I think you'll find, if you read the press releases from Sue Kedgley and watch the interviews again, that she is calling for a code of conduct. Not a cap on prices. She also, is pushing the difference between what growers are paid and what the supermarkets charge. Some growers are paid less than the cost of production - all in the name of market-driven prices. If we continue to put our growers out of business (you need to read the background papers to the press releases)what will that do? Push up imported produce? Is putting our growers out of business as a result of market competition the policy of this government and the ACT party? The issue is not about where you can buy your fruit and vegetables, or whether you should grow your own or not (and yes, I see by researching the Green Party that they are strong supporters of this) - its about what the grower is being forced to accept by supermarkets and wholesalers. Supposedly being driven by the market. The same market that allows alcohol to be sold as loss leaders in supermarkets. Funny world we livein
Mani the Parakeet is getting in on the act now - a Singaporean bird, is predicting the Netherlands to win too. Apparently Mani has picked the flag of the Netherlands ahead of that of Spain. I'll stick with the human predictions, although Paul the Octopus does seem to get it right a lot.
Hi there, I dont know if I am writing in a proper board but I have got a problem with activation, link i receive in email is not working... http://roy.org.nz/?d214c98db5bf131cf7c12d3ca53,
The reason that the current Labour party is so quiet about it's anniversary is that it lacks any corherent philosophy and would be unrecognisable to its founders.
Great fruit and veg at the Porirua Market every Saturday morning, plenty of choice and the prices are very good. If you miss that one their is another good market near Te Papa on a Sunday where they also have fish for sale. If you think Supermarkets are too expensive there are plenty of other places to shop around. There is always the option of growing a garden ... I thought the Greens were supposed to be good at that?
While Americans were celebrating their Declaration Independence yesterday—celebrating that ringing declaration of the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--here in New Zealand we were instead being told … that “new measures controlling the way supermarkets operate may be on the way, after allegations they are ripping off consumers and producers.”
Further evidence that if anything is the inspiration for today’s parliamentarians it is not Thomas Jefferson’s America, but Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela.
For Chavez offers the latest lesson that if you think the private owners of supermarkets are ripping you off, just wait until the supermarkets are controlled by the government. Chavez himself took umbrage recently at the way supermarkets operate after allegations they were “ripping off” consumers and producers. He slapped price controls on food, he opened “cheap” state-run supermarkets—and the result of his officious meddling has been as predictable:
“Mountains of rotting food found at a government warehouse, soaring prices and soldiers raiding wholesalers accused of hoarding…”
and
In the face of the combination of price controls and shortages, the effect of a decrease in the supply of an item is not, as it would be in a free market, to raise its price and increase its profitability, thereby operating to stop the decrease in supply, or reverse it if it has gone too far. Price control prohibits the rise in price and thus the increase in profitability. At the same time, the shortages caused by price controls prevent increases in supply from reducing price and profitability. When there is a shortage, the effect of an increase in supply is merely a reduction in the severity of the shortage. Only when the shortage is totally eliminated does an increase in supply necessitate a decrease in price and bring about a decrease in profitability.
Very hard to reconcile Sue Kedgleys criticism of you Heather as Minister of Consumer Affairs with her arguments. She says you should be standing up for consumers (seems to me you are by saying competition is the best way to ensure choice and lower prices) as she is when in fact she is the front woman for the growers guild - a lobby group who have the role of getting as much as possible for the member growers, meaning the price of fresh produce will be even greater.
The Close Up programme had Sue Kedgley and Tony Carter from one of the Supermarket groups on last night. It just degenerated into a slanging match with both negating the opinion of the other. The quality of the debate was of the same quality as the survey the Greens proport support their arguments i.e. quality poor.
When the ETS really kicks in fresh produce will go up even more. Higher fuel costs to get fruit and vegetables to market will be passed on to the consumer.
Where has Sue Kedgely been that she can come out unashamed and call for a price cap on food. Every school economics class learns on their first day that price is linked to competition and supply.
It is time the MSM stopped promoting this kind of unscientific ‘monkey’ survey self serving propaganda.
