Our entire health system is due for an overhaul - and submissions are due by 9 December. There are so many huge changes happening at present it is hard to keep on top, but it is also important to express local voices and concerns. Will you make a submission? Even a short one Link to make a … [Read more...]
Garry Writes 7 December 2021
On Thursday evening our bar, Smash Palace, has motorbike night. It’s full of all sorts of people who ride motorbikes. It’s a sort of egalitarian mix of people, businesspeople, tradies, artists, employees from a vast array of places. Young and old. This week we had a spirited debate on the … [Read more...]
Last Week Kathleen Gallagher
Last week we had a talk by Kathleen Gallagher who has just produced a film on the swamps of this country. It’s called The Swamp, The Sacred Place: A celebration of Aotearoa’s wetland kaitiaki. Kathleen took us through the various swamps she visited, and the community support structures which are … [Read more...]
This Week Steven Moe at Smash Palace
This week we have a lawyer who just happens to also be a community activist, Steven Moe. Every week Steven produces his “seeds project”https://theseeds.nz/. This is a fascinating series of interviews on a vast array of topics. Steven will talk about “seeds”. Steven is chair of the board of … [Read more...]
State Services Commission ruled the 3 Waters proposed reforms TV ads breached the public service guidelines
New Zealanders saw right through the adverts which were pasted all over our TV’s showing how badly our water systems have been managed. There have been two polls one which showed 47.7% of people were against the 3 Waters reforms. The other was 56%. The number of people against the reforms in … [Read more...]
Have the Dutch got water ideas we could copy?
In a recent BBC publication is the story of how the Netherlands handles its water challenges.https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211129-the-medieval-dutch-solution-to-flooding?ocid=ww.social.link.email. Here are some edited sections from this article. It reminded me how much we could learn from … [Read more...]
Covid 19 and stories about people who have died despite their denial that it was just a cold
I guess we have all had “debates” with family or friends who refuse to get vaccinated. I am getting increasingly intolerant of those who are supposedly intelligent who have bought into the quack sort of stories which go block busters on the internet. Or argue about being forced to become vaccinated … [Read more...]
Advice for the new opposition leadership
Like most political junkies I found, as an interested bystander, myself watching the comings and goings at the National Party this week. For most of my life I would have found the struggles within the Nats an entertaining circus. However, now I am appalled how the party I have been a member of for … [Read more...]
3 Storey Housing as of right Bill
The Parliamentary Select Committee has reported back on submissions on this Bill. The length of the consultation process was a farce and Eugenie Sage deserves our congratulations on even getting anything through. Newsroom reported: The committee, chaired by Green Party MP Eugenie Sage, has … [Read more...]
Challenge to the CDHB announcement of an approved budget this year
Last week I commented on the CDHB gloating about the MOH and the minister approving the latest CDHB budget. From a senior person from within the DHB I received this: It is galling to have the Chair of CDHB say “it is the first plan to be approved by the ministers of health and finance in four … [Read more...]