Interestingly the large majority of those indigenous languages survived. Why - because the people took it upon themselves to teach them to future generations. They didnt wait for or expect schools to do it for them. Maori is one part of NZ culture not its entire culture.
Ill be happy for Labour to end kids sport fast food sponsorship wen they end adult alcohol sponsorship. Without fast food sponsorship many kids sporting events wont take place. That will result in their playing less sport & potentially more obese kids. What is laughable is many of the governments ministers are obviously overweight & here they are telling kids to eat better.
How about first of all we raise the pension qualifying period for immigrants from 10 years to 20 years as it is in most other countries. The same should apply to New Zealanders who work overseas most of their lives, pay no NZ tax then return home & collect the pension. Or maybe the government could reign in its foreign aid spend up. It may surprise some but this years budget is $715 million dollars. What did Papa New Guinea do with the money? It brought 40 Maserati cars to drive APEC leaders around. Not to mention the $9 million we have given PNG to improve its power supply. It didnt matter that thousands of NZ pensioners struggle to pay their power bills. Not to mention many of those well off, relatively wealthy pensioners the writer refers to live in rest homes, in small bedrooms, with $30 a week of their pension left over after paying the owners.
A real world, unbiased view from a person who has worked in the private sector & as a teacher. The ideas presented are real solutions. Unfortunately the union & most teachers are unlikely to give them the time of day. No amount of money will make teachers jobs any better. If they dont enjoy their jobs, they should move on to a greener pastures. Most wont because they know they are already are in one of greenest pastures.
The full & final Claytons settlements. $1 billion paid out & the average Maori in the streets lot has not improved one iota. They are still over represented in crime stats, poor educational results, lack of home ownership, etc. It is time the money was used to help all Maori not just the select few at the top of the table.
We have / are already paying for it. The tolls are called income tax & rates.Whats happened to Labours no new taxes a road toll is effectively a selective tax.
We cant afford to provide dental assistance to those in need, hospital waiting lists are ridiculous but the government can still give millions to Papa New Guinea & $100 million to the Americas Cup. What a joke this & previous governments are.
Some interesting information here. There is no doubt in some cases Maori were robbed. One question comes to mind. What did Maori do with the 21,250 pounds they were paid? Back then it was an enormous amount of money & if well invested could be worth a lot of money today.
There is a simple solution for the writer - She can put a No Circulars sign on her letterbox. That way she will never need to see a circular advertising underwear again.
Councils put up camp ground operators rates with impunity & then take away their business livelihoods by allowing freedom camping. Even worse they aid these bludgers by building toilets for them using the rates money the camp ground owners have paid. Councils need to wake up & smell the roses, freedom campers are of little value to economies. They should be working at attracting tourists with money who will provide businesses with income which will in turn help create jobs.
As the government is realising the revenue it will lose the ban is becoming the oil industry equivalent to Claytons - The ban you have when you dont have a ban.
Couldnt agree with Ar Z decision more. While other businesses might not be so upfront about their tattoo policies, many will not employ people with visible ink.
Agree with the proposal. However, I think it should go further & scrap the outrageous superannuation contributions MPs get. They should get contributions similar to other NZ workers & not the $2.50 for every $1.00 they currently get.
I know immigrants from Russians to Pacific Islanders. They want their children to speak their cultures language. They have taken responsibility for this & teach it to them in their own time, not other peoples. If the language is so vital to NZ why arent the Green Party & its supporters encouraging those who believe this to do the same?
Their are always two sides to every story & Murdochs is no exception. However, he did one thing right & that was to avoid talking to John Reason. Mr Reason was well known for finding fault with the All Blacks at every opportunity & writing disparagingly about them. While he might not have being diplomatic when introduced to Mr Reason, Murdoch was right to trust his instincts.
Some people dont mind being called pakeha others do - so what. We are all individuals & should be able to choose what we label ourselves. Pakeha, New Zealander, European, Maori what does it matter? What matters is whatever a person decides to label him or herself should be respected by others. The more people like Joe make an issue of our differences rather accepting peoples freedom of choice the more divided New Zealand will become.
What about the business owners rights. Its his money, time & creativity invested nobody elses. Therefore, it should be his decision who to bake for, he shouldnt be dictated to by a parliamentary statute.
Years in existence, billions of dollars in funding & a complete failure. If the UN was a business it would have been bankrupted decades ago. Run by a bunch of has been politicians, full of their own self importance, earning ridiculous amounts of money, conducting talk feasts & achieving very little.
The system should be extended to those who suffer serious illness which prevents them from working. How is an injury from a car accident, sometimes self inflicted under the influence of alcohol, any worse than suffering from a serious illness such as cancer. The cancer is not deliberately self inflicted but the financial impact & ability to work are the same as people injured in accidents.
Ultimately the blame lies with the government of the day, National & its appointed EQC leaders. Say what you like about IAG & other insurers, but they have been allowed to operate as they have due to an inept minister & poor Prime Ministerial leadership. While National bathed in the glory of an economic windfall as a result of the earthquake, people like the Walkers became casualties in the race for National & the EQC to achieve economic goals at all costs.The Walkers are not alone, in Christchurch there are many like them. I am left wondering how the $24 million wasted on John Keys ego driven flag referendum, could have helped bring about quicker & better outcomes for the Walkers, others & Christchurch in general.
The game is a shameful example to young people no matter what sport they play. Players surrounding & harassing the ref, refs lacking any guts to use their cards to stop them, players one moment withering in pain feigning injuries to milk penalties, then running freely 20 seconds later & coaches berating sideline officials. The game has descended into a farce & as a result ruined by this carry on.
The real question is where is Masseys Chancellor, Micheal Ahie, in all this? Surely he should be taking a lead role by confirming his support for his Vice Chancellor. If he doesnt agree with her then he should confirm he supports freedom of speech on the campus by asking Mr Brash to return to Massey to give his speech or apologising to him on behalf of Massey University.
Andy have a look at the match stats to find out which team was outplayed. I thought England reserves played much better than its first choice players, even tho they blew a 15 point lead.
The government has given away $8 billion in income by shutting down oil exploration. It has no corresponding plans to reduce spending, in fact it is increasing it at a rapid rate. Therefore, its only option is to tax hard working new Zealanders any which way it can.Lets not forget what the leader of the Tax Working Group, Micheal Cullen called wealthy people rich pricks . With that attitude & massive income deficit what else can NZ expect but mote taxes.