I'm struggling with the idea New Zealand has gone ahead with the ETS scheme, particularly when there is mounting evidence that human activity is not affecting global temperature conditions. There are plenty of websites that can supply evidence that this may not be the case - here are a couple: http://www.climatescience.org.nz/ http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/
For New Zealand to lead the way in this doubtful scheme will eventually prove to the world how gullible and naive we really are. Remember this all started with Al Gore expounding his theories on anthropogenic global warming and many of his "facts" have been proven wrong. To me his preaching was a way to line his pockets, simply put.
What will the Government do with the extra taxes? I think any party who truly has New Zealand's interest at heart (and not just vote seeking) will fight against this thieving bill and go further and finance proper investigation rather than chase popular ideas.
What I'm reminded of is the old fairy tale of Chicken Licken, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling".
Don't get me wrong - I think we can all improve on energy conservation and our attitudes to "clean and green" but to actively decrease New Zealanders' standard of living for a notion that is NOT proven is bizarre to say the least.
And another, but the difference is that with this one people may get some of their money back.
Fingers Crossed For Victims Of Hong Kong Scam:
It was very encouraging to seen that Hong Kong police have arrested a gang believed to be responsible for ripping people off through a lotteries and investment scam and sincerely hope that the bust will result in victims getting, at least some, of their money back.
A 'New Zealand Herald' story this week reported that the gang managed to scam around HK$21 million – equivalent to around NZ$3.8 million – from 160 people in the Asia-Pacific region. Several Chinese New Zealanders were among those who were conned and the victims now hope that the arrest – which netted 13 Hong Kong locals, 17 bank books, 38 credit cards and HK$107,000 – will mean they will get their money back.
If this occurs, it would be a very fortunate development indeed, as history has shown that it is extremely rare for victims to be able to recover their losses once the money is gone – especially when the scam is based overseas and fraudulently obtained money is siphoned offshore.
While the bust itself is to be celebrated, and Hong Kong police congratulated, the sad fact is that there are plenty more fraudsters ready to fill the gap that will be left by the arrest of this gang. I am sure that their scam was not the only one of its kind being run from Hong Kong and other opportunistic fraudsters will, no doubt, pick up where this gang left off – if they haven't already.
Here in New Zealand, around 5.75 of Kiwis are scammed each year to the tune of around $447 per annum – most, if not all, of which is never seen again. The fact is that no one is immune to scams. UK research has shown that there is no correlation between the types of people who fall for these schemes – scam victims can be any age, ethnicity and come from all walks of life.
The best defence we have against the scammers is education. People must be aware of how to spot a scam, what do when they come across it, and how to report it so that others are not unwittingly caught out. And it appears that we are getting better. Last year, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' 'Scamwatch' website (www.scamwatch.govt.nz) received more than 56,000 visitors – an increase of over 9,000 from the year before. 'Scamwatch' also received over 2,500 scam reports from consumers for 2009 alone.
While this is most likely the barest tip of the iceberg – for every scam reported there are probably many more that are not – these figures are encouraging. And, although it is difficult to measure, I am sure that initiatives like 'Scamwatch' have stopped some people falling victim to the scammers.
I agree with ACTs stand on the ETS, but like the 'Fart Tax' you guys haven't picked up much in the way of recognition for your efforts. John Armstrong's NZ Herald article today was a good ananlysis of where I think people are at. Confused mostly and when have the farmers ever gone anywhere but National? I'm not sure what the answer is for ACT but making that separation from National in the lead up to the next election is going to be tough.
In another example of scammers trying to make their schemes appear more credible, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has now been forced to warn the public against emails offering people tax refunds and requesting credit card details. I myself received one of these scam emails about three weeks ago – as, I learned this morning, did at least two of my staff. Having worked so closely with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Scamwatch, however, they – like me – knew exactly what to do: hit the 'delete' button. This is exactly the advice that IRD – which has already received numerous calls from people who have received these emails – is providing. Fortunately, no one has yet lost any money to the scam and I hope it stays that way.
