This may have already been put up when the discussion was first discussed.
The video South Dunedin History is very interesting. Would be interesting to see the same thing for other areas of this country – looking backward to look forward.
I’m sure I’ve seen a few examples of rural pollution being let off over the last couple of years and Regional Councils not willing to investigate. After all most of our rural waterways are screwed and how many farmers have received punishment for it.
Hi bw, in respect to council activity/inactivity…
There is a fellow up north who is paddling round streams filming breaches in the law and presenting it to council, for them to sit on their hands.
I recall a chief wallah from council mouthing a bunch of excuses, transition to fenced waterways takes time, fines aren’t appropriate, etc.
No prizes for guessing this council chap was….a farmer.
And the reason why they’d be out of their depth is because weren’t trained correctly – which is the farmers fault. Thing is, the farmer probably does it as well as it’s what he’s been taught.
Excactly plus some arse hole bosses still ring every hour out of their workers leading to them being on the verge of breaking .
In most cases though i would say the boss isn’t even on the job , he’s probably off being important somewhere.
You are very defensive on this topic and I’ll try to respect that as far as possible, but surely it’s obvious even to you that dairy farming today uses and abuses NZ’s water cycle way beyond its limits.
I have no problem with hammering serial polluters , fuck if i knew one was doing it i’d dob them in.
On the river side of things i think they are going to have to develop a stocking rate per hectare rule for each soil type , of course this government has just hired the rowarth woman as their head environmental scientist so i won’t hold my breath.
Surely it must go further than some sort of soft effluent management like that. What you propose is a limitation of damage rather than a full cure.
No, it must be that dairy farms show full drainage and septic treatment separate from the natural water ecosystem in any place where runoff enters rivers and underground reservoirs.
Sounds expensive doesn’t it? Perhaps they could sell one of their Holden Colorados in order to start paying for it.
The only way to go full containment is to go indoors , and i never suggested that stocking rates is the only cure , fencing where its practical is a no brainer.
I just had a survey from an outfit called Farmax (the do pasture management software) around linking their stuff up to Overseer (they do nutrient management software). So the awareness is growing every day out here.
NZ could easily support small farming for meat and dairy for NZers to eat in moderation. It’s the export for profit industrial farming that is destroying the land.
btw, there’s some good work being done by the regenag people using animals to restore landscapes.
And NZ had large herbivores before the arrival of the mammals.
The biggest problem we have with mammals in NZ is the bipeds 😉 They’re quite capable of doing industrial export for profit soy and corn, which is what is destroying ecosystems in the US.
Yes. And of course horticulture provides more production off the same land area, supports more people, etc. Plant-growing is superior in so very many ways.
Have said for many years now that NZ’s farmland will eventually turn horticultural – simple logic.
“And of course horticulture provides more production off the same land area, supports more people, etc. Plant-growing is superior in so very many ways.”
That’s actually a myth. Best production comes from polyculture most often with animals in the mix, as close to ecosystem mimicking as you can get. By best production, I mean growing that increases fertility and still provides a decent yield that meets human nutrition requirements (I don’t mean calories per acre, or how much profit, both models which deplete fertility).
Yes, we can grow some food with all plants, but humans are evolved to eat animal products, and some ecosystems do better if you incorporate animals. There is a reason why there are no vegan cultures, it’s very hard to support a population over generations with no animal products.
“And of course horticulture provides more production off the same land area, supports more people, etc. Plant-growing is superior in so very many ways.”
I think vto was probably comparing what else you can do with a hectare of fertile land which is not growing grass for 3 cows.
No hooves please, they are too damaging to our soils. We are not a prairie. Birds and fish provide flesh for flesh-eaters as might small mammals such as guineapigs and rabbits. These islands weren’t mammal-free, btw. We had and still have (barely), bats. . Not that I’m promoting the eating of those little tid-bits. There were a lot of sea mammals too.
“I think vto was probably comparing what else you can do with a hectare of fertile land which is not growing grass for 3 cows.”
