Open mike 11/04/2024
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6:00 am, April 11th, 2024 - 123 comments
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- 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...10 hours ago - At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
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 ...12 hours ago - Road photos
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...13 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...13 hours ago - NZDF is still hostile to oversight
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...13 hours ago - Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...13 hours ago - Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.14 hours ago
- A clear warningThe unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...14 hours ago
- Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...14 hours ago - Listening To The Traffic.14 hours ago
- Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...14 hours ago
- Ending The Quest.Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...15 hours ago
- Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...17 hours ago - Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...19 hours ago - Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the countryBryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...19 hours ago
- Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
20 hours ago - Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weatherThis is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...22 hours ago
- Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...23 hours ago - Webworm LA Pop-Up
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...24 hours ago - “Feel good” school is out
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...1 day ago - 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...1 day ago - Bread, and how it gets buttered
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...2 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the countryPolling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...2 days ago
- Justice for Gaza?The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...2 days ago
- If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...2 days ago
- FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track BillBryce Edwards writes – 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 is trying to achieve and its ...2 days ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Retispan class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...2 days ago
- Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...2 days ago - Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession2 days ago
- Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...2 days ago - Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...2 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...2 days ago
- Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...3 days ago - Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech isThe new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...3 days ago
- Winston remembers Gettysburg.
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...3 days ago - 25
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...3 days ago - Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?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? ...3 days ago
- Policing protests.
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 ...4 days ago - Open letter to Hon Paul GoldsmithBarrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...4 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track BillMany 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 is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...4 days ago
- Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – brieflyPeter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...4 days ago
- More tax for lessEle 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 ...4 days ago
- Real News vs Fake News.
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 ...4 days ago - Another way to roll
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...4 days ago - Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this yearThis 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 ...4 days ago
- Cutting the Public Service
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 ...4 days ago - Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...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 ...5 days ago
- This is how I roll over
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 ...5 days ago - The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”……it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition NOTE – 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 ...5 days ago
- Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?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 ...5 days ago
- Three Strikes saw lower reoffendingDavid 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 ...5 days ago
- Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry eraBryce 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 ...5 days ago
- 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'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 ...5 days ago
- One Night Only!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. ...5 days ago
- What did Melissa Lee do?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 ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024Open access notables Ice 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 ...5 days ago
- Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...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 ...6 days ago
- Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?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 ...6 days ago
- “That's how I roll”
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 ...6 days ago - “Comity” versus the rule of lawIn 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 ...6 days ago
- Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
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 ...6 days ago - Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in BeninThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market 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 ...6 days ago
- At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...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 ... 7 days ago - These people are not our friends
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 ...7 days ago - Some advice from our tertiary history for the University Advisory GroupMike 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: ...7 days ago
- Still no prudential regulation case around climate changeEric 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 ...7 days ago
- Bernard’s pick ‘n’ mix of the news links for Wednesday, April 24
TL;DR: These six news links stood out to me in the last 24 hours or so onWednesday, April 23:Scoop: 'Released in error': Treasury paper hints at axing $6b flood resilience plan by NZ Herald-$$$ Thomas CoughlanScoop: EY launches new misconduct review amid Fonterra ban. Fonterra tells EY to remove some ...7 days ago - How National can neutralise serious allegations of corruption should the “Fast Track” Bill becom...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 ...7 days ago
- Cleaning Up After Gabrielle.
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 ...7 days ago - Gordon Campbell on bird flu, AUKUS entry fees and Cindy LeeSwabbing 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 ...7 days ago
- Tolling Existing RoadsOne of the government’s transport policy and agreements with it’s coalition partners made it clear that they were looking at options like tolling and road pricing. This was reinforced in it’s draft Government Policy Statement released at the start of March which made a couple of references to it. Road pricing, ...7 days ago
- At a glance – The difference between weather and climateOn 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 ...1 week ago
- More criminal minersWhat 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 ...1 week ago
- Photos from the road
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, ...1 week ago
- Release: National hiking transport costs for families and young New Zealanders
Weekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow. ...16 hours ago - Surprise: Landlord tax cuts don’t trickle down
The Green Party is renewing its call for rent controls following reports of rental prices hitting an all-time high. ...18 hours ago - Release: National should heed Tribunal warning and scrap coalition commitment with ACTThis afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...2 days ago
- Release: More accountability for preventable workplace deaths this Workers’ Memorial DayLabour is calling for more accountability for preventable workplace deaths because everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely. ...2 days ago
- Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass GravesTe 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 ...5 days ago
- Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac DayOur 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. ...7 days ago
- Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?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. ...7 days ago
- Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summonsTonight’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 ...7 days ago
- Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery fundingIt 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. ...1 week ago
- Further environmental mismanagement on the cardsThe Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...1 week ago
- Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environmentThe 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. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management systemLabour 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. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise PalestineThe 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. ...1 week ago
- Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kindThe Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...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. ...1 week ago
- Three strikes has failed before and will fail againResurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...1 week ago
- Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’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. ...1 week ago
- Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’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 ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freezeCuts 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Fast-track submissions period must be extendedThe 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Progress on climate will be undone by GovtNew 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect themNews that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunchesMore 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuseTe 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals billThe 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Government throws coal on the climate crisis fireThe Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project insteadCancelling 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priorityA 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori to visit Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in AustraliaTe 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful lawThe 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homesThe 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on mediaThe action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...3 weeks ago
- Landlord Government leaves little hope for rentersThe Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...3 weeks ago
- Opportunity to build a more sustainable economyGreen 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...12 hours ago - Government to boost public EV charging networkEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...13 hours ago
- Residential Property Managers Bill to not progressThe coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...13 hours ago
- Independent review into disability support servicesThe Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...19 hours ago
- Justice Minister updates UN on law & order planJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...20 hours ago
- Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and DubaiTrade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...2 days ago
- Education priorities focused on lifting achievementEducation Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...2 days ago
- NZTA App first step towards digital driver licenceThe new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...2 days ago
- Supporting whānau out of emergency housingWhānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...2 days ago
- Tribute to Dave O'SullivanRacing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...2 days ago
- Speech – Eid al-FitrAssalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...2 days ago
- Government saves access to medicinesAssociate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...2 days ago
- Pharmac Chair appointedHon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...3 days ago
- Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisorderHundreds 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, ...4 days ago
- New sports complex opens in KaikoheRegional 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 ...4 days ago
- Diplomacy needed more than everForeign 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 ...4 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery BelgiumAmbassador 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 ...5 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk BairDistinguished 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 ...5 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, TürkiyeMai 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 ...6 days ago
- PM announces changes to portfoliosPaul 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 ...7 days ago
- New catch limits for unique fishery areasRecreational 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 ...7 days ago
- Minister welcomes hydrogen milestoneEnergy 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 ...1 week ago
- Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment BillThe 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 ...1 week ago
- Overseas decommissioning models consideredOverseas 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 ...1 week ago
- Release of North Island Severe Weather Event InquiryEmergency 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 ...1 week ago
- Justice Minister to attend Human Rights CouncilJustice 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 ...1 week ago
- Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facilityAssociate 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 ...1 week ago
- Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024Hon 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 ...1 week ago
- Government to introduce revised Three Strikes lawThe 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 ...1 week ago
- New diplomatic appointmentsForeign 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 ...1 week ago
- Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and SomaliaNew 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 ...1 week ago
- Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho CollectiveMinister 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 ...1 week ago
- Supporting better financial outcomes for KiwisThe 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 ...1 week ago
- Trade relationship with China remains strong“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 ...1 week ago
- PM’s South East Asia mission does the businessPrime 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 ...2 weeks ago
- $41m to support clean energy in South East AsiaNew 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder listThe 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Judicial appointments announcedAttorney-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 ...2 weeks ago
- Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in SingaporeEducation 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Value of stopbank project proven during cycloneA 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 ...2 weeks ago
- Preterm babies deserve better care
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...44 mins ago - Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlashBehind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...44 mins ago
- When the doghouse is an upgrade, ECE is in troubleOpinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...44 mins ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 1 MayThe post Daily crossword, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...44 mins ago
- Boards, don’t just wait for the axe to fallOpinion: Community organisation board members need to step up their strategic thinking The post Boards, don’t just wait for the axe to fall appeared first on Newsroom. ...44 mins ago
- We have an emergency emergencyAfter the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...44 mins ago
- A body in Devonport“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...44 mins ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 1 MayLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...44 mins ago
- Beef and beliefs: EU diplomat on the NZ relationshipBrussels’ man in Wellington on our newly active trade deal and the shared values underpinning ties The post Beef and beliefs: EU diplomat on the NZ relationship appeared first on Newsroom. ...44 mins ago
- If not journalists, then who?Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...44 mins ago
- Pacific alliance condemns France over bid to ‘derail’ Kanaky decolonisation
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...3 hours ago - New Koi Tū future report calls for overhaul of outdated NZ mediascape to restore trustKoi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...4 hours ago
- Chalmers outlines a more ‘risk-based’ foreign investment policy and guardrails around Future Mad...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...5 hours ago
- National first introduced piece of Oranga Tamariki Act legislation it now seeks to repeal – Wi...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...9 hours ago - New Papers On Government Consumption Multipliers, Automatic Stabilisers And Economic Shocks
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...10 hours ago - Pacific state of Hawai’i first in US to pass dual Gaza ceasefire resolutionsAsia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...10 hours ago
- Australia just made a billion-dollar bet on building the world’s first ‘useful’ quantum comput...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...11 hours ago
- What are heart rate zones, and how can you incorporate them into your exercise routine?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...11 hours ago
- Ministry of Māori Development proposes to cut 38 positionsA recruitment pause put in place last year had reduced the scale of job losses necessary, says the secretary for Māori development. ...12 hours ago
