That shows how idiotic so much of the coverage of "tax cuts" has been. Treating it like scratch Lotto … "you could get $20 in your hand!". That only makes sense if everything else stays the same.
Economic policy changes things (sorry for stating the obvious, but the obvious isn't being reported much in this campaign). Sure, analysts might not all agree on the possible effects, but at a bare minimum there must be consideration of increased household costs, which would include house prices, rent, interest rates, council rates, and everything else related to the voter's home.
Tax Cuts are National's standard go to Policy, that trick has worked b4 as the average person does not understand the finer detail. Once National are voted in they develop policy to pay for the Tax Cuts like raising GST which for lower income earners nullifies the value of the Tax Cut.
The Lower Socio-Economic groups or "Bottom Feeders" who Luxon refers them as will get hammered by this next NACT Government.
Nikki Willis is doubting Goldman Sachs analysis and Grant Robertson's analysis, obviously she is a lot smarter than they are, hopefully she can clarify this and disprove their analysis.
I think point two is the most critical in terms of this election. That is failure to deliver on key projects such as Kiwibuild and Light Rail. I think this is front and centre of voters' minds when they consider promises that Labour makes for this current election. A lot of voters likely think "yeah right" and doubt what Labour promises will ever happen.
RNZ newsreader, 7am, said Labour MPs had told RNZ that saving the furniture is what matters now – but is parliament's furniture really threatened?
I suppose if the mob invades parliament next week then takes off in all directions carrying it, they'll be vindicated in their stand. Pictures of that happening on the evening news could effect a stunning turn-around in Labour's political fortunes.
However there's a real danger undecided voters will decide Labour has the wrong priorities. After all, folks can buy useful furniture at many large op-shops & parliamentary services could always go to Target if they felt obliged to be more up-market. Still, those Labour MPs could be right – let's wait & see if the mob goes for it.
ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden is locked in a statistical tie with the incumbent Simon O'Connor in the previously safe National seat of Tāmaki, a new Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll reveals.
When those who are undecided or refused to state their preferences are removed, O'Connor is on 40 percent support – down 13 points on the 2020 election – while van Velden is on 38 percent, up 30 points on the last election. Labour's Fesaitu Solomone was on 14 percent, the Greens on 4 percent, Te Pāti Māori on 2 percent, and NZ First on 1 percent.
Tāmaki has been a National stronghold for decades since former prime minister Robert Muldoon won the seat back at the 1960 general election.
If she wins it'll embed ACT for the forseeable future. I wonder what made her ditch the Greens & switch to ACT – haven't seen any reporter ask her the obvious question.
IMO Brooke van Velden one of the blue …"Green"? types you keep promulgating…For reasons known to yourself.
Prior to working for Seymour she worked for Matthew Hooton's lobbying firm Exceltium, and was at number 3 on the list in the 2017 election.
“I switched from being a Green Party voter to an ACT supporter while studying economics and international trade at Auckland University. The ability for free markets to lift countries from hardship was a revelation for me,” van Velden said in a statement.
I've explained the lack of authenticity of the left-Green stance often enough onsite here in the past, so those reasons you mention ought to be well-known by now. In sum: The Green movement I joined in '68 was deliberately conceived as neither left nor right but in front. Since that ethos went global in the early '80s I'm surprised you remain unaware of it.
Her view of lifting poverty via market forces is valid enough and I've reported stats on that once or twice here – it's just that the picture is more complex for us in the developed world, which is why the GP gets public support for wealth taxation.
Ideological the Free Trade Ideology in the real world which she probably hasn't experienced International Trade does not work that way, Seymour Butt would not understand that either as he has never had a proper job in his working life.
Interesting. A case of a University Business School succeeding at what it was designed to do. How economics is taught is just one more frontline in the battle.
Hmm – Dennis Frank missed his opportunity for a free hit at universities there
Inside Job | Official Trailer HD (2010)
“I don’t believe I have to discuss that with you.”
“We’re sorry – we won’t do it again. Trust us.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrBurlJUNk
A sizeable proportion of the voters of Tamaki could have had enough of Simon O'Conner's personal views too. I know several National voters who would vote very strategically to get rid of a happy clappy if National put one up in their electorate.
Would say the party vote in Tamaki is still resoundingly blue.
It makes sense to oust O'Connor, even for left-wing voters.
He would be replaced by a National list candidate. Tamaki voters can't choose who, obviously that would depend on National's party vote. But still likely to be less terrible than an ultra-conservative, one of the worst in the House.
(Brooke VV will be there regardless, on the list. So it's a free hit).
The same thing seems to be happening in Mahutu's seat of Hauraki-Waikato. The difference seems to be a little larger at 4% but I can't imagine that Nania is going to be very happy. She is on 36% with the TPM candidate on 32%.
If she loses of course she's gone as she hasn't got a place on the Labour Party list.
She was on the list, and quite high up, in every election since 2008 except for 2017 when, if I remember correctly, the party decided that none of the Maori electorate members should be on the list except for Kelvin Davis.
She was number 6 in 2014, 10 in 2008 and 2020 and number 12 in 2011.
I can't be bothered looking any further back than that.
I can't be bothered looking any further back than that.
Well I’m bothered! You'd have to look pretty far back to find a general election where Nanaia Mahuta didn't contest and win an electorate seat – 1996 in fact.
An unbroken run of eight electorate seat victories must be close to a record among incumbent electorate MPs.
Her being an mp for 27 years is a weakness not a strength for Gen z and Gen Y voters, a careerist old guard during a new Maori reneisance…
Being in parliament for longer than many voters have been alive is a travesty.
Anyone elected during the Bolger years should have retired during the early Key years.
Yikes.
We need Term limits on parliamentarians, professional politicians are genuinely the worst. Serving and representing your community is an honor, not a career!
I actually despise the party system, it creates professional politicians who don't stand up for their communities and instead they just toe the party line and work their way up the party ladder.
