Teapot Tapes: Infamous Epsom Banks-Key Tea Party Recording Posted To Youtube
The infamous Teapot Tape has been leaked online. The recording of the conversation between John Key and John Banks as they met at a Newmarket cafe during the campaign was released on the internet on Thursday.
What was said by whom become one of the focuses of the campaign with New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters saying Key had mocked the then ACT Leader Don Brash and Peters elderly supporters. Police are investigating the recording of the conversation by a freelance journalist, and an attempt in the High Court to have the contents of the tape declared public failed to get a declaration.
The tape is of low quality, but all the contents point to it being genuine. MORE >>
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Govt: Ministers Approve Crafar Farms BidLand Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Minister of Finance Dr Jonathan Coleman have accepted the recommendation of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to grant consent to Milk New Zealand Holding Limited (Milk New Zealand), a subsidiary of Shanghai Pengxin Group Co. Limited, to acquire the 16 Crafar farms.
"It is clear that all criteria under sections 16 and 18 of the Overseas Investment Act 2005 have been met, therefore we accept the recommendation of the OIO to grant consent," Mr Williamson said.More >>
PM: State of the Nation
Can I start by saying that it’s a tremendous privilege to have won the trust and goodwill of New Zealanders for a ... More >>
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A district court judge has denied Megaupload CEO Kit Dotcom's bail application.
He will be held in custody until February 22 when it is expected that extradition papers will be filed.
Dotcom's lawyer, Paul Davison, QC, said the decision would be appealed immediately to the High Court as Dotcom had no intention of leaving New Zealand. Outlink - NBR story and PDF files on decision
Earlier Gordon Campbell argued that the Crown's argument Dotcom - (a) posed a flight risk and (b) could recommence his operations if released did not seem to be very convincing.. More>>
Update: On Thursday Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato were both granted bail. A decision on Mathias Ortmann, is still to be made.
Video & Report: Selwyn Manning's State Of It: On The Folly Of Political Appointments
On this NZ On Air fiasco: The saddest thing in this awful affair is that the National Party's response via its appointment to the board of New Zealand On Air is not one of how to advance a cross-party accord on creating real solutions to child poverty – but rather how to muzzle those members of the fourth estate who seek to report the reality of what's happening to this country. More>>
Christchurch City Council Gets A WatchdogLocal Government Minister Nick Smith and the Christchurch City Council have met today and agreed to the appointment of a Crown Observer to assist the Council.
"The appointment of a Crown Observer onto the Christchurch City Council will help address any governance issues and work to rebuild the public confidence in the Council," Dr Smith says. More…l
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The Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the five months ended 30 November 2011 were released by the Treasury today. More >>
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Port And The Waterfront
Ports of Auckland plans to add the equivalent of 16 Eden Park fields to its container wharves and most of the new space juts out in to the Waitemata harbour.More>>
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Occupy Auckland Still There: Police Wear Same ID Numbers At Eviction
Three police officers are the subject of an employment investigation after they wore matching identification numbers at an Auckland Council lead operation on Monday. More>>
Ansvar FUBAR: No Government Help On Insurer Pullout
CAFCA:... That means that those unable to get new house insurance before their existing policies expire (January, in some cases) will be uninsured in further quakes and ineligible for Earthquake Commission support. More>>
East Coast Oil: Labour Opposes 'Drill, Mine, Sell' Approach
"New Zealanders will be shocked by the extent of TAG’s plans for an ‘aggressive East Coast basin programme’ comprising thousands of oil wells and significant land purchases." More>>
Further Public Sector Cuts: Foreign Ministry Staff Must Wait Till March To Learn Fate
Jan. 9 (BusinessDesk) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is in talks with staff and unions over the fate of some 200 positions tipped to be cut as the government cracks down on public spending. More >>
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Scoop Business: Interest Rates On Hold
