“Three days earlier it was alleged her actions had left bruising to the upper right arm of the staffer, who had been in the role for six days.
The report into the incident found it was “probable” that the employee’s version of events was more likely than the Minister’s.
Whaitiri says there are certain parts of the report she agrees with, but others she “actively continues to challenge”.
“In this country, we have a hierarchy; white men, white women, brown men, brown women, and sometimes brown women have to talk extra loud to be heard,” the MP said.”
So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.
She was a government minister for goodness sake – I can’t imagine her staff ignoring her because of the colour of her skin.
Jacinda would be a fool to let her back into a ministers role – she is obviously unrepentant for what she did.
‘Whataboutism (also known as whataboutery) is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent’s position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument, which in the United States is particularly associated with Soviet and Russian propaganda.When criticisms were leveled at the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Soviet response would often be “What about…” followed by an event in the Western world.’
Of course you did, James; you “missed” when Key repeatedly assaulted the ponytail-wearing waitress. I sometimes wonder if you’re completely blind (my apologies and sympathies if you are).
So I guess this makes assaulting a staff member and leaving bruises all ok then? Since you seem happy to ignore this (being the subject of the thread and all).
One account had Whaitiri grabbing the staffer. Another had her pushing the staffer.
At least you haven’t extrapolated it to ‘whacking’ or ‘hitting’ as I’ve seen elsewhere. You’ve got it to the semantic purity of ‘assaulted.’
In your world, assaulting, the act of making physical contact, is worse than the the worst verbal abuse. I can momentarily grab someone by the sleeve and yank them and that invites the death penalty. Tormenting staff to any degree for any time until they lose their mind or chuck their job will never equal one fleeting grab.
No it doesn’t but I don’t recall you getting all het up about the ongoing assault that John Key perpetrated on a staff member at a cafe that he frequented.
but i suggest it is best to not be throwing stones when you sit in a glass house.
Sadly, John Key while being the Prime Minister of NZ did harass a young women -to the point of where his wife told him to stop, the girl was in tears and everyone was just at wits end as to what to do with the pair of dry balls called John Key – at her work place and everyone just went yawn, he is the PM and surely that is just a bit of horseplaying there….even tho the young women was not interested at all in horseplaying with the PM. The man, while PM was also filmed fondling the hair of young girls until – again on camera – he was told of by the mother.
Maggy Barry should have stayed with her tomatoes and appropriate companion planting rather then go on to be a Minister who will only be known for harassment of staff – again, just a bit of horseplay right?
So for what its worth, my 2 cents, all of these fuckwits should have been sacked immediately from their jobs.
If you can not comport yourself as a decent human being towards others, go away and stay away. No decent company should have to put up with these losers.
In short, no its not ok if National does it.
As for that women from the Labour Party, sack her. If there is evidence of physical assault, charge her. Done.
So for what its worth, my 2 cents, all of these fuckwits should have been sacked immediately from their jobs.
They need a conviction of assault which carries a maximum term of more then two years which would have them automatically out of parliament and never be able to run for being an MP ever again.
“So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.”
Not actually what is said or meant, James. It says a lot that you equate the voices of women with violence. It’s almost like you’re scared of women and the things they say.
The telling quote is the one about the hierarchy of power, which I’m sure you agree with 100%, representing, as you do, the top echelon.
You have a very poor understanding of the issues at play. You don’t understand mana for instance and have zero idea of how that influences Māori. You are like a crayon when a fine quill is needed. You not only know little but that wee bit you picked up from the MSM you spin into lies and disinformation – pretty basic troll behaviour and certainly bigoted. You really are a weakling.
Ducking a and weaving Marty but still bs you sprout, there is no defense here, your cultural justification is pathetic Now don’t get all wound up and abusive over this, just chill
James isn’t a Kiwi. He’s an English immigrant and a guest here. Like a lot of older English immigrants, James brings colonial thinking to his every conversation and action and has no concept of Maori as a foundation of New Zealand indentity.
Evidently she grabbed the women by the arm and some minor bruising was inflicted, maybe the staffer is prone to bruising very easily, I don’t think it was a full blown assault as the media made out.
Obviously Meka did not realize her own strength in this incident which was blown right out of proportion ?
She still had no right to touch her and yes she is excusing her behavior by playing the race card.
She needs to stay on the naughty chair till she accepts her behavior was wrong.
I’m at the top 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Classic
At the top of what I’d love to know .
I’ve had Maori bosses 2 I’ve never been the boss of anyone apart from running a docking crew on occasion.
I’m one illness from broke and probably homeless .
Eve n my kiwisaver has turned against me .
Waitiri is levels above me and should/will stay there she just needs to pull her head in and stop being a bully.
Don’t be dense – you’re a white Male aren’t you. Sure you may be at the bottom of that group but you don’t have a clue about groups that SOCIETY oppresses.
Keep working on the understanding Jim. The problem with the majority of Kiwis (and I presume you are or have become), is that there has not been much thinking happening for 20 years or so. Try drinking regular glasses of water, cut down on the tea, coffee and alcohol and apply your mind to what goes on in NZ and look for how the various factions rate for income and opportunity for good jobs.
And who teaches them values of respect for all people – parents? school? the coach of their sports team?
What Meta Whaitiri said was, ” sometimes brown women have to talk extra loud to be heard,”
James reinterpreted that as, “So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.”
James does this as a matter of course, because it “seems” to him.
“Whaitiri says there are certain parts of the report she agrees with…”
Can you show that she doesn’t agree that “probably” bruising the staffers arm is wrong? You claim she’s attempting to excuse that action; where’s your evidence???
Well, James, may I straighten out a few things for you?
Firstly, I’m not apologising for Whaitiri. If you can show me where I’ve done that, I’d be grateful (and very surprised).
Secondly, this thread is called “Open Mike”. It is not devoted only to the topic of the first comment made here. If I or anyone wants to talk about Key’s ponytail-pulling, they can.
Thirdly, I’m not “fixicated” on anything at all, though it sounds fun.
Fourthly, I’m not minimising Whaitiri actions or statements, you are assuming that I am. I did notice though, that the quote you provided said:
“The report into the incident found it was “probable” that the employee’s version of events was more likely than the Minister’s.” and I reckon I know what “probable” means and it ain’t “certain”, so I’m cautious about taking a concreted stance and notice that you are not so careful.
Fifthly, Maggie Barry’s situation is similar in many ways, but you seem unwilling to comment on it, demanding that the topic of your comment is the only one that can be discussed – that seems odd to me. Why is it that you won’t give your views on someone else topic, James? Barry’s situation as worthy of discussion as Whaitiri’s, surely?
you understand the difference between a thread and a post not.
If you want to start a thread on key – go for it. I’m sure you will get the usuals pile in. But if you are using the “reply” button try to keep it on subject.
James – though you may feel you have the authority to dictate what a person might say on a thread you’ve initiated, you don’t. A moderator here might remind someone to keep on-topic where one is set by them, but Open Mike isn’t such a post. In any case, being lectured by you about thread-jacking is beyond hilarious, so keep it up – you’re good for a laugh today!
James, talk about flogging a dead horse … This subject was done to death here on TS and in the media at the time.
Were formal charges of assault ever laid against Whaitiri? No.
Was she found guilty of assault in a court of law? No.
Has she been punished for possibly bruising a staffer? Yes. On the basis of a review – not a formal trial in a court of law – she lost her ministerial positions and was sent to the back bench.
Does she have a right to continue to dispute parts of the review? Yes. It was not a formal finding by a court of law; she was not given her legal rights to be heard in a court of law, or to appeal. (See below.)
I have worked directly with/for Meka in the public service and detailed that experience here on TS at the time.
As you will note, Meka worked both in the public service at senior levels and in Parliament (eg as a senior adviser to her mentor, Parekura Horomia, when he was Minister of Maori Affairs).