I'm not disputing that fact. It has, however absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about.
However Anne was, or at least I assume that she was, suggesting that Nanaia did not stand on the list and tried only for the electorate seat. That was the only interpretation I could make on the statement "Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate" in response to my comment that she wasn't on the list this time.
If Anne meant something else perhaps she could reply and say what it was she did mean.
I didn't, and still don't believe that your reply to Patricia B was on point.
Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate. – PB @5.4.1
You began your reply with "That isn't true I'm afraid Patricia." And yet it is true for the last 8 elections – further back than you could be bothered.
Mahuta has won an electorate seat in each of the last 8 elections, and you can’t win an electorate seat unless you have “gone to the electorate.”
It was not true, however, for the 1996 election – let's call it a draw
Or perhaps as George and Ira Gershwin would have put it.
"You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto.
Let's call the whole thing off"
If Anne cares to tell us what she really meant I may show some further interest. Otherwise I can't be bothered as to whether your interpretation of what she meant versus mine is the more likely.
I got confused trying to understand what on earth Drowsy was going on about and used the wrong name in my reply to him.
What does Tina Turner have to do with my comment? Did she record it at some stage? George and Ira Gershwin wrote it long before she was around. The best recording of it, as far as I am concerned, was by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
About as much as the Gershwins have to do with mine
OK, so you didn't understand "Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate.", in response to your comment about pre-election polling in Nanaia's electorate seat and her not being on Labour's list.
Had my doubts even you could be that confused, but no longer.
When Patricia tells me that that is what she meant I will accept it. When you magically divine what somebody else means with a statement I'll take the interpretation with a very large grain of salt. Your record for accuracy in such matters is not great.
From the files of things that are never meant to happen. Men lied about being non binary to gain access to a women’s tech recruitment conference.
Lots of them.
Feminists said this would happen and were called bigots.
Would be interesting to know why. A so-called "men's rights" protest about a women-only event?. Oddball geeks wanting to hit on women? Tech guys don't always set the highest standards for their own personal behaviour. And genuine trans people aren't to blame for it.
apart from the genuine trans people who are trans rights activists and who wholly supported and fought for exactly this.
From what I can tell, it's a recruitment conference, so the dude's are after the jobs. But yeah, I would suspect there's been some MRA type organising going on, or even just the word got out and it's over entitled blokes who know how to game the systems.
Fair enough. But it still annoys me that genuine trans people, whose lives are surely already difficult enough, get an extra dose of crap thrown at them because of opportunistic behaviour by men.
Completely agree. It's one of the most stupid own goals from liberals I've seen, and they were warned that going beyond trans humans rights to taking from women's rights would backlash against trans people. It's not over yet and I really hope NZ can avoid the worst of that.
This year, droves of men showed up with résumés in hand. AnitaB.org, the nonprofit that runs the conference, said there was “an increase in participation of self-identifying males” at this year’s event.
It's not even trans people or men pretending to be non-binary, it's men just being men and feeling entitled. To lump trans people in with men as being the issue here is incorrect.
some registrants had lied about their gender identity when signing up,
From your linked article.
So, yes, the self-ID provision – theoretically for the benefit of trans people – has been abused in exactly the way that women have said it would be.
By self-identified men – posing as 'women' for the purposes of registration – but with no intention of actually being in any way actually trans.
I don't feel that anyone is blaming trans for the issue. They are blaming the system. And pointing out that the theoretical advantages for trans people haven't eventuated, while the predicted disadvantages for women have come to pass.
The statement that this situation is what trans rights activists 'wholly support and fought for' is absolutely incorrect and it is blaming trans advocates for a number of men (self-identifying men, i.e. not claiming to be trans) attending a space they already couldn't legally be excluded from. It has nothing to with any gains made by trans people in terms of legal recognition of their gender (which is where we hear the alarmism over people 'self-identifying').
No. It's pointing out that the concerns that women had about the self-ID provisions designed to benefit trans people, being gamed by self-identifying men – have been found to be correct.
Perhaps this comment was intended to be in response to someone else – since your quoted phrase doesn’t appear in my comment.
This isn't an issue of identification on legal documents (what trans people want to 'self-ID' about) this is men, who identify as men, gate-crashing the event. Some booked places claiming non-binary status but didn't assert it when they attended. This isn't a situation about self-ID provisions as those are provisions are about legal documentation not about lying on a google form.
You said you don't feel anyone is blaming trans people, the quote is pointing out that which you may have missed, not what you specifically said.
Yes – these men used the self-ID provisions to game the system. Just as women said they would.
If you think that self-ID is limited to legal documentation – I invite you to inspect the real world.
It's clear that you support the self-ID provisions for trans people – which is at least a contributing factor. How do you think this kind of situation could or should be avoided?
No they didn't, they lied on an online form, paid an entry fee and showed up to apply for jobs as a man, identifying as a man, at a women’s conference they cannot legally be excluded from. Entitled behaviour that is very disappointing but unsurprising from men, particularly in this industry (gamergate etc. etc.). This is fundamentally different to someone being able to change their gender marker on their birth certificate by statutory declaration (as they already could for their passport and drivers licence) which is the 'self-ID provision' trans rights advocates support. This isn't a case of trans women taking cis women's spaces, it's men being men and feeling entitled to jobs they already disproportionally dominate. The patriarchy is the problem, the solutions to that are many and varied. In this particular situation the onus is on the companies soliciting applications to discriminate because it is federally illegal for the event organisers to do so and that has nothing to do with self-ID.
“showed up to apply for jobs as a man, identifying as a man, at a women’s conference they cannot legally be excluded from”
How is it not legal to exclude males?
I agree with Belladonna. Self-ID is a set of sociopolitical changes across legislatoon, policy and culture. It’s not just about birth certificates. Self ID enables males to gain access to women’s spaces, it’s not a document that does, it’s societal sanction.
