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Open mike 31/01/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, January 31st, 2014 - 196 comments
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openmike

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

196 comments on “Open mike 31/01/2014”

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  1. Steve James 1
    31 January 2014 at 7:03 am

    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.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      31 January 2014 at 7:09 am

      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.

      • Chooky 1.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 7:50 am

        +1 smirk

      • Naki Man 1.1.2
        31 January 2014 at 8:07 am

        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

        • bad12 1.1.2.1
          31 January 2014 at 8:40 am

          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…

          • chris73 1.1.2.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 8:52 am

            Check out the last couple of general elections in NZ

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1.1.1
              31 January 2014 at 9:09 am

              Yeah National won the last one by 75,000 votes.

              • McFlock …
                31 January 2014 at 9:29 am

                is that including the party that voted against asset sales?

                you know, the key policy that required the support of an [accused] electoral shenaniganiser

        • phillip ure 1.1.2.2
          31 January 2014 at 8:51 am

          ‘..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..

          • Naki Man 1.1.2.2.2
            31 January 2014 at 9:36 am

            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

            • phillip ure 1.1.2.2.2.1
              31 January 2014 at 2:26 pm

              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..

              • Rosie …
                31 January 2014 at 2:36 pm

                “in yr very first line..you miss-spelt ‘eh?’..

                ..eh..?

                phillip ure..”

                As I have pointed out below…………….

          • Rosie 1.1.2.2.3
            31 January 2014 at 9:42 am

            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

            • Rosie 1.1.2.2.3.1
              31 January 2014 at 9:52 am

              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.

          • risildowgtn 1.1.2.2.4
            31 January 2014 at 9:45 am

            Stubbies shorts with those grey velcro shoes

            STUNNING

            • RedBaronCV 1.1.2.2.4.1
              31 January 2014 at 8:29 pm

              Te Papa want some stubbie shorts for the collection. Perhaps they’ll add you too ‘Naki Man. in the endangered section

          • kenny 1.1.2.2.5
            31 January 2014 at 12:30 pm

            +1

        • Pasupial 1.1.2.3
          31 January 2014 at 9:01 am

          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.

    • mickysavage 1.2
      31 January 2014 at 7:09 am

      And no understanding of the role of turnout …

      • weka 1.2.1
        31 January 2014 at 8:51 am

        +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.

    • Ad 1.3
      31 January 2014 at 7:26 am

      Sure ain’t Labour quaking at the knees for coalition partners.

      Pop back to the Act leader conference, y’hear now.

    • phillip ure 1.4
      31 January 2014 at 7:51 am

      and yr thoughts on ‘chem-trails’ col..?

      phillip ure..

    • bad12 1.5
      31 January 2014 at 8:05 am

      Steve James wins the award for Dumb comment of the day without a competition having to be held…

    • Draco T Bastard 1.6
      31 January 2014 at 12:22 pm

      Cosy up to the Greens and be seen as nutty or agree with some National policies and be seen as pragmatic.

      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.

  2. Debbie Brown 2
    31 January 2014 at 8:18 am

    Lol

  3. phillip ure 3
    31 January 2014 at 8:28 am

    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..

  4. philj 4
    31 January 2014 at 8:39 am

    Phil U, it’s self inflicted torture mate. I wouldn’t waste my time watching these highly paid twits.

    • phillip ure 4.1
      31 January 2014 at 9:08 am

      @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..

  5. Colonial Viper 5
    31 January 2014 at 8:57 am

    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

    • srylands 5.1
      31 January 2014 at 12:11 pm

      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?

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 12:33 pm

        It also needs capital for planned oil and gas exploration.

        It’s a government and thus can print the money.

        The Danish government sell down is to 60%, so it maintains control.

        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.

      • Pasupial 5.1.2
        31 January 2014 at 12:38 pm

        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.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.3
        31 January 2014 at 3:50 pm

        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.

        It is a non story. What would your advice be on the debt restructuring? No idea. Yeah thats what I thought.

        Easy mate, issue power bonds to the people who would gladly have supported their own sovereign industries.

        You really are a dick

  6. ianmac 6
    31 January 2014 at 9:05 am

    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.

