With the support of ACT and without requiring the Maori party according to the latest kantar poll.
I bet Jacinda must be concerned.
Im wondering if we will see a return of NZ First.
I really Miss Winston, what gets me is everyone hates him for choosing Jacinda, but at the same time were happy to vote him out and vote Labour anyway!

just cost taxpayers a large amount of money.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1300281...l-sentence

And yet, they still want to return to this foolishness...another good reason not to let them anywhere near power.

Clearly wasn't thinking ahead

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/...-by-police


Imagine your daughter bringing that home to meet the family...

Sad news, his hits were big in the mid 90s.

https://twitter.com/i/events/1575286801664684032

Who are taking a stand against Putins regime for what is right and saying no to the war.
Dont blame the others for trying to flee the country to avoid conscription either, but looks like they may be forced to stay if they close the borders.
I dont condone violence or vandalism, but I cant say I feel sad to see some of the buildings that protesters have targeted on the news.
This is nothing compared to what Ukraine has had to deal with.
It gives me some hope that there is still a great deal of good amongst their public that can see through Putins lies and propaganda.
Might not be long before we see a revolution in Russia, this time for the good I hope.

Is being criticised for the way in which she recently interviewed & ridiculed a young protester. She fairly clearly had done some checking  - no problem with that in itself, that's part of her job - but the way in which she used the information to virtually ambush Izzy Cook was despicable.
I think though, that HDP may have shot herself in the foot with this nasty piece of journalism; the reaction has been very angry & unfavourable to her tactics.




https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-is-pre...s-in-3-2-1


"ÔÇ£So we would have to apply to have, like, approved events to be able to fly for,ÔÇØ du Plessis-Allan prompted.
ÔÇ£Well, thatÔÇÖs one thing that you could look at doing,ÔÇØ Cook replied.
ÔÇ£Am I allowed to go to Fiji? Is that necessary?ÔÇØ du Plessis-Allan asked.
ÔÇ£In the current climate crisis, I donÔÇÖt think that thatÔÇÖs necessary travel,ÔÇØ Cook said, but du Plessis-Allan immediately pushed back.
ÔÇ£When was the last time you were on a plane?ÔÇØ she asked.
Cook paused briefly before answering, Um  Im not sure. A few months ago, to be honest.
ÔÇ£WhereÔÇÖd you go?ÔÇØ du Plessis-Allan asked.


After another long pause, Cook answered: ÔÇ£Fiji.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Izzy!ÔÇØ du Plessis-Allan burst out laughing then, chastising the teen activist. ÔÇ£Izzy! DonÔÇÖt you care about the climate, Izzy?ÔÇØ

ÔÇ£Of course I care about the climate,ÔÇØ Cook insisted ÔÇö to which du Plessis-Allan replied, ÔÇ£Not enough.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£You went to Fiji!ÔÇØ the host said again, still laughing. ÔÇ£Izzy, come on, mate! Are you serious?ÔÇØ



After another lengthy pause, Cook conceded, ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs pretty ironic. It is pretty ironic, but to be honest, itÔÇÖs not really a trip that I wanted to go on, but I canÔÇÖt really get out of it.ÔÇØ

Cook then clarified that her parents had planned the trip and told her that she had no choice but to go along."



https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/...tions.html

The interview also proved contentious online with numerous people voicing their displeasure. 

Iranian women are cutting off their hair in protest at the 'morality police' after a woman arrested there died while in custody. The protest seems to be spreading outside Iran with women in other countries also protesting.


https://www.today.com/news/news/iranian-...-rcna49120


"The death of a young woman while in custody of Iran's morality police has sparked protests across the country ÔÇö and around the world ÔÇö as women burn their headscarves and cut their ponytails in protest of the government's restrictions on social freedoms.
Women have been at the forefront of the protests that have erupted in dozens of cities throughout Iran for seven days straight. Images and video shared on social media showed women defying the country's strict dress code that allegedly led to 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's arrest.

Amini was approached by the morality police outside of a subway station while she was vacationing in Tehran on Sept. 13 and arrested for allegedly violating the country's strictly enforced dress code, NBC News reported.


Police said Amini became ill, had a heart attack and fell into a coma, and she was declared dead on Sept. 16. Authorities denied mistreating Amini and said an investigation into her death is ongoing, but her family denied that she had prior health issues.

In one video of a protest in recent days, a woman twirls as she throws a headscarf into a bonfire before others start throwing their headscarves into the flames. Another video shows a woman cutting off her hair in front of a large crowd that is cheering her on.

In response to the protests, police have fired live rounds and water cannons at the demonstrators, and have beaten them with clubs. At least 26 people have died during the protests in the country, according to Iranian state TV."


in Saskatoon, Canada.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon...her%20hair.

"On Thursday, women in Saskatoon joined women in Iran and around the world who are cutting their hair in public to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in custody after Iran's morality police arrested her for not adequately covering her hair."
"People here are looking for justice," said Tiam Kazemi, who took part in the protest Thursday.

"They are more than that looking for a change of regime because we just had enough of many young people dying under these investigations by the police who are supposed to bring safety for our country, not death."



And here in NZ
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/09/24/green...s-killing/
"Rallies were organised across the country amid intensifying protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini.




More than 100 Kiwis attended the 11am protest in Wellington to mourn Amini's death. Several women including Green MP Golriz Ghahraman cut their hair off - a Kurdish grieving tradition - in an emotional display.





Organiser Hanna Habibi said today's Wellington protest was staged to "strongly condemn the oppressive and discriminatory treatment of women in Iran.




"We demand equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, codified in law, and applicable to the social, political and economic spheres of our country," she said."

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/an-ode-for-baron-luxon-25

so I was reading this article 
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4753...sing-money

and it got me thinking about the significant gap in NZ legal protections for gig workers and independent contractors. I'm not sure if there is any legal mechanisms regarding volunteers

anyway, from the article 

Quote:Sex workers say they are having to "pay to work" as strip clubs all over New Zealand ask for bonds and deduct fines from their wages.

Engaged into strip clubs as contractors instead of employees, the performers say they are missing out on the protection of the law.
Through sometimes hand-written contracts, clubs were taking thousand-dollar bonds and fining dancers hundreds for things like taking sick leave or turning up for work late.

1. Bonds and deductions not allowed period - no need for them. If the business wants the benefits afforded of not having employees they must still treat the contractor as a worker, knowing that deductions will affect workers livelihoods.   So sanctions should simply involve not using this contractor again or stand down periods, or simply not paying them for the time. This should equalize the balance of power...  
   
2. Stipulations of what can and can't be included in the contracts
   
3. Stipulations of whois an independent contractor and the distinction between self employed, employees, volunteers 
   
4. Organisations should be required to obtain consent annually from people who are volunteers and if not given they default by law to being an independent contractor
   

I've just done my annual walk around with fly spray. The Asian wasp queens are coming out of hibernation and are on the north facing walls and fences right now. Every wasp sprayed now is a whole nest that never happens. We leave the ones near the vege garden to help control the pests there, but deal to all the rest to reduce their impact on all the good insects in the rest of the garden. There will always be a few that get missed but doing this now does seem to keep a good overall balance.