REALITY TV UPDATE: Mark Weldon Wins NZ’s Biggest Loser.
MediaWorks CEO and mate of the PM, Mark Weldon, has quit his job. Is it too late to save MediaWorks? Should we care?
EDIT: Staff get in the champers shock!
Economy
business
McCully, the National Party donation and the Niue resort
Murray McCully has assured New Zealand that there is no link between the granting of valuable rights to manage a luxury resort in Niue and the making of large donations to the National Party.
Panama tax rort stirs world leaders but not Key
The Panama Papers highlight a significant problem for the countries of the world. The actions of the 1% is robbing countries throughout the world of funds needed to run their countries and underlines that the capitalist system is based on greed. Most leaders see this but not John Key.
Kiwibank partial sell-off
This morning Michael Cullen announced plans to sell 45% of Kiwibank.
Bunnings has no heart
Bunnings management has insisted that a defibrillator bought by the workers at its Dunedin Store be given away to charity.
Guest Post: Government’s multi billion dollar lies
Amakiwi analyses why foreign corporations are hurting New Zealand’s economy and questions why they should be allowed the estimate their profitability.
Key fiddles while dairy industry burns
The dairy crisis is escalating with a further drop in prices occurring overnight. And John Key has chosen to defend the Government’s handling of the crisis by attacking Andrew Little. He would be better off explaining what his Government is doing to address what is becoming a crisis.
Who is ultimately responsible for NZ’s massive dairy farm debt?
People talk of excessive borrowing in the dairy sector. Of course, the real problem is that of excessive lending.
Labour and Lees-Galloway secure end to zero hours contracts
Labour has forced the Government to back down on plans to entrench zero hour contracts.
the Global Death Economy
A new edition of “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” has been released. It makes it clear that we are in the grip of a global “Death Economy” and a collective embrace of ‘Thanatos’, the death instinct.
What poverty?: Emirates declares 1st Class a success
Looks like the top 1% and the cashed up asset rich are doing just fine. The rest of you, work harder.
Police illegally arrest and detain union officials
Its bad enough that workers’ rights and conditions are being crushed by National Ltd™ but now Police have joined in. Again.
The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)
How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.
Cheekygames: Privatisation comes to a blue suburb
Julia Schiller posts on the threatened closing of the St Heliers Post Shop and how it is another example of the Government’s privatisation agenda.
Rightwing populism is the new normal – Gary Younge
Gary Younge is a feature columnist with the Guardian. In this film he explains why the Trump phenomenon is a symptom of current societal change.
Not all research is created equal
A recent “research” report on alcohol, funded by brewing company Lion, has been in the news lately. Sadly, not everything that purports to be research is honest research.
National’s vision for New Zealand’s future
Stephen Joyce has had published an opinion piece in this morning’s Herald which extolls the virtue of free trade and ignores the pitfalls. Such as those shown this week when TransCanada sued the US Government for rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline contract.
Why are we working so hard?
A recent New Matilda article discusses why at a time of increasing productivity the need to work has increased and not decreased.
The major world risks in 2016
Ad reviews Eurasia’s appraisal of global risks the world faces in 2016.
The China Stockmarket crisis
Overnight there has been further turmoil on the Chinese Stock exchange with stocks plummeting 7% before trading was stopped. And things may only get worse when a 6 month ban on trading by major stock owners is lifted.
Xero doesn’t like being on the receiving end
Xero used to fund hate for hire blog Whaleoil via advertising, because “we like to support the sunlight of good challenging discussions”. But when they became the targets of attack they didn’t like being on the receiving end.
As we bind ourselves with the TPP, so other countries will fill the need
Reeling from tough produce sanctions, Russia will pursue a strategy as the world’s largest supplier of ‘ecologically clean’ food. And where is NZ?
Groser flips the bird to the Judiciary and NZ Laws
The Law? That’s not for Cabinet Members, the Law is for the lazy malcontents who don’t want to work hard.
Minister declined to comment…
Isn’t it amazing how many Ministers can’t wait to front up to the media when they are selling. But when it comes to after sale service they just don’t want to front?
Is this our brighter future?
This morning’s media has reports of increased domestic violence being reported by beneficiaries and an increase of the time and resources the police are having to put into helping the mentally unwell. And record profits earned by the Australian banks.
Paying a generous wage
Well paid staff are happy, productive staff. Who’d have thought it!
How America is killing the middle class
A short film from AJ+ which clearly describes what has gone wrong in the US since the 1980s. The film is just as relevant for New Zealand.
TPPA agreement reached
The TPPA has been agreed to. Dairy access improvement is minimal, there will be a cost hit on Pharmac and every industry but Tobacco will be able to access the investor state dispute resolution procedure.
Diesel Bomb
Last Friday I wrote a post on Volkwagen gaming NOx emissions. This is a follow up.
From out of the Shadows
Goff has attempted to throw a fire-cracker into the notion of the National Party leadership and caucus being one big happy family. Is this the Labour Party’s way of sowing seeds of discontent without tainting the image of their leader? It is NOT Dirty Politics by any normal understanding of that term as captured in the book of the same name. Is this Goff’s role now? To box from the shadows?
NOx-ious shit all around.
Been trying to get my head around the implications of Volkswagen’s rigged diesel performance tests. Predictably, and unlike most stories covering this, I couldn’t give a rat’s arse for the financial woes the company might be facing.
More Herald journalists sacked
Very bad news for all those losing their jobs, commiserations to you. It’s a pretty heartless economy out there, and pretty soon there won’t be anyone left to comment on it. Consumers of celebrity gossip will still have it good though, so I guess that’s something.
Sale of Lochinver Station declined
The government has overruled the Overseas Investment Office and turned down a bid to buy Lochinver Station. It’s the first time a bid for a significant landholding has been rejected since 2012.
Paid leave for Victims of Domestic Violence
UPDATE You can read the non gender specific Bill here
Warner Bros – corporate welfare beneficiary
Figures have been released showing that Warner Bros were paid NZ $191 million in tax rebates to create the Hobbit Trilogy. The films were very profitable. Why is corporate welfare for profitable activity tolerated?
Market forces
Rosemary Macleod on the flag and market forces. Danyl Mclauchlan on the refugee disaster, market forces, and Key. Is this our New Zealand?