Author Archive
Imperfect but far better than the alternative
Written By: - Date published: 3:55 pm, January 14th, 2009 - 11 comments
It’s good to see Kiwipolitico taking a critical view of the Left from the Left – it’s certainly better than any critiques we see from the Right. And, naturally, within the Left we disagree at times, which is all good and healthy. In that spirit, I thought I would respond to two posts on Kiwipolitico […]
The Standard wager
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, January 14th, 2009 - 23 comments
John Key has announced his ‘jobs summit’ at the end of Feburary saying “I don’t want this to be a talk fest, I want it to be a do-fest.” “Do-fest”, eh? Sounds sexy. Place your bets on which media commentator will be the first to enthusiastically adopt or warmly commend this latest meaningless piece of […]
How peak oil can devastate the rest of the economy
Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, January 14th, 2009 - 24 comments
We all know the story of the sub-prime crisis that had developed into the credit crisis – a flood of credit saw mortgage lenders lending to anyone, including people who couldn’t really afford the repayments. To get these potentially bad loans off their books, the banks pooled them together into new, unregulated instruments and sold […]
Govt creaks into inaction
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, January 13th, 2009 - 29 comments
Only four weeks into a well-deserved holiday following two frantic weeks stripping Kiwis of their work rights, the National/ACT Government has been spurred back into action by an emerging crisis. No, not the international financial meltdown. Nup, not peak oil, nor climate change, nor the recession. The crisis that has seen the Government suddenly announce […]
Change of career for Campbell?
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, January 13th, 2009 - 4 comments
Is John Campbell leaving TV to pursue his childhood dream of being a pugilist? No, it’s diminutive Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. Uncanny resemblance though. (hattip: Hugo – googling himself apparently)
Serendipity, now with dinosaurs
Written By: - Date published: 6:11 am, January 13th, 2009 - Comments Off on Serendipity, now with dinosaurs
When will oil peak?
Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, January 12th, 2009 - 40 comments
We’ve seen that oil production in oil fields and countries peaks long before the oil actually runs out, and as individual countries go, so must, inevitably go the world. Once the amount of oil the world is capable of producing starts to fall, things are going to get difficult. Our economy is the use of […]
Time for a truce in sentencing bidding war
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, January 12th, 2009 - 10 comments
An interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald: THE NSW Opposition has pledged to end the “law and order auction” in a dramatic break with the tradition of promising to increase punishments and fill jails that has characterised every state election campaign since 1988. The Coalition’s justice spokesman, Greg Smith, who entered Parliament in 2007 […]
The supply of oil must peak, get used to it
Written By: - Date published: 3:24 pm, January 9th, 2009 - 27 comments
There is only so much oil in the world. It was all formed when, over the course of a few hundred million years, creatures living in shallow seas died and their remains accumulated and were subjected to a very particular combination of heat and pressure for hundreds of millions of years. We know where all the sedimentary […]
Anger, that’ll solve our problems
Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, January 9th, 2009 - 11 comments
Yesterday, Labour leader Phil Goff challenged National to present its plan for getting the economy through the global downturn. Halfway through National/ACT’s much-hyped first 100 days and, Goff pointed out, while Obama and the UK are pushing ahead with a ‘Green New Deal’ we’ve seen nothing from National/ACT except the cancelation of the one Green […]
What’s the economy? or why energy matters
Written By: - Date published: 4:08 pm, January 8th, 2009 - 35 comments
The more I learn about energy, and peak oil in particular, the more concerned I get. So, in the spirit of the season, I thought I would share some of it with you. I’ll get to some concrete things we need to start doing now to mitigate as much as we can the impact of falling […]
Splits and divisions
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, January 7th, 2009 - 57 comments
Which MP only got his job by 39 votes? Which former State house kid and brand-new Tory MP already has ambitions to be the next John Key? Which National MP from a working-class background is going around telling people he opposes the 90 Day Fire at Will law and thinks rushing it through was a […]
Get out of Gaza
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, January 5th, 2009 - 85 comments
Israel’s latest attack on Gaza, purportedly to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, is an unjustified, immoral, and, above all, stupid action. I am not defending Hamas’ rocket attacks at all – while many are targeted at Israeli military forces most are simply indiscriminate. I’m saying they don’t justify Israel’s response. Yep, Hamas fires a […]
Pillow talk
Written By: - Date published: 6:57 am, January 5th, 2009 - 17 comments
I’ve been thinking about the concurrent crises we face – peak oil, climate change, and tightening food supply – how the limits to growth are starting to hit us and how, each reinforcing the other, they constitute the major challenges to our collective welfare in the years to come. I’ve been thinking about how we […]
The recession, graphically
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, December 23rd, 2008 - 42 comments
