New Zealand a pioneer in Big Data surveillance technology A Royal Commission of Inquiry will be convened in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosques atrocity. In the short term also there will be departmental inquiries to evaluate who knew what and when? Among the issues, the questions, in the longer term inquiry, the Royal Commission and also in the more immediate departmental inquiries are:- - Was the suspect identified as a consistent user of extremist social media sites, and if so, when? - Was the suspect’s application for gun license approval and his subsequent acquisition of the approved weaponry at…

Covert surveillance in New Zealand hampered by layers of privacy ethics compliance New Zealand security agencies have long been vigilant in following up insurgency and from any source or ethnic category. This had become evident during the 1990s when the agencies had been notably vigilant on any indication of entering New Zealand anyone in the supremacist category, claimed National Press Club president Peter Isaac talking to Greytown Lions. In this the New Zealand agencies followed the lead of their United States homeland security counterparts which had become preoccupied by the emergence during the 1990s of the survivalism threat most notably…

China-Antarctic global authority chilled out of Women anniversary Pantheon Off-message academic professor Anne-Marie Brady found herself out in the cold at the official celebrations centred on International Women's Day. Professor Brady challenges and questions the policy of successive governments over China. This China fixation the professor claims represents a posture that puts New Zealand in danger of following in the footsteps of Albania, the Balkan nation which remains impoverished in spite of long being under the economic aegis of China. Professor Brady points out that China’s policy is to use its resident nationals to influence governments in seeing things from…

Former NZ premier redux---back in The Conversation The arrival of former New Zealand premier and United Nations topsider at the helm of her own foundation confirms the suspicion of many that she has been the hidden hand in a number of policy directions implemented by the governing Labour coalition led by her protégé Jacinda Ardern. One of these is considered to be the declaration of the ban on oil & gas accreditation. More recently still the releasing of the deliberations on a capital gains tax. The capital gains debate, a perennial one in New Zealand political life, came at precisely…

Old policy plank diverts in its shiny new moralistic packaging New Zealand’s governing coalition led by the Labour Party and incorporating minority parties in the form of the centrist New Zealand First and ideological Greens blinded those who challenge it with a dazzling diversion in the form of a public debate on the introduction of a capital gains tax. This piece of legerdemain had the effect of scattering all the slavering wolves about to board the Labour government sledge and had the effect too of cementing in its own far left wing. Her Majesty’s Opposition tearing chunks happily out of…

Deputy Prime Minister foresaw perils of trade fixation on East AN extraordinary and unforeseen series of global trade crises means that New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters can return the agrarian products exporter to its original bulk market which is Great Britain. Chief among these crises are:- - The United States – China trade war the armistice of which ends this week - Brexit due at the end of March which hard or soft sees New Zealand as a central beneficiary - President Trump’s turning his back on collective free trade agreements such as the EU - The failure in…

North America bickered over dairy tariffs while China swamped their Telecoms manufacturing sector Canada’s detention of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the Huawei founder indicates a non-negotiable priority by the United States to exclude the Chinese equipment supplier from any network backbone installations within the Western alliance. Canada’s own priority on identity and diversity affirmative action would normally have stayed its federal hand in apprehending any such female in any such claim at all. Meng Wanzhou (pictured) is also said to be the financial supremo of Huawei. Huawei is the nosecone of the Chinese strategy of installing the nation at…

Great Great Granddaughter of slaves says that beyond Beltway, coastal enclaves, there is continuing strong and diverse support for President President Trump can win a second term in the White House proclaimed United States broadcaster Victoria Gaither speaking to the National Press Club Miss Gaither who revealed that she was the great great granddaughter of slaves said that historic ties with Democrats were now diminishing and very largely because the Democrats had taken the electoral relationship as being permanent and thus had taken it for granted. Miss Gaither, speaking in Wellington, New Zealand, cleared up a misconception in the English-speaking…

Manufacturer British GW Pharmaceuticals dominates world medical cannabis Specialists have warned about the little-understood health consequences of cannabis and the generalised confusion emanating from New Zealand parliamentary circles about its true effects and even current medical availability. They specifically cite as one rarely-comprehended danger the vulnerability to addiction of children and adolescents considered “four to seven” times greater than the long term addiction at the same age of tobacco users. One gap in the information emanating from the Parliamentary Precinct, according to the scientists, was the absence of discussion about the authorised existence of the cannabis by-product the spray called…

Skilled Diplomacy in Europe contrasts with Great Leap Forward stumbles at home The Labour coalition’s mainstream doctrinal base-reinforcing schemes such as the hydrocarbons shutdown, the mass housing build, and the mass afforestation scheme now have the Great Leap Forward dream-over-reality look. In contrast though the coalition’s less dogma-cluttered handling of the Brexit opportunity demonstrates a clarity of intent and thus of management. In Brexit the conflicting doctrines are self-balancing and this has allowed the Labour coalition a free field of fire to do what it does best which is to resonate sincerity of purpose and keep on the right side…

Influx of Esol students is fresh imperative to curb New Zealand-ese A group or collection of females described in the singular as “woman,” has emerged as the most obvious flaw in the diction of professional broadcasters according to a survey by MSC Newswire, the affiliate site of the National Press Club. The other most discernible mangled word was vulnerable which frequently emerges as “vunerable,” according to the panel. Also selected was “summision” for submission. In vowel handling the panel identified as a continuing articulation problem the sounds of the letters “a” and “e” in which for example weeks of time…