#TPPAWalkAway – The March of Thousands

August 17, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com

Contributed by Adam James Ring

The #TPPAWalkAway Week of Action climaxed Saturday with simultaneous marches across the country. With as many as 25,000 protesters reported countrywide, 5000 people gathered and walked in solidarity from the business-district centre of Midland Park to the steps of Parliament.

Perhaps sympathetic to the cause, the rain managed to hold its breath as the people gathered en masse, marshalled by a variety of political groups, trade unions and community movements. True to the modern paradigm, social media played an important role in the organising of so many people; the online mechanisms of Facebook events and groups, Twitter hype and updates a vital part of mobilizing thousands at 21 different locations and from a wide variety of ideological and social backgrounds.

As a true testament to the unifying strength of the cause – the collective spirit – the march was orderly and peaceful; children marched with their parents, husbands with their wives, Pakeha with Maori – every variety of New Zealander joining together in common purpose. Throughout the afternoon, democracy in action could be seen through the blurring of social lines such as ethnicity and class, sexual orientation and political belief, age or level of financial mobility. At least for the purpose and length of the protest, everyone present was banded together as a unified and common people.

This sense of togetherness and purpose was made visible among the crowds, perhaps the manifestation of mutual responsibility and concern; the chants and placards, so characteristic of protests, were inclusive and empowering. The care and respect that everyone showed each other acted as a beautiful and renewing reminder of how powerful true democracy can be. Under the banner of the cause the people had come out to stand together; a powerful sense of community was abundantly evident in the way the march moved as one entity, cheered as one voice, and made sure that all had a space to occupy.

As the crowd made its way through the streets of the capital’s capitalist hub, the city seemed to momentarily stop and look up from its weekend productivity; lines of cars, temporarily halted, beheld waving families and the smiles of fellow travellers. Bus drivers called out merrily through their open doors – teenagers captured images and video of the crowd with brightly coloured smart phones, and the perfectly styled hair that to an untrained eye looks unkempt and wildly asymmetric.

Time seemed to slow down to extended micro-seconds; the world took on a different and overwhelmingly bright intensity. There was the strange sensation of lightness without knowing the cause of such joy and release. One finds it easier, in these slow movements of shared time, to feel as though the future holds something bright and meaningful; some new reality where our future children can recreate the world to new and better specifications. Where the crises of our former age will become the history that we learnt from, never doomed to repeat again.

At the steps of Parliament the people were greeted with some rousing speeches from a variety of well-known protesters. Sandra Grey, the President of the Tertiary Education Union, as MC, providing a suitable anchor for the day; her bubbly and down to earth personality well-suited to the energetic calm of a peaceful protest.

Award-winning journalist and documentarian Bryan Bruce focused on one of the core issues expressed by many in the movement – the potential lengthening of medical patents under TPPA – and what that could mean for the average New Zealander. When he spoke of ‘human misery’ via the death or suffering of thousands unable to afford the increased cost of non-generic medicines, the crowd made their feelings evident – the loud and echoing calls of ‘shame’ most audible above the noisy throng.

Local blues legend Darren Watson, backed by his band, revisited his controversial song ‘Planet Key’ to some raucous applause and played a new number, written specifically for the march, which involved some playful hand gestures directed towards the Beehive, lavishly mimicked by the crowd.

Much has been made already of the ‘protest after the protest’, and while it’s predictable that the press would take this angle, there is nothing that can be honestly reported that could detract from the success of the day. The protest ended among high spirits and with no sign of the violence the US Consulate had warned of.

The people have spoken out against the TPPA in the best way possible; estimates of 25,000 marchers across New Zealand is no small feat. Whether it affects the course of the negotiations to come remains to be seen, but at least the cause has been amplified for all to hear – even by the key players of New Zealand’s Government, who were noticeably – if not unsurprisingly – absent from all proceedings.

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‘TPPA – walk away’ rally welcomes West Papuan leader Octo Mote

By David Robie -

August 17, 2015

Analysis by David Robie. This article was first published on Café Pacific WHILE New Zealand protesters were giving an emphatic thumbs down to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership corporate slap in the face of democracy at the weekend, a quietly spoken West Papuan in a yellow raincoat was offering solidarity at the Auckland march. Octo Mote, a former journalist and now secretary-general of the United Liberation Front of West Papua, was in town to spread the good news of West Papuan strategic self-determination developments to activists and supporters. He spoke at a packed public meeting in the Peace Place on Friday night less than 24 hours after talking to students at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji before taking part in the anti-TPP/TPPA rally. Rally organiser Barry Coates introduced Mote to the crowd outside the US Consulate-General. Apart from welcoming Vanuatu’s initiative to press for a United Nations special envoy on West Papua, and the Solomon Islands decision to appoint a special envoy, Mote was positively upbeat about the upsurge in Pacific regional support for the West Papuan human rights cause. As usual Australia and New Zealand are dragging the chain. Mote also had a message about the impending release of jailed West Papuan activist Filep Karma – who is due to be freed today on Indonesia’s Independence Day national holiday, marking 17 August 1945 when the Indonesian nationalists issued a proclamation of sovereignty and began armed resistance to overthrow Dutch colonial rule. Karma was jailed in 2004 for 15 years for raising the Morning Star flag, the outlawed symbol of Papuan independence. But he is defiant about the plan to free him from Abepura prison in Jayapura. He is only interested in an unconditional release so that he can resume campaigning for West Papuan self-determination. In a statement released through activist circles and cited by Tabloid Jubi, he declared:

“I, Filep Samuel Karma, reject the offer of remitting my sentence in celebration of Indonesia’s National Independence Day on August 17. The independence day of West Papua, my own nation, is December 1.

“I will only accept an unconditional release. If an unconditional release is offered, I would be happy to walk free from Abepura Prison on August 18, my own personal independence day. “I did not commit any crime when I raised the Morning Star flag in 2004. “I will keep campaigning for independence once I am free.”

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Tourist mood in Fiji but no holiday in newsrooms

By Selwyn Manning -

August 16, 2015

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Report by Pacific Media Centre

TJ Aumua
OPINION: I felt the heat of Fiji’s tropical climate as soon as I jumped off the plane. The warmth was a pleasant relief from New Zealand’s frosty winter and a gratifying reminder of what a holiday feels like.

But I wasn’t here for a holiday. So ignoring the billboards touting Fiji as a honeymoon getaway, I was to work in the nation’s newsrooms for two weeks to gain a different perspective on our Pacific neighbour.

The exchange was a part of Pacific Cooperation Foundation’s Media Programme which partnered with Fiji National University and Auckland University of Technology’s Pacific Media Centre as host organisations.

On my first day in Suva I met with student journalists from Fiji’s National University. They told me Fiji should be known for its people; that despite the nation experiencing four coups in the past two decades, the people have persevered and continue to make achievements.

I was lucky enough to meet some of these people. For two weeks it was an inspiration to work alongside some of Fiji’s 20-plus-year-old journalists who were informing the nation.

I got to accompany them on their weekly assignments helping with interviews, writing and voicing news stories, and watching behind the scenes of how a 6pm news bulletin is put together and broadcast live to the nation.

A highlight was being a part of a newsroom’s daily process of being placed on an assignment early in the morning, putting the story together and then watching it on TV that night or reading it in the newspapers the next day.

Restrictions
Fiji’s media climate often hits international headlines for being restricted and censored by the Fiji Media Industry Development Decree.

At times, this was frustrating to work under; having to withhold certain questions I wanted answered, as well as locals being extremely hesitant to speak to the media in fear of repercussions.

But I admired those journalists whom, under challenging circumstances, strived to keep the people of Fiji at the heart of their stories.

When I asked some of Fiji’s student journalists why they chose this career path, they said although they had felt the effects of their country’s media environment, it was important for them to be a voice for Fiji’s rural communities who are often under represented.

I learnt that even with the huge political shifts within their island nation, and regardless of how young they might be, these journalists were determined to be a part of the growth of Fiji, and so kept informed of their government’s politics and direction.

The motivated people I met in Fiji went beyond these young journalists. It extended further into youth who worked within the countries NGOs, engineering firms, the music scene and those who are entrepreneurs.

Even though my stay in Fiji was brief, I feel honoured to have been able to experience and be a part of the new media generation.

PMC newsletter TOKTOK

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Keith Rankin on A People’s Flag

By Keith Rankin -

August 15, 2015

Article by Keith Rankin. This piece was also published on TheDailyBlog.co.nz.

It’s in fact the “people’s flag of Australia”, the flag under which Australian soldiers fought in both World Wars. See A Brief History of Australian Flags. The field was “red for civil use”, as in the pre-1965 Canadian flag.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand all had three versions of their flag: blue, red and white ensigns. Indeed New Zealand still does (eg New Zealand Red Ensign, which “may be flown on land in places or on occasions of Māori significance”). The blue versions of the flags were understood as strictly for formal government use, so the red flags were used as the national flags of Canada and Australia. In New Zealand however, Richard Seddon, with little domestic opposition, legislated from 1900 for the New Zealand blue ensign (the present flag) to become New Zealand’s official flag, which it did in 1902. Restrictions on the New Zealand use of the blue flag eased or were disregarded, and it became New Zealand’s banner at Gallipoli.

There was no such thing as an Anzac flag. And there are very few historical depictions of Australian and New Zealand flags being flown together. This is the flag Australian soldiers fought under at Gallipoli, although it’s not overlooking Anzac Cove as its caption states. (It’s Suvla Bay in the distance.)

My search for the two correct flags together yielded this Gallipoli centenary party; these people in the Brisbane Paramount Rifle Club are unlikely to be politically ‘red’. Yet the red ensign “people’s flag” of Australia was dismissed as the Australian flag in 1953, in a fit of Cold War pique. And probably without a moment’s thought by the Australian government, the half-century of Australia and New Zealand flying quite distinct flags came to an end. The era of New Zealand’s flag being taken for the Australian flag had begun. Few of us alive today have any memory of the two flags being much different.

Robert Menzies wrote in 1967: “In the year of my birth 1894 – Queen Victoria was on the throne of the United Kingdom and Ireland and the Dominions and Colonies beyond the Seas… For us, the maps of the world were patterned with great areas of red, at a time when red was a respectable colour”.

Australia, like New Zealand, has its anti-change brigade, and the standard argument trotted out is that the soldiers “fought and died” under the present blue flag. And history was rewritten (literally ‘recoloured’) to support this myth. All New Zealanders (and Australians) should look at The Australian Red Ensign: Myths and Facts. The first picture shown is a black and white photo from New Guinea in 1943. The image of the flag, when later used on a book cover, is painted blue. Soldiers who were there confirm that it was red.

At the flag-waving at the opening of the Australian Federal Parliament in 1927, the blue flag is nowhere to be seen, just the Australian Flag (red) and the Union Jack. Among the many illustrations on this website, is a 1943 Allies Day toffee insignia. 13 allied flags are shown, with the Australian (red) and British flags taking pride of place. There is no New Zealand flag to be seen. So much for Anzac collegiality. A 1917 book “The Story of the Anzacs” shows a soldier standing in front of a big red flag. This may be why some New Zealanders have thought that this was a concocted Anzac flag. (See this entry – Kia Ora Katoa – in the New Zealand National Library. The flag that is called the Australian Flag is actually meant to be the New Zealand flag – it lacks the Commonwealth Star. The labels such as ‘Suvla Bay’ are not flag labels, just Gallipoli venues. It was the British who landed at Suvla Bay.)

Does this re-acquaintance with historical fact inform the New Zealand flag debate?

Yes it does, because a flag is a statement to the rest of the world where a person (or ship) is from. We were embarrassed before 1840 through not having such a symbol. We were embarrassed again at the time of the South African War in 1899-1900, and we have been embarrassed for the last 60 years, when Australia adopted a flag that looks to the rest of the world like our flag. The second overriding issue is that we need to signal that we are an independent country. The concept of nationality remains fuzzy, despite the best efforts of Woodrow Wilson nearly a century ago. New Zealand’s nationality was very ambivalent during the early 1920s, when Prime Minister Massey refused to accept that we were anything but a province of Greater Britain. New Zealand citizenship dates from 1947. Our nationality remains ambivalent through our having a foreign head of state, and through the office of Governor General. I’m happy for these ambivalences to remain. Nevertheless we are no longer British, and many of us never really were. Our calling card should not have the United Kingdom on its letterhead.

We need a people’s flag; a flag that neither conveys one’s politics nor one’s snobbishness. (Even in Australia, the old red people’s flag, had it been retained, would be in need of an alternative symbol to the Union Jack.)

A good flag is a simple flag, but not necessarily as simple as Japan’s rising sun or Canada’s maple Leaf. The present flag has two symbols and three colours. That should be regarded as a maximum for a new New Zealand flag. Further, one of those colours has to be red, to symbolise Māori. I would argue strongly that the flag should have no black in it. Black is one symbol of New Zealand; but it also symbolises piracy, death and the Islamic State.

Red and white alone cannot represent New Zealand. The only viable third colours are blue or green. I have seen no designs with just red, white and green, so that leaves blue, giving us the present three colours.

Do we need stars as a symbol? I think ‘yes’. The Southern Cross is the symbol that places us in the south like no other, and symbolises New Zealand more than any other southern hemisphere country. (In all except the far north of New Zealand, the cross is visible all year round, clear as stars can be on any fine night in the South Island. This is not true of other southern nations.) In winter, this striking constellation is a beacon at or near the zenith of our sky, and a reliable pointer to ‘true south’. (As an aside, ‘Matariki’ is a northern hemisphere star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus. It’s visible in the north in our summer. It’s more visible as Subaru, the Japanese name for that same group of stars that are prominent in its winter sky.)

I like the fern as a second symbol. It’s the one that most identifies us to others. (Too many koru designs look like a Japanese representation of a tsunami. Land of the great white wave. Though I do like the ‘Koru and Stars’ by Alan Tran) Some people think the fern looks like a feather. Maybe; it’s not a problem, though. While a feather may be seen by some as a symbol of cowardice, I think we’ve put the World War 1 ‘white feather’ women behind us. The white feather is also a symbol of peace, possibly appropriated as such by Taranaki Māori from the Chatham Islands’ Moriori. It’s also an emblem of chieftainship, as in this 1840s’ painting of Te Rauparaha. I would be surprised if the author of the Kamate haka was ever thought of as a coward.

I like the white fern in place of the Union Jack. The flag is instantly recognisable as of Aotearoa New Zealand and nowhere else. The flag is acceptable to conservatives because it retains the general colour scheme of the present flag. It has the potential to do for New Zealand what the Maple Leaf has done for Canada. Yes, the Maple Leaf is a logo. But it’s also a people’s flag, proudly displayed as a symbol of identity by travelling Canadians of all political persuasions, creeds and ages. Canadians, like Australians, fought for the British under their red ensign flag. That’s a flag and a history that should not be forgotten, as the flag Australians fought under has been well and truly forgotten. Canadians can and do acknowledge their wartime flag in a way that Australians, with their rewritten history, cannot.

I quite like Gareth Morgan’s preferred flag, though it has four colours; too many. It’s well designed, but is probably too abstract for too many of us to identify as a people’s flag. It’s more an intellectual’s flag. And, while it might in time identify us to ourselves, it won’t identify us to the outside world, and that’s what a flag should do.

I would prefer a flag that others like too – whether left or right of political centre – that says where I’m from but says nothing else about me. I want a flag that people who like the present flag will also like. I want a flag that both I like, and that many people who are unlike me also like. I like red, white and blue, the silver/white fern, and the southern cross. And I would like our neighbours from the red continent over the ditch to once again adopt red as the backdrop of their flag.

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NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 14, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 15, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 9 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Friday 14th August.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include emergency medicine specialists speaking up to say ED staff are struggling to cope with heavier workloads, Statistics NZ figures show New Zealand’s population is growing at its fastest rate for more than a decade and the prospect of ‘TPPA – Walk Away!’ protests set to take place in 21 towns tomorrow.