The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.5 percent. Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said: “Since the time of the December Statement , financial market sentiment has improved slightly, with increased liquidity in European More>>>
Fonterra Unbroken: Govt Recommends More Transparent Milk
Among the measures touted is an increase in volume of what Fonterra has to make available to its competitors, and more comprehensive transparency of how the dairy exporter sets its prices. More>>
Scoop Business: NZ Dollar Gains Near 3-Month High As Europe Debt Fears Ease
The New Zealand dollar rose near a three-month high as a European Union meeting of finance chiefs quelled investors’ concerns about the region’s sovereign indebtedness amid speculation policymakers will make progress towards a deal to prevent a Greek default. More>>
Scoop Business: Record Travel Week, Says Auckland Airport
Auckland International Airport, the nation’s largest gateway, has experienced record international travel demand for the week ended Jan. 8. More>>
23/1: Kiwi To Nudge Higher This Week
he New Zealand dollar’s direction this week is likely to be dominated by talks between Greece and private creditors about a debt swap plan needed to prevent the country from default and the Reserve Bank’s official cash ...More >>
Kiwi IT Firm Optimizer HQ Lists On German Stock Exchange
Optimizer HQ, a New Zealand web design agency, has successfully begun trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Founded in 2003, the Auckland-based company listed on the Deutsche Boerse on Nov. 30 at 10 euro cents per share, and rose to 40 cents within six hours.More >>
Scoop Business: Legal Challenge Looms If Chinese Win Crafar Farms
The Overseas Investment Office faces an unprecedented public examination of its process if it approves the bid by China’s Shanghai Pengxin Corporation for the 16 farms formerly run by the Crafar family. More>>
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State Of It: On The Folly Of Political Appointments
State Of It: The saddest thing in this awful affair is that the National Party's response via its appointment to the board of New Zealand On Air is not one of how to advance a cross-party accord on creating real solutions to child poverty – but ... More >>
Richard S. Ehrlich: Terror Suspect Says Ammonia in His "Cool Packs" Not For Bombs
BANGKOK, Thailand -- An imprisoned Lebanese-Swedish terror suspect said he stockpiled medical "cool packs" which "contained ammonia" for commerical export, and is not a Hezbollah member, after being arrested for possessing 10 gallons (38 liters) of ammonium nitrate which ... More >>
Kodak’s Last Snap: The End Of The Great Yellow Father
It went into popular circulation as a term: the Kodak moment. The captured snap to be preserved, be it for posterity, or some other inconsequential reason. The Eastman Kodak Company is seemingly destined to become another parceled bit of posterity. ... More >>
Walter Brasch: Outsourcing America’s Health Care
“Ola, Amigo! Pack your bags, we’re going to Mexico!” bubbled Dr. Franklin Peterson Comstock III, faux physician and money-maker. “Yeah, I could use a decent vacation,” I replied, figuring he’d pay for both of us since he had just set the world record for the most nose jobs in a 24-hour period. More >>
Binoy Kampmark: Desecrating The Enemy - The US Marines And The Taliban
Modern wars, fought with what are often misplaced high-minded ideals, are often the stuff of public relations. Indeed, the public relations feature is paramount – to be a good war, the circulated story needs to be good... More>>
Sherwood Ross: Americans Ignored NDAA Precedents At Their Peril
“I believe,” warned James Madison in a speech to the Virginia Convention on June 16, 1788, “there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden ... More>>
Sherwood Ross: U.S. Obligated To Arbitrate Dispute With Iran
It may come as a surprise to Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum but the U.S. is obligated under international law to the peaceful resolution of its grievance against Iran. More >>
Connie Lawn: Newt Gingri Wins In South Carolina
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich gives his victory speech in Columbia after winning the South Carolina primary with 40% of the vote. Runner-up Mitt Romney pledges to fight for Republican nomination in 'long race', while third-placed Rick Santorum says of Gingrich: 'He kicked butt. I'm proud of him.' Ron Paul finished fourth ... More >>
Pacific.Scoop: Real Change In Burma No Longer A Pipe Dream – But Don’t Jump The Gun
For a long time, it was easy for us to hold an opinion on Burma. It fitted neatly into the classic dichotomy of good and evil. The regime – made up of cruel, despotic military generals – was bad, and Aung San Suu Kyi and the huddled masses of Burmese people she led were good. More >>
Burma: After Political Prisoner Amnesty, Ethnic Warfare Is Rekindled In North
