Open mike 31/03/2016
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6:00 am, March 31st, 2016 - 68 comments
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- 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 ...2 weeks 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 ...3 weeks ago
- Skegg warns against ‘complacency, slackness’ over Auckland covid fears
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- How Kami is improving digital learning for millions worldwideBusiness is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Hengjie Wang and Alliv Samson, co-founders of Kami.If you have any school-aged kids ...1 hour ago
- E-prescriptions are coming. But what are they? And is this the end of paper ones?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Bartlett, Associate Lecturer Pharmacy Practice, University of Sydney Electronic prescriptions (or e-prescriptions) are being rolled out in stages across Australia after being used in Victoria during the pandemic. E-prescriptions have been common in countries such as the United States and Sweden ...2 hours ago
- It’s time to talk about anxiety and depression in new dads
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- To The Judge, If I Get Murdered; Please Let Me Keep My Humanity
The Defense said it was her fault, Grace Millane asked for it, rough sex was all it was. He televised her sexual history and the fact that she had requested an ex-boyfriend to choke her once. They acted like she did this to herself, it was crucifixion, she ...3 hours ago - Bob Brown is right – it’s time environmentalists talked about the population problemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colin D. Butler, Honorary Professor, Australian National University In all the talk of tackling environmental problems such as climate change, the problem of population growth often escapes attention. Politicians don’t like talking about it. By and large, neither do environmentalists – but ...3 hours ago
- Housing a sense of self: for migrant communities, bilingual school programs are about more than lear...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Ngo, Honorary Fellow, Deakin University Footscray Primary School in Victoria decided earlier this year to abolish its long-running Vietnamese bilingual program — where classes are taught in both English and Vietnamese. It will replace it with an Italian bilingual program. Vietnamese ...3 hours ago
- Water Cremations One Answer To Growing Pressure On Cemeteries...3 hours ago
- 600 Million Children Miss Out On Desperately Needed Support During Covid-19Save the Children NZ calls on new government to extend Best Start payments in light of global research as more families feel impact of COVID-19 A new report released by Save the Children is recommending governments commit to and implement universal ...3 hours ago
- The Internet of Things is connecting our world so we can make better decisionsIoT is everywhere – we’ve just got to know where to look. Ben Fahy got a lesson on how to find it.Spark’s Tony Agar has a lot of explaining to do, which comes with the territory when you specialise in the Internet of Things. “I’ve had to explain to my kids ...4 hours ago
- The power of the grand final crowd recalls ancient timesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Macquarie University The year has been a strange one for sports lovers. We’ve seen athlete protests here and around the world. Where big gatherings have been permitted in the US, ...4 hours ago
- Animals Will Be At Risk Of Injury Or Death During Rodeo Opening WeekendThe annual rodeo season opens this weekend with the Winchester Rodeo on Saturday, and the Methven Rodeo on Sunday. Like last year, animals will be at risk of injury or death. Two animals died last rodeo season, both at the ‘Mad Bull’ rodeo in ...4 hours ago
- The cost-cutting consultants cashing in at The WarehouseWith hundreds of jobs slashed and stores shuttered nationwide, BusinessDesk‘s Rebecca Stevenson looks into the controversial restructuring programme at New Zealand’s largest retailer.I still recall as an employee of the former Fairfax Media business seeing a report in The Australian in 2013 which filled me, a junior reporter with an ...5 hours ago
- Queensland’s LNP wants a curfew for kids, but evidence suggests this won’t reduce crimeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia One can always sense an election is looming when law and order becomes headline news. As Queenslanders head towards election day on October 31, the state’s opposition leader Deb ...5 hours ago
- A tale of two minor parties: Lessons for 2023 for TOP and the New ConservativesThey may be poles apart ideologically, but for TOP and the New Conservatives, the election campaign featured some remarkably similar successes as well as failures. On an ideological level, it doesn’t make sense to put The Opportunities Party (TOP) and the New Conservatives in the same category. But their electoral vote ...5 hours ago
- We can no longer ignore the threats facing the Pacific — we need to support more migration to Aust...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW The effects of a warming planet are no longer far away in time or distance. We are witnessing transformed landscapes, mass extinctions and people on the move, ...6 hours ago
