Archive for August, 2010

  • frog

    Greg O’Connor – an apologist for Police thuggery - by frog



    In 2006, Rawiri Falwasser was seriously injured in the Whakatane police cells from being beaten for 20 minutes and pepper sprayed 65 times by Sergeants Keith Parsons and Erle Busby, Constable John Mills and Senior Constable Bruce Laing. Yesterday the Independent Police Conduct Authority found the officers’ actions “unnecessary, unreasonable, and unjustified”. Earlier this year, [...] read more
    August 7, 2010 10:23 am - 51 Comments
  • frog

    General debate 7th August 2010 - by frog



    Sally forth… read more
    August 7, 2010 7:40 am - 68 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    Woods is the wrong man to investigate dodgy investigations - by Keith Locke



    The Greens didn’t go along with the parliamentary vote for three new part-time members of the Independent Police Conduct Authority. This was because one nominee was Richard Woods, the head of the SIS from 1999 to 2006, the man who presided over the Ahmed Zaoui fiasco. read more
    August 6, 2010 4:47 pm - 6 Comments
  • frog

    But most foreign investment is from nice white people like me - by frog



    John Key should be telling his Finance Minister to focus his Overseas Investment Act review on the real economic and ecological implications of increased land ownership by foreigners, rather than pandering to the xenophobic underbelly of New Zealand society whose only concern about foreign investment is that it is from “nice white people like me”. read more
    August 6, 2010 11:23 am - 52 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    NIWA on water – the science is compelling - by Russel Norman



    Interesting lead article on freshwater in the relaunched NIWA magazine, Water and Atmosphere. Trend is worsening: NIWA states that water quality is degrading in our major rivers and that the ‘upward trend in temperature, nitrogen and phosphorus has strengthened in recent years’. Source of the pollution: ‘pastoral farming… is undoubtedly the main source of diffuse [...] read more
    August 5, 2010 9:11 pm - 13 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Mangatarere Stream report – no dairy effluent storage - by Russel Norman



    This is one of the more detailed reports into a river system – the Mangatarere. Put out by Wellington regional council yesterday. The Mangatarere is in the Wairarapa and feeds into the Waiohine which feeds the Ruamahunga. It has some significant problems and the report tries to find out why. I’ve only read the Summary, [...] read more
    August 5, 2010 6:23 pm - No Comments
  • Sue Kedgley

    Animal Welfare bill could be great news for pigs - by Sue Kedgley



    I am delighted my private members bill, the Animal Welfare Amendment (Treatment of Animals) bill has been selected from the parliamentary ballot, and will have its first reading in about a month. read more
    August 5, 2010 4:45 pm - 17 Comments
  • Kennedy Graham

    Phased milestones vs ‘Nanny State’: Exchanging views with Mr Brownlee - by Kennedy Graham



    I questioned Gerry Brownlee in the House about his recent draft Energy Strategy. The ideological blinkers are clearly preventing us from moving purposefully towards a low-carbon economy. read more
    August 5, 2010 10:02 am - 25 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Large scale irrigation -> Intensive dairy -> water pollution - by Russel Norman



    Yesterday we heard from David Carter that central govt wants to subsidise large scale irrigation projects in Canterbury and elsewhere.  And Morning Report is running with the story of a mega- irrigation project right across Canterbury, details sketchy but ‘exciting’. The water would be used to spread intensive dairy across huge swathes of Canterbury. The proponents [...] read more
    August 5, 2010 9:20 am - 10 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Trains are cheaper than helicopters - by Gareth Hughes



    Recently Steven Joyce, our Minister of Trucking Transport, claimed it would cost less to fly somebody by helicopter from Hamilton to Auckland than it would to subsidize a commuter rail service between the two cities. Luckily, Hamilton City Councillors quickly responded, pointing out that the actual cost of subsidizing a commuter rail service is hundreds [...] read more
    August 4, 2010 3:50 pm - 24 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Carter is responsible for the Pork Board - by Russel Norman



    David Carter’s relentless avoidance of responsiblity over the Pork Board is unacceptable. He is the Minister responsible and he has the power to sack the Board. The thing is that the directors of the Pork Industry Board are required to act in ‘good faith’ under Schedule 1 of the Pork Industry Board Act 1997. And if the Minister [...] read more
    August 4, 2010 1:50 pm - 4 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    ‘Community’ Irrigation Fund and the Hurunui River - by Russel Norman



    One of the questions in the House today is a patsy to David Carter about progress on Community Irrigation projects, no doubt funded by the Community Irrigation Fund established by Labour and carried on by National. There are some issues that won’t be asked but it would be interesting to hear the answer to. Like, [...] read more
    August 4, 2010 1:28 pm - No Comments
  • Kevin Hague

    Key should challenge mental health stereotypes, not perpetuate them - by Kevin Hague



    When I was a schoolboy, one of the common schoolyard taunts was to refer to someone as “mental” or “loony”.  Through most of last century, mental illness was a highly stigmatised issue, and people with mental health problems were hidden away from the rest of society, often untreated and/or mistreated, in what were once known [...] read more
    August 4, 2010 11:45 am - 44 Comments
  • frog

    General debate 4th August 2010 - by frog



    What’s buggin’ ya? read more
    August 4, 2010 8:11 am - 40 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    FTAs and foreign ownership of land - by Russel Norman



    One of the unexplored issues of the foreign ownership of land debate is the impact of the free trade agreements on the ability to prevent foreign ownership of land. Basically the impact of the FTAs is that we can maintain our existing rules on foreign ownership, including ownership of land, but we cannot tighten the rules without breaching [...] read more
    August 3, 2010 8:44 pm - 9 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Bazley comments on Canterbury water are a worry - by Russel Norman



    These reported comments by Margaret Bazley are a real worry: Canterbury has “plenty of water” and people worried about rapid changes in its regulation need to be educated, says Environment Canterbury (ECan) head commissioner Dame Margaret Bazley. There is not plenty of water, it seems that Bazley needs to be educated if these comments are accurate. [...] read more
    August 3, 2010 7:58 pm - 3 Comments
  • frog

    Youth MP speeches — Harry Lusk - by frog



    Here is Harry Lusk – Keith Lockes’ Youth MP – giving a General Debate speech at Youth Parliament last month. My speech is based on one simple question: should the New Zealand people not have the right to elect whoever holds the highest position in our land? I speak to you, my fellow youth parliamentarians, [...] read more
    August 3, 2010 1:40 pm - 14 Comments
  • frog

    John Delaney: Wiring an interactive ocean - by frog



    Oceanographer John Delaney talks about how we are already beginning to wire up the ocean and how important this is for the survival of our species. Have a look and get inspired. read more
    August 3, 2010 11:19 am - 4 Comments
  • frog

    Photo – mystery - by frog



    read more
    August 2, 2010 4:07 pm - 23 Comments
  • frog

    It’s a shambles, Mrs Tolley - by frog



    Teacher and songwriter Clint Green’s take on National Standards read more
    August 2, 2010 1:24 pm - 56 Comments
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