Add P. Gower’s ‘I’m ashamed to be reporting on my government’s dishonesty’ or words to that effect (concerning the hole and the tax lie). Now if a few MSM could take heart and run with the ball the incentive to honest government might just get a boost.
Gower is so ashamed to report on his government’s dishonest he hardly ever mentions it, lets most of it pass and deals with the perpetrators on a regular basis as is they’re regular people rather than people who have no basis on which to be treated as if what they say is important.
Better late than never I guess. Although, the statement would probably carry more weight if it were being uttered by almost anyone other than Matthew Hooton. It’s like a liar saying, “I don’t like that guy. He tells lies.”
There use to be a strain on the left that was anti-war. That would appear all but dead if you read this web site, and many other left web sites.
Here the thing, I don’t want our troops in Afghanistan, and I definitely don’t want our troops in Iraq.
I oppose the increase of troops to Afghanistan and what are we actually doing in Iraq? We were suppose to be in a training role, but that got exposed when one of our own ordered the use of white phosphorous on a civilian population.
To Adam at 2: and many of us, now augmented by the younger generations, remain ‘the anti-war left’. A change in government hopefully will see New Zealand lead again in its anti-war stance.
There use to be a strain on the left that was anti-war.
I was working on a RNZN ship (as a civilian) at the exact time of the Falklands war. Astounding how many people expressed an enthusiastic desire to be actively involved when I was onshore, and how much more sober the response on board the ship.
Still it’s all very well being ‘anti-war’; but in isolation it’s not a sentiment that achieves much which is durable. There will always be tyrants and opportunistic militarists; the wolf unconstrained will always devour the flock.
The same rule-based mechanisms that constrain crime in any community … laws, courts and police … are the only means by which wars among the community of nations will be stopped. Bluntly that means some form of federated global governance; a UN that is empowered to work as it’s founders wished for.
Yes there used to be an anti-war left; not surprising as it was always the working class who bore the brunt of the awful losses, but it was also inter-woven with an Internationalist movement that was far more outward looking. Helen Clark would be a fine person to look towards for inspiration.
to RedLogix at 2.3 : the anti-war left of your last paragraph is exactly the culture I envisage and fervently wish for……an organisation for defence ( though I can’t see this being a possible with our long coastline and more so through our relative inconsequence in global terms), for coping with civil disaster at home or for peacekeeping with definitely no aggressive role on the world scene.
As someone who has done Peacekeeping real time we had to act in aggressive way to prevent a war crimes from being committed. Peacekeepers need to act not only in a defensive way, but also in a aggressive way within its ROE or OFOF thence the need for NZDF to trained in all aspects of UN Peacekeeping from Chapter 1 though to Chapter 7. If you want fully trained NZDF in Peacekeeping are you prepared to throw more money at NZDF than the 20 billion for re- equipment over the next 15yrs etc when other areas of the government have been ran into the ground?
To me the benchmark for NZDF to under take any Peacekeeping task in the future was East Timor 99 (INTERFET) and the follow up UN mission.
There has been a number of UN mandated Peacekeeping missions over the yr where Peacekeepings have acted in a aggressive way from use of Airpower aka the Congo in the early 60’s (Indian Airforce using Canberra bombers, the same type that the RNZAF once used and Swedish Airforce SAAB Fighter jets) or the Danish Armoured Battle group that was ambush by the Serbs in Bosnia who called out to help a Swedish Infantry Battalion which under attack from Serbs who were protected a Village from the Serbs. The sad reality is that UN Peacekeepers sometimes have to use aggressive force in order to protect lives from the aggressor who doesn’t give a two fucks about Human rights.
Or would you prefer a passived defence Peacekeeping Force like what happened in Rwanda where the Belgian government pulled out its troops after a number of its troops were murdered and the UN turned a blind eye to the result mess that followed.
I’m now paying for it for my time as Peacekeeper, as I now have Psychological issues (PTSD), lose a mate to UN Peacekeeping mission and another to a UN mandated one in the Solly’s where he was shot in the back. Is Peacekeeping worst than the Gan or Iraq?
Since the NZ has gone down the rabbit hole of this Neo Liberal economic garbage along with it’s Trade Liberalism and fobbing off it’s SOE’s etc. NZ is more at risk to a war breaking out as NZ is a import/ export nation, so I wouldn’t call NZ a relative inconsequential nation at the ass end of the world from a trading POV and NZ is also regarded as the gateway to the Antarctic region.