- Explainer: why the government can’t simply cancel its pandemic debt by printing more moneySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ananish Chaudhuri, Professor of Behavioural and Experimental Economics, University of Auckland With the government borrowing heavily to fund its pandemic response and recovery, it has been suggested it could simply cancel its debt by printing more money. That sounds like an attractive ...6 hours ago
- New Demand To End The Private Sale And Use Of FireworksWith the fireworks season about to start and the Cabinet about to be announced, there is a new demand on the government to end the private sale and use of fireworks in New Zealand. Auckland Councillors Cathy Casey and Fa’anana Efeso Collins have ...6 hours ago
- Five successful New Zealand women on how they deal with imposter syndromeA governor general, a microbiologist, a New Zealander of the Year, an Oscar-nominated producer and a comedian walk into a bar. The punchline? They all struggle with imposter syndrome despite being extremely cool and successful women. “I’m the governor general, I have to accept that I’ve done some things right – ...7 hours ago
- Russian fishing crew not feeling too unwell, says Sealord bossBy RNZ News Hundreds of Russian fishing crew at a New Zealand covid isolation hotel in Christchurch are said to be in good spirits and those who have the virus are doing well. Eighteen of the 237 foreign workers at the Sudima Hotel are infected with covid-19. They will all ...7 hours ago
- LIVE: A View from Afar – With Paul Buchanan + Selwyn Manning: New Zealand and Bolivia Elections ...Welcome to Evening Report’s A View from Afar As always, we are joined by political scientist Paul Buchanan and this week we will discuss: In these weeks leading up to the United States elections… there have been a number of countries around the world that have seen voters swing ...7 hours ago
- Here’s hoping our new govt gets the message about intelligence from GSCB’s role in exposing Russ...
Three cheers for the GSCB. It has been lauded by the US FBI and intelligence agencies for its role in uncovering Russian covert intelligence activities around the world. The Minister in Charge of the intelligence services, Andrew Little, expressed surprise we had been named – but this is a wake-up ...8 hours ago - PNG auditor calls for ‘sanctions’ in private probe over medicines rowBy Clifford Faiparik in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea’s Auditor-General has questioned who approved a US-based international auditing firm to audit the awarding of contracts by the Health Department to pharmaceutical companies. Acting Auditor-General Gordon Kega said his office should “sanction” the involvement of any private firm in the auditing ...8 hours ago
- International Media Hails New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Re-electionTom Peters, Socialist Equality Group 21 October 2020, original url: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/21/nzel-o21.html The world’s corporate media has responded to the re-election of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government for a second term with a wave of adulation. ...8 hours ago
- When officials dance on the head of a pin
As the Royal Commission into abuse in state care continues its hearings, Aaron Smale outlines one graphic set of denials by officials which turned out to be false and misleading. Sometimes the work of a journalist is to convert technical information into something the average intelligent reader can understand. Sometimes ...9 hours ago - New Parliament Demonstrates That Māori Seats Should GoNew Parliament demonstrates that Māori seats should go ...9 hours ago
- Low interest rates are killing the home ownership dream for many – even John Key is concernedSuper-low interest rates are a blessing to those already on the housing ladder. For those still renting and without a deposit, it is yet another nail in the long-sealed coffin of potential home ownership.Last week, when Heartland Bank became the first lender in New Zealand history to offer a home ...10 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 22 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 Labour-Greens talks, Labour govt Henry Cooke (Stuff): There is no evidence National voters backed Labour to keep the Greens out Audrey Young (Herald): Labour holds all the cards ...10 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: National’s catastrophic collapse and fraught rebuild10 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Election Day DemographicsAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Auckland electorates have lower populations, on average. Chart by Keith Rankin. This week’s first chart shows the average numbers of votes cast – on and before election day – in New Zealand’s different regions. In principle, all electorates have the same population, with electorate boundaries drawn ...11 hours ago
- Review: Rose Matafeo will make you laugh and make you cry in Baby DoneThe comedian stars opposite Matthew Lewis, the artist formerly known as Neville Longbottom, in a charming new New Zealand comedy about a pregnant woman completely losing her shit. Recently I watched all of series one of Duchess, the semi-biographical Netflix vehicle of comedian Katherine Ryan, based on her life as an ...11 hours ago
