Even dirty old Holmes is getting sick of the arrogance of John Key’s govt. From q+a:
PAUL HOLMES We’d hoped to have Labour and National debating the issue, but, as I say, this government doesn’t debate other parties, apparently. I would have thought that was a part of full democratic process full stop. Which means I have to explain this to you while Lianne Dalziel leaves her chair, which she has done so effectively and carefully without injury, and the Associate Justice Minister, Chester Borrows, sneaks in.
Holmes here at least highlights the lack of democratic discussion the govt is willing to participate in.
John Campbell also consistently makes a point of noting their failure to turn up for interviews.
RNZ needs to comment more pointedly on John Key’s government’s ministers’ failure to front for interviews more explicitly. It is the press’s responsibility to hold those in power ro account.
As to the patsy interviews conducted by Marcus Lush, Rawden Christie et al, all that is clear from that is that organisations, such as TVNZ and Radio Live who run such sham interviews, cannot describe themselves as serious news outlets.
I haven’t heard the RNZ interview. But it could all be in the wording:
Stevenson says the new troops were there in a combat role.
“I’ve been told the mission of these troops is not to gather intelligence but to help carry out the strikes or the raids on those insurgents that killed the PRT (provincial reconstruction team) in August,” he told Radio New Zealand.
Key today said the claims were not true.
“Completely wrong. Absolutely wrong,” he told TV3.
The small group of SAS logistics and planning officers remained in Afghanistan and it was possible one or two more had joined that team.
“On the ground operational people assess exactly what they need. From time to time it can vary by very small numbers. We don’t make a public statement every time they may go or not.”
“On the ground operational people assess exactly what they need”
-and there it is, the precedent tag! Key can now say it appears the original decision to deploy as an intel-only unit had to be adjusted when boots hit the ground. I can hear him now ‘yeah, the SAS are akshully involved in a combat role to capture or kill those responsible for the recent deaths of New Zealand Soldiers. It was an operational decision andnah i had not heard about it but i’m relaxed the boys will do the best they can.’
We all know our PM never sullies himself by interfering with operational matters of Government 😉
It’s the ‘possible one or two’ that is very vague, now it come’s down to National party semantics, as to what actually one or two really mean’s in John Key’s dynamic world?
It’s okay not to comment on real operational matters. But if they have sent in a revenge/kill team into make the miscreants pay, then it becomes a whole new ball of wax. But then again we got no missile firing drones. Why else would you send them in quietly?
A very interesting article looking at the Thatcher years and the results to date. The comments at the end of the article are also noteworthy e.g.:-
‘The worst Tory legacy from that era is the energy sell-off to any tom, dick or harry. Thanks to that government, our energy bills are decided by shareholders, and utility bills will forever soar with zero control; leaving people in fuel poverty and consequently needing to become welfare claimants and food banks open at alarming rates, even though they’re working.
Now the Tories suddenly care about the cost of bills? It’s a shame the Tories didn’t care about the cost of energy bills back then…’
A bold and decisive policy would be to state that electricity will be re nationalised, eliminate the foreign landlords and all the layers of expensive governance and legal challenges to any CommComm ruling and take out the hefferndens, stiassneys etc in one move.
Our power prices are a complete rort.
We used to have such an option in the old FPP system on polling days on certain industries from memory. Whoever gets this right with some other socially focused policy will win a lot of votes.
Can’t see it happening from any of this current lukewarm mob.
Thanks, marsman – an important article. I lived through the late 70s and theThatcher years in London, and it was very formative in my political thinking. IMO, Britain went from leading the western world towards the left in the 70s, to the devastation of neoliberalism in the 80s.
The author makes an interesting comment about how the most recent times tend to be the most reviled, and also about the resurection of postive things about the 70s. And, while many paint us boomers as being complicit with neoliberalism, amongst those I knew the Thatcher government was highly unpopular. This, from the article:
More quietly, generational shifts are eroding the 80s’ electoral influence. Thatcher and the changes that occurred under her were rarely overwhelmingly popular. The British Social Attitudes survey showed leftward as well as rightward trends during the 80s; her share of the vote at general elections was middling by postwar standards; and her iron majorities were in large part the products of splits and weaknesses among her opponents. Nowadays, the beneficiaries of her booms, such pivotal interest groups in the Britain of the 90s and 00s, are beginning to be rivalled politically by those too young to have taken part. To some of this economically stressed generation, the postwar world she replaced – of state paternalism and strong unions, of municipal housing and more workplace protections – looks quite appealing, which is one of the reasons the 70s are beginning to be rehabilitated.
Too right marsman. For example: ……this essentially sociopathic blend of charm, deceit, and ruthlessness can be extremely helpful in a colleague. The breathtaking facility with which they can lie, and their lack of compunction in so doing, makes them not only first rate manipulators, but, often, pragmatic—and effective—short-term problem-solvers, too.
John Key sadly and Joyce as well?