Note: As well as providing a precis of leading broadcast bulletins each day, our NewsRoom_Monitor service does a daily paper round with succinct ‘news picks’ from the main metropolitan papers emailed by 9am each morning. If you’re interested in a free trial please email monitor@newsroom.co.nz

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: New Zealanders have final say on national flag; New online telehealth resource to encourage uptake; Support extended for drought-affected South Island; New Partnership School application round opens; NZ engineering team to help with Nepal rebuild; Economy benefits from strong tourism growth; Jonathan Coleman – South GP Continuing Medical Education Conference; DHB budgets not keeping up with emergency work; Cook Islands Prime Minister to visit New Zealand; $10 million in drinking-water subsidies for small communities; Minister congratulates literacy graduates; Appointments to the Real Estate Agents Authority; Christchurch Hospital’s new building on track; Building Code information to be more accessible; Central Plains Water irrigation scheme opens in Canterbury

Greens: Hekia Parata has broken her word

Labour: English admits responsibility for Solid failure; Good money after bad for failed experiment;DHB budgets not keeping up with emergency work

New Zealand First: Sad day as legislation passes for flag vote; Incompetent Serco left to run prison overnight when death occurred

LINKS OF THE DAY

Links of the day have been a feature of NewsRoom_Digest since we first started production in August 2014 at newsroom-nz.tumblr.com. We are currently building an archive of these at:http://newsroomplus.com/resources/resourceful-links/

ADAPTING TO ADVERSITY: Many families experience difficult situations, but some families are better able to cope than others. To explore this further the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (Superu) today released In Focus: Family Resilience. Go here for the report: http://www.superu.govt.nz/in-focus-family-resilience

AIR NZ VIDEO SETS RECORD: Air New Zealand’s newest safety video Men in Black Safety Defenders has been viewed online almost four million times around the world in the 24 hours since its launch yesterday morning, making it the biggest launch of an Air New Zealand safety video ever. Watch the video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji65WI5QLZI

DRINKING-WATER SUBSIDIES: More than 6,000 people in small communities around New Zealand are set to benefit from improved drinking-water supplies thanks to the latest round of Government subsidies. More information on the drinking-water subsidy is available on the Ministry of Health website: http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/environmental-health/drinking-water/drinking-water-assistance-programme

INVESTMENT ON THE RISE: Responsible investment assets in New Zealand continue their strong growth reaching $63.5 billion following a 10% increase in 2014. If you’re wondering what a responsible investment asset is see the reporter here: http://responsibleinvestment.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015_Benchmark_Report_NZ_FINAL.pdf

LACK OF TRUST IN SPY AGENCIES: There is a widespread distrust of NZ’s Spy agencies according to a People´s Review of the Intelligence Services. The review is being issued on the closing day of submissions for the official review. Available here: http://stopthespies.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PeoplesReviewOfTheIntelligenceServices2015.pdf

ONLINE TELEHEALTH: A new online resource has been launched to help encourage the uptake of telehealth by health professionals across the country. Health Minister Jonathan Coleman launched the new site at Christchurch Hospital this morning. You can visit the New Zealand Telehealth Resource Centre at: http://www.nztrc.org.nz.

POPULATION GROWTH: New Zealand’s population is growing at its fastest rate for over a decade, and is exceeding Australia’s growth rate, according to new estimates released by Statistics New Zealand today. Go here for more:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/NationalPopulationEstimates_HOTPAt30Jun15.aspx

SLOWER SALES FOR RETAILERS: Retail sales growth eased in the June 2015 quarter after big gains in recent quarters, Statistics New Zealand said today. Click here for retail trade survey:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/RetailTrade/RetailTradeSurvey_HOTPJun15qtr.aspx

TOURISM GROWS: Impressive growth in tourist guest nights has benefits for the wider economy, Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett says. The survey is available at :http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/accommodation/AccommodationSurvey_HOTPJun15.aspx

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Friday 14th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

Advocates call for more more political will when faced with bureaucratic barriers

By Selwyn Manning -

August 14, 2015

Pacific Media Centre Tongan newspaper publisher Kalafi Moala says bureaucracy, culture and religion are a “triune of power” standing in the way of reform in the 21st century Pacific. Asia-Pacific Journalism asks academic experts for their view. Pacific Scoop: Report – By Kai Ping Lew Reformers in the kingdom of Tonga have often found themselves stymied by an unyielding bureaucracy, resulting in unnecessary delays in passing legislation citizens need, says Tongan newspaper publisher Kalafi Moala. “No one benefits from such a situation. Those that lose the most are the people the government is serving,” he said. Dr Steven Ratuva, University of Canterbury’s professor and director of the Macmillan Brown Research Centre for Pacific studies, agrees with Moala about the seriousness of the situation. “This is a major problem. Bureaucracies have not been adaptable enough in responding to emerging situations and the dramatically changing world around us,” he says. He told Pacific Scoop bureaucracy often tried to maintain the status quo, and for many Pacific countries routine operations rather than innovative transformation was the norm. Moala drew comparisons between the country and a ship changing its captain and its officers, but still going in the same direction if all the procedures and people operating the ship were still doing things the same way as before. “Reforms by the government need to be driven by political will and rationale to work. Civil servants need to be educated about the intent, and this requires retraining and rethinking,” said Dr Ratuva. Massey University Pasifika director Malakai Koloamatangi said although bureaucracy may slow down the reforms being implemented by governments, it did not happen all the time. “There are processes and procedures in place for a reason, but the government should streamline policy channels so that what passes in Parliament becomes policy smoothly,” he said. He added that by convention, bureaucracy should have to toe the government line and it is the new government’s job to ensure the people in the public sector will drive their reforms. “Structural reform in Tonga is a gradual progress and it will take time. It’s not bureaucracy that challenges them,” said Koloamatangi. Stroke of pen Moala also questioned the need for laws dictating that nobles received annual salaries, fostering the culture of entitlement accepted by the people of Tonga. Koloamatangi responded by saying there were other democratic countries that had a monarch, citing the United Kingdom and Bhutan. “The Tongans need to decide what type of democracy they want. But this needs to be grown organically from Tonga, and cannot be copied from elsewhere,” he said. Monash University law professor Guy Powles said: “You cannot change peoples’ values and priorities with the stroke of a law-maker’s pen.” However, Dr Powles added that it was important that steps were taken to introduce practices that would encourage attitudes that break with traditional notions of relationships built on subservience to social rank. One of the major arguments for maintaining the bureaucratic and social systems is adherence to tradition and culture through ensuring that the old ways of doing things are preserved. “There are good traditions and bad ones. Progress is not necessarily all good,” said Moala. He emphasised that the policies introduced by the government need to be people-centred. “Things that benefit the people are the things that must be implemented at any cost to tradition,” he said, recognising that these may be different for different countries. Radical changes “Fiji dismantled the Council of Chiefs and admonished the Methodist church about their political activities. Samoa changed its time zone. Radical, but the governments did it as they perceived these were components of tradition standing in the way of progress.” Dr Ratuva said that tradition and progress did not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive even though people tend to think of them as such. “For Pacific countries, the question is how they can address the critical daily issues of the people – poverty, food security, housing, and human security.” Dr Ratuva said the answer lies in using the most affordable and effective approaches, whether they be traditional, modern, or a mixture of both. The focus should be on selecting the most equitable, just, and fulfilling system. He acknowledged that one of the major fears around change was the loss identity, but denied the possibility. “Nothing is further from the truth. “Ultimately, what defines our identity is our sense of belonging to the group – even if we do not speak our parents’ language,” he added. Failure to ratify CEDAW Moala said that the protests in Tonga against the ratification of the United Nation’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – an important bill outlining the rights of women – showed a deeply embedded cultural belief that women should be subservient to men. The most surprising thing, he said, was that the leading opponents to CEDAW were women. Abortion and same-sex marriage were the two main points of contention cited by the opponents of CEDAW ratification, clashing with strong religious beliefs. AUT University Professor of Pacific Studies Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop said the move signified that the family system had stronger importance in Tongan culture than the rights of the individual at this time. “In all Pacific countries, the cultural system and the family are the glue that holds society together,” she said. She outlined the tension between the nation’s sovereign right to uphold cultural beliefs and the acceptance of a global mandate crafted by people outside their culture. “If we used the signing of CEDAW as an indicator of women’s status, then Tonga does not measure very well but the women of Tonga may disagree. They have their rights, roles, and responsibilities in their society. They have the opportunity to become highly educated. Many PhDs “They have one of the highest numbers of PhDs per capita,” said Tagaloatele. However, she added that it was important to look at Tongan women’s customary place in society in terms of the changing times, democratisation, and youth views of their rights and responsibilities. Tagaloatele said that the family rather than the nation or a global mandate was still the main unit of organisation, protection, basic human needs and economic security as Tonga did not have strong welfare support or legal systems. As such, issues about child protection or protection in general were always dealt within the family. “Whether dealt with fairly or not, it is the only institution they have access to. “The question is, is the family still protecting and maintaining Tongan women’s status?” Kai Ping (KP) Lew is in the 2015 Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies paper and is doing an honours programme in journalism at AUT University. –]]>

UN launches campaign supporting gay rights in the Pacific

By Selwyn Manning -

August 14, 2015

Pacific Media Centre One of two UN videos produced for the Pacific campaign. The United Nations has called for action in a new campaign against homophobia and transphobia in the Pacific Islands. The campaign has been well received, reports Asia-Pacific Journalism. Pacific Scoop: Report – By Ida Brock Her eyes are fixed on the video camera. Her expression is serious. In a short moment the woman’s eyes switch to the ground until they meet the lens once again. “I was assaulted by six prefects from the school. I missed an entire school term,” she says. The woman is a transsexual living in the Pacific and has been the victim of discrimination because of her sexuality and gender identity. She is also featured in a video the United Nations unveiled earlier this month as a part of a new campaign promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (LGBTI) rights in the Pacific. “We hope the governments in the Pacific will adopt laws to protect LGBTI people from discrimination and active measures to make sure attitudes change, for example by working closely with schools and health care facilities,” says Toiko Tõnisson Kleppe, human rights officer at the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR). “Educating them to be respectful of the rights and needs of LGBTI people to prevent any form of stigma or harassment.” Lack of anti-discrimination laws Currently there are 77 countries where it is illegal to engage in any sexual activity with a person of the same sex. Eight of these countries are Pacific nations – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. But the laws that criminalise LGBTIs are not the biggest issue in the everyday life of gay and transsexual Pacific Islanders, says associate professor in human rights Dr Paula Gerber from Monash University in Melbourne. “Decriminalisation is not the priority for the locals. No one has been prosecuted or convicted under these laws for years.” “What makes life difficult for them is the lack of any laws that prohibit discrimination against them. As things are, they can be denied a job, access to healthcare or housing because of their sexuality or gender identity.” One of the people who has experienced the discrimination first-hand is the chairperson of the Pacific Sexual Division Network and Tonga Leitis Association (TLA), Joey Jolene Mataele, who is a leiti living in Tonga. Leiti comes from the English word “lady” and refers to a man-by-birth living like a woman. “It hasn’t been a smooth journey through the last 23 plus years. When I started wearing dresses I was met with a lot of stigma and discrimination, for example from my own family as well as other people in town,” she says. “Especially when AIDS came to Tonga in 1987, there was a lot of stigma. People blamed us for AIDS and they didn’t want to be near us.” Missionary influence But the natives of the Pacific Islands actually used to be more tolerant towards sexual relations between gays and other LGBT people, says Dr Milton Diamond from the Pacific Centre for Sex and Society in Hawai’i. “There are many cultures in Oceania where it was normal and accepted to be a gay or trans person. “But then the missionaries came and said it was wrong; now LGBTIs suffer a difficult time on most of the islands. Their families often reject them and hold the idea of them living in sin.” However, the level of discrimination against LGBTIs in Tonga is decreasing according to Joey Jolene Mataele. Partly because of the humorous beauty pageant for Tongan leitis, Miss Galaxy, established in 1992 by the TLA. “The LGBTI communities here aren’t protected by any laws and the lack of legal regulation have led to invisibility and lack of influence for us. But Miss Galaxy gave us a way,” Joey Jolene Mataele says. “The pageant brings in people from faith based organisations and the government, and they see all the good work we do with the money from the pageant, for example how we sponsor scholarships for school dropouts.” Dr Diamond says that the discrimination of LGBTIs are decreasing; not only in Tonga but in the rest of the Pacific too. “It is on the way back to the tolerating days but it is a really slow process,” he says. ‘Free and equal’ In an effort to speed up the process of decreasing discrimination against LGBTIs, the UN has tried to frame the “Pacific Free and Equal” campaign in a way that catches the Pacific Islanders’ attention. For example by speaking to people they recognise, like the President of Fiji, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. “We’re also lucky that the Methodist Church of Fiji has taken a very clear stand. The religious message is important in the Pacific because it’s a very religious area,” says Kleppe from OHCHR says. And that approach will make a difference, says Asian-Pacific coordinator Ging Christobal from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) says. “For the LGBTI community to be seen as one of the marginalised groups that the UN supports can be a big push in the right direction,” she says and is backed up by Dr Gerber: “In many countries, people refuse to talk about gays, lesbians and transsexual people. So these videos specifically targeting the Pacific is a great way to start having a dialogue,” she says. Now, the next step is to start discussing anti-discrimination laws, Dr Gerber believes, and she would like to see Fiji showing other Pacific nations the way as they have already implemented those laws. Ging Christobal from IGLHRC says that it would also be a good idea to start documenting discrimination and violence against LGBTIs in the Pacific more frequently. “In these cultures the usual explanation from the governments as to why they aren’t focusing on LGBTI issues is that there is no discrimination or violence against them. But if we have concrete details to back up our stories, they can’t say no and ignore the facts.” Ida Brock is a Danish student journalist reporting for the Pacific Media Centre and the Pacific Scoop on the Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies paper. –]]>

NZ Report: Solid Energy Placed Into Voluntary Administration + Rugby: All Eyes on Quade Cooper

By Selwyn Manning -

August 14, 2015

New Zealand Report: Selwyn Manning joins Jane Reilly, Dave Penberthy and Mark Aiston on Australia’s Five AA breakfast show to discuss: Solid Energy Placed Into Voluntary Administration + All Eyes on Quade Cooper – Recorded live on 14/08/15.

ITEM ONE SOE Solid Energy One of the New Zealand Government’s state owned enterprises, Solid Energy, has gone into voluntary administration. The move comes after a collapse of global coal prices and poor governance decisions drove the company into insolvency. Solid Energy was once the poster company of profitable state enterprises. But yesterday (Thursday) Finance Minister Bill English said: “The international coal price has fallen from over $320 USD per tonne in 2011 to around $85 USD per tonne now… This means there is no prospect of Solid being in a position to repay or refinance its bank debt, or invest for the future.” In the last three years Solid Energy has accumulated a mountain of debt topping out at $305 million. It has done so despite the Government supporting the company with $250 million of taxpayer funds, By placing the company into voluntary administration, the board avoids being forced into liquidation or having creditors force it into receivership. The mines will continue to operate and miners have been guaranteed work for a further five weeks. It’s a temporary move. In mid September creditors will decide whether to freeze demands on the company. If they do, the Finance a Minister said Solid Energy will exit voluntary administration and undertake “an orderly sell-down of its assets over the next two and a half years”. ITEM TWO All Blacks V Wallabies (part II). Last Saturday’s win by the Wallabies against the All Blacks was a punch in the eye for the world champs. But pundits over this side of the ditch largely agreed was a well timed wake up call. This Saturday, at Eden Park, the All Blacks get to a chance to reclaim their reputation. The last time the Wallabies beat the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland was way back in 1986 when the flamboyant Alan Jones was the Wallabies coach. And when the Wallabies sing Advance Australia Fare in the Eden Park cauldron on Saturday, all Kiwi eyes will be on a guy called Quade Cooper, the Wallaby fly-half who grew up in the New Zealand forestry town of Tokoroa. The guy is a Rugby star, especially when the forward pack is making ground. The word is if Cooper can perform under the glare of the Eden Park crowd, he will be included in the Wallaby World Cup squad. If he doesn’t, he won’t, and Alan Jones’ 29 year record will remain unbroken!

NZ Super Fund Makes US$75 Million Investment in View

By Selwyn Manning -

August 14, 2015

Auckland, NZ (14 August 2015) – The New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super Fund) has made a new investment, taking a US$75 million stake in United States-based View®.

View is a leading manufacturer of dynamic-tinting glass, helping building occupants control, light, glare and preserve views by avoiding blinds and shades. As well as regulating natural light, the dynamic glass, which is installed at more than 120 sites across North America, also reduces the amount of energy used for cooling, heating and lighting buildings. Intelligent systems operate the glass in response to outdoor conditions providing greater comfort and energy efficiency and occupants can also manually control the glass using apps on smartphones and tablets, or by wall switches.