- Dunne Speaks: Just Being The Anti-Labour Party Will Not Work For NationalBy any measure the National Party has been the most successful New Zealand political party of recent times. After all, it has won 16 of the last 25 elections, governing for 47 years since first winning office in 1949, almost twice as long as the Labour ...11 hours ago
- How Many Malt Patrons Used COVID Tracer App On Friday?“Confusion is reigning after patrons at a pub may have been exposed to COVID, and the problem is a total failure of the Government’s NZ COVID Tracer app,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The Prime Minister’s ‘team of 5 million’ ...11 hours ago
- Over 1 million mail-in ballots could be rejected in the US election — and the rules are changing b...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah John, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University In the US election next month, record-breaking numbers of voters will cast their ballots by mail for the first time. Millions of these ballots will be processed by local election administrations inexperienced ...11 hours ago
- Thinking of ditching private health insurance in the pandemic? Here’s how to calculate if it’s w...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, University of Melbourne Almost all private health insurers increased their premiums in October, and have scheduled another price rise for April 2021. As many people struggle financially amid the pandemic, you may be wondering whether you ...11 hours ago
- School of fish: how we involved Indigenous students in our investigation of a 65,000-year-old siteSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Morgan Disspain, Adjunct Researcher, Southern Cross University A recent program for school kids in Kakadu and West Arnhem Land, incorporating traditional knowledge and Western science, is a model for teaching Indigenous children on Country. The Djenj Project (djenj means “fish” in the ...11 hours ago
- At the heart of the broken model for funding aged care is broken trust. Here’s how to fix itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rafal Chomik, Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), UNSW This article is part of our series on the future of aged care. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will hold its final ...11 hours ago
- Why philosophers say solitude can be helpful (even if you didn’t choose it)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sharpe, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Deakin University Over the past seven months, many of us have got closer to experiencing the kind of solitude long sought by monks, nuns, philosophers and misanthropes. For some, this has brought loneliness. Nevertheless, like religions ...11 hours ago
- Live updates, October 22: ‘Contract tracing system working’ – HipkinsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 22. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.45am: ‘Contract tracing system working’ – HipkinsThe health minister does not believe there’s any reason for Auckland’s alert level to change, following news an infectious Covid-19 case visited ...12 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Everyone’s got an opinion for the GreensGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over how Greens should approach Labour relationship, Auckland pub patrons told to self-isolate, and highly leveraged investors send house prices higher.How lucky is the Green party, to have so many people giving advice and suggestions right now? As talks continue ...13 hours ago
- Business & Investing: NZX and European exchange in ETS service
NZX will help develop Emissions Trading Scheme auction platform, plus Kiwis have way less debt on their credit cards ...13 hours ago - Book of the Week: Jesse Mulligan on Chelsea Winter
Food critic Jesse Mulligan cooks his way through Supergood by Chelsea Winter Dad might have been the only person in Hamilton who truly bought Playboy for the articles. If he knew there were naked ladies in there too well, it never came up, and when he occasionally passed me a ...13 hours ago - Labour's final online ad push: $24 a minute
In the final week of election campaigning the Labour Party was spending $24 every minute on Facebook and Google advertising It was a huge finish. Not only did Labour win by a landslide on election night, it outspent competitors in the last week of campaigning online. In a seven day period the ...13 hours ago - Police reviewing mysterious death in Gore
Police are reviewing the case at the centre of a Newsroom video investigation which revealed a substandard inquiry into the death of a three-year-old Southland boy. Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner report WATCH: Melanie Reid's video investigation Police have confirmed they are conducting a review into the case relating to ...13 hours ago - 1980 Moscow boycott still hurts Kiwi gymnast
When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed, those who would have known just how the New Zealand team felt were the athletes selected for the 1980 Moscow Games. Their dreams were shattered 40 years earlier by a boycott - and 34 of those Kiwi athletes never got the chance to compete ...14 hours ago - Who the hell is Gideon Rozner, anyway?