- 'A man of the people': MPs pay tribute to Fa'anānā Efeso CollinsThe MPs reflected on the impact Fa'anānā had in Parliament, in his communities, and their long friendships with him. ...13 hours ago
- School phone ban for 16-year-olds 'very backward' – principalTwo secondary school principals are not convinced a phone ban is warranted and say it will be difficult to enforce. ...13 hours ago
- 27 years in captivity – free Marwan Barghouti, ‘Palestine’s Mandela’SPECIAL REPORT: By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...13 hours ago
- Members of Parliament and Prime Minister to get pay riseThe Remuneration Authority has set an ordinary MPs' salary at $168,600 a year, and the PM's salary will rise to $484,200. ...13 hours ago
- Long before politicians called to ‘stop the boats’, First Nations people welcomed arrivals from ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...14 hours ago
- Does the AFL ban on skinfold testing avoid fat shaming – or has footy ‘gone soft’?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominique Condo, Senior Lecturer in Sports Nutrition, Deakin University Microgen/Shutterstock There was, perhaps unsurprising, outcry from some sections of the sports media when it was revealed the AFL was removing body composition testing (including skinfold testing) in its junior (under the ...14 hours ago
- Supreme Court reinstates PNG MP after bribery ruling overturnedBy Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...14 hours ago
- Problems for news media arose 'too fast' – former media minister Melissa LeeThe former media minister says she may have been "a little slow" in reacting to dramatic changes. ...16 hours ago
- ‘When the ship docks’: Publishing the poetry of the late Schaeffer Lemalu
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...16 hours ago - New minister announces review into disability support services funded by WhaikahaThe ministry has been under fire for not consulting with carers before changing entitlements to flexible funding support. ...16 hours ago
- Afghanistan Service Recognised In NZ Post’s Modern Veterans Stamp SeriesThose profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...16 hours ago
- On the politics of vengeanceLast night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...16 hours ago
- Govt might take $1.1b hit to return GST on rates to councilsAnalysis by infometrics shows central government collected about that amount in GST from rates in 2022. ...16 hours ago
- ‘Abject failure’: why Australia’s scheme to curb foreign influence doesn’t work and can’t ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...17 hours ago
- Defendant Pleads Guilty In Mortgage Fraud SchemeA defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...17 hours ago
- A handy primer for arts spokespeople who know nothing about New Zealand artWhat to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’ This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...18 hours ago
- School cellphone ban: What you need to knowExplainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...18 hours ago
- We found pesticides in a third of Australian frogs we tested. Did these cause mass deaths?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...18 hours ago
- Share Of Home Transfers To Overseas Buyers Remains LowIn the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...18 hours ago
- 364,000 New Zealanders rely on an accomodation supplement – but these 3 flaws need fixingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...18 hours ago
- Manasseh Sogavare bows out of prime ministerial race in Solomon IslandsBy Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...18 hours ago
- If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its shitProtesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...19 hours ago
- Analysis: What the shock poll tells us about the coalition governmentAnalysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...20 hours ago
- Moe mai rā: Tributes to Vincent O’SullivanWriter, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...20 hours ago
- Call for radical reform of Pharmac's budget amid concern Kiwis not getting basic standard of ca...New Zealand offers no appeal for drug companies because it's so hard to make a sale, the Cancer Society says. ...20 hours ago
- The cost of being: A ‘semi-unemployed’ house-sitter with dwindling savingsAs part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...21 hours ago
- Think all chemicals are bad? From our food to your phone, modern life relies on themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...21 hours ago
- Tech-based sexual harassment at work is common, male-dominated and often intended to cause harmSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...21 hours ago
- When supplies resume, should governments subsidise drugs like Ozempic for weight loss? We asked 5 ex...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fron Jackson-Webb, Deputy Editor and Senior Health Editor Rostislav_Sedlacek/Shutterstock Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about them? This month, The Conversation’s experts explore their rise, impact and ...21 hours ago
- Gaza Petition To Be Tabled In Parliament TodayA petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...21 hours ago
- It’s time to strike an environmental grand bargain between businesses, governments and conservatio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...21 hours ago
- Vietnam, brutalist architecture, fees and Gaza: how student protests shaped Australian universitiesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Lewi, Professor, Architecture, The University of Melbourne Anti-Vietnam War protests at the University of Sydney, 1969. Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy SEARCH Foundation, CC BY Australian university students are beginning to set up encampments on campus, ...21 hours ago
- Waitangi Tribunal report urges government stop changes to Oranga Tamariki ActThe report highlights concern over the approach the government is taking. ...21 hours ago
- Politics live: Shocking poll result for coalition, government pushes school phone banThe education minister says a "handful" of schools haven't brought in full bans and are being spoken to. ...22 hours ago
- On The Anniversary Of The Live Export Ban, SAFE Urges The Government To Stand FirmSAFE CEO Debra Ashton says while this milestone should be a cause for celebration, it is overshadowed by the looming threat of its reversal. ...22 hours ago
- Poll serves government an unwelcome entrée to the BudgetWinston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...22 hours ago
- NZ started discussing AUKUS ‘Tier 2’ involvement in 2021, newly released details revealSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...22 hours ago
- Paul Goldsmith tells UN of commitment to reduce victims of violent crime, youth offendingThe government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...23 hours ago
- Politics live: Shocking poll result for coalition, new education priorities announcedACT says the poll reflects current tough economic conditions while Nicola Willis say she's 'failing to see the drama'. ...23 hours ago
- NZ’s Human Rights Record ‘Tarnished’ At UN Rights ReviewThe age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...24 hours ago
- Coalition parties drop in shock poll resultACT says the poll reflects current tough economic conditions while the Greens say communities are "fed up and angry". ...1 day ago
- James Shaw exit interview: The 'greatest privilege' – and the 'horrible' m...In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...1 day ago
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A good news story to kick off the day.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/513961/water-tank-installation-programme-changing-lives-in-the-far-north
Life changing and affirming in many ways.
Young fellas getting skills and education. Decent water quality provided. Stopping the need to buy water in plastic. A community acquires resilience, one tank at a time.
Excellent on a lot of levels.
I remember reading about an Australian city where water tanks were being stolen regularly, as the area became drier and people bought tanks as insurance against running out of reticulated water. Not saying this will be a problem here but into the near-future, when drinking water becomes more of an issue, it will be, across the country. The concrete ones are harder to throw onto the back of a ute.
As a tangent, in the past, it appears to be a right wing or tory view to 'de-centralise' this sort of thing.
To my mind, Aotearoa needs way more of this, government funded, Iwi lead initiatives that provide local solutions by locals.
This is the way to raise boats with the tide.
It might appear that way, gsays, but they talk out of both sides of their mouth, claiming hands-off, but acting hands-on (think Fast-tracking consents with no local input, for example).
Where there are opportunities like this those who are able can act though. A subsidy for buying water tanks would be wise and the pressure (pun intended) could be taken off community reticulation systems but of course, home-tank-owners might clamour for a rates-reduction as a result and that's not a sound local councils like to hear 🙂
As a rule of thumb, the right will decentralise when that means devolving decision-making, or providing business opportunities, to their kind of people. Such as the owners of charter schools or business/farmer-dominated rural councils.
The best counter to it is probably not a reflexive urge to centralise and control – that's too easily painted as coercive. Some sort of federated decentralisation might be better, though how it would be structured needs a lot of thought.
RW decentralisation and government funded/iwi led are contradiction in terms.