Probably, and I’m pointing out that using that hectare to grow soy instead doesn’t actually improve things. It’s not the cow or the soy plant that is the problem, it’s the mindset of the farmer and the approach being used that is causing problems.
Yep you’re no doubt right weka, I was being rather ’round’ in the point being made…
and I agree even with horticulture, if you ramp it up with intensive irrigation, spray chemicals all over the whole place, turn the soils constantly, etc etc then eventually you will end up with useless land a-la Sacramento area, and great artesian basin areas..
our islands have never adapted to those types of creatures, hence the land’s failure with them now…”
We could equally argue that the land has never adapted to humans either. I’m also not convinced that all land in NZ is close enough to its original nature to warrant the ‘soil is not adapted to hooves’ argument. It’s certainly true in some places, but in others that weka has flown the coop. Or moa has bolted. Or something.
The problem with the hooved ones, is the sheer number, the bare-pasture approach, and the exporting our fertility model we are using. We could have animals integrated into sustainable systems where they were for producing small amounts of food and other resources for humans locally.
If you want rid of the hooved ones, what would you make shoes and jerseys out of? Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.
Yes, its going to be interesting to watch how dairy pollution denier, Jacqueline Rowarth, responds in her new role as Chief Scientist for the Environmental Protection Authority. She will have to do a 180 degree turn on her previous position or it will confirm the EPA is a farce. Following the EPAs whitewashing of concerns over glyphosate (Roundup), I’m betting it’s the latter.
The article says the spill was caused by a contractor connecting a house to the stormwater pipes, not the wastewater pipes. I think councils are required by legislation to allow connections to their systems to be made by any idiot who can write the appropriate safety plan, to ensure there is a competitive market.
I suppose if there was similar legislation requiring farmers to allow any contractor that met a low standard to take water from their oxidation ponds, but frankly that’s as stupid an idea as a free market for contractors who connect up water and sewerage.
Your attempt at creating equivalence isn’t going to work.
The point is the council didn’t fine the guy responsible , when farmers get fined if their worker messes up,
Although i did a job in picton once and it appeared every bugger was in each other’s pocket so it’s hardly surprising
The council don’t have the power to fine the contractor. They could take the contractor to court, and have the court impose a penalty. Or they could revoke the contractor’s accreditation, clean up the mess, bill for costs (and hope to get paid) and leave it there.
Either way, it’s quite different to a spill caused by farmer deliberately or by repeatedly failing to act
My first reaction was … what an idiot. Then I paused and contemplated my own modest efforts in the area and thought ‘probably not too hard a mistake to make’.
I’d argue there’s a difference between a one off, clearly unintentional fuckup by a contractor, and farm management practises that intentionally and structurally, push the boundaries around stocking rates and water pollution year in, year out.
Or to put it this way, I’d doubt any NZ farmer has been pinged for a one-off totally accidental infringement of water discharge rules, when they have an otherwise spotless record.
It’s quite possible that “the guy responsible” could have been the council inspector or consultant who inspected and approved the civil works in the subdivision. Drain layers usually take a good photo record of their work to submit to council, for this reason. Generally sewer and stormwater laterals are built out of the same materials, and right next to each other. Only difference is sewer’s got a red peg at the end and stormwater’s blue. They get mixed up easily and far too often. Usually the white flags in the stormwater give the show away and the cross connection isn’t hard to find. Really surprised this one got as far as dead eels, but cleaning chemicals would do that.
There’s been various attempts to get that in place, but more from a safety perspective, yellow for gas, orange for power and blue for potable water. But not much progress on sewer and stormwater. And it doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
Contractors then need to carry two types of pipe, so more cost. Then a bit if the wrong pipe is used, ’cause they ran out, and buried before the inspector sees it, later gets dug up and connected to… Sometimes it really is better to make people think.
Bloke knocks up his own wee autonomous solar powered boat. It works.
An older man who has been watching the entire time approaches me and tells me that he’s sorry that I lost control of my boat and that he’s sure it’ll wash up on the beach somewhere. I assure him that the boat is on autopilot, going exactly where it’s supposed to be going. “And where is that?” he asks. “Hawaii.” The look on his face is priceless.