Cindy Baxter looks into the background and associations of the author of a stark attack on re-elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern As I read the outrage at the negative outlier of an article about Jacinda Ardern’s victory in The Australian, I thought it was worth putting this piece into ...14 hours ago - Lion linked to Myanmar human rights abuses
The parent company of NZ’s largest beverage provider has been implicated in the funding of genocide. ...14 hours ago - Aussies stand by to fly on over
Australians are queuing up to go on a safe overseas holiday. Ross Stitt argues that New Zealand is missing out on a potential bonanza if it doesn't join the travel bubble. The much-anticipated Trans-Tasman ‘travel bubble’ has finally arrived. Sort of … Travellers from New Zealand are now allowed quarantine-free ...14 hours ago - Why New Plymouth voters went for Labour
After the Government announced a surprise ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration in 2018, the New Plymouth electorate looked like a sure thing for National. What changed? ...14 hours ago - W R Peters loans $60k to NZ First
As New Zealand First tried to fight off electoral oblivion, a W R Peters put his money where Winston's mouth was, Sam Sachdeva reports New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, or someone with the identical initials and home base, appears to have lent the party $60,000 in the dying days of the ...14 hours ago - Be fearless: Sandra Lee’s advice for Chlöe Swarbrick, 27 years after she stormed Auckland CentralThe woman who won Auckland Central for the Alliance in 1993 had some words of wisdom for the Green Party’s Chlöe Swarbrick on Sunday’s post-election episode of Gone By Lunchtime.“I always thought you could do it,” former cabinet minister Sandra Lee told Chlöe Swarbrick the morning after a dramatic election ...14 hours ago
- Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: Covid-19 and the Swiss cheese systemThe effort to defeat the coronavirus relies on many layers of defence. Or, let’s call them, slices of cheese.One thing that has really irked me during Covid-19 has been the labelling of any mistake in our systems or any unexpected transmission of the virus as a failure. Yes, I understand ...14 hours ago
- Auckland's cone zone
Construction of Auckland's City Rail Link is well underway and don't local retailers know it. It's killing the heart of the city, with the sound of construction replacing the ringing of tills. The country's largest infrastructure project, the $4 billion Auckland City Rail Link, is touted as long awaited solution ...15 hours ago - Taskmaster NZ proves we can do panel comedy as well as the BritsNew Zealanders love Taskmaster UK. But will they warm to the homegrown version? Guy Williams is doing his best to amp up the crowd, while Angella Dravid sits quietly alongside with her usual look of both discomfort and amusement. Leigh Hart has that wry smirk on his face that viewers of ...1 day ago
- At the highwater mark with little wriggle room
This Government’s work, its future successes and its failures, will now all sit fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the Labour Party. ...1 day ago - The US is taking on Google in a huge antitrust case. It could change the face of online searchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, UNSW, and Academic Lead, UNSW Grand Challenge on Trust, UNSW The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google for unlawful monopolisation. The department says Google’s conduct harms competition and consumers, ...1 day ago
- Wāhine grab chance to have voice at the council table
Local government in Wairarapa is no longer the "pale, stale male" environment it once was, according to a recent survey. ...1 day ago - NSW wants to change rules on suspending and expelling students. How does it compare to other states?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Sullivan, Associate Professor of Education, University of South Australia The disability royal commission heard from experts last week on the disproportionate number of students with a disability who have been suspended or expelled from school for “problem behaviour”. The commission’s public ...1 day ago
- Greater needs, but poorer access to services: why COVID mental health measures must target disadvant...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Meadows, Professor of Adult Psychiatry, Monash University COVID-19 outbreaks and the resulting lockdowns, particularly in Victoria, have adversely affected many people’s mental health. Social isolation, financial stress, and anxiety about contracting COVID-19 can all contribute to psychological distress. For some people, ...1 day ago
- NSW needs to prohibit religious discrimination, but not like thisSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Elphick, Adjunct Research Fellow, Law School, University of Western Australia It has long been a glaring problem that the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act (ADA) does not prohibit religious discrimination. One Nation’s Mark Latham recently proposed a new Religious Discrimination Bill. ...1 day ago
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- Green Party: 'Fruitful discussions … further discussions to have'The Green Party says there is a negotiation going on with the Labour Party, but there are more discussions to be had. ...1 day ago
- The online support club that helps the newly redundant through a scary timeCovid-19 has shoved New Zealand’s economy into recession, prompting a whole lot of businesses to downsize and slash their workforce. That’s why a support club has been formed to help the newly unemployed to get back on their feet.Redundancy can hit like a ton of bricks. The shock, uncertainty, the ...1 day ago
- Police Continue To Ignore Their Own Pursuits PolicyA police crash during a pursuit in Masterton in the early hours of Wednesday morning suggests the police are simply ignoring their own pursuits policy, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety ...1 day ago
- Green Party provide update after election resultsThe Green Party is speaking to media amid speculation over possible negotiations about a coalition deal. ...1 day ago
- Houses (and their prohibitive prices) will be high in Ardern’s considerations as she appoints her ...