Where I said,
“apart from the genuine trans people who are trans rights activists and who wholly supported and fought for exactly this”
I wasn’t saying that trans people cause men to abuse the system. I was saying that removal of women’s spaces is an intended part of the activism. #notallTRAs of course. But there are TRAs who want an end to single sex spaces (this is what a big part of the UK fight is about).
Further, self ID is inherently a system that allows any man to self ID as a woman at any time and then has to be treated as such (or NB or whatever). That is the intention of the trans umbrella and self ID. There is no external validation needed, that’s the whole point.
When feminists said hang on, that’s going to cause all sorts of problems because men will abuse this system, many feminists were told to shut the fuck up, nazi bigot, and had sexualised abuse directed at them.
TRAs went ahead with self-ID despite being told of the problems. It’s intentional.
As the article I posted said the issue in this situation was men, 'self-identifying males'. That excludes trans women and non-binary people. Biology doesn't come in to it
do TW and NB males have the same kinds of patterns of behaviours as other males.
The first is self evident. If society says any man can say they are a woman at any time and have to be treated as such, this is a distinct change from women are adult human females and are entitled to their own spaces in some situations. In this case, would the men have felt entitled to enter a women’s conference without the aid of self ID?
I’ve seen no evidence that TW and NB males don’t share at least some of the patterns of behaviours as other males. Observation suggests they do.
It's not even trans people or men pretending to be non-binary, it's men just being men and feeling entitled. To lump trans people in with men as being the issue here is incorrect.
Yes, I know. This is the point, men are using self-ID to be NB to access women's stuff. Feminists have been warning about this for a long time and were called bigots.
I didn't lump trans people in with this, I pointed out the problems with self-ID. Now you know what we've been going on about all this time.
It's male entitlement, many men do it and so do many trans women and non-binary males.
In addition, trans women aside, I'm still waiting to hear why NB males would be let into a women's event in the first place. No-one ever explains this.
It's male entitlement, many men do it and so do many trans women and non-binary males.
You can't be serious
Trans women and, as you say, non-binary 'males' would be welcome at this event, the issue here was men, who identify as men, they live as men, they lied to enter a job fair. That men lie to improve their employment chances is not a revelation that trans advocates are surprised by, but is fundamentally different to the idea that it is a property inherent to 'maleness' which incorrectly lumps trans and non-binary people into this situation.
yes, arkie, I'm a gender critical feminist. I see TW and NB males as biologically male. Most people do.
Trans women and, as you say, non-binary 'males' would be welcome at this event, the issue here was men, who identify as men, they live as men, they lied to enter a job fair.
Self ID means that any man can say he is a man at any time and has to be believed. It's very transphobic of you to be thinking you know which are the real trans people.
That men lie to improve their employment chances is not a revelation that trans advocates are surprised by, but is fundamentally different to the idea that it is a property inherent to 'maleness' which incorrectly lumps trans and non-binary people into this situation.
If I could be bothered I'd go dig up all the conversations were TRAs and trans allies said this shit wouldn't happen. Even when we said it would.
Lying isn't a property inherent to maleness. Males of any identity self ID-ing into women's business is.
You still haven't explained why NB males should be allowed into women's spaces.
Lying isn't a property inherent to maleness. Males of any identity self ID-ing into women's business is.
And in this situation males self-identifying as men were the problem, no need to invoke trans people at all, except that you're a gender critical feminist, again, not new information.
People's genuinely held identities should be respected, but again, that wasn't the issue here and I'm at a loss as to why I'm expected to explain the admission policy choices of this event.
And in this situation males self-identifying as men were the problem, no need to invoke trans people at all, except that you’re a gender critical feminist, again, not new information.
But the only reason they were able to self-ID is because of self-ID. I agree the problem isn’t trans people, it’s self-ID (and TRA pol).
People’s genuinely held identities should be respected, but again, that wasn’t the issue here and I’m at a loss as to why I’m expected to explain the admission policy choices of this event.
I agree that people’s genuinely held identities should be respected. Including women’s. But self ID is massively disrespectful to women’s culture and identity. You can’t have it both ways.
what you are essentially arguing is the end of women’s culture. I would have less of a problem with a conference for people under represented or who face barriers in tech. But if they’re going to call it a women’s conference, then that’s a problem if it’s not for women only, as we have just seen.
Yeah but who wants to know about the real world during an election campaign?
Marine and ice specialists from top research outfits gathered at an emergency summit in Wellington on Tuesday to discuss record low sea ice in Antarctica this year, which they described as "deeply alarming".
More than 40 researchers banded together to release a joint statement saying the unprecedented Antarctic sea ice low was driven by warming of the Southern Ocean and atmosphere, and calling for urgent cuts to climate pollution. Speaking to media afterwards, they were not buying the argument that New Zealand is too small to make a difference to climate change, saying urgent emissions cuts on the scale needed called for global cooperation and that New Zealand could have an outsized impact on a per-capita basis.
At its seasonal peak, the typical area of ice floating on the Southern Ocean is so vast it doubles the size of the Antarctic continent, adding around 50 New Zealand’s worth of area. That was why it has such far-reaching effects on the planet’s climate.
Neither Hipkins nor Luxon will pay attention & do the right thing, I predict. Neolib ideology defeats reality in the minds of such mainstreamers constantly.
I very much doubt it. They're providing the long-term holistic view. Causal analysis doesn't really work in complex systems, which is why the butterfly effect usually gets mentioned by those up with the scientific play.
Brandolino the yank weather guy is usually good at pointing the media to the guts of whatever's happening but it would get down to the local interaction of El Nino & effects of the sea-ice decline down south. I haven't encountered any science on the effects of significant southern sea-ice reductions on a year-by-year basis.
Ditto. But I think it's a reasonable presumption that it will put more fiscal pressure on governments having to deal with whatever happens. Not a good time to be gutting whatever pathetically inadequate pots of money governments might have already set aside.
