Words of Outrage or Outrageous Action?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 24th, 2020 - 30 comments
Categories: activism, articles, boycott, campaigning, crosby textor, internet, journalism, Media, newspapers, radio, surveillance, tv - Tags: , ,

Another moron said something outrageous again and gets away with it (almost) scot-free. I’m seething with anger and I need want to do something about it, about my anger that is. I go on-line and vent my spleen. It makes me feel better. Others join in and agree with me, which makes me feel good. Some disagree with us, which makes me feel exhilarated because I can take out all my frustrations on them. Life is good.

It changes nothing.

I know a little bit about how it works. Shock-jocks do it all the time. Politicians and political strategists do it too, very effectively, with powerful metaphors such as dead cat or shock therapy. It works because it is a zero-sum game, i.e. the 24-hour news cycle is fiercely competitive and we have short attention spans and little precious time. The longer I stay on a site, the better – the longer I spend in a supermarket filling my trolley with their ‘specials’, the better because I won’t be spending my money (soon to be theirs) elsewhere at the same time unless I do on-line shopping whilst being in the supermarket doing the groceries, but whoever does that?

My opinion can be as fickle and fleeting as my attention. I would hate being a shock-jock knowing that nothing I say has any real meaning or sustainability, i.e. the unbearable emptiness and hopelessness of communicating meaningless virtual BS. However, I dislike them enough to want to rage against them, in vain, so that I can convince myself that my own existence is more meaningful, in vain.

A favourite pass time is pulling highly visible and successful people down from their high horses. Tall-poppy syndrome is in many of us, I believe, and who doesn’t know the feeling of Schadenfreude? When people are not actually on a high horse, some like to put them there anyway so they can pull them down with a thud, similar to erecting a strawman and setting fire to it. In this post-modern world, it is all about feelz.

We tend to be too quick to judge and in the public eye people can go from hero to zero in 2 seconds flat. Take our revered PM, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize and lauded for the country’s effective handling of the pandemic, for which she was rewarded in the Election with an absolute majority, under MMP! The new Government was sworn in on 6 November, less than seven weeks ago, but already people call her ‘Blair in high heels’, which sounds to me a little inaccurate, unfair, premature, impatient, and puerile – stuff one would expect from certain shock-jocks.

Another recent example of supersonically fast judgement and execution was the criticism faced by scientist extraordinaire Dr John Ioannidis. He dared to speak up, as scientist and from a scientist’s point of view, and he copped criticism and worse for that. How much of that was justified or warranted, from a science point of view, is beyond the scope of this post but suffice to say, he got a short and sharp trial by public opinion and media.

But I digress, as usual.

I think an effective way of dealing with people or ideas that we dislike or disapprove of is to ignore them. Don’t give them oxygen by repeating and spreading their words, e.g. by linking. Don’t give them your time and attention, make the as irrelevant as possible and send them to oblivion. Give them the tree-in-the-silent-forest treatment.

By raging against our antagonists we amplify their voice, we extend their reach, we do their bidding, for free. I have a habit when I click on a headline and find that the piece is written by somebody who I often don’t find worthy of my time, based on past experiences, to straightaway go back to the previous page in my browser. To really show my disapproval, I could immediately exit the site altogether. Sites that rely on advertising make extensive use of analytics tools to monitor statistics such as page views, bounce rate, and exit rate, for example. Imagine if many readers would exit the site when they land on moron X’s article and keep this up for some time.

Our on-line behaviour is constantly monitored, something that now also seems to happen in real-life such as in some shops with facial recognition technology, our on-line behaviour has a carbon footprint, which we can make smaller or larger, so why not try use it to influence on-line content?

Go and make a cup of tea or coffee, talk to other members of your household if you have any – I mean, actually talk to them – water the plants, check the mail in the mail-box, while there still is snail mail and NZ Post, and talk to your neighbours, kick the cat (I don’t mean that!) or do a few stretches and breathing exercises. During the time that you spend off-line, short or long, you are not rewarding moron X and his employers with your time and attention and this will be registered in the site stats; remember that it is a zero-sum game, life is too short and precious.

Would it work? An action too outrageous? I have no idea, but what do I have to lose? The plants need watering and will love it, the cat won’t 😉

Merry Christmas to you all.

30 comments on “Words of Outrage or Outrageous Action? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. I Feel Love 1
    24 December 2020 at 7:38 am

    Myself and some friends of mine have started to write and send each other letters instead of emailing and or texting. Of course we still text if we need to, but personally I got rid of Messenger, I quit FB ages ago, I leave phone at home as often as I can. Don't get me wrong, I love the technology, and use it often, but I see it sucking people's lives too.

  2. left_forward 2
    24 December 2020 at 7:57 am

    Thanks incognito, I really appreciate your thoughtful OP. It synchronises with what was on my mind this morning. I am often tempted to reply in these ‘anger release’ kind of ways… I am learning to breathe and in the end forgive. Finding peace and goodwill is an active thing to do – it is often more important than what otherwise would be reacted to.