One of the strange outcomes of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the surge in house prices, not just in Auckland but through the rest of the country. It’s a phenomenon that runs contrary to past experience when the economy has slipped into recession. Many authorities say booming house prices are ...1 day ago - Calls for Labour to fast-track child poverty mandateAnti-poverty campaigners are urging Labour to move fast and use its massive electoral support to forcefully tackle inequality. ...1 day ago
- Indigenous leadership presents a new way of looking at the changed worldDon Rowe meets the post-graduate students putting tikanga and kaupapa Māori at the centre of learning how to lead. The planet is in trouble. Since the time of the industrial revolution, the Western world has become increasingly enthralled and enchanted by the pursuit of economic and individualistic success. Power, prestige, and ...1 day ago
- The tale of ‘habitual criminal’ William King: a Black life in Victoria’s white justice systemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alana Piper, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney The Black Lives Matters movement in the United States and Australia has drawn welcome attention to Black deaths in the criminal justice system. Such fatalities are extreme manifestations of a long history of ...1 day ago
- Review: The Vow takes a deep dive into the cesspit of the NXIVM cultJust a few years ago, few people had heard of the self-help group/cult of personality known as NXIVM. Now the dark story has gone global, thanks to an eight-part docuseries that debuts on Neon today. This review contains mild spoilers for The Vow.What is it that white people love so ...1 day ago
- Video: Death of a toddler – Mel Reid investigates
How did 3-year-old Lachie Jones really meet his death? Mysterious circumstances, improbable theories and a once-over-lightly police investigation spark calls for a new inquiry into how little Lachie Jones died in Gore last year. Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner report. *Watch the full story in the video player below* ...1 day ago - Whakatōhea Settlement Another Step CloserThe Waitangi Tribunal decision to decline an urgent hearing into the Crown's decision to continue treaty negotiations with the Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust is another step forward for the Whakatōhea Settlement. "We are pleased with ...1 day ago
- Calls for an ABC-run social network to replace Facebook and Google are misguided. With what money?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona R Martin, Associate Professor in Convergent and Online Media, University of Sydney If Facebook prevented Australian news from being shared on its platform, could the ABC start its own social media service to compensate? While this proposal from the Australia Institute ...1 day ago
Does this explain Simon Bridges’ permanent air of dazed bovine contentment?
I’m sure this contract was completely above board, for example.
Meanwhile, a month earlier… That must have been embarrassing!
I wonder what induced Bridges to award the contract despite the bribery scandal. Bovine contentment?
Ah, I have my contract dates mixed up – the Leighton Holdings job had already been awarded. Totes legit then.
I’m so thankful that NZ is touted as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. In fact I’m pretty sure Nat MP Paul Foster-Bell said this on Waatea 5th Estate just the other night.
Hearing those words encourages me when I think I hear a large company that uses bribery to get oil contracts overseas also won the $1 billion Transmission Gully project, and that our Government will be paying them undisclosed millions in “maintenance” costs for the next 25 years once the road is built. Fills me with hope.
