Open mike 31/01/2014
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6:55 am, January 31st, 2014 - 196 comments
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- Do Kiwis trust Labour more than National on the economy? Three polls say yes.As our economic rebuild gets underway, New Zealand needs a strong, responsible government to lead our recovery. National bills itself as the Party with economic credibility, but that’s not what the numbers show or what voters believe. In the past five months, three polls have consistently shown that more New ...3 weeks ago
- NZ announces a third P-3 deployment in support of UN sanctions
The Government has deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea, announced Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “New Zealand has long supported ...18 hours ago - Pacific trade and development agreement a realityPacific regional trade and development agreement PACER Plus will enter into force in 60 days now that the required eight countries have ratified it. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the announcement that the Cook Islands is the eighth nation to ratify this landmark agreement. “The agreement represents ...5 days ago
- Securing a pipeline of teachersThe Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching. “When we came into Government, we were faced with a teacher supply crisis,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “Over the past three years, we ...7 days ago
- Border exceptions for a small number of international students with visasThe Government has established a new category that will allow 250 international PhD and postgraduate students to enter New Zealand and continue their studies, in the latest set of border exceptions. “The health, safety and wellbeing of people in New Zealand remains the Government’s top priority. Tight border restrictions remain ...1 week ago
- First COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreement signedThe Government has signed an agreement to purchase 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines – enough for 750,000 people – from Pfizer and BioNTech, subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, say Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Minister Chris Hipkins. ...1 week ago
- International statement – End-to-end encryption and public safetyWe, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the ...1 week ago
- Ministry of Defence Biodefence Assessment releasedThe Ministry of Defence has today released a Defence Assessment examining Defence’s role across the spectrum of biological hazards and threats facing New Zealand. Biodefence: Preparing for a New Era of Biological Hazards and Threats looks at how the NZDF supports other agencies’ biodefence activities, and considers the context of ...1 week ago
- New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020 Hon David Parker’s response following Thomas Piketty and Esther Duflo. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever in the world you might be. I first acknowledge the excellent thought provoking speeches of Thomas Piketty and Esther ...1 week ago
- Kaipara Moana restoration takes next stepA Memorandum of Understanding has been signed today at Waihāua Marae between the Crown, local iwi and councils to protect, restore and enhance the mauri of Kaipara Moana in Northland. Environment Minister David Parker signed the document on behalf of the Crown along with representatives from Ngā Maunga Whakahī, Ngāti ...1 week ago
- New Zealand and Uruguay unite on reducing livestock production emissionsAgriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Uruguayan Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Carlos María Uriarte have welcomed the launch of a three-year project that will underpin sustainable livestock production in Uruguay, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The project called ‘Innovation for pasture management’ is led by Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural ...2 weeks ago
- 3100 jobs created through marae upgradesHundreds of marae throughout the country will be upgraded through investments from the Provincial Growth Fund’s refocused post COVID-19 funding to create jobs and put money into the pockets of local tradespeople and businesses, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced. “A total ...2 weeks ago
- Health volunteers recognised in annual awardsHealth Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 9 teams and 14 individuals are the recipients of this year’s Minister of Health Volunteer Awards. “The health volunteer awards celebrate and recognise the thousands of dedicated health sector volunteers who give many hours of their time to help other New Zealanders,” Mr Hipkins ...2 weeks ago
- Community COVID-19 Fund supports Pacific recoveryThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says a total of 264 groups and individuals have successfully applied for the Pacific Aotearoa Community COVID-19 Recovery Fund, that will support Pacific communities drive their own COVID-19 recovery strategies, initiatives, and actions. “I am keen to see this Fund support Pacific ...2 weeks ago
- Community benefits from Māori apprenticeshipsUp to 50 Māori apprentices in Wellington will receive paid training to build houses for their local communities, thanks to a $2.75 million investment from the Māori Trades and Training Fund, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Ngāti Toa Rangatira Incorporated to provide its Ngā Kaimahi ...2 weeks ago
