Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced her and her partner Clarke Gayford are expecting their first child in June.
Ardern has released the following statement:
“We’re both really happy. We wanted a family but weren’t sure it would happen for us, which has made this news unexpected but exciting.
“Yesterday I met with Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, to share the news and to ask him to take on the role of Acting Prime Minister for a period of 6 weeks after our baby is born.
“As is the case when I am overseas, Mr Peters will act as Prime Minister, working with my office while staying in touch with me. I fully intend to be contactable and available throughout the six week period when needed.
“Mr Peters and I have a great relationship, and I know that together we’ll make this period work. I will make arrangements for appropriate Ministers to act in my other portfolios over the six weeks I am away from Parliament.
“At the end of my leave I will resume all Prime Ministerial duties.
“Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary caregiver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky.
“We consider ourselves lucky for another reason. Clarke and I have always been clear we wanted to be parents but had been told we would need help for that to happen. That’s made this news a fantastic surprise.
“We first knew of my pregnancy on the 13th of October, but as many couples do in the early stages, we kept it to ourselves.
“From a personal perspective, I am so looking forward to my new role as a parent. But I am equally focused on my job and responsibilities as Prime Minister.
“While 2018 will be the year I become a mum, it will also be a year that the Government finishes our 100 day plan, and starts pursuing all of the priorities that will build a better New Zealand. I look forward to leading that work, and having a slightly expanded family join me on that journey."
She also made the following tweet.
We thought 2017 was a big year! This year we’ll join the many parents who wear two hats. I’ll be PM & a mum while Clarke will be “first man of fishing” & stay at home dad. There will be lots of questions (I can assure you we have a plan all ready to go!) but for now bring on 2018 pic.twitter.com/nowAYOhAbF
— Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) January 18, 2018
Here's a press release from Winston Peters.
New Zealand First Leader congratulates PM
New Zealand First Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has congratulated the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford on news of her pregnancy.
“On behalf of my New Zealand First colleagues we wish the Prime Minister and her partner every joy during the next several months as they adapt to a new challenge,” says Mr Peters.
“Ours is a novel coalition in many respects and the Prime Minister’s announcement only reinforces its unique qualities. We are committed to supporting the Prime Minister during the months ahead to continue to provide a good and stable government. We understand that no matter what level a person operates on family life is important,” he says.
And here's a press release from National Party leader Bill English.
Bill English congratulates PM
National Party Leader Bill English has extended his warm congratulations to Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford on their baby news.
“Mary and I would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford on the news of the Prime Minister's pregnancy.
“It is an incredible privilege to be a parent. A new child will bring real joy to their lives.
“We wish them all the best.”
282 Comments
... oh yes ... absolutely awesome news ... great for the PM and her First Man ... and a boon for us too , as the pregnancy and birth ought to shunt the alternative news ( North Korea / Trumpy / Islamic State / Australian detention centres ) onto the back-burner for a year or two ....
And we can run a poll here at interest.co.nz .... who can get closest to naming the bubs ....
... I'm going with " Fred Dagg Ardern-Gayford " .... and if it's the other sex ?
............ hmmmmmmmm .... I'll get back to you on what I reckon the name will be if it's a boy ...
Billy T James Ardern-Gayford? Come on, it was cool in the reboot of Dr Who. Awh sudden thoughts of gifts of classic NZ singlets, stubbies and gumboots...
one for the stubbies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk-m5fJScGY
one for Billy T James https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtuWP7zSbA
and finally for Fred Dagg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF_gTaRM9UU
Once again the coalition voters have had the wool pulled over their eyes!
How on earth can Jacinda run the country properly now.
The answer is that she can’t!
Winston Peers will Now be in charge and being that he got in with a 7 % vote just shows what a ridiculous situation it is!
This coalition has backtracked on just about every thing they have said so far.
Even today Shayne Jones has said that the tree numbers Isbeing halved to what he had said!
The child poverty reduction was overstated!
Kiwi build not possible as to numbers!
Pike river entering only if possible!
There has been so much wind spouted out from them and yet all this backtracking.
The lefties have had been conned big time and as I have said previously, this Coalition will be the most despised Govt. Of all time during their reign
It will be a one term government and National doesn’t need to do a lot to get back in, as this Coalition will self destruct!
Boatman, are you for real? You're comments suggest your clueless about pregnancy. The risk of miscarriage is within the first trimester. There is solid grounds for Jacinda and Clarke not to announce to the country sooner. Jacinda has already expressed the pregnancy was a welcome surprise and you spout on that she can't be trusted? Suggest you read the following;
http://www.medicalonline.com.au/medical/contraception/miscarriage.htm
Still have questions? Go ask ya Mother.
How can you suggest Jacinda has done us all a favour. If people don't know what a modern family looks like then they must have been living under a rock!
A nation that is progressive socially should be seen as a nation where the citizens have the least reliance upon the State not the most.
A progressive nation socially is not one where some citizens get to live off the work of others or spend their whole lives taking from others. A progressive nation socially would recognise that all people must be free to enjoy the fruits of their own labour not the fruits of others labour!
