Search Results

  1. Space and density: Auckland Unitary Plan

    Written By:  karol -  Date published: 10:15 am, April 22nd, 2013 -  8 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, climate change, housing, infrastructure, national, public transport, sustainability
    Tags:

    The draft Auckland Unitary Plan is massive and complex.  The Auckland Transport Blog helps in untangling issues around intensification vs sprawl. The government & some right wing councillors want sprawl & to delay implementation.  The Akl Council website has some cool videos visualising the planned developments. And social housing?

  2. Systemic privacy breaches

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 9:35 am, April 10th, 2013 -  63 comments
    Categories: accountability, public services
    Tags: , ,

    PM John Key reckons that there is no systemic problem with the security of the government’s data handling. He’s wrong – three separate incidents yesterday cap off a litany of recent breaches. Even Bill English now admits that the government cannot guarantee that public information is protected.

  3. Mining & the sly dismantling of conservation protections

    Written By:  karol -  Date published: 11:00 am, March 28th, 2013 -  32 comments
    Categories: activism, climate change, Conservation, democracy under attack, greens, Maori Issues, Mining, national/act government
    Tags: ,

    Cuts to DOC, the Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill [3rd reading today], permits allowing the exploration for minerals on Schedule 4 land: here is the stealthy NAct MO in action, to undermine the strong public protests against Schedule 4 mining. [Update: the Bill is #6 on today’s Final Order Paper]

  4. News media: shifting ground

    Written By:  karol -  Date published: 12:44 pm, March 19th, 2013 -  13 comments
    Categories: broadcasting, capitalism, democratic participation, internet, news, newspapers, tv, twitter, uk politics
    Tags: , ,

    The withdrawal of News Corp from SkyNZ, & the new deal on press regulation in the UK are part of various shifts: from media moguls to financial investors, rise of the internet, & the balance between corporate media and politicians – not a fourth estate revival. [Update: tweeters/bloggers excluded]

  5. Akl Unitary Plan: the good, the bad & the debatable

    Written By:  karol -  Date published: 10:44 am, March 17th, 2013 -  39 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, capital gains, capitalism, climate change, Conservation, cost of living, exports, housing, infrastructure, national/act government, public transport, quality of life, tenants' rights
    Tags: , ,

    The Draft Auckland Unitary Plan has much to commend it.  It focuses on resource management, responds to the reality of climate change & aims for a more dense but ‘liveable’ city.  It has weaknesses, embraces destructive “growth” and raises questions: e.g. about affordable housing & environmental management.

  6. motorway madness

    National’s war on Auckland

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 12:57 pm, March 14th, 2013 -  49 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, Gerry Brownlee, len brown, local government, public transport, transport
    Tags: , , , ,

    Phil Twyford is the Labour MP for Te Atatu, and Labour’s spokesperson on Housing and Auckland Issues. He is also asking the same questions that many Aucklanders keep asking as they watch a succession of government ministers trying to valiantly advance backwards into Auckland’s past with no obvious purpose.

  7. Conflicted decisions

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 5:28 pm, February 2nd, 2013 -  48 comments
    Categories: accountability, national
    Tags:

    Another day, another example of some unseemly looking stuff from the Nats. This time it’s Judith Collins choosing Robert Kee – a friend of her husband – for a $200,000 a year taxpayer funded job.

  8. Late analysis on the reshuffle

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 12:21 pm, January 24th, 2013 -  15 comments
    Categories: national/act government
    Tags:

    I’ll say this for Key’s media people, they’re masters of the undersell when it comes to the insubstantial. And they know the media love to be surprised. But how ‘ruthless’ was Key really in the reshuffle? Two mediocre ministers with little political clout got the chop, but the real under-performers were too powerful for Key to touch.

  9. 2012 cabinet report card

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 12:25 pm, January 2nd, 2013 -  18 comments
    Categories: national, Politics
    Tags:

    After Eddie dissed the usual beltway year in review style of column/post I was a little chary about doing this one. And then I realised the good thing about The Standard is we do real world and beltway issues. So here goes my once-over assessment of the 2012 cabinet performance and what it’s likely to mean for the future.

  10. Leaders under pressure

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 11:58 am, November 10th, 2012 -  42 comments
    Categories: david shearer, john key, leadership
    Tags: ,

    Both John Key and David Shearer have had a bit of a pasting in the media lately. Shearer’s problems are solvable – Key’s are not…

  11. 15 Ethical “Fails” Under National!

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 12:01 pm, August 20th, 2012 -  37 comments
    Categories: Ethics, national
    Tags:

    Reprinted with permission from Dave Kennedy (bsprout) at Local Bodies – a very depressing list.