- Training fund supports Māori jobseekersRapidly growing sectors will benefit from a $990,000 Māori Trades and Training Fund investment which will see Wellington jobseekers supported into work, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Sapphire Consultants Ltd. to help up to 45 Māori jobseekers into paid training initiatives over two years through ...2 weeks ago
- Ruakura Inland Port development vital infrastructure for WaikatoThe Government is investing $40 million to develop an inland port at Ruakura which will become a freight super-hub and a future business, research and residential development for the Waikato, Urban Development and Transport Minister Phil Twyford, and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The funding has been has ...2 weeks ago
- Appointments made to Defence Expert Review GroupDefence Minister Ron Mark announced today the establishment of an Expert Review Group to review a number of aspects of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) structure, information management and record-keeping processes. The Expert Review Group’s work arises out of the first recommendation from the Report of the Government’s Inquiry ...2 weeks ago
- No active community cases of COVID-19There are no active community cases of COVID-19 remaining in the country after the last people from the recent outbreak have recovered from the virus, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “This is a big milestone. New Zealanders have once again through their collective actions squashed the virus. The systems ...2 weeks ago
- Clean energy upgrade for more public buildingsMore public buildings will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. Minister Shaw announced that Lincoln and Auckland universities will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to replace fossil fuel boilers. Southern, Taranaki, and ...2 weeks ago
- Schools back donations scheme for the second yearMore schools have opted in to the donations scheme for 2021, compared to 2020 when the scheme was introduced. “The families of more than 447,000 students will be better off next year, with 94% of eligible schools and kura opting into the scheme,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “This is ...2 weeks ago
- Ruapehu cycle trails gets PGF boostThe spectacular Mountains to Sea cycle trail in Ruapehu District will receive $4.6 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund for two additional trails, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is an exciting development for the local community, and one that will provide significant economic opportunities ...2 weeks ago
- Update to air border order strengthens crew requirementsAdditional measures coming into effect on Monday will boost our defence against COVID-19 entering New Zealand through the air border, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “As part of our precautionary approach and strategy of constant review, we’re tightening the requirements around international aircrew,” Chris Hipkins said. The COVID-19 Public ...3 weeks ago
- A true picture of Māori business activityA better picture of the contribution Māori businesses make to the economy will be possible with changes to the way information is collected about companies and trading enterprises. Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash have announced a new option for Māori enterprises who are part ...3 weeks ago
- PGF funding for Taranaki projectsThe South Taranaki museum, a New Plymouth distillery and a Pasifika building firm will benefit from a Government investment totalling more than $1 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. The $1.05m in grants and loans from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will help the recipients expand and create ...3 weeks ago
- Fijian Language Week 2020 inspires courage and strength during COVID-19 pandemicThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says the theme for the 2020 Fijian Language Week reflects the strong belief by Fijians that their language and culture inspires courage and strength that is strongly needed in times of emergencies, or through a significant challenge like the global COVID-19 pandemic ...3 weeks ago
- Trades training builds on iwi aspirationsAn investment of $2.025 million from the Māori Trades and Training Fund will support Māori to learn new skills while making a positive difference for their communities, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “K3 Development Limited Partnership will receive $2,025,000 for its Takitimu Tuanui apprenticeship programme, which will support the ...3 weeks ago
- Conservation Minister plants two millionth tree in Raglan restorationA long-term conservation project led by the Whaingaroa Harbour Care group in the western Waikato reaches a significant milestone this week, with the planting of the two millionth tree by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Planting the two millionth tree crowns 25 years of commitment and partnership involving Whaingaroa ...3 weeks ago
- Seniors – our parents and grandparentsInternational Older Persons Day is a chance to think about the individual older New Zealanders we know and to confront ageism, Seniors Minister Tracey Martin said today. “What happened around COVID-19 is a reminder that our over-65s are a very large and diverse group of people and we need to ...3 weeks ago
- Residential building sector growing strongerFigures released by Statistics New Zealand today show healthy growth in residential building consents in an environment of Government support for the sector during COVID-19, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. Statistics New Zealand reported today that a record 10,063 townhouses, flats, and units were consented in the August 2020 ...3 weeks ago