People who do this country a favour are those that stand on their own two feet and take care of their families and then provide voluntary help to their wider communities.......from the shoes up this PM is funded by hard working private enterprise tax generators.....is this what you think the lliving example of what our modern family should look like?
notaneconomist,
I wonder then how you would explain away the the long-term success of the Nordic countries? They are generally,high tax and social security countries-and with a very high standard of living. Of course they are not perfect societies,but I much prefer their approach to that of say,the US where the general thrust of policy is to favour the rich and powerful and let a significant proportion of society with low incomes,poor health and social security provision,poor infrastructure and public school education.
I think that your argument is deeply flawed.
The grass can look greener over the fence if that is a person's disposition.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438331/nordic-democratic-socialis…
The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money - Margaret Thatcher.
I know that is hard for people to understand when they don't understand that private enterprise has to first generate works which generates profit which generates the taxes which then get redistributed. And those on the receiving end of that redistribution think they pay taxes too because they have pieces of paper telling them that but all of that redistribution including the taxes is paid for by the original tax generators.
Fortunately my argument being deeply flawed in your eyes doesn't worry me. Your comment just tells me you are mathematically illiterate.
I finally became a great grandfather over a year ago but I have other well educated grand daughters very much procrastinating about becoming mums. And these are the intelligent ones that should be breeding albeit in moderation in a still over populated world. Thus, I admire the immense example Jacinda is providing for truly thinking persons.
It's a huge problem in the west. We are like the Panda. When we feel captive to the rat race and huge housing costs we don't breed. When we feel our neighborhoods are being demographically replaced we don't breed. We need to reform WFF or scrap it altogether. The incentives are current geared for quantity over quality. Cut immigration to only the skills we need or people that fit in.
So throwing massive amounts of sperm and eggs into a cloud of jizz at random and seeing if any hit & spawn? Somehow I think even humans cannot manage that feat.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2078973-mass-of-spawning-fish-make…
So true didge, i look around my social circles and most of the qualified professionals haven't had, or aren't planning on kids anytime soon, and the other end of the spectrum are three kids and a mutt, and a financed car on big shiny wheels.
Was pleased to see last night that probably the smartest person I know is bucking that trend, he and his partner are expecting their first in June. Kid will probably understand string theory and bayesian probability before s/he can legally drive.
The fact is that Man has ceased to be the deciding Factor in a Home.
The fact is that women can now do everything, far better than any Man,
The fact is that Jacinda is in your debt.
The fact is that we need to return to commonsense.
The fact is that family should come first in a home, not an investment that can never fail as funded by the Taxpayer through trickery.
The fact is that the Man often breeds contempt, the women a child.
We need more women to take control. The Man has my contempt...it ain't all about The Man and Houses, in this unbalanced land.
Baby sitters need planning. The Biggest Daddy of em ALL, is the one who supports this wife and who will be there for them, all his life. Rules change,,, Get with the program.
Do have a nice day...I am sure Jacinda is as pleased as Punch...
PS.. Another dig....I hope she is paid the same as a man, working two jobs can be rewarding, as many women would tell you, but it is not a level playing....Field.
And be like reddit with karma & lockouts? or perhaps like slashdot where there is a voting system and a categorization bet, with the winners being shown up front and personal and the others hidden behind veiled buttons & briefs (although there is a slider that will show all)... and now I realise I have made slashdot sound more dodgy than a bunch of geeks arguing about version updates in windows and the funniest invention for the day.
Well I voted or Winston and couldn't be happier with his situation, King is better than Kingmaker. Labour has been a joke for a long time, still is as far as I am concerned.
I can't believe anyone would find this acceptable, her lack of commitment is an insult to the position of Prime Minister!
All too true, and would we want our representatives to abandon their newborn children almost immediately to wait in cabinet meetings for other politicians to mumble and jeer and shuffle papers before another coffee break and then a trip down for lunch. Then in the afternoon hand shaking. Frankly I think she may even get more work done remotely.
SHe obviously doesn't take the position seriously if she thinks having a baby is an acceptable thing to do while in the most important position in NZ. She should be 100% about the job, it's a stunning, insulting lack of commitment. SHe knew she was pregnant when she took the job, what a brch.
may I i point out that john key, was always gallivanting around the world at the taxpayers expense....with a deputy dawg looking after the position....whilst jet setting.
then he did a bolt, when it suited him. (after flogging orf his assets to a now..."friendly' nation, who we cannot mention, because that would be the truth of the matter, not the spin we are "sold".
having sold us down the river, until it all dried up.
then knightyknighty sweet dreams, a banking position....
no caps...but caps the lot...fat chance. money talks, then walks, then charges the earth...the capitalist way, after blowing it up out of all proportion.
Key has gone. Bad optics when he appeared to prioritise the timing of a house sale before the his county and party.
Not a Elder Statesman - NZ ultimately needs men and women who have diplomatic and constitutional expertise. Palmer, Clarke etc.
English will possibly be an asset to our democratic intellectual capital.
But sorry, not Key. Interested only in himself. That's fine. But lacks any other concern.