If you read my comment above, the notion of a militarily effective peace-keeping force (analogous to the police but on a global scale) is absolutely implicit in what I was saying.
Anti-war does NOT imply anti-military.
George Orwell said it best: People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
I was replying to Heather comments “peacekeeping with definitely no aggressive role on the world scene” as some people on the left don’t really understand what Peacekeeping is or are very naïve as Peacekeeping sounds so romantic where we don’t kill anyone and some answers I do get are so wide of the mark its not funny to a point. That wonder why do I bother putting on a uniform on also its gets me so angry that I drink myself stupid and waste a very good single malt whisky.
I have George Orwell quote now in my study (was on my office door at work before I lost my marbles) along with Churchill’s quote “Jaw Jaw is better than War War.
Like you I would like to see a rules base system international aggression on a follow country or countries.
“The same rule-based mechanisms that constrain crime in any community … laws, courts and police … are the only means by which wars among the community of nations will be stopped. Bluntly that means some form of federated global governance; a UN that is empowered to work as it’s founders wished for”
RedLogix, if I have offended you by my comments I apologise.
Hey adam, would you be ok with me reposting the Guest Post you did a couple of years back about anarchy and hope? It seems appropriate to have it up again at this time.
Well I for one do not want our military involved in anything the Yanks do, as far as I am concerned they are a pariah state and the world should have nothing to do with them.
There still is. I’m anti-war despite my conviction that we need to ramp up our defence forces. When we need them we really need them and not having them is usually bad.
But I’m also against sending them off to other countries to fight – at all.
Note also that what we’re doing in Iraq and Afghanistan now is purely the result of the chicken-hawks in the right-wing.
I hitchhiked through Catalonia in the 1970s. We got rides from Catalan speakers, who were very strong on their identity as separate from Spain and France. A referendum should not be the context for state violence – a captive nation.
I’ve been to the US, but never been to Vegas. What a violent country!
Condolences and best wishes to the survivors: RIP the victims.
Sadly it is very unsurprising the lack of international condemnation to the extreme violence used against the peaceful voters in Catalonia yesterday.
It seems to me that the thin veil of decency that was once hoisted up to try and hide the ugly unfettered greed and brutality that is at the very soul of the neoliberal ideology, is now in the process of being done away with, and they are now starting to operate completely in the open in their unquenchable desire to appropriate everything in their path and protect their interests, but without the usual accompanying calming rhetoric, bullshit and lies.
Is this the new hard edged face of neoliberalism exposing itself, maybe in response to a obvious mood for real change throughout most countries afflicted with this cancerous ideology?
Of course I make this observation from a privileged western vantage point.
This ideology has of course been operating in a openly brutal way throughout most of the World all along…I guess as Malcolm X once said “the chickens coming home to roost”
Perhaps there’s an element of that. I think fascism has a bit of a history in Spain, that may have been sidelined by involvement with the EU.
When a friend and I hitched through Spain in the 70s, it had a militaristic dictator. Military carrying sub machine guns were an everyday occurrence at one campsite we stayed at.
The Guardia kept a strong watch on all travelers.
Locals were not keen to talk about Franco – just made gestures with their hands indicating it wasn’t safe to talk about him – never knew who was listening, and gestures indicated responses from authorities could be quite nasty, but possibly not out in the open.
I, like you hitchhiked through Spain in the 1960’s and the Guardia had a strict law about loitering. If you were found on the streets late at night they would clap you in jail. In Barcelona my friend and I were trying to find a cheap pension to stay in but a festival was on and the place was booked out, we had the guardia following us with what we thought was menace and, finally as we couldn’t find a place to sleep for the night we just carried on through to the outskirts of the city and hitch hiked out of the city. Spain was very strong on law and order and cops were everywhere on the streets armed.
Yes. I was with a group who had a similar experience in 1969. It was quite frightening being followed around as if we were suspect individuals. On entering Spain via Gibraltar, I was one of two selected from a boatload of tourists for a body search. We were required to strip down to the bare essentials. Not a nice experience. It crossed my mind it might have been because I was wearing a bright red jacket which had nothing to do with my political persuasion – I didn’t have any in those days.