Matt Whineray, NZ Super Fund Chief Investment Officer, said View’s growth potential in a large market, and the exposure it provided to the energy efficiency sector, made it an attractive addition to the Fund’s portfolio.

“We are pleased to be able to further diversify the Fund’s portfolio of offshore, growth-oriented direct investments,” said Mr Whineray. “While these investments in early-stage companies with strong growth potential make up only a small part of the overall Fund – around 1.5% – they are an appropriate part of the mix for a long-term, diversified investor seeking to maximise returns.”

“View’s energy efficiency benefits are also a good fit with our strategy to increase the Fund’s exposure to alternative energy.”

Previous NZ Super Fund ‘expansion capital’ investments in this vein include fuel cell manufacturer Bloom Energy, wind turbine developer Ogin Inc. and carbon recycling company LanzaTech. In New Zealand, the Fund invests in expansion capital via investment managers Pencarrow Private Equity, Pioneer Capital Partners and Waterman Capital. Around 1.5% of the overall NZ Super Fund is invested in expansion capital.

“We are thrilled that NZ Super Fund has joined our investor group at a time of rapid growth at View,” said View CEO Dr. Rao Mulpuri. “As human wellness and environmental sustainability become strategic imperatives for forward-thinking organizations, View Dynamic Glass is enabling the rapid evolution of occupant-focused, sustainable, and intelligent building design. The strong, positive reaction from our initial customers is driving increased market acceptance and this financing will help us expand our capabilities to meet the growing market demand.”

The transaction settled on 7 August 2015.

The NZ Super Fund’s Head of International Direct Investment, Nigel Gormly, will take up a seat on View’s Board.

About NZ Super Fund

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is a sovereign wealth fund established by the New Zealand Government to partially pre-fund the future cost of universal pension payments. A long-term, growth-oriented investor, the Fund has returned 10.3% p.a. since inception in 2003. The Fund is managed by the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, a Crown entity. Funds under management were NZ$29.6 billion as at 31 May 2015. For more information visit www.nzsuperfund.co.nz.

About View, Inc.

A leader in building innovation, View Inc. is the first company to successfully advance the large-scale commercialization of dynamic glass. Situated at the intersection of human wellness, smart technology, and energy efficiency, View manufactures View Dynamic Glass, a new generation of architectural glass that intelligently transitions through multiple tint states to control the sun’s energy, providing an enhanced occupant experience and optimum natural light and thermal comfort.

View is shaping the future of occupant-focused building design from its headquarters in Silicon Valley and its high-volume manufacturing facilities in Olive Branch, Mississippi. For more information please visit www.viewglass.com.

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Ask not for whom the climate change bell tolls…

By Selwyn Manning -

August 13, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com

Contributed by Stephen Olsen, NewsRoom_Plus

Imagine you live in a small group of islands. Islands only four metres above sea level. Imagine those islands are on a planet where the inexorable impacts of climate change are mounting month by month.

This is the lived reality of Reverend Tafue Lusama of Tuvalu, a founder of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network and a visitor to New Zealand this week as part of a concerted effort to present the reality of climate change in the Pacific through a series of breakfast briefings for church leaders, as well as evening discussion fora in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Rev. Lusama had disturbing stories to share that have left the people of Tuvalu – with a resident population nudging 10,000 – trying to “make sense of what’s happening to us… and always posing the question, why us?”

It was a matter of fact that droughts had become lengthier and more damaging. It was a matter of fact that coral bleaching has been leading to a twofold distress: loss of stocks of fish, and loss of a first line of defence against storm surges. It was a matter of fact that the intensity and frequency of strong winds have increased with harsh consequences. It was a matter of fact that salt water has intruded into the underground water table.

How though, to come to terms with an extreme yet imaginable scenario of becoming a forced migrant from the one place on earth that invests you with an all-encompassing identity that protects you from being homeless?

How to face what a future of inevitable assimilation holds if the time came to leave Tuvalu, to become second class citizens in a place that isn’t home. Rev. Lusama: “You cannot build a Tuvalu within New Zealand… (this represents the) literal death of a people, of a culture”.

Speaking after Rev. Lusama was Trish Toupu – current graduate student in Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, co-convenor of the Pasifika Network of the Green Party of Aotearoa, and a New Zealand born member of Tonga’s own diaspora.

For Toupu, mythology and poetry provide a way to speak to, and of, the inherent connections across the Pacific and environmentalism.

She read lines from poet Teresa Teaiwa – “we sweat and cry salt water, so we know | that the ocean is really in our blood” – and from Kokala Folau (a gift of love) by Konai Helu Thaman, a poem that ends:

come!
take this kakala
sacred symbol of our oneness
tie it tightly around you
where it will remain fresh
in the nourishing flow
only the sky knows

Toupu spoke of climate change as an issue that can only be tackled with unity, and underscored the privileged position New Zealanders are in to freely exercise our voice(s).

Challenges of climate change, fast becoming beyond mitigation, require Pacific leaders like Starling Konainau of the Solomon Islands, also on tour and a Pacific Climate Warrior, to be at the prow of the Vaka.

Toupu pointed out that at the same time, there is plenty of room for exertion by non-Pasifika people on board, in the middle of the Vaka. Exertion that might take forms like, for instance, moving to put our money into banks that don’t fund fossil fuel giants, and that are divesting from environmentally harmful industries and investing in environmentally sustainable ones.

And that was really the point of the coming together of supporters for this event, the TEAR Fund, Oxfam New Zealand, Auckland Diocesan Climate Change Action Group (say it slowly) and 350 Aotearoa. Joining together to show a brotherly and sisterly love to our neglected neighbours by getting on board the Vaka, and encouraging others to embrace New Zealand’s wider place in the Pacific – a symbolic place that saw our nation use its privilege chairing the UN Security Council last month to put forward a debate on the issues surrounding SIDS (Small Island Developing States).

Tuvalu is not ready to throw in the towel. Rev. Lusama made that known very clearly.

In the spirituality of life and death, something is not right, he said, in a disturbing story, when islanders gathered on Thursday 16 July to give a proper burial for loved ones whose remains were unearthed during Cyclone Pam earlier this year. Something is not right in waking to fields that are strewn with huge debris, or being in a state of not knowing if landfalls you look to on the horizon will be above the waterline from one cyclone to the next. “Something is not right”.

Have the ‘big brothers’ of Australia and New Zealand been turning their back on their neighbours for too long – yes they have, said Rev. Lusama. Are they doing enough to “show they are standing with us to fight the fight we are fighting” – no they are not.

“We know we are not fighting a people (in fighting climate change), but we are fighting against an unjust system dominated by the powerful and rich … (you might say) capitalism at its best…”

To convert the 2600 hectare scale of Tuvalu into a topical metric, that would be the equivalent of 18 average-sized dairy farms. Its land mass would make up less than 0.2 percent of all the land in use for, or converted to, dairy in New Zealand.

Tuvalu’s scale is beside the point.

You could pick up a dart and throw it anywhere at a world map, and still not find a point on the road to the Paris Climate Change Conference in three months’ time that matters more than Tuvalu.

And if you have trouble seeing that, just close your eyes and imagine living in a small group of islands on a small planet where the inexorable impacts of climate change are mounting month by month. Now open them.

________________________________________

Extra information link: Listen to and read a transcript of a Radio New Zealand interview with Reverend Lusama.

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Pacific Islands environmental advocates call on NZ to ‘do more’ on climate change

By Selwyn Manning -

August 13, 2015

Pacific Media Centre Video report by Niklas Pedersen of Asia-Pacific Journalism. Pacific Scoop: Report – By Niklas Pedersen Leading climate voices from the Pacific Islands are trying to raise greater global warming awareness in New Zealand through a “Climate Tour” to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The very existence of many of the island nations is threatened by the impact of climate change and they feel that their “big brother”, New Zealand, isn’t doing enough to help them. Among the leaders speaking out, is the general secretary of the Christian Church of Tuvalu and founder of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, Rev Tafue Lusama. His homeland, Tuvalu, is projected to be underwater in less than 50 years. “We can’t sit back and look at our big brother turning its back on us. We need to tap on the shoulder of New Zealand to look back at us and do more, than what it is doing now,” he says. In a statement to Pacific Scoop, the Minister for Climate Change Issues, Tim Groser, stands by New Zealand’s goal to cut emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels over the next 15 years. “This is a fair and ambitious contribution to the global effort, reflecting New Zealand’s circumstances and the uncertainties still facing us. We are providing significant support for climate action in the Pacific,” he said. Asia-Pacific Journalism video report by Niklas Pedersen of AUT University and Danish School of Media and Journalism. –]]>

NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 13, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 13, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 15 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Thursday 14th August.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include confirmation the struggling state-owned coal company Solid Energy will go into voluntary administration, claims that there is a massive need for non-urgent surgery going unmet based on figures from 10 DHBs obtained by the Labour Party and breaking news that an inmate has been found dead at Mt Eden prison.

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: Global procurement deal takes effect today; First Threatened Species Ambassador appointed; Bluegreen programme of improved environmental management outlined; Solid Energy into temporary voluntary administration; Bill introduced to enable sex offender register; Secure online learning for prisoners; Electronic signatures stronger with RealMe; Employment Standards Bill introduced; Independent dairy processors collecting more milk; Feedback sought on port plan

ACT Party: Solid Energy – lessons unlearnt

Greens: Power prices rise eclipses inflation; National pushing students further into debt and distress; Skyrocketing child poverty shows Govt creating a country of two halves; Solid Energy reprieve should spur Govt action; Solar bill will help power NZ’s transition to green economy

Labour: GPs forced to do specialist work as budget cuts bite; Forcing amalgamation on democracies is undemocratic; Solid Energy’s workers deserve more; Abuse shows need for social worker register; Joyce’s penny pinching dooms Generation Debt; Secret meetings to sell-off state houses; Future economy must be diverse and sustainable; Toothless OIO never refused a single farmland sale; National borrows Labour’s idea on Urban Development

Māori Party: Restoring the mana of Ngāruahine and Ngāti Hineuru; Māori Party Welcomes Greater Iwi Input Into Local Regional Councils; Māori Party votes help contractor wage bill passes first reading

New Zealand First: Priceless NZ citizenship undermined by Minister; Guy ignores advice from red meat industry; Salisbury School’s future must be secured; National And United Future Snub WWII Veterans; Taking the burden off our health care system; National Miserable In Refusing Live Free-To-Air Sports Broadcasts

United Future Party: Dunne Speaks- So is NZTA above the law?

LINKS OF THE DAY

ALCOHOL AND ADVERSE SEXUAL HEALTH: A new study from the University of Otago shows that drinking alcohol before sex is still common as people approach middle age, and it still has an impact on their health and wellbeing. Click here for more: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0135660

BLUEGREEN PROGRAMME: A programme of stronger national direction and guidance on key environmental issues was announced today by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith at the Environmental Defence Society conference in Auckland. Click here for more: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/fresh-water/national-policy-statement-freshwater-management-2014 or http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/way-forward-national-direction

CHILD POVERTY: The Green Party while analysing the “Households Incomes in New Zealand” report released by the Ministry of Social Development says the Government is creating a country of two halves, with child poverty skyrocketing by 45,000 and a third of all income earners getting no benefit from the so-called rock star economy. The MSD report can be accessed at: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/monitoring/household-incomes/

ECONOMY MUST BE DIVERSE: The New Zealand economy has been overwhelmingly reliant on commodities in the past and must complement these sectors if future generations of Kiwis are to have decent work and wages, Labour’s Future of Work Commission chair Grant Robertson says. The full paper is available at:http://www.futureofwork.nz/economic-development

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS BILL: Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse today introduced a new bill that will extend paid parental leave and strengthen the enforcement of employment standards. For more information about the bill see here: http://employment.govt.nz/er/services/law/legislationreviews/employment-standards-bill.asp

FOOD PRICES UP: In the year to July 2015, food prices increased 1.2 percent. This follows a decrease of 0.1 percent in the year to June and 0.8 percent in the year to May. Click here for more:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/prices_indexes/FoodPriceIndex_HOTPJul15.aspx

GLOBAL PROCUREMENT DEAL: New Zealand’s accession to the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), has come into effect today. View the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) here: https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/memobs_e.htm

INEQUALITY ON THE RISE AGAIN: “It is time to recognise that income inequality is on the rise again,” says Bill Rosenberg, CTU Economist. “Rising inequality means that even if the economy is growing, the income from it is not being fairly shared.” The CTU cites an International Monetary Fund research report that found weakening of unions is one of the strongest factors in increasing income inequality. The IMF research is located here:http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=42987

MULTICULTURAL NZ CONGRATULATED: The Human Rights Commission has congratulated Multicultural New Zealand on the launch of their milestone report “Our Multicultural Future”. The report is available at:http://multiculturalnz.org.nz/Launching+of+Our+Multicultural+Future

MERGER SHOULD BE PUBLIC: Aoraki and CPIT have given a business case for their proposed merger to Steven Joyce, the Minister for Tertiary Education, but to no one else, including staff and students who will be most affected by the change says the TEU. For Aoraki Polytechnic’s official release see: http://www.aoraki.ac.nz/about-us/news-events/cpit-and-aoraki-polytechnic-propose-new-tertiary-organisation

POWER PRICES RISE: The Green Party says the Government has failed New Zealanders by letting residential electricity prices rise 3.8 percent while inflation is nearly zero. Read the data released in the annual ‘Energy in New Zealand’ report here: http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/energy-modelling/publications/energy-in-new-zealand/Energy-in-New-Zealand-2015.pdf

RED MEAT ADVICE: New Zealand First has been drawing attention to the merits of the Meat Industry Excellent report and criticising Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy for what they call a “failure to consider” it . Read more about the MIE Report here: http://www.meatindustryexcellence.co.nz/mie-report-2015/

REINZ: REGIONS ON THE RISE: The latest monthly report from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand shows exceptionally strong sales volumes for midwinter. The national median house price was $465,000 for July, an increase of $49,000 on July 2014 and $15,000 from June. See the full the report here:

https://www.reinz.co.nz/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=F0D243B8-7EA1-4DE5-AD9B-3204A7BA5483&siteName=reinz

SOLAR BILL: Parliament will get to vote on a simple amendment to the Electricity Industry Act that would guarantee households a fair price for any excess renewable electricity they supply back to the grid, the Green Party said today. For more information on the Electricity Industry (Small Scale Renewable Distributed Generation) Amendment Bill see: https://home.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/powering_a_clean_energy_future_ssrdg.pdf

STUDENT DEBT IS A MONSTER: Working New Zealanders are burdened by student debt according to a report released today by the New Zealand Union of Students (NZUSA). View the Income and Expenditure Report here:http://www.students.org.nz/income_and_expenditure_survey

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Thursday 13th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

Jane Kelsey: Give-A-Little fund for legal challenge to TPPA secrecy

By Selwyn Manning -

August 13, 2015

Source: Professor Jane Kelsey.

A ‘Give-A-Little’ page http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/tppnosecrecy has been established for donations to support the urgent challenge to the Trade Minister’s refusal to release official documents on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations.

[caption id="attachment_6443" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Give-A-Little fund for legal challenge to TPPA secrecy.[/caption]

The proceedings were lodged in the High Court in Wellington on 5 August, asking for the case to be accorded urgency.

The Court is being asked to declare that the Minister got the law wrong and should release some or all the information asked for, including draft texts.

This application for judicial review is being brought in the names of Consumer NZ, Ngati Kahungunu, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, New Zealand Nurses Organisation, the Tertiary Education Union, and Professor Kelsey who made the original request.

[poll id=”15″]

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Across The Ditch: China’s Devaluation Threatens NZ Exporter Viability + All Blacks V Wallabies + NZ Flag

By Selwyn Manning -

August 13, 2015

Across The Ditch: Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning deliver their weekly extended bulletin Across The Ditch: This week China’s Currency Devaluation Threatens Viability of New Zealand Exports + All Blacks V Wallabies at Eden Park Auckland this Saturday. Also, there are 40 new New Zealand flags on offer – Recorded live on 13/08/15.