  12. The luxury of an ethical opposition

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 11:05 am, August 2nd, 2012 -  38 comments
    Categories: Maori Issues, national, Privatisation, water
    Tags: , , , ,

    Although Key’s privatisation programme has hit plenty of problems with Maori water rights, his job is made a whole lot easier by the luxury of an ethical main opposition party.

  13. Katherine Rich on the Health Promotion Board: The next outrageous piece of Nat cronyism

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 10:35 am, June 28th, 2012 -  50 comments
    Categories: alcohol, health, national, scoundrels
    Tags: ,

    Putting the CEO of the leading lobbying agency and industry promotional group for companies promoting sales of sugar, fat and alcohol on the Board of the public health agency supposed to prevent harm to young NZers is an outrageous act of cronyism.

  14. Bye bye Local Government

    Written By:  Ben Clark -  Date published: 7:02 am, June 25th, 2012 -  42 comments
    Categories: accountability, community democracy, democracy under attack, local government, national, privatisation
    Tags: ,

    National’s record on local government is horrific: the lack of consultation as they rammed through the Supercity, the canning of ECAN, and continued suspension of democracy in Canterbury, the pushing of asset sales on an unwilling Christchurch.

    And their latest attack – the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill – will do significant damage to local democracy.

  15. The Nats’ succession problem

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 7:00 am, June 14th, 2012 -  58 comments
    Categories: bill english, Hekia parata, john key, Judith Collins, national, Steven Joyce
    Tags:

    John Key’s days are numbered. His personal popularity is falling. His brand is tied to unpopular asset sales and a pokies for convention centre deal that is now subject to an Auditor-General investigation. He’s not winning the next election. So a change of leader is coming: pre-election or post. But who can succeed him? Parata? Collins? Joyce? They’re all shot.

  16. Trouble? No! Look at Nice Mr Key

    Written By:  Bunji -  Date published: 4:05 pm, June 12th, 2012 -  26 comments
    Categories: john key
    Tags:

    National have not had a great year, but the class size fiasco last week has raised the bar on their awful. Worse: the nice man Mr Shearer first raised their stupidity on class sizes, and their poll ratings have dropped noticeably. So it’s time to roll out their big gun again: a charm offensive from the nice man Mr Key.

  17. Ball’s in your court, John

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 9:00 am, May 24th, 2012 -  65 comments
    Categories: corruption, david shearer, john banks, john key, Shane Jones
    Tags:

    David Shearer, with Shane Jones’ support, has stood Jones down and asked the Auditor-General to investigate his handling of Bill Yan’s citizenship affair. It sets a new, high standard. Whether Jones was right or wrong, he at least has a coherent story and there’s no suggestion of a crime. Compare that John Key allowing John Banks to stay on as a minister while under criminal investigation and having repeatedly lied as he tries to get out of it. Update: The court has found Yong Ming Yan not guilty of all five immigration fraud charges.

  18. Does NZ have $400 million+ to burn?

    Written By:  James Henderson -  Date published: 11:51 am, May 7th, 2012 -  36 comments
    Categories: sustainability, transport
    Tags:

    The Environmental Protection Agency, bastard child of Nick Smith chaired by National crony Kerry Prendergast, has given draft approval to Transmission Gully. This billion dollar project returns 60 cents of benefits for every dollar spent. Worse than a night on the pokies. And that’s NZTA’s estimate assuming traffic growth that isn’t happening, and not accounting for $5 a litre petrol.

  19. Key’s vicious cycle

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 12:19 pm, April 21st, 2012 -  94 comments
    Categories: brand key
    Tags:

    If anything has marked John Key’s tenure as PM it’s his use of his personal brand to run his cabinet.

    But what happens to his control as that brand runs out of steam?

  20. Nat Civil War: The perils of monolithism

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 7:15 am, April 10th, 2012 -  63 comments
    Categories: bill english, john key, Judith Collins, national, Steven Joyce
    Tags:

    Despite losing nearly 1 in 4 of its supporters, 300,000 voters, in a little over 6 months according to the Roy Morgans, National’s 44% still looks superficially impressive. Until you realise they need to be able to form a  majority more or less alone. The Right’s monolithism doesn’t just place extraordinary demands on National’s leader, it’s the root of the current civil war.