“Sadly it is very unsurprising the lack of international condemnation to the extreme violence used against the peaceful voters in Catalonia yesterday.”
I thought I heard a comment tucked in the News report that the police were imported from outside Spain to carry out the violent obstructions. (Perhaps police from say Chicago? Nah.)
to Adrian at 3.1 : Frighteningly like fascist behaviour in Spain early 30’s….maybe tendency incipient in some areas of society e.g. police in his case but presumably acting under orders.
I’ve been taking a general media break for mental health purposes since the election so only have a basic working knowledge of what’s happening (it’s hard to completely cold turkey as a news junkie!).
But I get the impression that NZ seems to be functioning perfectly alright without an official government in place, aren’t we? Like we do every Christmas when the pollies all take off overseas and we’re left with just the Duty Minister “just in case” and the country doesn’t fall to pieces. I don’t think anyone even notices they’re missing! Sure, right now there’s no mechanism in place to improve things, and God knows that can’t come too soon, but we certainly haven’t deteriorated further with no one around to dictate their ill-informed/idealogical/egoist/just plain moronic plans on the populous.
I recognise some form of government is needed, but when it’s less damaging and more relaxing during these brief times then there must be a more stable way to keep the country running and get things done. I was thinking about only letting politicians with expertiese in their portfolios be Ministers, then I remembered Jonathon Coleman….
On Pundit: “In Praise of Public Servants
by Brian Easton.”
“If the minister is lucky or shrewd, some in this office are very good. (Take H2 – Heather Simpson – in Helen Clark’s office; Wayne Eagleson played a similar role in John Key’s.) But often many in the offices are politically ambitious time servers, as average as the politicians they serve and are not nearly as experienced or competent as officials in the ministries.”
I don’t know how Metiria Turei isn’t sitting at home with fists clenched and jaw locked, quietly seething with rage. I know holding grudges isn’t healthy… but still. I’d be perpetually livid.
It must be a bit of a worry for the incoming Government if the economy downturn happens. From the Opposition I can hear the bitter Joyce and English blaming Labour/NZF/Greens for the downturn. As someone said there are bombs in the economy just waiting to explode.
It must be a bit of a worry for the incoming Government if the economy downturn happens.
It should be and I’m still certain that the coming collapse of the economy is a large part of the reason as to why Key quit. He didn’t want to have to front the fact that it was his policies that caused the crash.
But does show that Labour has an out – the failed policies of the National led government and it’s going to give them the drive needed to do some fairly radical elimination of those National Party policies. Hopefully, they even use it to restart our society and rethink the neo-liberal economics but I won’t hold my breath on that.
The economic bomb (the turn down) is slowly happening for NZ and will gather more speed if Nats are in power, but if that happens we know the small end of town will get hit first before the big end of town.
Coroner Peter Ryan today released his findings into the 15-year-old’s death in 2013, saying she had been the victim of relentless and “vicious” cyber-bullying.
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
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. ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
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 ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Matthew Hooton finally sees the light and in a moment of rare clarity, says out loud what he has always known to be the truth….
‘As I think we can all agree, National is a party with no principles’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201860778/political-commentators-matthew-hooton-and-stephen-mills
Add P. Gower’s ‘I’m ashamed to be reporting on my government’s dishonesty’ or words to that effect (concerning the hole and the tax lie). Now if a few MSM could take heart and run with the ball the incentive to honest government might just get a boost.
Gower is so ashamed to report on his government’s dishonest he hardly ever mentions it, lets most of it pass and deals with the perpetrators on a regular basis as is they’re regular people rather than people who have no basis on which to be treated as if what they say is important.
He’d know alot about having few principles does Matty.
Shame and honesty is not something they share alot of either being effectively echo chambers of the right.
Better late than never I guess. Although, the statement would probably carry more weight if it were being uttered by almost anyone other than Matthew Hooton. It’s like a liar saying, “I don’t like that guy. He tells lies.”
Of course Hoots knows the value of principles – he always tries to get the highest price for them.
There use to be a strain on the left that was anti-war. That would appear all but dead if you read this web site, and many other left web sites.
Here the thing, I don’t want our troops in Afghanistan, and I definitely don’t want our troops in Iraq.
I oppose the increase of troops to Afghanistan and what are we actually doing in Iraq? We were suppose to be in a training role, but that got exposed when one of our own ordered the use of white phosphorous on a civilian population.