If you don't have regular access to the internet, or the right identification details (New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe ID) to accompany an online enrolment, you can still enrol in other ways.
You can enrol or update your details by filling in an enrolment form. Call 0800 36 76 56 or freetext your name and address to 3676 to have one sent to you. You can pick up an enrolment form at a Citizen's Advice Bureau, most public libraries, and Electoral Commission offices.
Yeah – I sort of feel it glosses over the fact that Luxon/Nats are quite bad enough all on their own. The carbuncles are smallish exacerbations of the same underlying disease.
To those who thought TOP were principled and progressive:
[TOP leader, Raf Manji is] calling on National to stand aside in Ilam so TOP gets into Parliament with a handful of MPs, meaning Luxon wouldn't have to rely on New Zealand First if that's what's needed to form a government.
While Luxon has ruled it out, this play by Manji really points out the hollowness of TOPs priorities; none of their 'progressive' policies would be enacted by a potential NACT government.
It's a non-story, really. Manji has no chance, of course.
Bizarre that Newshub last night made it their lead at 6 pm. Yet another case of game-playing ranked above policy. The coverage seems worse than ever this election. All about the "who", not the "what". (And then we're surprised when the "what" emerges, only after we've voted).
IMO The MSM is there to deliver a profit and a RW government – things like information and honesty are at the most 'goal adjacent' and more often aren't even in the building let alone the coverage.
The NZ Media are just playing games with the NZ Public analysis of the different parties policies is above their level of intellect, it reminds me of watching Play School as a child. No wonder this cuntry is in the sh*t with the quality of Politicians available and the the level of intellect in the NZ Media.
'And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling journalists!'
Keep 'em honest, as much as is possible in these $$$-mesmerised times.
Mediawatch: Turning off the news? [9 April 2023]
“We noticed that there's 14,500 journalists in Finland [popn 5.5 m] – and about 2500 here [popn 5.2 m]. It does actually speak to what you can offer people. I think in New Zealand we're rushing the news. I'm not blaming journalists for that, because that same stuff has to be covered with fewer resources, but you're inevitably going to get thinner coverage,” Dr Treadwell said.
TOP is a right-wing party that rakes some ideas that parts of the left favour (like UBI) and inserts them into a right-wing framing of how the economy works and must work.
It may well be that most farmers will be happy to see these regulations go, but I suspect not all of them will.
This is ACT policy to target for our agricultural economy:
Scrapping the Zero Carbon Act and … if farmers in countries who are our biggest trading partners are not paying a price for their methane emissions, neither should New Zealand farmers.
A genuine split gas approach … [between methane and CO2],
Shifting responsibility for farm plans from Wellington bureaucrats to regional councils, while ensuring a consistent template is used and existing plans remain valid.
Making sure people with practical animal handling and farming experience are appointed to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC).
…liberalising GE laws.
[R]emoving the cap on the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, abolishing labour market tests and wage rules, removing the ‘work to residence’ divide for occupations on the Green List, and bringing back 90-day trials.
Getting rid of Three Waters and bring back a local approach to water resources by having local communities develop acceptable standards and rules for nitrates, sedimentation run off, and freshwater quality.
Liberalising water storage requirements to increase farmer resilience to climate and seasonal pressures whilst maintaining aquifer health. And … time-based tradable water permits so farmers could trade water allocations …
Classic neolib fudging to prevent anything intelligent happening. No mention of polluter accountability. Evade consequences to demonstrate loyalty to the establishment. Trad left/right jerk-off for mainstreamers.
The standing ovation Canada’s parliament gave last Friday-fortnight to a 98 year-old veteran of the notorious Ukrainian Waffen-SS, a moment that shames the civilized world, has links to the recent railroading of a Radio New Zealand journalist accused of injecting pro-Russian propaganda into Reuters’ news stories.
Yaroslav Hunka, one of thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators allowed into Canada after WW2, was a guest at the September 25th official parliamentary reception for Ukraine’s President Zelensky, who was in Canada to lobby for more military and financial aid for his war with Russia.
Introducing the veteran Nazi to a full house, the Speaker of Canada’s Parliament said; “We have in the chamber today a Ukrainian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians”, going on to call him a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and to thank him for all his service.”
As cheers erupted throughout the chamber, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Zelensky, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and the assembled leaders of Canada’s political elite all stood (twice) to applaud the veteran Ukrainian Nazi’s wartime “service”. https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/10/04/reuters-russia-and-radio-new-zealand/
Author's commentary seems well-written & as a sceptic on the issue I can't fault his stance. Looks like Justin got this wrong.
What we don't have , and what Russia doesn't have ,is a self avowed white supremacist unit within our military that actively recruits fellow white supremacists internationally .
I just believe Russiaphobes are not going to cease their Russiaphobia with facts and logic. Thankfully their opinion is of little consequence in the greater scheme of things.
You do realise literally the only 'Russian' military force that could actually achieve anything was Wagner (Soledar and Bakhmut) and that Dmitry Utkin (the bloke in the photo) was the military mind behind Wagner – so bemusingly it seems the best Russuian Military mind was a bald freaky looking guy with a pile of Nazi tattoos.
We could have a NACT TOP Coalition if National steps aside in Ilam and encourages their voters to vote TOP, will save Luxon having to deal with Winston and NZF ???
France’s health minister has assured the French public that there’s “no reason for widespread panic” as Paris reports a “widespread” rise in bedbugs… Rousseau conceded that “when you see them around you, when you have bedbugs in your home, it’s a nightmare” but assured listeners that “we haven’t been invaded by bedbugs.”
“Bedbugs have been increasingly present in France for two or three years now, regularly peaking in the summer. But this year, we’ve gone beyond all other years,” INELP president Marie Effroy said, adding that the jump started “at the end of August, beginning of September.”