The TDC is owned by the ratepayers. Every asset purchased & wage paid is funded by them. Unfortunately for the ratepayers, the CE has forgotten this. Decisions involving expenditure having a significant impact both economically & environmentally on ratepayers should not be discussed behind closed doors. If Shane Jones thinks the dam is of national importance, his government should pay for it. Otherwise the farmer businesses who by far & away will benefit most should pay.
There was no great escape, the English player was offside plus came around the side of the ruck, both are penalties. The headline should be All Blacks Great Comeback. But as per normal NZ sports reporters can only see the negatives.
A compelling read, which has me questioning my own driving skills & approach. It should be put on the front page of every newspaper & the lead story for their websites. To those making negative comments - more fool you. To the writer - thank you.
Mark says But the doctors dont know. They are at best taking an educated guess. He then states My understanding of the science is that future risk increases with every concussion. If the doctors dont know (Crotty has seen specialists)how does science & how is it Mark knows more? Once again we get the vitriol about All Black foul play. He conveniently forgets the ref, two assistant refs, a video ref & citing commissioner all concluded nothing illegal happened. Its all rather tiring, even if the intention is click bating. Mark goes on to say everybody involved in NZ rugby needs to wake up. With respect maybe he that needs to wake up.
No surprises here, we build leaky homes so why wouldnt our highways be any different. Everything is done on the cheap so successive governments can fund their pet projects. $100 million for the Americas Cup, plus all the millions on campaigns before, $25 million for a new flag, billion dollar regional bribe fund, too many politicians funding their pet projects, over the top Maori settlements, the list is endless. The end result is theres not enough money to do things properly as a result our infrastructure is third world.
I thought he & all his fellow actors going to leave the US if Trump won the election. They are all still there proving they are have even less credibility than President Trump.
Many times lies come from the news media in the form of unbalanced reporting. They pick & chose sound bites & failings that favor their agendas. Trump is referred to above & is a good example above. The NZ media are particularly biased at reporting his failings. But when do they report his successes, for example the much improved US economic outlook, job growth, renegotiated trade deals that give US businesses a fair deal, theres quite a list. Kavanaugh, is another good example. Despite there being no supporting evidence & what evidence (if any) was available the accuser refused to release it. Yet the reports released on NZ media unanimously promoted Kavanaughs accusers version of the story as being accurate. The point is lies come in many forms & the media could do a lot to improve the situation by being balanced in their reporting..
Surety the resource consent detailing the councils approval conditions for the fence would have shown on the LIM report, which hopefully was obtained by the purchasers. If its not on the LIM, then the council have some liability to the purchasers. Also, the former owners are liable under the law. They are obligated to disclose known problems to intending purchasers.
If growers & farmers need water then they should ban together & build their own dams. Why should others bare the cost of something they get little benefit from. The old chestnut about these businesses creating jobs etc for the region doesnt wash. Ultimately growers & farmers will reap the profits. Therefore they should pay.
Alwyn has written what the majority of the public, particularly parents are saying about teachers & their inept union. The Ministry of Education needs to also take some responsibility. Its wet blanket approach to discipline & policies have put pupils rights before all else eroding their respect for teachers. As a result teachers have left the profession & potential teachers have found better employment options.
How is it gay people can act as straight people & nobody, especially gays complains.. But when a straight person plays a gay person there is an uproar. It seems quite hypercritical to me
The normal corporate clap trap is being recycled again. How many times have we heard these platitudes after a company suffers a major loss.The new CEO of Fletchers said exactly the same. Everybody at the top keeps their jobs. The CEO rides into the sunset with a pay out & one his 2ICs replaces him. What needs to be questioned is why isnt the board is resigning. They stood by Spierings & his decisions while Fonterra lurched from one disaster to the next. At the the time receiving large directors fees for their expert over sight of the business & its management. It would male a great Tui Billboard if they were still around:Fonterras Board has it all under control - Yeah right!
Labour & NZ First should be going after the real tax dodgers, Apple, Amazon, Google etc who divert their NZ profits to their offshore entities to avoid paying tax to NZ.. Cullen had a lot of foresight tho when he introduced Kiwisaver, now we know why. Once the pot got big enough Labour could tax hard working New Zealanders savings earned from income already taxed to increase its tax take. Whats next Labour a Death Duty Tax? Labours coalition partners name, NZ First, is a con. In no way is it putting New Zealanders first we are a distant last when it comes to holding on to baubles of power..
Why isnt the government targeting the tax avoiding multi nationals like Google, Apple, Amazon etc instead of hard working New Zealanders? Before attacking its own citizens Labour should be stopping these companies avoiding paying fair taxes.
Jono Naylors comment Even for people who are concerned about the price, its a bit of a moot point is not surprising. After all when he was became a list MP, he had no qualms about still collecting his mayoral salary for 3 months, even tho he was also being paid as a MP.
While there have been wrongs in respect of land confiscations etc. The compensation settlements made were accepted by Maori, after much consultation among the various iwi. On this basis it is fair to say they considered the settlement offers fair value. Also there have been & are many initiatives in place by governments worth many millions of dollars that benefit Maori only. Perhaps these should be included in the above settlement calculations as well.
The claim Kate Shepard lead womens suffrage is somewhat of a myth. Well before Shepard, leading male politicians, John Hall, Robert Stout, Julius Vogel, William Fox and John Ballance, supported womens suffrage. In 1878, 1879 and 1887 these men promoted bills extending the vote to women, which only narrowly failed to pass in Parliament. Shepards first petition was many years later in 1891. Perhaps these men along with the 20 male member of parliament, who resisted enormous pressure, to give women the vote in 1893, should be celebrated alongside Kate Shepard.
The minister states he wants to improve New Zealanders living standards, but at the same time wants to raise the refugee quota. Increasing the refugee quota will not improve our living standards. The money that could be helping New Zealanders into housing, reducing hospital waiting times, improving education outcomes for children, paying teachers, nurses, police fair wages & building essential infrastructure will in many cases be used to pay for the increased cost of refugees. It is an oxymoron that Labours coalition partner s named NZ First when in many cases New Zealanders are not being put first.
The fact is average New Zealand wage earners cannot afford to purchase non sweat shop clothing.The cost of clothing made in ethical countries, NZ included is outrageous. In many cases the very companies selling the clothing are the ones paying minimum wages, yet making huge profits. How is that different from sweat shop business owners?
