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- SPC (11:46 pm): Beliefs and values (and the formation of them) are as powerful a force as logic...
- photonz1 (11:26 pm): If you are going to take more tax – it doesn’t matter if you...
- Sapient (11:21 pm): SPC, Studied ethics. Saw it for what it was; absolute bullsh*t.
- Metiria Turei (11:20 pm): BTW, i dont speak the reo too well at all, but I think you should use...
- SPC (11:15 pm): wat How does the free market set award wage levels, negotiated between employers...
- wat dabney (11:06 pm): tomfarmer - “And James wrote, It’s no business of the state what a...
- SPC (11:04 pm): Having 25% of our people overseas is simply part of the modern global society...
- rachel anderson-smith (11:04 pm): Great effort Green team! I’m relieved you all managed to keep...
- katie (11:03 pm): CHOGM may actually have been worth attending, for once. HM being geriatric,...
- SPC (10:53 pm): Your presumption is that the money to finance higher wages for public sector...
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2025 Taskforce a tragi-comic farce
Hard to believe and tragic that Don Brash and his cohorts would seriously recommend REDUCING minimum wage rates back to... -
Tax Working Group conference
I spent a few hours at the Tax Working Group conference at Victoria Uni today. It’s good that we are... -
Goff delivers wedge to split the left
For all the indignation at the response to his speech , what did Goff expect whanau and hapu would hear...
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2025 Taskforce a tragi-comic farce
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 moreDecember 1, 2009 4:55 pm - 33 Comments -
Tax Working Group conference
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 disappointing [...] read moreDecember 1, 2009 4:42 pm - 1 Comment -
Time for debate in NZ on discriminatory royal succession rules
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 moreDecember 1, 2009 2:27 pm - 9 Comments -
Goff delivers wedge to split the left
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 could [...] read moreDecember 1, 2009 10:14 am - 33 Comments -
Green MP praises McDonalds – just the once!
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 moreDecember 1, 2009 10:07 am - 6 Comments -
Racing Greens
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 moreDecember 1, 2009 8:03 am - 3 Comments -
World AIDS Day
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 moreDecember 1, 2009 7:44 am - 4 Comments -
China trade questions
So we’ve been hearing from the free trade zealots that the trade deal with China has been a great success. But has it? The gross numbers look pretty good. The trade deal came into effect from Oct 1 last year and there’s been a $1290 million increase in exports and a $316 million increase in [...] read moreNovember 30, 2009 6:47 pm - 32 Comments -
Cell towers keep appearing without consultation
Every week someone contacts me about an unwanted cell tower, mast or antennae, that are being erected near to where they live. Last week I got a call from a woman in Herne Bay, Auckland – who had discovered that a cell phone mast was about to be erected on a telephone pole outside her home. She [...] read moreNovember 30, 2009 3:50 pm - 10 Comments -
Mt Aspiring on the mining hit list
The latest idea from renowned friend-of-the-earth Gerry Brownlee is to scour 20% Mt Aspiring National Park for nickel, chromium and gold. “The rumble of Brownlee’s bulldozers just got louder,” said Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei “.…this flies in the face of previous claims by Ministers that mining National Parks is not their intention, and that any [...] read moreNovember 30, 2009 3:37 pm - 3 Comments -
Should we be worried? Damn right we should…
The NZIER has put out another of their ‘Insights’ papers, this time highlighting just how vulnerable our exports are to consumer perceptions that our goods are not sustainably produced. An urgent risk identified is that we are perceived as a country not making serious attempts to reduce our carbon emission, which will give our competitors an opportunity to turn market preferences away from our export products and services. read moreNovember 30, 2009 11:20 am - 5 Comments -
A ride down the Hurunui River