The right are very actively trying to undermine iwi-led.
We should of course be doing water tanks everywhere it makes sense to, and solar (passive, hot water, power generation) on every new build and retrofit those where it makes sense to.
One of the problems with 3 waters was the ideological commitment to centralisation, as if shit isn't going to hit the fan in the next few decades, as if the only problem we have is how to pay for infrastructure upgrades.
We are in the middle of the process of renewing our water and power systems.
Very excite!
All advice has been to keep away from hydronic solar and go with photovoltaic solar and heat an element in the water cylinder.
48volt system, 8kw solar panels ( mixture of existing and new) and an Aussie Selectronic inverter.
New Tauranga built 1000litre Marshall water cylinder heated with existing hydronic solar, solid fuel and electricity.
An acquaintance spent a long weekend barging/helicoptering four >30k litre tanks onto remote whānau land in the far North.
Come the following weekend, all four had disappeared.
Sounds as though too many people knew what was going on, and some were busy hatching plans even as those deliveries were being made.
The depth of Northland's multi-decade poverty and sickness inside that article is just disgusting.
Which is interesting considering it has one of the highest proportion of land that is Maori freehold land in the country. It is also a part of the country where land confiscations did not take place.
Of more interest (than your lazy insinuations) is the dominance of the National party in that electorate working hard to improve the lives of all of their constituents, clearly.
I think rural ratepayers are more than accustomed to contributing to services they don't benefit from.
At the risk if accusations of nepotism this initiative is a good example of a circut breaker of the neo-liberal doctrine of subcontracting everything.
Local government can help with the funding.
Agree about the circuit breaker. It gives people immediate benefit and builds local community resiliency
Rural ratepayers get shafted with increasing costs for services they'll never get.
Can't even let my dog into the local Harbour due to the effluent…..a situation they've shoulder shrugged for years whilst taking the dosh for alot of new connections in raglan.
That’s on top of releasing sewage on an incoming tide now and again.
Rural ratepayers would do well to keep quiet about that.
The amount of roading alone that each rural ratepayer has, at council cost compared with urban ratepayers makes the idea that rural ratepayers are disproportionately subsidising urban services, a nonsense.
That’s a very rw argument. Roads are a public good, not just for the people that live on them.
No. It is not.
That "rural ratepayers subsidise urban services they don't use", is an often used agreement by rural businesses to try and get their rates bill reduced. To contribute less! to public services.
Ironically, in reality the subsidy goes in the opposite direction.
that is though. We don't pay as individuals for the roads we use most.
We had cause to engage with both local council and Waka Kotahi (am I allowed to still use that term?) advocating for a speed reduction on Railway Road as if enters Palmy from Bunnythump.
We were told by council that because it is an open road (100 kmh) it was a Waka Kotahi issue not Council.
Not sure if this is nation wide but rural ratepayers here are chipping in with town roads and ratepayers aren't funding rural roads.
Was entirely charmed by the prospect of a place called "Bunnythump" – sadly google suggests that it's really "Bunnythorpe".
There's no truth to the rumour that a lot of Woodvillians live there either.
Farewell James Shaw good work. Made a difference. Grew the vote.
Also shoutout to the Greens for yesterday helping turn both NZFirst and ACT on the Samoan citizenship bill into next reading. Well played.
See recent comments about that Bill in yesterday's Daily Review. The Greens were genuine, and good on them, but those other two parties were just being cynical poseurs.
Made it to Select Committee.
Isn't that what's promised with the referendum on Te Tiriti?
The Greens will take it for the win it is. A very important power-shot against Luxon from his Deputy Prime Ministers.
Very curious move by Biden to consider dropping all the charges against Assange yesterday.
Could it be possible he is coming around to the p.o.v. that whatever assange did…he has been punished enough…?
I can't think of any other geopolitical reason..
A $440billion nuclear submarine programme.
How is that a reason..?
They hardly need to persuade oz to sign up for that..eh..?
Australia has always been an eager bag-carrier for america…
So I don’t see that as any reason..
Though any Assange pardon would put the Espionage case against Trump in an indefensible position.
Two factors, how long Assange has been in prison compared to the time of Manning before the pardon by Obama. And the harm to Assange caused by the prison conditions in the UK – he might not be fit to stand trial without some health spa time (risk he might die in a US prison).
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68784298
Anyone seen any coverage of the Cass Review report – published yesterday and all over the UK papers.
Sorry Admin – I don’t know how to shrink the image.
I heard a reasonably long (3-4minutes) snippet on RNZ this morning.
From both 'sides' if th issue, sorry don't recall either woman's name, also from a transitioning person.
5m piece on Morning Report today. Was pretty good.
Govt won’t say if it will follow UK move on puberty blocker use
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018933794/govt-won-t-say-if-it-will-follow-uk-move-on-puberty-blocker-use
editing the comment to put width="100%" just before the final /> usually does it.
The Cass report was good, it's measured, it lays it all out. This is a medical scandal. It's happening in NZ too.
The only quibble I have with it is that some blame is placed on the "toxicity" of the debate. No. There was one side simply refusing to debate (and we now know from the Cass report, refusing to release data). Then the other side was saying with increasingly loud and desperate voices: there is a problem here, we need to talk about this. And then the other side responded with various iterations of "STFU bigot", and a sustained campaign of harassment and vilification that continues to this day.
There really isn't much middle ground here. One side sterilised and destroyed the sexual function of a bunch of confused kids. The other side just wanted normal medical processes to be followed.
I tend to agree with the generalisation, and I think the debate can be characterised as you say (no debate vs wants to debate).
However seeing the sweaty balls memes in the Giggle v Tickle twitter discourse, that's a clear example of being cruel and intentionally inflammatory*. If someone did that here, I would moderate them.