In the unlikely event Lawes wasnt offside, replays clearly show he was guilty of entering the ruck from the side. The rules are clear, a player must enter the ruck through the gate not from the side.
Otago Girls High have provided a solution. They dont offer metal work classes, girls who want to learn this can go to Otago Boys High. Southland Girls High pupils should be able to have the same arrangement with Southland Boys High for metal & wood work. A return agreement would provide SBH pupils the opportunity to attend soft materials classes (formerly known as sewing). This gives both sexes not just one an equal opportunity to study subjects of interest to them.
Perhaps young voters are a lot smarter than the writer gives them credit for. They have seen thru the politicians empty promises & election year bribes & registered their distain by not voting.
Rather than investing in an efficient system to burn or recycle the plastic in a environmentally friendly way, New Zealand takes its traditional third world patch up approach. At the same time hitting the already over taxed community with another increase. The government will claim theres no money for such a system. However, it can still blithely fork $100 million for the Americas Cup, thats far more important than protecting NZs long term environmental future. Where are the Green party now?
She came across as a bully & the petulant player she has always being. Who can forget her actions at same event in 2009 when she said to a lineswomen I swear to god Ill xxxxing take the ball & shove it down your xxxxing throat. Was she standing up for women then? Not surprisingly she was losing the match then as well. Go back thru her career & there is a history of similar behaviour & lack of respect for other players, umpires & the press. Williams claims she is standing up for women, I doubt her opponent thought so. Williams excuses about not knowing her coaches singles dont wash ether & only serve to make her defence even more implausible.
Why should the taxpayer fund rugby players. Like fools we have done this for Americas Cup participants for years, many are now millionaires. The tax payer was promised the money would reap them numerous future rewards. Where are they? Funding has been poured in since 1995. The result, a low wage economy, poor infrastructure, increased homelessness, hospital waiting lists etc. The truth is the money has benefitted a minority not the majority, The NZRU needs to realise it will have to select All Blacks from overseas as other nations do. Football has done this successfully for many years. If the NZRU wants to get more money from its player investment it should start charging transfer fees not the tax payer.
Once Labours soft on crime policies get thru the situation will only get worse. Criminals will soon be walking the streets with their ankle bracelets on. They will become criminals new bling, worn like a badge of honour.
While I agree with his actions, McCormick took action years ago, long before political correctness & Sue Bradfords new law was in place. If he did the same today the police would charge him with assault, the school would trespass him, he would be vilified in social media, his employer would sack him for some breach of his employment conditions & the bully would be give a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket.
Williams scar tissue is her abhorrent petulant behaviour at the US Open & other events over many years. During this time she has verbally abused & threatened lines people, ball boys / girls, the press & umpires. Most of the incidents have taken place when she is losing or has lost. Ther double standard is a myth. Men were received twice as many penalties than women at the US Open this & last year.
I wonder what Serenas daughter will make of this performance & the numerous other attacks her mother has made on umpires & lines people when she is old enough to watch them on you tube. .
Maybe it is time school children went on strike. Children effected by teachers who do their job badly should strike & stay home for 3 days. After this, if teaching standards do not improve they should give Principals 3 days notice of rolling strike action until these teachers performance improves. Unfortunately it will never happen & poor teachers will continue to teach poorly, protected by their union who refuses to believe they exist.As a result the publics perception of the many excellent teachers who do a great job is diminished.
Improvements made without council authority. We all know who calls the tune its the council employees not the councillors. Its the tail wagging the dog.
We are told to save for our retirement. which many are doing or have done. Then along comes Labour who want to introduce capital gains tax.Savings are already taxed but thats not good enough for Labour, double dipping is its speciality. Once again those who are responsible end up paying for those who are irresponsible.
If you are a farmer & a government decision forces the closure of you business, as in the case of Mycoplasma bovis, you get compensation. The government decision to ban plastic bags will force the closure of Kiwi Plastics. Therefore it seems only fair the owners are compensated in a similar fashion to the way farmers are.
Who owns the properties the government or the property owners? Surely if you are the owner it is your right to set the rules of occupancy. Forcing policies like this on property owners will drive them out of the businesses. The end result of that will be less properties to rent & as a result more homeless people
Good call. Now what about The Minister for women working out the value of mens unpaid work: Lawn mowing, gardening, car washing, car maintenance house washing, light bulb changing, house painting, the stress of being the sole income earner etc, etc. Maybe it should be the job of The Minister for Men - Oh thats right there isnt one..
There was no outrage at the cancellation of Harawirss speech because much of what he was saying at the time was hate speech.Most people will remember his white mother f--kers email along with the many other racist comments he made. It is fair to say a majority of New Zealanders abhorred his comments. These quite possibly contributed more to racial divisions than Brashs Orewa speech ever did. Brash may have a view we dont like on the Treaty. However, most of the media & his critics have missed a vital point he wasnt even going to talk about this at Massey.
I cant see how new teachers who leave the profession after 5 years can blame their conditions or pay for doing so. It is not as if they hadnt spent time in the classroom, read the news, talked to teachers & didnt know the pay scale prior to starting their jobs. The truth is more likely to be they realised teaching wasnt for them so they moved on. This sort of turnover happens in every profession not just teaching.
Sorry mate as a New Zealander you are placed at the bottom of the heap. Unlike the old NZ when you moved into your home the new NZ has no place for compassion, feelings or care of the elderly, who make up the majority of hospital waiting lists & it doesnt matter a jot you paid tax into your 80s. The house & land you live in, have looked after, raised a family in & pay market rental for is needed to make way because of uncontrolled immigration, genuine & economic refugees. If a private landlord did the same, the Housing Minister would be shouting from the rooftops about how unjustly you are being treated.
New Zealanders eating less meat will have no impact on improving the environment. The same amount of meat will still be produced. It will be exported to throughout the world where the demand for NZ meat grows daily. In fact NZ eating less meat will have an adverse environmental effect due to the extra carbon emissions from fuel created by sending surplus meat overseas. It astounds me people like Mr Shaw are leading this country.
A major recent international study shows sugar has no benefits to health. Does that mean taxpayer funded entities should not promote eating cakes & biscuits at their fund raisers?