To have then been elected to Parliament herself after Horomia’s death, and then to be appointed to Ministerial positions under the new Government would have been a career pinnacle to Meka.
To then lose those positions on the basis of one incident which was then only investigated internally and not in a court of law (with rights of appeal etc accorded under the latter’s formal judicial processes) would have been devastating to her.
She has paid a heavy price for whatever took place that day – some would say too heavy a price, including not being afforded her rights under sections 24 and 25 of the Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA) – the rights of persons charged, and the minimum standards of criminal procedure.
Personally I understand why she may still be questioning the findings of that internal investigation. OTOH, having worked for Meka, I can understand that someone who did not know her and had only worked for her for a day, could misconstrue her. In saying that, in no way do I condone physical assault in any way or any circumstance.
We will probably never know what actually took place. However, we do have another principle in our Bill of Rights Act 1990 that Whaitiri would also have been entitled to if this case had gone to court – that is the principle of double jeopardy under section 26.
Perhaps, in terms of fairness and equality, we – including the media – should be applying this principle to other situations such as this one where the accused has not been given their rights to a court hearing etc under BORA but has nevertheless been found guilty in the court of public opinion and/or by non judicial reviews/investigations AND paid a price for those findings.
Which means that people with the inclinations of James can depict it loud and long as Ms Waitiri ‘giving someone the bash.’
Assault? Insult. Insult to anyone inclined to have intelligent debate about anything in the country. As it stands the James’ of the world have the politician cast for life.
Yes, James – I absolutely believe in such principles being applied to everyone – regardless of race, religion, gender, colour etc including political beliefs and leanings.
Well said veutoviper. This was your area of expertise in the Public Service and I suspect your knowledge of this topic is far greater than anyone else who comments here.
Initially I was annoyed with Whaitiri for allowing her frustration to get the better of her but the more that comes out about the incident, the more I have some sympathy for her situation.
I think Mallard has hit on a long term problem inside Parliamentary Services. Both new ministers and parliamentarians in general – together with novice parliamentary staff members – are not given sufficient training on how to handle the various obstacles that must constantly arise.
In this case, it appears the new press officer to Whaitiri did not know it was her job to ensure that her minister was where she should be – in this instance standing with Jacinda Ardern for a photo. That is the primary task of a press officer to ensure maximum press coverage for their minister.
On the other hand it was wrong of Whaitiri to respond to the incident the way she did.
Both have acknowledged they were wrong which is more than Maggie Barry has done or is ever likely to do. Barry may not have physically touched anyone, but she has bullied individuals to the point they have felt suicidal. The effects of psychological bullying can be greater and last a lot longer than most physical bullying as anyone who has been on the receiving end will tell you. Unfortunately its the hardest to prove because the perpetrators are invariably cunning enough not to do it when witnesses are present.
From reports at the time, it seemed to me that Whaitiri lost her roles because of how the discrepancies between the inquiry and her own account were represented to and received by the PM – not purely due to the inquiry findings.
As you say, we will never know and it is well-buried horsemeat by now. You’d think James would still be stuffed from xmas.
Having a big staff turnover is bad? Is a sign the MP is terrible? Did AnneTolley have as big a turnover and office ‘personality differences’ as Maggie Barry as Meka Whaitiri?
On the subject of turnover, I actually covered that in one of my earlier comments back in early September – links in my 2.3.1.1.1.2 above, but might as well quote it here (with a few small edits):
… The investigation is being carried out by Ministerial Services (part of the Dept of Internal Affairs) as the staffer would be employed through Ministerial Services (MS), not Parliamentary Services (PS) who are not responsible for providing funding/staff for Ministers such as press officers, researchers etc. IMO and experience, MS are very professional and well versed in such matters as employment law, investigations etc – and are very thorough and careful. They have to be. They may well employ an outside independent investigator such as an employment law firm or similar.
RE the turnover aspect, the fact that many staff have left her Ministerial office is actually not unusual because of how the allocation of Parliamentary staff (both Parliamentary Service staff to MPs and Ministerial Services staff to Ministers) operates.
As I understand it, each of these Services have a pool of staff of various skills, qualifications and experience available for allocation at the beginning of a new Government which are then allocated to MPs and Ministers. Other staff are employed to fill any gaps, very specific roles etc. But it is all a bit of a ‘mix and match’ lolly scramble and the first year of a new Government is a bit of a shakedown period as MPs and Ministers and such staff find their feet and whether the employment relationships fit or don’t. So there are often big turnovers of staff during this period in particular.
I can think of many other MPs and Ministers over the years who have had similar levels of staff turnover – but some of them also had/have other employees who have worked for them for eons. One such is Winston Peters.
As well as MS and PS staff, departmental advisers seconded from the relevant Ministry(s) or Department(s) also work in Minister’s offices (as I did quite a number of times over the years).
Then yet another type of employees/contractors are political policy advisers/press officers whose sole allegiance is to their Party, Minister, Leader/Deputy Leader of their Party, MPs.
So Minister’s offices (and to a lesser degree MP’s offices) can be real mixture of people with different roles and objectives, different employers and employment contracts – all of which can add to the potential for things to be less than smooth unless managed carefully.”
Bullshit. She is not using it to ‘defend her actions’. If you’d switch your brain on, you’d remember she denies the allegation. So she is not ‘defending’ something she says didn’t actually happen.
You are a bulkshit artist James. Just another racist pushing agenda and using people of color as sacrifices to your disgusting personal philosophy of racist hate.
Yes he MUST MUST MUST!. If he doesn’t, then James will know he’s a legend (in his own mind) and he’s won.
I hope to Christ he doesn’t work in one of those ‘teams’, or manage staff for that matter.
By the way – did you ever get to have that conversation with James?
I’d recommend you have someone from Mediation Services present – you know that MoBIE agency? With a bit of luck they’ll be familiar with this little mediator’s gem from the past:
“I know you believe you understood what you thought I said – but I’m not sure that what you heard is not what I meant”
OR pistols at ten paces might be a better option, and far more efficient and effective, if not pragmatic (going forward)
James has achieved his desired result for the day, pissing some people off on TS which was his objective when he put up the post this morning. Try not to feed the TROLL ?
In other related news – commenters are being asked to be extra careful on open Mike today as a silly little boy James has code browned and spread his faecal matter all over the post. Please wash everything including your eyes if you read his shit.
James
You didn’t add anything to the discussion with that comment. Why DYSTFU. The moderators can’t think of you as anything but someone starting flame wars.
So it’s fair to assume James has been swimming at all twelve of those affected beaches recently. One of those swimming nappies on his butt and another one covering his mouth could have prevented this unfortunate situation.
Imagine a country where for ten years nearly, the roads have been poorly designed and maintained, there have been few mechanics and roading workers trained, where the vehicle fleet has been allowed to age, where trucks have been allowed to get bigger and bigger with consequent damage where promises for new roads and bridges have not been met.
That has been NZ from 2008-2017.
And then a tourist comes in 2017 and says “I drove these roads in 2005 and there was nothing wrong with them.”
But this is not about roads only. It’s about wages and working conditions, It’s about taxation favouritism. It’s about debilitating the unions. It’s about not spending enough on on vital infrastructure, on health and education. It’s about wayward priorities like flag referenda. It’s about running an economy on immigration and environmental degradation. It’s about poor regulation especially where it matters and then not enforcing laws and regulations properly.
It’s about nine years of poor government by poor politicians and senior civil servants, for the benefit of mostly of a proportion of the populace who are coincidentally not the poor.
Then the same tourist comes back a year later and expects it all to be fixed?
Probably the stupidest metaphor in a long time. It was fine a year ago, now it isn’t. It was fine every year before last, now it isn’t. It’s broken in the last year.
Guess the government is better at selling water than keeping it clean
No, Tuppence, the point is that the amount of effort required to fix, upgrade and rebuild infrastructure is immense. It is simply not credible to see a government deliberately run a country down and then demand fixes in the time frame you demand.
