Archive for December, 2011

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  Patents, Pacific Partnerships, and (com)puters - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Have a read of this interesting opinion piece on NBR about the ramifications the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will have for software patents in New Zealand. I think the most interesting part that Paul Matthews hits on is that by signing the TPPA, New Zealand law could be overridden. New Zealand recently completed a [...] read more
  December 14, 2011 4:11 pm - 3 Comments
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  Horizons chairman hot under the collar on World Cup Tickets - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  On Sunday we released information gained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that several regional councillors had received gifts and hospitality from Fonterra in the form of Rugby World Cup tickets for quarterfinal and bronze medal matches. There is a clear conflict of interest when the regulator is accepting gifts from the [...] read more
  December 14, 2011 12:28 pm - 2 Comments
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  General debate, December 13, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
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  December 13, 2011 8:34 am - 22 Comments
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  Catching up with Australia - by frog

  
  
  
  New Zealand is finally catching up with Australia – at cricket! Australia 136 and 233 (Warner 123*, Bracewell 6-40) lost to New Zealand 150 and 226 by seven runs. Pity we can’t do this with wages too, but the Government’s policies will result in that gap widening. read more
  December 12, 2011 5:59 pm - 6 Comments
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  Survey shows we can turn around low voter turnout - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The final election results were released over the weekend bringing with them some good news and some bad news. The good news: the Greens achieved a record result, including our bonus 14th MP Mojo Mathers. The bad news: official voter turnout was only 74.21%, the lowest in over 100 years. This record low voter turnout [...] read more
  December 12, 2011 5:37 pm - 16 Comments
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  John Key’s new Cabinet announced - by frog

  
  
  
  Prime Minister John Key announced his new Cabinet this morning. The line-up is pretty predictable, but some of the portfolio allocations and rankings are interesting: The big winners are Steven Joyce and Hekia Parata, moving up 10 and 13 places respectively in the Cabinet ranking. Parata replaces Anne Tolley as Minister of Education. Paula Bennett’s [...] read more
  December 12, 2011 1:02 pm - 10 Comments
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  New report on ‘New Media’ - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The Law Commission have today called for submissions on their latest issue paper The News Media Meets ‘New Media’. The paper is a thorough look at the state of how media, blogs, social media, and such are currently regulated, what the loopholes are, and it gives suggestions for where the Government may want to change [...] read more
  December 12, 2011 12:38 pm - 2 Comments
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  Is Anyone Out There? Failure on Climate Change at Durban - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  In Durban, the Kyoto Protocol is kept on life support. Kyoto is, of course, the only binding climate instrument with specific emission targets. It compels the world’s worst emitters to reduce emissions. But it has always been inadequate in itself – a first step to greater things. And it terminates within 12 months. The 194 [...] read more
  December 11, 2011 12:28 pm - 113 Comments
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  Good Green gains in final election results - by frog

  
  
  
  The final election results are out, and the great news is that the Greens have achieved an historic high of 11.06% of the party vote.  That gives us one additional MP to the election night count – the talented Mojo Mathers. Mojo’s election will cause a shake-up in the way things work around Parliament.  Shamefully, [...] read more
  December 10, 2011 9:50 pm - 5 Comments
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  Political window dressing is not an appropriate response to abuse - by Jan Logie

  
  
  
  The appalling and heart-wrenching situation for the woman in Invercargill whose rapist moved in next door highlights several areas for legislative review and policy & funding change. This woman has an indefinite protection order in place but this does nothing to prevent her abuser moving in next door. The police have been for a ‘chat’ and [...] read more
  December 10, 2011 2:53 pm - 5 Comments
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  Thanking our gracious hosts: Minister Groser and the Durban Conference - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Minister Timothy Groser, fresh from electoral triumph back home, has alighted upon Durban this week. Yesterday he delivered our country’s main speech to the UN climate change conference – the 17th meeting of the parties to the UN Framework Convention. “I would like to acknowledge”, he begins, “and thank our gracious hosts, South Africa, and [...] read more
  December 9, 2011 12:58 pm - 2 Comments
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  There ain’t no party like an ICC State Party: Vanuatu joins the Court - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  “A treaty is not a law imposed by a superior authority on its subordinates [but] only a contract whose signatories cannot decree penalties against themselves since there would be no one to implement them. The only reasonable guarantee should lie in the creation of international jurisdiction with the necessary power to compel obedience”. Prophetic words [...] read more
  December 9, 2011 10:31 am - No Comments
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  General debate, December 9, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
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  December 9, 2011 6:35 am - 58 Comments
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  Protecting our rivers - by frog

  
  
  
  Protecting our rivers The New Zealand Conservation Authority’s (NZCA’s) call for an inventory of outstanding rivers and secure protection for a representative range of rivers is timely. As Authority notes, “All is not well with New Zealand rivers and there is increasing public concern about their state.” While development proceeds apace, river protection has lagged [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 11:09 am - 4 Comments
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  Inequality solutions there, if we’re willing - by Holly Walker

  
  
  
  The OECD has confirmed what we already suspected with its ground-breaking report on inequality – Divided We Fall. The gap between rich and poor has grown exponentially since the 1980s in most developed countries – but none more so than in New Zealand. read more
  December 8, 2011 10:41 am - 78 Comments
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  Secrecy around animal experiments must stop - by Steffan Browning

  
  
  
  The closing down of Valley Animal Research Centre’s (VARC) experimental beagle operation must be just the beginning of closing down inhumane animal experiments throughout New Zealand. The last available statistics (2010) show that at least 56,208 animals suffered medium to very high impact in New Zealand animal experiments in just one year. Secrecy around animal [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 10:00 am - 5 Comments
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  The future will be walkable - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Last week I went to watch my colleague and friend Holly Walker on the Backbenches TV show (14’30”). Being a new MP myself, Damien came up to me in the audience for some freshman hazing. He asked me what I hoped to achieve in the next three years. Quite ambitiously, I launched into a short [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 8:02 am - 11 Comments
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  “Choice” versus fairness in education - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Why is it that this country continues to adopt failed models from elsewhere instead of strengthening our own structures based on our own experience? The schools and communities of South Auckland and Eastern Christchurch are being used to justify ideological experimentation. After all there are many good schools doing their best in these regions and [...] read more
  December 7, 2011 5:08 pm - 71 Comments
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  Massive anti-mining protests in Peru - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s not just New Zealanders who are increasingly rejecting the tired old rhetoric about “balancing” environmental protection with economic progress used to excuse environmental degradation. This from Cajamarca, Peru: read more
  December 7, 2011 2:45 pm - 3 Comments
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  Minister should come clean on uneconomic motorways - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  What does the Minister have to hide on his expensive motorways? read more
  December 7, 2011 2:07 pm - 2 Comments