There use to be an anti-war left.
It’s called the Green Party:
Afghanistan troop deployment a mistake, say Greens
James Shaw MP on Friday, August 25, 2017 – 12:21
New Zealand should not follow Trump into Afghanistan
James Shaw MP on Thursday, August 24, 2017 – 14:34
For non-violence at all levels: Charter
To Adam at 2: and many of us, now augmented by the younger generations, remain ‘the anti-war left’. A change in government hopefully will see New Zealand lead again in its anti-war stance.
There use to be a strain on the left that was anti-war.
I was working on a RNZN ship (as a civilian) at the exact time of the Falklands war. Astounding how many people expressed an enthusiastic desire to be actively involved when I was onshore, and how much more sober the response on board the ship.
Still it’s all very well being ‘anti-war’; but in isolation it’s not a sentiment that achieves much which is durable. There will always be tyrants and opportunistic militarists; the wolf unconstrained will always devour the flock.
The same rule-based mechanisms that constrain crime in any community … laws, courts and police … are the only means by which wars among the community of nations will be stopped. Bluntly that means some form of federated global governance; a UN that is empowered to work as it’s founders wished for.
Yes there used to be an anti-war left; not surprising as it was always the working class who bore the brunt of the awful losses, but it was also inter-woven with an Internationalist movement that was far more outward looking. Helen Clark would be a fine person to look towards for inspiration.
to RedLogix at 2.3 : the anti-war left of your last paragraph is exactly the culture I envisage and fervently wish for……an organisation for defence ( though I can’t see this being a possible with our long coastline and more so through our relative inconsequence in global terms), for coping with civil disaster at home or for peacekeeping with definitely no aggressive role on the world scene.
Sorry Heather,
As someone who has done Peacekeeping real time we had to act in aggressive way to prevent a war crimes from being committed. Peacekeepers need to act not only in a defensive way, but also in a aggressive way within its ROE or OFOF thence the need for NZDF to trained in all aspects of UN Peacekeeping from Chapter 1 though to Chapter 7. If you want fully trained NZDF in Peacekeeping are you prepared to throw more money at NZDF than the 20 billion for re- equipment over the next 15yrs etc when other areas of the government have been ran into the ground?
To me the benchmark for NZDF to under take any Peacekeeping task in the future was East Timor 99 (INTERFET) and the follow up UN mission.
There has been a number of UN mandated Peacekeeping missions over the yr where Peacekeepings have acted in a aggressive way from use of Airpower aka the Congo in the early 60’s (Indian Airforce using Canberra bombers, the same type that the RNZAF once used and Swedish Airforce SAAB Fighter jets) or the Danish Armoured Battle group that was ambush by the Serbs in Bosnia who called out to help a Swedish Infantry Battalion which under attack from Serbs who were protected a Village from the Serbs. The sad reality is that UN Peacekeepers sometimes have to use aggressive force in order to protect lives from the aggressor who doesn’t give a two fucks about Human rights.
Or would you prefer a passived defence Peacekeeping Force like what happened in Rwanda where the Belgian government pulled out its troops after a number of its troops were murdered and the UN turned a blind eye to the result mess that followed.
I’m now paying for it for my time as Peacekeeper, as I now have Psychological issues (PTSD), lose a mate to UN Peacekeeping mission and another to a UN mandated one in the Solly’s where he was shot in the back. Is Peacekeeping worst than the Gan or Iraq?
Also to add further to my post at 2:03pm,
Since the NZ has gone down the rabbit hole of this Neo Liberal economic garbage along with it’s Trade Liberalism and fobbing off it’s SOE’s etc. NZ is more at risk to a war breaking out as NZ is a import/ export nation, so I wouldn’t call NZ a relative inconsequential nation at the ass end of the world from a trading POV and NZ is also regarded as the gateway to the Antarctic region.
If you read my comment above, the notion of a militarily effective peace-keeping force (analogous to the police but on a global scale) is absolutely implicit in what I was saying.
Anti-war does NOT imply anti-military.
George Orwell said it best: People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
I was replying to Heather comments “peacekeeping with definitely no aggressive role on the world scene” as some people on the left don’t really understand what Peacekeeping is or are very naïve as Peacekeeping sounds so romantic where we don’t kill anyone and some answers I do get are so wide of the mark its not funny to a point. That wonder why do I bother putting on a uniform on also its gets me so angry that I drink myself stupid and waste a very good single malt whisky.
