Blurring the Lines, Fantasy is Reality in NZ

Tourism New Zealand is poised to ensure that New Zealand cashes in on the forthcoming Hobbit film release. After the surge in interest generated by the Lord of the Rings films (coming conveniently soon after the September 11 attacks in the US and Helen Clark cashing in by declaring New Zealand a “safe haven”)  New Zealand…

IMF, Ratings Agencies: New Zealand Economy “On Watch”

The Economist recently held an interview with John Key on the topic of New Zealand’s economy : Changing Patterns of Behaviour “As an election nears, New Zealand’s prime minister advocates austerity measures to control the national debt and bolster the economy” You can watch the tea drinking PM’s interview here on The Economist’s site. Note…

BBC Hardtalk Roasts Key On 100% Pure Image – Update: Video

BBC Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur roasted John Key over New Zealand’s 100% Pure brand image in a recent televised interview. Most of us know that NZ 100% Pure is only an advertising slogan and that it has been dropped from the country’s marketing in favour of the 100% Pure You brand, but it is interesting nevertheless…

Greenwash NZ – Alarming “bee colony collapse” in the ‘Greenest’ country on earth. Updated Sept 2015

Sept 2015 update, sent in by a reader: http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/09/08/burts-bees-neonics-and-poisoning-our-food All fruit and vegetable samples (except nectarine and tomato) and 90% of honey samples were detected positive for at least one neonicotinoid; 72% of fruits, 45% of vegetables and 50% of honey samples contained at least two different neonicotinoids in one sample, with imidacloprid having the…

Mass Penguin Deaths Blamed On East Coast Oil Exploration

New Zealand’s ‘Green’ Credentials aren’t quite as good as they should be for a country with such a low population, much of NZ’s green reputation is little more than greenwashing used to sell produce and tourism. In April 2011 a copy of the government’s draft energy strategy: Developing Our Energy Potential was released ‘mistakenly’ into…