” They possess a superficial intellect that masks a stunning lack of empathy, which in turn permits the tunnel-visioned pursuit of personal goals by any means necessary.”
“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.”
Large scale water storage/irrigation schemes and GMO and Fracking are the Nats clear agenda. The only information given significant media exposure will be evidence presented at tax and rate payers expense by narrow focused (well payed) technocrats justifying an already decided position. The reality is most of these so called experts are bought by the government and regional councils. This is no where near a level playing field.
The implicit threat hanging over local and regional councils across the country? If you don’t head down the central governments idealogical path then we can just appoint our own ‘leaders’ to make some ‘progress’.
If Democracy isn’t dead in this country it must certainly be in its death throes.
Government propaganda, sound bites and corporate PR soften Joe and Jill public up for what obviously in there best interests.
The only way to counter this may be to vote with our feet.
I had a loved one diagnosed with cancer this morning. I didn’t know what to say to him. Its kind of serendipity the article you posted. It helped a lot. Thanks again.
In my experience with cancer, just being there for him is the most important thing, not what you can actually say. It’s a lot harder for our friends and loved ones to cope than it is for those of us who actually get the filthy disease. The most important thing to me is knowing that there are people around who know that I’m still alive and don’t treat me as some poor thing already half way into the grave.
I agree with that. Something about touching earth is very comforting. Also preparing food. The two are bound together. Reminds me of the Greek resturant owner on tv last night reopened his little shop after earthquake wiped him out. He talked about the smell of garlic and rosemary on his fingers, made him feel alive again.
As the UK reels in the aftermath of the Savile revelations and revokes the awards of paedophiles, at the same time St John New Zealand are to award two known paedophiles, to be presented by the Governor General
[lprent: Link removed – it is either defamatory and/or needs to go to police. But it will not be allowed on the site because it opens us up to unwanted defamation cases. ]
CYFS employed a counsellor using NLP [deleted] to treat children when he was under investigation for sexually exploiting a client. There were two different clients, but the cases appear virtually identical. Both had backgrounds of sexual abuse in their childhood and both were severely affected. Both cases also appear to have had subsidies of some kind to allow the low income clients treatment.
How much money was spent by the government on [deleted] so he could sexually exploit clients and knowingly cause them harm?
Why is CYFS using government money to pay for NLP (not clinically proven or accepted)?
Why does CYFS pay a counsellor such as the one in the story above who clearly has so many issues herself if she fails to recognise NZ Law?
Is she qualified in criminal law and therefore is giving legal advice to children? Did CYFS pay for this as well?
How is it that anyone who promotes underage sex is paid in anyway shape or form to “treat” children of sexual preditors?
I say pull the funding from these bitches. The government should not pay for this type of highly unethical treatment.
The weakness is their funding as the counselling industry obtains tens of millions in subsidies each year.
What I find the most funniest is that no political article is likely to be balanced in the Truth. The Truth is just another avenue for Slater to throw his weight about.
check out the website. They have the numbers of hits on the articles showing. All well below a hundred. When you think how many of those hits will be bots…. it’s like a ghost-town.
Oh, please, your sport is racked with drug taking, collectively
needing distraction, like a media gold rush to distort the
context, what a gift then, a man who over came testicular
cancer, a man who may easily justify their own survival
as a necessity, and so manufacture in themselves forgiveness
for their own widely alleged drug taking. Would cycling have been
free of drugs by now, had there not be a Lance Armstrong?
Would we be in a better world, had there not be a Margaret
Thatcher? Would the middle east now be mired, had there not
be George Bush junior?
The Standard has deleted my link in the posting above. It is not defamatory because it is true. It has been to the police many times, most recently last month.
The names of the St John men are already in the public domain, having appeared in print in this national magazine here [deleted]
[lprent: We don’t allow public accusations about alleged criminal offenses without an actual conviction to be on the site unless we’ve looked at it ourselves and actually intend to have it published here in the public interest. In this instance I can see several previous investigations by the relevant authorities without conviction.
Ian Wishart isn’t exactly someone I have much respect for. I’ve observed him shaving the facts several times in his articles and public speeches to fit his prejudices – for me most notably implicit accusations about my partner. But what he chooses to publish is his choice. Bearing in mind his known bigotries and biases it is usually unlikely to be similar to our choices.
We do allow considerable latitude for speculation about politicians in the public interest and with the previous defamation case law supporting our position. But don’t mistake that for a licence to do the same for non-political or non-public figures. ]
According to your “standards”, the Jimmy Savile story would have remained covered up – he was also not convicted. In the St John ambulance case, I have provided a printed national magazine, a printed press release, and evidence that the victims parents and brothers were gagged in order to hide these child sex crimes. Your action is similar – you also choose to hide these child sex crimes. Your personal feelings for Ian Wishart should not lead you to be complicit in hiding child sex crimes. FYI – this saga will be presented by a UK MP to the House of Commons either later this week or early next week – some New Zealanders may choose to hide these atrocities, but the rest of the world does not.