I have George Orwell quote now in my study (was on my office door at work before I lost my marbles) along with Churchill’s quote “Jaw Jaw is better than War War.
Like you I would like to see a rules base system international aggression on a follow country or countries.
“The same rule-based mechanisms that constrain crime in any community … laws, courts and police … are the only means by which wars among the community of nations will be stopped. Bluntly that means some form of federated global governance; a UN that is empowered to work as it’s founders wished for”
RedLogix, if I have offended you by my comments I apologise.
No offense in the slightest … I just thinking to clarify what I had in mind above.
I doubt that many people ‘on the left’ have much appetite for war have they?
Within left circles there are massive anti violence/war groupings from Parihaka down – googling might get you some good links.
On here all views are expressed and I’ve never noted more than the usual sabre rattling from some lefties.
Hey adam, would you be ok with me reposting the Guest Post you did a couple of years back about anarchy and hope? It seems appropriate to have it up again at this time.
Sure
thanks.
Well I for one do not want our military involved in anything the Yanks do, as far as I am concerned they are a pariah state and the world should have nothing to do with them.
100% Peter.
There still is. I’m anti-war despite my conviction that we need to ramp up our defence forces. When we need them we really need them and not having them is usually bad.
But I’m also against sending them off to other countries to fight – at all.
Note also that what we’re doing in Iraq and Afghanistan now is purely the result of the chicken-hawks in the right-wing.
I hitchhiked through Catalonia in the 1970s. We got rides from Catalan speakers, who were very strong on their identity as separate from Spain and France. A referendum should not be the context for state violence – a captive nation.
I’ve been to the US, but never been to Vegas. What a violent country!
Condolences and best wishes to the survivors: RIP the victims.
Sadly it is very unsurprising the lack of international condemnation to the extreme violence used against the peaceful voters in Catalonia yesterday.
It seems to me that the thin veil of decency that was once hoisted up to try and hide the ugly unfettered greed and brutality that is at the very soul of the neoliberal ideology, is now in the process of being done away with, and they are now starting to operate completely in the open in their unquenchable desire to appropriate everything in their path and protect their interests, but without the usual accompanying calming rhetoric, bullshit and lies.
Is this the new hard edged face of neoliberalism exposing itself, maybe in response to a obvious mood for real change throughout most countries afflicted with this cancerous ideology?
Of course I make this observation from a privileged western vantage point.
This ideology has of course been operating in a openly brutal way throughout most of the World all along…I guess as Malcolm X once said “the chickens coming home to roost”
Perhaps there’s an element of that. I think fascism has a bit of a history in Spain, that may have been sidelined by involvement with the EU.
When a friend and I hitched through Spain in the 70s, it had a militaristic dictator. Military carrying sub machine guns were an everyday occurrence at one campsite we stayed at.
The Guardia kept a strong watch on all travelers.
Locals were not keen to talk about Franco – just made gestures with their hands indicating it wasn’t safe to talk about him – never knew who was listening, and gestures indicated responses from authorities could be quite nasty, but possibly not out in the open.
I, like you hitchhiked through Spain in the 1960’s and the Guardia had a strict law about loitering. If you were found on the streets late at night they would clap you in jail. In Barcelona my friend and I were trying to find a cheap pension to stay in but a festival was on and the place was booked out, we had the guardia following us with what we thought was menace and, finally as we couldn’t find a place to sleep for the night we just carried on through to the outskirts of the city and hitch hiked out of the city. Spain was very strong on law and order and cops were everywhere on the streets armed.
Yes. I was with a group who had a similar experience in 1969. It was quite frightening being followed around as if we were suspect individuals. On entering Spain via Gibraltar, I was one of two selected from a boatload of tourists for a body search. We were required to strip down to the bare essentials. Not a nice experience. It crossed my mind it might have been because I was wearing a bright red jacket which had nothing to do with my political persuasion – I didn’t have any in those days.
“Sadly it is very unsurprising the lack of international condemnation to the extreme violence used against the peaceful voters in Catalonia yesterday.”
I thought I heard a comment tucked in the News report that the police were imported from outside Spain to carry out the violent obstructions. (Perhaps police from say Chicago? Nah.)
to Adrian at 3.1 : Frighteningly like fascist behaviour in Spain early 30’s….maybe tendency incipient in some areas of society e.g. police in his case but presumably acting under orders.
