Posts by Rosemary McDonald
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Envirologue: Swamp Monsters – the…, in reply to Fiona Mackenzie,
Northland Environmental Protection Society takes MPI to Court this month over what we allege is the illegal export of swamp kauri. 25th/26th July in the Auckland High Court.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/82407475/swamp-kauri-case-in-auckland-high-court
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Access: Fighting seclusion with…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Here's hoping that they get betterer and betterer...
Perhaps the next issue will feature the latest Spencer decision and the all important Training Order...
[38] The fifth issue is whether, as the Commission seeks as intervener, the Ministry should be directed to educate its staff as to the central significance of the human rights of those disabled persons and their carers, who are entitled to assistance under the Ministry’s PHDA policies and practices.
(my bold)
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I found this wee snippet while idly seeing if DPA NZ were doing anything particularly interesting at the moment...
Minister for Disability Issues Hon Nicky Wagner and Victoria Manning talk to TVNZ Breakfast about the disability strategy.
No transcript, but I'm pretty sure Nicky Wagner was gloating about how NZ has led the UN convention on the rights of disabled people.
Sorry...got to run and vomit...
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Top Energy refuses to sell swamp kauri
Far North power generator Top Energy has turned down overseas offers to buy swamp kauri on its land near Kaikohe.
Instead it is moving to protect it.The lines company owns wetlands around its geothermal power stations at Ngawha, where ancient logs lie preserved.
Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw said the company had been offered big sums for the kauri by Chinese interests but believed it was too precious to sell.
He said it was possible to walk around the partly buried forest, and pick up kauri leaves preserved for 2000 years - while the girth of the trees towered above humans.
Mr Shaw said Top Energy and the Far North Council were arranging permanent protection for the swamp kauri at Ngawha, and believed the geothermal area had excellent tourism potential.
Great news.
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Hard News: RNC 2016: A literal shitshow, in reply to Alfie,
It’s also worth checking out Jon Stewart’s RNC rave when he guests on The Late Show.
We watched that last night, along with this....
'truthiness comes from the gut....trumpiness from somewhere, er, lower.'
Provided a little sane relief...
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Helen Kelly: 'My back is broken and I only have months to live but I'm pain free'
Interesting comments about Big Pharma's influence on this issue.
Go well Helen.
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Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem, in reply to Sacha,
How can an opposition MP “force” a government to do anything?
Oh, I don't know....shame them into it perhaps?
Surely one function of an effective opposition is to attempt to keep the incumbents honest....providing of course their own consciences are clear....
Seldom does an opportunity present where there is the Government saying "this is what we insist on" and there is solid evidence that the same government did exactly the opposite.
One should take these opportunities when they arise.
Much better to be seen to be challenging the government on a particular issue than to be merely making positive sounding noises in Press Releases.
I know I'm farting in a strong wind...but I really, really want her to respond to both questions.
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This morning on Natrad....Sue Haldane talks about, amoungst other issues, how to better 'manage' meltdowns.
I'd be interested to know what those closer to autism think.
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Annette King congratulates Margaret Spencer....
National used their unfair and obnoxious legislation to take away the rights for families to get compensation in 2013 and Labour has pledged to repeal this.
Well, that is well and good Annette, but...
1. Why didn't Labour 'sort this' prior to the Atkinson plaintiffs
going to the HRRT in September 2008? There was enough evidence that 'the system' was failing those with high and very high support needs, and the 2008 NACEW report actually said that in those circumstances family carers should be paid in the same way as any other carer.2. Why has Labour not demanded complete transparency on the current Government's resolution of this issue??
The RIS that accompanied the Part 4 amendment to the PHDAct was
heavily redacted, and this propensity to redacting began in the
Cabinet Discussion papers back in 2012. I believe there are many
unanswered questions and unresolved issues swirling around this sorry and shameful issue that would benefit from light being shed fully on those blanked out sections.The judges in the recent Spencer decision stated that the Ministry of
Health has acted in "good faith" throughout this long and protracted
process.I cry bullshit on that.
The The Funded Family Care Notice 2013 found here
https://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/NZGZT/NZGazette131Sep13.pdf/$file/NZGazette131Sep13.pdf#page=31gives us a definition of "good faith" from the Ministry's and the
Government's point of view."11 Good faith generally means to discuss with each other any matter
which affects the delivery of the disability support services in an
open way so that all matters are “on the table”, to be active and constructive in establishing and maintaining a good relationship, being responsive, providing information, and not doing anything that might mislead or deceive each other ."So, Annette, how about reminding the government about what 'good
faith' means and force them to reveal all redacted sections of the
Regulatory Impact Statement and the Cabinet Papers?What is so awfully horrible and scary in regards to the provision of
publicly funded disability support services that it has to be hidden
behind "legal confidentiality and privilege?Regards,
Rosemary McDonald.
(email sent this morning.)
I'll keep y'all posted....(but don't hold your breath.)
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Hard News: RNC 2016: A literal shitshow, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
Now there's a thought.
We are many, they are few?