Announce protest actions, general chit chat or give your opinion on issues we haven’t covered for the day.
Moderation rules are more lenient for this section, but try and play nicely.
EDITORS NOTE: – By the way, here’s a list of shit that will get your comment dumped. Sexist language, homophobic language, racist language, anti-muslim hate, transphobic language, Chemtrails, 9/11 truthers, Qanon lunacy, climate deniers, anti-fluoride fanatics, anti-vaxxer lunatics, 5G conspiracy theories, the virus is a bioweapon, some weird bullshit about the UN taking over the world and ANYONE that links to fucking infowar.
I hope there has been urgent action from pollies and civil servants to rectify the situation where NZ old age pensioners are likely to have their benefit cut off because they are over the limit of time for being away from NZ – stuck in Australia?
Winston Peters has remembered them: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/126563343/change-law-to-protect-kiwi-pensioners-stranded-offshore-says-winston-peters Oct.4/21
There is a link to comment from the Retirement Commissioner as well.
But Peters’ trenchant opinion is justified;
They risk losing their superannuation and, if they do not return within 30 weeks, could face a repayment bill.
The New Zealand First leader said “there are all sorts of precedents” to amend the superannuation legislation and “simple common sense” needs to be applied.
“This is not a difficult matter to solve,” he said.
“It begs the question, why some bureaucrat or politician hasn’t got off their backside to see that there’s obviously a fault that can be fixed.”
Who is in charge of Superannuants’ affairs? It is not clear if there is anyone! There is a Minister for Seniors who is Ayesha Verrall. The Minister for Seniors is the government minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the rights and interests of senior citizens. The post was established by the Fourth Labour Government on 24 July 1990. It was split from the Social Welfare portfolio. (Wikipedia)
(Looking at a Labour site showing Our Team portfolios, and searching for who was in charge of superannuation, I get a request to sign up to the Party and donate. They don’t want too much information out there!)
Can’t find a listing for a minister under Superannuation, Old age, Pensioner, Benefits – welfare shows up under animal welfare, It might be thought that Carmel Sepuloni would have this important social welfare placing but these are her responsibilities – Social Development and Employment, ACC, Disability Issues Arts, Culture and Heritage.
It seems as if Labour is not interested in the retired, they have been ‘retired’ to the back of the shelf. Winston definitely is needed or Labour might be tripping over bodies of old NZs in Oz, ‘Oh dear, how sad, it’s Covids fault’.
Really good news – the super superannuants are getting cared about. This on scoop, I hope it is enough to give them a smile.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2110/S00235/superannuitants-in-australia-can-apply-to-have-payments-continue.htm
Good news from- – Ministry of Social Development Chief Executive Debbie Power says.
But can Labour be trusted to make practical changes?
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2110/S00044/greens-welcome-work-on-electoral-reform-but-call-for-recommendations-of-previous-reviews-to-be-implemented.htm
Why 16, why not introduce politics as a school subject in the intermediate stage, and let the kids practice on voting for a school council with a small budget to spend? At present at sixteen the prevailing judgment and accumulated information and experience is not high although the personal conviction of youth suupremacy appears to be But the idea of fresh young minds seeing things anew with clear understanding, is as ill-considered as serving sandwiches made with half-baked bread. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2110/S00032/independent-panel-to-review-voting-age.htm
I like this comment in Scoop in the vernacular. Now that is clear thinking. WrItten in the Wellington comments section of Scoop. https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=139646#comment-1779217
Jason, 9. October 2021, 0:20
You guys are ruining my (and many young people’s) chance of ever living in Wellington. Talk all you want about character, your main aim is to preserve untaxed capital gains that you’ve done nothing to earn (except by being old geezers)
That smug saying when thie boomerang ow whatever comes back and hits you:
‘This rather old saying, ‘chickens have come home to roost’, is normally used to mean that the bad things that someone has done in the past have come back to bite or haunt the individual. ‘
That is the appropriate sneer to the government over the lack of co-operation being received from rebellious people. I would pick that they have been sick of government root and branch for yonks. Asking them to put themselves out to be insulted by gummint agencies once again is a great big no-no. ‘Tell agencies or police where I have been – my rellies don’t want one of these (put rude word here) coming round asking questions!.’
Low income, low advantaged people have been stretched and stressed tighter every year and there is no shining golden future to dream about. Their main object is to keep going and there is no energy for other concerns that offer no help with their needs and daily problems. Hint: John Tamihere has some practical points that should be listened to by someone who has good contacts with all knowledgeable people involved.