- PGF helps Bay of Plenty youth find jobsProvincial Growth Fund (PGF) support for a pathways to work hub in Tauranga will help address high youth unemployment in the Bay of Plenty by connecting young people with training and meaningful employment opportunities, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced. “Priority One Western Bay of Plenty ...3 weeks ago
- Government confirms new acute mental health facility for Lakes DHBA new acute inpatient mental health facility at Rotorua Hospital will provide more patient-centred and culturally appropriate care to better support recovery, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. “Improving mental health and addiction services remains one of the biggest long-term challenges facing New Zealand,” says Chris Hipkins. “Lakes DHB’s existing Whare ...3 weeks ago
- Community Languages Fund to increase support for Pacific community language projectsRound two of the Community Languages Fund (CLF) will provide even more support for Pacific grassroots community and family language projects with the introduction of a second funding tier of $10,000, in addition to the $2,500 tier, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. During the first round of the ...3 weeks ago
- Government puts teacher wellbeing at the centreThe Government is committing nearly $9 million to ensure educators in early learning services and schools get the wellbeing support they need. Education Minister Chris Hipkins made the announcement, which includes providing frontline counselling and advice services for educators, during his address at the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) annual ...3 weeks ago
- Will Labour swipe right on the Greens to govern?
With the government set to take shape in the next few weeks, Labour and the Greens will have to decide on the nature of their relationship for the next three years. Andrew Geddis takes us through the options at hand. Without even knowing the final election result (there are about 500,000 ...23 mins ago - Jacinda Ardern and transforming the would-be transformerThe self-proclaimed governors of transformation have not so far infused the ‘wellbeing’ idea they trumpeted into everyday speech. Do they dare do so now, asks Colin James.Jacinda Ardern claimed a “mandate” on election night to “accelerate our response [to Covid] and our recovery”. Does that portend the “government of transformation” ...26 mins ago
- Siouxsie Wiles: Don’t fall for the Covid contrariansA small but vocal movement calling for the end of lockdown restrictions is gaining steam globally. Dr Siouxsie Wiles explains why such an approach would be a bad idea.As life in Aotearoa gets back to some kind of normal after our latest Covid-19 outbreak, cases in the northern hemisphere are ...28 mins ago
- The Swedish strategy
Are Swedes really conquering Covid with their out-of-the-box thinking on dealing with the pandemic? Another deadly wave of coronavirus is sweeping through Europe, leading to strict lockdowns and states of emergency. But Sweden is sticking to its no-lockdown strategy of voluntary social distancing. Today The Detail looks why millions ...29 mins ago - From ‘beacon of hope’ to ‘incompetent’: world media on Jacinda Ardern’s big election winThe common theme in international media is the Labour leader as antithesis to Donald Trump – but not everyone is bowled over.A landslide win for the New Zealand Labour Party saw the acclamation flow abroad for Jacinda Ardern. Similar plaudits were forthcoming for Jacinta Ardern, Jacinda Adern and Jacinta Adern.I ...6 hours ago
- New modelling finds investing in childcare and aged care almost pays for itself
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janine Dixon, Economist at Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University In the absence of an official analysis of the impact of the budget by gender the National Foundation for Australian Women has this morning published its own gender analysis of the budget, ...11 hours ago - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Leftwing euphoria meets realityAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The political left has been euphoric since Saturday’s night historic landslide victory for Labour. But political commentators from across the spectrum are united in warning that the new Government isn’t about to be transformative. Instead, we will see more of ...11 hours ago
- The Issues With The Proposed Cannabis Legalisation And Control Bill
As a non-cannabis user, I strongly believe cannabis should be legalised but I do not think the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill is the best way to do it. The bill aims to reduce harm to people and communities. But it will not reduce the harms ...11 hours ago - Hell yes it’s time for some more dogs at polling boothsThis election, the nation embraced dogs at polling booths. We ran out of time and capacity to put them all up on Saturday, so here are some of the pooches that got away.Last week, we asked you to send in your photos of dogs at polling booths, promising our election ...11 hours ago
- Embrace This Pandemic, Help The Vulnerable, And Don’t Encourage Drug UseEmbrace, Help, and Don’t Encourage - Embrace This Pandemic, Help The Vulnerable, and Don’t Encourage Drug Use To many people, 2020 was just not their year. Some have lost their jobs, or their loved ones while some have been stuck in parts of ...11 hours ago
- Covid-19: All eyes on ship off Napier coast