[lprent: In case you hadn’t noticed, this is a political blog site orientated to analysis and opinions of political issues from the left and union movements.
We aren’t the police, a general purpose newspaper or other media outlet, a site dedicated to legal issues, or even a gossip site. We simply don’t report, opine, or even allow the kind of thing that Wishart or Whaleoil specialize in. We’re not hiding anything. We have little or no interest in something that doesn’t look either political or to do with unions. We certainly don’t want to go out on a legal limb for it.
Covering up child sex crimes not a political issue? Our NZ Head of State presenting awards to known paedophiles not a political issue? Most in the world would consider this to go across the spectrum and be of relevance to the left, right, and centre. According to this page, Afganistan, fracking, drugs in sport, and a storm are all part of the agenda, but not child sex crimes. Perhaps it is the heinous deeds of a high profile lefty exposed in this story that you wish to avoid.
[lprent: So far I haven’t seen anything that indicates that there is any kind of a coverup – which would be of interest. To expand….
I suspect that an alternate hypothesis of obsessive parent(s) detirmined that their view is the only one is far more likely. That was my impression reading your exhaustive link this morning. I suspect that was also the conclusion of many other people and organizations from te police to the family court who have already looked at this case since 2006.
I’ve been on the losing side in family court action, helped deal with quite a few troubled teens from the extended family with difficult relationships with their parents, and have a skeptical relationship with the police. Your description of the process tallys with what I have seen. However your explanations about how you view the people does not tally with anything I have ever observed.
I have also dealt with numerous people with obsessions with both this blog and other political volunteer work. You seem to me to fit the profile quite closely. Certainly the vast conspiracy required for your view to work seems highly unlikely. Occams razor seems to apply.
But as I said earlier, there does not appear to be a political issue. This discussion is over. ]
You have now used 3 different reasons for removing my link: (1) the link is defamatory, (2) it is not a political issue, and now (3) obsessive parents. Did you read the entire document, as the huge number of experts quoted in appendix do not share your view of obsessive parents? When the link was posted, there was a flurry of downloads from your readers, they are obviously keen to read it – why don’t you just allow the link and let your readers make up their own minds? This would be a more mature approach rather than trying to manipulate the agenda.
[lprent: The first was a statement of fact – much of the document was likely to be defamatory (only a court could determine that). The second was a reason why we wouldn’t be interested in taking a risk of a suit after you said that we should ignore the defamatory aspects because it was already published (which makes no real difference under defamation law anyway). The third was my personal take on it based on my experience and your behaviour to explain why I wasn’t interested in overriding policy.
A flurry? According to the figures on who clicked through on that first link, I did at least a tenth of them.
Get your “experts” to put it up on their blogs – don’t use ours. And I’d suggest that you review using the dumbarse tactics you just used in this comment. All it does on blogs is annoy the operators.
The answer is no. You now have a ban on writing comments because you are wasting my time by not understanding that. ]
[deleted – usual crap about gagging]
Are you not doing a similar thing by banning me – after one post! [deleted – and somehow equating me to the whole of the left.. *sigh* so predictable ]
[lprent: No. I have spent time reading your links. I have written notes on 5 comments where I have carefully explained this site’s reason why you cannot use this site to publish a link. Each of these explanations takes time for me to write.
You have now run out of the time and patience I am willing to expend on a single commentator in moderator mode. You have shown no ability to learn or change your behaviour on this site, and I can’t see any real possibility that you are capable of doing so. I am not willing to waste any more of my limited time repeating the same message to someone who is clearly too inflexible to listen to it. It can be more constructively used for the benefit of the others amongst our daily thousands of readers and hundreds of commentators.
Despite what you appear to think, we owe you no duty nor obligation. And as you may have realized, I feel no need to be polite. Bye. ]
Republicans who support tighter voter security say that they are not seeking political advantage. But last summer Pennsylvania’s Republican House Leader, Mike Turzai, was caught on tape boasting to colleagues that the state’s new I.D. law was “going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.” Earlier this month, a state judge suspended the controversial law’s implementation until after the 2012 election; a federal court has done the same with South Carolina’s new I.D. law.
Fair enough LP, Y’know I think the arctic ice is gone for good, NY and the east coast should get used to it, it’s gonna be a regular feature from now on.
Wow, who would of thought that the best way to get transport to improve the economy of Northland is to actually spend money on infrastructure in Northland. Of course these aren’t the first issues we have raised, the 2008 study showed there was little benefit in upgrading the route while we also showed that based on Gerry’s answers to written questions you would have to travel at up to 250kph to achieve some of the time savings that the benefits above are based on.
As Mr Anderson said yesterday, its really time for an independent inquiry into the NZTA and transport priorities, there is just far to many issues cropping up.
More questions raised about the pure BS that this government is forcing upon us.
