The Death Of Expertise
Don’t agree with everything he’s said there (he’s brought up the BS about people being anonymous) but he does make a few good points such as the above quote and his paragraph on the Dunning-Kruger Effect.. That said he does seem to dismiss the self-taught as a matter of course. He seems to think that the only way to learn is through formal education.
Some of the most qualified from some of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions are the exact same people who have led western nations to the fucked up place they’re at today. So not a great advertisement.
Sounds like this school board needs to go down to the library and check out “The Sneetches”:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11194809
Ann Tolley making much of being an electorate MP. Metiria Turei is a list MP, no doubt a sore point with a reactionary, revisionist, backward NACT MP. She doesn’t like the extra M before MP. NACTs still get away with lots that lot, but they want it all, and it rubs that people can get to Parliament on a list position. Always NACTs are trying to pull rank for their uppity and force majeure ways eh!
Might I not be able to turn to stuff to get the Dom Post’s version of the ‘clothes joust’ when they go behind a firewall? That will be so sad – being shut out of the important news they carry.
I find they are getting very slow to load at stuff, too much stuff, and not enough substance perhaps.
Marlborough Express reported and also had this –
>It is not the first time National MPs have attacked Turei’s choice of clothing. Justice Minister Judith Collins said last year on Twitter that a speech by Turei was “vile, wrong and ugly, just like her jacket today”.
I hope she’s telling Steven Joyce, Hekia Parata, Chris Finlayson and Tim Groser to fuck right off as well.
Hayden
Aren’t they her mates? I take it you mean Judith Collins or Anatolldyah? You don’t stick your fingers in your own side’s eyeballs in the scrum. Waddarrryah.
I mean Anne Tolley, referring to list MPs as having “no constituents”.
H.
Right, I mean left. I can’t tell the difference between the NACT females mentioned, to tell the truth they all seem so similar in some ways, that is their superiority and meanness. I know who is Paula Bennett because she is brown and fat and Maori, but the others seem to be blonde and skinny, and white plastic with a touch of lippie and rouge, though Tolley does have brown hair in the news photo though I thought she was blonde. (And she looked as if she had an expensive outfit on in the news photo too. Perhaps one of the women’s mags, or perhaps a press gallery sartorial assessor, could give us an off-the-cuff valuation).
I suppose I have achieved racism, sexism, fatism, and shallowism in the above. I’m (not very) sorry.
” I know who is Paula Bennett because she is brown and fat and Maori”
Yep I find that offensive. Are you alright?
Does that describe you marty mars? Be proud of who you are girl. There is nothing derogatory in those words unless you think it. Has that occurred to you ever.
I’m really only one of those but thanks for your platitude. I guess i just can think of so many descriptors for paula bennett that don’t relate to her colour, weight or cultural background, yet convey my dislike and contempt for her – but you know i’d have to burn some very small amount of brain calories to come up with them, and it does take a teeny, tiny, little effort so i can understand why some can’t be bothered.
Who is duty right wing lurker-under-the-bridge for today? Steve James?
(freedom’s tribute at 1 5 1 is very tasteful)
Naki Man giving his version of reasoned analysis?
srylands Still waiting to come into his estate somewhere?
(Realised why I was in moderation. I had used the t. word.)
I just heard another worried report about overfishing of tuna by Chinese funded boats by specialist reporter Michael Field.
Something about where they used to be able to catch 22, they are now catching 5.
And this is following a long period of decline. I helped one of my sons to do a school project on tuna catches and they were noting the devastating decline in the 1980’s. Woe is me. All the learning that I’ve and they have done, added to all the learning crammed into all the heads up to high levels, above the eyeballs, has not been sufficient to stand firm against the deterioration of our own persons, our countries and our planet. Fu.k – F..k – F..k – F..k – F..k – F..k — F..
Let’s be grateful that advanced learning has been put to good use by the corporate machine in order to fish, mine, exploit far more efficiently and profitably.
CV
Well that’s very nice. And it shows how modern and advanced we are. We’re up with the technology and can match anyone in the world. We’re just amazing. And I am sure all those
industries you mentioned will do everything in the most modern way. (They have given up the idea of blasting holes using nuclear power now haven’t they. That worried me a bit, but that was a while ago. I am sure we have moved on to better things now.)
Yes I know that these young men and women too, these days, use all that wonderful expertise they learned in university. And they will do it well and cleanly. Fisher and Paykel exported new models of dishwashers to the USA did you know that? Some of the young people come and stay with me you know, and they always hang up their towels after showers, and help with the dishes as I haven’t bothered with a dishwasher myself. Such nice young people and doing so well for themselves too.
