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Another excellent piece by Rod Oram in the Sunday Star Times. There's actually very little to add. We're all aware of the economic and environmental issues covered but Oram does an excellent job in revealing the big picture: a country that is still over-reliant on exporting bulk and cheap,…
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The Australian Liberals' new drongo of a leader, Tony Abbott, has been widely derided for saying that Australia should ape National's economic policies: ''There are other countries which have chosen a different path, and there is no evidence that their response has been any less effective than ours,'' Abbott…
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Briar March and Lyn Collie have gained another award yesterday for their documentary There Once Was an Island:Te Henua e Noho at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana USA. This time it was a Programmers Choice Natural Fact Award. There were also four…
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At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. Link
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Prime Minister John Key is the worst enemy New Zealand's natural heritage has had in decades. Not content with the destruction caused by mining our most precious conservation areas, Key is pushing to sell off access to the conservation estate to the highest bidders. And…
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Today is a good day to reflect upon an old question - "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matthew 7:1-5). Consider the IPPC report on climate change. The…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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There will be some maintenance going on this evening starting about 7pm and hopefully not lasting long. The new site seems to be stable, so I'll be removing the old site at www2. That will allow the new site to start using widgets and to…
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Tracey Watkins writes that National is pissing off important constituencies and Labour's messages are resonating: There may not be any sign yet of the Government closing the income gap with Australia but there are certainly signs that the squeeze is starting to go on to…
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Former National Party President Michelle Boag has been told to remove herself from the consultancy charged with selecting executive staff for the Auckland Supershity, despite reassurances from Boag, her close friend John Banks (for whom she is a campaign advisor), the ATA and the Minister of…
auckland supercity community democracy corruption democratic participation national rodney hide
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So Key's "party central" plan for Queen's Wharf seems to be dead in the water, after Auckland Mayors labeled it a "monstrosity" and refused to fund it. It's not the first time that Auckland has spat the dummy over infrastructure for the World Cup. Labour…
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If you're not familiar with the manifold reasons why the news you get from corporate media is crap, here's Charlie Brooker's Newswipe. It's funny, incisive and merciless. It's also a very damning indictment of the modern Fourth Estate that explodes the myths around corporations acting…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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It is not often that I compliment the authors that write for No Minister. However I have to compliment SageNZ for his prescient post about Huljich Wealth Management - "Huljich funds and stock pumping".. I noticed the post while I was scanning their site with…
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In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century go out for a night on the town and sing about why there's a "boom and bust" cycle in modern economies and good…
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John Key and his National Party have a long and dishonourable record of trying to shut down those who speak out to oppose them. The most outrageous case was Key's attempt to shut down the "we would love to see wages drop" story by putting…
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I am flabbergasted that Labour has remained silent on Bill English's repeated lie that the economy grew just 0.9% a year in Labour's last term in government. This is your reputation and your legacy the little creep is lying about, guys. Stand up for yourselves.…
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One of the strongest arguments for keeping Radio NZ properly funded and not reliant on advertising and sponsorship is the need to give journalists the independence they need to fulfil their role as the fourth estate. While journalists at commercial stations are all too aware…
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Guess what? Editing the Herald is back for the new year and it's as sharp as ever. The Herald is still full of casual idiocy, incredible stuff ups (like the headline that went to print on page 3 as "HeadXXX"), and the bizarreness of Garth…
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When you've got a Finance Minister who can't get basic statistics right, a Social Welfare Minister who can't define her flagship policy, a Minister of Education who doesn't understand her flagship policy, and a Minister of Justice who is running scared from his government's major…
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John Key's recent stint at the Big Gay Out wasn't all target marketing and niche political branding. He also had a run in with living-wage campaigners who took him to task for his government's poor response to minimum wage earners and asked if he could…
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The Northern Action Group has, with the support of 80% of Northern Rodney District, been petitioning the Government to leave Northern Rodney out of its Supercity experiment. The Government, as throughout the Supercity process has completely ignored the wishes of the people. Symbolically, the Northern…
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I see that Simon Power is taking up some of the recommendations of the Capital Task Force. All very good. But the emphasis that Powers is putting on improving the financial literacy of New Zealanders in the spin on the decisions is quite strange bearing…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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An interesting piece from One News. Bill English gave another underwhelming speech on National's economic plan, which basically boiled down to 'tax cuts!'. We assume that business people are obsessed with tax cuts too but that's simplistic. A young businesswoman, Anna Hamilton-Manns, told English she wanted…
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Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman may have bitten off more than he can chew with his attack on Radio New Zealand. With his distaste for the very concept of public broadcasting a matter of public record it seems unlikely it ever crossed Coleman's mind that New…
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John Armstrong on our clueless Minister of Education, Anne Tolley: "Ask the average person how the concept of "inter-school moderation" will work and you are likely to get a very blank look. Ask the Minister of Education the same question and you would expect an…
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Have a listen to today's interview of Helen Clark by RNZ's Kathryn Ryan on the UNDP and aid strategies during times of international recession. Such a pleasure to hear a PM who's clearly completely on top of their game, who speaks with credibility, a solid…
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So the Nats are attacking National Radio. It had to happen. Last time the wee blighters were in power they tore down RNZ's building, locked them into an absurdly expensive lease in an inappropriate building, tried to make them a commercial radio station and pushed…