Even as the Burmese government initiates political reforms in much of the country, it has intensified an ethnic civil war in the resource-rich hills of northern Myanmar, a conflict that at once threatens its warming trend with the United States... More >>
West Papua: Jakarta Newspaper Reports On Papuan Human Rights Abuses Edge ‘Free’ NZ Media
An English-language Indonesian newspaper is making a better job of reporting the alleged genocide and human rights violations in West Papua than two leading Australian and New Zealand dailies, says a new report... More >>
DR Congo: New Displacement Of Thousands Of Civilians
New York, Jan 20 2012 12:10PM The United Nations refugee agency today voiced concern over fresh violence in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has forced more than 100,000 civilians to flee their homes in the provinces ... More >>
Foreign Affairs: McCully To Attend African Union Summit In Ethiopia
Foreign Minister Murray McCully will next week visit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 20th Session of the African Union Executive Council on 25-26 January. “This summit provides New Zealand with an opportunity to engage with ministers from... More >>
MP Ralph Regenvanu :Response To His Termination As A Minister On Monday 16th January 2012
I acknowledge that the Prime Minister has the Constitutional right to appoint and dismiss any Minister. I am disappointed, however, that my termination was by way of a letter delivered to my office and that the Prime Minister did not have the courtesy ... More>>
World United States: Denial Of The Keystone XL Pipeline Application
Today, the Department of State recommended to President Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline be denied and, that at this time, the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline be determined not to serve the national interest. ... More>>
Americas: Otto Perez Molina Inaugurated President Of Guatemala
Otto Perez Molina Inaugurated President Of Guatemala Days Earlier A Court Improperly Dismissed Charges Against Him Of Forced Disappearance And Torture - By Annie Bird, Rights Action. On January 5, 2012, just days ... More>>
India: Can We Afford Another Unquestionable Mahatma?
This is a criticism of the unquestioning wide-eyed support and personality cult resulting in both deification and vilification of heroes instead of the focus being on policies. An unquestioning support during our independence struggle to those who made money ... More>>
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Christchurch: Scared Scriptless Returns To The Court Theatre
SCARED SCRIPTLESS is back – back to late nights and back at The Court Theatre. From February 10th Christchurch’s iconic improvised comedy show will be performed at the new Court Theatre in Addington, with shows at 10:15pm every Friday and Saturday night. More>>
SOLO Opinion: Councillor’s Criticism Seen As Attack On Property Rights
Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer has launched a blistering attack on property rights with his demand that Auckland City Council adopt “urgent” regulations on small owner-operated brothels. Brewer says, “If we can put the squeeze on outdoor smoking, surely we can get tougher on suburban brothels?”... More >>
Wellington.Scoop: In Praise Of Wellington’s Spy Car
Kiwis are terrible drivers. Over the holidays, the news has been full of the consequences of our bad driving habits as the dead and maimed piled up across the country. Largely these victims were the consequences of basic driving errors – speeding, badly-judged ... More >>
Death of Blanket Man: Hardly A Shrine?
It shouldn’t really be described as a shrine. There’s nothing sacred about the scribbled messages on the wall of an old Courtenay Place bank building. And no one would have described Blanket Man as a holy person. More >>
Auckland.Scoop: Less Than 20,000 Fans At Last Auckland Big Day Out
The BIG DAY OUT landed in Auckland yesterday for the last time. The Auckland event played to a crowd of just under 20,000 music fans at Mt Smart Stadium. Following a joint briefing session held directly after the Auckland Big Day Out event, this information has been compiled ... More >>
TV3 Audio: Amanda Palmer Of The Dresden Dolls - Interview
Amanda Palmer, of the Dresden Dolls, is not one to hold back a naturally controversial and exuberant personality. More>>
Last Chance: Your Guide To The Big Day Out
DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR TICKET WITH YOU! You'd be surprised how many people manage to forget that rather important item. PLAN YOUR TRANSPORT! The best way to get to the Big Day Out is by public transport... More>>
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Catherine Saunders on generous figures, genuine ad... 05 Feb- ScreenTalk, 2012
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Kim Dotcom’s Bail Denied
Treasury: Deficit Grows