KiwiSlaver Mk II: Another way to lose your money via extortionate FSC fees

the FSC advocates - to make it compulsory for people to spend part of their KiwiSaver funds on purchasing an annuity at retirement

Compulsory annuities?  Not content with their extortionate fees whilst you contribute to KiwiSlaver, Financial Services Council members now want to have a second bite of the cherry managing your KiwiSlaver Mk II annuity.

One can see your initially minimal KiwiSlaver asset nose diving into red terrority as the FSC vultures take their ongoing cut out of your capital.

When will the suckers wake up to doing your own money management is a much better option?  I'm just waiting for one like the Kiwibank KiwiSlaver to go belly up.

There's going to be a lot of well fattened FSC members, but some real grumpy voters.

The state is an institution of theft

Can't argue with that.  Coming to government near you.

Eh?

Anti-mining groups in Northland are planning to block State Highway 1

they were legally entitled to block the stretch of highway as it was on Maori customary land

Eh?  SH1 is now customary land?  How the f**k did that happen?  Have there been any other State Highways given over to natives? 

Next thing there'll be a bloody toll booth to pass into and exit the area.  Oh, that's right they've already got the money extraction bit operational - via the Waitangi Tribunal.  Nearly as bad as paying to access beaches.

The hordes are getting stroppy and need to be put their place.

National Standards are working as intended

An academic from that bastion of the arts and culture that is Waikato Uni says that National Standards are showing good results.

trends had popped up in schools since the standards for reading, writing and mathematics were implemented in 2010

subjects had become the focus for some schools who wanted to make sure its students were meeting national levels. 

This meant subjects such as art, history, social studies and other activities had been left behind

Well, that should get the critics exercised.   Who would have thought that wishy-washy arts type courses might lose currency in favour of actually teaching core real world subjects like reading, writing and mathematics.

Long may National Standards continue!

Pests and Environment Southland

Fallopia japonica, commonly known as Japanese knotweed

one of the world's worst invasive species 

 
The invasive root system and strong growth can damage concrete foundations, buildings, flood defences, roads, paving, retaining walls and architectural sites. It can also reduce the capacity of channels in flood defences to carry water.


It is a frequent colonizer of temperate riparian ecosystems, roadsides and waste places. It forms thick, dense colonies that completely crowd out any other herbaceous species and is now considered one of the worst invasive exotics in parts of the eastern United States. The success of the species has been partially attributed to its tolerance of a very wide range of soil types, pH and salinity. Its rhizomes can survive temperatures of −35 °C (−31 °F) and can extend 7 metres (23 ft) horizontally and 3 metres (9.8 ft) deep, making removal by excavation extremely difficult.
The plant is also resilient to cutting, vigorously resprouting from the roots. The most effective method of control is by herbicide application close to the flowering stage in late summer or autumn. In some cases it is possible to eradicate Japanese knotweed in one growing season using only herbicides.


Classed as an unwanted organism in New Zealand.

 Straight from Wikipedia.  A right nasty pest plant indeed.  

And here we have an Environment Southland councillor apparently actively growing Japanese Knotweed.  Not bad for one supposedly educated and knowledgeable in matters green so he often tells all and sundry.  

mostly I use it to terrify pest-plant officers

To give the local bio-security officer conniptions by his own words.

Some might say one pest growing another pest.

Keep on keeping on, Colin Craig, you'll get my vote

You know you're on the right track when both sides of the political divide are rubbishing you this far out from an election.  The attack stories have featured large these past couple of weeks.

One one hand, we've got an avowed liberal right wing blogger denigrating you as 'the cult of crazy' multiple times, whilst the other side has this morning delivered their attack piece referring to your party as 'a noxious political potpourri'.

I smell desperation from both sides. 

The rabid left see Winston First seriously bleeding votes and thus their chances of another MMP stitchup coalition doomed for another term.   And the right wing see their divine chance at a 100% mandate under MMP slip sliding to a lacklustre almost passed outcome, requiring negotiation with 'a Christian crazy'.

