Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 29th, 2014 - 36 comments
National has refused to continue funding research into Kauri Dieback disease. But the discovery of the disease in the Coromandel has sparked a new sense of urgency. And Nick Smith is busily trying to rewrite history.
Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, March 28th, 2014 - 63 comments
Tomorrow Today: Support the important Day of Action across NZ against the TPPA – the TPPA is anti-democratic, pro-corporate & will make life harder for ordinary Kiwis; Support the NZEI demonstrations in Auckland & Wellington, for a living wage, for an excellent public education system, against poverty that undermines education. [Update: photos & reports]
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 22nd, 2014 - 47 comments
Big (US) Pharma has been the leading lobbyist that has shaped the TPP, followed by corporates in the following industries; Hollywood, automobile, textiles, dairy. This makes the TPP a major threat to the interests and well-being of Kiwis. Good reasons to take part in next Saturday’s Day Of Action (29 March 1pm) across NZ.
Written By: - Date published: 7:06 pm, March 20th, 2014 - 4 comments
From an environmental economics perspective, mining is a wealth transfer, shifting public wealth (minerals) into private profits of mining companies. Along the way, it creates jobs, but it is basically spending capital. When the resources run out or become unprofitable to extract the jobs disappear and a regional economy geared solely to resource extraction withers and dies. NZ First wants to change that.
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 pm, March 18th, 2014 - 35 comments
The crazy thing about Gerry Brownlee is that he is so incompetent because he never seems to study anything that he is responsible for. On Monday, Local Bodies wrote about his current burst of illiterate and untutored whining and blowhard posturing about roads. And yet people on the inside of the National party appear to rate him? What does that say about their competence?
Written By: - Date published: 6:01 pm, March 18th, 2014 - 38 comments
The biggest single threat to civilisation from human initiated CO2 forced climate change is going to be in food production and distribution. In a leaked version of the IPCC’s AR5 second volume ” the report predicts that climate change will reduce median crop yields by 2 per cent per decade for the rest of the century – at a time of rapidly growing demand for food.”
Written By: - Date published: 3:01 pm, March 18th, 2014 - 12 comments
Further questions have arisen about Amy Adams’ involvement with decisions relating to Canterbury water and in particular the decision to extend the term of the existing commissioners.
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, March 15th, 2014 - 5 comments
The West Auckland Peasants Film Club FB page says: “The greatest threat to freedom and well-being everywhere is corporate ambition: the greatest threat to corporate ambition is a well-informed public”. This week the PFC is showing, I Am (Dir. Tom Shadyac) – how to get such information seen more widely?
Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, March 12th, 2014 - 33 comments
Amy Adams is now facing questions of conflict of interest after details have been published that land and company shares she owns may increase in value because of the proposed Canterbury Irrigation Scheme.
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, March 10th, 2014 - 8 comments
My brother has posted across at Red Alert on Steven Joyce’s bungling oversight of AgResearch’s current $100 million restructure. The Crown Research Institute is New Zealand’s largest, and a recipient of generous Government support. Andy West, the former head of AgResearch stands to gain as head of Lincoln University from a plan that independent review […]
Written By: - Date published: 4:24 pm, March 8th, 2014 - 34 comments
This National led Government has seriously mismanaged things and is desperate to hide the true effects of its governance over the last five years. I half suspect many of the retiring National MPs are jumping ship because they don’t want to be around when the proverbial hits the fan. National have carefully constructed showy facades that hide flimsy realities
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, February 18th, 2014 - 80 comments
There has been some discussion recently about whether we should tax fizzy drinks as a threat to public health. Otago University public health people say yes. Various anti-tax groups say no. Here’s Rob Salmond’s 2c worth.
Some interesting arguments
Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, February 17th, 2014 - 22 comments
Coal Action Network Aotearoa has this characteristic story of the problems with the cost structure of opportunistic mining in NZ. The current world price of the coal found on the Denniston Plateau has sunk considerably below Bathurst Resources’ stated break-even price and shows no signs of rising. What is the bet that NZ is going to wind up with another unwanted hole in the ground as a shell company gets folded up?
Written By: - Date published: 2:59 pm, February 16th, 2014 - 239 comments
The text of Russel Norman’s speech to the Green Party Conference given today.
Written By: - Date published: 2:27 pm, February 16th, 2014 - 21 comments
Change becomes embedded when it emanates from and across many quarters and traditions.
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, February 13th, 2014 - 62 comments
Dave Hansford contrasts the way that France handles its usage of waterways by farmers with the unsustainable degradation of NZ farmers. For that matter with the way that farming in the France is targeted at high value rather than commodity factory farming. Let’s have the really tough conversation: is a low-value, mass-market business model really the best we can do? Are cheap, anonymous, industrial commodities our finest work? And are they worth the hidden cost to farmers, taxpayers and the environment?
Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, February 11th, 2014 - 46 comments
Governments are holding on to their traditional roles and functions, but the world has changed. We need something else.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, February 7th, 2014 - 146 comments
The NZ Herald has a long history of opposing Maori resistance and supporting colonisation. It has always been right wing with a strong commercial focus & MO. Yesterday it censored news of Waitangi Day protests. Today an editorial spins in slippery style, for the Govt’s failing PowerCo sales.
Written By: - Date published: 7:20 pm, February 5th, 2014 - 135 comments
Australia again. I wish they would adopt an honourable and fair stance to New Zealand instead of using us whenever they want to gain advantage for themselves or throw a hissy fit. Now they are discriminating against our food exports in two large supermarkets, one of which has a large store ownership here.
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, February 5th, 2014 - 289 comments
The ratings driven MSM beat up dramas and conflict in relation to Waitangi Day – they continue to circulate myths about the Day. Morgan Godfery has blogged about those myths. Meanwhile, the hikoi to protect our seas and land continues. [update: Rachel Smalley]
Written By: - Date published: 3:43 pm, February 4th, 2014 - 25 comments
Last night Lyn was regaling me with an advertisement on amazon for a 5 pound bag of “Haribo Classic Sugar Free Gummy Bears” with its 643 product evaluations. In this fine example of online consumerism, all appeared to agree that these really were some of the tastiest snacks around. In fact they were so good that many were suggesting that they got sent to all members of congress. Should we do the same for MPs? Then they might get the concept behind food labelling
Written By: - Date published: 2:34 pm, February 4th, 2014 - 56 comments
Anadarko fails to find commercially viable oil in Taranaki, and is now moving on to waste even more time, money and resources in the Canterbury basin. This is a big fail for John Key’s casino capitalist, speculative economic policy. And a fail for NZ’s people and environment. [update: Hikoi]
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, February 4th, 2014 - 31 comments
The Sea Shepherd fleet and the Japanese Whaling fleet are again engaged in battle on the south seas over the right to kill whales. The Institute for Cetacean Research’s spokesperson Glenn Inwood has claimed that the Sea Shepherd is totally in the wrong and the Japanese are completely within their rights. But how credible is this?
Written By: - Date published: 6:11 pm, January 29th, 2014 - 25 comments
This post isn’t a ‘contrast and compare’ piece on the policy announcements of National, the Greens and Labour. Enough to say that National are pursuing privatisation while both Labour and Green are at least trying to do good things.
Shame about the reality of the bigger picture then.
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 pm, January 28th, 2014 - 18 comments
The PMs’ statement todaywas a bit of a fizzer: lacking ideas, a lot of waffle. Some opposition speeches were more inspiring, & laid out some real alternatives: like the speeches from Cunliffe (on fire), Norman (inspiring), Ardern (animated) & Harawira (real people; real struggles).
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, January 27th, 2014 - 53 comments
Metiria Turei delivered a very strong, inspiring, and well-targeted speech yesterday. She reclaimed fractured values of inclusive, collaborative communities. She framed inequality as the issue for the coming election; the Greens’ education hub policy central. Labour, NZEI responded favourably.
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, January 25th, 2014 - 40 comments
John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ. I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society. Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this long weekend?
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, January 23rd, 2014 - 23 comments
On the pipers, the dancers and the great unwashed.
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, January 23rd, 2014 - 97 comments
[Updated] Speeches: Key (today ZB Transcript). PM’s speech – untruths, misdirections & corporatisation of education – comment added. Cunliffe on Monday, on greater opportunities for all Kiwis. Metiria Turei’s speech, Sunday – will talk education, environment. Peters responds to Key. Greens response – education. Cunliffe’s Stand-up – audio.
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, January 23rd, 2014 - 91 comments
Deep sea oil drilling is in the news. Labour’s position is to require increased environmental standards and drillers would have to display an effective ability to clean up any disasters. The Greens would prefer to leave the oil in the ground. If there is a change of Government this year resolving this issue will pose a fascinating test of the parties.
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