Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[Noitall]

Some employers (and managers) aren't that clever either. One of my wives former GM's was a local hire.... they usually bring in overseas people for that role as the NZ market isn't that large so if they stuff it up, it doesn't really matter to a Fortune 100 company.

Anyway, this guy thought he'd be clever when it came to negotiting his contract and didn't read fully what was being offered to him. So, he took what was going to be his starting salary and reduced it if they would do things like giving him a four week notice time instead of eight weeks, a monthly allowance instead of a company car and upgrades to business class for flights over a certain distance. The HR person representing the company quickly agreed to everything including the salary reduction.

It was only after he started, he compared his contract to the company's original offer and found those things were already in their offer when a staff member leaving only gave four weeks notice and the GM was informed that was the companies standard practice. Not that the reduction in salary mattered..... he was gone within three months anyway. Last we saw, he's a manager in NZTA.... heaven help us all!!!!

Sounds like an episode of all in the family I watched last night. Archie bunker thought he was clever too.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

One situation I

Makes me think of about the worst situation I’ve come across around protecting an employer. Can recall a tree pruning business that had issues with their branch mulcher for years upon years and never fixed. All the guys had mentioned to the employer about the issue to which nothing ever was done and it held the employees up. All of the guys had to do what this particular guy did at some stage to keep things moving but for this particular guy it turned bad. He got into the mulcher to squash some debris that was caught and it started up. Half of his body was munched, to which he survived. Because it was all the employees word against the employer, nothing was ever reached to show his involvement in the whole situation. Terrible job to be apart of, where ramps and bathroom alterations were made for the guy but you could see the wife was never going to look at her husband the same way again. He was stupid to do what he did and an extreme case but had things have been sorted when the employer was alerted, none of it would have happened. Similar circumstances in the pike river mine.

Been a while since I was involved but under HSE legislation, don't all workplaces have to have an accredited HSE rep? Worksafe should always be on their speed dial if nothing gets done by the employer.

Pike river was the result of many deficiencies, not only the employer but also the Govt Regulators.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Can only speak on the aspect of unions that I know. My wife being in the medical world is very much encouraged to be in a nurses union and pays a fee to do so. Any of her issues in the workplace has showed the union to be very effective and has certainly changed some outcomes for her, that before they were involved were showing to be going nowhere. Would say nurses, teachers and wharfies are about the only functioning unions today?

PSA, E Tu, Engineering/Construction and First Union are all biggies but overall union membership is only around 15% of the workforce these days and dropping other than the "state" unions

Some unionists are very smart and enlightened. I worked with Andrew Little and our branch delegates back in the late nineties when we wanted to move into Australia and were taking some stick from the AWU. One of the few I dealt with over the years who wasn't adversarial and understood that if the business was doing well, the likelihood was the staff would do well.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Labour was constantly populist to the point that running the government became a big positive PR campaign and doing what was needed came second.

Total change in style. National has been more honest, done the unpopular but necessary choices, made the hard calls and people are finding it refreshing.

One way builds fanatics, the other builds respect.

National honest? Jaysis.

 

[MaybeTop8]

The hard left majority contributing to this thread are a minority out there in the real world. Shouldn’t come as a surprise. New Zealanders voted for change and they are happy with what they see so far.

What exactly is hard left? As I've said previously, the terms of debate have shifted so far right that the likes of Jacinda Ardern is called communist.

There's very little hard left in nz.

Majority? Pffff.

Which shows how dominant the right and neoliberalist thinking is.

 

[John Nick]

PSA, E Tu, Engineering/Construction and First Union are all biggies but overall union membership is only around 15% of the workforce these days and dropping other than the "state" unions

Some unionists are very smart and enlightened. I worked with Andrew Little and our branch delegates back in the late nineties when we wanted to move into Australia and were taking some stick from the AWU. One of the few I dealt with over the years who wasn't adversarial and understood that if the business was doing well, the likelihood was the staff would do well.

Don't know when you are talking about Rick but I had dealings with the AWU probably about 30 years ago and mainly the Queensland branch.
I was not impressed. They were an awful lot to deal with.

 

[MaybeTop8]

fuck people can be horrible cunts.

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

As I've said before, heaven help you if you're not white and male. People need to be held accountable for this kind of hate and misogyny

 

[MaybeTop8]

Over the months I think it will even out though as the media reads the room… but there is a pro Left influence still showing through.

The media isn’t reflecting the election result or the people as the recent poll has shown.

How has the media got so out of alignment with average NZ?

Pro left? Have you even looked at the NZME stable lately?

Stuff are repeating taxpayer union propaganda verbatim

Bizarre.

 

[MaybeTop8]

The conspiracy crap on here is not centre.