Oh for goodness sake this whole coalition of the losers running the country has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous
While congratulations are in order , I cannot say I am impressed with the way things have unfolded
Stupid gullible voters were CONNED by all manner of promises and there has been furious back-peddling on every one of them .............. and Parliament has not even opened yet
1) There will be NO AFFORDABLE HOUSES built by this Government , they have backpeddled on this one
2) There will NOT BE 1 BILLLION trees planted according to Shane Jones this morning
3) They are backpeddling on the issue of taking 100,000 CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY
4) The issue of free first year at Varsity is fast becoming a farce
5) They have removed the measurement of a childs school progress ( National Standards ) and replaced it with ............ NOTHING
6) Winston is poking his nose around with North Korea , and he may be a wily old Kiwi , he is no match for the sneaky and dishonest ways of the North Koreans
7) We have pissed the Australians off by offering to take the aggressive, violent ( and likely criminal ) migrants on Manis Island , we should have just shut the $*&^% up and concentrated on our own problems
So , do we have a coalition of losers or a coalition of liars or simply a hapless coalition of clueless amateurs
No but , we need to have a Government that is taken seriously, with good planning , sound workable strategies and excellent execution , this Government is becoming a farce , and will be the laughing stock soon enough.
The country is being run like a badly-managed rural dairy shop
Its so disappointing to be honest
To be honest they're only really started operating as a Government in the last week or so. The private secretary of the Minister of Building and Construction only provided a confirmation email for one of my queries just before Christmas.
What's really going on is that they were figuring out how to be a Government up until the end of last year. Until the day to day management of portfolios gets under way there's not going to be any planning or execution. You have to be realistic especially when they have set a number of lofty goals (something National didn't do).
How can you expect productivity improvements when you have vast armies of bureaucrats working full time to increase the costs of doing practically everything? Happened on National's watch, but will only get worse under Labour's tax and spend and regressive industrial relations policies.
We could ask for National to reduce house price inflation and begin to make wage parity with Australia... You know, the policies they got elected on and failed to act on.
Higher productivity would also be nice, along with a move towards a higher wage economy. Not importing thousands of unskilled immigrants would also be good.
I found it odd that they changed their tune right before the election. Have a look at this article with both John Key and Bill English saying there was no crisis.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/68621964/no-housing-crisis-in-au…
You can choose how much the government effects you or not. Live by the rules and get on with it. Unless they introduce extremely meddling policies, the government tends to take credit for what we do, and the state of the world economy. They have f@$k all influence over what goes on in the daily life of the average citizen, unless you let them.
10 commandments stuff. Dont kill, Dont covet your neighbours ass, etc etc... Basic sidelines.
The basic laws we live with have been there for thousands of years. A tax change, a change in corporate reporting, etc etc... I personally dont care about, whether it "affects" me or not.
" Do not worship any Gods other than me ! " .... there goes the Orc Land property speculators shot down to hell ....
" No gravy images or false likenesses " .... that's me straight down to hades , wham-bam .... gotta love for the the steaming hot unctuous gummy gravy ...
Boatman - I must have missed something. We were running a surplus the last 9 years under National? I thought government debt increased dramatically (from about $30 billion to $80-90 billion) - how is this a budget surplus when the National government was loading up with debt? (giving tax breaks to property speculators while denying funding to critical infrastructure?...sounds like a wise plan to me...)
Surely the budget only includes the interest payments on debt and not the whole loan amount?
So you could have a cashflow surplus and still take on another loan. Budget deficit is when you don't have enough money to pay the interest bill - actually even then you could borrow the money to pay the interest..
So for Boatman to say that the National government/John Key are running a 'surplus' while increasing government debt x6 over 9 years sounds very misleading...
Imagine running a business by continually increasing debt, paying shareholders dividends, and telling them how fantastically well the company is performing (with the promise that one day we're going to earn more than we spend....)....sounds like an Enron case to me...
In the context you state running a surplus is of utmost importance. So long as you can cashflow the debt load everything is fine. As soon as you can't (you start running a deficit) then we should all be waving our arms about because the boat is taking on water.
We can't really talk Enron until fraud is involved.
Debt as a percentage of GDP started to drop in 2014 after the long recovery from Labour's structural deficit, the GFC and the Earthquakes. National did a sound job of getting us back into surplus - though obviously at the cost of high immigration and housing bubble.
"why would one need more debt?"
Fair question - but usually tax payers demand more, more infrastructure for example. It is politics after all. They might even demand "fair housing for all" or something else that, on the face of it, sounds like the right thing to do.
"insufficient tax take to cover spending"
Yes, that would mean a deficit in your budget. This is where things get a bit more messy. Remember that generally lenders will let governments loan a loony huge amount of money so everything happens over time.
A common way out
What say the debt I have is in NZ dollars and I the government print more of them - say quite a lot more over ten years, As the dollar drops in value so does the debt (in real terms). I hope after ten years of this it all comes out to equilibrium again.
A structural deficit
You could reduce spending because, as you have spotted, you can't just keep borrowing, eventually the interest payments will kill you. But what say the previous government signed you up to a bunch to spending things you cannot easily get out of. And you can't raise tax? Welcome to what we might call a structural deficit.
This is why it is more complex than just "National borrowed". So long as they didn't pass on a system of spending deficits they it takes years to rebuild and get right again they did okay. In this instance, especially because they saw the largest natural disaster in NZ history and a truly massive global meltdown - when options reduce to not many.
Interestingly if she is a good Prime Minister - just assigning responsibilities and checking performance and putting a public face to the public relations - then she should have no problem with having a baby; in fact it will help her keep in touch with the public which is good for all of us. Can't say having a baby wouldn't effect other jobs: cleaner, restaurant waitress, etc.