They might still be allowed to park up at the airport, but taxis that don't belong to Wellington Combined will be at a disadvantage. Taxis' appeal comes from convenience. A door to door service that's ready when you are, this is why they flourish even though they're so much more expensive than buses. As a former taxi driver myself, I know that most people have no idea of the difference between taxi companies and those leaving the airport will just jump into the closest one available. This means there will be a steady stream of passengers leaping into Wellington Combined cabs while other drivers on the outside lane will miss out.
The problem of dealing with prisoners stressed out by nicotine withdrawal will never end. Those already in prison when the ban kicks in will be hard enough to deal with but there will be a constant flow of inmates going in who will have to quit as soon as they arrive – I highly doubt that people will quit smoking on the off chance that they'll end up in prison.
You are absolutely right Gadfly. I can't believe Collin's lack of compassion for those working in prisons. As if they haven't got it bad enough already, she wants to make it even tougher for them to keep prisoners calm. If she thinks that warders will be grateful she has judged the situation very badly. I can't even imagine what makes her think this is a good idea. This is a political decision pure and simple - prisoners can't vote so doesn't matter what you do for them. And the arguement that it is a decision made for the good of their health - Yeah, right.
It is well known that drug addiction is common amongst the criminal fraternity. Prison Warders have to cope with prisoners who are in withdrawl from hard drugs when they are imprisoned. To add nicotine withdraw to this, and the majority of prisoners smoke, will cause additional stress for both prisoners and warders. I predict riots and the consequences could be fatal including for those who work in prisons.
Judith Collins' argument that a prison is not a prisoners home could only be made by a lawyer. This regulation is both stupid and reckless.
WOW amazing. I hope my dream to attend this school is realised
When does this come into effect?
I think you'll find, if you read the press releases from Sue Kedgley and watch the interviews again, that she is calling for a code of conduct. Not a cap on prices. She also, is pushing the difference between what growers are paid and what the supermarkets charge. Some growers are paid less than the cost of production - all in the name of market-driven prices. If we continue to put our growers out of business (you need to read the background papers to the press releases)what will that do? Push up imported produce? Is putting our growers out of business as a result of market competition the policy of this government and the ACT party? The issue is not about where you can buy your fruit and vegetables, or whether you should grow your own or not (and yes, I see by researching the Green Party that they are strong supporters of this) - its about what the grower is being forced to accept by supermarkets and wholesalers. Supposedly being driven by the market. The same market that allows alcohol to be sold as loss leaders in supermarkets. Funny world we livein
UPDATE : Russia 10 - USA 4
The spy swop has gone ahead, 10 Russian spies for 4 spies from the west currently in a Russian prison. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/3902616/Spy-swap-goes-ahead
link to Mani the Parakeet here http://ibnlive.in.com/news/now-a-parakeet-tips-holland-to-win-wc-2010/12...
Mani the Parakeet is getting in on the act now - a Singaporean bird, is predicting the Netherlands to win too. Apparently Mani has picked the flag of the Netherlands ahead of that of Spain. I'll stick with the human predictions, although Paul the Octopus does seem to get it right a lot.
Annonymous - that link should go through to the roy.org.nz homepage and is live in the message above.
Hi there, I dont know if I am writing in a proper board but I have got a problem with activation, link i receive in email is not working... http://roy.org.nz/?d214c98db5bf131cf7c12d3ca53,
Maybe they don't have any historians now that Michael Cullen is gone. I wouldn't worry too much - ACT got the pick of the bunch.
The reason that the current Labour party is so quiet about it's anniversary is that it lacks any corherent philosophy and would be unrecognisable to its founders.
Great fruit and veg at the Porirua Market every Saturday morning, plenty of choice and the prices are very good. If you miss that one their is another good market near Te Papa on a Sunday where they also have fish for sale. If you think Supermarkets are too expensive there are plenty of other places to shop around. There is always the option of growing a garden ... I thought the Greens were supposed to be good at that?
BP Bashing - good article traversing the different angles. http://mises.org/daily/4488
Some interesting commentary on a couple of the blogs on this topic.
http://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/clzbk/supermarkets_are_hikin... - many comments are worth a read and some (like ‘what we need is a state run supermarket’) are from the opposite side of the spectrum.