I have the money to fix a small amount of earthquake damage, but a dearth of tradesmen/builders to do it. They are busy for example building houses etc in our area for workers in a booming wine industry and for retirees coming into the area.
Have you a reference to back up your claim that all was fine in terms of the environment a year ago or did you luck it, or did you deliberately choose beaches which were swimmable at the time you chose from a wider selection of compromised beaches, as you would, of course.
This is what I can easily find.
16 Auckland beaches unswimmable in November 2017.
Auckland beaches unswimmable 30% of time- in early 2018.
10 beaches unswimmable in early 2017.
January 2017 60% of monitored rivers unswimmable. etc etc etc.
Your argument based on your probably wise choices last summer is not sufficienty robust evidence to argue that this a problem made by this government, not attended to by this government/local authorities or of a size able to be fixed within a year, given that much pollution is derived from agricultural sources and from human waste compounded by heavy periodic rainfall.
With the best will in the world, how long does it take to fix Auckland’s rainwater and sewerage problems to the point where there is no pollution?
Damn you Tuppence S. What did you leave behind you? When are you going to care about being a good thinking citizen. Everytime i read you it is something unhelpful to people trying to guard and better our environment.
Not to worry, Dr Smith is currently redefining quality standards to avoidt sinking to new lows.
“She [Rosie Bosworth] criticised New Zealand’s various agricultural sectors for failing to collaborate on responses to this challenge, saying it there had been “enough f…ing around”.
“Do it tomorrow because we have got about five years before this hits our shores like a massive tsunami.”
That wasn’t a useful reply. You don’t add anhything to the discourse. You RW people just try to drag the blog down, and you certainly do manage to bring it down quite a few notches.
It’s not people who are trying to shift NZrs out of the muddy rut of cow poo they are in or tolerate, because as the quote above says.
“Do it tomorrow because we have got about five years before this hits our shores like a massive tsunami.”
Great work. – hard to actually appreciate how awesome this mahi is – as good as it gets. So many positives for individuals, family, whānau, communities and our country.
Greymouth-based Treanor is one of the trailblazers for Oranga Tamariki’s new Kairaranga-a-whānau role, connecting vulnerable Māori children with extended family all around the country. She researches family trees, tracking down distant whānau in the hope of forging new family connections.
+ 100% will help a lot of young maori going forward, the dislocation from their whanau has been a big problem in the past, not just maori, but all cultures.
The numbers are all fking fake, the metrics are bullshit, the agencies responsible for enforcing good practices are knowing bullshiters enforcing and profiting off all the fake numbers and none of the models make sense at scale of actual human users. https://t.co/sfmdrxGBNJpic.twitter.com/thvicDEL29— Aram Zucker-Scharff (@Chronotope) December 26, 2018
How much of the internet is fake? Studies generally suggest that, year after year, less than 60 percent of web traffic is human; some years, according to some researchers, a healthy majority of it is bot. For a period of time in 2013, the Times reported this year, a full half of YouTube traffic was “bots masquerading as people,” a portion so high that employees feared an inflection point after which YouTube’s systems for detecting fraudulent traffic would begin to regard bot traffic as real and human traffic as fake. They called this hypothetical event “the Inversion.”
Now for something completely different. Saw tonight a 87 Two Ronnies Christmas Show.
Very dated and corny but hey the wit was fantastic beats Master fucking Chef and other similiar shit hands down
A small sample of the wit
Ronnie Corbett advised that the Noise Abatment Society were going to sing Silent Night Just brilliant.
The next generation know’s reality we can not rely on the Pollies to do the correct thing and use all the resourse the Papatuanuku has to build OUR grandchildren a Safer future well I just SEEN one yesterday spouting about spending $700 BILLION on Arms.
WTF we need to gift more to the poor countrys to help thy neighour servive Climate change sea level rising green house warming Risks of ‘domino effect’ of tipping points greater than thought, study says
Scientists warn policymakers not to ignore links, and stress that ‘every action counts’Policymakers have severely underestimated the risks of ecological tipping points, according to a study that shows 45% of all potential environmental collapses are interrelated and could amplify one another.
The authors said their paper, published in the journal Science, highlights how overstressed and overlapping natural systems are combining to throw up a growing number of unwelcome surprises.
Global warming melting UK dreams of a white Christmas
Read more
“The risks are greater than assumed because the interactions are more dynamic,” said Juan Rocha of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. “The important message is to recognise the wickedness of the problem that humanity faces.”
The study collated existing research on ecosystem transitions that can irreversibly tip to another state, such as coral reefs bleaching and being overrun by algae, forests becoming savannahs and ice sheets melting into oceans. It then cross-referenced the 30 types of shift to examine the impacts they might have on one another and human society.Among the latter pairings were Arctic ice sheets and boreal forests. When the former melt, there is less ice to reflect the sun’s heat so the temperature of the planet rises. This increases the risks of forest fires, which discharge carbon into the air that adds to the greenhouse effect, which melts more ice. Although geographically distant, each amplifies the other.
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By contrast, a one-way domino-type impact is that between coral reefs and mangrove forests. When the former are destroyed, it weakens coastal defences and exposes mangroves to storms and ocean surges.
The deforestation of the Amazon is responsible for multiple “cascading effects” – weakening rain systems, forests becoming savannah, and reduced water supplies for cities like São Paulo and crops in the foothills of the Andes. This, in turn, increases the pressure for more land clearance.
Until recently, the study of tipping points was controversial, but it is increasingly accepted as an explanation for climate changes that are happening with more speed and ferocity than earlier computer models predicted. The loss of coral reefs and Arctic sea ice may already be past the point of no return. There are signs the Antarctic is heading the same way faster than thought. Ka kite ano links below P.S The kumara know how sweet it is
A new generation of women want to redefine ‘loud woman’ … (left to right) Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Geena Davis, Rihanna, Adele and Angela Merkel. Illustration:
In praise of loud women – the joy and power of being noisy and female Eco Maori has quite a few in my whano and I tau toko them as well Ngati Porou IWI has respected wahine for centrys we have had wahine toa/wahine warriors I say because of our culture we influnced wahine voteing.
Eco Maori tau toko’s wahine because its the correct thing to do they are the nurtures they are more intelligent than most men and when we get %50 of wahine in leadership positions OUR World will be a much better humane intelligent envirmentaly friendly Papatuanuku . My big voice was frowned upon when I was a girl in the 70s. Now, celebrities from Beyoncé to Michelle Obama Geena Davis are helping to tear up the idea of what a woman should sound . So, what are we supposed to do with the idea of loud women in our postfeminist age? Where have they all gone? Theresa May seems to maintain her fragile power by being the opposite of loud. Angela Merkel built a 30-year career on being as unnoticeable as possible. The response to Germaine Greer in recent years can be summed up as: “Shut up.” Is it no longer acceptable to be a woman and a noisy, loquacious pain in the arse? After all, the women we now think of as loud usually communicate through performance as larger-than-life versions of themselves: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga.
In everyday life, there is still something uncomfortable for a woman about being called loud, because the implication is that a) you don’t care about the people around you (otherwise, why are you making them feel uncomfortable?) and b) you don’t care what other people think about you. To allow yourself to be loud as a woman is to be borderline psychopathic – to switch off your empathy and your emotional intelligence – to love the sound of your own voice, to take up too much space. That is the theory, at least. (“Who do you think you are? Beyoncé?”
Ka kite ano links below P.S Thanks for the tau toko from around Papatunuku.
Here you go all the maori who think this system is fair and unbiest wake up. This is what maori need more money in education for the lower classes as we are at the lowest rung of life in Aotearoa ana to kai. As the upper classes get the top jobs in Aotearoa there elitist glasses only lets them see life from there point of view and in most cases is DOWN on the lower classes Hence a system were its all good for them to cheat and buy there way out of human mistakes and throw the warth of there system at the poor people who most times are doing things just to survive.