Before anyone else mentions it: if she experiences the reported brain fade of roughly 8 IQ points during pregnancy that is no issue. Jacinda has far more than that advantage over most of her party and the opposition. Nations need leaders with clear vision not leaders who are too clever by half.
Congratulations - I hope all goes well for all concerned.
'Twas indeed, and I welcomed her departure. I also in the spirit of consistency welcomed the resignation of other lying politicians in Barclay and English...but that was not forthcoming. Others saw fit to excuse dishonesty by some but not others.
However, we're talking the opportunity to claim housing subsidies here, aren't we? Pointing out the use of a loophole to work around a law is now "throwing stones"?
and now we have this lot that are not honest and have no credibility whatsoever
Ranting against Labour for those reasons while at the same time endorsing the party of Key, English, Barclay, Collins, Jian Yang, Cam Slater, Carrick Graham, Nick Smith et al just seems like the height of cognitive dissonance, to be honest.
It's just not reasonable.
Blatant misrepresentation from Labour.
Of course it is Jacindas right to have a baby when she wants to.
However, to be a Prome Minister you need to be able to concentrate on the job at hand and she will not be able to, however that may be to NZs benefit by the way she is currently going!
Labour put Jacinda up as their leader and she clearly knew she was wanting to become pregnant when the election process was in progress.
Lefties can defend it as much as they want to, but the reality is that she has mislead the country and if she had been going for any job, the boss would not be happy.
One term government as there is no depth to this coalition if Winston is the best that they can put up!!!!
NEWS HEADLINE.....IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER IN THIS COUNTRY YOU MUST NOT PROCREATE.
And because we live in a time of equality, this must be inclusive for both men and women. I'm sure all males would understand that this is fair - if you want to be PM, your wife must not fall pregnant, because it might be too much of a distration from the job at hand...and if one is against abortion, therefore all PM's must now not be allowed to have sex for 9 months before the time of being possibly being elected into office, or for the duration of their duties...
Blatant misrepresentation from Labour.
Of course it is Jacindas right to have a baby when she wants to.
However, to be a Prome Minister you need to be able to concentrate on the job at hand and she will not be able to, however that may be to NZs benefit by the way she is currently going!
Labour put Jacinda up as their leader and she clearly knew she was wanting to become pregnant when the election process was in progress.
Lefties can defend it as much as they want to, but the reality is that she has mislead the country and if she had been going for any job, the boss would not be happy.
One term government as there is no depth to this coalition if Winston is the best that they can put up!!!!
Blatant misrepresentation from Labour.
Of course it is Jacindas right to have a baby when she wants to.
However, to be a Prome Minister you need to be able to concentrate on the job at hand and she will not be able to, however that may be to NZs benefit by the way she is currently going!
Labour put Jacinda up as their leader and she clearly knew she was wanting to become pregnant when the election process was in progress.
Lefties can defend it as much as they want to, but the reality is that she has mislead the country and if she had been going for any job, the boss would not be happy.
One term government as there is no depth to this coalition if Winston is the best that they can put up!!!!
Blatant misrepresentation from Labour.
Of course it is Jacindas right to have a baby when she wants to.
However, to be a Prime Minister you need to be able to concentrate on the job at hand and she will not be able to, however that may be to NZs benefit by the way she is currently going!
Labour put Jacinda up as their leader and she clearly knew she was wanting to become pregnant when the election process was in progress.
Lefties can defend it as much as they want to, but the reality is that she has mislead the country and if she had been going for any job, the boss would not be happy.
One term government as there is no depth to this coalition and they are full of wind with no substance whatsoever.
I dunno, TM2.
A toddler on the campaign trail in 2020 will steal the limelight.
Everyone loves an adorable family.
Good luck to Wild Bill, Bumbling Bridges, Brooding Bennett, Jellybean Joyce, and Incompetent Coleman. They will have nothing on the woman who next year will be disseminating pictures of herself breastfeeding in office, for all those liberals to drool over.
It will be such a successful PR campaign that even you will vote for Jacinda come 2020, TM2.
So angry you had to publish that rant 4 times eh? Be careful you'll give yourself a cardiac arrest and all over nature's most natural thing, your reaction says more about you than it does about the actual news.
Let us know when you've finished frothing at the mouth and dribbling on your keyboard about a woman daring to have a child whilst she's still able.
To be honest, it wasn't even worth writing once.
You may not be able to concentrate on multiple things at once, but that says nothing about the PM.
What's your next unhinged rant going to be? That she'll be too hormonal and emotional to do the job? Which would be hilarious coming from some bitter old dude who has spent the afternoon throwing a foaming-at-the-mouth irrational tantrum.
But how will a baby affect business confidence? What about the housing market? will the nanny be a skilled hire from overseas?... Yeah I got nothing really, another day at the office for the beehive really. If anything it might increase the beehive attendance from a few pp as a way to look proactive sitting, making snide remarks and shouting at each other. So if anything she can escape the harangue to get more back office work done and we can have a master of trolling guide the beehive to at least be more vociferous. ParliamentTV might be good watching. Guys they really do need the viewers, the ratings means they are not far from local body politics... and no one watches the local body politics. Perhaps because they hide the links under ads, showing porn and signs saying beware of the malware.
Congrats to them,
I'm 50...got 3 kids (none of them "planned" as such)
My sister and I were raised by a mother who worked...and she did it all, as has my wife whilst also pursuing a successful and demanding corporate career (I helped out - amazing huh..a man doing that like the PMs partner will?)
But I'm not surprised to see the chauvinism and disparaging comments from the old f@rts on here and small minded, small village idiots like "da man" ...its obvious the generational (and intellectual) divide is wide.
Wake up and smell the coffee you crazy old gits - it's 2018
oh you asked for it, meme roll don't fail me now http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sgjs797GDxo/T3EbuXjqxdI/AAAAAAAAAFg/u81RGAagi…
oooh and yep there is a "Winter is coming" bit for June
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Screen-Shot-2015-…
but he could brush up real, um queen http://punchdrunkpolity.tumblr.com/image/9439988699
I hope that bring you rays of cheer and positivity for the winter, after all what do we have to fear
http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/got-night-king…
oh yeah... which one is Bill again?
Jacinda clearly knew that she wanted to have a child when she was put in charge of the Labour Party as they were not going to win the election with Andrew Little in charge!
Haven’t got a problem with her having a baby but to do it as soon as she is Prime Minister is totally unacceptable for NZ?
If you can’t see that then your perceptionof fairness for the country is seriously flawed.
You can’t defend this deception and that is why she couldn’t answer the question that was posed to her.
The people that voted for her I hope you are better off with her in charge!
I will guarantee that by the end of the term you will be saying what the hell have we done?
It won't be as bad as you think.
I look at it this way. Every time a party gets a good three term run at government the country (overall) is almost always better for it, because half way through the second term they finally know how to get stuff done. And what cannot be done. One downside cost to this system is their replacements come into power as new borns, totally clueless as to how to actually run a country.
Today Labour are stumbling around Wellington asking civil servants how egg sucking works.
Sure, a pregnancy isn't 'nothing'. Sure, it will have some level of negative impact on job performance in such a demanding role. But, neither is it a disaster. Women have babies all the time and history is full of examples of powerful women who got stuff done whilst having families.
Government is a team sport. This team isn't getting anything done yet, they are starting the learning phase, so a few lower efficiency months won't make that much difference.
Happy for any couple particularly for their first child but hey -
- She could have concentrated on a family and not taken the Labour Leader role until babies done
- NZ needs a leader fully occupied in the role anyone that has had kids knows it's a tough time and 6 weeks off - very best scenario !
- Winnie the Poo is a total embarrassment as acting PM to this country
- it all feels deceitful like lying by omission
- hope this puts another nail in this coalition Government demise
Clearly she can do both. If she hadn't it would have been another 3 years of that corrupt National government.
She's the leader this country needs right now. If you think having a child renders her ineffective, you'd be the only one.
How is it deceitful? Since when does anybody announce that they are pregnant until after a few months to ensure that the chance of a miscarriage decrease enough.
Winston's looking pretty good. I recommend watching his speech again. He's got it figured out.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/full-speech-moment-winston-…
Truth is, whether we like it or not, people are lapping this stuff up. It's almost placed her and Gayford as leadership symbols like the royal family in NZ. People love the drama.
TM2 - I’m sorry – really, as I love this site and its associated forums.
But try as I might – some of your more recent comments are tending towards being simply “nuts”.
Is the property game becoming more stressful than imagined, or just too darn easy and there’s simply an excess of free time on your hands.
It’s important to keep busy – perhaps volunteer work or a more active engagement within your community.
Be assured, the end is not nigh, the sun will come up, political parties will come and go – and in all manner of guises. It is the way of the world.
Get outside, check out the sunset – enjoy - for we will never have an identical one again.
Personally I have been worried about The Boy for some time. With his portfolio (if it in act exists and I am seriously doubting it after his rant today) going backwards and rents dropping he is obviously under some pressure. His comments are full of anger these days. It is all the governments fault whatever happens. There are more and more errors grammar and spelling wise in his comments which indicates he is very emotional when he is writing his comments. I hope he gets the help he obviously needs. Jacinta and Labour are just the tonic the country needed after a very poor nine years under National rule. There is no one currently in National that will get near her in 2020. Bill will be 3 years older and paler. Jacinta will have three years under her belt and an adorable young child and will bolt in.
I'm actually okay with this. I think it will make Ardern a more rounded individual...ha, no pun intended. I suspect she will become a little more conservative. For me it's better than having a Merkel type of leader. Looks like a good match and should have fine children.
Perfect opportunity now to upstage Prince Harry and have a glorious wedding.
I’ve gone back over the various comments on this thread and am frankly dismayed with some of what I read.
I understand differing outlooks and am more than accepting I think of other people’s views– but some of the apparent anger and vitriol being spewed forth to me is surprising and somewhat disappointing.
A new life is to be brought into this world – what a glorious moment – and something to be celebrated and embraced – no matter who the parents, and that’s what they simply are.
For some individuals it would seem today’s news is akin to a dump truck unloading a few square metres of compost on their precious front driveway.
To those in anger - has your existence or outlook become that miserable?
Yeah cognitive dissonance I know. But for many the thought of a women, who is pregnant, being in a career,... and here the batteries fizz a bit because the emergency lights come on when... in a leadership position, steering the government... and at this point Giger's alien,... probably the queen from the second movie Aliens... really syncs with all they fear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS-x1AzjqLQ Seriously it gives young Nats cold sweats at night. For that matter it did me too once but I was 5 and afraid of the face huggers in the dark. I think that was the my early version of the Nats. I understand my views, liberties, and respect for the other genders intelligence may surprise many. However if it was not for my partner we would not be financially afloat with food on the table. I understand this can be quite culturally different, especially in many tech companies.
It is the deceit that has been shown!
If voters had’ve known that their Prime Minister with no business experience was not going to perform fully due to being pregnant for the next nine months and then out of action for another 6 weeks would they have voted for her??
Highly unlikely and yet there are many left wingers who are somehow thinking that this is beneficial for this country!
Yes I do have spare time on my hands although this is our busiest time of the year for landlords.
Gordon take up my challenge or bite it!!!
The spelling or errors are because I type very quickly.
I don’t wish to labour the point, and thus this will be my last post in this thread on the matter.
Your apparent earlier confusion between Cave Creek and Pike River tragedies is still worrisome – although it is to be commended that you had the wherewithal to edit your post once this had been pointed out by other commentators.
I take on board that, as you say, this is your busiest time of the year – and thus you have possibly have quite a load on your plate.
Just a thought, but perhaps your level of engagement here could best be tempered until you get back on top of things.
And to finish on a rather positive note, I do think Christchurch is a lovely city – to visit.
It was awesome, with the market in the square, lots of artisans, live music, lots of businesses and shops and the Cathedral stately and classic. But the development has been stretching many of the residents and businesses for far too long. Perhaps there has been a bad humour in the air.
To be honest, I am not sure he is being honest. After all it is more like a pasted rant instead of a conversational flow. Something someone without much heart and belief on the line would do. To plasticize repackage and sell opinion. I would care to have perhaps the real person behind the rant engage with their own thoughts, perhaps calling on more than what is a purely stereotypical trolling costume. I mean who really believes the prime minister being away from the hive in Wellington for a couple months, with remote work, really affects much in the game plan. I mean, hello, John Key. He even could be known more for holidays overseas and kids running rogue. Yet here we must fear... a baby bringing the image down. Clearly he missed Stephie's porn film. Bringing NZ down yeah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AjgWyxJAGQ
So you expect all politicians to be working 50 weeks a year, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day but only in 9-5 slots or do you expect their timeframes to be more variable with high workloads in odd timed bursts, lot's of travelling periods, breaks for and lets face it, face time with media, other public figures and other CxOs looking for a meet and greet and handshake of NZ tax payers paid wine & d'oeuvres. The Government (the actual working staff are still pulling the normal hours), the politicians and trust me when I say this, they are and have always been the sales team. They don't even do their own marketing.
See this as the cheapest shot across the European and US port bow we can show them how much further developed and civilised we are, how more of our workforce can be utilised. Frankly business wise for an agricultural based country we do not need more in depth media pieces about substantial drought, bovine viruses and the inability to contain uncontainable plant fungus. Hence the distraction is good for NZ, it is a really easy low cost media piece for NZ being forward in business employee utilisation (especially in encouraging what is a growing media movement which we can hook into). It has already started working. There are fawning world media pieces already. We seem a millions times more rational than Trump. (Not hard, but even the tech businesses have been speaking daggers about the recent legal changes).
We can never compete on the gift giving of substantial funds to entice companies to use our resources for almost nothing, you may have noticed but even the water infrastructure is a bit lacking in the regions. We really should be using this time to build back the base, help agriculture, repair infrastructure (both for commercial logistics and upgrade highways a bit). In a way yes we will need a good worldwide distraction while we hire overseas engineering firms, and get the biosecurity, agriculture teams working. Even our fishing industry was caught with pictures of dead extremely practically extinct dolphins and vulnerable penguins. You could not get a worse image, especially for our clean green pure campaign. The tortured bloody bodies being tossed away. Dolphins! That is on the level with dead pandas in peoples eyes, extremely bad press. Guess what we just got handed the biggest distraction, and if we handle it right it can cover months of work and fix ups and bad press. You could at least say congratulations for the good press we receive (because on the world tourism and business stage we need the cover, the good press etc).
But yeah she will not be able to slosh back wine at dinners being a NZ Government sales leader, oh how with NZ taxpayers afford the bottle of grape juice or water. Actually we save on d'oeuvres and more expensive food options, isn't it advisable that pregnant women avoid preserved meats, soft cheeses, etc, etc. Bonus. But then when Winston comes back in we also get the opportunity to focus back in on sports stars and perhaps even a bit of the upper Northland tourism, (giving the South Island stocks a bit more time to recover). Well let the good times keep rolling, until the baby starts teething, but we should be back on track by then and can drop the distraction.
And thank you the Man, I understand you are typing because the media play is completely conjoint to what we need to do in the background. Do not worry though, if there is one thing NZ cannot let fall it is the agriculture businesses. They are the core. The teams on them have been pretty stretched the past few years, almost to the point where things were slipping. But the teams in biosecurity MPI and MAF are working pretty hard. More good will to them. Likewise with the infrastructure crews, with the state highways have been cut with the floods recently. So if you want to see what the government is doing keep on top of their developments. I like interest because it keeps in touch with those primary and very important sectors.