    • travellerev 6.1
      31 January 2014 at 9:17 am

      Would love the link to those photos. According to many insiders Obama and wife are now sleeping in separate rooms. 😆

      • ScottGN 6.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 9:34 am

        Isn’t that standard practice for all occupants of the White House?

        • alwyn 6.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 11:06 am

          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.

        • weka 6.1.1.2
          31 January 2014 at 11:09 am

          The Bartlet’s shared a room. Which has about as much relevancy as the Obamas’ sleeping arrangements.

          • travellerev 6.1.1.2.1
            31 January 2014 at 11:31 am

            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.

            • weka 6.1.1.2.1.1
              31 January 2014 at 12:11 pm

              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?

              • travellerev …
                31 January 2014 at 2:33 pm

                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.

                • McFlock …
                  31 January 2014 at 3:05 pm

                  so because Housing NZ is [possibly] being dickish, we should make snide innuendo about the Obama’s sex life?

                  That’s very special.

                • weka …
                  31 January 2014 at 6:38 pm

                  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.

            • Murray Olsen 6.1.1.2.1.2
              31 January 2014 at 1:04 pm

              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?

              • travellerev …
                31 January 2014 at 2:02 pm

                🙄 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!

                • alwyn …
                  31 January 2014 at 2:12 pm

                  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.

                  • travellerev …
                    31 January 2014 at 2:28 pm

                    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!

                    • alwyn …
                      31 January 2014 at 3:29 pm

                      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.

              • travellerev …
                31 January 2014 at 2:20 pm

                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…..

      • ianmac 6.1.2
        31 January 2014 at 9:51 am

        Passed it on as an email because that is how I came to see it. Up to the Editor now.

  7. Philj 7
    31 January 2014 at 9:17 am

    Xox
    Phil u. Thanks for your review. Breakfast to replace Seven Sharp @7 PM? Haha. Still switching TV off, watching DVD’S.

  8. Ad 8
    31 January 2014 at 9:18 am

    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.

    • chris73 8.1
      31 January 2014 at 9:34 am

      Shes wonderful 🙂

      • Pasupial 8.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 9:45 am

        The Replicant series 6 is the pinnacle of robotics. Shame the Collins model still can’t pass a standard void/conf test though…

      • fender 8.1.2
        31 January 2014 at 12:01 pm

        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

    • phillip ure 8.2
      31 January 2014 at 9:42 am

      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..

    • greywarbler 8.3
      31 January 2014 at 12:16 pm

      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?

    • Not a PS Staffer 8.4
      31 January 2014 at 12:34 pm

      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.

    • Murray Olsen 8.5
      31 January 2014 at 1:10 pm

      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.

      • Hayden 8.5.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:23 pm

        What’s “CBT”? Do I want to know?

        • phillip ure 8.5.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 2:34 pm

          @ cbt..it’s an esoteric s& m practice..long favoured by tories..

          ..i understand umbrellas have a role to play..

          ..phillip ure..

          • greywarbler 8.5.1.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 2:51 pm

            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?

        • Murray Olsen 8.5.1.2
          1 February 2014 at 1:01 am

          You probably don’t want to know. It’s something Tories seem to like. Not for our side of the divide at all.

    • leftriteleft 8.6
      31 January 2014 at 2:34 pm

      And she’s proud of that. What a piece of shit she is.

  9. bad12 9
    31 January 2014 at 9:37 am

    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…

    • Rosie 9.1
      31 January 2014 at 10:37 am

      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)

      • bad12 9.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 1:40 pm

        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…

      • phillip ure 9.1.2
        31 January 2014 at 2:38 pm

        c’mon..!

        ..ol’ polyester-pants naki-man has to be in with a chance..?

        ..surely..?

        ..phillip ure..

  10. travellerev 10
    31 January 2014 at 9:55 am

    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)

  11. srylands 11
    31 January 2014 at 9:59 am

    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.

    • Hayden 11.1
      31 January 2014 at 10:34 am

      Maybe everyone should disclose where they live, all the time. I’ll give you a hand:

      srylands
      …in Australia where I live.