ITEM ONE [caption id="attachment_1205" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning.[/caption] Export Economy New Zealand exporters trading with China are anticipating a complex and costly path ahead after China devalued its currency the Yuan this week. The nations most exposed to China’s economic trajectory are Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Particularly vulnerable in New Zealand is Fonterra, the dairy powder export giant. Fonterra has been struggling to strike a viable deal for Kiwi farmers. Last Friday, Fonterra announced it would top up the dismal $3.85 per kilo of milk solids rate with a 40-50 cent dividend. The top up deal was designed to give some certainty to farmers caught up in this sinking phase of the commodity cycle. For example, last week thousands of dairy farmers throughout New Zealand were facing insolvency after another disastrous global auction saw dairy commodity prices collapse below the farmyard gate break-even price. That’s when Fonterra stepped in with its top up deal. But now, Fonterra is also facing a drop off in returns anticipated from its exports to China. This has huge implications for the dairy sector in New Zealand, especially as the National-led Government agreed with China in 2013/14 to calculate two-way trade based on the New Zealand Dollar V the Yuan. China’s devaluation of the Yuan couldn’t have come at a worse time. New Zealand’s currency has been devaluing by degrees over the past six months, offering some relief to exporters. But with China also devaluing its currency this week, those gains, in broad terms, are wiped out. ITEM TWO All Blacks V Wallabies Update! Peter, we called it right for last Saturday’s test with Australia beating the New Zealand All Blacks 27-19. But on Saturday, the Wallabies will attempt to make it two in a row, this time taking on the All Blacks at Eden Park. In the New Zealand Herald this week, Australian Rugby great Phil Kearns, predicted the All Blacks will hit the Wallabies like a pack of “mongrel dogs”. Kearns said: “I think New Zealand will come out like complete mad mongrel dogs and will endeavour to teach the Wallabies a lesson,” Kearns said. “I think it’ll be a close run race with the All Black’s just winning.” The Herald also cleverly pointed out, the All Blacks have gone 37 straight tests without a defeat on home soil. And consider this… The All Blacks haven’t lost a test at Eden Park for over 21 years… since July 3, 1994. The last time the Wallabies played the All Blacks at Eden Park, NZ won 22 Australia 0. That was on Aug 25, 2012. Having laid that out pretty thick, my guess is a New Zealand win on Saturday night! ITEM THREE The NZ Flag 40 potential replacements for the New Zealand flag have been selected. What does this all mean. Across The Ditch broadcasts live on FiveAA.com.au and webcasts on EveningReport.nz LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.]]>

Do more for the Pacific over ‘climate refugees’, pleads asylum case lawyer

By Selwyn Manning -

August 12, 2015

Pacific Media Centre A lawyer who defended a Kiribati national seeking asylum in New Zealand based on climate change says more can be done for Pacific people whose islands are significantly threatened by rising sea levels, writes an Asia-Pacific Journalism reporter. Pacific Scoop: Report – By Latifa Daud The lawyer who defended Ioana Teitiota, a Kiribati national seeking asylum in New Zealand because of climate change, says the Supreme Court decision could open doors for future climate change cases. The two-year long campaign to allow Teitiota and his wife to stay in New Zealand as “climate change refugees” was denied by the Supreme Court in July 2015. The ruling was based on a claim that the Kiribati government is taking steps to ensure the safety of its citizens. The 1951 Refugee Convention says that to claim refugee status, one must face persecution based on religion, ethnicity or being a member of the social group. However, Teitiota’s lawyer Michael Kidd argues more can be done for the Pacific people whose islands are significantly threatened due to rising sea levels. “What’s disappointing about the Supreme Court decision is that they cannot move from that point where there’s a general system of persecution to where climate change, droughts, water inundation and pollution is a general persecution,” says Kidd, who had appealed against an earlier High Court judgement. “New Zealand has a responsibility towards our Pacific brethren who are currently drowning. “As the situation is Kiribati deteriorates to the point where there’s wholesale evacuation you’ll get some success.” Biggest concern An Amnesty International New Zealand spokesperson says climate change is one of the biggest concern in the region and could have huge implications on the human rights of effected communities. “Not only is climate change an environmental issue, it is a human rights issue,” says Amanda Brydon, advocacy manager at Amnesty International. “While Amnesty International doesn’t currently take a position on climate change, the organisation recognises that the impact of climate change has serious implications for people’s human rights.” “Climate change will increasingly become one of the biggest barriers to the rights to housing, water, food, health and adequate standard of living. Communities living in poverty can be especially vulnerable to climate change-related impacts, in particular those concentrated in unplanned and unserviced settlements within urban areas,” says Brydon. Rising sea levels has caused communities living on low-lying islands to become severely threatened. Evacuations began in 2009 to move people from the Carteret Islands, Papua New Guinea, to the island of Bougainville. According to CNN, Carteret Islanders are described as the first group of people living on an island who are facing forced and organised relocation due to climate change and rising sea levels. The island is believed to be uninhabitable by this year. Tuvalu is another Pacific island nation that is at risk of being uninhabitable within the next 30 years. ‘Happening right now’ “Tuvalu and Kiribati have been saying for at least 10 to 15 years to the rest of the world that this is a reality for them. It’s not about a threat, it’s happening right now,” says Rachael Le Mesurier, executive director at Oxfam New Zealand. The organisation, which works with communities dealing with humanitarian disasters, says the intensity of weather patterns such as cyclone season is clearly increasing and the impact on the affected communities is evident. Referring to Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu in March 2015, Le Mesurier says: “320km-an-hour winds has just never been seen before.” The increasingly intense weather patterns are making it difficult for agriculturally reliant communities to support themselves. “Tuvalu and Kiribati are seeing areas that have been agriculturally viable being damaged. “Taro crops are no longer able to grow because the salt is coming up through the coral and making it impossible for them to grow crops they’ve grown for ages. “The Pacific countries are not the ones that are responsible for climate change. They have such a small number of proportional emissions.” Hit by consequences Senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace Simon Boxer says that the Pacific Islands have a small number of emissions into the atmosphere yet are primarily dealing with the consequences of pollution. According to Boxer, the aim is to “recognise that the Pacific is on the front line of climate change and its been caused by polluters like New Zealand and Australia.” Greenpeace believes New Zealand has a responsibility to allow those affected by climate change to settle in New Zealand. “Our view is that New Zealand is part of the problem. We are the polluters. We’re creating this devastation of Pacific communities. Therefore we have the moral duty to accommodate those we’re displacing. New Zealand and Australia have to take a lot more proactive role on allowing climate refugees to come in and not trying to put as many legal hurdles in the way as possible. “There have been attempts at the United Nations level to have countries like New Zealand be liable for creating this problem. They should have to pay compensation and be forced to help countries adapt and take refugees which is part of it.” A political studies dissertation, “Warming to the issue? New Zealand’s evolving position on climate change refugees in the Pacific”, said one of the reasons for little policy change is trade. “At the moment New Zealand’s ‘moral responsibility’ consists of preventing climate change, and its ‘geopolitical interest’ focuses on liberalising trade. Prevention initiatives “The emerging interest from this discourse is one that sees New Zealand not creating formal policy that deals with climate forced migrants, and instead focussing most of its energy on prevention initiatives when it has to deal with climate change,” wrote Kathy Errington, who was a University of Auckland student at the time. She also argued organisation and lack of resources made it difficult for communities to lobby within New Zealand. This policy change would include global responsibility towards the effected communities. “The number of Niueans residing in Niue is 1600, and 20,000 Niueans reside in New Zealand. Niue is one of the nations affected by coral bleaching, threatening the livelihoods of many residents. “Yet the lack of organisational infrastructure in regards to political lobbying makes it difficult for Pacific communities to challenge the position of the dominant discourse, which stresses Pacific governments’ responsibility to adapt to climate change, rather than international responsibility.” Latifa Daud is an AUT postgraduate student majoring in journalism and reporting on the Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies paper. The Teitiota High Court judgment –]]>

TPPA Protesters Deliver 100,000 Kiwi Signatures to Parliament

By Selwyn Manning -

August 12, 2015

TPPA Protesters outside Parliament — ]]>

NewsroomPlus.com Contributed by Adam James Ring Protesters rallied outside Parliament today to deliver a petition of over 100,000 signatures from a wide-range of New Zealanders who oppose the TPPA free-trade deal. Around 400 protesters heard speeches from a variety of community spokespeople and opposition MP’s, including Green MP and former co-leader Russel Norman, Labour MP and Spokesperson for Trade and Export Growth David Parker and Eastern Ward Wellington City Councillor Sarah Free.

20150812_123023 — Protesters rally outside Parliament to oppose the TPPA free-trade agreement.

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Asthma: Inhaling facts and exhaling witchcraft

By Selwyn Manning -

August 12, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com Contributed by Rupeni Vatubuli Asthma is a common condition in the world, with a common symptom for those that suffer from being to experience recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. The World Health Organisation or WHO estimated in a 2013 survey that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma and of the Non Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) it is is the third biggest killer. Close to home in the Pacific region the human costs of asthma are all too apparent.

Individuals who develop asthma as adults are said to have adult onset asthma (Source: http://www.webmd.com)

In Fiji for instance, figures for the past four years (2010-2014) show the main hospitals saw over 2285 cases of asthma and of these 6.6% resulted in death – as many as 151 deaths. Challenges that prevent people from managing their asthma properly include a lack of knowledge about how to make best use of their medication. Many have the necessary medication but do not know how and when to use them. In 2014 the Global Asthma Network conducted a survey in the Pacific. Results highlighted that in Samoa 14.1 percent of the young teenage population aged 13-14 have experienced asthma, while for the same age group the figure was 13.6 percent in Fiji and 12.5 percent in Tonga. Factors that are contributing to the problem are factors such as interrupted access to medication related to affordability and the lack of ongoing treatment. This gives asthma patients or those who care for asthma patients no choice but to take extreme measures. An inhaler in Fiji costs $8 FJD ($5.74 NZD) and though that may seem reasonable, it would be wrong to assume that everyone has access to sufficient medical facilities or can even afford to pay that amount. If government or NGO assistance was pushed aside, how people deal with asthma would become even more difficult. There is another aspect to treatment of asthma in the Pacific that has to be noted. In pre-contact periods, Fiji society, like other neighbouring countries, had a strong connection to superstitious beliefs. If a relative fell ill, the belief was that the condition was not brought on by themselves but by the cruel intentions of others. A bete (High Priest) is said to be installed by the old gods to cater for the health of its people. Herbal medicine would be given to the patient with a promise that it would cure their illnesses (placebos). One survey of over 2000 practising providers of traditional medicine in 13 of the 14 provinces in Fiji by the Women’s Association for Natural Medicinal Therapy indicated that between 60 to 80% of the population use traditional medicine. The same survey also suggests that many people, including practitioners of allopathic medicine, use traditional medicine but hesitate to call it such, because traditional medicine is associated with witchcraft. The point is that many people, including most asthma patients, tend to use herbal medicine because of their affordability and abundance. It’s a reality of the ‘health system’ that hasn’t been studied much, with people continuing to use herbal medicine due to their lack of information on “asthma” and with potential, worse still, to be scammed by people who know nothing about the disease. And meanwhile the battle to address the seriousness of asthma goes on. –]]>

NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 12, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 12, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 10 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Wednesday 12th August.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include coverage of a report that says almost two-thirds of New Zealanders nearing retirement have not yet worked out how much money they will need to keep afloat after retiring. the story that thousands of underfloor earthquake repairs in Canterbury will be reviewed after a government inspection by MBIE revealed substandard work, and news that Solid Energy will be making an announcement about its future tomorrow.

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: Retirement planning survey reinforces the need for increased financial capability levels; Minister welcomes ERA appointments;Further progress for Treaty settlements; Two Treaty settlement bills pass first reading; Strong demand for student R&D grants; Community development adds to community spirit; Positive signs of wellbeing recovery continue; 120,000 kids now in Communities of Schools; Applications for Youth Parliament 2016 open; NZ capitalising on abundant energy resources

ACT Party: Greens urged to let Parliament decide on RWC Bill; ACT Successfully Introduces RWC Bill

Greens: Greens welcome more responsible RWC booze bill; Prime Minister needs to say whether McCully misled Cabinet over shoddy Saudi deal; Confident that a better Rugby World Cup Bill is on the cards; Spies need less, not more, power

Labour: Minister must engage community in school closure decision; Law must allow bars to open for other sporting events

New Zealand First: Treaty negotiations minister needs to get a grip; Kiwis missing out on world cup netball; Kiwis Have Spoken – TPPA Has Got To Go; Electricity Authority’s Unacceptable Line Charge Rort

NZ National Party: Bishop congratulates Dowse Director on Churchill Fellowship

LINKS OF THE DAY

120,000 KIDS IN COMMUNITIES OF SCHOOLS: Education Minister Hekia Parata says more than 120,000 kids are now in 42 Communities of Schools in an initiative to work together to raise student achievement. For more information about Communities of Schools go to http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/investing-in-educational-success

CAPITALISING ON ABUNDANT ENERGY RESOURCES: The latest Energy in New Zealand (ENZ) report shows the proportion of renewable energy making up our domestic supply is at a record high. To view the ENZ, click here:http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/energy-modelling/publications/energy-in-new-zealand

ENERGY IN NEW ZEALAND 2015: New energy records and trends are revealed in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s latest annual energy report. Energy in New Zealand 2015, released today. The report and detailed data tables can be accessed here: http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/energy-modelling/publications/energy-in-new-zealand

FURTHER PROGRESS FOR TREATY SETTLEMENTS: The Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill passed its third reading in the House today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. A copy of the bill is available at:http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2014/0202/latest/DLM6059509.html?src=qs

GUEST NIGHTS IN JUNE: National guest nights for June 2015 were 3.1 percent higher than in June 2014, Statistics New Zealand said today. For more information on monthly accommodation statistics:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/accommodation/AccommodationSurvey_HOTPJun15.aspx

KIWIS WILLING TO WORK OVERSEAS: In the poll of 570 New Zealanders by recruiting experts Hays, 74 per cent would consider leaving for better job opportunities, career development or exposure, while 14 per cent would consider leaving for lifestyle factors. Just 12 per cent would not consider leaving New Zealand to work overseas. For more, read the Hays New Zealand Returners Report at http://www.hays.net.nz/returners

LIFE AFTER WORK – READY OR NOT: New research was released today by the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC) and the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) that looks at how well older New Zealanders are preparing and investing for when they stop working. For full results go to: http://fma.govt.nz/news/reports-and-papers/research-papers/fma-and-cffc-survey-into-older-nzers-planning-and-expectations-for-and-experiences-of-retirement/

STRONG DEMAND FOR STUDENT R&D GRANTS: More than 200 future Kiwi innovators and 126 hi-tech companies will be able to benefit from research and development student grants announced today by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce. More information on the eligibility criteria for students and businesses, timelines and how to apply for Student Grants can be found at: http://www.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz

TREASURY STAKEHOLDER SURVEY RESULTS: The Treasury has released a report on the findings of its third stakeholder survey. This survey is conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Treasury’s stakeholder engagement and how we might improve it. The survey results can be viewed here:http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/informationreleases/stakeholders

YOUTH PARLIAMENT 2016: Youth Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that applications are now open for Youth Parliament 2016, to be held on 19 and 20 July 2016.“Youth Parliament is a great opportunity for young leaders to get a first-hand experience of how Parliament works,” says Ms Kaye. More information about Youth Parliament is also available at www.youthparliament.govt.nz

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Wednesday 12th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

Toktok No 31 / Winter 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 12, 2015

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Report by Pacific Media Centre

Pacific Media Centre

ISBN/code: ISSN 1175-0472

Publication date: Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Publisher: Pacific Media Centre

A TWO-MONTH Eyes of Fire student educational campaign with a microsite on the Rainbow Warrior experience climaxed recently with a new edition of the book and the author calling for justice for the Pacific victims of nuclear testing.

The publication of David Robie’s Eyes of Fire coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing by French spies on July 10, 1985, at Marsden Wharf in Auckland Harbour.

First published in early 1986, the book tells of Greenpeace’s campaign with the Rainbow Warrior against nuclear testing in the South Pacific, the penultimate mission to Rongelap, its subsequent bombing and the political fallout that followed.

“This book refocuses the anniversary around the Rongelap mission and action now to confront climate change, which casts an even greater spectre over the planet than the Cold War nuclear threat,” said Professor Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre at AUT University.

“It tells of the activism, and the humanitarian aspects, not just a spy drama being rehashed.”

Microsite: eyes-of-fire.littleisland.co.nz

Eyes of Fire is available at the AUT University online shop.