There is an excellent article and comments at http://pc.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-measures-controlling-way.html
Here are a couple of extracts :
While Americans were celebrating their Declaration Independence yesterday—celebrating that ringing declaration of the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--here in New Zealand we were instead being told … that “new measures controlling the way supermarkets operate may be on the way, after allegations they are ripping off consumers and producers.”
Further evidence that if anything is the inspiration for today’s parliamentarians it is not Thomas Jefferson’s America, but Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela.
For Chavez offers the latest lesson that if you think the private owners of supermarkets are ripping you off, just wait until the supermarkets are controlled by the government. Chavez himself took umbrage recently at the way supermarkets operate after allegations they were “ripping off” consumers and producers. He slapped price controls on food, he opened “cheap” state-run supermarkets—and the result of his officious meddling has been as predictable:
“Mountains of rotting food found at a government warehouse, soaring prices and soldiers raiding wholesalers accused of hoarding…”
and
In the face of the combination of price controls and shortages, the effect of a decrease in the supply of an item is not, as it would be in a free market, to raise its price and increase its profitability, thereby operating to stop the decrease in supply, or reverse it if it has gone too far. Price control prohibits the rise in price and thus the increase in profitability. At the same time, the shortages caused by price controls prevent increases in supply from reducing price and profitability. When there is a shortage, the effect of an increase in supply is merely a reduction in the severity of the shortage. Only when the shortage is totally eliminated does an increase in supply necessitate a decrease in price and bring about a decrease in profitability.
Very hard to reconcile Sue Kedgleys criticism of you Heather as Minister of Consumer Affairs with her arguments. She says you should be standing up for consumers (seems to me you are by saying competition is the best way to ensure choice and lower prices) as she is when in fact she is the front woman for the growers guild - a lobby group who have the role of getting as much as possible for the member growers, meaning the price of fresh produce will be even greater.
The Close Up programme had Sue Kedgley and Tony Carter from one of the Supermarket groups on last night. It just degenerated into a slanging match with both negating the opinion of the other. The quality of the debate was of the same quality as the survey the Greens proport support their arguments i.e. quality poor.
When the ETS really kicks in fresh produce will go up even more. Higher fuel costs to get fruit and vegetables to market will be passed on to the consumer.
Where has Sue Kedgely been that she can come out unashamed and call for a price cap on food. Every school economics class learns on their first day that price is linked to competition and supply.
It is time the MSM stopped promoting this kind of unscientific ‘monkey’ survey self serving propaganda.
I'm struggling with the idea New Zealand has gone ahead with the ETS scheme, particularly when there is mounting evidence that human activity is not affecting global temperature conditions. There are plenty of websites that can supply evidence that this may not be the case - here are a couple:
http://www.climatescience.org.nz/
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/
For New Zealand to lead the way in this doubtful scheme will eventually prove to the world how gullible and naive we really are. Remember this all started with Al Gore expounding his theories on anthropogenic global warming and many of his "facts" have been proven wrong. To me his preaching was a way to line his pockets, simply put.
What will the Government do with the extra taxes? I think any party who truly has New Zealand's interest at heart (and not just vote seeking) will fight against this thieving bill and go further and finance proper investigation rather than chase popular ideas.
What I'm reminded of is the old fairy tale of Chicken Licken, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling".
Don't get me wrong - I think we can all improve on energy conservation and our attitudes to "clean and green" but to actively decrease New Zealanders' standard of living for a notion that is NOT proven is bizarre to say the least.
And another, but the difference is that with this one people may get some of their money back.
Fingers Crossed For Victims Of Hong Kong Scam:
It was very encouraging to seen that Hong Kong police have arrested a gang believed to be responsible for ripping people off through a lotteries and investment scam and sincerely hope that the bust will result in victims getting, at least some, of their money back.
A 'New Zealand Herald' story this week reported that the gang managed to scam around HK$21 million – equivalent to around NZ$3.8 million – from 160 people in the Asia-Pacific region. Several Chinese New Zealanders were among those who were conned and the victims now hope that the arrest – which netted 13 Hong Kong locals, 17 bank books, 38 credit cards and HK$107,000 – will mean they will get their money back.