Meanwhile Amazon, Apple, Facebook etc make millions of dollars profit in NZ & pay a pittance in tax. It is much easy for Labour & NZ First to tax NZ business owner rather than take on American corporate owners with deep pockets.
What does NZ expect. Engineering students go to university, qualify & have a $100k plus student loan around their necks, as a reward. They then get offered a low paid graduates position paying about 35k a year. Overseas they can earn 3 times that, leaving NZ is an easy choice to make. Starting from the Lange Douglas partnership to John Key & now Jacinda Ardern governments have eroded NZ pay packets to be among the lowest. While at the same increasing our cost of living to be among the highest. Think housing, petrol, rates, food, GST, power the list goes on.
What about cows & sheep welfare, their situation is no better. Kept in fenced paddocks with no shade, attached to machines draining them of milk, fed fertilizer laced grass, tails unnecessarily removed, chased by barking dogs, crammed into trucks to be taken to be slaughtered etc.
A good analysis of NZ netball & its problems. Thankfully the new coaches no nonsense honest approach may arrest the decline. Thats provided High Performance Sport NZ dont get involved or players who arent able to deal with truth dont accuse her of bullying them.
The professor has missed the main point of her own opinion. That is, despite governments spending tens of millions of dollars on Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa MÄori and MÄori tertiary institutions as well as integrating Maori language & culture into schools, te reos use has been declining since 2001. It is an often repeated saying but apt here: You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make it drink. In other words you cant make a person learn what they dont want to.
Peters the man who came to parliament with a wine box claiming politics was corrupt & he wasnt. Who can forget his I dont care for baubles of office speech in 2005. Clearly both were smoke screens. His rich racing mates who have contributed to his campaigns & legal bills have been richly rewarded with a $40 million tax break they dont need. Meanwhile the taxpayer picks up the bill & remains on low wages or welfare, nurses, teachers etc have had to fight Peters coalition govt tooth & nail for miserly wage increases.. The rich get richer & Peters gets the baubles.
It will be like Auckland but instead of sleeping in building doorways, the homeless will sleep under cherry trees. It will then be made the governments fault for not providing enough homes. With not enough pickers special tax incentives will be created to entice them to the region. On it goes. Ultimately the tax payer will be hit again for growers lack of fore thought & planning.
Green Party starts new push for compulsory te reo
Interestingly the large majority of those indigenous languages survived. Why - because the people took it upon themselves to teach them to future generations. They didnt wait for or expect schools to do it for them. Maori is one part of NZ culture not its entire culture.
On the table: Fast food giants could be asked to stop sponsoring childrens' sport
Ill be happy for Labour to end kids sport fast food sponsorship wen they end adult alcohol sponsorship. Without fast food sponsorship many kids sporting events wont take place. That will result in their playing less sport & potentially more obese kids. What is laughable is many of the governments ministers are obviously overweight & here they are telling kids to eat better.
Raise the pension age regardless of future Super affordability
How about first of all we raise the pension qualifying period for immigrants from 10 years to 20 years as it is in most other countries. The same should apply to New Zealanders who work overseas most of their lives, pay no NZ tax then return home & collect the pension. Or maybe the government could reign in its foreign aid spend up. It may surprise some but this years budget is $715 million dollars. What did Papa New Guinea do with the money? It brought 40 Maserati cars to drive APEC leaders around. Not to mention the $9 million we have given PNG to improve its power supply. It didnt matter that thousands of NZ pensioners struggle to pay their power bills. Not to mention many of those well off, relatively wealthy pensioners the writer refers to live in rest homes, in small bedrooms, with $30 a week of their pension left over after paying the owners.
Teaching is a 'sweet gig' - there's no reason to strike, says deputy principal
A real world, unbiased view from a person who has worked in the private sector & as a teacher. The ideas presented are real solutions. Unfortunately the union & most teachers are unlikely to give them the time of day. No amount of money will make teachers jobs any better. If they dont enjoy their jobs, they should move on to a greener pastures. Most wont because they know they are already are in one of greenest pastures.
Officials advised the Government to keep quiet about large Treaty of Waitangi payments, unless asked
The full & final Claytons settlements. $1 billion paid out & the average Maori in the streets lot has not improved one iota. They are still over represented in crime stats, poor educational results, lack of home ownership, etc. It is time the money was used to help all Maori not just the select few at the top of the table.
Transmission Gully motorway looks likely to be user-pays after Labour shifts gears on tolling
We have / are already paying for it. The tolls are called income tax & rates.Whats happened to Labours no new taxes a road toll is effectively a selective tax.
Australasian food company Sanitarium wins trademark stoush against British Weetabix
When will Sanitarium start paying tax in NZ
Poverty causing 'third world' dental problems, Hamilton dentist says
We cant afford to provide dental assistance to those in need, hospital waiting lists are ridiculous but the government can still give millions to Papa New Guinea & $100 million to the Americas Cup. What a joke this & previous governments are.
Simon Bridges says criticism of PM Jacinda Ardern not sexist
They bend and twist words any way they want too, as long as it makes men look sexists. Welcome to the new age of journalism.
Treaty of Waitangi: What was lost
Some interesting information here. There is no doubt in some cases Maori were robbed. One question comes to mind. What did Maori do with the 21,250 pounds they were paid? Back then it was an enormous amount of money & if well invested could be worth a lot of money today.
With Winston Peters in charge, it seems everything could be up for grabs
Shakespeare could not have written a better farce.
"Dear Farmers, please get new bra ads
There is a simple solution for the writer - She can put a No Circulars sign on her letterbox. That way she will never need to see a circular advertising underwear again.
Holiday park owner with six guests a night says freedom camping spots to blame
Councils put up camp ground operators rates with impunity & then take away their business livelihoods by allowing freedom camping. Even worse they aid these bludgers by building toilets for them using the rates money the camp ground owners have paid. Councils need to wake up & smell the roses, freedom campers are of little value to economies. They should be working at attracting tourists with money who will provide businesses with income which will in turn help create jobs.
Government set to give oil industry breathing space over permits, Greens urge rethink
As the government is realising the revenue it will lose the ban is becoming the oil industry equivalent to Claytons - The ban you have when you dont have a ban.
Air New Zealand's tattoo ban is unusual among employers
Couldnt agree with Ar Z decision more. While other businesses might not be so upfront about their tattoo policies, many will not employ people with visible ink.