*Sept21 https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/451366/burnout-a-primary-concern-for-covid-19-vaccinators-contact-tracers-testers
*https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/john-tamihere-why-maori-are-lagging-behind-in-vaccinations/53UL6NYV5D36U7ZN7Z4JIEOBBM/
*https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126607968/covid19-whnau-ora-has-been-seeking-better-mori-vaccination-approach-since-february
Can someone be found who isn’t bound to some method or ideology but intelligent outcome? Let’s have some productivity here, that is a catchword heard a lot, and should apply to all levels – get things going, with some actual power and authority. NZ will collapse business-wise, and mentally depression-wise, if the government doesn’t ensure that the only money circulating isn’t from predatory residents and immigrants buying up bloody houses and apartments. FGS
*https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/453241/lockdown-extensions-causing-economic-carnage-businesses
and
…The injunction comes with the release yesterday by the Government of maps showing that in many provincial and rural areas, the Maori Covid vaccination rate is well behind other ethnic groups. That appears to have prompted the Prime Minister to take off a three-day tour of predominantly Maori areas on the East Coast promoting vaccinations. Then the Government’s own advisor on Covid testing, Professor David Murdoch from Otago University, told the daily Covid media conference yesterday that the Ministry of health had been too slow in introducing saliva testing and had missed opportunities on introducing anti-gen testing. In the background, the Ministry and District Health Boards (DHBs) have begun planning for the inevitable increase in Covid cases which will be cared for in the community.
Continue reading at https://www.politik.co.nz/covid-strategy-flakes-as-reality-bites/ | Politik
Why make the Erebus disaster worse by further injudicious and insensitive handling by arrogant executives? It is an ugly blot to commemorate an older one. Put it out for public decision, and invite public input. It would take our mind off our ugly Covid stats for a while. Pay attention to Maori about this important memorial for this country. Put the costs incurred so far into a ‘sunk cost’ colun on the spreadsheet!
https://waateanews.com/2021/10/04/dame-naida-glavish-mataharehare-pa-not-appropriate-site-for-mt-erebus-memorial/
…Last week a contractor from construction firm Naylor Love, engaged by the Ministry Culture and Heritage removed the Rāhui signage and replaced it with a notice of imminent works to build the National Memorial for the Erebus Disaster.
The community has long challenged the non-notified consent process where there has not been a fulsome cultural assessment. They have relentlessly tried every avenue of redress.
They have rallied to engage the Prime Minister, the Ministry, the Māori Affairs Select Committee, the Petitions Select Committee, the Minister of Local Government, the Auckland Council to review and relocate the monument. Recently they sent a submission to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Crown choosing to transgress a Rāhui and break tikanga is the final straw.
“At what stage does the Crown accept that a Rāhui is tapu? A rāhui is about life, it is about whenua, it is about moana, kaitiakitanga, the mana of Atuatanga,” said Dame Naida Glavish,
She is one of many rangatira Māori supporting the community backlash including Erebus whānau which has attracted nearly 15,000 petition signatures opposing the site of the national monument.
Sorry – I have been thinking too much. Thought of something else.
On Singapore’s move to open its borders to specific reliable countries. I suggest we do not do this with Australia. And this is what Singapore has done about local vaccination.
The government will tighten rules for those who remain unvaccinated from Wednesday, barring them from entering malls and eating at the country’s ubiquitous hawker centres. It will review some Covid-19 curbs in a week or two.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/453256/singapore-expands-quarantine-free-travel-eyes-new-normal
“Sorry – I have been thinking too much. Thought of something else.”
Keep thinking Mr/Ms/Mrs/Its Warbler.
Just curious though – has TS spurned you for some reason? I haven’t clapped eyes on the place in what’s now over a year – they’re welcome to themselves even though at times I fear some commenters that come in here to TDB are intent on causing me to do likewise.
I keep an eye out for you Tim especially when reading about Radionz Adventures in Funderland ! Good to see you here. On TS I had a long comment rejected by incognito for pasting too much. It was info I thought people might not see otherwise. Then some bright spark reacted to me calling Seymour a dopey weasel or the like, and advised me in a warning manner that of his Maori heritage which made a difference to what I could say I think. So I felt uncomfortable about expressing views in the same way I had always done, with examples, explanations, sources, limited bad language etc.
Did everyone see Tom Scott’s recent cartoon?
PM Jacinda is telling Auckland to hang on. Help is on the way.
Grant has baked you a cake with a file in it.
And Grant chips in with – Unfortunately it’s a nail file – but it’s the thought that counts!
That was clever and then I thought that what many in Auckland might like is a hangi, that would be a big help. Perhaps a reward for South Auckland from central government, when thay get their numbers down – our own home grown Everest to tackle. And the Erebus
mausoleummonument, a promise to take Maori tikanga seriously when the rahui needs to be considered might cheer also, even might raise a cheer for the government which would be a great thing to see.Comments are closed.