  3. Pat 3
    24 December 2020 at 9:01 am

    And a happy new year

  4. Stuart Munro 4
    24 December 2020 at 9:27 am

    Well of course if anger is an internal matter, Thich Nhat Hanh has a book for that.

    But the commentary process, except under transformational leadership, is exception based. Rather than building an aspirational future for people (which is left to the market, considered ineffable under the neoliberal paradigm), the state develops inertia, and responds instead to pressure of public dissatisfaction.

    We have had indeed some very shoddy media practices from time to time, but the issues that outrage public sensibilities nevertheless indicate areas for government action.

    It is not coincidental that Stuff's first prediction for 2021 is that

    Facing serious pressure on housing prices, Labour will extend the Bright Line Test, arguing this doesn’t qualify as a new tax – just a new way to crack down on people avoiding paying their fair share.

    However determined the government may be to stick to their failed model, the precipitous decline in living standards for the lower third of New Zealanders is nothing to celebrate – and outcomes are well short of expectations for the soon to be half of New Zealanders, who, unless government does something, will never enjoy the basic freedom of owning their own home.

    The economic outlook for us is bleak, but it goes well beyond economics. One cannot plant a forest garden on one's landlord's property, or a pottery kiln or a shed for whatever hobby beguiles one's creative impulses. Life is constrained into ever smaller and tighter circles, as one is obliged to wait for the rogues who ravaged the economic logic of our country to repair it. So dreams are put on hold. And that creates simmering discontent.

    What happens to a dream deferred?

    Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

    Or fester like a sore — And then run?

    Does it stink like rotten meat?

    Or crust and sugar over — like a syrupy sweet?

    Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

    Or does it explode?

    ~ Langston Hughes

    • SPC 4.1
      24 December 2020 at 12:20 pm

      For mine the description of the government as Blairlite, is accurate, fair, timely and astute. Something to be expected from those aware of history and the consequence of incrementalism in management of an inequality crisis. Imagine if we had tried that approach in managing the pandemic?

      Of course the middle class appreciated the action to protect it, and it was thus without electoral cost. But that support is only retained if there is continuing government for the middle class – and thus inequality grows.

      Governing for the middle class was also the Rogernomics path and we know the consequence of that.

  5. Gabby 5
    24 December 2020 at 10:09 am

    I am also very good at giving advice that I don't follow.

  6. RedLogix 6
    24 December 2020 at 10:48 am

    The question of 'what to do about things that offend/outrage me' is linked to this post:

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/02/21/littles-hate-speech-laws-will-destroy-this-government/

    • Lucy 6.1
      24 December 2020 at 11:06 am

      Had trouble reading Chris Trotter's piece – ever since he lined up with Don Brash I find that I have a level of contempt. If you consort with liars and rouges then you lose the argument before you open your mouth. There were lots of comments and again got bored scrolling through the Daily Blog tends to have many comments – especially on free speech that remind me of incel rantings. "Everyone is mean to us and we can't do and say whatever we want". They need to grow up and see that a society has rules that tend to protect the vulnerable

      • RedLogix 6.1.1
        24 December 2020 at 1:58 pm

        Rules are all very well, but the short answer is that the cost of implementing a 'MinTruth' is far, far greater than any harm caused by few otherwise marginal idiots on the sidelines.

        From Trotter's piece:

        And this, sadly, is the problem which the advocates of hate speech legislation all fail to appreciate. That people cannot be forced into abandoning their erroneous, hurtful and/or dangerous opinions. They can only be argued out of them.

        • barry 6.1.1.1
          24 December 2020 at 8:07 pm

          The problem is not those that would utter hate speech, they are largely a lost cause. It is the people that hear it, and are radicalised by it. It is not to sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist, but recognise that it is harmful and discourage its dissemination.

          The vast majority of those claiming their right to spew vile hatred as "free speech" are the first to shout down (and worse) muslims and progressives that they disagree with.

          The Christchurch killer learned his twisted world view from listening to others. If we can stop the "others" then the next of "him" might not get radicalised. He is one of those "otherwise marginalised idiots" on the sidelines, and has inflicted considerable harm on a lot of people.

  7. Anne 7
    24 December 2020 at 10:55 am

    There's one kind of rage I will never overcome… nor do I want to. That is the rage one feels when injustices have occurred – injustices to individuals and injustices to groups.

    The abuse meted out to children in orphanages and other institutions which we are now hearing about is a case in point. The fact it went on for decades and those children [ex children] were never listened to is beyond "outrageous".

    NZers need to hang their heads in shame! And that includes me.

  8. Robert Guyton 8
    24 December 2020 at 10:55 am

    One approach is to jump in, boots and all then regret it afterwards, all the while bathing in the warm glow of familiarity; that is, doing stupid sh*t can feel good if you've always done it! It's akin to being a fly deep in the throat of a pitcher plant; sure, it's a hard climb out but for the moment, it smells so sweet!

  9. SPC 9
    24 December 2020 at 12:07 pm

    In an editorial on STAT published March 17, 2020, Ioannidis called the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic a "once-in-a-century evidence fiasco" and wrote that lockdowns were likely an overreaction to unreliable data.