OK, one last graph for the year. The latest GDP data isn’t pretty, a 0.4% contraction of the economy in the September quarter. It’s the third quarter of contraction in a row driven by the drought, oil prices, and the credit crunch. The ongoing international financial turmoil means we are likely to continue in recession […]
Spend, baby, spend
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, December 22nd, 2008 - 16 comments
Retailers are whining and the Herald has taken on the role of nanny-state, telling us it is our social responsibility but more stuff and to take on more consumer debt. It’s called economics, apparently. So, get out there and spend, people. What are you, socialists? Anyhoo, that’s pretty much me for the year. We’re going […]
Mindless vandalism
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, December 21st, 2008 - 27 comments
The intersection of The Terrace and Salamanca Rd is the best graffiti spot in Wellington – big bare concrete wall, huge audience. For several months, ‘Kiwibank – gone by lunchtime’ has been written in large letters on the concrete wall. Recently ‘and National too’ was added below, and, then, a stencil of a police officer […]
Granny’s advice – spend up dearies
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 20th, 2008 - 27 comments
Economics 101: if you consume more than you produce, your standard of living is unsustainable and, unless you fix the situation, it will eventually come tumbling down. As a country we import more than we export equivalent to 8% of our annual domestic production. The current account deficit is projected to widen to 9.4% of GDP next […]
Key delivers a Christmas kicking for workers
Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, December 19th, 2008 - 52 comments
We always said that a National/ACT government would be anti-worker but I’m surprised by how blatant they are being about it. In a series of hasty, secretive laws, they’ve put up taxes on workers, cut their Kiwisaver, and removed their work rights for the first 90 days of employment. Now, they have officially dropped the […]
Partial credit
Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, December 19th, 2008 - 29 comments
Yay, more infrastructure spending during a recession. That’s the right thing to do – stimulate the economy and spend while the price of construction is lower. But why, oh why, cancel spending on rail and housing insulation and put the money into roads, instead? The only reason I can think of is that National/ACT doesn’t […]
Thoughts arising from the press gallery drinks
Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, December 19th, 2008 - 45 comments
I had some good conversations with journos at the press gallery drinks. We’re often critical of the media, and sometimes specific journos, and I don’t resile from that – criticism is criticism, it’s either well-founded or not and people are free to take it or leave it based on that. I’ll admit sometimes writers express […]
It’s bad, what to do?
Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, December 18th, 2008 - 48 comments
The latest Treasury economic forecasts are out and, in a continuing pattern, they not only make worse reading than the previous updates but they are already out of date. We are now looking at gross government debt rising from less to 20% to 30% or as much as 40% by 2013. Unemployment could rise above […]
Gratitude
Written By: - Date published: 4:49 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 39 comments
I haven’t commented on the maiden speeches yet (we’re doing some analysis later) but I can’t let this stand. Aaron Gilmore, the bottom-ranked National List MP who got in by 39 votes, is having his maiden speech. He started by remembering growing up in a state house, going to school, a teacher giving him some lunch. […]
Somewhat suspicious
Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 21 comments
Gerry ‘sexy coal’ Brownlee has spent today ripping apart more anti-climate change laws. Today, under urgency and without the opportunity for the public to contribute via the select committee process, National/ACT has repealed the Biofuels requirement and is now in the process of repealing the ‘ban’ on new baseload fossil fuel power plants. Disturbingly National/ACT’s […]
Time to reconsider Hobsonville
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, December 17th, 2008 - 29 comments
After initially saying they would cap the number of state houses, National/ACT’s Housing Minister Phil Heatley actually got informed. Despite the good work that Labour did increasing the number of state houses and their quality, the problem has not been completely solved – there are thousands of families still in need of affordable housing. Now, Heatley says, there […]
Be pragmatic
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, December 16th, 2008 - 3 comments
A fundamental of social democratic politics is full employment. It is sometimes said that work is the best form of welfare. When people are in work they have a sense of belonging and self-worth, they commit fewer crimes, they contribute to funding public services, they can afford a better standard of living for their families. […]
Garth McVicar – racist
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, December 16th, 2008 - 59 comments
Here’s a quiz. Can you name the one killing that has seen Sensible Sentencing’s barking mad Garth McVicar support the killer and argue, in direct contrast to his normal practice, that the sentence ought to have been more lenient? And can you point to the unusual socio-economic conditions around this killing? Yup. The only, only, killing […]
He’s a fan
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, December 16th, 2008 - 2 comments
Just in: Coldplay to play at Vector Arena on March 18th. No word yet on whether John Key has managed to get tickets.