Antivax? Climate change not happening? 5G? UN? Absolutely, all bullshit and mostly predominant in the American right and far right.

Any other conspiracy theories you were thinking of?

 

[MaybeTop8]

And this is from a supposed moderate right media platform -

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Don't know when you are talking about Rick but I had dealings with the AWU probably about 30 years ago and mainly the Queensland branch.
I was not impressed. They were an awful lot to deal with.

On the money JN, 1999/2000 and they were terrible. Bunch of thugs for sure and I was led to believe Victoria was even worse. Had my car keyed and tyres slashed there several times

Funny story. Have a good friend who was the Superintendent of a McDermott pipelaying barge on the north west shelf. This thing had a smallish plunge pool for the guys to cool off. The delegate came to him and said they wanted a paid lifeguard 24 hours. He said he would fix the problem and promptly drained the pool. Took a week of the members getting angrier before the delegate backed down and the pool could be refilled. No one drowned!

 

[MaybeTop8]

Under your reckoning NZers voted for change (and I agree there was a bit of a swing) however the results of the poll strongly show NZers didn't vote for Seymour & Peters to be the govt.
National had to form an alliance with them to form a government (which is a symptom of mmp) but it once again indicates your blanket statement of New Zealanders voted for change isn't exactly as all-encompassing of voters as you try to make out.
And again on the hard left rhetoric...if hard left is wanting your grandchildren to have as good a quality of education as the 'rich', opportunity to pursue their passions and live a prosperous fulfilling life (which isn't all about money), be safe in their neighburhoods, eat real food that isn't poisonous, live in a unique, unspoilt beautiful country where they can drink the water, swim in the rivers and at beaches, buy their own home (however humble) or at least be able to afford to rent one, be able to travel the country and the world if they choose, te mea, te mea.
Is that hard left?
I guess that's me then

Sorry I'm catching up on all this - very well said.

 

[John Nick]

On the money JN, 1999/2000 and they were terrible. Bunch of thugs for sure and I was led to believe Victoria was even worse. Had my car keyed and tyres slashed there several times

Funny story. Have a good friend who was the Superintendent of a McDermott pipelaying barge on the north west shelf. This thing had a smallish plunge pool for the guys to cool off. The delegate came to him and said they wanted a paid lifeguard 24 hours. He said he would fix the problem and promptly drained the pool. Took a week of the members getting angrier before the delegate backed down and the pool could be refilled. No one drowned!

I believe it Rick.
I had dealings with many unions in Australia before returning home.
I could reminisce with you for hours about the stories especially the P & D Melbourne.
Scary but funny at times.
The unions in Australia are pretty ruthless (,or used to be).
Our unions aren't in the same league

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Antivax? Climate change not happening? 5G? UN? Absolutely, all bullshit and mostly predominant in the American right and far right.

Any other conspiracy theories you were thinking of?

I was thinking of you specifically when I made the posts. Spouting the same ‘theories’ ad nauseam doesn’t make them any less ridiculous.

 

[dean]

I believe it Rick.
I had dealings with many unions in Australia before returning home.
I could reminisce with you for hours about the stories especially the P & D Melbourne.
Scary but funny at times.
The unions in Australia are pretty ruthless (,or used to be).
Our unions aren't in the same league

We tried to be with the 'think big projects' but outside of them you had to have very organised troops.
My son is a construction worker in Melbourne, very pro union.
They had an accident onsite last year and a man was badly injured, they had a death the previous year.
Union official came onsite, called a meeting that the owner attended. Official said the site was closed until all safety matters were rectified. Owner invited workers to go back to work and they slowly got up and went back.
My son was unimpressed but went back as well, hopeless without unity.
The boss is never allowed in the meeting or any of his stool pidgeons. Never say we are walking off without knowing the troops are going to back you up. Every official worth his salt knows that.
I was surprised. Aussie unions may have gone backwards.

 

[John Nick]

We tried to be with the 'think big projects' but outside of them you had to have very organised troops.
My son is a construction worker in Melbourne, very pro union.
They had an accident onsite last year and a man was badly injured, they had a death the previous year.
Union official came onsite, called a meeting that the owner attended. Official said the site was closed until all safety matters were rectified. Owner invited workers to go back to work and they slowly got up and went back.
My son was unimpressed but went back as well, hopeless without unity.
The boss is never allowed in the meeting or any of his stool pidgeons. Never say we are walking off without knowing the troops are going to back you up. Every official worth his salt knows that.
I was surprised. Aussie unions may have gone backwards.

From my take on your story is the mistake was made by the official allowing the owner to attend the meeting.
Sure call him in during the meeting but only with full agreement

 

[MaybeTop8]

I was thinking of you specifically when I made the posts. Spouting the same ‘theories’ ad nauseam doesn’t make them any less ridiculous.