Kiwis overseas could miss out on NZ Super under proposed law change
Agree with the proposal. However, I think it should go further & scrap the outrageous superannuation contributions MPs get. They should get contributions similar to other NZ workers & not the $2.50 for every $1.00 they currently get.
"At school in nappies: Anxious parents seek help with toilet-training new entrants",
Little wonder there is difficulty in attracting people to primary school teaching.
Green Party starts new push for compulsory te reo
I know immigrants from Russians to Pacific Islanders. They want their children to speak their cultures language. They have taken responsibility for this & teach it to them in their own time, not other peoples. If the language is so vital to NZ why arent the Green Party & its supporters encouraging those who believe this to do the same?
Real estate agent entered property without consent, made tenants beds
Send the agent to my place it could do with a tidy up.
Mark Reason: Keith Murdoch is now more myth than man
Their are always two sides to every story & Murdochs is no exception. However, he did one thing right & that was to avoid talking to John Reason. Mr Reason was well known for finding fault with the All Blacks at every opportunity & writing disparagingly about them. While he might not have being diplomatic when introduced to Mr Reason, Murdoch was right to trust his instincts.
Sir Michael Cullens shutdown of Tax Working Groups critics
A CGT wont be enough for Labour & NZ First. They wont stop there because they need more & more to spend, next it will be death duty, wait & see.
Playing with the notion that PÄkehÄ is a racist word
Some people dont mind being called pakeha others do - so what. We are all individuals & should be able to choose what we label ourselves. Pakeha, New Zealander, European, Maori what does it matter? What matters is whatever a person decides to label him or herself should be respected by others. The more people like Joe make an issue of our differences rather accepting peoples freedom of choice the more divided New Zealand will become.
Can a businesses reject customers based on religious beliefs?
What about the business owners rights. Its his money, time & creativity invested nobody elses. Therefore, it should be his decision who to bake for, he shouldnt be dictated to by a parliamentary statute.
At UN, unrepentant Donald Trump set to rattle foes, friends alike
Years in existence, billions of dollars in funding & a complete failure. If the UN was a business it would have been bankrupted decades ago. Run by a bunch of has been politicians, full of their own self importance, earning ridiculous amounts of money, conducting talk feasts & achieving very little.
Disabled Wellington man spirals into poverty, depression after ACC axes support
The system should be extended to those who suffer serious illness which prevents them from working. How is an injury from a car accident, sometimes self inflicted under the influence of alcohol, any worse than suffering from a serious illness such as cancer. The cancer is not deliberately self inflicted but the financial impact & ability to work are the same as people injured in accidents.
Elderly couple selling just-fixed home after repair delays cost health, savings
Ultimately the blame lies with the government of the day, National & its appointed EQC leaders. Say what you like about IAG & other insurers, but they have been allowed to operate as they have due to an inept minister & poor Prime Ministerial leadership. While National bathed in the glory of an economic windfall as a result of the earthquake, people like the Walkers became casualties in the race for National & the EQC to achieve economic goals at all costs.The Walkers are not alone, in Christchurch there are many like them. I am left wondering how the $24 million wasted on John Keys ego driven flag referendum, could have helped bring about quicker & better outcomes for the Walkers, others & Christchurch in general.
Diego Maradona claims Colombia were victims of 'monumental theft' in loss to England
The game is a shameful example to young people no matter what sport they play. Players surrounding & harassing the ref, refs lacking any guts to use their cards to stop them, players one moment withering in pain feigning injuries to milk penalties, then running freely 20 seconds later & coaches berating sideline officials. The game has descended into a farce & as a result ruined by this carry on.
Verity Johnson: Why women are better at dealing with the midlife crisis
Midlife what? Maybe only women suffering them which is why they are so good at dealing with them.
Massey University must act to restore its credibility
The real question is where is Masseys Chancellor, Micheal Ahie, in all this? Surely he should be taking a lead role by confirming his support for his Vice Chancellor. If he doesnt agree with her then he should confirm he supports freedom of speech on the campus by asking Mr Brash to return to Massey to give his speech or apologising to him on behalf of Massey University.
All Blacks clinch victory at Twickenham as controversial TMO call costs England
Andy have a look at the match stats to find out which team was outplayed. I thought England reserves played much better than its first choice players, even tho they blew a 15 point lead.
Springboks beat England 23-12 and clinch series
Bye bye Eddie
"Tax Working Group plan for baches a wealth tax that will rob Kiwis of their dream",
The government has given away $8 billion in income by shutting down oil exploration. It has no corresponding plans to reduce spending, in fact it is increasing it at a rapid rate. Therefore, its only option is to tax hard working new Zealanders any which way it can.Lets not forget what the leader of the Tax Working Group, Micheal Cullen called wealthy people rich pricks . With that attitude & massive income deficit what else can NZ expect but mote taxes.
Plans for Waimea dam project secrecy has the backing of Tasman council boss
The TDC is owned by the ratepayers. Every asset purchased & wage paid is funded by them. Unfortunately for the ratepayers, the CE has forgotten this. Decisions involving expenditure having a significant impact both economically & environmentally on ratepayers should not be discussed behind closed doors. If Shane Jones thinks the dam is of national importance, his government should pay for it. Otherwise the farmer businesses who by far & away will benefit most should pay.
All Blacks clinch victory at Twickenham as controversial TMO call costs England
There was no great escape, the English player was offside plus came around the side of the ruck, both are penalties. The headline should be All Blacks Great Comeback. But as per normal NZ sports reporters can only see the negatives.
Wallabies great Phil Kearns fires shot at All Blacks: They get a free ride
Calling Phil Kearns a great is a bit of a long shot
Simon Bridges says criticism of PM Jacinda Ardern not sexist
Why she had nothing to do with women getting the vote. What about celebrating the men who voted to give women the vote all those years ago.
A cop speaks: We will not learn from Waverley
A compelling read, which has me questioning my own driving skills & approach. It should be put on the front page of every newspaper & the lead story for their websites. To those making negative comments - more fool you. To the writer - thank you.
Mark Reason: New Zealand rugby must walk the walk on care of players' heads
Mark says But the doctors dont know. They are at best taking an educated guess. He then states My understanding of the science is that future risk increases with every concussion. If the doctors dont know (Crotty has seen specialists)how does science & how is it Mark knows more? Once again we get the vitriol about All Black foul play. He conveniently forgets the ref, two assistant refs, a video ref & citing commissioner all concluded nothing illegal happened. Its all rather tiring, even if the intention is click bating. Mark goes on to say everybody involved in NZ rugby needs to wake up. With respect maybe he that needs to wake up.