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Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins,Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Human Destabilisers: Russia now has a new strategic weapon – migratory waves of unwelcome human-beings. Desperate people with different coloured skins and different religious beliefs arriving at, or actually breaching, the national borders of Russia’s enemies can wreak as much havoc, culturally and politically, as a hypersonic missile exploding in the ...
Hi,After Webworm contributor Hayden Donnell wrote his latest piece, ‘RIP to Millennials Killing Everything’, he delivered this exciting and important bonus content.It will make more sense if you’ve read his piece.David. Read more ...
Hi,Before we get to Hayden’s column — RIP to Millennials Killing Everything — a quick observation.There was a day last week where it had suddenly reached 10pm and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hunger had suddenly gripped me with a panicky all-consuming force, so I jumped onto Uber Eats and ...
We add some of the CMIP6 models to the updateable MSU comparisons. After my annual update, I was pointed to some MSU-related diagnostics for many of the CMIP6 models (24 of them at least) from Po-Chedley et al. (2022) courtesy of Ben Santer. These are slightly different to what ...
In a memorable Pulp Fiction scene, Vincent inadvertently shoots their backseat passenger in the head. This leads our heroes Jules and Vincent to express alarm about their predicament.We're on a city street in broad daylight here!says Vincent. We gotta get this car off the roads. You know cops tend to ...
Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading → ...
Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...
Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...
Ouch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...
I teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...
An issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...
For some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...
The Government’s decision to back peddle on lowering speed limits is hitting potholes. At this stage, although it is part of the Government’s reprioritisation efforts to free up money to alleviate cost of living increases, the speed limit change looks unlikely to do that. And it appears that it ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
$2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
The Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...
Ahead of tax season, Avast , a leading digital security and privacy brand of Gen ™ (NASDAQ: GEN), is warning New Zealanders of increased scam activity as cybercriminals prey on taxpayers' vulnerability during a time when they are expecting their tax ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a ...
In the year ended June 2022, 1 in 4 households that were renting were spending more than 40 percent of their disposable income on housing costs, compared with 1 in 5 households that were paying a mortgage, according to figures released by Stats NZ ...
Child poverty rates for the year ended June 2022 were unchanged compared with the previous year, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. “Child poverty statistics have not changed compared with last year,” general manager social and ...
The former broadcaster Liz Gunn, who has become a vocal figure within the anti-vaccination movement in New Zealand, has appeared in court today after an alleged airport altercation earlier this year. Gunn pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, trespass and resisting arrest over the incident at Auckland International Airport. ...
You don’t need to go to wildlife sanctuaries to see native birds, bugs and reptiles.This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof brought to you by Electric Kiwi – sign up here. Recently I wrote a feature for New Zealand Geographic on weeds – it turns out, a ...
Rental costs have hit a record high, according to new statistics released this morning. Trade Me has reported that the national median rent was up to $600 in February – a jump of 4%, or $25, when compared with the same month in 2022. It’s not unusual to see rent ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by Immigration New Zealand to not suspend Kellie-Kay Keen-Minshull's NZeTA and to allow her entry into the country, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. “The Free Speech Union envisions ...
HeartLandNZ represents provincial New Zealand, the heart of the nation, the men and women, workers, contractors, businesses and farmers in the successful primary production sector. For over 30 years these voters have been economically ...
This week, Hera Lindsay Bird ponders whether it’s better to leave a party too early or too late.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to [email protected]Dear Hera,How can you tell when something is over? A recurring theme through my life is sticking around way past the due date. There have been ...
National’s new education policy will focus on the first eight years of education – primary and intermediate – in an effort to prepare students for high school. The opposition will formally unveil their policy later today – coincidentally (or likely not) in the prime minister’s electorate of Upper Hutt. Erica ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Monash University ShutterstockDementia is an umbrella term to describe a progressive neurological condition that affects people’s cognitive abilities, such as memory, language and reasoning. Alzheimer’s is the most common form, but other common ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation A comparison between two views of the same coral reef on Kiritimati, taken by University of Victoria scientists.Danielle Claar, Kristina Tietjen/University of Victoria Earlier this week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Edgar, Senior Marine Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Graham Edgar/Reef Life Survey, Author provided Marine heatwaves are damaging reef ecosystems around Australia, but while the tropical north has received the lion’s share of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Burch, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Tasmania Shutterstock One of the priorities of the federal government’s sweeping Universities Accord is to improve employment conditions in higher education. This is long overdue. Australia’s university sector once set the standard for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Davies, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Image: David Kelly, Author provided Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis, with low-income households hit hardest by rising rents and falling vacancy rates. Social housing tenants were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristie Patricia Flannery, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Francisco V. Coching’s Rendition of Gabriela Silang Charging on a Mount, 1986 (Ayala Museum). It was around this time of year back in 1763 that Filipino rebels ...
The government’s planning to roll out dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country in new “hubs” that would operate similar to existing petrol stations. The “charging our future” strategy has set a target of bringing in new hubs ever 150 to 200 kilometres along the state highways, ...
