We have had some really heavy rain and thunder. It flooded our park and nearby road for the first time in years. Rotorua is on the edge of this, so we are hoping all are safe further inland. This is an intense area of storm and rain. Even the recent flood mitigation work could not cope. A window on our future?
1. biofuels have to come from somewhere. If we use land to grow biofuels, will that be regeneratively or via soil and biodiversity killing conventional monocropping? Will it take the place of growing food? How will it stand up to extreme weather events?
2. the biofuel source material has to be industrially processed. They talk about chemicals but don't say what the impact of that is environmentally. I smell some greenwashing.
3. the claim is that aviation is only responsible for 2.5% of global emissions (I'd want that fact checked), but it's some neolib accounting. If you or I were to fly to London for a wedding and a holiday, we have to count all the emissions in that trip, not just those from avgas. eg the emissions from other travel on the trip, accommodation, restaurants and takeaways, and so on. Climate bods say the whole emissions % is higher.
4. flying is a commercial model that relies on increasing flights to make it work economically. This means more airports, runways, hotels, machinery etc, and all their emissions.
The Ultrafan proposal is trying to create green BAU. It's not that we can't have nice things (for now anyway), it's that there is simply no replacement for the dense energy and energy returned on investment of fossil fuels, and the only place we can get the additional resources needed is from nature. We are really really shit at doing that in a sustainable way. In large part because we insist on living beyond our means.
Instead of imagining a world where we can fly like we do now, we should be imagining a world where everyone has enough to eat, and the environment is being regenerated where we have degraded it. We might get to fly once every five years to the UK in that scenario, but we won't burnout the planet.
As a starting point, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report from 2013 says methane heats the climate by 28 times more than carbon dioxide when averaged over 100 years and 84 times more when averaged over 20 years.
In a natural system there's some kind of constantly shifting balance between emissions and sequestration (hence our relatively stable atmosphere and biosphere historically). Humans have interrupted that by creating way too many emissions at the same time as breaking the ecosystems that sequester. This is the whole point of climate change, we pushed things too far and how we have to scale back until things stabilise again. Running industrial dairy en masse on pasture cannot be mitigated. Because we're already too far in debt, and because in itself it's just not sustainable.
If you have six million cows magically appear, ypu get 10 years if a rising curve of methane, after 10 years does that curve keep rising or does it flat line?
Earlier this month the government passed legislation
which mandates a 90 percent reduction in the number of outlets selling the addictive drug – from about 6000 now to no more than 600 by late 2023. It also reduces the amount of nicotine in products
"Nicotine will be reduced to non-addictive levels and communities will be free from the proliferation and clustering of retailers who target and sell tobacco products in certain areas," Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
National wants to delay the reduction in number of retail outlets selling tobacco
National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis said on Wednesday while the party supported further reducing the number of Kiwis who smoke, the bill would accelerate the formation of an avoidable "black market".
"We think denicotisation of tobacco products should occur first, and then the phase-out from retail," she told Morning Report.
"As it stands, the proposal is to reduce the number of retailers for tobacco products from 6000 to 600 next year. That is… a dramatic reduction, and we worry that there hasn't first been an effort to address the demand for the nicotine in the products.
Willis said cutting the number of outlets before weaning smokers off their addiction could push them to "getting [cigarettes] from a gang or someone who stole them", instead of a "legal dairy".
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
So it seems National is really supporting the continuance of the dairy smokes sales turnover interests of businesses while exploiting crime for political purposes.
And of course the talk of a phase out of retail leading to a black market is nonsense – because on-line delivery continues. There is the matter of the gradual reduction in nicotine levels in smokes (so no immediate bump in demand for higher nicotine level tobacco product).
Greatly reduced nicotine levels are a key measure in the proposed smokefree legislation to make cigarettes and other tobacco products non-addictive. This should markedly reduce smoking uptake and encourage quitting or reduced consumption, as people who smoke find these cigarettes and tobacco less satisfying.
The law could temporarily increase illicit tobacco use among some people who don't quit smoking. However, people who smoke are more likely to switch to vaping (widely and legally available in New Zealand) than turn to the illicit market.
There is currently a black market due to the high excise taxes, and the legislation will continue to allow growing tobacco for personal use, so I'm not really sure why anyone thinks the existing black market would significantly increase in size.
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
Given the number of courier package thefts (daily occurrence in our middle-class Auckland suburb), not to mention the legal requirement to ensure that the supply is to people meeting the legal age requirement – this seems like a thoroughly irresponsible method of delivery.