Just having a brain storm CV being Mrs Houswoman at home blathering on. It’s about the level of many older and comfortably off in our society.
Hi Warbly. I’ve been watching a series about the Indian Ocean which has been QI. The narrator has been visiting East African countries so far on his journeys. One common theme has been the effect of commercial fishing on local indigenous communities. The people of the Maldives for example can only get a few tiddly fish via their traditional methods, and only enough to feed themselves a meagre amount and not enough to sell and make money from, as they had been previously doing for generations The culprits are the massive factory boats that scoop up everything in the ocean. There is no regulation and stock are in a sharp decline.
Same story in the Atlantic Ocean on a series about the British Atlantic coastline It was a repeat scenario off the coast of Ireland (crap or was it Scotland? It was a few weeks ago) Although it wasn’t a factory boat, a local had purchased a huge trawler, crewed it with (no doubt underpaid) Ukrainians and once again phenomenal amounts of fish were being taken, that severely disadvantaged traditional fisher people.
What they were doing was so depressing and made it look like we have at least given some thought to how our commercial fishing is regulated, which really is saying something!
Yeah Rosie
I used to think we did good with the quotas . But truth to tell they were just a stop gap measure to get our breath until we ploughed on to a more robust fishing policy which required some deep breaths and chest thumping by an intelligent, determined government to look after our assets present and future.
But, the great untold exploration story – a group was sent out to look for the i,d, gummint, and they still haven’t come back. We have had to make do with the ones that we have managed to scrape up. The news is that the past exploratory group perished and another one is being formed to go and search for the former one. It’s a slow process, but there are hopes that it will have formed, reconnoitred, and be returning a full report before the end of 2014.
So let’s hold hands Rosie and keep hoping for something to happen. You might let me know if there is something I should be doing, and vice versa if you like. Cheers.
Yes, well we’ve really been mucking about for ages re caring for our fish stocks and have been slow to implement new measures to reduce harm in the marine environment. For instance those new types of nets that allow the little tiddlers out so only the fully grown catch can remain in the net won’t be phased in until 2016. I recall the gummit you mention above wanted to give the industry a chance to get its shit together.
Please bear in mind I am dredging this from my increasingly dimming memory so this may not be entirely accurate, but it will be along those compromised routes.
Anywaaay, speaking of hope, we can only hope the Greens get enough influence in the next gummint to improve the sustainability of our fishing industry via better regulation.
I would be the last person to let you know what you should be doing, especially as I have taken up eating fish in recent years and have relinquished my vego status of 30 years. I am now part of the problem. What I do do is eat farmed salmon from a sustainable source (Aoraki brand) and not that shitty equivalent to battery farmed salmon (Regal brand) from Marlborough. I don’t eat tinned tuna but there are a few cans in the emergency kit for the cat in case of natural disaster. Occasionally I eat fresh white fish caught from the cook strait close to home but it’s not line caught. You can only get that in fancy restaurants or unless you know a fisher person
I still buy tins of tuna that Sealord cans, and use occasionally. But I am always slightly guilty about it. Perhaps the French could talk to the Chinese and ask them to stop putting out fishing boats for tuna. They used to be in Indo-China so maybe they still have some diplomatic cred. I wonder if the UN has discussed the problem of sustainability of the tuna fishery with them. Perhaps they have a fishy roving ambassador who could try to break up this self-satisfied little fiefdom of fishy pirates. I understand they are wedged into islands like Mauritius very deeply and profitably.
Perhaps we should go out saving tuna instead of whales. We could offer the Japanese all the whales that get washed up on our beaches each season instead. Maori could take a few ceremonial jawbones and other parts. And we could ask them to publish their scientific findings from all the years back. They must be mounting up now, and the world is waiting for the useful data and findings. Do we believe that there is any? Or is it some deeply connected counteraction of the dignity of Japan affected by the shock of defeat in WW2? When the leaders keep going to that shrine that upsets the Chinese, are they thumbing their nose at the world,. and retaining their whale eating habits is a comfort to them?
I think I am getting tired and depressed. This isn’t cheering you up either Rosie. So I’ll stop and do some useful gardening tomorrow.
Lol, I like your idea’s. And yes, what about about all that “scientific data” on whales?
Gardening is useful and uplifting. Enjoy your day 🙂
The NZ Conservatives have expressed admiration for the UK Independence Party. Who are UKIP and to what extent do they parallel Colin Craig and his faithful?
“UKIP: Colin’s Cousins???”
http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/31/printer_14528.php
This is a shocker – why shame the kids – it is just cruel.
“Whangaparaoa Primary School gave out the “2014 Donation Paid” tags upon payment of the (voluntary) donation.”
and this is a classic
“Mr Dean said the school recognised that some families couldn’t afford to pay a donation.
“It was always the intention that if any such families felt that they wanted a tag for any reason, they could confidentially contact anyone at the school and receive one, no questions asked.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11194809
I’m bloody pleased we democratically homeschool our son.
Bet the many Tories on the Board of Trustees thought this was just fine.
Anything they can do…
Up to 40 students at a Utah elementary school watched as their lunches were taken and thrown away on Tuesday because their parents owed money to the school, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/school_lunches_thrown_away_debt
This whole “donation” thing has become a farce. This is yet another example. Good policy would be to introduce school fees on a sliding scale depending on school decile.
Defacto fee regimes lead to the crap we see with this school.
Primary and secondary education in NZ should be completely free.
And foreigners who have never lived in NZ and never intend to live here like yourself should butt out.
Good policy is to adequately fund education so extorted “donations” are not needed.
How can they call that a donation??
‘Contact the school ” So an underpaid and overworked group of parents have to spend some of their precious time discussing their poverty with a group of people who have absolutely no right to have this information and who make these social rules to disadvantage them.
There is no obligation to pay and therefore no obligation to justify the non payment to a group of people who set themselves in judgement over them. Tossers.
” So an underpaid and overworked group of parents have to spend some of their precious time discussing their poverty with a group of people ”
The people who are tossers are the ones who clearly can pay and won’t on some principle that education should be “free”. They make their kids look like idiots and aggravate other parents. Stop bludging and pay up.
The people who are tossers are the ones who clearly can pay and won’t on some principle that education should be “free”.
A principle somewhat undermined by these same tossers usually taking advantage of every method going to weasel out of paying the taxes that fund this “free” education.
Interesting – this ‘comment’ is currently (unusually) being ‘moderated’ on Kiwiblog!
Apologise in advance for the length – but I’m sure some of the more independently-minded will appreciate the quality? (As it were …..;)
_____________________________________________________________________________
[deleted]
link: http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/?p=250
_____________________________________________________________________________
In the interest of informed public debate on this issue – because so much of it is NOT.
Penny Bright
[lprent: Nothing unusual about it. It’d get moderated on any site for its length. I was thinking about moderating it out myself. And did so after I discovered you now have a website of your
Have you ever tried making your views known in “short” come-ons to your own site rather than at “length” on ours ]
Right wing wet dream:
“People who feel they don’t have enough money to meet their daily needs are also less likely to vote,” Walker said
That looks very interesting.
Scoop put up a link to the actual report
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/Well-being/civic-human-rights/non-voters-2008-2011-gen-elections.aspx
Graph, categories for not voting, 2008 and 2011 general elections.
The main reason people gave for not voting in the 2011 General Election was they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’ to vote. This accounted for 21 percent of the non-voters (and is included in the ‘disengaged’ category). Another 7.1 percent of the non-voters said they did not think their vote would have made a difference. This is a big increase from 3.9 percent in the 2008 election.
Ten percent of non-voters were ‘overseas or away on the election day’. This was the most frequently selected reason in the ‘perceived barriers’ category.
Over 12 percent of non-voters said they did not register for the 2011 election, which equates to just over 2 percent of the total population aged 18 years and over. About 15 percent of non-voters cited ‘other’ reasons for not voting in the 2011 election, including not being eligible because of their visa status, or for religious reasons.
Ta Weka. I really should (and will) spend more time sourcing news from Scoop rather than the stuffed and herald sites.
No worries. I was so annoyed with the idiocy of the Stuff article that I tracked it down. Turns out the Stuff article was a press release from Stats NZ. No idea why a journalist would attach their name to it.
MEMO to Len Brown.
Hi Len. If you want to know how to deal with hecklers then send out for a copy of Keith Richards “Life” where he describes exactly how to deal with them.
Lolz, i was amused to read in yesterdays Herald online that Penny Bright,(a regular here at the Standard), after being refused permission to address the Auckland City Council took the floor and did so anyway,
The Herald didn’t say for how long Penny harangued and chastised Len Brown and other’s about the breaking of council rules but the Councillors abandoned their meeting over formal business for the duration,
Gotta ask right, Penny Bright after being refused permission to speak at the council meeting disregards the rules making an elongated speech about the Mayor and some employees breaking the rules???,
There’s a word commonly used to describe such behavior,or lack of it…
Take the time to watch this, painful, hilarious and sobering.
http://www.nfb.ca/film/qallunaat_why_white_people_are_funny
Awesome and inspiring Joe, keep em coming and thanks so much
Watching the video I thought the references to the book of wisdom were part of the piss take but no, it’s a fine example of racist colonialism all wrapped up in a bundle of Qallunaat paternalism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/books/review/Royte.t.html?pagewanted=all
another lie for BLiPs list of jk lies, on radio nz news 5pm john key said the greens make the nastiest comments.