A bad start, don’t expect improvement
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 16th, 2008 - 16 comments
We’ve seen a plethora of commentators criticising the National/ACT’s performance thus far. Colin James sums it up well: Key’s past week was mixed at best, notably in the House where his take on mandate reeks of FPP arrogance. His tap-dancing on climate change risks serious consequences. He badly needs lessons in international relations. James goes […]
Making a mockery
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, December 15th, 2008 - 19 comments
Shock news as Key’s media trainer praises Key Bill Ralston thinks Key is doing just super, which is perhaps to be expected since Key employs Ralston’s company for media training. He also thinks this whole ‘democracy’ thing is a bit of a pain in the arse and it’s great that National/ACT is ignoring it: “Where […]
- Stuff, The Spinoff, Newsroom, SYSCA and NZ Geographic on the media crisis
Above the Fold: as two of our biggest media organisations face radical downsizing, Duncan Greive asks media leaders what’s going on, and what can be done about it. Today: the leaders of Stuff and a number of key independent news and magazine publishers. This is part five of Above the ...5 days ago - Winston goes to Washington
The Right Honourable Winston Peters is back on the world stage, and showing every sign of relishing his new, old, job. But it won’t be business as usual for him despite having held the Foreign Affairs role twice before. “I think we’re seeing a sea-change in New Zealand foreign policy,” ...5 days ago - Lobbying: an industry devoid of principles?Opinion: The problem with lobbying lies somewhere between affable arrogance, profit maximisation and abrogation of duty The post Lobbying: an industry devoid of principles? appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Auckland housing hearings halt until certainty returnsAuckland’s councillors have provided some certainty to residents on whether or not they need to be preparing for hearings on the future of intensification in areas like the former Auckland Light Rail corridor. The National-led Government came into power on the back of strong promises around housing and transport, such ...5 days ago
- Auckland credit union to hand over operations as costs mountCredit Union Auckland fell foul of the Reserve Bank’s Capital requirements midway through last year The post Auckland credit union to hand over operations as costs mount appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Is netball’s top league tough enough?Last year was a disappointing one for netball in New Zealand, with the Silver Ferns missing out on a medal for the first time in their rich Netball World Cup history. After the Ferns lost to Jamaica in the bronze medal match in Cape Town, it raises the question: Is ...5 days ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 12 AprilThe post Daily crossword, Friday 12 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- This week’s bestselling books, April 12NONFICTION 1 Evolving by Judy Bailey (HarperCollins, $39.99) Judy Bailey! Legend; nice person; the New Zealander of pretty much every year. A free copy of her guide to ageing is available in this week’s book giveaway. To enter, email stephen11@xtra.co.nz with the subject line in screaming caps OLD AGE IS ...5 days ago
- NZ urgently needs to invest in strong climate researchLong-term climate research funding is needed to properly understand what weather extremes NZ faces in the future The post NZ urgently needs to invest in strong climate research appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Minister left $46b benefit of smokefree reforms out of Cabinet paperNZ would only reach a five percent smoking rate in 2061 if smokefree reforms were repealed, officials warned The post Minister left $46b benefit of smokefree reforms out of Cabinet paper appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 12 AprilLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 12 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Grattan on Friday: Albanese government can’t be accused of excessive caution any longer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Commentators used to complain the Albanese government was being too cautious. That charge can’t easily be levelled now. Take two totally different issues on which the government in recent days has defined itself by ...5 days ago - Pacific states could help ‘help prevent’ nuclear war, says advocateBy Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Pacific nations and smaller states are being urged to unite to avoid being caught in the crossfire of a possible nuclear conflict between China and the US. On the cusp of a new missile age in the Indo-Pacific, a nuclear policy specialist suggests ...5 days ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Burns on being a Jewish MP during a terrible conflictSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The death of Australian Zomi Frankcom and other World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza in an Israeli strike has led to yet more intense and critical scrutiny over how Israel is prosecuting the war ...5 days ago