As the close contacts of Sunday's Covid-19 community case have been quickly ring-fenced, attention has turned to a ship quarantined off the coast of Napier with 21 contacts on board, Marc Daalder reports All 21 members of the crew of a ship quarantined off the coast of Napier are considered ...11 hours ago - Analysis – ex-National voters opted for Labour as its own handbrake
Analysis - Many ex-National voters opted for Labour to ensure the Greens don't have the power to pull the party further left, writes Tim Watkin. ...12 hours ago - As holidaymakers arrive, what does COVID-19 mean for rural health services?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Baker, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Rural Emergency Medicine, Deakin University At the start of the pandemic, health services in regional cities and small towns braced for a tsunami of cases. Many worried the patient transport system between hospitals would ...12 hours ago
- The National Party looks to get up againHow can National scrape itself off the canvas after a big defeat? Justin Latif talks to MPs and members.Following National’s crushing defeat on election night, the carcass of the party’s unsuccessful campaign is already being picked over by members and MPs.Departing MP and former cabinet minister Alfred Ngaro placed the ...12 hours ago
- LGNZ Welcomes New Government And Future Of Local Government ConversationLocal Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is congratulating Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Labour on an impressive general election result, saying it is now time to have a fulsome conversation around the future of local government and how the two tiers ...13 hours ago
- Paddy Gower’s really good election nightWATCH: Newshub’s national correspondent took things to another level during Three’s election results coverage on Saturday night – here’s the supercut to prove it.Watching the election results roll in on election night is a triennial event beloved by many New Zealanders, none so much as Patrick Gower. From the second ...13 hours ago
- Nurses And Health Workers Agree To Keep MovingThe New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) congratulates the Labour Party on its historic election win and promises to work with the new Government so that progress in health can "keep moving" in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZNO President Heather ...13 hours ago
- Review: Robert Dessaix on growing older well — a genial journey through a rich inner worldSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin John Brophy, Emeritus Professor of Creative writing, University of Melbourne Review: The Time of Our Lives: Growing older well, By Robert Dessaix, Brio Books How does one grow old well? Perhaps only by starting to do it early. But who wants ...13 hours ago
- Some friendly advice for Duncan Garner as he embarks on a year of veganismHints for a happy, healthy vegan life as the AM Show host prepares to adopt a plant-based diet for the next 12 months.In July, MediaWorks broadcaster Duncan Garner was very confident that come election time, Labour wouldn’t receive enough votes to govern alone. So confident that he said if they ...13 hours ago
- Three years ago, Ardern set a goal of 50% women in cabinet. Now she must deliverIf other countries can deliver gender balanced cabinets, New Zealand has no excuse, writes Emma Riach of Equal Leadership NZ.As we look ahead to the next three years with Jacinda Ardern once again at the helm, attention turns to the next important selection: who will be given the responsibility to ...14 hours ago
- Meet the very good dogs of TVNZ’s canine contest Dog AlmightyThey’re competing to be named top dog, but they’ve already won our hearts. Nothing brings the nation together like a good dog. Ask Spot or the SPCA dogs that learned to drive, or even John Campbell and Matty McLean speaking directly to the good dogs of New Zealand, live on Breakfast ...14 hours ago
- Labour's red tide sees its parliamentary diversity increaseDiversity in the major parties has changed dramatically with National's taking a dive and Labour's skyrocketing after the votes were counted. ...14 hours ago
- Education tools for the 21 century
Thanks to Covid, the world is experiencing the mania to transfer teaching and learning online. Here's why this offers wins and opportunities. Educators of the 20th century were perhaps spoiled when it came to teaching tools. Given a piece of chalk, a duster or even an overhead projector with slides, ...14 hours ago - The Māori seats: what happened and what’s still to comeThe Māori seats were electrifying to watch as the results rolled in on Saturday. Here’s what happened.Labour no longer has a monopoly on the seven Māori seats – for now. First-timer Rāwiri Waititi snatched Waiariki from one-term MP Tamati Coffey in a nail-biting neck and neck race, coming out ahead ...14 hours ago
- Labour-led Government Has Mandate For Transformation, Equality And TransparencyThe Public Service Association welcomes the progressive electoral landslide New Zealand voters delivered on Saturday, and the union says its members look forward to implementing policies that reduce poverty and inequality, support affordable housing ...15 hours ago
- The Blue Taniwha: an election night poem by Kelvin DavisA special poem by Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis, following in the tradition of political verse started by David Cunliffe.A year ago I started a taleA story with a chapter yet to unveilOf a world of light and some pretty ugly taniwhaOf a guy called Kevin DaviesAnd a joke that’s ...15 hours ago
- Without brakes there should be no holding back Ardern – and the lobbyists are signalling their gre...