*It's also stupid and incontinent and damages the good work being done.
I respect your POV but I never thought women had an obligation to be kind or to refrain from mocking the eminently mockable. After the sustained campaign of vilification of women, I am even less inclined. Fuck these people. They have hurt, really hurt, vulnerable kids. They still are.
yeah, any empathy disappeared when I saw a tweet saying RT and his male friends were using the women's toilets at the court after having heard how hard that was for some women.
And it's not like this isn't his first foray into colonisation.
I suppose what I was trying to say above was that when we cross that line, it changes us too. It's hard to hold to values when we give them up.
I guess I'm just quite angry. Mostly because the Cass review only came about because an MP literally had to change a law to force the clinics to release their own data. So they knew.
I always knew being proved right wouldn't make me happy but didn't realise how angry it would make me.
the anger is entirely justified. We haven't come to the point of reckoning yet either. More anger to come I think.
JKR put up a tweet today at the end of a thread,
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1778106344295280884
The stories of detrans people still have to hit NZ, or even The Standard. A lot of days my anger is about not being able to write posts here about it. No Debate is one of the most harmful politics I have ever seen.
Weka:
"that's a clear example of being cruel "
Except this court case is not about ‘gender affirmation’ children and adolescents.
The case is about a grown man, who at a very late stage in his life, has had women feelz. Changes the sex on his birth certificate, which recognised him as being legally a women.
In the Anti-Discrimination Act discrimination on the basis of sex is included . When this act was written it meant: biological sex (what else could it mean?).
Mr Tickle being a biological man was not allowed into a natal women only app.Whereas female transgenders are.
In this court case Sall Grover, for which she had to fundraise half million dollar, has to proof that a male can not ever become a women, no matter how much plastic surgery he undergoes or not.
And does the – sex – in the discrimination Act need to be amended to mean biological sex?
The fact that this Mr Roxky Tickle took her to court, aided by donors which are being kept secret – is somehow not cruel?
Because that is what is being done here again and again – picking off a women one at the time. Remember the process is the punishment.
Trying to come up with a name for those walking examples of contradictions-in-terms…
…the animal-eating 'green'…
..would 'garnivore' do it..?
Perhaps Virtue Signal Resistant.
Or just stick with Omnivore.
Don't really agree with yr labelling/lessening of opposition to one of the factors driving us towards the environmental-cliff..
..as 'virtue signalling'..
..and someone already has dibs on 'omnivore'..
..I am trying to define/hook together those two contradictions…the 'green'…and the animal eater…
..and the more I look at it..'garnivore'..seems to do the business..
we could explain it to you but you would just deny it.
And you are short-listed/front runner for today's condescension-award..
Go on..!..have a go…
Explain to me the justifications used by carnivores..
It does puzzle me..that they can't see it themselves..
So..have a go…and I will try really really hard to 'understand it'…
This is why I won't bother. You have an a priori position that omnivores are inherently wrong.
I don't care if someone is vegan. I care if they want the whole world to be vegan and ignore any evidence that contradicts their view. I also care about people who think there are no ethical consequences to eating animals. But you and I can't have a conversation about that because everything you stems from an ideological belief that you are right and omnivores are wrong. It's boring.
Oh..ok..end with an ad hominem..if you must..
Before you go..could you please define what 'ethical' meat/dairy is..
..for those of us too dumb to automatically know..
I ask you because you have been promoting this 'ethical' animal bits idea..
And I struggle to see any difference between what those self-labelling as 'ethical' do…and the standard cruelties/indignities heaped on by the run of the mill animal-exploiters..
.."this is fanny the 'ethical' cow.. don't get too attached to her.. she's off to the slaughterhouse next week..and we dispatched her offspring last week..we get such a good price for our 'ethical'-veal..'
It is just wall-to-wall bullshit..really..
let me put it another way. When you say,
Why would I bother when you already think it's bullshit. Why would I waste my time?
I like arguing with people who have different opinions, but there has to be an actual argument made on both sides. Running out a set of pre-determined talking points from a position of "I'm right/you're wrong" is as I said boring.
I'm a fan of the philosophical idea that we should be able to represent our opponents argument fairly. Not only can you not do that but you appear to not think it's a valuable think to do.
I understand the difficulties you would have defending your 'ethical' meat oxymoron…
But you can't even define it..?
Wot if someone else asks you to define it..?
Will you answer them..?
I'm fine with having that conversation with other people. I won't have it with you for reasons I've already explained clearly.
Human
Aahh!..well…that opens a big philosophical worm-hole..
..are we 'meant' to eat everything that walks/swims on the planet..?
..are they there for us to use/exploit/eat as we please..?
..is that how it is all meant to work..?
..and is that believed 'cos of what the bible sez..?
..or is it just habituation..?
..and/or should we live in peace with fellow earth-dwellers..?
But as a name for animal-eating 'greens'..?..it fails to define…
..'garnivore' it still is…
grarnivore works better.
Nah..!..too clumsy/contrived.. doesn't sound good to the ear..
Vegan is to eating what transsexual is to female: a minor category a few get overly excited about
So ad..you all gung-ho about this factor driving us towards the environmental cliff..eh..?
Nothing to see there..eh..?
Sticking yr hand up as a garnivore..eh..?
..can you explain what 'ethical' meat is…?..weka seems to shy away from that basic question..
unless they are doing paleo etc, I'd call them plant based.
??..puzzled by that one..
.. surely calling animal-eating 'greens' plant-based..
..is just another contradict-in-terms..?
how so? I eat plants, lots of them. Plant based.
And you eat what you call 'ethical' meat/dairy..
You are an exemplar of the afor-mentioned 'garnivore'..
You most certainly are not 'plant-based'..
And could you please define for me just what 'ethical' meat is..?
