Setting Matariki as a public holiday is better than an expensive (and ultimately fruitless) debate on a new national flag. So I give the PM points for that. Now if she can ensure NZ rivers flow freely and cleanly it will be an enduring legacy of ...
Crystal meth is rotting society from within. Will we see an opiate epidemic too, as in USA? All the authorities can do for now is keep on taking convicted gang members' assets, eg their Harleys, flash houses and bags of unexplained cash. Sell the assets ...
Sanctuary - and note I did not call you my mate - you are entitled to your views, but you must realise that not everyone agrees with them. Surely the best way to test the strength of your position is to run for political office. See what happens then.
Sad to lose Brian Gaynor, as he made a massive contribution to business journalism. I always liked his writing for the Herald, where he often exposed the dubious financial dealings of NZ's corporate wide boys. Good too that he wasn't afraid to front them ...
Are there any independent studies proving the existence of "wider benefit" you refer to?
I'm not an ACT supporter, but they may be onto something by advocating for the dumping of film subsidies (Kiwiblog states Hollywood has scored $600 million from the taxpayer over 2010-2018). MPs are too often attracted to those 'cos there is a strong feel-...
NZ Herald, 7 May 2022, p C1: "It's raining money for water consultants" (report states that the government has spent $21 million on consultants and contractors to sell the idea of the Three Waters reforms to the public). Surely officials and the relevant ...
How many times was her manager hit? None, of course. Only the front line staff in our hospitals take the knocks. Doubtless the manager had an MBA too (Master of B----- all)
A free and open debate on co-governance would be a good thing - hope that occurs in the election. CG may prove to be a millstone round Labour's neck. One MP's talk of merely "tweaking democracy" is deliberately deceptive. Reminds me of the political ...
Gordon Campbell is right - never underestimate the power of the suit (the Age's Leunig has also noted this in the context of court appearances). ACT and the Natz will probably wheel out co-governance as an election issue too. He Puapua has given them ...
What happens to the radioactive waste from the nuclear power plants? No-one seems to have fixed that problem yet. Hope they don't try to dump it far from Europe, ie in our backyard ...
Sure, we got increased agricultural production but it came at a huge environmental cost - something Federated Farmers likes to ignore. Only recently, four Southland rivers were reported as containing cyanobacteria, and Canterbury's Selwyn river is in bad ...
Politicians have long used water to buy votes, which explains why they are so vehemently opposed to water conservation orders on our best rivers. Imagine all that water being locked up so it couldn't be gifted to irrigators and farmers! In NZ we must ...
No matter who is in charge of NZ water, that body of persons must put the continued well-being of the resource first, and hence safeguard the interests of future generations. Water is a finite resource (even if councils delude themselves by thinking ...
Natz will likely stand some ex-cop and let him/her sleepwalk to victory. Pushing the buttons on gangs and law and order should be enough, with a nod to Greypower.
Good thinking Ad. Looks like it's change for us all. City dwellers need to get out of their cars and walk, catch the bus or ride a bike to work. Grow your own food where possible; it can be done. Unfortunately we have a battle on our hands with people like...
Yep, John Key made heaps of money on Wall Street as a paper shuffler, so he was just the man to fix the NZ economy, or so people thought. He managed to keep up that illusion for quite a while. As an American (P J O'Rourke?) once said: You can fool all the ...
Look up the Pundit website for Brian Easton's comments on economics in general. He usually writes in a way non-economists can understand, and covers some good issues. As for the poll, I suspect Act and National are gaining by focussing on the negative.
Yes, the politicians are only worried about water coming from the voter's kitchen tap. As long as it looks OK, ie not murky brown, all is well. I see today's NZ Herald worries about how Tourism NZ will lure visitors back to this country. They'll do it by ...
"Associate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan is urging all New Zealanders to give feedback on proposed changes aimed at making drinking water safer. “The current regulations are not fit for purpose and don’t offer enough protection, particularly for ...
"I am hoping that some of the saner heads in Russia decide to remove Putin from power as I think he is clearly becoming unhinged." Judging by the expressions on the faces of 2 of Putin's army generals the other day (while he complained about NATO ...
Yes, China may well think now is a good time to take Taiwan, while the attention of the USA is on Ukraine. Biden should get a few aircraft carriers into the China Sea.
Putin strikes me as a 21st century Stalin. The parallels are not all there, of course, as he hasn't wiped out the officer corps yet. I suppose they may be useful to him in the meantime. And maybe he is expansionist rather than having persecution complex or...
I suspect you may be correct. We may be over Covid, but it hasn't finished with us. Mind you, history tells us that the Spanish flu disappeared after 2 - 3 years. Lotta deaths though. Wait and see I guess.
No regrets about losing cruise ships - too many tourists were already coming to NZ by 2020, as Simon Upton (Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment) has pointed out in his report. It it is the natural world we are losing fast in pursuit of the ...
Ho ho ho, very good. Political life will never be dull in this country.
I'd accept a lower material standard of living in return for a truly healthy environment. Too much emphasis on consumerism these days, with consequent waste. We need fewer cows too - Lake Ellesmere has just been classified as unsafe for recreation. Does ...
My thoughts too - real journalism (remember Richard Long?) disappeared in NZ about the same time we lost a true public service. It was replaced by outfits led by CEOs who stayed just long enough to (a) do real damage (b) get up their minister's nose and ...
Even if Labour built enough houses, what guarantee do we have that they will be of sufficient quality and won't leak or fall down within 3 years? Building standards seem to be pretty low these days, as anyone whose house was rebuilt or repaired after the ...
Nice idea to plant a tree (preferably a NZ native). It will likely be around long after we are gone and will help the planet.
Icewind, a Scandivanian outfit, seem to have some interesting ideas. https://icewind.is/ And we could always just use less energy too, but that conflicts with the politicians' dream of infinite growth on a finite planet ...
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