[…]
Three more weeks pass. I’m now standing on the shore at Mahukona Harbor on the Big Island of Hawaii watching SeaCharger enter the harbor. This moment is not as triumphant as it is surreal. I know that this is the same SeaCharger that left California 41 days and 2,413 miles ago, but the faded paint and clinging barnacles only hint at what it must have experienced — and survived — to get here.
Safely ashore, SeaCharger appears to be in remarkably good shape. After a few dabs of touch-up paint and some reprogramming, I launch it again from Hawaii, this time headed towards New Zealand, 4,400 miles away. That’s a long way, and a million things could go wrong. There’s no way it will actually make it… is there?
Hosking’s radio show has further lurched into one long paid advertorial and sickly sweet reference to how-good-is-life-if-only-you-could-forget-you-are-a-loser-and-see-it stories.
All this entertainment now only briefly punctuated with actual commentary on the decisions being made, or more accurately not being made, by the current government.
This morning he even turned what could have been an interesting piece with the young farmer of the year into a 60 second ad for the fed farmers employment section.
A frank admission that the Havelock North water supply has been irrevocably damaged by farming practices in the region. The Hastings supply will now provide for Havelock North. How long before the Hastings supply is contaminated in similar circumstances?
A sad day for NZ as I’m sure there will be many more instances of this kind unless we change the government to one which places water quality higher on the agenda than annual sales at Mystery Creek.
I’m just wondering how much of a strain the extra draw on the Hastings water supply is going to be and if we are going to see a shortage of supply in what might be a very hot record temperature setting summer coming up this year. Most of the Northern Hemisphere has been experiencing record breaking summer temps and our Winter has been very mild most of the time with some plants coming into flower early this year. There have been water restrictions in the past and now they basically just added a lot more houses to that supply.
Having been in Australia for just two days after a long time away, I am struck by the disparities in economics between NZ and Australia.
For example, with the dollar being at 95c, we are getting a damn good deal. Buying food for two people for a week of meals, breakfast lunch and dinner cost just $110 aud. The same produce in nz usually costs us $180nzd minimum. We also had to but toiletries as well which makes the difference even more astounding.
Clothes, another bug bear. 120nzd is 115aud. Yet, the clothes are at least half price. Replacing at least 1/3rd of the wardrobe cost less than a pair of pants and a jumper from hallensteins.
Nz is poorly served with the cost of living and goods. Whilst Australia gets the bugs and snakes and spiders, heat, weather and friendly people, nz gets dourness, wet, scenery, John key, and a whole dose of misery.
Something has to change in nz. I love the place, but there is something fundamentally wrong when a nzd wage goes further in Australia than it does in New Zealand.
Agree totally. Having lived in Ballarat VIC for the past three years I’ve mentioned similar numbers here before. NZ is being ripped off.
Whilst Australia gets the bugs and snakes and spiders, heat, weather and friendly people, nz gets dourness, wet, scenery, John key, and a whole dose of misery.
I miss the NZ mountains and hills terribly, but little else. The moment we landed here the different atmosphere was palpable. The NZ we’d just left seemed depressed and miserable by comparison.
Having said that, there are downsides to Aus. After a while you do get sick of being treated as a Permanent Resident for tax purposes, and a Temporary Resident for all others. We came here fully understanding the situation, but it doesn’t feel any better as the years go by. The two nations, while subtly different in many respects, are still very closely tied economically and socially, and yet most kiwis here are effectively reduced to an insulting ‘guest worker’ status by the govt here.
Clothes, another bug bear. 120nzd is 115aud. Yet, the clothes are at least half price. Replacing at least 1/3rd of the wardrobe cost less than a pair of pants and a jumper from hallensteins.
It’s the Delusional Economies of Scale that economists and businesses apply. The idea that if they sell more it costs less.
Something has to change in nz. I love the place, but there is something fundamentally wrong when a nzd wage goes further in Australia than it does in New Zealand.
We have idiots in charge – especially those in business.