This morning we bring you an exclusive on The Spinoff from Dylan Cleaver. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) condition recognised and compensated for by the ACC after a five-year campaign. CTE is a brain ...
New Zealand joins countries around the world by banning TikTok on government-issued devices as the US threatens an outright ban on the popular social media app, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Big building supply companies have fended off competition by wrapping desirable blocks of land in legal constraints on generations of NZers, alarming the Commerce Commission into issuing a far-reaching warning. Jonathan Milne reports. ...
The Green Party is announcing Teall Crossen as their candidate for the Nelson Whakatū electorate. Teall is an environmental barrister and activist with two decades of experience advocating for the rights of people and nature in the Courts in Aotearoa, ...
NZ Rugby wants to triple the number of female rugby referees - starting with the rise of Natarsha Ganley to Super Rugby honours, and handing a whistle to an Aupiki star player in a new scholarship. Suzanne McFadden writes. Natarsha Ganley loves rules. So during the week, she's on the lookout for ...
Exclusive: All Black turned NZ First MP Tutekawa Wyllie and his wife Margaret have won a landmark battle that could open the floodgates for rugby-related head injury claims. Dylan Cleaver reports.Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic ...
Do the results in Mt Albert, Wellington Central and Christchurch East amount to thumbing noses at head office, or are they a sign of party strength?Across three Labour selection contests in three high-profile electorates over the last fortnight, candidates have succeeded from local foundations in seeing off rivals considered ...
This week's anti-trans rally is straight out of the right-wing playbook With strange and toxic prescience, a subject from the new study Histories of Hate:The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand has leapt from the pages of the book into a major news story this week. The ...
More than half of Aotearoa may need to be in native ngahere (bush) to merely blunt future worsening storms, but without such revolutionary change, Aotearoa could descend into a spiral of social, ecological, and economic damage Much of our land is without any trees, or is without the right trees, ...
Unlike other countries around the world, New Zealand has no regulations about lobbying. Is change needed to ensure greater transparency about who's influencing our decision-makers? If you want to know who lobbies the Australian government on behalf of Air New Zealand, you simply go to an online register, type ...
Cyclone Gabrielle’s hammering of Hawkes Bay has ignited fears in Southland of bridges failing and farmland flooding through “mismanagement” of accumulated gravel Southland farmer Barry Taylor is frustrated gravel is being allowed to build up beneath a bridge on one of the country’s key tourist routes despite his years of ...
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Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
A Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...
The government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAPLa Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...
Promoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa. In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” ...
Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...
We asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...
65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...
ANALYSIS:By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...
Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...
A new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...
Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...
Immigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached.The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed.Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...
Like a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made.In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...
The Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...
By Claudia Tally in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean family who have been renting a property from the National Housing Corporation for the past 46 years have been served with a 24-hour eviction notice by a different owner who had obtained an eviction notice from the Port Moresby District ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country. Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederic Gachon, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Gregory Pappas/Unsplash Some of us love to be tucked up in bed by a particular time every night, ensuring a certain number of hours ...
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
Sports can be hugely beneficial for children but there are still many barriers for trans kids wanting to play, writes researcher Julia de Bres.There’s been a lot of talk recently about trans athletes in high performance sport, much of which derives from a broader anti-trans project rather than a ...
A new documentary follows Amber Clyde, skateboarder and founder of Girls Skate NZ, as she works to rebuild her confidence in the sport while juggling solo motherhood.Amber Clyde remembers being bullied as the only girl at the skate park in Birkenhead – but these days all the same bullies ...
After dedicating years to helping young women find their confidence in skateboarding, Amber Clyde must teach herself how to get back on the board after the birth of her second child. But balancing the realities of being a solo Mum with running her own business means that her time is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arthur Immanuel Crichton, PhD candidate, Flinders University Relative of _Chunia pledgei_ named _Ektopodon serratus_ (top left), with _Wakaleo oldfieldi_.Reconstruction of the early Miocene Kutjumarpu faunal assemblage by Peter Schouten, CC BY-SA Imagine a vast, lush forest dominated by giant flightless birds ...
Even dirty old Holmes is getting sick of the arrogance of John Key’s govt. From q+a:
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/transcript-chester-borrows-interview-5166989
Holmes here at least highlights the lack of democratic discussion the govt is willing to participate in.
John Campbell also consistently makes a point of noting their failure to turn up for interviews.
RNZ needs to comment more pointedly on John Key’s government’s ministers’ failure to front for interviews more explicitly. It is the press’s responsibility to hold those in power ro account.
As to the patsy interviews conducted by Marcus Lush, Rawden Christie et al, all that is clear from that is that organisations, such as TVNZ and Radio Live who run such sham interviews, cannot describe themselves as serious news outlets.
Jon Stephenson says the SAS are going back to Afghanistan for a revenge attack.
John Key says they are not.
Potential for another brain fade???
I haven’t heard the RNZ interview. But it could all be in the wording:
Stevenson is a very reliable journalist.