      Source: http://thestandard.org.nz/buy-meridian-shares-mrp/#comment-687282

    • Pasupial 11.2
      31 January 2014 at 10:37 am

      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).

      • weka 11.2.1
        31 January 2014 at 11:11 am

        I think srylands should disclose that they don’t live in a State house. That colours their judgement.

    • Colonial Viper 11.3
      31 January 2014 at 11:05 am

      Hi srylands – lol

    • Draco T Bastard 11.4
      31 January 2014 at 1:14 pm

      The market wil sort out any issues anyway.

      Ah, the blind faith of the zealot.

    • thatguynz 11.5
      31 January 2014 at 1:15 pm

      “The market wil sort out any issues anyway.”

      You truly are an ideological muppet aren’t you..

      • greywarbler 11.5.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:56 pm

        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.)

        • thatguynz 11.5.1.1
          4 February 2014 at 3:33 pm

          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.

  12. Pasupial 12
    31 January 2014 at 10:06 am

    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”.

    • PapaMike 12.1
      31 January 2014 at 2:37 pm

      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.

      • greywarbler 12.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:59 pm

        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.

  13. Clemgeopin 13
    31 January 2014 at 10:11 am

    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

    • ianmac 13.1
      31 January 2014 at 12:05 pm

      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.

  14. tricledrown 14
    31 January 2014 at 10:49 am

    Serialiarandfraudster
    Does he work for Crosby Textor or thr Center for Idependent Studies or both.

  15. freedom 15
    31 January 2014 at 10:53 am

    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

  16. captain hook 16
    31 January 2014 at 11:31 am

    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.

  17. chris73 17
    31 January 2014 at 11:38 am

    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.

    • Zorr 17.1
      31 January 2014 at 11:41 am

      Zip it sweety

      • chris73 17.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 11:49 am

        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.

        • Zorr 17.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 12:01 pm

          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…

          • chris73 17.1.1.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 12:09 pm

            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.

            • McFlock 17.1.1.1.1.1
              31 January 2014 at 12:22 pm

              Turei explained it right at the outset you numpty

              • chris73 …
                31 January 2014 at 12:34 pm

                Yes but Tureis playing the race card and looking for sympathy

                • McFlock …
                  31 January 2014 at 12:43 pm

                  🙄
                  “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

                  • chris73 …
                    31 January 2014 at 12:50 pm

                    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

                    • marty mars …
                      31 January 2014 at 12:57 pm

                      you’re an idiot

                    • chris73 …
                      31 January 2014 at 1:05 pm

                      Why? People here seem to be accepting its a racist comment simply because Turei says it is

                      Thats idiotic (or lazy)

                    • McFlock …
                      31 January 2014 at 1:09 pm

                      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.

                    • marty mars …
                      31 January 2014 at 1:10 pm

                      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…

                    • chris73 …
                      31 January 2014 at 1:12 pm

                      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.

                    • McFlock …
                      31 January 2014 at 1:24 pm

                      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.

                    • phillip ure …
                      31 January 2014 at 3:04 pm

                      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..

                    • bad12 …
                      31 January 2014 at 5:03 pm

                      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…

                    • bad12 …
                      31 January 2014 at 5:23 pm

                      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…

              • Anne …
                31 January 2014 at 8:47 pm

                bad12:

                Green Party MP’s should attend the Chamber on the next sitting day of the Parliament dressed in suits made of sack-cloth.

                That would be just so hilarious. I could see it bringing in a lot of young voters for the Greens too.

          • Arfamo 17.1.1.1.2
            31 January 2014 at 12:19 pm

            Judes is jumping in because she’s good at this sort of catfight.

          • Anne 17.1.1.1.3
            31 January 2014 at 12:37 pm

            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.

            • Arfamo 17.1.1.1.3.1
              31 January 2014 at 1:02 pm

              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.

              • Murray Olsen …
                31 January 2014 at 1:18 pm

                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.

                • Arfamo …
                  31 January 2014 at 1:21 pm

                  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.

            • Anne 17.1.1.1.3.2
              31 January 2014 at 3:34 pm

              jeepers girl – read your comms before submitting. It’s:

              the kids only know one way to bully….