- Corrections defends pace of change: 'There is no reluctance'
Corrections is pushing back against claims it's been too slow to make changes after Covid. ...6 days ago - Late Night with the Devil is a sly, gleefully horrifying Aussie hit that invites you to be hypnotise...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury Maslow Entertainment The ’70s-throwback found-footage horror comedy, Late Night with the Devil, joins a long list of recent Australian horror success stories. Framed as a tabloid-style retrospective, the ...6 days ago
- Women set to bear brunt of Tertiary Education Commission losses – unionThe government agency overseeing universities and polytechnics is cutting 28 roles, mainly held by women. ...6 days ago
- Once enemies, Japan and US strengthen their alliance – and it goes beyond AUKUSSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Faculty (Japan Campus), Temple University Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit to the White House has already resulted in one of the most ambitious boosts to the United States-Japan alliance. This alliance is now at ...6 days ago
- Department of Conservation set to lose scientific expertise in job cuts"DOC won't have the capacity to deliver on species conservation programmes," an academic says. ...6 days ago
- Israel accused of using AI to target thousands in Gaza, as killer algorithms outpace international l...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Karner, PhD Candidate, International Studies, RMIT University The Israeli army used a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to generate lists of tens of thousands of human targets for potential airstrikes in Gaza, according to a report published last week. The report ...6 days ago
- Former Green Party co-leader James Shaw to leave parliament next monthJames Shaw will deliver his valedictory statement on 1 May. ...6 days ago
- Why an intention to conserve an area for only 25 years should not count for Australia’s target of ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Fitzsimons, Adjunct Professor in Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Protected areas have been the cornerstone of efforts to conserve nature for more than a century. Most countries have some form of protected areas, national parks being the best-known examples. A key element ...6 days ago
- Surgery won’t fix my chronic back pain, so what will?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Lin, Professor, University of Sydney Planter Studio/Shutterstock This week’s ABC Four Corners episode Pain Factory highlighted that our health system is failing Australians with chronic pain. Patients are receiving costly, ineffective and risky care instead of effective, low-risk treatments ...6 days ago
- Master Plumbers Support Government Plans To Cut Red Tape
Master Plumbers was pleased to hear how the Government is focused on making it quicker and easier to build. Speaking at the NZ Plumbing Conference in Wellington today, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the Government wants to remove ...6 days ago - If you squat in a vacant property, does the law give you the house for free? Well, sort ofSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cathy Sherry, Professor in Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock Nothing excites law students like the idea of a free house. Or alternatively, enrages them. It depends on their politics. As a result, academics condemned to teaching property law find it hard ...6 days ago
- How much sport will you be able to watch for free under proposed new Australian broadcast rules?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University Shutterstock Watching sport on television and other screens is integral to the cultural lives of many Australians. This is why, in 1995, the anti-siphoning scheme was introduced to ensure sport “events ...6 days ago
- Ombudsman decries lack of change in prisons since Covid-19The Ombudsman is warning prisons have not adjusted their approach since Covid lockdowns, with some prisoners left in isolation for 23 hours a day. ...6 days ago
- Ombudsman decries lack of change in prisons since Covid-19The Ombudsman is warning prisons have not adjusted their approach since Covid lockdowns, with some prisoners left in isolation for 23 hours a day. ...6 days ago
- Women Bearing Brunt Of Job Cuts At Tertiary Education CommissionTertiary Education Commission (TEC) staff were told yesterday (April 10) by their Chief Executive that the organisation is cutting 28 roles including administration and clerical roles like Executive Assistants, Administrators, Executive Officers ...6 days ago