Yes Colin, you'll get my vote.  I would never vote anywhere left, period.  The current option of the Nats is not suitable for a lot of voters voting right as they've openly faciltated racism and sat on the fence, ditching long held principle for votes.

 Keep on keeping on, Colin Craig, you've got them rattled.

About bloody time

There's at least one JafaLand councillor ready to take on his boss.  A furtive, of late always missing in action, boss who saw fit to hide an 'official' trip funded by others leaving him open to allegations of corruption.

Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer wants a council review into Len Brown's affair with Bevan Chuang widened to investigate a trip the mayor made to Hong Kong

Are there any other councillor's willing to take a stand on this ineffective Mayor?

Greens want to regulate farmers out of existence

Our brief is to govern and regulate

We have clearly got to be strong, we have got an obligation to be strong

some councillors were reluctant to regulate the industry because they did not want to "upset" stakeholders

A councillor known for not toeing the council line gets his five minutes of fame.

the council used a mixture of education and regulation and encouraged best practice

His boss refuses to endorse his statements as her council is rightly more pro-active in educating the community whilst supporting local businesses.

I think the farming community and the farming industry have always had a significant influence over Environment Southland through industry-friendly councillors. I think that influence has grown significantly

Some councillors were holding the economy in "higher regard" than the environment

The balance is swinging towards economic development and the not the environment

At least his intent is now fully in the open.  To legislate farmers out of existence.


Nothing but feral greenies lurking at the farmer's fences, looking to get their backs up, ever ready to wreck the economy of this country.  Just as we've witnessed with their recent economy wrecking power manifesto and the anti-mining/oil ethos of late.  Why do people continue to vote these losers onto our councils?

Another taniwha that will require a bribe

Maori are threatening to issue a trespass notice on oil drilling company Anadarko nearly a week after its drillship the Noble Bob Douglas arrived in what they are claiming is customary fishing waters

Everywhere people are looking, there is a new mine or oil site. The whole country has been surveyed off

As usual, all can be fixed with a bribe. 

it's not the New Zealand way to gift our land for bugger-all

As an aside, I did note however that a prospective miner withdrew from the Whangarei region the other day.  Obviously they couldn't agree on the size of the bribe.

So Mr Key, yet another looming cost of pandering to natives.  How much will it be this time to quieten the taniwha?   And the next? 

Nothing but political whores looking to extract maximum dollar from the taxpayer for services.  Just the price needs agreement.

Peak oiler hypocrites have nice day at beach

More than 1000 people turned up at one of Auckland's famous west coast beaches to protest against deep sea oil drilling in New Zealand waters today

A nice day at the beach for the peak oilers by the look of the pics.  Some no doubt even flew nicely painted beach flags made of synthetics.  Some will have sat in nylon tents.  Others dressed in synthetic swimwear, will have ventured into the tide using plastic based swim aids.  And Twattered to the world their cause celebre on yuppie phones made of mined precious metals and yet more plastics.    

Meanwhile 4 million others who live in real New Zealand got on with life.   It was a nice day here too, 80 km from the beach.  Burnt a few hydrocarbons mowing the lawns and tidying up the garden.  At least I didn't have to put up with listening to feral deluded greenies trying get the rabble on board.

Protesters joined hands to form a human chain from the land to the sea, and a haka was also performed

Yep, resorting to a war dance, will really make the government take notice.

Bet 99% of them drove to the beach using vehicles fuelled from oil wells.  Lubricated by hydrocarbons, also from oil wells.  Most made of copious amounts of plastics and some might even have carbon fibre components.  And on roads nicely sealed with asphalt.  No doubt the food they ate at the each was processed by hydrocarbons and the like. 

You know the story.  Happy to have all the trappings of a hydrocarbon based lifestyle, never prepared to ditch the oil based products they consume and use daily.