Forum suggests leasing ex-government cars to low-income families
They mean leasing taxpayers cars to the poor. What is a dumb idea - if people are already poor why put them further in debt.
KÄpiti expressway needs $2.3m worth of repairs, just 18 months after opening
No surprises here, we build leaky homes so why wouldnt our highways be any different. Everything is done on the cheap so successive governments can fund their pet projects. $100 million for the Americas Cup, plus all the millions on campaigns before, $25 million for a new flag, billion dollar regional bribe fund, too many politicians funding their pet projects, over the top Maori settlements, the list is endless. The end result is theres not enough money to do things properly as a result our infrastructure is third world.
It's not the first time Robert De Niro has slammed Donald Trump
I thought he & all his fellow actors going to leave the US if Trump won the election. They are all still there proving they are have even less credibility than President Trump.
David Slack: Lies in every size
Many times lies come from the news media in the form of unbalanced reporting. They pick & chose sound bites & failings that favor their agendas. Trump is referred to above & is a good example above. The NZ media are particularly biased at reporting his failings. But when do they report his successes, for example the much improved US economic outlook, job growth, renegotiated trade deals that give US businesses a fair deal, theres quite a list. Kavanaugh, is another good example. Despite there being no supporting evidence & what evidence (if any) was available the accuser refused to release it. Yet the reports released on NZ media unanimously promoted Kavanaughs accusers version of the story as being accurate. The point is lies come in many forms & the media could do a lot to improve the situation by being balanced in their reporting..
Plastic bags ban anticipated well by the retail sector: expert
I hope Jacinda is setting an example & not using disposable nappies.
Catherine Healy and Kristine Bartlett among impressive cohort of women honoured
What used to be the old boys club is now becoming the old girls club.
Neighbours cant get over problem fence dividing their properties
Surety the resource consent detailing the councils approval conditions for the fence would have shown on the LIM report, which hopefully was obtained by the purchasers. If its not on the LIM, then the council have some liability to the purchasers. Also, the former owners are liable under the law. They are obligated to disclose known problems to intending purchasers.
The case for tolling Transmission Gully does not add up
If there is a toll the simple solution is to continue to use the old road.
Mayor Richard Kempthorne to stay in wash up of Waimea dam decision
If growers & farmers need water then they should ban together & build their own dams. Why should others bare the cost of something they get little benefit from. The old chestnut about these businesses creating jobs etc for the region doesnt wash. Ultimately growers & farmers will reap the profits. Therefore they should pay.
Striking teachers have lost the war, even if they win a small pay battle
Alwyn has written what the majority of the public, particularly parents are saying about teachers & their inept union. The Ministry of Education needs to also take some responsibility. Its wet blanket approach to discipline & policies have put pupils rights before all else eroding their respect for teachers. As a result teachers have left the profession & potential teachers have found better employment options.
British comic Jack Whitehall faces backlash over Disney LGBTQ character casting
How is it gay people can act as straight people & nobody, especially gays complains.. But when a straight person plays a gay person there is an uproar. It seems quite hypercritical to me
Fonterra loss of $196m its first ever, Spierings gets $8m farewell pay
The normal corporate clap trap is being recycled again. How many times have we heard these platitudes after a company suffers a major loss.The new CEO of Fletchers said exactly the same. Everybody at the top keeps their jobs. The CEO rides into the sunset with a pay out & one his 2ICs replaces him. What needs to be questioned is why isnt the board is resigning. They stood by Spierings & his decisions while Fonterra lurched from one disaster to the next. At the the time receiving large directors fees for their expert over sight of the business & its management. It would male a great Tui Billboard if they were still around:Fonterras Board has it all under control - Yeah right!
Verity Johnson: Why do men bond over catcalling women?
Maybe its the same reason women bond catcalling men.
"Labour's bach tax will hit voters who don't think they are the problem",
Labour & NZ First should be going after the real tax dodgers, Apple, Amazon, Google etc who divert their NZ profits to their offshore entities to avoid paying tax to NZ.. Cullen had a lot of foresight tho when he introduced Kiwisaver, now we know why. Once the pot got big enough Labour could tax hard working New Zealanders savings earned from income already taxed to increase its tax take. Whats next Labour a Death Duty Tax? Labours coalition partners name, NZ First, is a con. In no way is it putting New Zealanders first we are a distant last when it comes to holding on to baubles of power..
"Tax Working Group plan for baches a wealth tax that will rob Kiwis of their dream",
Why isnt the government targeting the tax avoiding multi nationals like Google, Apple, Amazon etc instead of hard working New Zealanders? Before attacking its own citizens Labour should be stopping these companies avoiding paying fair taxes.
"Horizons Regional Council chairman defends having expensive official car",
Jono Naylors comment Even for people who are concerned about the price, its a bit of a moot point is not surprising. After all when he was became a list MP, he had no qualms about still collecting his mayoral salary for 3 months, even tho he was also being paid as a MP.
The amount allocated to Treaty of Waitangi settlements is tiny, compared with other Government spending
While there have been wrongs in respect of land confiscations etc. The compensation settlements made were accepted by Maori, after much consultation among the various iwi. On this basis it is fair to say they considered the settlement offers fair value. Also there have been & are many initiatives in place by governments worth many millions of dollars that benefit Maori only. Perhaps these should be included in the above settlement calculations as well.
"One in three university students aren't completing their degrees",
Masseys low 42% completion rate is not surprising if the leadership shown in the recent Don Brash mess is anything to go buy.
Jeremy Elwood & Michele A'Court: 125 years of radical voices
The claim Kate Shepard lead womens suffrage is somewhat of a myth. Well before Shepard, leading male politicians, John Hall, Robert Stout, Julius Vogel, William Fox and John Ballance, supported womens suffrage. In 1878, 1879 and 1887 these men promoted bills extending the vote to women, which only narrowly failed to pass in Parliament. Shepards first petition was many years later in 1891. Perhaps these men along with the 20 male member of parliament, who resisted enormous pressure, to give women the vote in 1893, should be celebrated alongside Kate Shepard.
Daily petrol thefts cause Christchurch station owners to take elaborate measures
With Andrew Little & Labours obviously proposing to go soft on criminals, these sorts of crimes are only going to get worse.