But what conspiracies? Neoliberalism isn't a conspiracy it's an extreme form of capitalism that has been adopted and deployed in a number of countries around the world over the last 50 years.

Are you referring to the Atlas Network funding and promoting neoliberalism around the world? That's happening too, as I've posted via proven journalism - the Guardian and others, and even the organisation themselves. It's extremely organised and may well qualify as one, but it's there, it's happening and it's real, easily proven through many channels. Does that qualify as a conspiracy? Sure, if you want to. Is it antidemocratic? Absolutely. Dangerous? Definitely.

Then you have the fact that conspiracy has taken on a definition in the last 10 years or so as something like:


and is twisted through generally right and far right networks into the bizarre bullshit like antiscience, antivax, anti climate change, hidden pizza hillary clinton gates, 5g will rebirth my ancestors (I made that one up) etc.

Those are complete bullshit.
'

 

[Rick O’Shay]

We tried to be with the 'think big projects' but outside of them you had to have very organised troops.
My son is a construction worker in Melbourne, very pro union.
They had an accident onsite last year and a man was badly injured, they had a death the previous year.
Union official came onsite, called a meeting that the owner attended. Official said the site was closed until all safety matters were rectified. Owner invited workers to go back to work and they slowly got up and went back.
My son was unimpressed but went back as well, hopeless without unity.
The boss is never allowed in the meeting or any of his stool pidgeons. Never say we are walking off without knowing the troops are going to back you up. Every official worth his salt knows that.
I was surprised. Aussie unions may have gone backwards.

I think corruption in the unions over there had a lot to do with how the rank and file committed to the principles.

Kickbacks and bribes were commonplace and everyone knew it. Some very wealthy unionists in Australia. Was even a problem with some unions here in the '70s, the exception being the Marxists and Maoists who were only ever interested in overthrowing the capitalist regime. That worked out well

Totally agree in your son's case, the boss should have never been allowed to attend the meeting and someone should have called Worksafe Victoria who I would have though would be investigating, especially a death.

I'm pretty sure that under legislation here, the HSE rep can close down a job if he deems it unsafe and there is no resolution. Union delegates can't unless they are the HSE rep. Think it is a NZQA accredited role.

 

[miket12]

Police charge former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman over shoplifting allegations​

Embattled former Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman has been charged by police with two counts of shoplifting.

“Today, a 43-year-old woman has been summonsed to appear in the Auckland District Court on two charges of shoplifting,” police said in a statement.

“These charges relate to incidents at a Ponsonby retailer that allegedly occurred on 21 and 23 December 2023.”

Ghahraman, 43, is expected to appear in the Auckland District Court on February 1.

”Police are continuing to investigate, but given matters are before the court we are limited in further comment,” police said.

Officers earlier talked with Ghahraman at her Grey Lynn home in Auckland today.

A neighbour across the road from her house told the Herald he had seen police “hanging out” on the street earlier today.

“Police can confirm we were at an Auckland address conducting enquiries as part of our ongoing investigation. We are not in a position to comment further at this time,” a police spokesperson told the Herald in a statement.

Ghahraman was seen greeting five police officers at the gate of her property this afternoon before going inside for four of the officers, Stuff reported.

“She looked forlorn but smiled at police when she introduced herself,” a Stuff reporter said.

Police also left Ghahraman’s home with a large paper bag, Stuff reported.

Yesterday, Ghahraman resigned as an MP and offered an explanation about why she “act[ed] in ways that are completely out of character”.

She made her announcement yesterday, about 17 hours after a third shoplifting allegation surfaced and almost a week after the first accusation was made and she was initially stood down from her portfolios.

It also came just after the Herald obtained security footage appearing to show Ghahraman at Scotties Boutique, the exclusive Ponsonby clothing store she is alleged to have shoplifted on two occasions, allegedly stealing a designer handbag.

Four hours after Ghahraman resigned and publicly apologised, two police detectives visited her Grey Lynn home, where they received no answer when they knocked on her door.

Police have confirmed they were investigating three alleged shoplifting incidents - two at Scotties from December and one from high-end Wellington store Cre8iveworx dating from October.

Ghahraman’s party leaders refused to comment on the allegations while the police investigations were ongoing, with co-leader James Shaw saying, “We don’t want to do the police’s job here. What is important is that she is taking responsibility.”

In a statement yesterday, Ghahraman said: “It is clear to me that my mental health is being badly affected by the stresses relating to my work.

“This has led me to act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them.”

Ghahraman said she “fell short” of the expectations of elected representatives.