If you really hate the Prime Minister and want to support NZ, buy and eat as much Evansdale Cheese in the next few months. Especially that googy blue one, the camemblue? Good lord that stuff needs to be more widely shipped.
Becoming pregnant on demand is not that easy, especially when you've been told you probably can't conceive without assistance,so it's hardly deceit. The worst it most likely is, from the view people such as you are taking, is that when a couple relax and their minds go to something else, seems sometimes to give nature a chance to take over, it has happened many a time to others. Think of those who, having given up, settle for a dog, only to conceive naturally shortly afterwards.
I, for one, am tiring of reading the vitriol coming from your keyboard.
If a PM man was to have a new child, you would not have reacted that way. Because it is a woman, you are screaming bloody murder. That is why I believe (as do a lot of other posters here) your comments are sexist.
Please clearly outline what you mean by the misrepresentation and deceit you believe Jacinda has done, so I can understand where you are coming from.
Good news! Less people like Judith Collins, and her news worthy husbands doggy sounding "business dealings" in parliament the better! Tin pot small business people are a ethical liability in Power. Much more conflict of interest potential from them with self serving Agenders.
I can't think of anything worse than a Parliament fill with rental property owners. This probably explains the pickle NZ is gotten into with a non productive trillion dollar assest class. Just sitting there doing nothing but bubbling away.
Good news! Less people like Judith Collins, and her news worthy husbands doggy sounding "business dealings" in parliament the better! Tin pot small business people are a ethical liability in Power. Much more conflict of interest potential from them with self serving Agenders.
I can't think of anything worse than a Parliament fill with rental property owners. This probably explains the pickle NZ is gotten into with a non productive trillion dollar assest class. Just sitting there doing nothing but bubbling away.
Sorry folks for all the wind. Coming off extremely painful right brain on fire and not being able to sleep for 60hrs due to breathing faults and the $30 per prescription meds and $400 per shot jabs to breathe, sleep and put out the fire in the right side of my brain not working. My right ocular vision is out of sync. And that means I have been back editing and cursing autocorrect. I am just tired of people seeing the politicians as the be all and end all. They are not, and if the current healthcare is anything to go by I would recommend you all to be more worried about that. Wish the PM good luck with her pregnancy, perhaps we can get the spotlight on health updates as well to boot. Oh thank frack. I can take the next batch of pain meds.
Geez NZ needs major help going by the many posters that think that it is fine to be deceitful when you are the Prime Minister.
Is it any wonder that you can not get ahead in NZ when your logical thinking is deficient!
Anyhow, her choice and NZ will have to live with it!
I am not exactly sure why you see this as deceit, I am not even sure why you think it is even an issue, it's as if you think that if she had announced when she was barely pregnant that people would have not voted for them, like it is some kind of crime for her to have a baby. Keep you misogyny to yourself, eh.
The Boy they will not get back in power in 2020 unless they find a leader who can take on Jacinda. The encumbent has a huge advantage at election time. By 2020 NZ will be a better country for more people than National ever helped, Jacinda will have three years of experience and her family arrangement will appeal to many. It will not be easy to be a PM and a new mum at the same time but she will overcome any problems and move on to become our greatest PM ever. She has youth on her side,very strong ideals and the determination to make NZ a better place to live in. I believe her pregnancy will make her even more popular than ever as the average New Zealander who has children of their own will be able to relate to her more.
So bloody what! I do not think you get it, not one little bit, I expect you will even deny being an utter misogynist, but everything you have written on this thread, clearly demonstrates that you are. Take your attitude to the article about inequality, because if anyone is still puzzling over why it still exists, then mate, you are the answer.
I'm talking of the inequality between men and women and those, such as yourself, who seek to perpetuate it. There is NO deception, got it? You are just using that to try to hide your misogyny but it is not working. The fact that you are equating a woman's pregnancy to deception in the first place, that it should even be an issue is the glaringly obvious pointer to your real view. You should be ashamed of it.
and should we be indignatious about your deceit . You seem just a bit fixated - start taking the pills again.
You seem quite capable of being arrogant and ignorant at the same time. You are fixated on wealth as a measure of your success - fortunately not everyone thinks the same way as you.
You may think that I am arrogant but certainly not ignorant or deceitful BadRobot!
Yes I have been successful in business and with family life as I have got off my butt and taken my chances which makes it far easier to have a great family life and set my kids up for life.
We only have one chance at life I beleive, So you need to make the most of your chances!
We are along time in the next part of our life so rthere is no point being jealous of other people’s success.
THE MAN 2, being successful is not all about wealth accumulation. I suggest you leave that up to others to decide how successful you have/not become. I have met many individuals who (like yourself) have spouted on about their success and more often than not the opposite is true. Consumed with obsession to put their wealth on public display, such individuals are only compensating for their own unique deficiencies and obligations as opposed to quietly going about their lives. The real truth is just one business downturn away from being made public in the bankruptcy section!
Never underestimate your kids ability to be successful in their own right. They can think for themselves and in their lifetimes will be presented with many opportunities to set themselves up without turning to you for obligatory handouts. If you're suggesting otherwise then your short sighted and wanting to be precious. Sounds impressive wanting to set siblings up for life. The more you comment the easier it is to conclude it's more about THE MAN 2 having control over their lives......