If you want to argue that tobacco should only be dispensed to 'addicts' – then it would be more effective to supply through chemists (though, I don't think they'd be keen).
But, of course, all of those without fixed addresses, without GPs, etc – will have a very strong incentive to get their tobacco 'fix' extra-legally. And, I think you radically underestimate the desperation of the tobacco addict – who has little or no interest in low-nicotine products.
Observationally (using the school my teenage son attends as a benchmark) – the number of teens vaping at school (which is against school rules, just as smoking is) – is really, really high. Far higher than smoking ever was. I'm not sure that this has actually been a health win.
It seems you are running through the National Party talking points in support of maintaining dairy retail supply of tobacco (catering to business greed), despite the associated risk (here crime).
The idea of rummaging through peoples on-line shopping delivery to find a packet of smokes seems a little far-fetched (when numbers using are going from 10 to 5%). And supermarket shopping delivery can be timed for the evening when people are at home (enabling the ID check).
By the end of next year – there will be 600, not 6000, retail outlets selling tobacco. The number of crime incidents involving tobacco will subside.
The same process, albeit more gradual, will occur with liquor outlets.
Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market, and experts believe that the decline in nicotine levels will make little difference either. Use is now well under 10%, and some will be weened off addiction via the lower nicotine rate and others will switch to the cheaper option of vaping.
Given the carcinogen in the tobacco method of delivery of the nicotine it has been a health win to transfer youth to vaping (and certainly it has been to reduce adult smoking rates to under 10%).
"Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market"
This doesn't seem to fit with the narrative that dairies are being ram-raided and having violent thefts because of the presence of tobacco.
I don't think that these (reportedly) teenagers conducting the thefts are smoking the lot themselves – of course there is a black market.
Where do you think these '600' outlets will be located? And what level of security do you think they will need (given the presence on-site of substantially higher levels of tobacco than the corner dairy)? And what methods will be used to provide access for homeless or no-fixed-abode people (often heavy smokers)?
It would be a health win if vaping just replaced tobacco among those already smoking – my point is that vaping has substantially increased nicotine usage amongst teens. You may see that as a health win, I don't.
The evidence dismissing the development of a black market was the related to offshore sourced tobacco. Not so much at present. Just the legal supply to the reducing in size local market (with some internal re-direction via theft).
The effect of lowering of nicotine levels is likely to reduce the size of that market further to 5% (as nicotine addicts switch to the far cheaper vaping and others die off).
Nicotine use is not a health problem (though there are doubts about the safety of some vaping).
The 600 outlets are likely to be supermarkets (they are set up to prevent ramraids) and the 4 Square type dairies (it's notable so far how few of these attacks have occurred in the provinces).
The difficulty of the homeless (on the streets) and those with no fixed address (hostels) without cars (or means to order deliveries) accessing their daily needs from further afield than a local dairy or liquor outlet, is akin to that of every variety of addict to a substance. Suppliers will move in, they probably already have. But there is a much cheaper alternative for the nicotine addict – vaping.
And there is still the option of kiosks (refilled each day) on a trial basis.
The current situation of 6000 outlets for targeting (fog cannons will just lead to the fast raid) so youth can supply gangs ($20,000 tobacco for $5000 cash and supply to controlled addicts/associates on DPB and into prisons) is far from ideal and National's support for its continuance (while grandstanding on law and order) is absurd.
ATM, it's not a big issue (much easier for the criminals to just walk into the supermarket and walk out with a trolley full of high-end groceries, without paying) – but if there are easily resalable items (cigarettes) included – then door-step theft becomes more attractive.
And, the idea of any courier driver waiting around to do an ID check is completely ridiculous – you're lucky to get them to drop the package at the door, rather than the letterbox.
Supermarket deliveries are in house, not by courier.
And
A Countdown spokeswoman said since the lockdown, it's had only one report of an online order being stolen and its delivery driver haven't reported any unusual activity.
"To make sure our customers' orders aren't left unattended for too long, our drivers use an app that sends a text message to let customers know the estimated time of their delivery and a second text to let them know when their order is about to arrive."
A police spokeswoman said police were aware of the incident, but not aware of any particular trend of grocery theft.
Given the little more than 5% who smoke targeting grocery deliveries to find a packet of smokes is unlikely.
“This is not a Māori newsletter; it is a community newsletter and everyone in this community speaks English.