I don’t think that’s hope you’re being filled with.
Good link in particular
“After the US-led coalition won the second gulf war, it went to guard the oil ministry – leaving the Baghdad museum undefended to be looted of its treasures.
But they did not save the oil industry from thieves. The Unaoil files reveal that Western companies, in concert with Iraq’s new elite, themselves began a sustained campaign of looting.”
The invasion of Iraq was to seize their oil. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!
Undoubtedly !
( this is in answer to OAB at1. )
One Anonymous Bloke, when you are casting about your unsubstantiated nasturtiums that our politicians are in the pay of the oil industry…, Why do you stop at Simon Bridges?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11164241
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10822510
Corruption on a massive scale.
http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2016/the-bribe-factory/day-1/the-company-that-bribed-the-world.html
Also see http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/78400473/unaoil-bribery-scandal-codenames-subterfuge-and-the-global-money-trail
I hope they’ll be releasing the emails.
+1 Tautoko MangÅ Mata
Why this is important:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/corruption-and-global-security/7249178
This was written in July last year but it is interesting seeing the Trump quotes.
https://theintercept.com/2015/07/30/politicians-admitting-obvious-fact-money-affects-vote/
The problem here is that the crims have a ready-made apparatus just waiting for them. It’s called The National Party.
Reichert: Ways & Means GOP Form Five Working Groups On TPP Problems
House Ways & Means Committee Republicans have formed five working groups addressing their objections to the Trans-Pacific Partnership that cover biologic medicines, financial services data localization, tobacco, agricultural market access and “elevated labor obligations,” trade subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) said in an interview this week.
http://insidetrade.com/
Here come the changes! Here’s how they will do it. Time to wake up, NZ!
HOW THE US FORCED AUSTRALIA TO REWRITE ASPECTS OF ITS COPYRIGHT LAW DURING CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE AUSFTA
http://tppnocertification.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/AUSFTA-certification-memo-Feb-2015.pdf
30 March 2016
<blockquoteKey Holds Door Open To TPP Changes, But Only After Deal Is Implemented
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Wednesday (March 30) signaled that his country is not open to changing the terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership before it enters into force but that tweaks to the deal could occur as additional countries join in the future. He also warned that failure to bring the TPP into force would bolster the Chinese-led effort to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
http://insidetrade.com/
Exactly as Lori Wallach noted…..funny that.
Good morning TMM, I think you need too put the > at the end of blockquote as well.
& “</blockquote" at the end of the quote too (I find it quickest to type that at the end, then copy paste it to the top and delete the slash).
I do appreciate TMM's comments, they often contain information and links that I haven't come across myself.
Of course TMM’s good value. 😉
Reported on RNZ that Key in USA has told them that they must not build a wall to keep Mexico out. (That’s sorted then.)
And that the USA must go ahead with TPPA because he said it is good. (He should know as he is a very very wise man. Sorted then.)
+1 ianmac
+ 100% lol, ianmac
I heard that there was more of an issue keeping US citizens out of Mexico. Apparently there are better job prospects over the border.
I heard that if T-rump is POTUS the Mexicans will build and willingly pay for their own wall.
Yep, and the audience would have had John-Oliver-inspired images of Key , the South Pacific banana republic, ponytail-pulling, and flag-changing floating through their heads as Key spoke.
That’s why they laughed at his comments.
And this first article shows again, why all of our hair pulling and gosh who will think of the future in regards to climate change literally is just hogwash to appease the masses.
We are still knocking down houses – in a city with a housing crisis – to build a fucking carpark, so people can drive their arses to a park and go for a run. Never mind the perfectly good houses that will get knocked down. No its important that the office drones of Auckland get to exercises their bony behinds in a park that they need to drive too. Cause walking there would be an abomination. OR something.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/78338710/tenants-lose-homes-in-monte-cecilia-park-extension
“Everyone I’ve spoken to is really concerned they won’t find a new place.
“Everything in my price range is run down or full of mould. A lot of people can’t afford to pay $1000 a week for a four-bedroom house.” quote end.