Taking a kayak down a powerful river feels like being on the side of history. You start out on a river that progressively gets bigger and more powerful as other rivers join. As we travelled down the Hurunui River on a kayak today as part of the Wild Rivers campaign we were joined by more and [...] read moreNovember 29, 2009 10:10 pm - 3 Comments -
Protesters at Copenhagen can now be arrested *before* they protest
Yep, really. It’s a new law, just passed the other day. Legislation giving police the right to pre-emptive arrests in connection with the COP15 climate conference was passed by a decisively split parliament yesterday. The new legislation allows police to detain those arrested for up to 12 hours under the premise that they ‘might’ take part in [...] read moreNovember 29, 2009 11:37 am - 10 Comments -
General debate, 29 November, 2009
November 29, 2009 6:59 am - 38 Comments -
Interview of Sarah Palin supporters
Sarah Palin has written a book. Here are some people who enjoyed reading it and who are waiting to have her sign their copies Interesting, on many levels Hat tip: undulating ungulate read moreNovember 28, 2009 9:47 am - 34 Comments -
Worker’s demand end to wage freeze
The sun shone on rallies for low paid workers held in cities and town across New Zealand. In Auckland they were led by Service Workers Union members in their bright red T-shirts – coming from hospitals and rest homes across the region. Other unions like the Public Service Association and NZ Educational Institute also brought their low paid members along. read moreNovember 27, 2009 6:06 pm - 29 Comments -
Rudman’s Dalai Lama piece a tad lame
I was a little disappointed to read Brian Rudman’s column this week in the New Zealand Herald about the upcoming visit of the Dalai Lama. In Mr Rudman’s opinion our Prime Minister shouldn’t meet with the Dalai Lama when it could upset the Chinese Government. read moreNovember 26, 2009 5:42 pm - 7 Comments -
Green MP off to ICC meeting (International Criminal Court – no Cricket)
Next week I shall be in Kathmandu for a meeting on the International Criminal Court. I am hoping that it will go some way to strengthening the rule of law over international crimes. I have been active this year in the House in seeking to strengthen the ICC. My first member’s bill, introduced in August, sought [...] read moreNovember 26, 2009 5:23 pm - 11 Comments -
Come to Copenhagen, John!
US President Barack Obama is going to Copenhagen next month. The more time goes by, the more John Key is sticking out like a sore thumb with his refusal to attend. Jeanette and Kennedy will be there for the NZ Greens – and as Russel cheekily suggested, they’re happy to help John Key find accommodation if he’s stuck at such late notice! read moreNovember 26, 2009 4:54 pm - 26 Comments -
Can you trust Nick Smith?
In February this year the Green Party heard a rumour that the review of ACC was being conducted solely by Treasury and Business New Zealand, so on 5 March we decided to put this to Nick Smith in the House. read moreNovember 26, 2009 3:34 pm - 19 Comments -
Aorangi School children – where can they go?
On Tuesday night the news came through that Aorangi Primary School will definitely be closed, against the wishes of the school and its local community. Yesterday at the Education and Science Select Committee, I asked what would happen to the children in the school’s total immersion Te Reo unit. read moreNovember 26, 2009 11:13 am - 8 Comments -
Auckland gets electrified (in a good way)!
The good news this week is that after an 8 month delay the government has finally approved a $500 million loan to Kiwirail to purchase electric railcars for Auckland. According to a Q & A on the Ministry of Transport’s website that should be enough for the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to purchase up to 114 [...] read moreNovember 26, 2009 8:00 am - 22 Comments -
General debate, 26 November, 2009
Food for thought: We’re killing the oceans. 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change. And some great photos. read moreNovember 26, 2009 6:20 am - 139 Comments -
Water Forum – are Nats acting in good faith?
The government has embarked on a collaborative goverance process in regard to freshwater. The form of this collaborative governance process, the Land and Water Forum, is basically a three sided process between irrigators, environmentalists, and iwi. It may be critical to the future of water management in our country. I have supported a collaborative governance process. It [...] read moreNovember 25, 2009 9:36 pm - 24 Comments