So looks like Gaia's to blame. No wee alien spacecraft detected yet. If you are headed for a holiday there, Outer Mongolia probably a better move…
This interview of Naomi Klein by Ash Sarkar is some relief from election silliness. Klein looks at the growth of the far right using a literary device, the doppelganger. Her basic idea is that the right has quite tactically taken ground traditionally belonging to the left (such as opposition to hierarchy, elites and corporate power) and turned it into a malevolent double of it's original self by reflecting it back through a right-wing lens. This has splintered the left and pulled sections of it over to the right. It's not an original idea but an interesting take on an existing one.
Mark Mitchell is a liar. "Crime is out of control!" he says but when confronted with Stats he just shouts and blusters jus like Standford and Luxon have taught him. Disgusting.
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
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Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
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Matt Gaetz as House Speaker?
Ewwww.
Never going to happen.
The MAGA shower have too few votes and there are too many "moderate" Republicans who wouldn't want him anywhere near the speakers gavel either.
OOPS
Goldman Sachs analysts warn National’s proposed tax cuts risk exacerbating inflation, and therefore causing interest rates to remain higher for longer.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/election-2023-nationals-tax-cuts-could-push-interest-rates-up-goldman-sachs-analysts-warn/VB6QT4LQCFFA5HJDPVWQKCQSUA/
Pay walled
Muppetts
Link past the paywall
https://archive.ph/23WEA
That shows how idiotic so much of the coverage of "tax cuts" has been. Treating it like scratch Lotto … "you could get $20 in your hand!". That only makes sense if everything else stays the same.
Economic policy changes things (sorry for stating the obvious, but the obvious isn't being reported much in this campaign). Sure, analysts might not all agree on the possible effects, but at a bare minimum there must be consideration of increased household costs, which would include house prices, rent, interest rates, council rates, and everything else related to the voter's home.
It's a con, and not even a subtle one.
Tax Cuts are National's standard go to Policy, that trick has worked b4 as the average person does not understand the finer detail. Once National are voted in they develop policy to pay for the Tax Cuts like raising GST which for lower income earners nullifies the value of the Tax Cut.
The Lower Socio-Economic groups or "Bottom Feeders" who Luxon refers them as will get hammered by this next NACT Government.
Nikki Willis is doubting Goldman Sachs analysis and Grant Robertson's analysis, obviously she is a lot smarter than they are, hopefully she can clarify this and disprove their analysis.
Bryce Edwards has given 10 reasons why Labour's support has halved.
I think point two is the most critical in terms of this election. That is failure to deliver on key projects such as Kiwibuild and Light Rail. I think this is front and centre of voters' minds when they consider promises that Labour makes for this current election. A lot of voters likely think "yeah right" and doubt what Labour promises will ever happen.
In the case of Kiwibuild, even having brought a Kiwibuild property doesn't necessarily guarantee you will get it.
Light Rail to the Airport is a disaster waiting to happen IMHO.
Brought est-ce que tu bought?
Bryce Edwards is just another National Party poodle, always was, and always will be .
RNZ newsreader, 7am, said Labour MPs had told RNZ that saving the furniture is what matters now – but is parliament's furniture really threatened?
I suppose if the mob invades parliament next week then takes off in all directions carrying it, they'll be vindicated in their stand. Pictures of that happening on the evening news could effect a stunning turn-around in Labour's political fortunes.
However there's a real danger undecided voters will decide Labour has the wrong priorities. After all, folks can buy useful furniture at many large op-shops & parliamentary services could always go to Target if they felt obliged to be more up-market. Still, those Labour MPs could be right – let's wait & see if the mob goes for it.
Situation Tamaki on a knife-edge:
If she wins it'll embed ACT for the forseeable future. I wonder what made her ditch the Greens & switch to ACT – haven't seen any reporter ask her the obvious question.
Why does anyone go to the ACT Party?
More money.
ACT is the party for the people who always want more of it.
ACT Party is for the Greedy and Well Healed.
IMO Brooke van Velden one of the blue …"
Green"? types you keep promulgating…For reasons known to yourself.Hooten? She might like..Green, as in gardening.
I've explained the lack of authenticity of the left-Green stance often enough onsite here in the past, so those reasons you mention ought to be well-known by now. In sum: The Green movement I joined in '68 was deliberately conceived as neither left nor right but in front. Since that ethos went global in the early '80s I'm surprised you remain unaware of it.
Her view of lifting poverty via market forces is valid enough and I've reported stats on that once or twice here – it's just that the picture is more complex for us in the developed world, which is why the GP gets public support for wealth taxation.
Ideological the Free Trade Ideology in the real world which she probably hasn't experienced International Trade does not work that way, Seymour Butt would not understand that either as he has never had a proper job in his working life.
Interesting. A case of a University Business School succeeding at what it was designed to do. How economics is taught is just one more frontline in the battle.
Hmm – Dennis Frank missed his opportunity for a free hit at universities there
A sizeable proportion of the voters of Tamaki could have had enough of Simon O'Conner's personal views too. I know several National voters who would vote very strategically to get rid of a happy clappy if National put one up in their electorate.
Would say the party vote in Tamaki is still resoundingly blue.
It makes sense to oust O'Connor, even for left-wing voters.
He would be replaced by a National list candidate. Tamaki voters can't choose who, obviously that would depend on National's party vote. But still likely to be less terrible than an ultra-conservative, one of the worst in the House.
(Brooke VV will be there regardless, on the list. So it's a free hit).
The same thing seems to be happening in Mahutu's seat of Hauraki-Waikato. The difference seems to be a little larger at 4% but I can't imagine that Nania is going to be very happy. She is on 36% with the TPM candidate on 32%.
If she loses of course she's gone as she hasn't got a place on the Labour Party list.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/499329/general-election-2023-nanaia-mahuta-facing-serious-challenge-in-hauraki-waikato-poll-shows
Yeah looks like a classic generational divide happening there. Mahuta's track record versus a vote for the future…
Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate. She believes in Democracy.