What we saw today at the beach are nothing but effing hypocrites, beholden to the communists at Greenpeace.

"Won't someone think of the children" crock by strident greenie loons

The environment commissioner has just delivered a report for Southland and Canterbury on the future waterways and the potential long term effects of farming.  Note I say potential.

A damning report released yesterday has shown a clear link between dairy farming and the degradation of New Zealand waterways

Southland, along with Canterbury, is supposedly leading the way in destroying the ecosystems in its waterways.  But hold on, this report is only one end of a modelling exercise.

Ms Timms said the report was only as good as the information in it. "We have also got to be aware that this is just a modelling exercise." 

Councils and farmers country wide continue to improve their practices, particularly in dairy.  

Improving water quality is the council's top priority and has been for some time. We've been very clear about that

Anyone, townie or farmer, that hasn't got that message yet should be locked up.

Unfortunately like the climate change outright lies and GoreBull fed to the productive taxpayers of this world, there are those in our regions, including some on councils, latching onto this report and predicting an apocalypse of nitrates in our creeks.  Similarly ferals like the government funded Fish and Game want to utilise this report to regulate farming out of existence.  Why we continue to fund these economy haters and wreckers like F&G and EDS is beyond me, suppose it is part of keeping your enemies closer.

view was not shared by Fish and Game. Southland Fish and Game operations manager Zane Moss said the report was a "strident warning" for the path Southland was going down

Hold onto your waders Zane, it is only an initial cut of  a model that will be refined.  But the same goes for the luddites who won't have a bar of any other economy lifting activities like mining and drilling for oil.


The more strident, some might suggest loony greenies, that pervade our societies these days are predictably crying "Won't someone think of the children?".

from comments (sic) - I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

I wonder waht stories you will tell your grandchildren about once pristine rivers and waterways where people used to go for picnics , camping , swimming and fishing

Things are being done, just not fast enough for some desperate to make political hay on these matters, including some councillors.

the council was well aware of the link between changes in land use and levels of nutrients and was working with farmers

We've got a responsibility, but we also want to live and have jobs in our communities ... we can have both economic growth and water that we can swim in

Unfortunately the loonies are in charge of the asylum these days, as always being very vocal on their soapbox, trying to wreck New Zealand farming.

Two choices, only one answer

YES,

is the ONLY answer

And if the question had been for 100%, the answer would be the same.

Do you support the Government selling up to 49 per cent of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Genesis Power, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand?

Yes voting papers have arrived.  Time to deal to the rabid greenie ferals, make your vote count.  

The government has no right to be running private businesses.

 

Comment of the year!

But I'm fucked if I'm EVER going to support the fact that there are useless lazy bludging cunts in this society that feel they are entitled to live in a house provided by me and mine for the rest of their miserable woe begotten fucking lives!

Exactly!  From here.

That will be fun!

Cars that run on hydrogen and exhaust only water vapor are emerging to challenge electric vehicles as the world's transportation of the future

three automakers were unveiling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be delivered to regular people as early as spring of next year

Just wait till a Taleban suicide bomber looking for 72 virgins drives one of them into Times Square. 

It's only a matter of time before one of these H2 cars detonating puts any Chevy Volt or Prius electric car battery fires to shame.  The only thing required afterward will be a D9 dozer to fill the hole.

Pissed sportswoman "not happy with the result", plays her ace

very disappointed and very upset, ... We are not giving it up.

It will have real consequences against her career. She won't be able to travel and she competes in this sport, and travel is very important to her, to get to Canada and those types of places

Should have thought about that before she drove pissed. 

admitted she had been "unlawful and stupid" but asked for a discharge without conviction because she was having a bad time after breaking up with her boyfriend

Aah, the mitigation sob story.  But then she plays her ace.

Ms Insley had successfully argued for leniency, saying it was rare for a Maori woman from a poor upbringing to excel in sport

Really?  In this modern age, there's always the race card for your A game.