Archive for December, 2009

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  Maori participation in Auckland SuperCity – Not! - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  It seems that Rodney Hide has yet again turned up to Cabinet with his papers and been allowed to advance (?) Auckland Governance another step closer to the shambles it will almost certainly become.  The prospects for meaningful Maori participation look like being close to zero. From Cabinet papers released today, we learn that the [...] read more
  December 3, 2009 11:14 pm - 98 Comments
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  TVNZ – step up to the Convention - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  TVNZ might be at risk of becoming blasé about complaints to the Human Rights Commission. After all, it is becoming a regular occurrence thanks to their ongoing support for Paul Henry’s barking and dog whistling. Henry is willing to incite prejudice and contempt for women who are not Barbie and people with intellectual impairments. read more
  December 3, 2009 6:41 pm - 59 Comments
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  Faux savings from gutting ACC - by frog

  
  
  
  Shunting injured people off ACC onto welfare benefits where they may languish for years rather than rehabilitating them into employment is a false saving – as bad for the economy as it is for the injured person. read more
  December 3, 2009 1:52 pm - 7 Comments
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  Nick Smith: I don’t know and I don’t care - by frog

  
  
  
  Nick Smith doesn’t know the most basic statistical information necessary to determine the likely extent of cost containment or the impact on claimants of going back to the 1999 work capacity policy. What’s more, he’s not even prepared to have ACC do the analysis to find out. What a shambles! read more
  December 3, 2009 9:59 am - 2 Comments
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  Bring SAS troops home from Afghanistan! - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s good that New Zealand won’t be sending any more troops to Afghanistan. However, that’s not because John Key has just seen the light. With its existing troop commitments – in Afghanistan, the Solomons and East Timor – the NZ Defence Force simply doesn’t have any troops to spare. I’m asking John Key to look [...] read more
  December 3, 2009 9:58 am - 17 Comments
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  Sue Bradford up for Human Rights award! - by frog

  
  
  
  I would like to congratulate Sue Bradford for being nominated for the Amnesty International Human Rights Defender Award. read more
  December 2, 2009 5:03 pm - 24 Comments
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  General debate, 2nd Dec, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  Unleash the mayhem! Some stuff I’ve come across today Mexicans sending money to relatives in the US Banking doom A map of the coming collapse No point in arguing read more
  December 2, 2009 3:14 pm - 62 Comments
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  Paula delivers a miserly sop to beneficiaries - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s miserly sop to sole parents trying to get an education is just another slap in the face. It was bad enough that Paula abandoned her own community when she scrapped the Training Incentive Allowance. Now this new $500 loan is an insult to all those men and women who struggle [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 2:00 pm - 39 Comments
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  The Ghost of Budgets Past - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Like someone watching a bad zombie movie, we have now been subjected to the unnerving sight of Don the Undead emerging from the darkness, rattling the chains of thoroughly discredited twenty-five year-old Treasury advice, and offering a prescription for putting the Government on a diet that would make a supermodel blush. I’m talking about the first [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 1:57 pm - 9 Comments
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  Hugging trees: with a spade, trap and chainsaw - by frog

  
  
  
  A Wellington couple, entreprenuerial tree-huggers if you wish, criticise Fed Farmer’s head-in-the-sand attitude on climate change in the Nelson Mail today. They’ve invested in carbon farming a 47ha block of marginal land in Golden Bay. Jonathan Kennett and Bronwen Wall aren’t wringing their hands or seeking emissions subsidy handouts; they’re getting their hands dirty planting [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 1:16 pm - No Comments
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  Disintegrated Ticketing - by frog

  
  
  
  In a bizzare twist Snapper announced today that they are planning to introduce their own integrated ticketing system into Auckland. As the Herald reports their announcement comes just days before the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) are expected to announce they have finally given the integrated ticketing contract [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 1:14 pm - 8 Comments
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  Problems with emissions trading – The Story of Cap & Trade - by frog

  
  
  
  A compelling wee video that exposes the problems of emissions trading from the same person that made The Story of Stuff. The Greens have been keen on a carbon tax since 1993, and only supported Labour’s ETS after much soul searching and negotiating some big improvements as it was the only game in town. It was [...] read more
  December 2, 2009 12:54 pm - 10 Comments
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  Free West Papua - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Merdeka! Freedom is a human right! I have formed a group of Parliamentarians in support of West Papua and I wrote to the Indonesian President yesterday suggesting that a peace process could benefit all and offering support from our country for some progress towards that end. read more
  December 2, 2009 12:48 pm - No Comments
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  2025 Taskforce a tragi-comic farce - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Hard to believe and tragic that Don Brash and his cohorts would seriously recommend REDUCING minimum wage rates back to 1999 ratios, and reinstating the youth minimum wage. read more
  December 1, 2009 4:55 pm - 96 Comments
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  Tax Working Group conference - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  I spent a few hours at the Tax Working Group conference at Victoria Uni today. It’s good that we are having a reasonably open debate about tax policy. I particularly enjoyed the discussions about capital gains taxes and land taxes and pros and cons of those. They will inform Green Party policy debates.  The really [...] read more
  December 1, 2009 4:42 pm - 16 Comments
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  Time for debate in NZ on discriminatory royal succession rules - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Britain’s current dilemma over the discriminatory nature of royal succession will hopefully stimulate a similar debate in New Zealand. The timing is good, now that my Head of State Referenda Bill – to see whether Kiwis want to stay with the monarchy – has been picked from the Private Member’s Bill Ballot. read more
  December 1, 2009 2:27 pm - 35 Comments
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  Goff delivers wedge to split the left - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  For all the indignation at the response to his speech , what did Goff expect whanau and hapu would hear in it? He starts with a criticism of Hone, he attacks the Maori Party, he promotes unjust treaty settlements and he defends the discriminatory foreshore legislation. And all delivered to a predominately Pakeha audience. How [...] read more
  December 1, 2009 10:14 am - 50 Comments
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  Green MP praises McDonalds – just the once! - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  McDonalds is the first fast food retailer – in fact the first large commercial business in New Zealand – to commit to using free range eggs in 19 of its restaurants in New Zealand. read more
  December 1, 2009 10:07 am - 10 Comments
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  Racing Greens - by frog

  
  
  
  This Saturday just past, four Green MPs made their way up to Taupo to compete in New Zealand’s largest bicycle race. Each MP rode 40km of the 160km around Lake Taupo as part of a relay team: the Racing Greens…but were they riding to win? Here’s a lighthearted look at how our MPs trained and [...] read more
  December 1, 2009 8:03 am - 3 Comments
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  World AIDS Day Today - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  December 1st is World AIDS Day, and should be a reminder for us all that we stand still in the midst of a global pandemic that will continue to have profound impacts on the global community. For me it’s always a day of multiple emotions and jumbled thoughts. I think principally of all those friends [...] read more
  December 1, 2009 7:44 am - 8 Comments