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
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Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
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Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
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Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
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For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
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Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
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The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
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Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
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The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
Are you deeply passionate about sharing Māori stories? We’re on the hunt for an experienced writer/editor to lead coverage in our Ātea section.Ātea is a deeply valued section of The Spinoff site, offering Māori perspectives and insights across politics, current affairs and culture. We are thrilled to be looking ...
By Aisha Azeemah in Suva With the lights on one of his sneakers blinking as he ran through the gallery, a little boy looked up at several works of art. One of them was a sculpture of his grandfather: the man who changed how we see the Pacific — Epeli ...
WHAT: Uber drivers are holding a rally outside the Court of Appeal in Wellington tomorrow, as the company begins its appeal against 2022’s Employment Court verdict (in a case taken jointly by FIRST Union and E tū) that four drivers were permanent ...
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This may have already been put up when the discussion was first discussed.
The video South Dunedin History is very interesting. Would be interesting to see the same thing for other areas of this country – looking backward to look forward.
http://www.orc.govt.nz/Information-and-Services/Natural-Hazards/South-Dunedin/
Reading this has me thinking Saudi Arabia is more likely to implode than reform.
http://raseef22.com/en/life/2016/08/17/look-inside-saudi-womens-universities/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/83460965/investigation-uncovers-cause-of-eel-deaths-in-picton-stream
If a farmer accidentally sewerage into a creek there would be an public wailing and nashing of teeth .
Prob being a tiny bit sensative aint ya wags ?
No skin off my nose mate , I just shake my head at the hypocrisy of councils who let town spills off scot free every time.
I’m sure I’ve seen a few examples of rural pollution being let off over the last couple of years and Regional Councils not willing to investigate. After all most of our rural waterways are screwed and how many farmers have received punishment for it.
Hi bw, in respect to council activity/inactivity…
There is a fellow up north who is paddling round streams filming breaches in the law and presenting it to council, for them to sit on their hands.
I recall a chief wallah from council mouthing a bunch of excuses, transition to fenced waterways takes time, fines aren’t appropriate, etc.
No prizes for guessing this council chap was….a farmer.
That sux.
the farmers don’t do it accidentally – just like some don’t break the cow tails accidentally.
From what i’ve seen stock abuse is usually caused by workers who are out of their depth or seriously stressed or both,
oh that’s all right then
And the reason why they’d be out of their depth is because weren’t trained correctly – which is the farmers fault. Thing is, the farmer probably does it as well as it’s what he’s been taught.
Excactly plus some arse hole bosses still ring every hour out of their workers leading to them being on the verge of breaking .
In most cases though i would say the boss isn’t even on the job , he’s probably off being important somewhere.
Well, yeah, that too. The delusional idea right at the heart of capitalism that owners do anything of any actual value.
About 30% in my experience are shit not fit to have staff .
You are very defensive on this topic and I’ll try to respect that as far as possible, but surely it’s obvious even to you that dairy farming today uses and abuses NZ’s water cycle way beyond its limits.
I have no problem with hammering serial polluters , fuck if i knew one was doing it i’d dob them in.
On the river side of things i think they are going to have to develop a stocking rate per hectare rule for each soil type , of course this government has just hired the rowarth woman as their head environmental scientist so i won’t hold my breath.
Surely it must go further than some sort of soft effluent management like that. What you propose is a limitation of damage rather than a full cure.
No, it must be that dairy farms show full drainage and septic treatment separate from the natural water ecosystem in any place where runoff enters rivers and underground reservoirs.
Sounds expensive doesn’t it? Perhaps they could sell one of their Holden Colorados in order to start paying for it.
The only way to go full containment is to go indoors , and i never suggested that stocking rates is the only cure , fencing where its practical is a no brainer.
I just had a survey from an outfit called Farmax (the do pasture management software) around linking their stuff up to Overseer (they do nutrient management software). So the awareness is growing every day out here.
I think NZ has to go back to being vegetarian like it was before the mammals arrived
The land can grow plant life supremely well. It is what the soil has lived and breathed. It doesn’t like mammals.