..what exactly makes it 'ethical'..and somehow ok to chow down upon..?
but I am plant based. I was vegetarian for a long time and when I added meat back into my diet, I still ate the same kind of diet plus meat. I’m don’t centre meat, I centre plants. That’s what plant based literally means, based on plants. Originally it was a term that allowed people to shift away from heavy meat eating. Now it’s a synonym for vegan, which makes it confusing and frankly dishonest.
I have never before heard of carnivores being 'plant-based'..
You are either vegetarian..or carnivore..
You can't be both at the same time..eh..?
That's another example of the 'contradiction in terms' I referred to before..
And in fact calling yourself plant-based when you eat animals could be deemed (to use your words) both 'confusing' and 'dishonest'
Weka is correct, you are wrong.
Happy to help.
Sez the flesh-addict..heh..!
No surprises there..eh..?
A remarkably silly statement – all humans are adapted to eat an omnivorous diet.
It is possible (with a great deal of diet planning and management) to eat an exclusively vegetarian diet – and remain healthy. An exclusive vegan diet requires even more rigorous dietary planning (and is never a suitable option for the very young). Both hold very significant health risks, if the diet is not carefully planned.
No humans are carnivores (i.e.they obtain either all or the majority of their dietary requirements through meat). Scurvy will quickly kill off anyone who tried it.
An omnivorous diet (incorporating a wide variety of plants, meat, fish, fungi, etc.) – is almost never going to result in any health risks.
Dietary health risks in modern society are mostly associated with highly processed foods and/or overconsumption.
That's a bit silly..a vegetarian/vegan diet has 'very significant health risks'..?
I'm just gonna laugh that one out of the room..
..what 'health risks'..exactly..?
You seem to have missed the "if the diet is not carefully planned" – section of the sentence.
Even those with the most cursory acquaintance with vegetarianism/veganism know that you have to plan, to address the risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency – for example.
this woman's story is common, I'm surprised you didn't know Phil. Maybe you're just not listening.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7072647/VIRPI-MIKKONEN-admits-vegan-diet-ruined-health-brought-early-menopause.html
Um..!
I see yr daily mail (heh..!) defense of advertisers..
..and raise you with my 25 yrs as a vegan..and 15 yrs before that as vegetarian..(never taken vitamin supplements).
I am old..I am fit/healthy..I am on no meds..last med check was told I have the lungs of a twenty-something..(which puzzled me..given the heroic amounts of weed/hashish I have consumed..but there ya go..)..
And mores the point I know people who have been vegan for longer than me…and are older than me..
..and the one thing we all share..is rude good health..
..and at the other end I would cite all the glowing with health vegan children I have known..with my son (now adult) another example..)
(Sorry..!..I can't stop chuckling at yr idea of a reliable source..the daily mail…really..?)
Nutritionists talking about it the negative impact on women's health too.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/women-dairy-meat-free-diet-nutrition-b1995624.html
gut health issues in women who have been vegan long term, also something I have seen talked about a lot. Although some women reach this stage after only a few years.
https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/how-my-vegan-diet-ruined-my-gut/news-story/d4b4fbd47581301e965d0d6a3d61cf4f
this progression, also very common in women.
https://www.newsweek.com/vegan-vegetarian-diet-health-problems-meat-1795305
So ya just hafta eat animals..to be healthy..eh..?
That's quite an extravagant claim…
..how to explain me..and all those other vegans I know..?..many of them women..
..why aren't we guzzling multiple pills…on zimmer frames..as are so many of our contemporaries..?
No, ya don’t. You just made that up. This is why I won’t debate it with you. The links are for other people to see.
btw, if you do that shit (making things up) on any post I put up about the politics of diet, I will simply ban you from the post. Best you get your head around the problem now.
What have I made up..?
You have been arguing how unhealthy a vegan diet is..
It is hard to not conclude that you are arguing that you have to eat meat to be healthy..is it not..?
And if you are also moderating any post you put up on diet…I will not be taking part…eh..?
I see it inevitably turning pear-ahaped..with the power imbalance not favouring me ..
So..go for it..
I will be interested to see what others have to say..
In this thread I have said pretty much all I need to say on the topic .
And in your upcoming piece..will you define/explain just what 'ethical' meat/dairy is..?
Your anecdata fails to convince.
I know 3 centenarians who regularly enjoy a good fry up. I don't regard them as an advertisement for that dietary lifestyle. Rather, that they've survived that long, despite a diet full of fat, not because of it.
the reasons for old age health are complex, relating I think to early diet too, but the idea that animal fat is bad for us has pretty much been debunked now. Who knows why they lived so long, but it might be because of the fat rather than despite it. We need fat for joint health and brain health among other things.
What evidence do you have for your last sentence..?
(And sorry..daily mail doesn't quite cut it..eh..?..)
(sigh..!)..I am forced to say that..'cos of daily mail claims..that are being cited/relied upon..
..as evidence of a deleterious effect..from not eating animals…
( Doesn't that even sound silly..?..)
And if googling for daily mail articles..can I suggest you ask ..'does bacon cause cancers..?..
You might find it to be quite revelatory..
You could then ask the same question about red meat..
And then ask it about dairy…
As someone who was vegetarian for around 40 years before finally eliminating dairy from my diet I don't agree with your "with a great deal of diet planning and management" and "even more rigorous dietary planning".
The switch to a animal-free diet can be done progressively. Yes the dietary changes have to be made mindfully, and yes I've seen people who said they were vegans who didn't look particularly healthy.
But it's not as hard as you make out. Depends on the motivation of course. I decided to go meat-free when I read a short book that made the case that humans do not need to kill and eat animals to live and challenged me to consider how much cruelty is created when they do.