That isn't true I'm afraid Patricia.
She was on the list, and quite high up, in every election since 2008 except for 2017 when, if I remember correctly, the party decided that none of the Maori electorate members should be on the list except for Kelvin Davis.
She was number 6 in 2014, 10 in 2008 and 2020 and number 12 in 2011.
I can't be bothered looking any further back than that.
Well I’m bothered! You'd have to look pretty far back to find a general election where Nanaia Mahuta didn't contest and win an electorate seat – 1996 in fact.
An unbroken run of eight electorate seat victories must be close to a record among incumbent electorate MPs.
Her being an mp for 27 years is a weakness not a strength for Gen z and Gen Y voters, a careerist old guard during a new Maori reneisance…
Being in parliament for longer than many voters have been alive is a travesty.
Anyone elected during the Bolger years should have retired during the early Key years.
Yikes.
We need Term limits on parliamentarians, professional politicians are genuinely the worst. Serving and representing your community is an honor, not a career!
I actually despise the party system, it creates professional politicians who don't stand up for their communities and instead they just toe the party line and work their way up the party ladder.
I'm not disputing that fact. It has, however absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about.
However Anne was, or at least I assume that she was, suggesting that Nanaia did not stand on the list and tried only for the electorate seat. That was the only interpretation I could make on the statement "Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate" in response to my comment that she wasn't on the list this time.
If Anne meant something else perhaps she could reply and say what it was she did mean.
I didn't, and still don't believe that your reply to Patricia B was on point.
You began your reply with "That isn't true I'm afraid Patricia." And yet it is true for the last 8 elections – further back than you could be bothered.
Mahuta has won an electorate seat in each of the last 8 elections, and you can’t win an electorate seat unless you have “gone to the electorate.”
It was not true, however, for the 1996 election – let's call it a draw
Or perhaps as George and Ira Gershwin would have put it.
"You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto.
Let's call the whole thing off"
If Anne cares to tell us what she really meant I may show some further interest. Otherwise I can't be bothered as to whether your interpretation of what she meant versus mine is the more likely.
George & Ira, or Tina Turner: What's "Anne" got to do, got to do with it?
Are you OK?
Oops – PB @5.4.2
Sorry Anne. Sorry Patricia.
I got confused trying to understand what on earth Drowsy was going on about and used the wrong name in my reply to him.
What does Tina Turner have to do with my comment? Did she record it at some stage? George and Ira Gershwin wrote it long before she was around. The best recording of it, as far as I am concerned, was by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
About as much as the Gershwins have to do with mine
OK, so you didn't understand "Nanaia Mahuta has always gone to the electorate.", in response to your comment about pre-election polling in Nanaia's electorate seat and her not being on Labour's list.
Had my doubts even you could be that confused, but no longer.
When Patricia tells me that that is what she meant I will accept it. When you magically divine what somebody else means with a statement I'll take the interpretation with a very large grain of salt. Your record for accuracy in such matters is not great.
Happy for others to decide whose interpretation is more ‘magical’
From the files of things that are never meant to happen. Men lied about being non binary to gain access to a women’s tech recruitment conference.
Lots of them.
Feminists said this would happen and were called bigots.
https://x.com/rottengirl/status/1709195019792318622?s=46
Would be interesting to know why. A so-called "men's rights" protest about a women-only event?. Oddball geeks wanting to hit on women? Tech guys don't always set the highest standards for their own personal behaviour. And genuine trans people aren't to blame for it.
apart from the genuine trans people who are trans rights activists and who wholly supported and fought for exactly this.
From what I can tell, it's a recruitment conference, so the dude's are after the jobs. But yeah, I would suspect there's been some MRA type organising going on, or even just the word got out and it's over entitled blokes who know how to game the systems.
Fair enough. But it still annoys me that genuine trans people, whose lives are surely already difficult enough, get an extra dose of crap thrown at them because of opportunistic behaviour by men.
Completely agree. It's one of the most stupid own goals from liberals I've seen, and they were warned that going beyond trans humans rights to taking from women's rights would backlash against trans people. It's not over yet and I really hope NZ can avoid the worst of that.
https://www.wired.com/story/grace-hopper-celebration-career-fair-men/
It's not even trans people or men pretending to be non-binary, it's men just being men and feeling entitled. To lump trans people in with men as being the issue here is incorrect.
From your linked article.
So, yes, the self-ID provision – theoretically for the benefit of trans people – has been abused in exactly the way that women have said it would be.
By self-identified men – posing as 'women' for the purposes of registration – but with no intention of actually being in any way actually trans.
I don't feel that anyone is blaming trans for the issue. They are blaming the system. And pointing out that the theoretical advantages for trans people haven't eventuated, while the predicted disadvantages for women have come to pass.
The statement that this situation is what trans rights activists 'wholly support and fought for' is absolutely incorrect and it is blaming trans advocates for a number of men (self-identifying men, i.e. not claiming to be trans) attending a space they already couldn't legally be excluded from. It has nothing to with any gains made by trans people in terms of legal recognition of their gender (which is where we hear the alarmism over people 'self-identifying').
No. It's pointing out that the concerns that women had about the self-ID provisions designed to benefit trans people, being gamed by self-identifying men – have been found to be correct.
Perhaps this comment was intended to be in response to someone else – since your quoted phrase doesn’t appear in my comment.
This isn't an issue of identification on legal documents (what trans people want to 'self-ID' about) this is men, who identify as men, gate-crashing the event. Some booked places claiming non-binary status but didn't assert it when they attended. This isn't a situation about self-ID provisions as those are provisions are about legal documentation not about lying on a google form.
You said you don't feel anyone is blaming trans people, the quote is pointing out that which you may have missed, not what you specifically said.
Yes – these men used the self-ID provisions to game the system. Just as women said they would.
If you think that self-ID is limited to legal documentation – I invite you to inspect the real world.