If we gave up on mammal-growing and took up plant-growing the land would be lush again and so would its inhabitants
Just like it used to be
NZ could easily support small farming for meat and dairy for NZers to eat in moderation. It’s the export for profit industrial farming that is destroying the land.
btw, there’s some good work being done by the regenag people using animals to restore landscapes.
And NZ had large herbivores before the arrival of the mammals.
The biggest problem we have with mammals in NZ is the bipeds 😉 They’re quite capable of doing industrial export for profit soy and corn, which is what is destroying ecosystems in the US.
Yes. And of course horticulture provides more production off the same land area, supports more people, etc. Plant-growing is superior in so very many ways.
Have said for many years now that NZ’s farmland will eventually turn horticultural – simple logic.
“And of course horticulture provides more production off the same land area, supports more people, etc. Plant-growing is superior in so very many ways.”
That’s actually a myth. Best production comes from polyculture most often with animals in the mix, as close to ecosystem mimicking as you can get. By best production, I mean growing that increases fertility and still provides a decent yield that meets human nutrition requirements (I don’t mean calories per acre, or how much profit, both models which deplete fertility).
Yes, we can grow some food with all plants, but humans are evolved to eat animal products, and some ecosystems do better if you incorporate animals. There is a reason why there are no vegan cultures, it’s very hard to support a population over generations with no animal products.
I think vto was probably comparing what else you can do with a hectare of fertile land which is not growing grass for 3 cows.
No hooves please, they are too damaging to our soils. We are not a prairie. Birds and fish provide flesh for flesh-eaters as might small mammals such as guineapigs and rabbits. These islands weren’t mammal-free, btw. We had and still have (barely), bats. . Not that I’m promoting the eating of those little tid-bits. There were a lot of sea mammals too.
cheers, yes, the hooves thing..
our islands have never adapted to those types of creatures, hence the land’s failure with them now…
“I think vto was probably comparing what else you can do with a hectare of fertile land which is not growing grass for 3 cows.”
Probably, and I’m pointing out that using that hectare to grow soy instead doesn’t actually improve things. It’s not the cow or the soy plant that is the problem, it’s the mindset of the farmer and the approach being used that is causing problems.
Yep you’re no doubt right weka, I was being rather ’round’ in the point being made…
and I agree even with horticulture, if you ramp it up with intensive irrigation, spray chemicals all over the whole place, turn the soils constantly, etc etc then eventually you will end up with useless land a-la Sacramento area, and great artesian basin areas..
“cheers, yes, the hooves thing..
our islands have never adapted to those types of creatures, hence the land’s failure with them now…”
We could equally argue that the land has never adapted to humans either. I’m also not convinced that all land in NZ is close enough to its original nature to warrant the ‘soil is not adapted to hooves’ argument. It’s certainly true in some places, but in others that weka has flown the coop. Or moa has bolted. Or something.
The problem with the hooved ones, is the sheer number, the bare-pasture approach, and the exporting our fertility model we are using. We could have animals integrated into sustainable systems where they were for producing small amounts of food and other resources for humans locally.
If you want rid of the hooved ones, what would you make shoes and jerseys out of? Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.
vto – the Haast eagles were not exactly vegetarian, and they were here before we ‘mammals’ arrived. Sorry if I am a bit thick.
Yes I was kinda turning a blind eye to those large man-carrying monsters ….
Shame they are no more
Humans are currently extincting over 150 species of life a day. At some stage we’re going to find ourselves on the list.
Insectivorous too. Let’s not forget insects! Fungi too. We don’t have to be vegetarian only.
Fungi is fine; people from Europe, Russia and China often have a very good eye for edible fungi/mushrooms.
Insects…uh…if its got an outer hard shell I’ll stick with clams, crabs and crayfish thanks.
Yes, its going to be interesting to watch how dairy pollution denier, Jacqueline Rowarth, responds in her new role as Chief Scientist for the Environmental Protection Authority. She will have to do a 180 degree turn on her previous position or it will confirm the EPA is a farce. Following the EPAs whitewashing of concerns over glyphosate (Roundup), I’m betting it’s the latter.