- From RSV to meningococcal B, we must ensure equitable access to childhood immunisationsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Archana Koirala, Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, University of Sydney Leszek Glasner/Shutterstock As we look towards the peak season for respiratory viruses, the announcement of new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programs for children in a number of Australian states ...6 days ago
- NEW POLL: New Zealanders Oppose Taxpayer-funded Bailouts For Private Media CompaniesLabour voters were the only demographic in support of media bailouts (+7% net support), while those aged under 40 were split evenly. A majority or plurality in every other demographic opposed taxpayer-funded media bailouts. ...6 days ago
- Human Rights Commission advises caution over boot campsThey must take a therapeutic approach, rather than a 'scare-them-straight' attitude, the Human Rights Commission says. ...6 days ago
- Human Rights Commission offers cautious backing for boot campsBut they must take a therapeutic approach, rather than a 'scare-them-straight' attitude, the Human Rights Commission says. ...6 days ago
- Human Rights Commission advises caution over boot campsThey must take a therapeutic approach, rather than a 'scare-them-straight' attitude, the Human Rights Commission says. ...6 days ago
- The Unity Books children’s book review roundup for AutumnThe booksellers of Unity Books Auckland and Wellington review a handful of children’s books sure to delight and inspire readers of all ages. AUCKLAND Reviews by Elka Aitchison Roger Christensen, booksellers at Unity Books Auckland Sylvie by Sylvie Kantorovitz (Ages 9+) This a graphic memoir for middle-grade readers looking for ...6 days ago
- Minister Of Finance Admits To New Borrowing NeedAt Finance and Expenditure Committee today the Minister of Finance admitted that the Government will have to borrow to make ends meet in the forthcoming Budget. ...6 days ago
- Hidden Long COVID Crisis Deepens In New ZealandInitially, with strict border controls and lockdowns imposed by the Jacinda Ardern-led Labour Party government, New Zealand was largely successful keeping the pandemic at bay. ...6 days ago
- Improved Privacy, Security In Wellington Service Centre UpgradeThe Ministry of Social Development’s Work and Income Service Centre at Wellington will close for renovations for four weeks from 5pm Thursday 2 May 2024. MSD Regional Commissioner Gagau Annandale-Stone says plans are in place to ensure clients are ...6 days ago
- Bill to remove Easter alcohol restrictions drawn from ballot"It's quite simple: If you want to trade, you can," says ACT MP Cameron Luxton explaining his proposed law. ...6 days ago
- Journalists offered ‘radical’ solution to save part of Newshub, says GowerRNZ News Warner Bros Discovery will struggle to retain viewers in New Zealand if it has no news operation, Newshub journalist Paddy Gower predicts, as he continues his crusade for someone to save at least part of its newsroom. A grim 48 hours for news media has resulted in many ...6 days ago
- Youth councillor 'shocked' by decision to axe councilWhanganui District Council Youth Council is to be disestablished to save money. ...6 days ago
- Changes to tenancy laws to come into force next yearAs part of the changes, landlords will again be able to end periodic tenancies without a specific reason. ...6 days ago
- New Zealand being considered as potential AUKUS Pillar Two partner – Korean mediaIt is the strongest signal yet in an on-and-off again dance over the controversial US-UK-Australia military arrangement. ...6 days ago
- Prominent American Journalist And Author To Tour New Zealand Universities With Free Speech UnionProminent American journalist and author Jonathan Rauch will visit New Zealand with the Free Speech Union next month to discuss the importance of academic freedom, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. ...6 days ago
- No, I can’t just get a frontline jobA commentator recently suggested laid-off public servants should move into frontline work. My response: I can’t. Early on in my career, a personality test told me I had no practical skills. “May struggle with everyday tasks,” it said. This came as no surprise to me, nor my colleagues, almost all ...6 days ago
- The five most baffling moments from Melissa Lee’s post-Newshub interviewsDon’t ask her to talk about the process. When the news of Newshub’s impending closure was first made public in late February, the media minister Melissa Lee was widely accused of being missing in action. Official Information Act documents provided to The Spinoff reveal the minister was approached with 24 ...6 days ago
- Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier to stay, despite resigning over age ruleChief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has been asked to continue in his role - despite the law saying he must resign at age 72. ...6 days ago