“I, as well as many New Zealanders am not in favour of giving one cultural group special privilege regarding their language simply because they (falsely) claim first nation status.”
Editor of Woodville newsletter apologies (sic) for comments on Māori language, culture
Fiji has had 4 coups over the past 35 years. I find it amazing how the major players in each coup (Rabuka, Speight, Bainimarama, etc) seem to a) be prominent in Fijian politics and b) play major roles in each of the coups).
Millsy; the hands they had in crafting the laws under which they were judged goes a fair way to explaining that. This is from 2013, when the current constitution was adopted:
In January, the Fijian government scrapped the draft constitution drawn up by an independent commission led by Professor Yash Ghai.
A replacement version was signed into law in September…
The new document will replace the 1997 constitution that was set aside by the military regime four years ago {2009}…
Professor Ghai says while parts of the final version borrow from his work, they are undermined by other alterations or omissions…
"The whole scheme of a Bill of Rights can come to nought if they declare an emergency [and] there are no safeguards that we had built into the scheme for declaring an emergency.
"So now they have a carte blanche basically to, to de-supply or set aside the whole Bill of Rights."…
Professor Ghai says clauses on immunity were included in his draft because of pressure from the attorney-general and the prime minister.
He says the original version would have forced those seeking immunity to apologise…
”We must recognise our media – strangled by money, more interested in access to power than holding it to account – is anything but free, a water carrier for political and corporate power, dedicated to enforcing the demands of global capital.“
Space X rocket man (and satellites encircling the globe for communications*), Tesla (electric cars replacing petrol driven ones), AI ("threat to humanity" says Musk and so he goes all in to save us) and defender of free speech* on Twitter.
Elon Musk said on Tuesday he will step down as chief executive of Twitter after finding a replacement.
"I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams," Musk wrote on Twitter.
Musk has himself admitted he had too much on his plate, and said he would look for a Twitter CEO. He said on Sunday, though, that there was no successor and that "no one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive."
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Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
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A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
We have had some really heavy rain and thunder. It flooded our park and nearby road for the first time in years. Rotorua is on the edge of this, so we are hoping all are safe further inland. This is an intense area of storm and rain. Even the recent flood mitigation work could not cope. A window on our future?
Yes.
In Hamilton reports of continuous thunder for an hour. That's a bit apocalyptic aye! Hail the size of ten cent pieces.
That’s a summer crop wrecking event if it hits gardens.
NATs have a plan, hear me out – phase out 10c pieces.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/green-travel/130816398/this-giant-jet-engine-could-pave-the-way-for-an-era-of-lowcost-green-flying
It says here that a jet engine using bio fuel is not emitting co2 instead it is just recycling it.
Surely a cow is doing the same,.
(Keep in mind ypu explaining things to the slowest student in the class)😉
I too am slow, but will offer my opinion: it's bullshit.
🙂
The bit about the bio gas as well?
a few problems I see in the article.
1. biofuels have to come from somewhere. If we use land to grow biofuels, will that be regeneratively or via soil and biodiversity killing conventional monocropping? Will it take the place of growing food? How will it stand up to extreme weather events?
2. the biofuel source material has to be industrially processed. They talk about chemicals but don't say what the impact of that is environmentally. I smell some greenwashing.
3. the claim is that aviation is only responsible for 2.5% of global emissions (I'd want that fact checked), but it's some neolib accounting. If you or I were to fly to London for a wedding and a holiday, we have to count all the emissions in that trip, not just those from avgas. eg the emissions from other travel on the trip, accommodation, restaurants and takeaways, and so on. Climate bods say the whole emissions % is higher.
4. flying is a commercial model that relies on increasing flights to make it work economically. This means more airports, runways, hotels, machinery etc, and all their emissions.
The Ultrafan proposal is trying to create green BAU. It's not that we can't have nice things (for now anyway), it's that there is simply no replacement for the dense energy and energy returned on investment of fossil fuels, and the only place we can get the additional resources needed is from nature. We are really really shit at doing that in a sustainable way. In large part because we insist on living beyond our means.
Instead of imagining a world where we can fly like we do now, we should be imagining a world where everyone has enough to eat, and the environment is being regenerated where we have degraded it. We might get to fly once every five years to the UK in that scenario, but we won't burnout the planet.
Dave's your man.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Lee-122
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/12787/
I was wondering about the thing of who takes responsibility for international flights.
How does a cow extract methane from the atmosphere?