  21. Will the Greens lead the next government?

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 9:20 am, April 8th, 2012 -  195 comments
    Categories: election 2014, greens, labour, national, polls
    Tags: , ,

    Two recent pieces in The Herald draw opposite conclusions from recent polls (one of them, alas, is drivel). Matt McCarten asks if National’s free fall, and the rise of the Greens, foreshadows a Green led government in 2014…

  22. Nat Civil War: Key backs Boag over Collins

    Written By:  James Henderson -  Date published: 11:35 am, April 2nd, 2012 -  54 comments
    Categories: john key, Judith Collins, kremlinology
    Tags: , , , ,

    John Key gave one of his least sure and most defensive interviews in five years on Q+A on the weekend. His goal was clearly to protect his personal brand and close the issue down. He failed. He failed because he refused to criticise Pullar and Boag, and refused to back Collins’ law suits. That puts him at odds with the Collins faction and onside with Boag’s.

  23. Confused? A guide to the letters & leaks in the Nats’ Civil War

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 4:03 pm, March 31st, 2012 -  77 comments
    Categories: ACC, john key, Judith Collins, kremlinology, national
    Tags: , , , , , , , ,

    The ever-growing list of letters, emails, and leaks in the National Party Civil War, that started off as an apparently apolitical privacy breach by ACC, is getting hard to follow. Here’s a summary of the various documents and their ramifications – so far.

  24. They eat their own

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 2:18 pm, March 28th, 2012 -  96 comments
    Categories: ACC, national
    Tags: , , , ,

    ACC denies leaking Bronwyn Pullar’s name. It’s not credible that they would act so high risk and so politically. Boag and Pullar clearly didn’t leak it. So, that leaves Collins and her office. Collins denied leaking the email to the media … but leaves a fair bit of wiggle room, doesn’t it? The tipline is, as they say, running hot – and the name on everyone’s lips is Lusk. More soon.

  25. Collins’ attack on Pullar continues

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 8:53 am, March 26th, 2012 -  58 comments
    Categories: ACC
    Tags: , , ,

    It’s strange watching National’s factions fight it out in the media- the Herald on Sunday running the Collins/Slater faction stuff and the Dompost running material from Boag/Pullar. Both sides are scum. Pullar received (somehow) the largest leak in ACC and passed to the media. Collins has imitated her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge.

  26. Who leaked Pullar’s name?

    Written By:  Zetetic -  Date published: 11:45 am, March 23rd, 2012 -  78 comments
    Categories: ACC
    Tags: , , ,

    Nick Smith’s handpicked chair of ACC, John Judge, denies that ACC leaked Bronwyn Pullar’s name to the media after she made public the biggest leak of private data in history from the organisation. So, who did? Given the government’s track-record – Bennett vs the solo mums, Brownlee publicising Dalziel’s redzone offer – I’m betting it was Judith Collins.

  27. Nats’ Rena spin all at sea

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 1:19 pm, October 19th, 2011 -  40 comments
    Categories: disaster, Mining, spin, sustainability
    Tags: ,

    The Nats are clearly at panic stations. They’re trying to minimise the Rena disaster by comparing the number of dead animals to those killed by other means. As one emailer put it: “it’s like saying the Christchurch earthquake was no big deal because more people die of cancer”.  Meanwhile, Key visits oiled birds and says they’re the price of economic ‘progress’.

  28. NRT: Making the trains run on time

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 9:46 am, September 14th, 2011 -  12 comments
    Categories: democracy under attack
    Tags: ,

    Eighteen months ago, in what can only be described as a coup, the government disestablished the democratically-elected Environment Canterbury and replaced it with a clique of hand-picked dictators. Nick Smith says that the percentage of resource consents being processed on time has skyrocketed but is that thanks to the dictatorship?

  29. Hansen calls for Key to lead on climate change

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 8:32 pm, May 25th, 2011 -  71 comments
    Categories: climate change, disaster, john key
    Tags:

    Visionary climate change scientist James Hansen has written an open letter to John Key.

  30. Key attacks another journalist

    Written By:  r0b -  Date published: 8:54 am, May 5th, 2011 -  24 comments
    Categories: afghanistan, democracy under attack, john key, Media
    Tags: , ,

    The Nats are obviously worried about public reaction to the recent revelations on the role of the SAS in Afghanistan.  And as is usually the case when they feel threatened by a story, the Nats are striking out, trying to discredit or intimidate the source.

  31. Own goal by National flunky

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 6:09 am, May 4th, 2011 -  24 comments
    Categories: national, scoundrels
    Tags: , ,

    Cameron Slater has the inside word on Murray McCully’s $75,000 trip to Vanuatu on a New Zealand Air Force plane that involved flying the 126-seater there and back to drop him and seven staff off, then there and back again the next day to pick them up. This story gets worse the more details come out.

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