"Iain Lees-Galloway reflects on his first year in Cabinet",
The minister states he wants to improve New Zealanders living standards, but at the same time wants to raise the refugee quota. Increasing the refugee quota will not improve our living standards. The money that could be helping New Zealanders into housing, reducing hospital waiting times, improving education outcomes for children, paying teachers, nurses, police fair wages & building essential infrastructure will in many cases be used to pay for the increased cost of refugees. It is an oxymoron that Labours coalition partner s named NZ First when in many cases New Zealanders are not being put first.
New app to help consumers track where, how garments are made
The fact is average New Zealand wage earners cannot afford to purchase non sweat shop clothing.The cost of clothing made in ethical countries, NZ included is outrageous. In many cases the very companies selling the clothing are the ones paying minimum wages, yet making huge profits. How is that different from sweat shop business owners?
France player hospitalised with head injuries from 'illegal' AB tactics
You sound a reporter from the UK.
Clearly onside - English media berate call that cost England win against All Blacks
In the unlikely event Lawes wasnt offside, replays clearly show he was guilty of entering the ruck from the side. The rules are clear, a player must enter the ruck through the gate not from the side.
Trades classes not available at Southland Girls' High School
Otago Girls High have provided a solution. They dont offer metal work classes, girls who want to learn this can go to Otago Boys High. Southland Girls High pupils should be able to have the same arrangement with Southland Boys High for metal & wood work. A return agreement would provide SBH pupils the opportunity to attend soft materials classes (formerly known as sewing). This gives both sexes not just one an equal opportunity to study subjects of interest to them.
"Turning our political history into a soap opera just might get the kids voting",
Perhaps young voters are a lot smarter than the writer gives them credit for. They have seen thru the politicians empty promises & election year bribes & registered their distain by not voting.
Larger landfill levy and Aucklanders laziness in sights of Govt recycling taskforce
Rather than investing in an efficient system to burn or recycle the plastic in a environmentally friendly way, New Zealand takes its traditional third world patch up approach. At the same time hitting the already over taxed community with another increase. The government will claim theres no money for such a system. However, it can still blithely fork $100 million for the Americas Cup, thats far more important than protecting NZs long term environmental future. Where are the Green party now?
Chair umpire's sexist power play ruins powerful US Open women's final
She came across as a bully & the petulant player she has always being. Who can forget her actions at same event in 2009 when she said to a lineswomen I swear to god Ill xxxxing take the ball & shove it down your xxxxing throat. Was she standing up for women then? Not surprisingly she was losing the match then as well. Go back thru her career & there is a history of similar behaviour & lack of respect for other players, umpires & the press. Williams claims she is standing up for women, I doubt her opponent thought so. Williams excuses about not knowing her coaches singles dont wash ether & only serve to make her defence even more implausible.
Send us the bill for keeping top rugby players
Why should the taxpayer fund rugby players. Like fools we have done this for Americas Cup participants for years, many are now millionaires. The tax payer was promised the money would reap them numerous future rewards. Where are they? Funding has been poured in since 1995. The result, a low wage economy, poor infrastructure, increased homelessness, hospital waiting lists etc. The truth is the money has benefitted a minority not the majority, The NZRU needs to realise it will have to select All Blacks from overseas as other nations do. Football has done this successfully for many years. If the NZRU wants to get more money from its player investment it should start charging transfer fees not the tax payer.
The Neighbourhood Support volunteer fighting to clean up one of NZ's toughest streets
Once Labours soft on crime policies get thru the situation will only get worse. Criminals will soon be walking the streets with their ankle bracelets on. They will become criminals new bling, worn like a badge of honour.
More FM radio host Gary McCormick took on his daughter's bully
While I agree with his actions, McCormick took action years ago, long before political correctness & Sue Bradfords new law was in place. If he did the same today the police would charge him with assault, the school would trespass him, he would be vilified in social media, his employer would sack him for some breach of his employment conditions & the bully would be give a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket.
Martina Navratilova says Serena Williams was partly right but mostly wrong
Williams scar tissue is her abhorrent petulant behaviour at the US Open & other events over many years. During this time she has verbally abused & threatened lines people, ball boys / girls, the press & umpires. Most of the incidents have taken place when she is losing or has lost. Ther double standard is a myth. Men were received twice as many penalties than women at the US Open this & last year.
Kiwi Grand Slam semifinalist Belinda Cordwell rejects Serena's sexism call
I wonder what Serenas daughter will make of this performance & the numerous other attacks her mother has made on umpires & lines people when she is old enough to watch them on you tube. .
"Surfer taken to hospital after 'great white shark' attack in Northland",
A similar thing happened to Simon Bridges, hes had a nasty bite from a shark species known as Jamie Lee Ross.
There is a case to extend teachers' strike notice period to two weeks
Maybe it is time school children went on strike. Children effected by teachers who do their job badly should strike & stay home for 3 days. After this, if teaching standards do not improve they should give Principals 3 days notice of rolling strike action until these teachers performance improves. Unfortunately it will never happen & poor teachers will continue to teach poorly, protected by their union who refuses to believe they exist.As a result the publics perception of the many excellent teachers who do a great job is diminished.
Council tried to keep multimillion-dollar Christchurch Town Hall budget blowout quiet
Improvements made without council authority. We all know who calls the tune its the council employees not the councillors. Its the tail wagging the dog.
There is a case to extend teachers' strike notice period to two weeks
Unjustified strikes dont annoy people. Mostly they just confirm the opinion people had of the strikers & their union in the first place.
All Blacks clinch victory at Twickenham as controversial TMO call costs England
The stats which the ABs completely dominated say they can, not to mention the fact they won
NZ Super isn't enough for 'no frills' lifestyle, but Kiwis are bridging the gap
We are told to save for our retirement. which many are doing or have done. Then along comes Labour who want to introduce capital gains tax.Savings are already taxed but thats not good enough for Labour, double dipping is its speciality. Once again those who are responsible end up paying for those who are irresponsible.
Tax Working Group may prove a frustration for Labour
Cullen & co are never going to recommend CGT. They are all independently wealthy & have too many assets of their own that would be subject to the tax.