Other stories:

Tourist mood in Fiji but no holiday in newsrooms

Lessons of being a journalist amid the Manu Samoa buzz

Pacific terrorism, humanitarian voyage marked [picture gallery]

No more Hiroshimas

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Keith Rankin’s Chart for this Week: Germany’s current account time bomb

By Keith Rankin -

August 12, 2015

Germany's current account time bomb — ]]>

Chart for this Week: Financial Balances of Germany 1991-2014 by Keith Rankin.

[caption id="attachment_6406" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Germany’s current account time bomb.[/caption]

Last week’s chart showed advanced country financial balances from 1991 to 2014. My commentary probably understated its significance. The private sector financial balances (in blue) since 2008 represent the single biggest threat to the global economy since the emergence of similar global imbalances in the 1920s. And what that chart shows is only the tip of the iceberg. If we divided the advanced country economies (especially the USA) into rich businesses and households and the rest, then the unspent balances of the rich (recycled to be spent by the poor as debt) would be several multiples larger.

Germany is a big part of this problem, as British author and political economist Philippe Legrain has written about in two July 2015 articles (Europe needs Britain in the EU to curb German dominance for CapX; The Eurozone’s German Problem for Project Syndicate). The name of the problem is ‘mercantilism’, which essentially means running persistent current account surpluses for their own sake. From a short term perspective it means making lots of money, especially through foreign trade. From a long term (multi‑decade) perspective it means producing lots of exports which, through requisite debt write-offs, amount to giving stuff away (lots of stuff!) and ruining other economies in the process.

Germany in the 1990s was in an unusual situation, on account of the post-cold-war reunification of East and West. This week’s chart shows that, in the 1990s, small German private surpluses were matched by small government deficits. (Something went awry in 1995, causing Germans to slash their private spending; the federal and state governments accommodated this through a very large general government deficit.)

From 2002 Germany began reverting to pre-WW1 type (see The Return of the Ugly German, by Joschka Fisher), and the formation of the Eurozone made this economic behaviour very easy. For Germany, the Euro is undervalued compared with what a free floating Deutschmark would have been. This currency undervaluation, reinforced through ruthless cost management, has enabled Germany to become extremely ‘competitive’, initially with respect to its Eurozone partners and subsequently with respect to the rest of the whole world.

After the formation of the Eurozone at the turn of the millennium, and the effective completion of the reunification project, we see the accommodation of these huge private surpluses switching from the government account (red) to the current account of the balance of payments (green). From 2002 to 2010, this was Germans lending especially to Greeks, Spanish, Portuguese, and Irish (once called PIGS), with the effect that those countries’ people could (and did) buy swathes of German exports. This decade Germany’s private and government surpluses together have become the current account surplus of the whole Eurozone with the rest of the world. The whole Anglo-Latin world is becoming the next set of PIGS.

This monetary outflow from Germany in 2002 to 2008 was not investment in Greece and Spain, just as foreign-sourced money coming into New Zealand to buy existing houses is not investment either. If this money had been effective investment, Greece and Spain would have become competitive and would now be exporting swathes of goods to Germany. Rather that surplus money was ‘investment’ in keeping Greece and Spain economically dependent on German credit, much as loan sharks invest in their clients. The strategy worked.

Legrain sees these huge and growing German current account surpluses (in green) as the single biggest threat to the world economy. I agree, though I would argue that the problem is bigger than German mercantilism. As I showed last week, the other part of the same problem is the huge monetary stockpiles of the global rich – corporations and households. Substitute ‘Apple’ for ‘Germany’. The world economy ticks over nicely so long as the governments and the poor accommodate these cash stockpiles through indebted spending. The crunch comes when governments resist further indebtedness and private debtors default en masse. The governments are resisting.

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Bryce Edwards’ Political roundup: White men in charge of the message?

By Bryce Edwards -

August 11, 2015

Political Roundup by Dr Bryce Edwards.

[caption id="attachment_4808" align="alignleft" width="150"]

Dr Bryce Edwards.[/caption]

Rachel Smalley’s criticism of “white men” dominating the New Zealand media has raised a lot of important questions about power, politics and the media. But her “identity politics” arguments have not gone unchallenged.

Who has power in New Zealand society? This question is central to the debate sparked by broadcaster Rachel Smalley in her criticism of John Campbell’s appointment to Radio New Zealand last week. See her controversial column here: Campbell’s new role ‘extremely disappointing’. Her critique is essentially an “identity politics” argument, which sees those in leading media roles as being characterised by their gender and ethnicity. She argues the media can correct this imbalance of power by appointing fewer white males like John Campbell and more non-white males, or women, to these top roles.

Smalley has followed up with another column, I’ve been called sexist and sour but I won’t back down: we need more women on prime-time radio. She reiterates that “prime time radio, which achieves the greatest audiences, should not be straight, white and male either. It must reflect diversity of perspective, gender and culture”.

Such identity politics arguments are increasingly important in New Zealand politics and debate and, unsurprisingly, they always create a storm of debate. As usual, much of this has occurred on Twitter, and for some of the more interesting reactions – for and against – see my blog post Top tweets about Rachel Smalley’s white-male critique of NZ media.

The debate has been particularly interesting because of the central focus on John Campbell. Normally identity politics critiques of the media would focus their firepower on “white male” broadcasters such as Paul Henry or Mike Hosking, who are seen as rightwing or conservative. But because Smalley’s message was targeted at one of the more progressive “white male” broadcasters, this produced something of a dilemma for many on the liberal left who might normally be receptive to a critique of male pakeha power. Some have been uncomfortable with the notion of having to choose whether to defend Campbell, or side with Smalley’s critique of white-male dominance.

Supporting Smalley

Smalley’s campaign has won support from an array of figures in the media, politics and society. Fellow Newstalk ZB broadcaster Jack Tame has spoken out publicly in her defence – see Stuff’s Rachel Smalley not unreasonable to want more, Jack Tame says.

One of Smalley’s more surprising allies has been National MP Judith Collins ‏(@JudithCollinsMP), who tweeted to Smalley to say, “Well done for stating the obvious yesterday. Shame some can’t take the truth”.

Of course, identity politics is increasingly being utilised by the right as well as the left. And every institution of power is being critiqued for representational imbalances. So, it’s no longer just an objective of the left, but also the Establishment, to break the glass ceiling for women in business and bring other traditionally marginalised or oppressed groups into powerful positions and institutions.

One of the more interesting defences of Smalley’s argument has come from the Herald’s Lee Suckling, who says that he’s “the only gay columnist writing regularly for a mainstream media outlet about the issues that affect the LGBT community” – see: Why we need diversity in NZ media.

Suckling raises plenty of interesting arguments about identity politics, some of which appear to challenge Smalley’s position. For example, he heralds the role played by US broadcaster Jon Stewart, who “proved to be one of the greatest straight allies we’ve ever had. He argued for LGBT causes better than most of us ever could”. The point being, that a person’s ability to empathise with minorities is more important than being a minority. Nonetheless, he agrees with Smalley’s call for more diversity (although it’s not clear that anyone actually disagrees with Smalley’s call). But he calls for diversity to go beyond what Smalley demands: “New Zealand can do better than switching out straight white men with straight white women”.

It’s important that women are fronting broadcast programmes, according to Deborah Russell who dismisses those who point to women being powerful behind the scenes of radio and television: “when you have white men as the front person for so many shows, it helps to create a mindset about who is worthy of presenting the news, who is entitled to comment on it, whose opinions matter, who are the serious people that we ought to listen to and trust” – see: A couple of points about Rachel Smalley and diversity in prime time news. See also her earlier blog post, Talking about male privilege.

Blogger Martyn Bradbury has come out in Smalley’s defence, saying that respect for John Campbell should not “blind us to the validity of Rachel’s point, that we desperately lack a diverse media”, and he explains why he has made the Daily Blog “the most diverse blog in NZ” – see: Why Rachel Smalley is right.

Criticising Smalley

The most stinging critiques of Smalley’s argument come from women associated with John Campbell’s employment, with Radio New Zealand’s Carol Hirschfeld labelling the column “muddled” and “self-promoting”, and former Campbell Live producer Pip Keane accusing Smalley of “sour grapes” – see Katie Kenny’s Carol Hirschfeld says Rachel Smalley’s column about John Campbell is ‘muddled’.

One of the strongest challenges to Smalley’s identity politics argument comes today in Chris Trotter’s blog post, Of Messengers And Messages: Reflections on Rachel Smalley’s Controversial Column. He suggests that it’s ideology and politics rather than gender or ethnicity that is a bigger issue in terms of bias and representation in the mainstream media: “Smalley’s argument would have been a great deal stronger if she had couched it in terms of ideological, rather than gender, diversity. The problem with prime-time radio in New Zealand is not a preponderance of male voices, but of right-wing voices. It is, surely, the messages which are carried on the nation’s airwaves that matter most – not the gender of the broadcasters who carry them?”

Blogger Steven Cowan argues that the media’s diversity problem is one of class and economics rather identity: “A capitalist media structure means that working class views remain unheard. While Hosking, Henry, Gower and co speak for the powerful, who in the corporate media is speaking for the voiceless? No one. Smalley is either unconcerned or unaware of the obvious class bias of the corporate media” – see: Smalley thinking.

A nuanced and thoughtful critique of Smalley’s position comes from the Executive Producer of TV3’s The Nation, Tim Watkin, who provides something of an insider’s perspective on broadcasting and gender – see: On Smalley: a bit of back & forth. He challenges some of the “rather clumsy stereotypes” about gender and journalism that he says Smalley makes.

While agreeing with Smalley’s point about the overall gender imbalance at the top of broadcasting, Watkin argues that her focus on Campbell was a mistake. But he also goes further to defend the place of the “white men” at the top, and questions whether there really are any talented women broadcasters ready to take their place: “Next, you can only work with the talent in front of you. And, while I’d be happy if someone is able to prove me wrong, I don’t see many talented women broadcasters as good as those six dominant men and who can deliver an audience who are knocking down the doors”.

Debates about “privilege” regarding gender, ethnicity and otherwise will continue in other spheres as well. Recent articles of importance in this regard are Bernard Orsman’s Auckland’s Super City club: Who’s running our city? White men from wealthy suburbs and Hayden Donnell’s White Men in Charge: It’s Not Just Auckland Council.

The phrase “check your privilege” has become fairly established and gets used against pakeha, males, straights and other dominant groups in the debate. This is reflected upon by Verity Johnson in her column, ‘Check your privilege’ sounds smug, but it’s just a call for thoughtfulness.

Identity politics is likely to continue to become more and more central to New Zealand politics and debate. But as this episode shows, it’s both an illuminating and very fraught way of looking at the world and issues of power.

Finally, for the epitome of white male privilege in the newsroom, check out the new satirical media sensation on YouTube: White Man Behind A Desk, which is also on Facebook: White Man Behind A Desk. For an explanation of it all, see Jess McAllen’s Robie Nicol: The Kiwi John Oliver.

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NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 11, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 11, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 10 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Tuesday 11th August.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include a rural debt negotiator saying dairy farmers struggling with debt and falling payouts are coming under pressure from their banks to sell up, Finance Minister Bill English playing down the risk of a recession and a first wave of responses to 40 prospective flag designs for a new New Zealand flag unfurled yesterday.

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: Elective surgery rates up 42%, More Asian languages in schools; NZ contributes to Myanmar flood relief efforts; Speech: Peter Dunne – Spirits and Brewers Association, Wellington; Data protection for agricultural products to be enhanced; Wellington schools receive funding for Asian languages

ACT Party: Green Party poopers

Greens: Green Party Opposes David Seymour’s Cheap Publicity Stunt; Govt shows it’s learnt nothing from the dairy price crisis

Labour: Complaints laid with OAG and Treasury over McCully

New Zealand First: Enhanced protection for sex workers and the public required

NZ National Party:Wellington schools receive funding for Asian languages

LINKS OF THE DAY

ANZ NZ MONTHLY INFLATION GAUGE: Monthly Inflation Gauge posted a 0.3% increase in July. This is the highest monthly rise since February, but is typical for the month of July. Read more:http://www.anz.co.nz/resources/4/a/4a515e5e-2c4c-4e22-93b2-64b79a232173/ANZ-MIG-20150811.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=4a515e5e-2c4c-4e22-93b2-64b79a232173

AUDITOR -GENERAL’S REPORT: The Auditor-General’s report Consulting the community about local authorities’ 10-year plans was presented to the House of Representatives this afternoon.The report is available here:http://www.oag.govt.nz/2015/ltp-consultation-documents?utm_source=consult-docs&utm_medium=subs&utm_campaign=consult-docs

ANZ NZ TRUCKOMETER AUGUST 2015: A further fall in the ANZ Truckometer signals a clear slowdown in the economy, with the ANZ Heavy Traffic Index falling 0.3% in July. This index is down 0.2% in the last three months versus the previous three months (seasonally adjusted) and has fallen in six of the last seven months. Read more:http://www.anz.co.nz/resources/c/f/cf4c8233-19e0-4f02-8e47-1037f44740c6/ANZ-Truckometer-20150811.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

ENHANCED ACCESS FUND: Groups undertaking projects to enhance access to the outdoors are encouraged to apply for funding through the New Zealand Walking Access Commission’s Enhanced Access Fund. Application forms, guidelines and further details about the application process are available at: http://www.walkingaccess.govt.nz.

EAST COAST HAPŪ OPPOSE FORESTRY NES: Hapū groups with kaiteki responsibilities under the RMA covering more than 60,000 hectares of land on the East Coast are joining Gisborne District Council in opposing proposed changes to national rules for plantation forestry. The hapu have made their full submissions available at:https://hikurangi.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/draft-submission-on-nes-for-plantation-forestry/

GENDER PAY GAP GROWING: The gap between the hourly pay rates of men and women grew by another 30 cents last year.The pay gap is now $4.20 and it grew 7 percent in the last year, according to the latest Quarterly Employment Survey data. The latest Quarterly Employment Survey data is available here:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/LabourMarketStatistics_HOTPJun15qtr.aspx

RETAIL CARD SPENDING UP IN JULY: Retail spending using electronic cards was $4.6 billion in July 2015, up $244 million (5.6 percent) from July 2014, Statistics New Zealand said today. More information is available here:

http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/businesses/business_characteristics/ElectronicCardTransactions_HOTPJul15.aspx

RETIREMENT VILLAGE RESIDENTS’ASSOCIATION: Rob Wilson, president of the newly formed Retirement Village Residents’ Association, has welcomed a report from the Commission for Financial Capability which recommended residents get more advice and support in resolving problems. Read more at:http://www.cffc.org.nz/retirement/retirement-villages/retirement-village-disputes/retirement-villages-disputes-process/

TEACHERS TO HAVE THEIR SAY: A judging panel of education experts will be joined by teachers from across New Zealand to select category winners for the 2015 CLNZ Education Awards.The full list of application criteria and entry forms are available here: http://www.copyright.co.nz/Awards/CLNZ-Educational-Publishing-Awards/

YOUNG BRAINS, FRESH BUSINESS IDEAS: Businesses and organisations on the lookout for an injection of innovative ideas this summer have the opportunity to get some creative thinking done using brainpower from Victoria University. Businesses or organisations interested in hosting a student researcher this summer can find more information about the programme and submit an online application at the link below :www.victoria.ac.nz/research/collaborate/opportunities

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Tuesday 11th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

byWADE…moses’ wee problem…

By Selwyn Manning -

August 11, 2015

www.facebook.com/bywade or look at more stuff and buy things in obscene volumes to show how successful and cool you are atwww.iammenotyou.com…]]>

Radio: RCR’s Aaron Mooar IVs Angeline Greensill on Waitangi Tribunal Submissions over TPPA Concerns

By Selwyn Manning -

August 11, 2015

Interview by Raglan Community Radio’s Aaron Mooar. Interviewee: Angeline Greensill.

[caption id="attachment_6383" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Angeline Greensill.[/caption] Aaron Mooar talks to Angeline Greensill about the TPPA and the approach she made to the Waitangi Tribunal about the TPPA and where it might go now that the talks in Hawaii failed.

‘Angeline Greensill is of Tainui, Ngati Porou, and Ngati Paniora descent, born in the late 1940s in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) and raised at Te Kopua (Raglan), Whaingaroa on the turangawaewae of Tainui o Tainui ki Whaingaroa.’ (Ref. Wikipedia) —

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PNG: O’ Neill denies PNG on brink of ‘Greek- style’ economic crisis

By Selwyn Manning -

August 10, 2015

MIL OSI Analysis – Pacific Media Watch/Pacific Media Centre.