If this occurs, it would be a very fortunate development indeed, as history has shown that it is extremely rare for victims to be able to recover their losses once the money is gone – especially when the scam is based overseas and fraudulently obtained money is siphoned offshore.
While the bust itself is to be celebrated, and Hong Kong police congratulated, the sad fact is that there are plenty more fraudsters ready to fill the gap that will be left by the arrest of this gang. I am sure that their scam was not the only one of its kind being run from Hong Kong and other opportunistic fraudsters will, no doubt, pick up where this gang left off – if they haven't already.
Here in New Zealand, around 5.75 of Kiwis are scammed each year to the tune of around $447 per annum – most, if not all, of which is never seen again. The fact is that no one is immune to scams. UK research has shown that there is no correlation between the types of people who fall for these schemes – scam victims can be any age, ethnicity and come from all walks of life.
The best defence we have against the scammers is education. People must be aware of how to spot a scam, what do when they come across it, and how to report it so that others are not unwittingly caught out. And it appears that we are getting better. Last year, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' 'Scamwatch' website (www.scamwatch.govt.nz) received more than 56,000 visitors – an increase of over 9,000 from the year before. 'Scamwatch' also received over 2,500 scam reports from consumers for 2009 alone.
While this is most likely the barest tip of the iceberg – for every scam reported there are probably many more that are not – these figures are encouraging. And, although it is difficult to measure, I am sure that initiatives like 'Scamwatch' have stopped some people falling victim to the scammers.
Here's the link talked about in the previous comment:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/john-armstrong/news/article.cfm?a_id=3&objectid=10656126
I agree with ACTs stand on the ETS, but like the 'Fart Tax' you guys haven't picked up much in the way of recognition for your efforts. John Armstrong's NZ Herald article today was a good ananlysis of where I think people are at. Confused mostly and when have the farmers ever gone anywhere but National? I'm not sure what the answer is for ACT but making that separation from National in the lead up to the next election is going to be tough.
Oh, and here's the link to the Armstrong article.
In another example of scammers trying to make their schemes appear more credible, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has now been forced to warn the public against emails offering people tax refunds and requesting credit card details. I myself received one of these scam emails about three weeks ago – as, I learned this morning, did at least two of my staff. Having worked so closely with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Scamwatch, however, they – like me – knew exactly what to do: hit the 'delete' button. This is exactly the advice that IRD – which has already received numerous calls from people who have received these emails – is providing. Fortunately, no one has yet lost any money to the scam and I hope it stays that way.
They might still be allowed to park up at the airport, but taxis that don't belong to Wellington Combined will be at a disadvantage. Taxis' appeal comes from convenience. A door to door service that's ready when you are, this is why they flourish even though they're so much more expensive than buses. As a former taxi driver myself, I know that most people have no idea of the difference between taxi companies and those leaving the airport will just jump into the closest one available. This means there will be a steady stream of passengers leaping into Wellington Combined cabs while other drivers on the outside lane will miss out.
The problem of dealing with prisoners stressed out by nicotine withdrawal will never end. Those already in prison when the ban kicks in will be hard enough to deal with but there will be a constant flow of inmates going in who will have to quit as soon as they arrive – I highly doubt that people will quit smoking on the off chance that they'll end up in prison.
You are absolutely right Gadfly. I can't believe Collin's lack of compassion for those working in prisons. As if they haven't got it bad enough already, she wants to make it even tougher for them to keep prisoners calm. If she thinks that warders will be grateful she has judged the situation very badly. I can't even imagine what makes her think this is a good idea. This is a political decision pure and simple - prisoners can't vote so doesn't matter what you do for them. And the arguement that it is a decision made for the good of their health - Yeah, right.
It is well known that drug addiction is common amongst the criminal fraternity. Prison Warders have to cope with prisoners who are in withdrawl from hard drugs when they are imprisoned. To add nicotine withdraw to this, and the majority of prisoners smoke, will cause additional stress for both prisoners and warders. I predict riots and the consequences could be fatal including for those who work in prisons.
Judith Collins' argument that a prison is not a prisoners home could only be made by a lawyer. This regulation is both stupid and reckless.