So we started cutting back meat, joined the NZ Vegetarian Society, started buying vegetarian cookbooks and so on. We looked into what the change was going to mean and learnt more as time went on.
It is an important point for people changing their diet for whatever reason to learn that if you remove certain things from your diet you need to find those from other sources.
But it becomes easier as you go along.
I think that your comment is supporting my point. Vegetarianism requires some degree of mindfulness in dietary planning (what I describe as a 'great deal of planning and management' – you describe as progressive changes – but it's still planning which needs to happen.
Veganism requires a whole lot more.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-meal-plan#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
Both require more than an omnivore diet.
in addition to my health improving, one of the best things about starting to eat meat again is just how easy it is to get the right nutrients compared to a vegetarian diet.
Biologically we're all omnivores.
And we all know, you can't change biology; we can pretend we're herbivores; dress as herbivores, hang out in paddocks and act like herbivores, but we never can be, coz nature made us omnivores 🙂
this is true though. Humans can make choices to work outside material reality, and we get away with that to varying extents (or not, the world is riddled with the failures of men thinking we can transcend our bodies). But our physical bodies are evolved to be omnivorous. I guess it’s technically possible that over the long term humans could physically evolve to be vegan (how many generations would that need?), but I can’t see it at this point in time because being vegan without industrial civ is very hard to maintain.
It is naturally mostly men running the everyone can be vegan line. Women find out the hard way that we cannot use our minds to escape our bodies. There are reasons there are no vegan cultures. Childbearing is a nutrient demanding process and a vegan diet just doesn’t give enough women the stuff they need to keep reproducing over generations. Killing animals is hard. If humans could easily have stopped doing that we would have.
Veganism would be a step too far for me, but not for health reasons.
And (naturally?) mostly women swallowing it, vegan hook, line and sinker. This article, written by (naturally) a man [Jordi Casamitjana], seems fairly thorough, and balanced, despite the author’s activism.
Humans have choice and we can evolve. We don't have to kill and eat sentient beings.
yes, some of us do. There are people that do well on a vegetarian diet, and a smaller number on a vegan diet. There's no need to ignore the numbers of people whose health deteriorated and then recovered when they started eating animals again. The existence of us doesn't negate your choices.
I agree entirely, Grey Area; I was just making a trans logic joke – or something like that.
I believe humans have, can and will transcend their biological selves, by exercising choice, discretion, kindness and forgiveness.
"I believe humans have, can and will transcend their biological selves, by exercising choice, discretion, kindness and forgiveness".
Even members of the current government. 😀
The human ones.
Now it’s a synonym for vegan, which makes it confusing and frankly dishonest.
It can be used by some as a synonym for vegan but there is a difference and I don't agree that stems from dishonesty.
What’s the Difference Between a Plant-Based and Vegan Diet?
“Plant-based” typically refers to one who eats a diet based primarily on plant foods, with limited to no animal-derived products. A whole foods, plant-based diet means that oils and processed packaged foods are likewise excluded.
The term “vegan” extends to one’s lifestyle choices beyond diet alone. A vegan lifestyle aims to avoid causing harm to animals in any way, including through products used or purchased.
Someone who is vegan also tends to take into account the potential negative environmental effects of animal products.
While these two terms are fundamentally different, they share similarities. Additionally, both are increasing in popularity and can be healthy ways of eating when planned properly.
Or as Forks over Knives puts it about being plant-based:
With a plant-based diet, the vast majority of food comes from plants. The term originated in the health science community, where it was more appropriate than “vegetarian” or “vegan.” First, the term is divorced from any ethical connotation; and second, it doesn’t mean “never eating meat” or “never eating animal products.” Consumption of very small amounts of animal foods can be inconsequential when speaking of the health benefits of a diet, an important nuance for science that is not captured by the term “vegan” or “vegetarian.”
What does make it confusing though is considering wholefood plant-based diets because as FoK points out some vegans eat highly processed imitation meats and cheeses.
My wife and I sometimes say we are plant-based rather than vegan because the V word can be triggering for some people because of their preconceptions, and because we still wear wool. Replacing those garments that we've had sometimes for years is wasteful and not environmentally friendly to us. Does that mean we are dishonest?
I don't know and really don't care. We are doing what we can to reduce harm to animals, help the planet, and trying to maintain a healthy diet.
Today, I saw and picked a handful of Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus) mushrooms, brought them home, cooked and ate them. They were delicious!
Tomorrow, I plan to hunt-for, gather, dehydrate and store, Larch boletes and Peppery boletes, which I'll add to some dish or other in the winter-time.
Fungi! Tis the season!
Lawyer's wig is one of my favourite fungi, hardly ever see it, got to be quick!
These ones tasted exceptionally good. If you ever get the chance, try Wood Blewits; they're excellent, as are Velvet Shanks. Both grow here (and, I suspect, In Ōtepoti).
haven’t seen either of those! I get lots of birch boletes, pretty happy with them.
I describe my diet as 'plant led'. I eat eggs and fish but no meat or dairy products. My husband eats a bit of wild venison but otherwise the same as me. We grow most of our vegetables supplemented by a few field mushrooms off the lawn this morning. Big plus we have discovered is that it's a pretty cheap yet healthy way of life.
vegan means no animal products at all. It's a word that has meaning. Plant based can mean people that eat mostly vegan but some animal products. So yes, it's dishonest to say plant based when one means vegan.
Luckily I don't expect other people to go vegan and I'm not trying to fool anyone, so I don't see where the dishonesty is.
The only person I might have been fooling by using the term interchangeably is myself, because for my own reasons I wear wool jerseys and leather work boots.
I'll use "plant-based diet with no animal products I'm aware of with an ethical foundation of being anti-exploitation of, and cruelty to animals, but not strictly vegan" then in future. 🙂
I thought plant-based did mean no animal products (which is why we've used it interchangeably thinking the difference was in the motivation) but I see I was wrong about that.