I would imagine that to be as certain in military circles as John Key denying it.
Best hope they don’t get smacked again.
“On the ground operational people assess exactly what they need”
-and there it is, the precedent tag! Key can now say it appears the original decision to deploy as an intel-only unit had to be adjusted when boots hit the ground. I can hear him now ‘yeah, the SAS are akshully involved in a combat role to capture or kill those responsible for the recent deaths of New Zealand Soldiers. It was an operational decision andnah i had not heard about it but i’m relaxed the boys will do the best they can.’
We all know our PM never sullies himself by interfering with operational matters of Government 😉
It’s the ‘possible one or two’ that is very vague, now it come’s down to National party semantics, as to what actually one or two really mean’s in John Key’s dynamic world?
It’s okay not to comment on real operational matters. But if they have sent in a revenge/kill team into make the miscreants pay, then it becomes a whole new ball of wax. But then again we got no missile firing drones. Why else would you send them in quietly?
The use of language such as “revenge attacks”, is of course ludicris, given that they are foreign forces occupying ME nations.
Regardless of where the “insurgents” hail from, it reads/counds like its expected that “locals” will just sit back, be occupied and like it!
I think Stephenson had credibility and Key doesn’t, so that’s that!
Oscar Wilde: “Democracy is simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.”
That pretty well sums up National government – with the exception that “for” the people means only for the advantaged.
A very interesting article looking at the Thatcher years and the results to date. The comments at the end of the article are also noteworthy e.g.:-
‘The worst Tory legacy from that era is the energy sell-off to any tom, dick or harry. Thanks to that government, our energy bills are decided by shareholders, and utility bills will forever soar with zero control; leaving people in fuel poverty and consequently needing to become welfare claimants and food banks open at alarming rates, even though they’re working.
Now the Tories suddenly care about the cost of bills? It’s a shame the Tories didn’t care about the cost of energy bills back then…’
http://gu.com/p/3bdfj/em
A bold and decisive policy would be to state that electricity will be re nationalised, eliminate the foreign landlords and all the layers of expensive governance and legal challenges to any CommComm ruling and take out the hefferndens, stiassneys etc in one move.
Our power prices are a complete rort.
We used to have such an option in the old FPP system on polling days on certain industries from memory. Whoever gets this right with some other socially focused policy will win a lot of votes.
Can’t see it happening from any of this current lukewarm mob.
Thanks, marsman – an important article. I lived through the late 70s and theThatcher years in London, and it was very formative in my political thinking. IMO, Britain went from leading the western world towards the left in the 70s, to the devastation of neoliberalism in the 80s.
The author makes an interesting comment about how the most recent times tend to be the most reviled, and also about the resurection of postive things about the 70s. And, while many paint us boomers as being complicit with neoliberalism, amongst those I knew the Thatcher government was highly unpopular. This, from the article:
Replace Romnney’s name with John Key’s name in the following article. Quite disturbing.
The Special Personality Strengths of Mitt Romney – John Wareham | Scoop News
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1210/S00163/the-special-personality-strengths-of-mitt-romney-john-wareham.htm
Too right marsman. For example: ……this essentially sociopathic blend of charm, deceit, and ruthlessness can be extremely helpful in a colleague. The breathtaking facility with which they can lie, and their lack of compunction in so doing, makes them not only first rate manipulators, but, often, pragmatic—and effective—short-term problem-solvers, too.
John Key sadly and Joyce as well?
” They possess a superficial intellect that masks a stunning lack of empathy, which in turn permits the tunnel-visioned pursuit of personal goals by any means necessary.”
Yep. It’s his psychological twin.
Apparently Confucius says
“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.”
Pulled quote from this article http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/14267-our-words-are-our-weapons
Definately applies to Smirkey and Romoney. Birds of a feather.
A lie is a lie. Greed is greed. To call them anything less will not do.
Large scale water storage/irrigation schemes and GMO and Fracking are the Nats clear agenda. The only information given significant media exposure will be evidence presented at tax and rate payers expense by narrow focused (well payed) technocrats justifying an already decided position. The reality is most of these so called experts are bought by the government and regional councils. This is no where near a level playing field.
The implicit threat hanging over local and regional councils across the country? If you don’t head down the central governments idealogical path then we can just appoint our own ‘leaders’ to make some ‘progress’.
If Democracy isn’t dead in this country it must certainly be in its death throes.
Government propaganda, sound bites and corporate PR soften Joe and Jill public up for what obviously in there best interests.
The only way to counter this may be to vote with our feet.
http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/cartoon-competition/
have fun folks
Great, thanks. Yes we need more satire!
Anyone else have any tonic for a severe case of neo feudal industrial blues?
I find gardening a good tonic for many ills.
The Island Where People Forget to Die
I enjoyed that article immensely, thankyou. I feel better already.
I had a loved one diagnosed with cancer this morning. I didn’t know what to say to him. Its kind of serendipity the article you posted. It helped a lot. Thanks again.