If the Governemnt does not want to be in the business of housing, could it get rid of Nick Smith mInister of housing or something like this. We could save the wages paid to this looser, he could try his hand in the free market and no one would be worse off….well maybe the company that would hire the looser. But hey the market would fix that one too.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78384251/protests-over-transfer-of-2800-east-auckland-state-houses-heat-up
Rolling protests against the transfer of 2800 Auckland state houses to a redevelopment company are set to come to a head on Thursday.
The Tamaki Housing Group has been protesting outside the Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC) offices in the suburb of Glen Innes since Tuesday.
The group is against the Government’s controversial decision to transfer the ownership and management of 2800 states houses to the TRC on April 1.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/78326933/southland-houses-more-than-three-times-cheaper-than-auckland
Quote: ” A stable population, strong job market and a high quality of living also made Southland an ideal market to buy a house in, Ellis said.”
Well if there is such a strong job market and high quality of living why can’t we send some of the new migrants down to live in Invercargill? Surely there must be plenty of ‘business opportunities’ that the savvy overseas investment migrant can invest in in order to receive his residence permit? ‘T’would be a win for all, Auckland would have a few thousand migrants less flocking into Akl, and Invercargill would get a bit of ‘business investors money’ flowing in.
@Sabine
Just heard the news on The Sound, hardly indepth or searching (but great music!) but they were reporting the surge in unemployed youth, they were doing a weird angle about them joining the army or something, but rockstar economy has casualties.
This is a sad story.
Shandra Woworuntu: My life as a sex-trafficking victim
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35846207
Very much worth reading.
National and their “budgets” are playing us all for a bunch of suckers, like the audience of a magic show: http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/80818/cam-preston-accuses-government-managing-countrys-finances-according-magicians-theory
Is it possible that Catherine Delahunty is in the firing line for her having embarrassed Dr Smith by asking very good questions about clean water QT yesterday, that he could not/would not answer?
Sorry. Mixed Sue Moroney with Catherine.
Still, Catherine did embarrass the Nicked Smith over clean water questions.
Just another irrational basic income supporter…
Glory Days
Just been researching some polls from 2002
Example: Herald-DigiPoll (July 2002)
Labour Down 1 point to 51%
National Down 1 point to 25%
ACT Up 1 point to 6%
They don’t make ’em like that anymore.
examination of the transition from then to, say, 2008 might be interesting
Yes it would, I think National had the funds, organization to recover. Plus they got a leader JK with no political baggage. Remember too that they nearly won in 2005. Is Labour as ready for a recovery, i am not so sure the next election being just 18 months away.
How low can trump supporters go?
It seems quite low…
The girl had punched in the face a grey haired Trump supporter in his 60s moments before that.
He sexually assaulted her.
In a statement, the police department said: “A 15 year [old] girl from Janesville was peppered sprayed in the crowd by a non-law enforcement person… A male in the (crowd) groped the 15 year [old] girl, when she pushed him away; another person in the (crowd) sprayed her. We are currently looking for two suspects, one for the sexual assault and one for the pepper spray”.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/15-year-old-pepper-sprayed-outside-donald-trump-rally/
It’s an alleged sexual assault. There are plenty of witnesses right there, men and women, so let’s see what the police can gather in terms of statements.
No, it’s a reported sexual assault.
The “grey haired Trump supporter in his 60s” is the alleged offender.
As I said, there are dozens of witnesses right there, men and women, and film footage too, so lets see what the police can make of it.
You’d be amazed at how easy it is to miss surreptitious actions in a crowd. That’s why pickpockets and gropers love crowds.
But the difference between saying a sexual assault against a 15yo was “alleged” vs the assault being “reported” and the suspect being “alleged” is pretty fundamental.
Looked to me like that older guy was there at the Trump event with someone who may have been his wife or female partner.
dude, seriously?
Even if you could read the matrix and determine their relationship status from that clip, why would that matter? Is knowing a woman some forcefield against sexually assaulting girls?