Huge expectations now rest on the newly re-elected Ardern government. Just as the pioneering Labour government did in the 1930s under Michael Joseph Savage and the fourth Labour government did under David Lange in the 1980’s, it has won a stronger mandate to fulfill its programme. So will it become ...15 hours ago - Our Zero Waste World Summit Programme LaunchedThe Zero Waste Network Aotearoa is today launching the full programme for the Our Zero Waste World Summit , a five-day celebration of zero waste people, projects and design from all over the world that runs from 4-8 November. “This is a free, digital ...15 hours ago
- Why the 2000 Sydney Paralympics were such a success — and forever changed the gamesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Naar, Facilitator, Australian Paralympic History Project, The University of Queensland In sport, timing can be everything. The 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, which started 20 years ago this week, came at a time when the Paralympic movement was growing and becoming more ...15 hours ago
- Labour’s single-party majority is not a failure of MMP, it is a sign NZ’s electoral system is wo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Even as the results rolled in on election night there were mutterings that a parliamentary majority controlled by one political party is somehow inconsistent with the spirit of MMP. The magnitude of the Jacinda Ardern-led ...16 hours ago
- Will Victoria be the first place in the world to fully decriminalise sex work?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa Sandy, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Justice Studies, RMIT University The Victorian government has just received a landmark review into the state’s sex work laws. This is the first large-scale review of Victorian sex work laws since 1985 and presents a ...16 hours ago
- 12 giant questions still to be answered now the election is overWe know Jacinda Ardern will be the PM, but what else needs to get sorted out in the coming weeks? Alex Braae runs down the questions we’ll get answers to soon, along with a few that you might be wondering about.The voters deliver the mandate, but then it’s up to ...16 hours ago
- Kiwis need safe credit under Covid
In a climate of increasing economic hardship where many people are seeing their incomes reduce, we need to talk about debt, particularly the cost of borrowing and how for some, that cost is too high. The Labour-led government finally addressed the cost of borrowing by passing the Credit Contracts Legislation ...16 hours ago - Unions Call For Transparency In Trade Agreement Negotiations...17 hours ago
- First GP, Now MP – College Congratulations New GP Members Of ParliamentThe Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is today congratulating Dr Neru Leavas and Dr Gaurav Sharma, two newly minted Members of Parliament who are also general practitioners and members of the College. GP and small business owner, ...17 hours ago
- Planning the future around 'wild cards' like Covid
In the past two decades, we have experienced several ‘wild cards’ or major, disruptive events that were not anticipated. But, as Dr Malcolm Menzies writes, we have shown remarkable resilience. In times of crisis, the future becomes a focus as we think of a better world. In New Zealand, whether it ...17 hours ago - Jami-Lee Ross just got thoroughly Tova’d and the rest of the world is loving itMisinformation superspreader Jami-Lee Ross strolled in to the Newshub Nation studio on Sunday where he was eviscerated by a political editor at the top of her game. Here are the highlights from an exchange that has gone globally viral overnight. Newshub’s political editor Tova O’Brien has gone global overnight, following a ...18 hours ago
- Labour-led Government Owe Their Mandate To Young VotersThe Young Workers Resource Centre (YWRC) is excited to see the most youthful parliament elected in generations. “It’s clear that young workers have turned out in droves to elect the youngest and most diverse parliament in our nation’s history,” YWRC ...18 hours ago
- Greens signal innovative ways of partnering with LabourGreen Party co-leader James Shaw says he expects potential coalition negotiations with Labour to begin later this week. ...18 hours ago
- Chinese diplomatic gatecrash incident alleged at Taiwan event in SuvaBy Grubsheet Feejee publisher Graham Davis Reports are emerging of a serious diplomatic incident in Suva 10 days ago in which two Chinese diplomats from the Suva embassy assaulted a member of the Taiwanese delegation in Fiji. The incident allegedly took place on the evening of Thursday, October 8, on ...18 hours ago