“I’m sorry. It’s not a behaviour I can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I’m not well,“ she said.

“With that in mind, I don’t want to hide behind my mental health problems, and I take full responsibility for my actions which I deeply regret. I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry.

“The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery,” Ghahraman said.

She also thanked Scotties Boutique for the “kindness and empathy” it had shown her.

Shaw also confirmed Celia Wade-Brown, the former mayor of Wellington would take Ghahraman’s seat in Parliament.

The Green Party earlier said no other party members were involved in the alleged shoplifting incidents.

The first accusation surfaced last Wednesday, involving Scotties Boutique, where she allegedly shoplifted on December 23.

At the time, a Green Party spokesman said the party was aware of the allegation and had been in contact with the store to better understand the situation.

She was stood down from her justice, foreign affairs, defence, ethnic communities and trade portfolios.

The Herald later learned the party had known of the accusation four days after the incident allegedly happened.

The Herald reported a second shoplifting allegation, also involving Scotties Boutique, last Friday. The party earlier said it was made aware of the second accusation on January 5.

Police charge former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman with shoplifting

Golriz Ghahraman is facing two shoplifting charges over two December incidents.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[John Nick]

Police charge former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman over shoplifting allegations​

Embattled former Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman has been charged by police with two counts of shoplifting.

“Today, a 43-year-old woman has been summonsed to appear in the Auckland District Court on two charges of shoplifting,” police said in a statement.

“These charges relate to incidents at a Ponsonby retailer that allegedly occurred on 21 and 23 December 2023.”

Ghahraman, 43, is expected to appear in the Auckland District Court on February 1.

”Police are continuing to investigate, but given matters are before the court we are limited in further comment,” police said.

Officers earlier talked with Ghahraman at her Grey Lynn home in Auckland today.

A neighbour across the road from her house told the Herald he had seen police “hanging out” on the street earlier today.

“Police can confirm we were at an Auckland address conducting enquiries as part of our ongoing investigation. We are not in a position to comment further at this time,” a police spokesperson told the Herald in a statement.

Ghahraman was seen greeting five police officers at the gate of her property this afternoon before going inside for four of the officers, Stuff reported.

“She looked forlorn but smiled at police when she introduced herself,” a Stuff reporter said.

Police also left Ghahraman’s home with a large paper bag, Stuff reported.

Yesterday, Ghahraman resigned as an MP and offered an explanation about why she “act[ed] in ways that are completely out of character”.

She made her announcement yesterday, about 17 hours after a third shoplifting allegation surfaced and almost a week after the first accusation was made and she was initially stood down from her portfolios.

It also came just after the Herald obtained security footage appearing to show Ghahraman at Scotties Boutique, the exclusive Ponsonby clothing store she is alleged to have shoplifted on two occasions, allegedly stealing a designer handbag.

Four hours after Ghahraman resigned and publicly apologised, two police detectives visited her Grey Lynn home, where they received no answer when they knocked on her door.

Police have confirmed they were investigating three alleged shoplifting incidents - two at Scotties from December and one from high-end Wellington store Cre8iveworx dating from October.

Ghahraman’s party leaders refused to comment on the allegations while the police investigations were ongoing, with co-leader James Shaw saying, “We don’t want to do the police’s job here. What is important is that she is taking responsibility.”

In a statement yesterday, Ghahraman said: “It is clear to me that my mental health is being badly affected by the stresses relating to my work.

“This has led me to act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them.”

Ghahraman said she “fell short” of the expectations of elected representatives.

“I’m sorry. It’s not a behaviour I can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I’m not well,“ she said.

“With that in mind, I don’t want to hide behind my mental health problems, and I take full responsibility for my actions which I deeply regret. I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry.

“The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery,” Ghahraman said.

She also thanked Scotties Boutique for the “kindness and empathy” it had shown her.

Shaw also confirmed Celia Wade-Brown, the former mayor of Wellington would take Ghahraman’s seat in Parliament.

The Green Party earlier said no other party members were involved in the alleged shoplifting incidents.

The first accusation surfaced last Wednesday, involving Scotties Boutique, where she allegedly shoplifted on December 23.

At the time, a Green Party spokesman said the party was aware of the allegation and had been in contact with the store to better understand the situation.

She was stood down from her justice, foreign affairs, defence, ethnic communities and trade portfolios.

The Herald later learned the party had known of the accusation four days after the incident allegedly happened.

The Herald reported a second shoplifting allegation, also involving Scotties Boutique, last Friday. The party earlier said it was made aware of the second accusation on January 5.

Police charge former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman with shoplifting

Golriz Ghahraman is facing two shoplifting charges over two December incidents.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Hard to fathom the thinking behind this behaviour.