Inequality has been exacerbated since the education “reforms” enacted by the Labour Party government of 1984–90, supported by the trade unions and enforced by successive administrations. A “market” model was imposed on schools and universities, with self-governing boards tasked with imposing “business” disciplines and competition for students. In the early 1990s, many schools in working-class areas were struggling to survive.
In 1989, student fees were introduced and have increased almost every year. Tertiary study, including at polytechnics, has now become too costly for many working-class students. In 2017, it was estimated that the combined student loan debt of 731,800 people, with an average debt of $NZ21,000, was $15.3 billion.
Significantly, the material produced by the Herald shatters the assiduously cultivated myth that “disparities” in education are not a matter of social class, but are due to other factors, such as ethnicity and gender.
All governments have promoted identity politics to divide the working class, while elevating a small upper middle class layer, particularly among indigenous Maori. A virtual academic industry, abetted and funded by the MoE, is devoted . to sustaining the notion that Maori and Pacific students are worse off because of “institutional racism,” not class.
The insistence that ethnicity is the central cause of inequality has fuelled reactionary political agendas, including demands for racially segregated school systems and charter schools controlled by Maori tribal-based businesses. As in the US and Britain, these publicly-funded, privately-run schools were introduced by the National government to undermine public education and establish a bridge-head for widespread privatisation.
Social class divisions, however, are asserting themselves more powerfully than ever, as capitalism lurches more deeply into global crisis. Internationally, including in New Zealand, teachers and other sections of the working class are beginning to fight back. Primary school teachers held a 24-hour nationwide strike in mid-August, following an effective pay freeze for much of the past decade, and severely understaffed schools. Their primary demands were for a pay increase of 16 percent, smaller class sizes and more support for needy students Ka kite ano links below.
A dark tale of dispossession and greed
by Vincent O’Malley | Dec 9, 2018 | 2 | 6 min read
Vincent O’Malley
For well over 25 years, Vincent O’Malley, a Pākehā historian, has been uncovering and recounting many of the rich and often discomforting stories about how Māori and Pākehā have got along since they began sharing Aotearoa 200 or so years ago.
His most substantial book has been The Great War for New Zealand, where he explains what went on in the Waikato, especially in the wake of the New Zealand Settlements Act in 1863.
But here he focuses on the significance of that legislation — and the need for us to understand and remember it.But here he focuses on the significance of that legislation — and the need for us to understand and remember it.
When dates were being considered for the first Rā Maumahara commemorating the New Zealand Wars, one suggestion was December 3. That day doesn’t mark the anniversary of any particular battle or conflict. Instead, it’s the day in 1863 that Governor George Grey signed into law the New Zealand Settlements Act.
It’s an innocuous-sounding piece of legislation but it had devastating consequences for many Māori communities. The Settlements Act provided the primary legislative mechanism for raupatu — sweeping land confiscations that were supposedly intended to punish acts of “rebellion” while also recouping the costs of fighting the wars. It’s an innocuous-sounding piece of legislation but it had devastating consequences for many Māori communities. The Settlements Act provided the primary legislative mechanism for raupatu — sweeping land confiscations that were supposedly intended to punish acts of “rebellion” while also recouping the costs of fighting the wars.
It declared that where “any Native Tribe or Section of a Tribe or any considerable number thereof” had committed acts of “rebellion against Her Majesty’s authority” since January 1, 1863, their lands could be declared subject to the Act and seized for the purposes of settlement.
It was part of a package of measures passed by the all-Pākehā parliament to crush Māori independence.
Governor George Grey
Grey and his ministers had drawn up these confiscation plans before invading Waikato in July 1863 and, by August, had begun recruiting military settlers who were to be offered a portion of the seized lands in return for their services . Loyal” Māori could apply for compensation for their losses — initially in money but later including lands. But the Compensation Court process that followed returned only a fraction of what was lost, often in completely different areas and always under a new legal form of title that meant many of these lands were quickly lost to their owners. Ka kite ano links below
Kia ora Tekaea Aotearoa is paradise we have heaps of guess and a lot of people are traveling to there holidays it’s cool that the price of fuel went down.
It’s ka pai to see Pohorawiri marae getting a spruce up it will be able to cope with all the tangata whenua gathering well into the future.
The salvation army does a very good service for tangata whenua in Aotearoa.
One can see the results of nine years of smoky governments suppressing Maori and the poor people as more food parcels that are needed has risen sharply as of late.
ka pai to the horouta wake whine are shining brighter.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub everyone has to drive carefully in Aotearoa as the roads are packed and they are not 3 lane highways that our guest are use to hence the road toll is climbing .Condolences to the people who lost love ones in the Indonesia
It is not accetable that tamariki are dieing in custerdy in the USA boarder detention centers.
The Tauranga council just permeted to many houses to be built and did not have climate change in there plans and look what happeneds tutai in the moana
Good on Collin O’brady for his treck across Antarctica solo some one could not say his name I wonder why I know.
Its a real crime letting all those children starving in Yemen there need to be more aid sent into help the children.
Do you believe those stats on daved seenothing getting all those hits on trademe for twerking haha .Ka kite ano P.S Eco Maori has another word he has eliminated must be a reason they keep pushing thee other money
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12180881
“Three days earlier it was alleged her actions had left bruising to the upper right arm of the staffer, who had been in the role for six days.
The report into the incident found it was “probable” that the employee’s version of events was more likely than the Minister’s.
Whaitiri says there are certain parts of the report she agrees with, but others she “actively continues to challenge”.
“In this country, we have a hierarchy; white men, white women, brown men, brown women, and sometimes brown women have to talk extra loud to be heard,” the MP said.”
So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.
She was a government minister for goodness sake – I can’t imagine her staff ignoring her because of the colour of her skin.
Jacinda would be a fool to let her back into a ministers role – she is obviously unrepentant for what she did.
Whereas Maggie Barry fessed up immediately and handed in her Ministerial warrant quick-smart!
‘Whataboutism (also known as whataboutery) is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent’s position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument, which in the United States is particularly associated with Soviet and Russian propaganda.When criticisms were leveled at the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Soviet response would often be “What about…” followed by an event in the Western world.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
Yeah, but what about whoaboutism?
You do that quite a bit stunted munter.
I missed where she assaulted a staff member –
Of course you did, James; you “missed” when Key repeatedly assaulted the ponytail-wearing waitress. I sometimes wonder if you’re completely blind (my apologies and sympathies if you are).
I was wondering how long that would take.
*sigh*
So I guess this makes assaulting a staff member and leaving bruises all ok then? Since you seem happy to ignore this (being the subject of the thread and all).
Do the two bottles of wine Key coughed-up “make it all okay then”?
(Since you seem…)
One account had Whaitiri grabbing the staffer. Another had her pushing the staffer.
At least you haven’t extrapolated it to ‘whacking’ or ‘hitting’ as I’ve seen elsewhere. You’ve got it to the semantic purity of ‘assaulted.’
In your world, assaulting, the act of making physical contact, is worse than the the worst verbal abuse. I can momentarily grab someone by the sleeve and yank them and that invites the death penalty. Tormenting staff to any degree for any time until they lose their mind or chuck their job will never equal one fleeting grab.
Sigh indeed.
No it doesn’t but I don’t recall you getting all het up about the ongoing assault that John Key perpetrated on a staff member at a cafe that he frequented.
actually it does not make anything right,
but i suggest it is best to not be throwing stones when you sit in a glass house.
Sadly, John Key while being the Prime Minister of NZ did harass a young women -to the point of where his wife told him to stop, the girl was in tears and everyone was just at wits end as to what to do with the pair of dry balls called John Key – at her work place and everyone just went yawn, he is the PM and surely that is just a bit of horseplaying there….even tho the young women was not interested at all in horseplaying with the PM. The man, while PM was also filmed fondling the hair of young girls until – again on camera – he was told of by the mother.