- Winners, losers, big losers, and gigantic losers from Election 2020All around the country, New Zealanders are screaming: ‘Election 2020: Who are the winners, losers, big losers, and gigantic losers?’ Hayden Donnell is here to respond to their cries.The election is over. We probably know the makeup of the next government. We know we won’t see a capital gains tax ...18 hours ago
- Election 2020: 'We don't take this mandate for granted' – Megan WoodsLabour's election campaign manager Megan Woods says the party will not take its stunning mandate for granted and is looking forward to building a stable government. ...18 hours ago
- Election 2020: 'Historical high' – New Zealand Parliament readies for more diversityAn array of diverse candidates will enter Parliament - leading to a record high representation of women and the inclusion of multiple ethnicities. ...18 hours ago
- For the record – Winston will be missed as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Just for the record, our Latest from the Beehive Monitor has nothing to report this morning. Actually, it has had nothing to report since October 15, when Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced that the Pacific regional trade and development agreement PACER Plus will enter into force in ...19 hours ago - Where to now for Winston Peters and New Zealand First?With only 2.7% of the vote, NZ First will not be returning to parliament this time. But as Winston Peters’ former researcher Josh Van Veen writes, the party’s legacy is too enduring for NZ First to be gone for good.Ambition and ideals are at the heart of politics. More often ...19 hours ago
- Ship bound for Brisbane ‘most likely source’ of new NZ covid transmissionBy RNZ News The Director-General of Health says a ship now bound for Brisbane is believed to be the most likely source of transmission in the latest covid-19 case in New Zealand. A marine electronics engineer tested positive for covid-19, the Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday. The man had been ...19 hours ago
- 'Nothing like a good old defeat' – Collins on leadership role, outgoing National MPsNational Party leader Judith Collins says the party's defeat will give them pause to refocus, and their MPs and members will have lots to think about. ...20 hours ago
- ACT leader David Seymour 'very confident' new MPs will succeed in ParliamentACT Party leader David Seymour is confident his new caucus members are up to the challenge of being MPs. ...21 hours ago
- Watties Donates 25,000 Cans To Help The Salvation Army With Food ParcelsWattie’s has donated 25,000 cans to The Salvation Army to assist with the ongoing need for food parcels. The delivery coincided with World Food Day (Friday 16th October) with deliveries to The Salvation Army depots in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch ...21 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 19 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Election analysis Danyl Mclauchlan (Spinoff): Jacinda Ardern and the plan Chris Trotter (Interest): Ardern claims “mandate to accelerate” – but where to? Josie Pagani (Herald): Time for Labour to ...21 hours ago
- Hey Google … what movie should I watch today? How AI can affect our decisionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By TaeWoo Kim, Lecturer, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney Social media algorithms, artificial intelligence and our own genetics are among the factors influencing us beyond our awareness. This raises an ancient question: do we have control over our own lives? This ...21 hours ago
- Hopes of an improvement in Australia-China relations dashed as Beijing ups the anteSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University Speculation China may be seeking to lower the temperature in its fractious dealings with Australia appears to be premature. This follows confirmation that Chinese customers have been advised to defer orders of ...21 hours ago
- United States’ standing wanes on Lowy Asia power indexSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The United States has registered the largest fall in relative regional power of any country in the Indo-Pacific during the last year, according to the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index. The index, started in 2018, ...21 hours ago
- Hippocrates and willow bark? What you know about the history of aspirin is probably wrongSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Martyr, Lecturer, Pharmacology, Women’s Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia Aspirin is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Its main ingredient comes from a natural product, salicin, found in plants such as willow and ...21 hours ago