- Household Saving Remains Positive For Third Consecutive QuarterNew Zealand household saving was $424 million in the December 2023 quarter as household net disposable income exceeded spending for the third consecutive quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Household net disposable income increased ...6 days ago
- Tim Beal Analysis – BNZ and Palestine – New Zealand nearly sanctions the United NationsAnalysis and Opinion by Tim Beal. This article was first published on Pearls and Irritations (ref. https://johnmenadue.com/new-zealand-nearly-sanctions-the-united-nations/ ) The Bank of New Zealand blocks a donation to UNRWA, then thinks again. Like many people I have been horrified by Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians. I have made modest donations ...6 days ago
- The past in a different light: how Māori embraced – and rejected – the colonial camera lensSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Wanhalla, Professor of History, University of Otago By the 1870s, photography was a ubiquitous presence in the colonial life of Aotearoa New Zealand. For Māori, however, it was also a colonising tool – part of the colonial practices of land alienation, ...6 days ago
- ‘Pads as big as surfboards’: Four generations reflect on their first periodsThere are so many options for menstrual care products available on the supermarket shelves these days, but that wasn’t always the case. Alex Casey spoke to five people from different generations about what period care was like for them. We’ve come a long way when it comes to attitudes to ...6 days ago
- Menstruation through four generationsThere are so many options for menstrual care products available on the supermarket shelves these days, but that wasn’t always the case. Alex Casey spoke to five people from different generations about what period care was like for them. We’ve come a long way when it comes to attitudes to ...6 days ago
- Explainer: The controversial refugee bill that Luxon flip-flopped overCritics say it paves the way for Australian-style detention policies. Supporters say it’s merely procedural. Who’s right? Dozens of refugees or asylum seekers arriving at once is common in European countries and Australia, but it’s still largely unknown on New Zealand shores. But mass arrivals are a highly sensitive issue, ...6 days ago
- Roads of destruction: we found vast numbers of illegal ‘ghost roads’ used to crack open pristine...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Laurance, Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University Rhett Butler, Author provided One of Brazil’s top scientists, Eneas Salati, once said, “The best thing you could do for the Amazon rainforest is to blow up all the ...6 days ago
- The heat is on: what we know about why ocean temperatures keep smashing recordsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Sen Gupta, Senior Lecturer, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney Over the last year, our oceans have been hotter than any time ever recorded. Our instrumental record covers the last 150 years. But based on proxy observations, we ...6 days ago
- ‘It doesn’t matter where you come from’: regional youth orchestras help fight music education ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandy Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Science Course Co-ordinator, Southern Cross University The pursuit of the dream of classical music is not an equal playing field. My recent study looked at the inequalities rural and regional young classical musicians face, ...6 days ago
- Help Me Hera: I set up two of my closest friends and bitterly regret itTheir relationship strikes me as unhealthy and it’s making me angry. What should I do? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, A few months ago, I set up two of my closest friends thinking that they would hit it off. And so they did. They got along straight away ...6 days ago
- NZ’s mental healthcare is in crisis – but research shows us how to shorten wait times and keep s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melanie Woodfield, HRC Clinical Research Training Fellow, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images New Zealand’s youth mental healthcare continues to experience a rolling crisis with long waiting times for services. There have been calls to expand the ...6 days ago
- No, taking drugs like Ozempic isn’t ‘cheating’ at weight loss or the ‘easy way out’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle Halfpoint/Shutterstock Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about them? This month, The Conversation’s experts explore ...6 days ago
- ‘Watch the ball!’: here’s why some sideline remarks are probably less helpful to your kids tha...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Waghorn, Lecturer, School of Education, RMIT University Kampus Production/ Pexels, CC BY The winter sports season is about to begin. This means parents will soon find themselves on cold weekends, watching their kids on the sidelines of soccer, netball ...6 days ago