Maggy Barry should have stayed with her tomatoes and appropriate companion planting rather then go on to be a Minister who will only be known for harassment of staff – again, just a bit of horseplay right?
So for what its worth, my 2 cents, all of these fuckwits should have been sacked immediately from their jobs.
If you can not comport yourself as a decent human being towards others, go away and stay away. No decent company should have to put up with these losers.
In short, no its not ok if National does it.
As for that women from the Labour Party, sack her. If there is evidence of physical assault, charge her. Done.
They need a conviction of assault which carries a maximum term of more then two years which would have them automatically out of parliament and never be able to run for being an MP ever again.
S9 Summary Offences Act: Common Assault only carries six months.
S196 Crimes Act: Common Assault carries up to one year.
Damn.
Maybe we need to increase the term for assault.
She’ll be fine as long as she’s got staff who talk back ‘extra loud’ jimby.
“So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.”
Not actually what is said or meant, James. It says a lot that you equate the voices of women with violence. It’s almost like you’re scared of women and the things they say.
The telling quote is the one about the hierarchy of power, which I’m sure you agree with 100%, representing, as you do, the top echelon.
Utter cobblers Te Reo clearly you are not married.
It’s clear she is using it as an excuse for her actions.
Bullshit James you little racist creep. You are selective in your quoting but it does show your odious opinion and it reeks of racism.
I have her quote in full (as it was written) and linked to the entire article.
I think you are projecting Marty mars.
Your projecting your hate of people of color. So obvious and typical from a rwnj like you.
Now I will concede I think she’s was an extremely poor minister and is quite a horrible person.
But that has nothing to do with the colour of her skin.
On that I couldn’t give a shit.
You have a very poor understanding of the issues at play. You don’t understand mana for instance and have zero idea of how that influences Māori. You are like a crayon when a fine quill is needed. You not only know little but that wee bit you picked up from the MSM you spin into lies and disinformation – pretty basic troll behaviour and certainly bigoted. You really are a weakling.
Ducking a and weaving Marty but still bs you sprout, there is no defense here, your cultural justification is pathetic Now don’t get all wound up and abusive over this, just chill
Not defending at all. Just adding a nuance that most here don’t even realise exists.
James isn’t a Kiwi. He’s an English immigrant and a guest here. Like a lot of older English immigrants, James brings colonial thinking to his every conversation and action and has no concept of Maori as a foundation of New Zealand indentity.
^ deliberately stating something as fact with no evidence is poor form.
But you would jump to her defence esp as you have admitted prev having assaulted women. (Hey if you can start a meme – so can I ).
Thats just sad marty. One thing this is NOT about is mana
Evidently she grabbed the women by the arm and some minor bruising was inflicted, maybe the staffer is prone to bruising very easily, I don’t think it was a full blown assault as the media made out.
Obviously Meka did not realize her own strength in this incident which was blown right out of proportion ?
She still had no right to touch her and yes she is excusing her behavior by playing the race card.
She needs to stay on the naughty chair till she accepts her behavior was wrong.
“and yes she is excusing her behavior by playing the race card.”
Nah there is a heirarchy you are just at the top is all and can’t see anyone else from your lofty heights.
I’m at the top 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Classic
At the top of what I’d love to know .
I’ve had Maori bosses 2 I’ve never been the boss of anyone apart from running a docking crew on occasion.
I’m one illness from broke and probably homeless .
Eve n my kiwisaver has turned against me .
Waitiri is levels above me and should/will stay there she just needs to pull her head in and stop being a bully.
Don’t be dense – you’re a white Male aren’t you. Sure you may be at the bottom of that group but you don’t have a clue about groups that SOCIETY oppresses.
What are you Mars?
Not a Māori woman so I bow to their knowledge and experience.
Hard too understand how a Maori women, that holds a reasonably powerful position as a minister in government can claim oppression!
Keep working on the understanding Jim. The problem with the majority of Kiwis (and I presume you are or have become), is that there has not been much thinking happening for 20 years or so. Try drinking regular glasses of water, cut down on the tea, coffee and alcohol and apply your mind to what goes on in NZ and look for how the various factions rate for income and opportunity for good jobs.
And who teaches them values of respect for all people – parents? school? the coach of their sports team?
What Meta Whaitiri said was, ” sometimes brown women have to talk extra loud to be heard,”
James reinterpreted that as, “So it seems as a “brown woman” you have to physically assault staff and leave bruises in order to be heard.”
James does this as a matter of course, because it “seems” to him.
Robert
You would have a point if she said that in regard to perhaps Māori women getting into management etc.
Not so much when she is using it as an excuse for her assaulting a staff member.
By defending it you are excusing her actions.
“Whaitiri says there are certain parts of the report she agrees with…”
Can you show that she doesn’t agree that “probably” bruising the staffers arm is wrong? You claim she’s attempting to excuse that action; where’s your evidence???
The article.
People like you who minimise the assault really are part of the problem.
I wonder why you are fixicated on Key but are apologetic for Whaitiri?
Is it because she is a woman? Māori? Or are you willing to accept it because she she falls on ‘your side’ of the political fence.
Well, James, may I straighten out a few things for you?
Firstly, I’m not apologising for Whaitiri. If you can show me where I’ve done that, I’d be grateful (and very surprised).
Secondly, this thread is called “Open Mike”. It is not devoted only to the topic of the first comment made here. If I or anyone wants to talk about Key’s ponytail-pulling, they can.
Thirdly, I’m not “fixicated” on anything at all, though it sounds fun.
Fourthly, I’m not minimising Whaitiri actions or statements, you are assuming that I am. I did notice though, that the quote you provided said:
“The report into the incident found it was “probable” that the employee’s version of events was more likely than the Minister’s.” and I reckon I know what “probable” means and it ain’t “certain”, so I’m cautious about taking a concreted stance and notice that you are not so careful.
Fifthly, Maggie Barry’s situation is similar in many ways, but you seem unwilling to comment on it, demanding that the topic of your comment is the only one that can be discussed – that seems odd to me. Why is it that you won’t give your views on someone else topic, James? Barry’s situation as worthy of discussion as Whaitiri’s, surely?
you understand the difference between a thread and a post not.
If you want to start a thread on key – go for it. I’m sure you will get the usuals pile in. But if you are using the “reply” button try to keep it on subject.
James – though you may feel you have the authority to dictate what a person might say on a thread you’ve initiated, you don’t. A moderator here might remind someone to keep on-topic where one is set by them, but Open Mike isn’t such a post. In any case, being lectured by you about thread-jacking is beyond hilarious, so keep it up – you’re good for a laugh today!
Glad I make you smile.
You’re the Open Mike Sparkle Fairy, James, bringing light and love, bless you!
James, talk about flogging a dead horse … This subject was done to death here on TS and in the media at the time.
Were formal charges of assault ever laid against Whaitiri? No.
Was she found guilty of assault in a court of law? No.
Has she been punished for possibly bruising a staffer? Yes. On the basis of a review – not a formal trial in a court of law – she lost her ministerial positions and was sent to the back bench.
Does she have a right to continue to dispute parts of the review? Yes. It was not a formal finding by a court of law; she was not given her legal rights to be heard in a court of law, or to appeal. (See below.)
I have worked directly with/for Meka in the public service and detailed that experience here on TS at the time.
Here briefly on 31 August – https://thestandard.org.nz/facing-meka/#comment-1519566
And more detail here with a further follow-up two down from this comment.
https://thestandard.org.nz/facing-meka/#comment-1519865
As you will note, Meka worked both in the public service at senior levels and in Parliament (eg as a senior adviser to her mentor, Parekura Horomia, when he was Minister of Maori Affairs).
To have then been elected to Parliament herself after Horomia’s death, and then to be appointed to Ministerial positions under the new Government would have been a career pinnacle to Meka.