- Humans threaten the Antarctic Peninsula’s fragile ecosystem. A marine protected area is long overd...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marissa Parrott, Reproductive Biologist, Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, and Honorary Research Associate, BioSciences, University of Melbourne Antarctica, the world’s last true wilderness, has been protected by an international treaty for the last 60 years. But the same isn’t true for ...21 hours ago
- Writing needs to be taught and practised. Australian schools are dropping the focus too earlySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Wyatt-Smith, Professor of Educational Assessment and Literacy and Institute Director of the Learning Sciences Institute Australia, Australian Catholic University The recently released report of the NAPLAN review — commissioned by the New South Wales, Queensland, Victorian and Australian Capital Territory education ...21 hours ago
- COVID spurred action on rough sleepers but greater homelessness challenges lie aheadSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Pawson, Professor of Housing Research and Policy, and Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW COVID-19 triggered multimillion-dollar commitments by state governments to tackle homelessness. Our research for the Australian Homelessness Monitor 2020, released today, reveals at least 33,000 rough sleepers ...21 hours ago
- No snapback: the budget sets us up for an unreasonably slow recovery. Here’s howSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances, Grattan Institute Josh Frydenberg has told us his 2020 Budget is “all about jobs”. What he hasn’t said is that it is actually aiming for a slower recovery from the recession, as far as unemployment goes, ...21 hours ago
- My best worst film: She’s The Man – Amanda Bynes shines in a hilarious commentary on genderSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Ford, Lecturer in Film, Media and Cultural Studies, University of Newcastle In a new series, our writers explore their best worst film. They’ll tell you what the critics got wrong – and why it’s time to give these movies another chance. ...21 hours ago
- Live Update, October 19: Judith Collins remains defiant after election lostAll the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.35am: Judith Collins remains defiant after election lostNational Party leader Judith Collins believes she will remain leader, despite the historic defeat over the weekend. The party will hold its first caucus meeting tomorrow.“I’m fine,” Collins told Newstalk ...22 hours ago
- New government a chance for 'transformational change' – Māori CouncilThe New Zealand Māori Council believes this election has presented a once in a generation opportunity to the government to make transformational change. ...22 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Celebrations and recriminations coming at caucus meetingsGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wildly different caucus meetings loom for National and Labour, new case of community transmission announced, and anger mounts over wage subsidy piss-taking.The mood in the room will be very different when the Labour and National caucuses meet this week. For Labour, ...23 hours ago
- Business & Investing: Business seeks certainty as outlook darkens
Business sector looks positively on the prospect of a coalition-free government, plus Briscoe explains its decision to pay back $11.5m in wage subsidy ...23 hours ago - Election 2020: What now…?Power Play - With the drama and excitement of election night over, it's now time to get down to business. ...23 hours ago
- The mood of the nation's writers just got happier
Steve Braunias reports on a cash injection for the coolest writers residency award in New Zealand New Zealand's coolest writers residency award just got cooler. Winners of the annual Surrey Hotel-Newsroom award will now benefit from a generous offer of cold hard cash. The prize gives authors up to seven nights ...23 hours ago - The privilege of playing netball for NZ again
As the Silver Ferns this week become the first international netball team to play a series in nine months, it’s a confident step forward on wobbly ground. The four-day series against the NZ Men, NZ U21s and NZ A side, is a much-needed warm-up for the Ferns, who meet England's Roses ...24 hours ago - A decisive victory, but beware the 'frozen middle'
It may be that the legacy of this term for Labour will not be one of transformational change but of repairing the runway, and it will need to balance serving its new voters with those who don't just desire change, but need it, writes Anna Rawhiti Connell As a writer ...24 hours ago - Situations Vacant: Super hero needed
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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