            • RedBaronCV 17.1.1.1.3.3
              31 January 2014 at 8:43 pm

              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

    • greywarbler 17.2
      31 January 2014 at 12:36 pm

      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.

      • chris73 17.2.1
        31 January 2014 at 12:40 pm

        You’re right, as a guy I don’t make comments on what women are wearing unless its positive.

  18. Draco T Bastard 18
    31 January 2014 at 12:14 pm

    The Death Of Expertise

    To be sure, some of the blame rests with the increasing irrelevance of overly narrow research in the social sciences. But it is also because the primary requisite of seniority in the policy world is too often an answer to the question: “What did you do during the campaign?” This is the code of the samurai, not the intellectual, and it privileges the campaign loyalist over the expert.

    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.

    • Colonial Viper 18.1
      31 January 2014 at 1:36 pm

      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.

  19. Hayden 19
    31 January 2014 at 12:15 pm

    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

  20. greywarbler 20
    31 January 2014 at 1:16 pm

    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”.

    • Hayden 20.1
      31 January 2014 at 1:53 pm

      I hope she’s telling Steven Joyce, Hekia Parata, Chris Finlayson and Tim Groser to fuck right off as well.

      • greywarbler 20.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:08 pm

        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.

        • Hayden 20.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 2:20 pm

          I mean Anne Tolley, referring to list MPs as having “no constituents”.

          • greywarbler 20.1.1.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 2:34 pm

            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.

            • marty mars 20.1.1.1.1.1
              31 January 2014 at 3:03 pm

              ” I know who is Paula Bennett because she is brown and fat and Maori”

              Yep I find that offensive. Are you alright?

              • greywarbler …
                31 January 2014 at 6:02 pm

                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.

                • marty mars …
                  31 January 2014 at 6:32 pm

                  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.

  21. greywarbler 21
    31 January 2014 at 1:23 pm

    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.)

  22. greywarbler 22
    31 January 2014 at 1:35 pm

    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..

    • Colonial Viper 22.1
      31 January 2014 at 1:39 pm

      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.

      • greywarbler 22.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:21 pm

        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.

    • Rosie 22.2
      31 January 2014 at 2:32 pm

      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!

      • greywarbler 22.2.1
        31 January 2014 at 2:43 pm

        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.

        • Rosie 22.2.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 3:46 pm

          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

          • greywarbler 22.2.1.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 10:08 pm

            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.

            • Rosie 22.2.1.1.1.1
              1 February 2014 at 9:54 am

              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 🙂

  23. Craig Y 23
    31 January 2014 at 1:41 pm

    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

  24. marty mars 24
    31 January 2014 at 2:00 pm

    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.

    • Colonial Viper 24.1
      31 January 2014 at 2:48 pm

      Bet the many Tories on the Board of Trustees thought this was just fine.

      • joe90 24.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 7:05 pm

        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

      • srylands 24.1.2
        1 February 2014 at 10:00 am

        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.

        • Colonial Viper 24.1.2.1
          1 February 2014 at 10:43 am

          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.

        • McFlock 24.1.2.2
          1 February 2014 at 6:33 pm

          Good policy is to adequately fund education so extorted “donations” are not needed.

    • weka 24.2
      31 January 2014 at 3:59 pm

      How can they call that a donation??

    • RedBaronCV 24.3
      31 January 2014 at 8:52 pm

      ‘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.

      • srylands 24.3.1
        1 February 2014 at 10:04 am

        ” 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.

        • Psycho Milt 24.3.1.1
          1 February 2014 at 10:39 am

          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.

  25. Penny Bright 25
    31 January 2014 at 2:45 pm

    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 ]

  26. fender 26
    31 January 2014 at 3:17 pm

    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

    • weka 26.1
      31 January 2014 at 4:09 pm

      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.

      • fender 26.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 5:36 pm

        Ta Weka. I really should (and will) spend more time sourcing news from Scoop rather than the stuffed and herald sites.

        • weka 26.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 6:40 pm

          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.

  27. captain hook 27
    31 January 2014 at 3:49 pm

    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.