It's clear that you support the self-ID provisions for trans people – which is at least a contributing factor. How do you think this kind of situation could or should be avoided?
No they didn't, they lied on an online form, paid an entry fee and showed up to apply for jobs as a man, identifying as a man, at a women’s conference they cannot legally be excluded from. Entitled behaviour that is very disappointing but unsurprising from men, particularly in this industry (gamergate etc. etc.). This is fundamentally different to someone being able to change their gender marker on their birth certificate by statutory declaration (as they already could for their passport and drivers licence) which is the 'self-ID provision' trans rights advocates support. This isn't a case of trans women taking cis women's spaces, it's men being men and feeling entitled to jobs they already disproportionally dominate. The patriarchy is the problem, the solutions to that are many and varied. In this particular situation the onus is on the companies soliciting applications to discriminate because it is federally illegal for the event organisers to do so and that has nothing to do with self-ID.
“showed up to apply for jobs as a man, identifying as a man, at a women’s conference they cannot legally be excluded from”
How is it not legal to exclude males?
I agree with Belladonna. Self-ID is a set of sociopolitical changes across legislatoon, policy and culture. It’s not just about birth certificates. Self ID enables males to gain access to women’s spaces, it’s not a document that does, it’s societal sanction.
Where I said,
“apart from the genuine trans people who are trans rights activists and who wholly supported and fought for exactly this”
I wasn’t saying that trans people cause men to abuse the system. I was saying that removal of women’s spaces is an intended part of the activism. #notallTRAs of course. But there are TRAs who want an end to single sex spaces (this is what a big part of the UK fight is about).
Further, self ID is inherently a system that allows any man to self ID as a woman at any time and then has to be treated as such (or NB or whatever). That is the intention of the trans umbrella and self ID. There is no external validation needed, that’s the whole point.
When feminists said hang on, that’s going to cause all sorts of problems because men will abuse this system, many feminists were told to shut the fuck up, nazi bigot, and had sexualised abuse directed at them.
TRAs went ahead with self-ID despite being told of the problems. It’s intentional.
The article I posted says it is not legal because of 'federal non-discrimination protections in the US'
You say male because you are lumping trans women in with the men in this situation which is erroneous.
You make extraordinary claims about the views and aims of others quite freely on this issue it seems.
are you saying that you believe trans women aren’t biologically male?
are you also saying that NB males aren’t biologically male?
As the article I posted said the issue in this situation was men, 'self-identifying males'. That excludes trans women and non-binary people. Biology doesn't come in to it
there are two issues here.
The first is self evident. If society says any man can say they are a woman at any time and have to be treated as such, this is a distinct change from women are adult human females and are entitled to their own spaces in some situations. In this case, would the men have felt entitled to enter a women’s conference without the aid of self ID?
I’ve seen no evidence that TW and NB males don’t share at least some of the patterns of behaviours as other males. Observation suggests they do.
Yes, I know. This is the point, men are using self-ID to be NB to access women's stuff. Feminists have been warning about this for a long time and were called bigots.
I didn't lump trans people in with this, I pointed out the problems with self-ID. Now you know what we've been going on about all this time.
It's male entitlement, many men do it and so do many trans women and non-binary males.
In addition, trans women aside, I'm still waiting to hear why NB males would be let into a women's event in the first place. No-one ever explains this.
and then
You can't be serious
Trans women and, as you say, non-binary 'males' would be welcome at this event, the issue here was men, who identify as men, they live as men, they lied to enter a job fair. That men lie to improve their employment chances is not a revelation that trans advocates are surprised by, but is fundamentally different to the idea that it is a property inherent to 'maleness' which incorrectly lumps trans and non-binary people into this situation.
yes, arkie, I'm a gender critical feminist. I see TW and NB males as biologically male. Most people do.
Self ID means that any man can say he is a man at any time and has to be believed. It's very transphobic of you to be thinking you know which are the real trans people.
If I could be bothered I'd go dig up all the conversations were TRAs and trans allies said this shit wouldn't happen. Even when we said it would.
Lying isn't a property inherent to maleness. Males of any identity self ID-ing into women's business is.
You still haven't explained why NB males should be allowed into women's spaces.
And in this situation males self-identifying as men were the problem, no need to invoke trans people at all, except that you're a gender critical feminist, again, not new information.
People's genuinely held identities should be respected, but again, that wasn't the issue here and I'm at a loss as to why I'm expected to explain the admission policy choices of this event.
But the only reason they were able to self-ID is because of self-ID. I agree the problem isn’t trans people, it’s self-ID (and TRA pol).
I agree that people’s genuinely held identities should be respected. Including women’s. But self ID is massively disrespectful to women’s culture and identity. You can’t have it both ways.
what you are essentially arguing is the end of women’s culture. I would have less of a problem with a conference for people under represented or who face barriers in tech. But if they’re going to call it a women’s conference, then that’s a problem if it’s not for women only, as we have just seen.
“And in this situation males self-identifying as men were the problem, no need to invoke trans people at all,”
That's just 'La-La-La fingers in the ears' not paying attention to the issue.
Which is males using the self-ID provisions designed for trans people – to access women's spaces.
Women said this would happen. And it has. Multiple times and in multiple different ways.
Still waiting to hear how trans-activists propose to address this – entirely foreseeable – consequence of the self-ID provisions they campaigned for.
Yeah but who wants to know about the real world during an election campaign?
Neither Hipkins nor Luxon will pay attention & do the right thing, I predict. Neolib ideology defeats reality in the minds of such mainstreamers constantly.
Is anyone yet venturing about how this might affect New Zealand?
I'm presuming it will but don't have the expertise to venture how.
I couldn't see it from the participants.
I very much doubt it. They're providing the long-term holistic view. Causal analysis doesn't really work in complex systems, which is why the butterfly effect usually gets mentioned by those up with the scientific play.