But I have looked at a number of definitions of "plant-based" and several say little or no meat or animal products. So talking about diets alone, is there any difference between a plant-based diet with no meat or animal products and a vegan diet? None that I can see.
Someone saying they eat a vegan diet is not the same as them saying they are a vegan (although it could be implied). It's why I guess you tick gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan for dietary requirements.
At the moment climate collapse is the thing and we need to dramatically reduce the amount of meat and dairy products NZ and many other countries produce and consume.
As Take The Jump says: Our current eating habits are not sustainable. We can make three changes to dramatically reduce emissions from the food we eat: Move to a mostly plant-based diet. This means replacing most of the meat and dairy we eat with plant-based alternatives that are lower in overall emissions. The closer to entirely plant-based the better, though not everyone may go all the way. The upper limit for meat consumption is 16 kg a year (so try a maximum of 300 g per week) and 90 kg of dairy (so try a maximum of 1.7 kg per week). Support our biodiversity and native forests by choosing wild pig, deer, or goat meat. Customary harvesting of seafood and some birds by local iwi is another sustainable practice.
So the more people who move to a totally or mostly plant-based diet, the happier I am. We reduce emissions and fewer animals have to die to feed humans. It's a win-win.
I fully understand some won't, and others as you say, can't. But I don't worry about that.
Thanks GA, makes sense to me. I’ll give those guidelines (300 g of meat + 1.7 kg of dairy per week) a go – think I’ve already got meat covered. Will be good for me, as well as our environment – a win-win, as you say.
If only Vegan Greens can be 'worthy' in your book – you're going to end up in an increasingly isolated minority.
That's a bit of a trouser-splitting leap there bella..?
..where does your quoted 'worthy' come from..I don't recall ever saying that…did you just make that up…?
..in a reasonably long life…lived in more than a few different cultures/countries…I have come across very few people I would not consider 'worthy''..(whatever that means..)..
A recent example of (perhaps?) being open to more than most I would cite my recent interactions with p-addict/child-smacking/patched gang member..
I saw him last nite..he is on week whatever of no 'p'..gave up alcohol last week..and both he and his five children are just loving the new no-smacking life they are living…
See..!..someone deemed not 'worthy' by many…is actually..indeed that..
So I would argue against me being deemed exclusionary..
In part I argue my case here because nobody else is doing it..
..and so much written here on this existential crisis we all face..seems to ignore the role the eating/exploitation of animals plays..
..and I am just seeking to hopefully open people's eyes..to their own contradictions..
..to the horrors these animals experience..
..and to the dangers to us all their behaviour engenders ..
.. that's all…
But happy to throw derogatory terms around "flesh-addict"
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-04-2024/#comment-1996022
Every comment you make on this topic implies that those who make other choices are less 'worthy' than you are.
I would say that you have to be the least enticing advocate for Veganism I've ever seen.
Are you denying that addiction to flesh-eating is a thing..?
It is a major reason for the lack of movement on this issue..
..(flesh)-addicts doing what their monkey sez..
Horrified by the very idea their heroin/alcohol/flesh (name yr poison) could be taken away from them..
Flesh-eating has all the marks of heroin addiction..and the like..
No matter the well-documented cancer-causing from red meat..bacon..etc..eh .?
The environmental damage caused .
The cruelties to the animals..
Monkey must have it's flesh…
..this is a definition of addiction…the ability to ignore the damage done..(c.f. ciggy-smoking..)
You may not like to think of yrslf as an addict.. it’s called denial..eh..?
And don’t worry..you aren’t alone..you are in the majority..
I'm pointing out that your increasingly extravagant language is alienating.
If you truly do desire to convince, rather than posture, you might reflect on why you are failing to do so.
Whether I am ' failing to do so'..is in the eye of the casual reader..
That is the value of such debates..the reader is left to evaluate the merits of the opposing arguments..
..and to make up their own mind..
So it's sorted then..
.'garnivore' it is…
(Next stop..
..urban dictionary..)
Well, 'sorted' in your own mind, which is apparently the only one that is important to you.
You will no doubt note, and discard, the fact that you seem to have garnered zero support on the site for your concept.
Wot..?..you and weka..?..right ho..!..noted..
As I said ..I am writing for the casual reader..
..and they are the jury on the worth or not of my burblings/arguments..
..not my antagonists…they are just a foil..
(And hey..!..you are on the wrong side of history..eh..?..)
So..in summary..you and fellow garnivores (patent pending)..
..are able to ignore the environmental impacts from farming flesh..(how so..?)
Are able to ignore the suffering/cruelties done to the animals you eat..
..and are able to also ignore the cancer health warnings about bacon/red meat..
(That's quite the trifecta..eh..?..)
..none of that science at all challenges the power of yr flesh-eating addiction..eh..?
(Would you like some bacon with that..?..)
My 'concept'..?
u might just pip weka at the post for todays condescension-award with that one..
I totally support Philip's ideas on this topic. Just so you know.
Whew…!… it's been a long thread..
I think I need a joint..
(Reaches for grinder..)
Parliament On Demand have changed the layout. To me the new is about 50% the user friendlieness as before. Finding a particular question on a particular day is hard. Can't easily skip the less interesting questions.
Progress of sorts – I suppose.
Sounds as though no-one should have any truck with this lot (they're operating in NZ, so be warned – not that many on this forum are likely to be clients).
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/10/im-a-victim-of-scammers-but-revolut-says-no-to-a-refund
The new ministry of information. Only ideologically correct news, of course.
/
https://twitter.com/actparty/status/1777922547700453492
Headline should be:..
'Trust in act is plummeting'..
His very own podium of truth.. except it's a news letter, and an email..