Heard that, and the kid pretending to be a journalist didn’t even ask for an example of such comments.
i know, like, “can i have an example” would have been useful.
He did give an example as reported on Stuff.
TV3 News tonight had Key saying that last line about the Greens going hard. That came after clips of Key’s sneering in parliament. And it gave the impression that the Greens were as nasr=ty and sneering as Key.
In fact, saying a government should be sacked is not a personal attack, unlike the slams at Turei’s clothes. And the Greens actually do avoid the nastiness of Key and some Labour MPs, especially the personal attacks – they attack policies, Nat values, and MP’s performances.
Indeed!!!, the Green Party MP’s in the House are probably more disciplined than any other restraining from interjections and barracking,
Knowing where to really hurt the Tory’s tho, who get their kicks from being either feared or loathed you will often see either Metiria Turei or Russell Norman having a chuckle at the answer they have received from one of Slippery’s Ministers during question time as they rise to ask a Supplementary…
Collins does ugly so so well !
It was ludicrous enough for Tolley to claim you can’t talk about starving unless you’re starving but then to see Collins rush in to do the real ugly and then The Ponce witter on in support ???
Can’t be pleasant Metiria but you can take solace in this – I reckon across the spectrum, yeah even amongst Tories, there’s bugger all see you as the ugly one here.
Herald called it a continuing tit for tat but is it really? Turia calls them on poverty they comment on her clothes.
Where are all the righties who claim nats dont do personal attacks.
I think if you are grossly fat, wear expensive clothes, have an enormous carbon footprint, and live in a large house, you are skating on thin ice bleating about “poverty”, or more correctly claiming that you are morally and politically superior to the Government in terms of commentary. The Government is doing more than any other government in 30 years to lift prosperity for everyone.
The answer of the Greens – more taxation, more spending and dependency on the State, together with a return to an agrarian economy will impoverish everyone – we can be poor together I guess.
Yeah rave on delusional Nazi pig SSLands. You really are.
S
I think if you are grossly stupid & vile; and live in another country from that which would suffer the consequences of your suggestions, you should find somewhere else to spew your bile. The Government is doing more than any other government in 30 years to enrich themselves and their mates. As I can’t conceive of you actually having any friends, I am left with the conclusion that you are a paid by the word for spouting your repulsive nonsense.
Farrar did some posts over the last 2 years or so on urgency use. Does anyone know if finlaysons claim is factually correct?
” He said that the Law Society had ignored the work that all parties had done to reduce the use of urgency, and that the rate that it had been used was the lowest in years. “
What was the law society commenting on?
Apparent there has been a change in rules that helps to limit the abuse of urgency. Of course that’s limiting it but not preventing it.
Dr. Jeff Masters – warming and North America’s big freeze.
Worked to death.
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/making-pictures-finding-solutions-in-nicaragua/
http://laislafoundation.org/epidemic/
Dunno if this stuff has been covered elsewhere but: (& apologies for length)
Geoff Bertram reply http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11193859
to the completely rubbish Electricity Authority report http://www.ea.govt.nz/dmsdocument/16346
Fundamentally the report by the supposed ‘watchdog’ made some completely ridiculous assumptions that guaranteed the result would be that ‘retail customers historically underpaid’ primarily:
-That 10% per annum return on capital since the ’70s is a reasonable number to aim for!!!
-That the wholesale rate at the market since the ‘free market’ reforms definitively represents a fair value of the actual cost of generation O_O
-That somehow the current gentailers are saddled with the capital debt supposedly caused by the construction of the dams/generators & are expected to pay it back. (They aren’t & they aren’t, taxpayers paid for the construction, gentailers got assets not debts)
-That water has a ‘fuel’ cost to the Generators which is reflected in the cost charged to customers, WTF!
-Summary averages Residential with Commercial/Industrial to come up with ‘its about the same in Real $’ when the whole point of Geoff Bertrams’ original analysis was that **Residential customers** have paid a disproportionally high % since the reforms vs **Commercial/Industrial** who have had big discounts, which is clearly agreed with in the data on the EA report.