To then lose those positions on the basis of one incident which was then only investigated internally and not in a court of law (with rights of appeal etc accorded under the latter’s formal judicial processes) would have been devastating to her.
She has paid a heavy price for whatever took place that day – some would say too heavy a price, including not being afforded her rights under sections 24 and 25 of the Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA) – the rights of persons charged, and the minimum standards of criminal procedure.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/whole.html#DLM225528
Personally I understand why she may still be questioning the findings of that internal investigation. OTOH, having worked for Meka, I can understand that someone who did not know her and had only worked for her for a day, could misconstrue her. In saying that, in no way do I condone physical assault in any way or any circumstance.
We will probably never know what actually took place. However, we do have another principle in our Bill of Rights Act 1990 that Whaitiri would also have been entitled to if this case had gone to court – that is the principle of double jeopardy under section 26.
Perhaps, in terms of fairness and equality, we – including the media – should be applying this principle to other situations such as this one where the accused has not been given their rights to a court hearing etc under BORA but has nevertheless been found guilty in the court of public opinion and/or by non judicial reviews/investigations AND paid a price for those findings.
Yours is the comprehensive comment, veutoviper – makes the rest of us look like chumps 🙂
We will never know and cannot ever know.
Which means that people with the inclinations of James can depict it loud and long as Ms Waitiri ‘giving someone the bash.’
Assault? Insult. Insult to anyone inclined to have intelligent debate about anything in the country. As it stands the James’ of the world have the politician cast for life.
Much respect for your great reply.
I assume you would be happy with that principle to be applied to all – including national MPs?
Because that is something very much lacking on here.
In regard to the rest of your post – thank you for the detail, thought and effort you put in.
Yes, James – I absolutely believe in such principles being applied to everyone – regardless of race, religion, gender, colour etc including political beliefs and leanings.
Hence my comment(s) over the last day or so defending your rights of reply to claims made against you personally and to seek proof of those claims. eg https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-12-2018/#comment-1565009
Nothing to do with your political leanings – everything to do with your – and everyone’s – rights under BORA etc.
Graceful and gallant there V V.
As a woman, Ad, I have never been called gallant before, ROFL!
Not particularly physically graceful either! But will accept both terms as a compliment, Thank you.
Noted and appreciated
The effing search function doesn’t work. Bit hard to provide links to comments and conversations so one must go from memory instead.
You are very protective of James and I’m not sure why. Perhaps you are sweetened by the occasional saccharine reply.
Well said veutoviper. This was your area of expertise in the Public Service and I suspect your knowledge of this topic is far greater than anyone else who comments here.
Initially I was annoyed with Whaitiri for allowing her frustration to get the better of her but the more that comes out about the incident, the more I have some sympathy for her situation.
I think Mallard has hit on a long term problem inside Parliamentary Services. Both new ministers and parliamentarians in general – together with novice parliamentary staff members – are not given sufficient training on how to handle the various obstacles that must constantly arise.
In this case, it appears the new press officer to Whaitiri did not know it was her job to ensure that her minister was where she should be – in this instance standing with Jacinda Ardern for a photo. That is the primary task of a press officer to ensure maximum press coverage for their minister.
On the other hand it was wrong of Whaitiri to respond to the incident the way she did.
Both have acknowledged they were wrong which is more than Maggie Barry has done or is ever likely to do. Barry may not have physically touched anyone, but she has bullied individuals to the point they have felt suicidal. The effects of psychological bullying can be greater and last a lot longer than most physical bullying as anyone who has been on the receiving end will tell you. Unfortunately its the hardest to prove because the perpetrators are invariably cunning enough not to do it when witnesses are present.
Thank you. Both your informed comment, and veutoviper’s above, give me some hope for us all.
From reports at the time, it seemed to me that Whaitiri lost her roles because of how the discrepancies between the inquiry and her own account were represented to and received by the PM – not purely due to the inquiry findings.
As you say, we will never know and it is well-buried horsemeat by now. You’d think James would still be stuffed from xmas.
Mate. She had a staff turn over that makes Heathrow Airport on a Saturday seem quiet.
She assaulted a staffer.
She is now making excuses
How anyone can condone that is weird
Having a big staff turnover is bad? Is a sign the MP is terrible? Did AnneTolley have as big a turnover and office ‘personality differences’ as Maggie Barry as Meka Whaitiri?
On the subject of turnover, I actually covered that in one of my earlier comments back in early September – links in my 2.3.1.1.1.2 above, but might as well quote it here (with a few small edits):
… The investigation is being carried out by Ministerial Services (part of the Dept of Internal Affairs) as the staffer would be employed through Ministerial Services (MS), not Parliamentary Services (PS) who are not responsible for providing funding/staff for Ministers such as press officers, researchers etc. IMO and experience, MS are very professional and well versed in such matters as employment law, investigations etc – and are very thorough and careful. They have to be. They may well employ an outside independent investigator such as an employment law firm or similar.
RE the turnover aspect, the fact that many staff have left her Ministerial office is actually not unusual because of how the allocation of Parliamentary staff (both Parliamentary Service staff to MPs and Ministerial Services staff to Ministers) operates.
As I understand it, each of these Services have a pool of staff of various skills, qualifications and experience available for allocation at the beginning of a new Government which are then allocated to MPs and Ministers. Other staff are employed to fill any gaps, very specific roles etc. But it is all a bit of a ‘mix and match’ lolly scramble and the first year of a new Government is a bit of a shakedown period as MPs and Ministers and such staff find their feet and whether the employment relationships fit or don’t. So there are often big turnovers of staff during this period in particular.
I can think of many other MPs and Ministers over the years who have had similar levels of staff turnover – but some of them also had/have other employees who have worked for them for eons. One such is Winston Peters.
As well as MS and PS staff, departmental advisers seconded from the relevant Ministry(s) or Department(s) also work in Minister’s offices (as I did quite a number of times over the years).
Then yet another type of employees/contractors are political policy advisers/press officers whose sole allegiance is to their Party, Minister, Leader/Deputy Leader of their Party, MPs.
So Minister’s offices (and to a lesser degree MP’s offices) can be real mixture of people with different roles and objectives, different employers and employment contracts – all of which can add to the potential for things to be less than smooth unless managed carefully.”
It’s not good petey.
Bullshit. She is not using it to ‘defend her actions’. If you’d switch your brain on, you’d remember she denies the allegation. So she is not ‘defending’ something she says didn’t actually happen.
You are a bulkshit artist James. Just another racist pushing agenda and using people of color as sacrifices to your disgusting personal philosophy of racist hate.
Who agenda is this – she is the one raising race in regard to this issue.
Piss off noddy. Take your racism and shove it.
Can’t discuss the point huh?
I assume you were ok with her giving her staff member bruises ?
Marty – James has raised a point – YOU MUST DISCUSS IT!!!
Yeah racists love that shit. I think it really shows how ineffectual and woefully useless they are in real life.
Yes he MUST MUST MUST!. If he doesn’t, then James will know he’s a legend (in his own mind) and he’s won.
I hope to Christ he doesn’t work in one of those ‘teams’, or manage staff for that matter.
By the way – did you ever get to have that conversation with James?
I’d recommend you have someone from Mediation Services present – you know that MoBIE agency? With a bit of luck they’ll be familiar with this little mediator’s gem from the past:
“I know you believe you understood what you thought I said – but I’m not sure that what you heard is not what I meant”
OR pistols at ten paces might be a better option, and far more efficient and effective, if not pragmatic (going forward)
I assume you like beating up things James – bullyboys often do.
James has achieved his desired result for the day, pissing some people off on TS which was his objective when he put up the post this morning. Try not to feed the TROLL ?
You’re a racist troll too so why listen to a wanker like you?
Gee you are a grumpy puppy this morning arnt you.
Hope you cheer up for 2019.
Do your twenty something sons and their children, your grand children, know their 48 year old dad/grandad is an agitator on a left leaning blog site?
What age are the grandkids (plural) which you referred to yesterday, James?
Their ages have nothing to do with anything – other than for you to bring it up again and again and again.
Bummer
“People are being warned to stay from 12 Auckland beaches this summer as they are contaminated by human and animal faeces.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/auckland/109449059/12-auckland-beaches-declared-noswim-zones-due-to-human-faeces-contamination
In other related news – commenters are being asked to be extra careful on open Mike today as a silly little boy James has code browned and spread his faecal matter all over the post. Please wash everything including your eyes if you read his shit.
Now you are just starting to sound hysterical.
Chill out – life’s good.
James
You didn’t add anything to the discussion with that comment. Why DYSTFU. The moderators can’t think of you as anything but someone starting flame wars.
So it’s fair to assume James has been swimming at all twelve of those affected beaches recently. One of those swimming nappies on his butt and another one covering his mouth could have prevented this unfortunate situation.
Lol
I swam at 5 of those beaches last summer snow I can’t. Thought this government was going to do more for the environment than any previous government?
Imagine a country where for ten years nearly, the roads have been poorly designed and maintained, there have been few mechanics and roading workers trained, where the vehicle fleet has been allowed to age, where trucks have been allowed to get bigger and bigger with consequent damage where promises for new roads and bridges have not been met.
That has been NZ from 2008-2017.
And then a tourist comes in 2017 and says “I drove these roads in 2005 and there was nothing wrong with them.”
But this is not about roads only. It’s about wages and working conditions, It’s about taxation favouritism. It’s about debilitating the unions. It’s about not spending enough on on vital infrastructure, on health and education. It’s about wayward priorities like flag referenda. It’s about running an economy on immigration and environmental degradation. It’s about poor regulation especially where it matters and then not enforcing laws and regulations properly.
It’s about nine years of poor government by poor politicians and senior civil servants, for the benefit of mostly of a proportion of the populace who are coincidentally not the poor.
Then the same tourist comes back a year later and expects it all to be fixed?
Probably the stupidest metaphor in a long time. It was fine a year ago, now it isn’t. It was fine every year before last, now it isn’t. It’s broken in the last year.
Guess the government is better at selling water than keeping it clean
No, Tuppence, the point is that the amount of effort required to fix, upgrade and rebuild infrastructure is immense. It is simply not credible to see a government deliberately run a country down and then demand fixes in the time frame you demand.
I have the money to fix a small amount of earthquake damage, but a dearth of tradesmen/builders to do it. They are busy for example building houses etc in our area for workers in a booming wine industry and for retirees coming into the area.
Have you a reference to back up your claim that all was fine in terms of the environment a year ago or did you luck it, or did you deliberately choose beaches which were swimmable at the time you chose from a wider selection of compromised beaches, as you would, of course.
This is what I can easily find.
16 Auckland beaches unswimmable in November 2017.
Auckland beaches unswimmable 30% of time- in early 2018.
10 beaches unswimmable in early 2017.
January 2017 60% of monitored rivers unswimmable. etc etc etc.
Your argument based on your probably wise choices last summer is not sufficienty robust evidence to argue that this a problem made by this government, not attended to by this government/local authorities or of a size able to be fixed within a year, given that much pollution is derived from agricultural sources and from human waste compounded by heavy periodic rainfall.
With the best will in the world, how long does it take to fix Auckland’s rainwater and sewerage problems to the point where there is no pollution?
Damn you Tuppence S. What did you leave behind you? When are you going to care about being a good thinking citizen. Everytime i read you it is something unhelpful to people trying to guard and better our environment.
Take only photographs, leave only foot prints.
So damn you, you old coot. What do you bring to the table that makes your contribution so special and worthy.
It’s your generation with the most to answer for. So fuck off
“damn you, you old coot” – “fuck off”.
A thought-free reply – infantile really.
Not to worry, Dr Smith is currently redefining quality standards to avoidt sinking to new lows.
That wasn’t a useful reply. You don’t add anhything to the discourse. You RW people just try to drag the blog down, and you certainly do manage to bring it down quite a few notches.
It’s not people who are trying to shift NZrs out of the muddy rut of cow poo they are in or tolerate, because as the quote above says.
“Do it tomorrow because we have got about five years before this hits our shores like a massive tsunami.”
Great work. – hard to actually appreciate how awesome this mahi is – as good as it gets. So many positives for individuals, family, whānau, communities and our country.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/108992047/for-vulnerable-mori-children-theres-nothing-quite-like-whnau
+ 100% will help a lot of young maori going forward, the dislocation from their whanau has been a big problem in the past, not just maori, but all cultures.
gotta make a dollar sir, just a dollar here and there and everywhere
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/coming-blackwaters-ominous-message-portends-new-trump-era-privatized-warfare/
Oh look, the internets are a scam.
/
[thread]
https://twitter.com/Chronotope/status/1078003966863200256
How much of the internet is fake? Studies generally suggest that, year after year, less than 60 percent of web traffic is human; some years, according to some researchers, a healthy majority of it is bot. For a period of time in 2013, the Times reported this year, a full half of YouTube traffic was “bots masquerading as people,” a portion so high that employees feared an inflection point after which YouTube’s systems for detecting fraudulent traffic would begin to regard bot traffic as real and human traffic as fake. They called this hypothetical event “the Inversion.”
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/how-much-of-the-internet-is-fake.html
Now for something completely different. Saw tonight a 87 Two Ronnies Christmas Show.
Very dated and corny but hey the wit was fantastic beats Master fucking Chef and other similiar shit hands down
A small sample of the wit
Ronnie Corbett advised that the Noise Abatment Society were going to sing Silent Night Just brilliant.
They are great.
This one still one of my favorites from anyone.
https://youtu.be/pV1IP4N9ajg
Same here Marty, just great.
The next generation know’s reality we can not rely on the Pollies to do the correct thing and use all the resourse the Papatuanuku has to build OUR grandchildren a Safer future well I just SEEN one yesterday spouting about spending $700 BILLION on Arms.
WTF we need to gift more to the poor countrys to help thy neighour servive Climate change sea level rising green house warming Risks of ‘domino effect’ of tipping points greater than thought, study says
Scientists warn policymakers not to ignore links, and stress that ‘every action counts’Policymakers have severely underestimated the risks of ecological tipping points, according to a study that shows 45% of all potential environmental collapses are interrelated and could amplify one another.
The authors said their paper, published in the journal Science, highlights how overstressed and overlapping natural systems are combining to throw up a growing number of unwelcome surprises.
Global warming melting UK dreams of a white Christmas
Read more
“The risks are greater than assumed because the interactions are more dynamic,” said Juan Rocha of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. “The important message is to recognise the wickedness of the problem that humanity faces.”
The study collated existing research on ecosystem transitions that can irreversibly tip to another state, such as coral reefs bleaching and being overrun by algae, forests becoming savannahs and ice sheets melting into oceans. It then cross-referenced the 30 types of shift to examine the impacts they might have on one another and human society.Among the latter pairings were Arctic ice sheets and boreal forests. When the former melt, there is less ice to reflect the sun’s heat so the temperature of the planet rises. This increases the risks of forest fires, which discharge carbon into the air that adds to the greenhouse effect, which melts more ice. Although geographically distant, each amplifies the other.
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By contrast, a one-way domino-type impact is that between coral reefs and mangrove forests. When the former are destroyed, it weakens coastal defences and exposes mangroves to storms and ocean surges.
The deforestation of the Amazon is responsible for multiple “cascading effects” – weakening rain systems, forests becoming savannah, and reduced water supplies for cities like São Paulo and crops in the foothills of the Andes. This, in turn, increases the pressure for more land clearance.