O’ Neill claims PNG’s economy is “stable” amid claims the country is facing massive debt. Image: Tim Wimborne/Archive

Monday, August 10, 2015

Item: 9381

PORT MORESBY (PNG Loop/ Sydney Morning Herald/ Pacific Media Watch): Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has denied Papua New Guinea is facing serious debt problems and has dismissed two prominent critics he has accused of having “vested interests’’. In a long statement, he said the country was within debt limits and that it did not have extraordinary levels of foreign debt. In a Sydney Morning Herald report late last week, Fairfax Asia-Pacific editor Ross Garnaut warned Australia’s nearest neighbour could be on the “brink of a Greek-style fiscal crisis following one of the most spectacular budget blow-outs in regional history”. Garnaut’s article said:

The projected budget deficit in Papua New Guinea’s has been revised up, hitting 9.4 per cent, which is more than double last year’s deficit and getting close to the 12.3 per cent figure which helped tip Greece into meltdown last year. The budget implosion will come as a shock to leaders in PNG and also Australia, who have consistently played down the impact of corruption and sliding commodity prices.”

But PNG Loop reports today O’Neill had claimed the PNG economy was stable, had better growth than most countries, a stable exchange rate and better foreign exchange reserves than many countries.

A “fiscal crisis” graph published with the Sydney Morning Herald article.

‘Not silly’ O’Neill said the government was “not silly’’ and had kept most of its foreign loans on concessional rates. He has provided an overview of current economic development as countries around the world “realign expectations’’ in the face of the downturn in global commodity prices. O’Neill said critics with vested interests had latched onto a recent mid-year outlook that made projections of potential scenarios that would only eventuate if the government did not attend to global economic challenges. “The facts are that the recent publication by the Bank of PNG indicates that the economy is stable and we are confronting global challenges,” O’Neill said. “Inflation is at around 4 per cent. Our foreign exchange reserves have around nine months of cover. That is higher than many parts of the world where import cover is only around 3 months. “Our exchange rates are stable. Importantly our economy continues to expand at a rate that is the envy of many countries around the world. “We have a growth rate over 10 per cent currently that will expand to between 11 and 15 per cent by the end of the year. ‘Alarmist claims’ “Despite misinformation and alarmist claims by people with vested interests, our debt to GDP is also very stable and within the legislated cap. “Today our debt to GDP ratio runs at around 33 per cent of GDP so is below the Financial Responsibilities Act requirement of 35 per cent.” “Today our budget deficit to GDP ratio for the half year to June is 1.8 per cent, and we project 4.4 percent for the whole year.”

PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s defence of the country’s beleagured economy after the Sydney Morning Herald report published on the front page of the PNG Post-Courier today. Image: PMC

The Prime Minister said there is no doubt that the economy is being affected by the decline in commodity prices and that is happening to countries all around the world. O’Neill said it was important for people to properly check where the claims of doom and gloom were coming from as there are serious conflicts of interest. “One of the leading critics is a former Australian staff member of the Treasury who was asked to leave Papua New Guinea, who also has connections to the current Opposition. “The other is a journalist who is the son of the former chairman of the PNG Sustainable Development Programme who we asked to leave as well.” Without naming the journalist, O’Neill was apparently referring to the Sydney Morning Herald report. “So you can see the conflict of interest in this criticism. Reporters need to seriously verify the claims these people are uploading to the internet.” Prime Minister O’Neill’s statement

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.

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Donors have opened up their hearts and wallets, but too often this is seen as a treat in the Pacific

By Selwyn Manning -

August 10, 2015

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Report by Pacific Media Centre

Father Francis X. Hezel reviews a new book on climate change corruption and development in the Pacific. And the message is rather sobering.

BOOK REVIEW: Giff Johnson’s latest work – Idyllic No More: Pacific Islands Climate, Corruption and Development Dilemmas – is a call to serious planning and more. The author summons leaders to recognise that life has changed in the Marshalls and the status quo is the road to disaster.

There was a time when this might not have been true – when people who wanted to kick back and live a simple island life could quietly opt out of school and retire to the family land to provide for themselves as their ancestors had done for generations in an island society that offered the resources, physical and social, to support its population.

But times have changed, the author convincingly argues. That kind of idyllic fallback is no longer an option. Residents of the Marshalls, including those outer atolls where life was simple and cheap, are voting with their feet.

The outflow of Marshallese to the United States is steadily increasing, slowly emptying the remote atolls even as it drains the population of the two large population centers, Majuro and Ebeye. Islanders today expect meaningful employment but find none at home.

Marshallese today want more but seem to be getting less. Water supplies are contaminated in many places, the copra industry which once provided modest disposable income for those who worked the land has gone south, and the quality of education is not what it once was.

No wonder people now describe themselves as “poor”. Normal household tasks have become more challenging with the breakdown of the old extended family on which they relied. As a result, even basic care of children often leaves a lot to be desired.

In today’s world no island is simply an island. All nations have subscribed, willingly or not, to standards that are spelled out in global millennium development goals.

Stalled progress
Measured by these standards, progress in the Marshalls has stalled.

Donors may open their hearts and wallets to the Marshalls, but the money given is all too often regarded as a treat to be passed around the table and sampled by everyone rather than for its real purpose. Consultants come in and craft a report outlining reform measures that goes unread and unimplemented.

Government employees fly off to attend meetings that multiply each year and leave them little time to provide the public services their people so badly need.

How does this small island nation chart a new course for itself? One that offers it the hope of finding new resources while conserving those it now has? One that provides a pathway to the development that government and people claim to want for themselves? One that is, in that over-worked phrase, sustainable?

The answer is not nearly as elusive as it might appear, the author suggests. But making this happen will require reform: a change in habits, especially on the part of the government, and a readiness to implement practices that we know can be successful but threaten our own interests.

That’s what it will take, no matter whether we’re dealing with global warming, preserving fish stock in national waters, improving education and health services, or trying to make the heavy emigration work to the advantage of the Marshall Islands.

Father Francis X. Fran Hezel was the founder and long-time director of the Micronesian Seminar in Pohnpei. He is now based on Guam and writes a regular blog at: www.wheresfran.org.

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NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 10, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 10, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 8 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Monday 10th August.

Top stories in the current news cycle include the Health and Disability Commissioner finding failings at Wellington Hospital when staff didn’t diagnose meningitis until it was too late for a baby boy in 2013, reports of impacts of the dairy market downturn starting to hit retailers and the announcement by the Flag Consideration Project Panel this afternoon of a ‘long list’ of 40 potential flags designs out of the 10,292 designs received.

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: New Code of Practice will help visiting drivers; StudyLink improvements continue for students; Students gear up for Maths Week; Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner appointed; Inquiry into handling of Robertson case announced

Greens: Time right for moratorium on dairy conversions

New Zealand First: Peters calls upon Fonterra to suspend global dairy auction

LINKS OF THE DAY

40 POTENTIAL FLAGS ANNOUNCED: The Flag Consideration Panel announced today the long list of 40 flag designs that have been selected for further investigation as part of the official design review process. The flags can be viewed at: https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/the-nz-flag-your-chance-to-decide/gallery/

DAIRYNZ GAME FOR CHILDREN: A new free online farm safety game that children can play on smartphones, computers and tablets is the latest innovation in the quest to improve farm safety.The new Farm Rules! game can be played online at http://www.rosiesworld.co.nz

MISDIAGNOSIS LEAVES BABY DISABLED: A missed diagnosis of meningitis by two junior doctors at Wellington Hospital has left a baby without sight, speech and movement. Read the Health and Disability Commissioner’s report here: http://www.williamburton.org/what-went-wrong.html

NIWA TRIALS NEW GENERATION AIR QUALITY SENSORS: A new method of testing air quality in towns around New Zealand has been developed by NIWA scientists that could revolutionise the way communities can measure and control pollution. More information is available here: http://www.niwa.co.nz/atmosphere/research-projects/CommunityObservationNetworksforAir

STUDENTS GEAR UP FOR MATHS WEEK: Education Minister Hekia Parata says Maths Week, which starts today, shows the real-life importance of mathematics in a fun and engaging way. Find out more about Maths Week here:http://www.mathsweek.org.nz/

TUANZ RELEASES PAPER FOR TELCO REVIEW: TUANZ (The Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand) has today published on its website a paper which lists the issues it suggests should be covered in the upcoming review of the Telecommunications Act by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).The full paper can be found here: http://tuanz.org.nz/representation/

VISITING DRIVER STANDARDS : Rental vehicle companies around New Zealand are being encouraged to sign up to a new Code of Practice aimed at improving the safety of both visiting drivers and New Zealand road users.The Visiting Drivers Signature Project is a key deliverable under the government’s Safer Journeys Action Plan 2013-15. For more information, go to http://www.saferjourneys.govt.nz

WALK AWAY FROM TPPA: This week Kiwis across the country will send a message to their government that it is time to walk away from TPPA negotiations, according to It’s Our Future spokesperson Edward Miller. A list of the actions taking place across the country is available here: http://itsourfuture.org.nz/campaigns/tppa-action-week-8-15-august/

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Monday 10th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

Feature: Keith Rankin on Chunuk Bair Centenary

By Keith Rankin -

August 8, 2015

Feature by Keith Rankin, 8 August 2015 – This article was also published on TheDailyBlog.co.nz.

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Gallipoli – Soldiers in trench shortly before attack on Chunuk Bair – Image Alexander Turnbull Library.[/caption]

Today is the centenary of the Battle of Chunuk Bair, an event that some think was a (if not ‘the’) crucible of New Zealand’s national identity. It’s a day to firstly acknowledge the futile loss of some 800 New Zealand lives, attacking and occupying a foreign landmark, without having any idea ‘why’ or ‘what next’.

I don’t think we care very much; after all it’s only history, and it’s not April 25.

We should care. Why were we there? What did we hope to achieve? Does it tell us some universal truths about human folly? Did ‘our side’, with racist contempt, assume the Turks would be a pushover? Was the whole Gallipoli campaign a diversion?

I would argue the following.

The principal combatants of World War 1 were Germany and Russia, both relatively new and significant economic powers on the stage of a world in which empires were a necessary proof of significance. (Even New Zealand, at the time, was trying to prove its global significance by forging an empire in the Pacific.) The Ottoman Empire represented spoils of war, an old empire supposedly in its death throes; an empire that controlled much strategic territory in the ‘fulcrum’ of the world, where Europe, Asia, Africa and oil meet. And where the ‘great’ monotheistic religions meet. This was a much more significant place in WW1 geopolitics than a few paddocks in Belgium. The invasions of the Ottoman territories were no sideshow.

[caption id="attachment_3076" align="alignleft" width="398"]

Poppies at Chunuk Bair looking out to The Narrows. Image by Selwyn Manning.[/caption]

Chunuk Bair was thought to be the key to a land route to Istanbul (which we, after 462 years, still preferred to call ‘Constantinople’), a city that housed a million people a millennium ago, and probably many more a century ago. Further, it was the capital city of an empire that had been revitalised by the coup of the ‘Young Turks’ (after whom Sir Robert Muldoon, Duncan Macintyre and Peter Gordon were dubbed in 1963). The Ottoman Empire, though with many problems and contradictions, still operated on a scale far beyond the reach of conquerors from the colonies.

Here’s a counterfactual. If the Australian-led diversions at Lone Pine and The Nek had achieved their aims, and the British forces at Suvla Bay had been able to join the New Zealand soldiers commanding the heights, what then? A brisk stroll to the souks of Istanbul? Control of the Bosphorus and free entry of Russian ships into the Mediterranean Sea? Not likely. No more likely than Bonnie Prince Charlie overwhelming London in 1745, the French army unit landing in Ireland in 1798 being able to overthrow the British government, or the British force invading Russia in 1919 toppling the Bolshevik government.

To the British in and before 1915, other people’s lands were a matter of entitlement, if the circumstances were deemed necessary to British interests. And yes, control of Ottoman lands was coveted by Britain; and Germany; and Britain’s then ally, Russia. Did anyone care what the Turks or Syrians thought? Was anyone really fighting for king, country and democracy? Does anyone know much about the bloody aftermath of World War 1 in Turkey? By blundering into a region we knew nothing about, tragedy on an unimaginable scale did take place, over the best part of a decade. The carnage in Asia Minor did not stop in 1918. Our scars were big for us. But we had the choice to not go there.

Eighty-eight years later British troops blundered their way back into the region that the British have the presumption to call the ‘Middle-East’. With American leadership and advanced military hardware, Baghdad was taken, as Constantinople never could have been in 1915. Many American and British lives were lost. But how many more people of other nationalities have lost their lives since then, in conflicts that most likely would never have happened had we not been so so stupid.

Geopolitics, like the global economy, is a system. Injure the system in one place and the consequences are predictably unpredictable, possibly catastrophic. If we value our freedoms, our country, our sovereignty, then we should equally value the rights of others to value their freedoms, countries and sovereigns. We should be ever vigilant for the stupidity, and blindness (often wilful), of those in positions of power. But, after the fact, we who remain should be compassionate towards the foolish and the blind. Truth and reconciliation.

[caption id="attachment_6361" align="alignleft" width="398"]

Gallipoli - Where the fallen lie at Chunuk Bair.

Gallipoli – Where the fallen are burried at Chunuk Bair. Image by Selwyn Manning.[/caption]

We salute the young Arab and Turkish men who died defending Ottoman lands in 1915. We salute the doctors and nurses and soldiers who died on the troopship Marquette. We salute the young men of New Zealand and Australia and Britain and France and Senegal and India and Newfoundland who died needlessly in the cause of British and French stupidity, at Chunuk Bair, at Krithia, and the other killing venues on the Gallipoli Peninsula. And we forgive the men and women who sent them to their fates.

—

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byWADE…i love this game on rainy days…

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

www.facebook.com/bywade or look at more stuff and buy things in obscene volumes to show how successful and cool you are atwww.iammenotyou.com…]]>

WW100 of Chunuk Bair to be commemorated all over the country

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com Contributed by Amanda Carrington The 100 year centenary of the battle of Chunuk Bair is being marked this weekend, with WW100 events being held around New Zealand. The Wellington Infantry Battalion suffered extremely high losses in the Gallipoli August Offensive from August 6 to 10, 1915.

Members of the Maori Contingent gathering on the beach at Gallipoli. The Contingent arrived at Gallipoli on 3 July 1915, and was attached to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade during the August Offensive. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum – Tamaki Paenga Hira.

Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington will hold official commemorations at 4pm tomorrow. Wellington remembers the ANZAC contingent with a dawn service and light show at the city’s cenotaph. Also continuing on display is Sir Peter Jackson’s Great War Exhibition, located in the former Dominion Museum at Pukeahu. The mass of people will likely also bring more queues to the Gallipoli The Scale of Our War exhibition at Te Papa. The WW100 programme includes ceremonies around the country such as new published research, public events and theatre and exhibitions. New Plymouth and Stratford, the home of Lt. Col William Malone, will host a charter parade by the 5/7 Battalion. Auckland is commemorating the centenary at Auckland War Memorial Museum with a service and public programmes at 11am. These programmes include interpretation by history curators, writers and poets and Massive Nui Ensemble theatre group and performances of WW1 songs written by Maori. Nations across the world are hosting commemorative events at countries such as Turkey and Australia. Australia will commemorate the August Offensive at Lone Pine on August 6 and the Turkish, who were part of the final battle at Chunuk Bair with the ANZACs, will be holding a ceremony on August 10. –]]>

Too Little Too Late? Fonterra Announces Forecast Farmgate Milk Price $3.85 per kgMS + Top-up

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

Evening Report: Fonterra has offered some clarity to troubled dairy farmers after another week where global milk commodity prices collapsed. Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited announced Friday that the forecast total payout available to farmers in the 2015/16 season will be $4.25-$4.35, comprising:

Forecast Farmgate Milk Price $3.85 per kilogram of milksolids (kgMS)
Forecast earnings per share range of 40 – 50 cents per share.