Brandolino the yank weather guy is usually good at pointing the media to the guts of whatever's happening but it would get down to the local interaction of El Nino & effects of the sea-ice decline down south. I haven't encountered any science on the effects of significant southern sea-ice reductions on a year-by-year basis.
Ditto. But I think it's a reasonable presumption that it will put more fiscal pressure on governments having to deal with whatever happens. Not a good time to be gutting whatever pathetically inadequate pots of money governments might have already set aside.
Sharon Murdoch doing her thing. The growths on Luxon’s back.
https://x.com/domesticanimal/status/1709265262384689505?s=46
Party Vote Green – or TPM, or Labour – please.
https://www.greens.org.nz/ending_poverty_together
https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/enrol-or-update-online/
Yeah – I sort of feel it glosses over the fact that Luxon/Nats are quite bad enough all on their own. The carbuncles are smallish exacerbations of the same underlying disease.
To those who thought TOP were principled and progressive:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/10/election-2023-national-urged-to-do-deal-in-ilam-to-get-the-opportunities-party-into-parliament-avoid-needing-winston-peters.html
While Luxon has ruled it out, this play by Manji really points out the hollowness of TOPs priorities; none of their 'progressive' policies would be enacted by a potential NACT government.
It's a non-story, really. Manji has no chance, of course.
Bizarre that Newshub last night made it their lead at 6 pm. Yet another case of game-playing ranked above policy. The coverage seems worse than ever this election. All about the "who", not the "what". (And then we're surprised when the "what" emerges, only after we've voted).
IMO The MSM is there to deliver a profit and a RW government – things like information and honesty are at the most 'goal adjacent' and more often aren't even in the building let alone the coverage.
The NZ Media are just playing games with the NZ Public analysis of the different parties policies is above their level of intellect, it reminds me of watching Play School as a child. No wonder this cuntry is in the sh*t with the quality of Politicians available and the the level of intellect in the NZ Media.
'And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling journalists!'
Keep 'em honest, as much as is possible in these $$$-mesmerised times.
good. Hopefully this plays out badly for them now that it's clear.
TOP is a right-wing party that rakes some ideas that parts of the left favour (like UBI) and inserts them into a right-wing framing of how the economy works and must work.
It may well be that most farmers will be happy to see these regulations go, but I suspect not all of them will.
This is ACT policy to target for our agricultural economy:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2310/S00023/six-rural-regulations-first-on-the-chopping-block.htm
This is the Federated Farmer takeover they've always wanted, back into low-grade low-value, low care exports.
Classic neolib fudging to prevent anything intelligent happening. No mention of polluter accountability. Evade consequences to demonstrate loyalty to the establishment. Trad left/right jerk-off for mainstreamers.
Check out this Ukrainian nazi situation:
Author's commentary seems well-written & as a sceptic on the issue I can't fault his stance. Looks like Justin got this wrong.
Uh oh
Dennis
Rookie move to be so even-handed
Have you not read the comments on TS where this has been discussed?
The standing ovation is inconsequential because of Holodomor and Russia's war in Ukraine.
And after the war the Ukrainian nazis were very handy for their hatred of communism, which evened out their slaughter of Jews,Poles, gypsies.
Politico has come forward with an attempt to wash the sins of the Galizien unit away,there will be more to come
The Nazi Party ceased to exist 78 years ago.
The Nazi Party was the party of German Fascists.
Putin the Tiny incessantly carps on about mythical Ukranian Nazi's as a form of his dead cat on the table school of reasoning.
The Wagner PMC's main military strategist was this bloke
https://aijac.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/utkin.jpeg
That's a lovely 'lightning bolt ' tattoo – What could it ever be referring to?
Ooo and is that a German eagle tattoo as well?
Yes most definitely it is .
We have those nutters here too.
What we don't have , and what Russia doesn't have ,is a self avowed white supremacist unit within our military that actively recruits fellow white supremacists internationally .
https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-the-transnational-network-that-nobody-is-talking-about/
Thank you Francesca for your tenacity.
I just believe Russiaphobes are not going to cease their Russiaphobia with facts and logic. Thankfully their opinion is of little consequence in the greater scheme of things.
Thanks Brigid
Of course the Russophobia is built in , to the extent that there are no Nazis in Ukraine!I'm staggered by the Nazi apologists coming to the surface.
The russophobia is built by russia's murderous invasions, tortures, rapes, looting. That is what builds it in.
Here's an idea – how about they take their military and f*ck off back to russia? Unlike Ukraine, they can leave and return to their own country.
You do realise literally the only 'Russian' military force that could actually achieve anything was Wagner (Soledar and Bakhmut) and that Dmitry Utkin (the bloke in the photo) was the military mind behind Wagner – so bemusingly it seems the best Russuian Military mind was a bald freaky looking guy with a pile of Nazi tattoos.
Lol
Buttfly that photo is NOT Utkin, do a little actual research instead of spreading misinformation, similar looking but Utkin ain't the guy in the pic.
We could have a NACT TOP Coalition if National steps aside in Ilam and encourages their voters to vote TOP, will save Luxon having to deal with Winston and NZF ???
Panic in France due to alien invasion?
So looks like Gaia's to blame. No wee alien spacecraft detected yet. If you are headed for a holiday there, Outer Mongolia probably a better move…
This interview of Naomi Klein by Ash Sarkar is some relief from election silliness. Klein looks at the growth of the far right using a literary device, the doppelganger. Her basic idea is that the right has quite tactically taken ground traditionally belonging to the left (such as opposition to hierarchy, elites and corporate power) and turned it into a malevolent double of it's original self by reflecting it back through a right-wing lens. This has splintered the left and pulled sections of it over to the right. It's not an original idea but an interesting take on an existing one.
Mark Mitchell is a liar. "Crime is out of control!" he says but when confronted with Stats he just shouts and blusters jus like Standford and Luxon have taught him. Disgusting.
Stats are interesting too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeiFVRaHtVk