Nick Smith announced National's changes to the ACC board this afternoon. As expected they've kicked Wayne Butson and Ross Wilson off the board, meaning ACC no longer has any worker representation. In their place are a mixed bag of company directors and consultants headed by…
Professor Paul Callaghan from Victoria University introduces the 'Think Tech' site via video. Panelists will look at what sorts of new technologies, in ICTs, nano-technologies, or bio-technologies, are likely to emerge in the future, and the effects these could have on our society and on…
I've just listened to Sean Plunket interview Goff this morning. It was actually less of an interview and more an exercise in running cover for Richard Worth. And of course it's not the first time Plunket has gone feral when National has been in trouble.…
Breakfast host Paul Henry is in trouble again after making fun of a guest's appearance. "Shall I read these out? They're a bit iffy," he said, holding viewers' comments. "Everyone in my ear is saying 'don't read it out'." Co-host Alison Mau tried unsuccessfully to…
Despite getting a "bollocking" from John Key, Richard Worth last night denied that he had been acting as a minister when he went around India promoting flight training provided by a company he had shares in. Unfortunately for Worth, they have the internet in India…
It's time for Bill English, as shareholding minister in Air New Zealand, to tell the AirNZ board that either they fire CEO Robert Fyfe or he will fire them. Yesterday, Fyfe directly attacked two government policies. First, he threatened to cancel flights if air traffic…
National rode to power off the back of years of rhetoric accusing the last Labour government of corruption. Who can forget the screams from the Nats? - "Corrupt! Corrupt! Corrupt!" they cried. The boys in blue were going to deliver us a new era of…
Idiot/Savant has a great post in an aussie blog Larvatus Prodeo on the legal and operational differences between our Official Information Act 1982 compared to the Australian Freedom Of Information Act. Journalists, academics, lobby groups, opposition politicians and ordinary troublemakers like me are routinely given…
Peter Williams QC was on Breakfast this morning giving a refreshingly frank assessment of the problems with our prison and justice systems - specifically how *not* to solve them: Our prisons are a complete and absolute disgrace but they're not going to be helped by…
Anna at The Handmirror has written a good post on Paul Henry and his obnoxious glee in denigrating someone for their appearance. I'm going to quote it in full for wider attention. TVNZ has received a number of complaints about Paul Henry, following his making…
Does anyone know why DairyNZ, the seafood industry, and the forestry industry are running ad campaigns at the moment? They're strange ad campaigns because they don't try to get you to buy anything. ('oh, yeah, fish! I forgot about fish'). The dairy industry isn't trying to get more…
The irony of this article struck me when this week the well-off get the biggest boost to their wallet. From the Guardian : The chancellor is preparing to channel cash to poorer families in his budget as part of a mini-fiscal stimulus to kick-start the…