Little-known valve.
Doesn't methane quickly breakdown into co2 and get taken uo by the plants a cow eats ,there by completing the circle
https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-methane-is-short-lived-in-the-atmosphere-but-leaves-long-term-damage-145040
In a natural system there's some kind of constantly shifting balance between emissions and sequestration (hence our relatively stable atmosphere and biosphere historically). Humans have interrupted that by creating way too many emissions at the same time as breaking the ecosystems that sequester. This is the whole point of climate change, we pushed things too far and how we have to scale back until things stabilise again. Running industrial dairy en masse on pasture cannot be mitigated. Because we're already too far in debt, and because in itself it's just not sustainable.
"Quickly"?
How many years, bwaghorn?
And what effect does that methane have while it's hanging about in the atmosphere?
Not arguing that methane is good.
Buuuuut
If you have six million cows magically appear, ypu get 10 years if a rising curve of methane, after 10 years does that curve keep rising or does it flat line?
I think of that methane as a lens that takes years in the making, then is maintained by the cows. It sits there in the atmosphere, burning us up.
If the cows hadn't made the methane, the lens wouldn't exist and we'd not be being burnt by it.
I know it's only a model to help visualise/conceptualize, but if you have a better one, I'd like to read it.
OK ta I'm not locking for ammo just understanding.
Earlier this month the government passed legislation
National wants to delay the reduction in number of retail outlets selling tobacco
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/480738/remaining-tobacco-outlets-might-become-magnet-for-ram-raids-nicola-willis-says
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
So it seems National is really supporting the continuance of the dairy smokes sales turnover interests of businesses while exploiting crime for political purposes.
And of course the talk of a phase out of retail leading to a black market is nonsense – because on-line delivery continues. There is the matter of the gradual reduction in nicotine levels in smokes (so no immediate bump in demand for higher nicotine level tobacco product).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476999/claims-illegal-tobacco-trade-will-boom-in-a-smokefree-nz-are-smoke-and-mirrors-experts-say
"Black market" (note the "colour" reference) sounds scary though, so, perfect for the white (not a colour!) Nat-voter!
There is currently a black market due to the high excise taxes, and the legislation will continue to allow growing tobacco for personal use, so I'm not really sure why anyone thinks the existing black market would significantly increase in size.
Given the number of courier package thefts (daily occurrence in our middle-class Auckland suburb), not to mention the legal requirement to ensure that the supply is to people meeting the legal age requirement – this seems like a thoroughly irresponsible method of delivery.
If you want to argue that tobacco should only be dispensed to 'addicts' – then it would be more effective to supply through chemists (though, I don't think they'd be keen).
But, of course, all of those without fixed addresses, without GPs, etc – will have a very strong incentive to get their tobacco 'fix' extra-legally. And, I think you radically underestimate the desperation of the tobacco addict – who has little or no interest in low-nicotine products.
Observationally (using the school my teenage son attends as a benchmark) – the number of teens vaping at school (which is against school rules, just as smoking is) – is really, really high. Far higher than smoking ever was. I'm not sure that this has actually been a health win.
It seems you are running through the National Party talking points in support of maintaining dairy retail supply of tobacco (catering to business greed), despite the associated risk (here crime).
The idea of rummaging through peoples on-line shopping delivery to find a packet of smokes seems a little far-fetched (when numbers using are going from 10 to 5%). And supermarket shopping delivery can be timed for the evening when people are at home (enabling the ID check).
By the end of next year – there will be 600, not 6000, retail outlets selling tobacco. The number of crime incidents involving tobacco will subside.
The same process, albeit more gradual, will occur with liquor outlets.
Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market, and experts believe that the decline in nicotine levels will make little difference either. Use is now well under 10%, and some will be weened off addiction via the lower nicotine rate and others will switch to the cheaper option of vaping.
Given the carcinogen in the tobacco method of delivery of the nicotine it has been a health win to transfer youth to vaping (and certainly it has been to reduce adult smoking rates to under 10%).
This doesn't seem to fit with the narrative that dairies are being ram-raided and having violent thefts because of the presence of tobacco.
I don't think that these (reportedly) teenagers conducting the thefts are smoking the lot themselves – of course there is a black market.
Where do you think these '600' outlets will be located? And what level of security do you think they will need (given the presence on-site of substantially higher levels of tobacco than the corner dairy)? And what methods will be used to provide access for homeless or no-fixed-abode people (often heavy smokers)?