The article says the spill was caused by a contractor connecting a house to the stormwater pipes, not the wastewater pipes. I think councils are required by legislation to allow connections to their systems to be made by any idiot who can write the appropriate safety plan, to ensure there is a competitive market.
I suppose if there was similar legislation requiring farmers to allow any contractor that met a low standard to take water from their oxidation ponds, but frankly that’s as stupid an idea as a free market for contractors who connect up water and sewerage.
Your attempt at creating equivalence isn’t going to work.
The point is the council didn’t fine the guy responsible , when farmers get fined if their worker messes up,
Although i did a job in picton once and it appeared every bugger was in each other’s pocket so it’s hardly surprising
The council don’t have the power to fine the contractor. They could take the contractor to court, and have the court impose a penalty. Or they could revoke the contractor’s accreditation, clean up the mess, bill for costs (and hope to get paid) and leave it there.
Either way, it’s quite different to a spill caused by farmer deliberately or by repeatedly failing to act
My first reaction was … what an idiot. Then I paused and contemplated my own modest efforts in the area and thought ‘probably not too hard a mistake to make’.
I’d argue there’s a difference between a one off, clearly unintentional fuckup by a contractor, and farm management practises that intentionally and structurally, push the boundaries around stocking rates and water pollution year in, year out.
Or to put it this way, I’d doubt any NZ farmer has been pinged for a one-off totally accidental infringement of water discharge rules, when they have an otherwise spotless record.
It’s quite possible that “the guy responsible” could have been the council inspector or consultant who inspected and approved the civil works in the subdivision. Drain layers usually take a good photo record of their work to submit to council, for this reason. Generally sewer and stormwater laterals are built out of the same materials, and right next to each other. Only difference is sewer’s got a red peg at the end and stormwater’s blue. They get mixed up easily and far too often. Usually the white flags in the stormwater give the show away and the cross connection isn’t hard to find. Really surprised this one got as far as dead eels, but cleaning chemicals would do that.
There seems to be a glaringly obvious fix to that problem, make it code that storm water is white pipe and sewer pipe is black.
There’s been various attempts to get that in place, but more from a safety perspective, yellow for gas, orange for power and blue for potable water. But not much progress on sewer and stormwater. And it doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
Contractors then need to carry two types of pipe, so more cost. Then a bit if the wrong pipe is used, ’cause they ran out, and buried before the inspector sees it, later gets dug up and connected to… Sometimes it really is better to make people think.
Bloke knocks up his own wee autonomous solar powered boat. It works.
An older man who has been watching the entire time approaches me and tells me that he’s sorry that I lost control of my boat and that he’s sure it’ll wash up on the beach somewhere. I assure him that the boat is on autopilot, going exactly where it’s supposed to be going. “And where is that?” he asks. “Hawaii.” The look on his face is priceless.
[…]
Three more weeks pass. I’m now standing on the shore at Mahukona Harbor on the Big Island of Hawaii watching SeaCharger enter the harbor. This moment is not as triumphant as it is surreal. I know that this is the same SeaCharger that left California 41 days and 2,413 miles ago, but the faded paint and clinging barnacles only hint at what it must have experienced — and survived — to get here.
Safely ashore, SeaCharger appears to be in remarkably good shape. After a few dabs of touch-up paint and some reprogramming, I launch it again from Hawaii, this time headed towards New Zealand, 4,400 miles away. That’s a long way, and a million things could go wrong. There’s no way it will actually make it… is there?
http://makezine.com/2016/08/22/solar-powered-autonomous-boat/
http://www.revguitar.com/progress.html
Hosking’s radio show has further lurched into one long paid advertorial and sickly sweet reference to how-good-is-life-if-only-you-could-forget-you-are-a-loser-and-see-it stories.
All this entertainment now only briefly punctuated with actual commentary on the decisions being made, or more accurately not being made, by the current government.
This morning he even turned what could have been an interesting piece with the young farmer of the year into a 60 second ad for the fed farmers employment section.
All this negativity will knock years off your life.
Seriously who gives a fuck what Mike Hoskings has to say, he’s an entertainer, his opinion carries no more weight than anyone else.
His views are identical to yours so I think you are being more than a little dishonest there.
Obviously a very smart Man, I’d listen to him if I was you.
Rather listen to Jeremy Wells’ version on Hauraki
https://soundcloud.com/radiohauraki/jeremy-wells-like-mike-hosking-rant-john-campbell
A frank admission that the Havelock North water supply has been irrevocably damaged by farming practices in the region. The Hastings supply will now provide for Havelock North. How long before the Hastings supply is contaminated in similar circumstances?
A sad day for NZ as I’m sure there will be many more instances of this kind unless we change the government to one which places water quality higher on the agenda than annual sales at Mystery Creek.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/311691/hastings-to-supply-havelock-north's-water
May the Tukituki rest in peace and some day eventually recover once we stop meddling.
I’m just wondering how much of a strain the extra draw on the Hastings water supply is going to be and if we are going to see a shortage of supply in what might be a very hot record temperature setting summer coming up this year. Most of the Northern Hemisphere has been experiencing record breaking summer temps and our Winter has been very mild most of the time with some plants coming into flower early this year. There have been water restrictions in the past and now they basically just added a lot more houses to that supply.
for those that are interested
Cross-Party Homelessness Inquiry
http://www.homelessnessinquiry.co.nz/christchurch_meeting
Friday at 13:00–17:00
St John th of God Waipuna
349 Woodham Road, Christchurch, New Zealand 8061
https://www.facebook.com/events/1768870706685807/
Corruption,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/83466359/fendalton-landowners-paid-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-compo-prior-to-february-earthquake
Having been in Australia for just two days after a long time away, I am struck by the disparities in economics between NZ and Australia.
For example, with the dollar being at 95c, we are getting a damn good deal. Buying food for two people for a week of meals, breakfast lunch and dinner cost just $110 aud. The same produce in nz usually costs us $180nzd minimum. We also had to but toiletries as well which makes the difference even more astounding.
Clothes, another bug bear. 120nzd is 115aud. Yet, the clothes are at least half price. Replacing at least 1/3rd of the wardrobe cost less than a pair of pants and a jumper from hallensteins.
Nz is poorly served with the cost of living and goods. Whilst Australia gets the bugs and snakes and spiders, heat, weather and friendly people, nz gets dourness, wet, scenery, John key, and a whole dose of misery.
Something has to change in nz. I love the place, but there is something fundamentally wrong when a nzd wage goes further in Australia than it does in New Zealand.
$326,589NZ will buy you this three bed/two bath in WA.
http://www.plunketthomes.com.au/display-homes/cottesloe-beach
Agree totally. Having lived in Ballarat VIC for the past three years I’ve mentioned similar numbers here before. NZ is being ripped off.
Whilst Australia gets the bugs and snakes and spiders, heat, weather and friendly people, nz gets dourness, wet, scenery, John key, and a whole dose of misery.
I miss the NZ mountains and hills terribly, but little else. The moment we landed here the different atmosphere was palpable. The NZ we’d just left seemed depressed and miserable by comparison.
Having said that, there are downsides to Aus. After a while you do get sick of being treated as a Permanent Resident for tax purposes, and a Temporary Resident for all others. We came here fully understanding the situation, but it doesn’t feel any better as the years go by. The two nations, while subtly different in many respects, are still very closely tied economically and socially, and yet most kiwis here are effectively reduced to an insulting ‘guest worker’ status by the govt here.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-24/new-zealanders-report-higher-levels-of-discrimination/7778520
Great to see the trans-Tasman free market hard at work for the people
It’s the Delusional Economies of Scale that economists and businesses apply. The idea that if they sell more it costs less.
We have idiots in charge – especially those in business.
The ignorance is strong with this one
Empire goes for gold
How to win friends and influence people.
Is that where that started? I saw the pisstakes on twitter this morning, but didn’t get the original.
https://twitter.com/Tucker5law/status/767832283420172288
I think so. Someone sent the pic to a Conservative MP (shocked, I am). She posted it.