- April 10 Is A Dramatic Day In New Zealand’s HistoryOn April 10, 1919, the preliminary results of a referendum showed that New Zealanders had narrowly voted for prohibition by a majority of around 13,000 votes. However, when the votes of soldiers still overseas after World War I were later added in, ...6 days ago
- Why moving to the right could be wrong for Dutton and the CoalitionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Evidence that support for the Liberal Party is softening in its affluent inner-city homelands continues to accrue, while its hopes of capturing disgruntled voters in Labor seats in the suburbs and regions presume ...6 days ago
- China has finally removed crushing tariffs on Australian wine. But re-establishing ourselves in the ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Weihuan Zhou, Associate Professor, Co-Director of China International Business and Economic Law (CIBEL) Centre, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney, UNSW Sydney China’s Ministry of Commerce has finally ended its tariffs on Australian wine, which had been imposed for more than ...6 days ago
- A shocking night in parliament and a victory for fairnessGlad tidings from parliament as a bill introduced by a Green MP to remedy an incredibly unfair law gets support in its first reading from Act and NZ First, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each ...6 days ago
- Officials advise softer is better when it comes to boot campsTough boot camps won't work and could be detrimental, the government's own officials told it. ...6 days ago
- The CEOs of TVNZ, Sky, NZME and MediaWorks on the media crisisAbove the Fold: as two of our biggest media organisations face radical downsizing, Duncan Greive asks media leaders what’s going on, and what can be done about it. Today: the leaders of our broadcasters and streamers – those most impacted by the current crisis. This is part four of Above ...6 days ago
- An interactive map of political scandals in WellingtonTracking the locations of political scurrilousness and stupidity across the capital city. Wellington’s streets are littered with stories. Most of those stories are about corruption, incompetence, or other stupid/illegal things politicians have done to ruin their own careers. This is an interactive guide to places around Wellington where big political ...6 days ago
- Book of the Week: Colin McCahon’s insatiable desireDear Colin, Dear Ron selects from the correspondence between Colin McCahon and Ron O’Reilly over a period of nearly forty years (1944-1981). The stats are impressive: 165,000 words over 500 plus pages; 380 letters, split more or less equally between the two; 1500 footnotes; sixty colour illustrations, ordered sequentially and ...6 days ago
- Security alliances need loftier goalsOpinion: The new security alliance framework must be more than a containment exercise against Russia or China The post Security alliances need loftier goals appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- RNZ’s security shake-up for Chinese news launchAs RNZ’s Asia unit approaches its first anniversary, documents show how the broadcaster’s concern about foreign interference in its work The post RNZ’s security shake-up for Chinese news launch appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Taxes – what’s happened and what’s in store?Benjamin Franklin wrote that nothing is certain except death and taxes. He might well have revised that statement, however, had he lived to witness the rapidly shifting tax landscape of the 21st century. As New Zealand moves forward into a new tax year, we wrap up some of the key tax ...6 days ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 11 AprilThe post Daily crossword, Thursday 11 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Suppliers swamped with deals as supermarket grace period endsOne supplier told Newsroom it was handling ‘dozens and dozens’ of varying agreements in place of just one The post Suppliers swamped with deals as supermarket grace period ends appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- ‘Exciting therapeutic possibilities’ to slow or halt Parkinson’s progressionOpinion: Parkinson’s disease, a condition that clouds the lives of millions worldwide, has long been a puzzle for researchers. The focus has been on the notorious alpha-synuclein, a neuronal protein gone rogue that clumps together, wreaking havoc in the brains of those affected. Yet, much like the recent struggles faced ...6 days ago
- The heritage building hullabalooA loophole in the law may allow derelict heritage buildings to be demolished or renovated – pending ministerial approval – but it’s caught the ire of architectural experts. While heritage buildings may be important to preserve, the reality is that they’re often too expensive and complicated to fix and are ...6 days ago
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