    • bad12 27.1
      31 January 2014 at 4:33 pm

      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…

  28. joe90 28
    31 January 2014 at 3:57 pm

    Take the time to watch this, painful, hilarious and sobering.

    http://www.nfb.ca/film/qallunaat_why_white_people_are_funny

    • ak 28.1
      31 January 2014 at 10:23 pm

      Awesome and inspiring Joe, keep em coming and thanks so much

      • joe90 28.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 11:35 pm

        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

  29. idlegus 29
    31 January 2014 at 5:12 pm

    another lie for BLiPs list of jk lies, on radio nz news 5pm john key said the greens make the nastiest comments.

    • fender 29.1
      31 January 2014 at 5:29 pm

      Heard that, and the kid pretending to be a journalist didn’t even ask for an example of such comments.

      • idlegus 29.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 5:31 pm

        i know, like, “can i have an example” would have been useful.

        • karol 29.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 6:59 pm

          He did give an example as reported on Stuff.

          “Lots of members of Parliament, on both sides of the House live in actually, much better conditions than a lot of other New Zealanders, and buying much more expensive clothes, so it was a bit rich of Metiria Turei having a go at the minister,” he said.

          “But I don’t think it’s racism.”

          The Greens were often among the most personal in their attacks on the Government Key said, citing the number of times they called for ministers to be sacked.

          “They go hard, they really go hard,” Key said.

          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.

          • bad12 29.1.1.1.1
            31 January 2014 at 7:44 pm

            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…

  30. North 30
    31 January 2014 at 7:47 pm

    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.

    • Tracey 30.1
      31 January 2014 at 8:31 pm

      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.

      • srylands 30.1.1
        31 January 2014 at 10:07 pm

        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.

        • North 30.1.1.1
          31 January 2014 at 11:22 pm

          Yeah rave on delusional Nazi pig SSLands. You really are.

        • Pasupial 30.1.1.2
          1 February 2014 at 6:51 am

          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.

  31. Tracey 31
    31 January 2014 at 8:28 pm

    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. “

  32. joe90 32
    31 January 2014 at 8:36 pm

    Dr. Jeff Masters – warming and North America’s big freeze.

  34. hoom 34
    1 February 2014 at 1:18 am

    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

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    7 days ago

  • Investment in New Zealand’s history
    Budget 2020 provides a major investment in New Zealand’s documentary heritage sector, with a commitment to leasing a new Archives Wellington facility and an increase in funding for Archives and National Library work. “Last year I released plans for a new Archives Wellington building – a purpose-built facility physically connected ...
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    7 days ago

  • Driving prompt payments to small businesses
    Government Ministers are asking significant private enterprises to adopt prompt payment practices in line with the state sector, as a way to improve cashflow for small businesses. The Ministers of Finance, Small Business, Commerce and Consumer Affairs have written to more than 40 significant enterprises and banking industry representatives to ...
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    1 week ago

  • Rotorua tourist icon to be safeguarded
    Maori Arts and Crafts will continue to underpin the heart of the tourism sector says Minister for Maori Development Nanaia Mahuta.  “That’s why we are making a core investment of $7.6 million to Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, over two years, as part of the Government’s ...
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    1 week ago

  • $14.7m for jobs training and education
    The Government is funding more pathways to jobs through training and education programmes in regional New Zealand to support the provinces’ recovery from the economic impacts of COVID-19, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson have announced. “New Zealand’s economic recovery will be largely driven by ...
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    1 week ago

  • Is it time to further recognise those who serve in our military?
     Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has announced the launch of a national conversation that aims to find out whether New Zealanders think there should be a formal agreement between service people, the Government, and the people of New Zealand. “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World ...
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    1 week ago

  • Paving the way for a fully qualified early learning workforce
    The Government’s drive to improve the quality of early childhood education (ECE) is taking another step forward with the reintroduction of a higher funding rate for services that employ fully qualified and registered teachers, Education Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “Research shows that high-quality ECE can improve young people’s learning ...
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    1 week ago

  • Sport Recovery Package announced
    The Sport and Recreation sector will receive a multi-million dollar boost as part of the COVID-19 response funded at Budget 2020.  Grant Robertson says the Sport and Recreation Sector contributes about $5 billion a year to New Zealand’s GDP and employs more than 53,000 people. “Sport plays a significant role ...
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    1 week ago