The top-up to farm-gate prices offers farmers some relief after news this week that the price per kilogram of milk solids sank below $4 kgMS – the bottomline viability rate for most farmers. Also this week the BNZ’s chief economist Tony Alexander released his confidence survey and noted that dairy sector comments were astoundingly negative: “in the dairy sector people are struggling for adjectives to describe their woe.” Tony Alexander noted the wider farming service sector was already in decline. The confidence survey noted weakness in evidence in sales of tractors, farm bikes, farm machinery. The word from the rural sector described how capital spending has been falling away rapidly and that speculators are waiting to buy properties should farmers fall over. Here below is the raw information released by Fonterra Friday afternoon: FONTERRA FORECASTS TOTAL PAYOUT AVAILABLE TO FARMERS FOR 2015/16 AND ANNOUNCES FONTERRA CO-OP SUPPORT Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has today announced that the forecast total payout available to farmers in the 2015/16 season will be $4.25-$4.35, comprising:

Forecast Farmgate Milk Price $3.85 per kilogram of milksolids (kgMS)
Forecast earnings per share range of 40 – 50 cents per share.

Fonterra has also announced Fonterra Co-operative Support of an additional 50 cents per shared-up kilogram of milksolids to support farmers this season.

Revised 2015/16 Farmgate Milk Price Forecast

Chairman John Wilson said the Farmgate Milk Price forecast has been reduced from $5.25 kgMS to $3.85 per kgMS due to the continued significant imbalance in the global dairy market between weak demand and surplus supply.

“This imbalance and the challenge of lower prices continuing for longer than anticipated is a global issue, which dairy farmers around the world are increasingly grappling with.

“Current prices are unsustainably low and we are seeing them beginning to impact production levels globally. We have confidence that prices will recover over the course of the season. However, it will be a tough season for our farmers.

“The range of possible scenarios is contributing to the uncertainty we are seeing today.

“We know the global dairy market will improve. The hard thing to call at the moment is exactly when and how quickly,” said Mr Wilson.

Forecast available for Payout

The Co-operative has announced $4.25 – $4.35 forecast total available for payout for 2015/16, comprising the revised forecast Farmgate Milk Price of $3.85 per kgMS and an earnings per share range of 40 – 50 cents.

Fonterra has a dividend policy of paying out 65 – 75 per cent of adjusted Net Profit after Tax over a period of time.

Chief Executive Theo Spierings said the key influences of forecast earnings are expected to be:

the positive impact of the lower Farmgate Milk Price on consumer margins globally for New Zealand-sourced products
the contribution from transformation within the business
movements in New Zealand product mix returns.

“As part of this work and given the current pressures facing our farmers, we have reviewed our capital expenditure for the next two years. As a result we are now targeting a spend of $500million – $600million less for 2016 financial year compared to FY15.

“We will continue to update our farmers and the market on business performance and the delivery of expected gains from the transformation of the business as the year progresses,” said Mr Spierings.

Fonterra Co-op Support

Mr Wilson said Fonterra is uniquely placed to help its farmers because of the Co-operative’s underlying strength and is providing Fonterra Co-operative Support for farmers in the form of a loan to help farmers deal with the challenging conditions.

“This support is all about standing together as a Co-operative and using our collective strength to help our farmers get through these tough times,” said Mr Wilson.

The Co-operative will provide all Fonterra share-backed farmers the opportunity to apply for Fonterra Co-operative Support amounting to an additional 50 cents per shared-up milk solids for production for the season. This payment, interest free for two years, will be paid back when the Farmgate Milk Price or Advance Rate goes above $6.00 per kgMS.

A first payment will be made in October for June to December and will continue until May. Payments will total 50 cents per shared-up milk solids over the season but will be phased from October as transformation savings are delivered.

Fonterra Co-operative Support for the first half of the season (June to December) is estimated to be up to $430 million, depending on take-up rates, and will be funded by one-off savings generated by changes the business is making, such as improving working capital.

The Board and management intend to continue this through the season and in December will review all relevant conditions including the global dairy market and progress on transformation, to ensure that it remains in the best interests of the Co-operative and its farmers to continue Fonterra Co-operative Support through the season.

Mr Spierings said Fonterra continues to believe strongly in dairy and this farmer support is an investment in the future of the Co-op.

A Fonterra Co-operative Support schedule will be made available as part of the application process.

Milk volume forecast 2015/16

Fonterra has reduced its New Zealand milk volume forecast for the 2015/16 season to 1,589 million kgMS, 2 per cent lower than the previous season.

Chairman John Wilson said the revision reflected the likely impact of farmers using more traditional practices to manage their farm businesses within the limits of a low payout forecast.

“We are already seeing our farmers reducing stocking rates and reducing supplementary feeding to lower on-farm costs. In New Zealand we have the advantage of a largely pasture-based system which will allow farmers to lower costs. Nevertheless, it will be a very difficult season for farmers if current prices continue,” said Mr Wilson.

“We expect to continue seeing our farmers make these sorts of on-farm decisions – particularly in light of today’s announcements,” said Mr Wilson.

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NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for August 7, 2015

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 5 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Friday 8th August.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include cases of flu continuing to climb throughout the country although health officials say it’s still an average rather than severe flu season, Government plans to spend up to $14 million in re-developing Northland College in Kaikohe and Fonterra announcing its forecast Farmgate Milk Price at $3.85.

POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Government: Unsung heroes honoured with online series; $14m Northland College redevelopment approved; Nearly one million homes and businesses now able to access better broadband; South Island hospitals adopt high-tech medication distribution; Big increase in rural broadband for Wellington region; Praise for Community Forum’s input into recovery; NZ delegation to PNG and Solomon Islands

Greens: Groundhog day with MP pay; Dairy payout shows the Government and Fonterra there is a limit to a ‘no limit’ strategy

Labour: Kiwis lining banks’ pockets; Balancing security and flexibility essential in Future of Work; Breaches should be ringing alarm bells; Reckless complacency from National as billions lost to regions

New Zealand First: Profit before people agenda hits again; Black Friday for Fonterra’s farmer-owners

LINKS OF THE DAY

AUCKLAND PROPERTY MARKET: Trade Me property’s monthly analysis of the national and local property market is out. Click here for more: http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/price-index/for-sale/

COMMUNITY FORUM’S INPUT INTO RECOVERY: Associate Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Nicky Wagner welcomes a report on the work and achievements of the Community Forum.The report can be found athttp://www.cera.govt.nz/community-forum

NEARLY ONE MILLION GET ACCESS TO BROADBAND: The Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) build and Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) are together already providing nearly one million New Zealand premises with better connectivity. The full quarterly update can be found at: http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/technology-communication/fast-broadband/deployment-progress.

TREASURY RELEASES ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: The Treasury has released its fifth report on the cost, efficiency and effectiveness of administrative and support (A&S) services across 26 public sector agencies. Each agency’s individual report will be published on their website by 12 August. the ‘holding’ page is:http://www.treasury.govt.nz/statesector/performance/bass/benchmarking

UNSUNG HEROES HONOURED: A new series of stories honouring New Zealand’s unsung heroes of World War I was launched online today, just ahead of commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle for Chunuk Bair this weekend. See: http://ww100.govt.nz/unsung-heroes

And that’s our sampling of “news you can use” for Friday 7th August 2015.

Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>

Farewell Jon Stewart

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com Contributed by Olexander Barnes Tonight we will get our final Moment of Zen from Jon Stewart as he hosts his last episode of the Daily Show before he hands over the anchor chair and goes on to pursue other projects. The close of tonight’s show will mark the end of a 17-year career as host of the Daily Show, with Jon Stewart inheriting the show from Craig Kilborn back in 1999. The show under his stewardship grew into one of the best and most influential political satire shows of the past 50 years.

It has won numerous awards including 18 Emmys and two Peabody awards, but is most noted for the launching of several prominent careers, including Steven Colbert, who apart from hosting the Colbert Report is now taking over from Letterman at the Tonight Show, actor Steve Carell most famous for his role on the US version of the Office, and comedian John Oliver who now hosts his own equally edge-cutting show on HBO called “Last Week Tonight”. Now Jon has decided it is time for him to call it quits. and to leave the show for someone else to take the baton. The Daily Show’s new host will be the relatively unknown South African comedian Trevor Noah. There seems to have been a deliberate call for this new show to cut as many ties with Jon’s show as possible. Most of the old correspondents including Samantha Bee and Jason Jones who served on the show for 12 and 10 years respectively left earlier in the year. They have been replaced with a group of younger but just as capable correspondents, including the very impressive Jessica Williams, Jordan Klepper and Hasan Minhaj, to make up the new fresh-faced look. The reason for these changes may have been done to keep the show fresh with its key 18-35 demographic, and/or to give Trevor Noah the freedom to take the show in a new direction. Whatever happens it is clear that Jon is content with his choice and is going to use his post Daily Show time to work on other projects, potentially directing another movie, or simply to spend the rest of his time on an up-state farm. –]]>

Bryce Edwards’ Political roundup: Guilty or not? The Saudi sheep scandal

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards.

[caption id="attachment_4808" align="alignleft" width="150"]

Dr Bryce Edwards.[/caption]

The scandal over the Government’s Saudi sheep deal has been going on for months now, and with the release of hundreds of pages of documents this week we may finally have enough evidence to reach some sort of verdict.

It’s a shadowy and bizarre saga that has spanned 12 years, and has produced a convoluted and complex debate over the last three months as revelations have come to light. Cover-ups, spin, complex explanations, and official bureaucratise have made it difficult for the public to come to any firm conclusions about what has been going on and who is to blame. The National Government and Murray McCully have been accused of making bribes, breaking rules on political process, being incompetent, and actively deceiving the Saudi Government, Parliament and the New Zealand public.

Below are some of the most important items presenting evidence and analysis about the case. Of course ultimately the public needs to make its own mind up about this landmark case which is revealing of how government works (or does not work).

The Case for the Government

For the ultimate case for the defence, all you need to do is watch Mike Hosking’s two-minute video: Mike’s Minute: No crime in Saudi sheep deal. Hosking is of the view that there is “no smoking gun”, and with nothing more to see the public needs to move on.

A more nuanced defence was made earlier in the life of the scandal by Audrey Young, who usefully put forward both the prosecution and defence case – see: Saudi sheep scandal: Putting Murray McCully in the dock. In the end, Young appears to come down in favour of the Government. Certainly Young’s “defence case” is one of the best you can read. She says: “It is the duty of the Foreign Minister to try to resolve such differences, especially when its resolution is likely to lead to tangible benefits to New Zealand. Nothing Mr McCully has done has been motivated by anything other than New Zealand’s best interests. The Cabinet made the decision in a proper way approved by the Cabinet office”.

The Herald’s John Armstrong picks up on the lack of private benefit argument in his column yesterday, saying “the notion of a bribe in most people’s minds is that the briber gets some personal benefit. In this case those offering the money – the New Zealand Cabinet – could be seen as acting in the national interest rather than personal interest” – see: Key’s tactics leave Opposition sheepish.

Armstrong also points out how well John Key has managed to deflect the attacks in the last few days: “the Prime Minister outmanoeuvred Opposition parties. John Key had a simple line and he stuck to it whatever question was asked. He laid all the blame on Labour”.

National pollster David Farrar hasn’t blogged much on the issue, explaining “frankly I haven’t seen what the fuss is about” and “I don’t see any wrong-doing” – see: Herald views on Saudi farm deal. He also emphasises, “it was a decision made to further NZ’s interests and trade relations. There was no personal benefit to any Minister from it”.

Yesterday Farrar blogged to endorse Armstrong’s column: “This is broadly correct. National inherited the problem, and to solve the issue they could either decide to allow live exports for slaughter to resume, or try and soothe the Saudis” – see: Armstrong on Sheepgate. But Farrar doesn’t entirely endorse the sheep deal and he says “it would be desirable for the Auditor-General to investigate fully”.

Perhaps unwittingly, senior Labour MP Phil Goff made some statements that are less than condemning of the scandal – Fran O’Sullivan writes: “Former Foreign Minister Phil Goff has been less damning of McCully than some other Opposition politicians. Goff has been around long enough in international circles to know there are a lot more grievous transgressions than a mere $11.5 million compensation deal. As he told the Herald: “I’m keeping a partially open mind on it; it just looks like a cover for passing across $10 million or $11 million to the unhappy private investor.” It was legitimate for a foreign minister to unblock any obstacle, “but if you are going to do that, you have to be very careful indeed” – see: Bungled Saudi sheep deal a carcass that can be laid at Cabinet’s door.

The Case against the Government

There are plenty of blog posts and opinion columns lambasting the Government for the Saudi sheep deal. Yet the most recent must-read case against the Government comes from a straight news report investigating and explaining the latest available information – see Andrea Vance’s Treasury objected to $4m payment for food security partnership with Saudis.

This article is the most definitive trawl through the OIA dump from National. It highlights how Treasury officials were opposing McCully’s planned deal, repeatedly expressing their concerns to Government. Similarly, see Stacey Kirk’s No evidence of legal advice Government faced $30m lawsuit over Saudi sheep deal.

The most condemning – and also insightful – account of the Saudi sheep scandal has come from National Party loyalist Matthew Hooton, who has been at the forefront of the campaign against Murray McCully’s conduct in this matter. Some might question his analysis due to the fact that as a lobbyist Hooton previously (unsuccessfully) sought the original contract to help the Saudi businessman Hamood Al-Ali Al Khalaf rectify the sheep exporting problem. Nonetheless, Hooton has blown the whistle on what has transpired, and become National’s biggest critic on the scandal, publishing numerous columns about it in the National Business Review.

Hooton’s most important column is from June: Govt sheepgate story a shameful coverup (paywalled). In this, he declares that “in my 25 years participating in and commenting on politics I have never known a more pathetically obvious case of a government trying to wilfully ignore wrongdoing by a minister”.

Hooton lays the blame for the original rupture in Saudi-NZ relations with David Carter, who was the Minister of Agriculture when the situation became a problem. According to Hooton, McCully then made the situation worse by concocting a deal: “McCully prefers to do unorthodox deals over straightforward ones and informal processes over formal ones. He has a strange aversion to following the usual procedures, even when they are administratively easier, politically safer and more effective in achieving his policy goals. Instead, the foreign minister appears to get some sort of childish thrill out of subterfuge, even when it is unnecessary and not in his interests or the government’s”.

Hooton then calls on Key to sack the minister: “For Mr Key to allow Mr McCully to continue as foreign minister, just because he fears the consequences of sacking him, brings disgrace on the government and New Zealand and suggests Mr Key is now impotent as prime minister over even the worst behaviour by his senior ministers”.

The latest column by Hooton – McCully sacking critical to Key’s integrity (paywalled) – has a similar theme, saying that “this week’s release of nearly 1000 pages of previously secret government documents demands his sacking”, and that if Key doesn’t do so then he has lost his integrity, which might well contribute to his loss of the next election.

In another column, Hooton says that National’s blame of Labour for the mess is “preposterous” – see: PM talks piffle over Saudi farm deal (paywalled).

But the minister can’t be sacked according Fran O’Sullivan, because McCully has carefully implicated his colleagues in the scandal: “it’s difficult to see how Key can axe him without also turning focus back on his entire Cabinet, which approved the deal in the first place without seeking appropriate advice. McCully – known as the Dark Prince – has made sure of that. If his backside is on the wire, then so too are those of nearly 20 other Cabinet ministers and, in particular, his boss” – see: Bungled Saudi sheep deal a carcass that can be laid at Cabinet’s door.

O’Sullivan has written other critical columns about the Saudi sheep deal – for example, in Saudi deal: bribe or facilitation payment?, she says that the Auditor General needs to investigate what has happened. And she points out that the irony of the Government possibly implicated in bribery, when it’s usually the private sector being told to raise its standards.

The standards and manoeuvrings of government officials are also coming into question as the hundreds of pages of bureaucrats’ documents are pored over by the media. In this regard it’s well worth reading Richard Harman’s very solid investigations into MFAT dealings in the scandal – see: New Zealand diplomats set out to deceive Saudi Arabian officials.

In order to pull the wool over numerous eyes, officials had to conduct questionable activities, according to Harman’s analysis. He paints a picture of the National Government and officials scoring an own-goal: “What is clear from these documents (and these are only half the full release) is that New Zealand got caught out by its own duplicity. It led the Saudi Arabians to believe the live sheep shipments would be resumed but the Government had no intention of that happening”.

In another blog post, Richard Harman continues the duplicity theme, showing how officials instructed the Saudis on how to invoice for their compensation payment without it being detected as such – see: Don’t involve any lawyers. According to Harman, “McCully was ‘compensating’ Mr Al Khalaf but he just didn’t want to call it that because that would have attracted too many lawyers and bureaucrats. Ministers don’t want them around generally when they are bending the rules. But what Mr McCully appears not have bargained on was that all these papers would become public”.