In my experience with cancer, just being there for him is the most important thing, not what you can actually say. It’s a lot harder for our friends and loved ones to cope than it is for those of us who actually get the filthy disease. The most important thing to me is knowing that there are people around who know that I’m still alive and don’t treat me as some poor thing already half way into the grave.
🙂 (those who are greatest among you shall become least; those who are least, great)
groovy man.
I agree with that. Something about touching earth is very comforting. Also preparing food. The two are bound together. Reminds me of the Greek resturant owner on tv last night reopened his little shop after earthquake wiped him out. He talked about the smell of garlic and rosemary on his fingers, made him feel alive again.
As the UK reels in the aftermath of the Savile revelations and revokes the awards of paedophiles, at the same time St John New Zealand are to award two known paedophiles, to be presented by the Governor General
[lprent: Link removed – it is either defamatory and/or needs to go to police. But it will not be allowed on the site because it opens us up to unwanted defamation cases. ]
Thanks for this information.
CYFS employed a counsellor using NLP [deleted] to treat children when he was under investigation for sexually exploiting a client. There were two different clients, but the cases appear virtually identical. Both had backgrounds of sexual abuse in their childhood and both were severely affected. Both cases also appear to have had subsidies of some kind to allow the low income clients treatment.
How much money was spent by the government on [deleted] so he could sexually exploit clients and knowingly cause them harm?
Why is CYFS using government money to pay for NLP (not clinically proven or accepted)?
Why does CYFS pay a counsellor such as the one in the story above who clearly has so many issues herself if she fails to recognise NZ Law?
Is she qualified in criminal law and therefore is giving legal advice to children? Did CYFS pay for this as well?
How is it that anyone who promotes underage sex is paid in anyway shape or form to “treat” children of sexual preditors?
I say pull the funding from these bitches. The government should not pay for this type of highly unethical treatment.
The weakness is their funding as the counselling industry obtains tens of millions in subsidies each year.
[lprent: ditto. ]
Cool, my first edited post :m
FYI his name is in the media as he was found guilty as hell by the HDC (Health and Disabilities Commissioner).
It is the last day of October and Henri, the existentialist cat, addresses the meaningless celebration of Halloween:
And Campbell’s latest scoop:
An even bigger ‘scoop’ Draco, Cameron Slater the new editor of ‘The Truth’ newspaper…
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/10/announcement-whaleoil-appointed-editor-of-truth/
That is brilliant. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.
What I find the most funniest is that no political article is likely to be balanced in the Truth. The Truth is just another avenue for Slater to throw his weight about.
Is that really a ‘scoop’ though – the slimy crustacean has been trying to edit truth for a while now.
or, as Lew put it on twitter:
And bomber says he’s resigned as a columnist.
check out the website. They have the numbers of hits on the articles showing. All well below a hundred. When you think how many of those hits will be bots…. it’s like a ghost-town.
That’s ok, Cameron has his own way of “counting” page views which should have those numbers going through the roof in no time.
I wonder how long it will take for him to get Truth sued to death? Not long, I hope.
Oh, please, your sport is racked with drug taking, collectively
needing distraction, like a media gold rush to distort the
context, what a gift then, a man who over came testicular
cancer, a man who may easily justify their own survival
as a necessity, and so manufacture in themselves forgiveness
for their own widely alleged drug taking. Would cycling have been
free of drugs by now, had there not be a Lance Armstrong?
Would we be in a better world, had there not be a Margaret
Thatcher? Would the middle east now be mired, had there not
be George Bush junior?
The Standard has deleted my link in the posting above. It is not defamatory because it is true. It has been to the police many times, most recently last month.
The names of the St John men are already in the public domain, having appeared in print in this national magazine here [deleted]
[lprent: We don’t allow public accusations about alleged criminal offenses without an actual conviction to be on the site unless we’ve looked at it ourselves and actually intend to have it published here in the public interest. In this instance I can see several previous investigations by the relevant authorities without conviction.
Ian Wishart isn’t exactly someone I have much respect for. I’ve observed him shaving the facts several times in his articles and public speeches to fit his prejudices – for me most notably implicit accusations about my partner. But what he chooses to publish is his choice. Bearing in mind his known bigotries and biases it is usually unlikely to be similar to our choices.
We do allow considerable latitude for speculation about politicians in the public interest and with the previous defamation case law supporting our position. But don’t mistake that for a licence to do the same for non-political or non-public figures. ]
According to your “standards”, the Jimmy Savile story would have remained covered up – he was also not convicted. In the St John ambulance case, I have provided a printed national magazine, a printed press release, and evidence that the victims parents and brothers were gagged in order to hide these child sex crimes. Your action is similar – you also choose to hide these child sex crimes. Your personal feelings for Ian Wishart should not lead you to be complicit in hiding child sex crimes. FYI – this saga will be presented by a UK MP to the House of Commons either later this week or early next week – some New Zealanders may choose to hide these atrocities, but the rest of the world does not.