I’ve been taking a general media break for mental health purposes since the election so only have a basic working knowledge of what’s happening (it’s hard to completely cold turkey as a news junkie!).
But I get the impression that NZ seems to be functioning perfectly alright without an official government in place, aren’t we? Like we do every Christmas when the pollies all take off overseas and we’re left with just the Duty Minister “just in case” and the country doesn’t fall to pieces. I don’t think anyone even notices they’re missing! Sure, right now there’s no mechanism in place to improve things, and God knows that can’t come too soon, but we certainly haven’t deteriorated further with no one around to dictate their ill-informed/idealogical/egoist/just plain moronic plans on the populous.
I recognise some form of government is needed, but when it’s less damaging and more relaxing during these brief times then there must be a more stable way to keep the country running and get things done. I was thinking about only letting politicians with expertiese in their portfolios be Ministers, then I remembered Jonathon Coleman….
Coleman has no experience running a health system, and it shows.
Coleman couldn’t run a primary school relay, let alone a health system.
On Pundit: “In Praise of Public Servants
by Brian Easton.”
“If the minister is lucky or shrewd, some in this office are very good. (Take H2 – Heather Simpson – in Helen Clark’s office; Wayne Eagleson played a similar role in John Key’s.) But often many in the offices are politically ambitious time servers, as average as the politicians they serve and are not nearly as experienced or competent as officials in the ministries.”
Brian gives a possible scenario of might have happened with Joyce’s $11bil hole.
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/in-praise-of-public-servants#comment-45613
Did anyone feel that earthquake last nite between 9 pm and 10 it was small
Elon Musk plans to make the world a smaller place
https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/97415019/elon-musk-promises-travel-to-anywhere-in-the-world-in-under-one-hour
RIP Tom, and thanks for the sound track to a life.
Confusion over reports Tom Petty dead
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/97483713/tom-petty-found-unconscious-in-full-cardiac-arrest-reports
He’s brain dead, been taken off the machine and is expected to pass.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-petty-rock-iconoclast-who-led-the-heartbreakers-dead-at-66-w506651
Just in case you missed it, Stephanie Rodgers knocked it out of the park.
https://bootstheory.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/who-has-to-apologise/
yep.
I don’t know how Metiria Turei isn’t sitting at home with fists clenched and jaw locked, quietly seething with rage. I know holding grudges isn’t healthy… but still. I’d be perpetually livid.
Not much point Wensleydale, Metiria is doing somthing much better.
She is getting organised.
I enjoyed this – big heart-, strong mana.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/am-different-shade-brown-auckland-school-poet-destroys-maori-stereotypes-in-astounding-verse-viewed-million-times
Camron Bagrie, a good (bank-paid) economist and honest commentator, is stepping down.
His view from straight after the election is that New Zealand’s three boom cycles – construction, tourism, and migration – may have peaked:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/97189906/new-zealands-largest-bank-says-construction-migration-and-tourism-may-have-all-peaked
Bank paid.
Therefore not independent.
Therefore neoliberal.
Rosenberg is paid, not independent, but definitely not “neoliberal”.
It must be a bit of a worry for the incoming Government if the economy downturn happens. From the Opposition I can hear the bitter Joyce and English blaming Labour/NZF/Greens for the downturn. As someone said there are bombs in the economy just waiting to explode.
NZ’s major bomb is housing debt, but that is on the slow path to defusing as the entire market softens.
It should be and I’m still certain that the coming collapse of the economy is a large part of the reason as to why Key quit. He didn’t want to have to front the fact that it was his policies that caused the crash.
But does show that Labour has an out – the failed policies of the National led government and it’s going to give them the drive needed to do some fairly radical elimination of those National Party policies. Hopefully, they even use it to restart our society and rethink the neo-liberal economics but I won’t hold my breath on that.
The economic bomb (the turn down) is slowly happening for NZ and will gather more speed if Nats are in power, but if that happens we know the small end of town will get hit first before the big end of town.
Coroner Peter Ryan today released his findings into the 15-year-old’s death in 2013, saying she had been the victim of relentless and “vicious” cyber-bullying.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/340777/teen-s-suicide-cited-in-schools-mental-health-project