As usual, it’s not only the original misdemeanours of the scandal that are problematic, but the way politicians have subsequently handled the issue publicly. And for this, National receives strong condemnation from Radio New Zealand’s Brent Edwards, who criticises National’s political management as also being deceptive – see: Woolly claims about questionable deals.

Edwards characterises the Government’s response as entirely cynical: “Ignore or reject requests for information. Delay as long as possible and then dump the information, with much of it deleted of course, during a recess week so you do not have to answer questions in Parliament when the release of information is still fresh in the public’s mind. As well, no matter what the official papers say, do not deviate from your spin. Say it often enough and perhaps enough people will believe you. Finally make sure the minister under scrutiny – in this case Foreign Minister Murray McCully – is overseas and not available to answer questions”. See also, his earlier article, Closing Sheepgate behind him?

So far, newspapers have not been inclined to pronounce a guilty or innocent verdict on the scandal. The Herald has asserted that “We need to be convinced” about the sheep deal – see: Saudi sheep farm deal far too woolly.

The Otago Daily Times has gone much further and declared it “a distasteful disgrace and seems another example of how Mr Key is slowly losing control of the agenda of his own ministers” – see: Saudi deal a sordid saga.

For a relatively neutral verdict, albeit one that ultimately seems to condemn the deal, see Peter Wilson’s Saudi farm deal ‘a shabby affair’, which explains the timeline.

Finally, the saga has been ripe for satire, so it’s worth checking out Steve Braunias’ The secret diary of Murray McCully, David Slack’s The Law is my Shepherd, and my own blog post, Cartoons about NZ’s Saudi sheep scandal.

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Family Dispute Resolution reaches a milestone

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com Contributed by Amanda Carrington A Family Works Central service that helps families reach an agreement on parenting arrangements after a separation or divorce has reached its 500th referral in a year. Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) has become a proven success since it started in March 2014. The service is funded by the Ministry of Justice and 3,563 assessments were completed in the space of a year. Not everyone makes the cut. Out of those 3,563 assessments, only 1,793 were suitable for Family Dispute Resolution. Only 60 per cent of participants are eligible for government funding. The participants who are not eligible for funding can access the service for $897. The service is available across seven regions of New Zealand – Northern, East Coast, Central, Upper South Island, South Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Family Works, which offers FDR, and Enliven are part of Presbyterian Support Central. Enliven provides high quality residential and home-based services for older people and runs Huntleigh Home in Karori.

Screen Shot 2015-08-07 at 3.46.00 pm — Hunteligh Home, in Karori, Wellington

Family Works Central general manager Julia Hennessy says the service is having an extremely positive impact on families and children. “Family Dispute Resolution gives parents and caregivers the chance to talk through issues surrounding the care of their children and to resolve them out of court by coming to a mutual agreement,” she says. The outcome of the service is consistently high with more than 88 per cent of participants reaching some kind of agreement. Julia says the number of people accessing the service is growing steadily and is leading to long-term positive outcomes for the children and young people involved. “Participants are telling us it’s a great service and they feel like everyone wins as a result,” Julia says. The FDR service also provides counselling and parenting programmes which were completed by 7279 participants. Completing FDR services is now compulsory for most people who want to go through the family court. “Family Dispute Resolution truly makes a difference and we encourage parents and guardians to call us for more information if they are finding it difficult to come to arrangements regarding the care of their children,” Julia says. –]]>

Audio: Russia Feeling The Pinch of Cheaper Oil, Sanctions

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

MIL OSI – Source: International Monetary Fund Checking pipelines for cracks in Siberia: Falling oil prices are putting added pressure on Russia’s economy (photo: Jerome Levitch/Corbis) Russia is now likely in recession with GDP growth expected to decline 3.4 percent this year, says the IMF in its annual economic assessment. Mission Chief Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, explains how Russia’s economic woes are largely due to the dramatic drop in oil prices, and sanctions in response to developments in Crimea and Ukraine. –]]>

Almost 400 people rescued in the Mediterranean after fishing boat sinks – UN agency

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

MIL OSI – Source: United Nations – Press Release/Statement: Headline: Almost 400 people rescued in the Mediterranean after fishing boat sinks – UN agency 6 August 2015 Almost 400 people have been rescued so far from a vessel which sank off the coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with an estimated 600 refugees and migrants on board, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. The bodies of a further 25 people had been recovered, but dozens more were still missing and feared dead after the flimsy, overcrowded fishing vessel sank minutes after it left shore, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “Another terrible tragedy happened on the Mediterranean 15 miles off the coast of Libya, so obviously the boat was just setting off. Refugees and migrants do not deserve to die seeking a better life,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming stated. Before this tragedy, which took place on 5 August, some 2,100 people had died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Survivors described how the boat was packed and that people panicked when they saw a rescue boat approaching, rushing to one side and tipping the vessel over, Ms. Fleming said. “These are boats which should only have 40-50 people on board and not 600. People were stuffed into the haul, shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet in every possible nook and cranny.” According to people on the rescue boat, there were bodies, life jackets and debris in the water. Rescuers did what they could to save panicked and frightened people. “No one should have to die reaching safety in Europe,” said Ms. Fleming. “The vast majority of people arriving to Europe across the Mediterranean – and there have been 200,000 this year – are people that are fleeing war and conflict and persecution.” She blamed “ruthless and money-hungry” smugglers for packing such large numbers of people on unsuitable vessels, calling for greater funding to help address the crisis and stem the flow of “desperate” people. “Unfortunately, we have a system where refugees in neighbouring countries they first fled to are not being assisted to the level we would like to see them assisted. This drives them to say, ‘I can’t make it here and we are going to go to Europe,’” she explained. –]]>

Burundi: Spate of Arbitrary Arrests and Torture by Intelligence Officials – Human Rights Watch

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

MIL OSI – Source: Africa Press Organization Burundi: Spate of Arbitrary Arrests, Torture / Intelligence Officials, Ruling Party Youth Target Suspected Opponents GENEVA, Switzerland, August 6, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Burundian intelligence officials, police, and youth from the ruling party have arbitrarily arrested and ill-treated scores of suspected opponents, Human Rights Watch said today. Officials accuse many of the mostly young men arrested of trying to leave the country and planning to join an armed rebellion. Human Rights Watch documented more than 148 cases between April and July 2015 in four provinces and in the capital, Bujumbura, involving intelligence officials, police, and members of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) youth league, known as Imbonerakure (“those who see far” in Kirundi). Most of these cases occurred in June and July. Many of those arrested were beaten, tortured, or otherwise ill-treated. Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 80 victims, lawyers, human rights activists, judicial officials, and other sources in these four provinces and in Bujumbura. Human Rights Watch is also investigating reports of similar cases in other provinces. The total number of cases across the country is likely much higher. To protect the security of victims and witnesses, Human Rights Watch is not making public the locations of some of the incidents. “The Imbonerakure have no legal right to arrest anyone, yet they have been stopping people arbitrarily, beating them, and handing them over to the intelligence services, who have tortured some of them,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Burundian government should publicly order all Imbonerakure to stop arresting people and ensure that Imbonerakure and intelligence officials responsible for ill-treatment and torture are brought to justice.” Since demonstrations against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term began in April and were brutally suppressed by the police, international attention has largely focused on human rights abuses in the capital. However, numerous abuses have also been taking place across Burundi’s provinces, away from the media spotlight. The government’s closure of Burundi’s main private radio stations – one of the few sources of information on events outside the capital – has meant that many of these abuses have gone unreported. More than 140,000 Burundians have fled the country since March, seeking refuge in neighboring Rwanda, Tanzania, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. There have been persistent rumors that some Burundians have been forming an armed opposition movement in exile. On July 10, there was an attack by an unidentified armed group that allegedly crossed from Rwanda into Kayanza province, in northern Burundi. Authorities arrested more than 200 people who they claim were part of this group, some of whom are on trial. These events occurred against the backdrop of local and parliamentary elections on June 29 and presidential elections on July 21. Victims in several provinces told Human Rights Watch that Imbonerakure arrested and beat them, sometimes in the presence of intelligence officials. They described being hit with sticks and clubs, forced to roll in muddy pits, and punched in the face. Imbonerakure often handed those they arrested directly to intelligence officials, who transferred them to offices of the national intelligence service (Service national de renseignement, SNR). Once there, former detainees said SNR agents and policemen beat them with electric cables to force them to admit to trumped-up charges, such as planning to join an armed rebellion in Rwanda. Others were hit with gun butts and heavy wooden rods. In some cases, SNR agents forced them to undress and engage in humiliating and painful exercises, such as hopping like a frog and walking like a duck, or making them crawl on their elbows in gravel. One man told Human Rights Watch that SNR agents forced him and other detainees to stand on their heads while they beat them. A senior SNR official in the province gave orders to his driver and police to beat the detainees. SNR agents said to the detainees: “You imbeciles! You are mad at only 10 years [the period Nkurunziza has been in power] whereas you governed for more than 30 years [presumably referring to Burundi’s long period of Tutsi-dominated rule].” A justice official privately confirmed to Human Rights Watch that some members of the SNR tortured detainees. Human Rights Watch tried repeatedly to contact Telesphore Bigirimana, the spokesman for the SNR, but was unable to reach him. When contacted by telephone, Pascal Nyabenda, president of the CNDD-FDD at the national level, refused to talk to Human Rights Watch. Denis Karera, the national president of the Imbonerakure, told Human Rights Watch in a meeting that he was not aware of all the allegations against individual Imbonerakure. He said some people committed offenses then tried to blame them on Imbonerakure. He said: “I’m against all violence. Whether it’s an Imbonerakure or not, I can’t tolerate it. They should be tried and punished in accordance with the law. An Imbonerakure has no privilege over other citizens. Nobody is above the law. If an Imbonerakure is doing something illegal, he should be punished.” Judicial officials, lawyers and human rights activists told Human Rights Watch that SNR and ruling party officials heavily influenced judicial decisions or overruled decisions by prosecutors and others. Cases involving opposition party members were often allocated to judicial officials sympathetic to the ruling party. A senior justice official said that in some cases, ruling party members controlled the fate of detainees and gave orders to the police to fabricate accusations against certain people. Some prosecutors collaborated with intelligence agents to determine what charges to file against individuals arrested by the SNR or by Imbonerakure and whether to keep them in detention. One high-level justice official told Human Rights Watch: “The justice system is not independent. Judicial authorities can’t act independently according to their conscience. We can release someone, then we get a call immediately and [CNDD-FDD] party members give an order. When Imbonerakure arrest people, we watch powerlessly. We can’t do anything about it.” The United Nations and the African Union (AU) should consider deploying observers to monitor how the justice system handles cases of alleged opponents and to report on violations of judicial procedures, Human Rights Watch said. They should also monitor and report on government or ruling party interference in the justice system. This could be one of the functions of the new team of AU human rights observers being deployed to Burundi. The UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, should urgently visit Burundi and investigate recent abuses, Human Rights Watch said. “The Burundian intelligence services behave as if they are completely unaccountable,” Bekele said. “Those in power have politicized the justice system, turning it into a weapon against the opposition. The authorities should release detainees against whom there is no evidence of criminal activity, and ensure that the judiciary can function independently and that human rights violations can be investigated without fear.” – -]]>

New Zealand Report: Business Confidence The Highs and Lows + All Blacks V Wallabies Can the Aussies Beat the World Champs?

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

New Zealand Report: Selwyn Manning joins FiveAA’s breakfast hosts Jane Reilly, Dave Penberthy and Mark Aiston to deliver the week’s New Zealand Report. This bulletin: Business Confidence and the state of the economy, the highs and lows + Sport… All Blacks V Wallabies square off this Saturday. Can the Aussies Beat the Rugby world champions? – Recorded live on 7/08/15. ITEM ONE New Zealand Economy: (Ref. https://eveningreport.nz/2015/08/06/confidence-survey-results-august-2015/ ) New Zealand’s economic environment is transitioning away from a reliance on the dominant dairy sector. The Bank of New Zealand’s chief economist Tony Alexander has produced analysis detailing how businesses and services that remain reliant on the country’s dairy sector are struggling, while those aligned to construction, horticulture, ICT, and some service sectors are doing well. The business confidence survey reveals: House construction is “very strong and rising” in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga… Skilled labour is however in short supply. While the property development sector is booming, and there are signs this month that the rocketing house values in Auckland are spilling over into other regions. Horticulture is also booming especially with pipfruit, Kiwifruit, avocadoes, so is the wine export industry, which is very buoyant due to high demand in offshore markets and a lower New Zealand dollar. While beef, lamb, venison and bee farmers are doing ok, dairy farmers, especially share-milkers, are struggling with many fearing insolvency. Their situation worsened this week after global milk commodity prices collapsed further. Pastures are also drier than normal for this time of year. It appears the impact of El Niño is in evidence and is causing farmers to cut back on stock numbers. Forestry is struggling. The Bank of New Zealand confidence survey also revealed a downturn in the wider farming service sector. “Capital spending is falling away rapidly.” There has been a noted downturn in the sales of tractors, farm bikes, and farm machinery. Manufacturing in the value added sectors is doing very well. ITEM TWO Rugby: If you are keen on sport, or even enjoy the Haka, then check out the All Blacks V Wallabies on Saturday evening in Sydney. It doesn’t get better than this. The two teams are polishing up their form in preparation for the Rugby World Cup… Set to begin next month in England. The All Blacks are the current world champions of course, and hold the Bledisloe Cup which the All Blacks and the Wallabies have battled over for decades. Some pundits here insist the Wallabies are going to win on Saturday. And it is the first time Australia will start with its two star open side flankers David Pocock and Michael Hooper. That has got us Kiwis a bit worried. But the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says: “Whilst that gives (the Wallabies) strength in some areas it probably weakens them in others.” Players to watch: All Black Dan Carter, the world class act in the number 10 jersey, will play his last game in the black jersey in Australia. All Black Nehe Milner-Skudder. A powerhouse. Wallabies Israel Folau, pundits here say Australia’s fullback is the best all round athlete in international rugby.

New Zealand Report broadcasts live weekly on Australia’s FiveAA.com.au and webcasts on EveningReport.nz LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.

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UN Secretary-General: ‘No more Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis’

By Selwyn Manning -

August 7, 2015

NewsroomPlus.com

UN NEWS: In a message to mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has renewed his resolve to advance the goal of achieving a world “free of the nuclear shadow”.

“Seven decades after their first use in conflict, this sombre occasion commemorates the tens of thousands who died that day. It honours the survivors who have suffered severe adversity in the aftermath. The United Nations stands with them, resolved to realize their vision of a nuclear-weapon-free world,” said Mr. Ban.

Screen Shot 2015-08-06 at 1.05.16 pm — Remembrance in Hiroshima. Photograph credit: Jem Yoshioka http://jemshed.com/about/

“Your commemoration should reverberate from this city across the world, reminding all people of the need for urgent action to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all,” he added in the message to the Peace Memorial Ceremony, delivered by Acting High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo.

More than 200,000 people died of nuclear radiation, shock waves from the blasts and thermal radiation resulting from bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and of Nagasaki three days later. Additionally, over 400,000 more people have died – and are continuing to die – since the end of the Second World War from the impacts of the two bombs.

Mr. Ban recalled his visit to Hiroshima five years ago, saying he will always carry the memories of meeting the survivors, witnessing the destruction and seeing the lingering effects.

“The courage of those who lived through this catastrophic, man-made tragedy was deeply inspiring. The hibakusha are more than survivors – they are unparalleled champions of peace. From their searing experiences, they have forged a message of hope that someday the world will be free of these indiscriminate and destabilizing weapons,” he stated.

“I pay tribute to the bravery of the hibakusha and renew my resolve to advance our common cause of achieving a safer and more peaceful world, free of the nuclear shadow.”

Noting that this year also marks the 70th anniversary of the UN, the Secretary-General recalled that the first resolution adopted by the General Assembly reflected the world’s concern about the use of atomic weapons.

“As you keep the memory of the bombing alive, so, too, must the international community persist until we have ensured that nuclear weapons are eliminated,” he stated.

“I echo your rallying cry: No more Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis.”

The remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building, later preserved as a monument – known as the Genbaku Dome – at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. UN Photo

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