  • Major boost in support for caregivers and children
    A major increase in funding and availability of support will improve the incomes and reduce the pressure on 14,000 caregivers looking after more than 22,000 children. Children’s Minister Tracey Martin says that caregivers – all those looking after someone else’s children both in and outside the state care system – ...
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    1 week ago

  • Great Walks recovery on track for summer
    Vital conservation and visitor infrastructure destroyed by a severe flood event in Fiordland earlier this year is being rebuilt through a $13.7 million Budget 2020 investment, announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage.   “This investment will mean iconic Great Walks such as the Routeburn track and the full length of ...
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    1 week ago

  • Māori – Government partnership gives whānau a new housing deal
    The Government is investing  $40 million in a partnership with Māori to get more whānau into warm, dry and secure accommodation, Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Hon Nanaia Mahuta says.. “We are partnering with Māori and iwi to respond to the growing housing crisis in the wake of COVID-19. ...
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    1 week ago

  • Keeping New Zealanders Safe In The Water
    Keeping New Zealanders safe in the water Our lifeguards and coastguards who keep New Zealanders safe in the water have been given a funding boost thanks to the 2020 Budget, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Poto Williams has announced. The water safety sector will receive $63 million over ...
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    1 week ago

  • Legal framework for COVID-19 Alert Level referred to select committee
    The COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020, which set a sound legal framework ahead of the move to Alert level 2, has been referred to a parliamentary select committee for review.  Attorney-General David Parker said the review of the operation of the COVID-19 specific law would be reported back to ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand condemns shocking attacks on hospital and funeral in Afghanistan
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand condemns the targeting of civilians in two terrorist attacks in Afghanistan earlier this week. “The terrorist attacks on a hospital in Kabul and a funeral in Nangarhar province are deeply shocking. The attacks were deliberate and heinous acts of extreme violence targeting ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • Government to close tobacco tax loophole
    The Government will close a loophole that allowed some people to import cigarettes and loose leaf tobacco for manufacturing cigarettes and ‘roll your owns’ for sale on the black market without excise tax being paid, says Minister of Customs Jenny Salesa. The legislation, which doesn’t affect duty free allowances for ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • $62 million package to support families through the Family Court
    The Coalition Government has made a significant $62 million investment from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to start the reform of the Family Court and enable it to respond effectively to the increased backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today Justice Minister Andrew Little introduced the Family Court (Supporting ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • Tailored help supports new type of job seeker – report
    The Government’s expanded services to support people into jobs will help an emerging cohort of New Zealanders impacted by COVID-19. The impacted group are relatively younger, have a proportionately low benefit history and have comparatively higher incomes than most who seek support, as captured in a report published today from ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • A modern approach to night classes
    New funding to boost Government-funded Adult and Community Education (ACE) will give more than 11,000 New Zealanders more opportunities to learn, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This includes a modern approach to rebuilding night classes, which were slashed in the middle of our last economic crisis in 2010,” Chris Hipkins ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • Christchurch Call makes significant progress
    Significant progress has been delivered in the year since the Christchurch Call to Action brought governments and tech companies together in Paris with a single goal to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardent says. On its first anniversary, Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron as ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • Christchurch Call: One year Anniversary
    Joint statement: the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister of New Zealand and His Excellency Emmanuel Macron President of the French Republic. One year since we launched, in Paris, the Christchurch Call to Action, New Zealand and France stand proud of the progress we have made toward our goal to eliminate terrorist ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • Budget 2020: Jobs and opportunities for the primary sector
    $19.3 million to help attract and train recently unemployed New Zealanders and grow the primary sector workforce by 10,000 people. $128 million for wilding pine and wallaby control, providing hundreds of jobs. $45.3m over four years to help horticulture seize opportunities for future growth. $14.9 million to reduce food waste ...
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    2 weeks ago

  • New registration system for forestry advisers and log traders
    A new log registration scheme and practice standards will bring us one step closer to achieving ‘value over volume’ in our forestry sector, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. New legislation introduced as part of Budget 2020 will require forestry advisers, log traders and exporters to register and work to nationally ...
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    2 weeks ago

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