[lprent: In case you hadn’t noticed, this is a political blog site orientated to analysis and opinions of political issues from the left and union movements.
We aren’t the police, a general purpose newspaper or other media outlet, a site dedicated to legal issues, or even a gossip site. We simply don’t report, opine, or even allow the kind of thing that Wishart or Whaleoil specialize in. We’re not hiding anything. We have little or no interest in something that doesn’t look either political or to do with unions. We certainly don’t want to go out on a legal limb for it.
If you have finished with Wishart, then can I suggest a new opportunity – try Whaleoil at The New Zealand Truth ]
Covering up child sex crimes not a political issue? Our NZ Head of State presenting awards to known paedophiles not a political issue? Most in the world would consider this to go across the spectrum and be of relevance to the left, right, and centre. According to this page, Afganistan, fracking, drugs in sport, and a storm are all part of the agenda, but not child sex crimes. Perhaps it is the heinous deeds of a high profile lefty exposed in this story that you wish to avoid.
[lprent: So far I haven’t seen anything that indicates that there is any kind of a coverup – which would be of interest. To expand….
I suspect that an alternate hypothesis of obsessive parent(s) detirmined that their view is the only one is far more likely. That was my impression reading your exhaustive link this morning. I suspect that was also the conclusion of many other people and organizations from te police to the family court who have already looked at this case since 2006.
I’ve been on the losing side in family court action, helped deal with quite a few troubled teens from the extended family with difficult relationships with their parents, and have a skeptical relationship with the police. Your description of the process tallys with what I have seen. However your explanations about how you view the people does not tally with anything I have ever observed.
I have also dealt with numerous people with obsessions with both this blog and other political volunteer work. You seem to me to fit the profile quite closely. Certainly the vast conspiracy required for your view to work seems highly unlikely. Occams razor seems to apply.
But as I said earlier, there does not appear to be a political issue. This discussion is over. ]
You have now used 3 different reasons for removing my link: (1) the link is defamatory, (2) it is not a political issue, and now (3) obsessive parents. Did you read the entire document, as the huge number of experts quoted in appendix do not share your view of obsessive parents? When the link was posted, there was a flurry of downloads from your readers, they are obviously keen to read it – why don’t you just allow the link and let your readers make up their own minds? This would be a more mature approach rather than trying to manipulate the agenda.
[lprent: The first was a statement of fact – much of the document was likely to be defamatory (only a court could determine that). The second was a reason why we wouldn’t be interested in taking a risk of a suit after you said that we should ignore the defamatory aspects because it was already published (which makes no real difference under defamation law anyway). The third was my personal take on it based on my experience and your behaviour to explain why I wasn’t interested in overriding policy.
A flurry? According to the figures on who clicked through on that first link, I did at least a tenth of them.
Get your “experts” to put it up on their blogs – don’t use ours. And I’d suggest that you review using the dumbarse tactics you just used in this comment. All it does on blogs is annoy the operators.
The answer is no. You now have a ban on writing comments because you are wasting my time by not understanding that. ]
[deleted – usual crap about gagging]
Are you not doing a similar thing by banning me – after one post!
[deleted – and somehow equating me to the whole of the left.. *sigh* so predictable ]
[lprent: No. I have spent time reading your links. I have written notes on 5 comments where I have carefully explained this site’s reason why you cannot use this site to publish a link. Each of these explanations takes time for me to write.
You have now run out of the time and patience I am willing to expend on a single commentator in moderator mode. You have shown no ability to learn or change your behaviour on this site, and I can’t see any real possibility that you are capable of doing so. I am not willing to waste any more of my limited time repeating the same message to someone who is clearly too inflexible to listen to it. It can be more constructively used for the benefit of the others amongst our daily thousands of readers and hundreds of commentators.
Despite what you appear to think, we owe you no duty nor obligation. And as you may have realized, I feel no need to be polite. Bye. ]
Another blogger was right on the mark with this pic, it is what I am reminded of too when I see such bigotry and hatred of homosexuals: http://laudafinem.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/kkk-edited.jpg
The New Yorker on Republican attempts so suppress voters with the myth of voter fraud.
Republicans who support tighter voter security say that they are not seeking political advantage. But last summer Pennsylvania’s Republican House Leader, Mike Turzai, was caught on tape boasting to colleagues that the state’s new I.D. law was “going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.” Earlier this month, a state judge suspended the controversial law’s implementation until after the 2012 election; a federal court has done the same with South Carolina’s new I.D. law.
edit: http://shiftfrequency.com/victoria-collier-how-to-rig-an-election/
Fair enough LP, Y’know I think the arctic ice is gone for good, NY and the east coast should get used to it, it’s gonna be a regular feature from now on.
What’s Best for Northland?
More questions raised about the pure BS that this government is forcing upon us.
Bill supports wealthy developer mates, shifts responsibility from his Government and ensures growth of inequities: http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/englishs-housing-solutions-lack-logic.html