Archive for October, 2010
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Great. The Hobbit stays here. Everyone’s happy about that – you, me, John Key, Robyn Malcolm…we’re all so very happy, at least until we look at what the government has given away. Sir Peter Jackson is happy because he is spared from living in Ireland or Budapest for the ...
Posted in Articles | 26 Comments »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
So, according to Sir Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens all that Warners are asking for in an uncertain world is certainty. A surety that no sudden outburst of labour unrest will plague The Hobbit in the coming eighteen months. Since the union has given that assurance and lifted its ...
Posted in Articles | 28 Comments »
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
At his post Cabinet press conference last week, Prime Minister John Key was asked (by me) whether the government-convened talks to keep The Hobbit in this country had included the possibility of raising the level of film production subsidies available in New Zealand. “No,” Key replied, “that hasn’t been on ...
Posted in Articles | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
Out in the real world, it is hard to see why anyone would want to take credit for the current state of the economy. Economic growth is barely registering a pulse, and unemployment is forecast to stay above 5% for the foreseeable. Government policy is failing young people in particular ...
Posted in Articles | 6 Comments »
Friday, October 15th, 2010
The Greens/Labour Party investigation of conditions in the aged care sector in New Zealand paints a hair-raising picture of this country’s quality of care for the elderly. To date, the greying of our population and the care of the aged has been seen as a profit opportunity for the private ...
Posted in Articles | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
On the evidence of the past week, New Zealand has a Prime Minister who seems chronically unable to stand up for himself – or this country – on points of principle. First we had John Key’s non-reaction (during his Breakfast TV interview) to Paul Henry’s racist comments about the Governor-General, ...
Posted in Articles | 9 Comments »
Friday, October 8th, 2010
So far, the penalties levied on Paul Henry’s have gone no further than a two week suspension for his on air querying of whether Kiwis of Indian descent look like New Zealanders, talk like New Zealanders or really are New Zealanders. Yet until the Indian government complained about the ...
Posted in Articles | 25 Comments »
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
The two main issues that will decide Warners’ decision about where to shoot The Hobbit are both inching towards a resolution. Neither involve the actors’ union dispute which has always been a sideshow – mainly because the cost of reaching a compromise deal on wages and conditions would be chump ...
Posted in Articles | 27 Comments »
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