Money and wealth does not make you successful The Boy. Loving people and being loved back is our mark of success. I went to a funeral of a 49 year old man last week. He had no assets to speak of. 300 turned up for that funeral. I have never seen such a distraught widow. He was incredibly loved and he loved people back. How many will turn up at your funeral The Boy?
I am sure you will Gordon, as I believe I can turn you around to be a successful property investor.
As for love, I get plenty of that from family and friends,
No loneliness for The Man.
Money may not make you happy but I will tell you that it certainly makes this a lot easier Gordon.
You should try it!
I have given plenty of advice over the years, but most on here don’t want to become financially independent and prefer to be jealous of others.
I have told people to invest outside Auckland where you can get positive rental returns.
I have made several people in Chch a helluva lot more financial than they previously were but then I will only do that for people I respect!
Take up my challenge !
Again no real advice - just vague comments - "invest outside Auckland".
I don't want to take up your challenge - I want you to provide some real world practical advice that can be implemented to improve my investments. Again I think you are nothing more than a fraud.
You are still not responding to MY challenge.
As usual you did not answer my question. All you can talk about is money The Boy. I could say with some confidence that 300 people will not turn up at your funeral. Your kids might but they will be thinking about what dad left us and what can I spend it on. You need to cultivate some basic human qualities like compassion, warmth and empathy. It might to too late just like being too late to fix your spelling inability.
Did you not say some time ago that you would be not posting on this website after your spat with Gordon - yet here you are posting again - I would classify that as deceit. I have on several occasions challenged you to provide some practical advice on investment only to be met with a deathly silence - again something that could be classified as deceit. You claim success in business but we have no way of knowing if this is true - we'll put that to one side.
Your ignorance is not understanding the limit of your knowledge, that your success may be down more to good luck that any real business acumen. Your ignorance is not understanding that other people may not want the same things as you (or understanding people (and yourself it would seem) at all).
Your accuse others of being jealous - is this the best retort you can come up with.....
It makes an assumption that you have something to be jealous of, that people want the same things as you, have the same values and a whole host of other assumptions.
BadRobot, touch Of jealousy in your rant.
Don’t worry All is good in landlord land.
There needs to be balance on this site and that is why I have from time to time needed to contribute.
Whether you agree or not is your perogative but at ,east I am more than happy with my lot, unlike most other negatives on here.
Not sure what you are on about?
What criticism do you want The Man to respond to?
Certainly not a fraud at all!
What name calling ?
If I am a fraud then the same challenge that Gordon has not responded to, is offered to you!
Take up the challenge or don’t call me a fraud!
So when you you can't or won't respond you challenge people to some stupid bet. How do I know you will deliver if you lose. I have no way of knowing who you are and if you won't just disappear if you lose. Sorry you are still not responding to any criticism that is made toward you.
You are still nothing more than a fraud.
It is the amount of inequality that is the issue, not inequality itself!! There appears to be very little risk in the path you have taken, real risk is in start up businesses and such, not just leeching off others.
I love the way you rely heavily on straw man arguments though, I am sure it allows you to sleep. Plenty of people work hard, but they are not adequately rewarded for what they do, if they were they would not have rely on taxpayer support and they would not be meat and 3 veg for property "investors".
To be deceitful would suggest both that Jacinda said publically that she was not wanting to have kids and then that she was deliberately trying to have them at the same time. Or possibly that she new she was pregnant before the election and didn't tell anyone.
I recall her being completely open in interviews in the election campaign that she wanted to have kids. By the timing she would not have known she was pregnant till well after election day.
No deceit here TM2. Just human nature.
Great news. Being from the era when a job interview meant answering questions about my marriage and breeding plans I am very much hoping Ms Ardern has a great pregnancy an easy birth and a healthy baby. Then I hope she has yet another in quick succession. My daughter has a job that she will have to give up when she becomes pregnant. It is what it is. No buts. She wonders how she will get back into the job after bub is born. I hope this gives her inspiration. Cos she loves her job. Good on you Jacinda
ABC News - here it is
Jacinda Ardern: For female PMs, having a baby is an offence only rivalled by not having one
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-19/annabel-crabb-jacinta-ardern-preg…
Actually , as a farmer I find not getting females pregnant rather hard. If the feed is good and theres a guy about, bingo. I used to buy farmers dry ewes, only to have them lamb a month late.
I need to remind my daughters often that their mother had five children and we don't remember planning any of them.
The other thing is, men have built in respect of a pregnant women, dangerous critters.
Cheers and beers.
“dangerous”. What melodrama. I could fill out my voting form for the rest of my days right now. National all the way. It’s no more partisan than those here you bleat on about National who evidently would never vote for them. It’s a democracy. Not everyone has to agree.
Nothing comes to mind within the expected range of NZ political behaviour. In hindsight I think Muldoon was well off the reservation, but then Lange and co joined him. It’s pretty much been tit for tat over the last few decades. In the end I vote for the core tenets of the Party I identify with the most. It’s never been the left and I expect never will. The current government just reinforces why.
![[What I'm picturing]](https://i.imgur.com/91sn32Q.jpg){kind=link}
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