Why would it matter? It would matter in court, in front of a jury, of course.
lol
now you know what the jury will be thinking when faced with testimony you know will be presented from the woman you know to be his partner to defend him from the allegation of a 15yo girl that you know will go to jury trial rather than being plead out after you know charges will be filed….
Quite the victim blamer, aren’t you?
“The girl had punched in the face a grey haired Trump supporter in his 60s moments before that.”
@CV, citation?
All I found was this,
“A male in the [crowd] groped the 15-year-old] girl, when she pushed him away; another person in the [crowd] sprayed her. We are currently looking for two suspects, one for the sexual assault and one for the pepper spray.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/mar/30/us-election-2016-live-clinton-sanders-trump-cruz-kasich-campaign
Or this, maybe you can point out where the punch is,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/donald-trump/12207176/Teenager-groped-and-pepper-sprayed-at-Wisconsin-Donald-Trump-rally.html
She’s making a fist with her hand which is visible in the video footage and then at some point she lashes out with it. From the camera angle I can’t see if her fist connected with anything more than thin air, but she throws a punch outwards alright.
Timestamp? I can’t see it. Is the grey-haired guy you refer to the one clearly visible on the left?
lol
And mr redhat is there to save the day, pepper spray at the ready in his hand just in case a 15 year old girl gets upset at being groped. What a hero.
Of course, using pepper spray in a crowded area to address a small issue within the hyped-up crowd can cause lethal stampedes.
It’s the mr redhat, who I made the original low comment about.
The waiting, and then slinking back to hide back into the crowd, what a low life.
I forgot that that Pepper spray could have broader consequences, good call McFlock.
As the girl is being led away following the assault someone in the crowd yells goddamn communist nigger lover! get out of here!
Candace Smith Verified account
@CandaceSmith_
EXCLUSIVE vid shows teen get pepper sprayed after shoving protester, called a bitch & “n****r lover” at Trump rally
edit:
Candace Smith Verified account
@CandaceSmith_
NEW: Janesville Police release photo of the man they think pepper sprayed teen yesterday outside of Trump rally.
https://twitter.com/CandaceSmith_/status/715218331318534145/photo/1
Harry Potter’s little brother?
The incident.
That a full shot of the low life at the end who did the pepper spray.
And he’s smiling like cheshire cat, sickening.
At 27 seconds she lashes out with her right hand/fist at the older guys face, unknown whether she actually connects or not. This was after she pushed forward through the crowd towards him for several seconds, against people trying to hold her back.
As for the guy who pepper sprayed her, yep, he’s a bit of a sadistic sociopath.
…while she repeatedly accused him of touching her breast.
And yet none of the drumpfoids thought to get his name, or detain him for the police to sort it out.
I hope she did connect. At least he’d have to explain how he got a scratch to his face – good way to identify him later.
perhaps the witnesses – male and female – standing closest to the apparent sexual assault victim didn’t think the old man had done anything. So didn’t feel the need to record his name or apprehend him.
Her violence wasn’t really necessary or productive. And it clearly wasn’t self defence, from the videos.
She might end up charged herself.
15yo girl charged with assaulting person she claims sexually assaulted her?
Good luck with that.
Plenty of video evidence. And if he has a nice scratch or contusion to the face, that’s the case made.
Maybe if the sherriff is a drumpf supporter.
Guy makes assault complaint against 15yo girl. Girl gets teeny fine and good behaviour bond because it’s at most minor end of scale. Here we don’t even bother with diversion for that.
But groping an underage girl? He has to introduce himself to any new neighbours for the rest of his life.
Investigators recommend disorderly conduct charge against young female anti-Trump protestor
Some didn’t see this obvious one coming.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/668901b477b24b6da498083af6d37f9c/cops-find-man-accused-pepper-spraying-girl-trump-rally
Disorderly conduct? Not assault or gbh? oooooo tragic to see a youngster go off the rails so soon in life…
On more cheerful news regarding a topic that caused much controversy here at TS a year or two back: WHO have declared an end to the West-African ebole-related Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
“Exponential rate of growth” or not, we didn’t end up with a Walking Dead scenario, which is nice.
“The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been the redistribution of wealth, rather than to generate, wealth and income.”