Until recently, the study of tipping points was controversial, but it is increasingly accepted as an explanation for climate changes that are happening with more speed and ferocity than earlier computer models predicted. The loss of coral reefs and Arctic sea ice may already be past the point of no return. There are signs the Antarctic is heading the same way faster than thought. Ka kite ano links below P.S The kumara know how sweet it is
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/risks-of-domino-effect-of-tipping-points-greater-than-thought-study-says
A new generation of women want to redefine ‘loud woman’ … (left to right) Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Geena Davis, Rihanna, Adele and Angela Merkel. Illustration:
In praise of loud women – the joy and power of being noisy and female Eco Maori has quite a few in my whano and I tau toko them as well Ngati Porou IWI has respected wahine for centrys we have had wahine toa/wahine warriors I say because of our culture we influnced wahine voteing.
Eco Maori tau toko’s wahine because its the correct thing to do they are the nurtures they are more intelligent than most men and when we get %50 of wahine in leadership positions OUR World will be a much better humane intelligent envirmentaly friendly Papatuanuku . My big voice was frowned upon when I was a girl in the 70s. Now, celebrities from Beyoncé to Michelle Obama Geena Davis are helping to tear up the idea of what a woman should sound . So, what are we supposed to do with the idea of loud women in our postfeminist age? Where have they all gone? Theresa May seems to maintain her fragile power by being the opposite of loud. Angela Merkel built a 30-year career on being as unnoticeable as possible. The response to Germaine Greer in recent years can be summed up as: “Shut up.” Is it no longer acceptable to be a woman and a noisy, loquacious pain in the arse? After all, the women we now think of as loud usually communicate through performance as larger-than-life versions of themselves: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga.
In everyday life, there is still something uncomfortable for a woman about being called loud, because the implication is that a) you don’t care about the people around you (otherwise, why are you making them feel uncomfortable?) and b) you don’t care what other people think about you. To allow yourself to be loud as a woman is to be borderline psychopathic – to switch off your empathy and your emotional intelligence – to love the sound of your own voice, to take up too much space. That is the theory, at least. (“Who do you think you are? Beyoncé?”
Ka kite ano links below P.S Thanks for the tau toko from around Papatunuku.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/06/in-praise-of-loud-women-the-joy-and-power-of-being-noisy-and-female
Here you go all the maori who think this system is fair and unbiest wake up. This is what maori need more money in education for the lower classes as we are at the lowest rung of life in Aotearoa ana to kai. As the upper classes get the top jobs in Aotearoa there elitist glasses only lets them see life from there point of view and in most cases is DOWN on the lower classes Hence a system were its all good for them to cheat and buy there way out of human mistakes and throw the warth of there system at the poor people who most times are doing things just to survive.
Inequality has been exacerbated since the education “reforms” enacted by the Labour Party government of 1984–90, supported by the trade unions and enforced by successive administrations. A “market” model was imposed on schools and universities, with self-governing boards tasked with imposing “business” disciplines and competition for students. In the early 1990s, many schools in working-class areas were struggling to survive.
In 1989, student fees were introduced and have increased almost every year. Tertiary study, including at polytechnics, has now become too costly for many working-class students. In 2017, it was estimated that the combined student loan debt of 731,800 people, with an average debt of $NZ21,000, was $15.3 billion.
Significantly, the material produced by the Herald shatters the assiduously cultivated myth that “disparities” in education are not a matter of social class, but are due to other factors, such as ethnicity and gender.
All governments have promoted identity politics to divide the working class, while elevating a small upper middle class layer, particularly among indigenous Maori. A virtual academic industry, abetted and funded by the MoE, is devoted . to sustaining the notion that Maori and Pacific students are worse off because of “institutional racism,” not class.
The insistence that ethnicity is the central cause of inequality has fuelled reactionary political agendas, including demands for racially segregated school systems and charter schools controlled by Maori tribal-based businesses. As in the US and Britain, these publicly-funded, privately-run schools were introduced by the National government to undermine public education and establish a bridge-head for widespread privatisation.
Social class divisions, however, are asserting themselves more powerfully than ever, as capitalism lurches more deeply into global crisis. Internationally, including in New Zealand, teachers and other sections of the working class are beginning to fight back. Primary school teachers held a 24-hour nationwide strike in mid-August, following an effective pay freeze for much of the past decade, and severely understaffed schools. Their primary demands were for a pay increase of 16 percent, smaller class sizes and more support for needy students Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/02/nzed-o02.html
A dark tale of dispossession and greed
by Vincent O’Malley | Dec 9, 2018 | 2 | 6 min read
Vincent O’Malley
For well over 25 years, Vincent O’Malley, a Pākehā historian, has been uncovering and recounting many of the rich and often discomforting stories about how Māori and Pākehā have got along since they began sharing Aotearoa 200 or so years ago.
His most substantial book has been The Great War for New Zealand, where he explains what went on in the Waikato, especially in the wake of the New Zealand Settlements Act in 1863.
But here he focuses on the significance of that legislation — and the need for us to understand and remember it.But here he focuses on the significance of that legislation — and the need for us to understand and remember it.
When dates were being considered for the first Rā Maumahara commemorating the New Zealand Wars, one suggestion was December 3. That day doesn’t mark the anniversary of any particular battle or conflict. Instead, it’s the day in 1863 that Governor George Grey signed into law the New Zealand Settlements Act.
It’s an innocuous-sounding piece of legislation but it had devastating consequences for many Māori communities. The Settlements Act provided the primary legislative mechanism for raupatu — sweeping land confiscations that were supposedly intended to punish acts of “rebellion” while also recouping the costs of fighting the wars. It’s an innocuous-sounding piece of legislation but it had devastating consequences for many Māori communities. The Settlements Act provided the primary legislative mechanism for raupatu — sweeping land confiscations that were supposedly intended to punish acts of “rebellion” while also recouping the costs of fighting the wars.
It declared that where “any Native Tribe or Section of a Tribe or any considerable number thereof” had committed acts of “rebellion against Her Majesty’s authority” since January 1, 1863, their lands could be declared subject to the Act and seized for the purposes of settlement.
It was part of a package of measures passed by the all-Pākehā parliament to crush Māori independence.
Governor George Grey
Grey and his ministers had drawn up these confiscation plans before invading Waikato in July 1863 and, by August, had begun recruiting military settlers who were to be offered a portion of the seized lands in return for their services . Loyal” Māori could apply for compensation for their losses — initially in money but later including lands. But the Compensation Court process that followed returned only a fraction of what was lost, often in completely different areas and always under a new legal form of title that meant many of these lands were quickly lost to their owners. Ka kite ano links below
https://e-tangata.co.nz/history/a-dark-tale-of-dispossession-and-greed/
Kia ora Tekaea Aotearoa is paradise we have heaps of guess and a lot of people are traveling to there holidays it’s cool that the price of fuel went down.
It’s ka pai to see Pohorawiri marae getting a spruce up it will be able to cope with all the tangata whenua gathering well into the future.
The salvation army does a very good service for tangata whenua in Aotearoa.
One can see the results of nine years of smoky governments suppressing Maori and the poor people as more food parcels that are needed has risen sharply as of late.
ka pai to the horouta wake whine are shining brighter.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub everyone has to drive carefully in Aotearoa as the roads are packed and they are not 3 lane highways that our guest are use to hence the road toll is climbing .Condolences to the people who lost love ones in the Indonesia
It is not accetable that tamariki are dieing in custerdy in the USA boarder detention centers.
The Tauranga council just permeted to many houses to be built and did not have climate change in there plans and look what happeneds tutai in the moana
Good on Collin O’brady for his treck across Antarctica solo some one could not say his name I wonder why I know.
Its a real crime letting all those children starving in Yemen there need to be more aid sent into help the children.
Do you believe those stats on daved seenothing getting all those hits on trademe for twerking haha .Ka kite ano P.S Eco Maori has another word he has eliminated must be a reason they keep pushing thee other money