The whole thing is a blatantly pro-gentailer biased hack-job by the EA to support the status quo.
EA is supposed to be a neutral overseer to protect the consumer not a partisan PR wing.
In my opinion EA head should apologize to the country & resign for such blatant bias.
But media is too busy with ‘important’ stuff like Meteria Tureis’ jacket/possible flag change/baby bonus/anything else.
Something I’ve been keeping an alarmed eye on but there is scarcely a blip about in our media is the increasing military craziness between China & Japan/US over uninhabited islands/EEZ that may include oil/gas.
At Davros G20 (or whatever it is happening over there)
http://ex-skf.blogspot.de/2014/01/ot-echo-of-past-world-wars-from-davos.html
Chinese senior business guy casually suggests a war between China & Japan over this is almost inevitable.
Japan prime minister essentially agrees, likening it to the build up to WWI.
Meanwhile apparently US gave Japan 300KG of weapons-grade Plutonium in the ’60s, supposedly for ‘Research’ purposes (enough for 50-60 nukes ie about as ‘research’ as ongoing Arctic Ocean whaling) but Obama has in recent months demanded it be returned to US.
http://ex-skf.blogspot.de/2014/01/the-obama-administration-demands-japan.html
I believe has been some recentish hinting from senior Japanese guys that Japan is & has been capable of producing nukes in a short time.
In that context its probably a good thing that Obama is demanding it back as it should help prevent any Japan vs China war from going Nuke, but still pretty terrifying stuff.
The blog both those came from http://ex-skf.blogspot.de/ is one I’ve been following regarding the incredibly serious & increasingly degrading status of Fukushima Dai-ichi since mainstream media is basically not covering it at all.
3 years on and many decades from actually being under control we have something like 3,000 tanks full of highly radioactive water they can’t clean in temporary tanks that will fall apart completely within a few years.
Amongst other issues, a request from Tepco to the whole global Nuke industry on how to deal with Tritium contamination in the water basically came back with ‘only thing you can do is release it into the sea gradually so it can be diluted’…
They built a big plant that was supposed to decontaminate the water but its only operated for a couple of months total between failing due to rust/leaks & membranes being clogged.
Apparently the whole system was predicated on the idea that most contaminants are deposited from fallout but its actually diluted into the water via direct contact with the corium -> produces vast amounts of highly contaminated slurry that would need to be ‘stored’ somewhere for some stupidly big number of years while still not cleaning the Tritium.
They have been so busy dealing with contaminated water, patching leaks in tanks with duct tape & rubbish bags that they have only recently started managing to get a few mins at a time of footage of the outside of the primary containments, mostly confirming stuff that has been blatantly obvious but nuke apologists have refused to believe as even slightly possible: ie there are 3 fully melted down cores that have breached containment and nobody knows where the ~100tons of corium actually is (like 90% chance its well underground directly contaminating groundwater &/or tidal water). http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/newsline/201401291315.html
They are still concentrating on trying to find leaks in the primary containment though, not even close to being able to find where the hell the Corium is, let alone knowing what temperature its at, probably decades from having a plan to stop just throwing more water at it, pumping out more contaminated water into tanks (they have actually run out of space for new tanks, also run out of tanks to put the daily 300tons into!).
Somewhere in the future they expect someone to invent some magic tech that will enable them to actually decommission & clean it up, probably about the same time that Global Free Market Capitalism makes us all billionaires & eliminates poverty/disease…
Until then we can expect them to be both leaking and storing about 300 tons of ‘guaranteed to kill you in a few hours’ level contaminated water per day.
A big problem they are currently facing is the contaminated water in the tanks causes 2ndary Xrays to be generated by the metal walls of the tanks…
Its well known that the corium almost certainly melted through the steel primary containment within a few hours of the tsunami.
Also well known that corium makes a pretty violent chemical attack on concrete so probably ate through the concrete 2ndary containment also within a few days max.
Saw a recent reference to a pressured expulsion where the molten corium gets squirted out through a small hole at the bottom of the containment vessel at high pressure if the primary containment hadn’t been breached/vented higher up first -> even more quickly cuts through the concrete & also raises the issue of high surface area of a lot of small bits of corium sprayed around rather than the generally expected big, dry blob as seen at Chernobyl.
Yep, the flag: No need for a debate. Change it to Silver Fern (yes it will damn well stick out vs every other flag! Silver fern is universally recognised NZ symbol & very unique) or drop the idea outright. We have more important topics to talk about & I don’t mean Meteria Tureis’ clothes taste.
There are much more important things