Plastic bag makers say their product isn't to blame for damaging the environment
If you are a farmer & a government decision forces the closure of you business, as in the case of Mycoplasma bovis, you get compensation. The government decision to ban plastic bags will force the closure of Kiwi Plastics. Therefore it seems only fair the owners are compensated in a similar fashion to the way farmers are.
Cats could benefit from rental law change while dogs still lose out
Who owns the properties the government or the property owners? Surely if you are the owner it is your right to set the rules of occupancy. Forcing policies like this on property owners will drive them out of the businesses. The end result of that will be less properties to rent & as a result more homeless people
"Women's unpaid work is worth billions of dollars: study",
Good call. Now what about The Minister for women working out the value of mens unpaid work: Lawn mowing, gardening, car washing, car maintenance house washing, light bulb changing, house painting, the stress of being the sole income earner etc, etc. Maybe it should be the job of The Minister for Men - Oh thats right there isnt one..
Massey vice-chancellor versus Brash: not a concern for some students
There was no outrage at the cancellation of Harawirss speech because much of what he was saying at the time was hate speech.Most people will remember his white mother f--kers email along with the many other racist comments he made. It is fair to say a majority of New Zealanders abhorred his comments. These quite possibly contributed more to racial divisions than Brashs Orewa speech ever did. Brash may have a view we dont like on the Treaty. However, most of the media & his critics have missed a vital point he wasnt even going to talk about this at Massey.
Dumpling restaurant offends with 'Dump Rings' bags
The fun police strike again.
Teachers unions agree to join forces in 2019 campaign
I cant see how new teachers who leave the profession after 5 years can blame their conditions or pay for doing so. It is not as if they hadnt spent time in the classroom, read the news, talked to teachers & didnt know the pay scale prior to starting their jobs. The truth is more likely to be they realised teaching wasnt for them so they moved on. This sort of turnover happens in every profession not just teaching.
Housing NZ tenant, 84, forced to move as newly renovated home set for demolition
Sorry mate as a New Zealander you are placed at the bottom of the heap. Unlike the old NZ when you moved into your home the new NZ has no place for compassion, feelings or care of the elderly, who make up the majority of hospital waiting lists & it doesnt matter a jot you paid tax into your 80s. The house & land you live in, have looked after, raised a family in & pay market rental for is needed to make way because of uncontrolled immigration, genuine & economic refugees. If a private landlord did the same, the Housing Minister would be shouting from the rooftops about how unjustly you are being treated.
Nothing radical in reducing our animal protein consumption
New Zealanders eating less meat will have no impact on improving the environment. The same amount of meat will still be produced. It will be exported to throughout the world where the demand for NZ meat grows daily. In fact NZ eating less meat will have an adverse environmental effect due to the extra carbon emissions from fuel created by sending surplus meat overseas. It astounds me people like Mr Shaw are leading this country.
Verity Johnson: It's time to shame the slut-shamers
Good article.
Small school won't sell beer and wine at fundraiser after 'bullying' from DHB
A major recent international study shows sugar has no benefits to health. Does that mean taxpayer funded entities should not promote eating cakes & biscuits at their fund raisers?
Sir Michael Cullens shutdown of Tax Working Groups critics
Meanwhile Amazon, Apple, Facebook etc make millions of dollars profit in NZ & pay a pittance in tax. It is much easy for Labour & NZ First to tax NZ business owner rather than take on American corporate owners with deep pockets.
Engineer shortage could lead to construction crisis in NZ
What does NZ expect. Engineering students go to university, qualify & have a $100k plus student loan around their necks, as a reward. They then get offered a low paid graduates position paying about 35k a year. Overseas they can earn 3 times that, leaving NZ is an easy choice to make. Starting from the Lange Douglas partnership to John Key & now Jacinda Ardern governments have eroded NZ pay packets to be among the lowest. While at the same increasing our cost of living to be among the highest. Think housing, petrol, rates, food, GST, power the list goes on.
"Behind New Zealand's most popular meat",
What about cows & sheep welfare, their situation is no better. Kept in fenced paddocks with no shade, attached to machines draining them of milk, fed fertilizer laced grass, tails unnecessarily removed, chased by barking dogs, crammed into trucks to be taken to be slaughtered etc.
Wool protein could boost digestive health
The scientists are trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
"Mark Reason: Noeline Taurua must get Silver Ferns fit again",
A good analysis of NZ netball & its problems. Thankfully the new coaches no nonsense honest approach may arrest the decline. Thats provided High Performance Sport NZ dont get involved or players who arent able to deal with truth dont accuse her of bullying them.
Sharon Harvey: The question of compulsory te reo MÄori in schools
The professor has missed the main point of her own opinion. That is, despite governments spending tens of millions of dollars on Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa MÄori and MÄori tertiary institutions as well as integrating Maori language & culture into schools, te reos use has been declining since 2001. It is an often repeated saying but apt here: You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make it drink. In other words you cant make a person learn what they dont want to.
Otago hammer Manawatū in Palmerston North with second half blitz
Its going to be a long season. The writing was on the wall when the coach said pre-season results didnt matter.
Winston Peters' menu of prawns, porkbarrel and horse meat
Peters the man who came to parliament with a wine box claiming politics was corrupt & he wasnt. Who can forget his I dont care for baubles of office speech in 2005. Clearly both were smoke screens. His rich racing mates who have contributed to his campaigns & legal bills have been richly rewarded with a $40 million tax break they dont need. Meanwhile the taxpayer picks up the bill & remains on low wages or welfare, nurses, teachers etc have had to fight Peters coalition govt tooth & nail for miserly wage increases.. The rich get richer & Peters gets the baubles.
Massive bed shortages expected during Central Otago's peak harvesting periods
It will be like Auckland but instead of sleeping in building doorways, the homeless will sleep under cherry trees. It will then be made the governments fault for not providing enough homes. With not enough pickers special tax incentives will be created to entice them to the region. On it goes. Ultimately the tax payer will be hit again for growers lack of fore thought & planning.
Mark Reason: Serena's sexism reflects America's culture of misandry
More sexist clap trap - There are many male ballet dancers who are described as graceful.
'It was never a red card': French centre Geoffrey Doumayrou laments game-turning decision in All Blacks test
France a red card, Wales a red card, I am looking forward to Mark Reasons column this week, after his attack on the All Blacks last week.
Offshore oil ban will cost Crown billions with little climate impact, officials warn
Thats why they need a Capital Gains Tax to help recover some of the loses.