It would be a health win if vaping just replaced tobacco among those already smoking – my point is that vaping has substantially increased nicotine usage amongst teens. You may see that as a health win, I don't.
The evidence dismissing the development of a black market was the related to offshore sourced tobacco. Not so much at present. Just the legal supply to the reducing in size local market (with some internal re-direction via theft).
The effect of lowering of nicotine levels is likely to reduce the size of that market further to 5% (as nicotine addicts switch to the far cheaper vaping and others die off).
Nicotine use is not a health problem (though there are doubts about the safety of some vaping).
The 600 outlets are likely to be supermarkets (they are set up to prevent ramraids) and the 4 Square type dairies (it's notable so far how few of these attacks have occurred in the provinces).
The difficulty of the homeless (on the streets) and those with no fixed address (hostels) without cars (or means to order deliveries) accessing their daily needs from further afield than a local dairy or liquor outlet, is akin to that of every variety of addict to a substance. Suppliers will move in, they probably already have. But there is a much cheaper alternative for the nicotine addict – vaping.
And there is still the option of kiosks (refilled each day) on a trial basis.
The current situation of 6000 outlets for targeting (fog cannons will just lead to the fast raid) so youth can supply gangs ($20,000 tobacco for $5000 cash and supply to controlled addicts/associates on DPB and into prisons) is far from ideal and National's support for its continuance (while grandstanding on law and order) is absurd.
Oh, and stealing groceries from doorsteps is already a thing. Cigarettes would just be an unanticipated bonus.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/thieves-target-supermarket-grocery-deliveries-left-on-customers-doorsteps/GNJ5RV263UBWYGX3JJL6SLRHKE/
ATM, it's not a big issue (much easier for the criminals to just walk into the supermarket and walk out with a trolley full of high-end groceries, without paying) – but if there are easily resalable items (cigarettes) included – then door-step theft becomes more attractive.
And, the idea of any courier driver waiting around to do an ID check is completely ridiculous – you're lucky to get them to drop the package at the door, rather than the letterbox.
Supermarket deliveries are in house, not by courier.
And
Given the little more than 5% who smoke targeting grocery deliveries to find a packet of smokes is unlikely.
Scratching that scab…
“This is not a Māori newsletter; it is a community newsletter and everyone in this community speaks English.
“I, as well as many New Zealanders am not in favour of giving one cultural group special privilege regarding their language simply because they (falsely) claim first nation status.”
Editor of Woodville newsletter apologies (sic) for comments on Māori language, culture
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300770392/editor-of-woodville-newsletter-apologies-for-comments-on-mori-language-culture
– Jane Hill
Yeah, nah, you fucking liar. That was your only intention.
Rabuka is back https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/300770546/fiji-set-to-get-a-new-prime-minister-dethroning-bainimarama-after-nearly-16-years
Maybe; Sacha, and with any luck yes. But as a certain Fijian wrote elsewhere today: " I will believe it when I see them shake hands".
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/481170/fiji-has-a-new-coalition-government-rabuka-to-be-pm
Fiji has had 4 coups over the past 35 years. I find it amazing how the major players in each coup (Rabuka, Speight, Bainimarama, etc) seem to a) be prominent in Fijian politics and b) play major roles in each of the coups).
Millsy; the hands they had in crafting the laws under which they were judged goes a fair way to explaining that. This is from 2013, when the current constitution was adopted:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-23/an-constitution-expert-yash-ghai-says-he-doubts-if-fiji-pm-has-/5039704
Clare Daly’s words of wisdom.
”We must recognise our media – strangled by money, more interested in access to power than holding it to account – is anything but free, a water carrier for political and corporate power, dedicated to enforcing the demands of global capital.“
Kicking back with the Saudi bros.
https://twitter.com/ThisIsSoliman/status/1604543495477174272
Mush said he would abide by the wish of a poll of Twitter users
The result was 57.5% wanted him to step down for being Chief Twit.
Afterwards he said “Twitter would make a change to allow only Twitter Blue subscribers to vote in policy-related polls”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/19/musk-twitter-ceo-poll/?
The ego crash landed
The overextended one
Space X rocket man (and satellites encircling the globe for communications*), Tesla (electric cars replacing petrol driven ones), AI ("threat to humanity" says Musk and so he goes all in to save us) and defender of free speech* on Twitter.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/technology/2022/12/elon-musk-says-he-will-step-down-as-twitter-ceo.html