    In March 2020, Ioannidis tried to organize a meeting at the White House where he and colleagues would caution President Donald Trump against "shutting down the country for [a] very long time and jeopardizing so many lives in doing this," according to a proposal he submitted. The meeting did not come to pass, but on March 28, after Trump said he wanted the country reopened by Easter, Ioannidis wrote to his colleagues, "I think our ideas have inflitrated [sic] the White House regardless".

    Ioannidis widely promoted a study of which he had been co-author,

    It asserted that Santa Clara County's number of infections was more than 50 times higher than the official count, putting the virus’s fatality rate as low as 0.1% to 0.2%. Ioannidis concluded from the study that the coronavirus is "not the apocalyptic problem we thought". The message found favor with right-wing media outlets, but the paper dismayed epidemiologists who said its testing was inaccurate and its methods were sloppy.

    Writing for Wired (magazine), David H. Freedman said that the Santa Clara study compromised Ioannidis' previously excellent reputation and meant that future generations of scientists may remember him as "the fringe scientist who pumped up a bad study that supported a crazy right-wing conspiracy theory in the middle of a massive health crisis." On May 11, the study's authors revised the study with new figures.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ioannidis

    How many dead Americans does it take to demonstrate that criticism of this academic was warranted?

    Where would we be if we took his counsel seriously back on March 17?

    • RedLogix 9.1
      24 December 2020 at 2:24 pm

      How many dead Americans does it take to demonstrate that criticism of this academic was warranted?

      Ioannidis was making the case that COVID is not another 1918 Flu, or Black Death. It's IFR rate is about 5 – 10 times worse than seasonal influenza, but it's a number that's very hard to pin down during the event. It's only afterward when all the data can be consistently accumulated and properly validated that a hard, finally agreed upon number will be available.

      The point of the OP is that science demands scrutiny. If we silence all voices who we disagree with, even ones that turn out to be incorrect, then the science process fails.

      The other aspect I deeply deplore is the mindless politicisation of the science. It was a disaster for climate science, and the same has proven true for COVID.

      Right now I'm still deeply troubled by many aspects of this disease event, far too much contradictory information, selective reporting and blatant agendas at work. There are still many unclear aspects to this disease that beg for deeper unbiased, honest investigation, but are being shouted down or labelled 'misinformation' if they deviate from the official ‘politically approved ‘narrative.

      Even something as simple as the obvious role that Vitamin D plays, is still not getting the traction it should be.

      • SPC 9.1.1
        24 December 2020 at 3:01 pm

        He was arguing against lockdowns and he was wrong. End of.

        He even boasted that Trump was doing what he recommended, we all know the result and how lucky we are that no one in our government took him seriously.

        What politicisation of the science, right wing denialism? Let the carbon burn and let it spread, as alternative and equally credible scientific thinking?

        Politically approved, you mean the Telegraph Tory crusade for freedom from lockdown until the human crisis of their winter finally silences them?

        Yes Vitamin D supplements as well as getting sleep, exercise and good diet are all good for the immune system – Vitamin D especially for those older and or non white. And a healthier immune system will reduce the risk of serious health consequences from infection. And its now known that use of aspirin will reduce the risk of clotting and do the same. Also zinc is good for the cell health and supplements can be useful for older people. And these are all fairly cheap.

        The problem is the inference made by the freedom from government right that we should wait for herd immunity (with or without vaccines) and people take personal responsibility for surviving infection (the public health policy equivalent of Randian philosophy).

        • RedLogix 9.1.1.1
          24 December 2020 at 3:26 pm

          He was arguing against lockdowns and he was wrong. End of.

          But that does not mean he should not have gotten the opportunity to make his case. Being 'wrong' in hindsight is not cause for abuse or silencing.

          Yes Vitamin D supplements as well as getting sleep, exercise and good diet are all good for the immune system – Vitamin D especially for those older and or non white. And a healthier immune system will reduce the risk of serious health consequences from infection.

          This 'second wave' in North America and Europe (and those are the nations where it's largely confined) are almost certainly because we've failed dismally to listen to the people who are telling us this. Why the fuck have govts everywhere completely failed to implement this incredibly low cost and low risk opportunity to reduce the death toll? Or is it more important to ensure maximum profits for the vaccine manufacturers?

          And why is it that poorer nations in the global south are actually doing relatively well at the moment? For example Argentina shows no sign of a second wave whatsoever, even when there is no containment as NZ has achieved.

          • SPC 9.1.1.1.1
            24 December 2020 at 3:43 pm

            Winter has come for those in the north. The second wave has nothing to do with whether people have been taking Vitamin D supplements or not, or receive them when infected with hospitalisation (they should test levels and give boosters to those with low levels when hospitalised of course).

            It's summer in the south at the moment. The flu season thing applies. When warmer there is more ventilation – this reduces spread and of course sunlight kills the virus.

            • RedLogix 9.1.1.1.1.1
              24 December 2020 at 4:02 pm

              Other factors around summer do count, like people tend to be outdoors more often, which experience now shows is a relatively low risk environment … but ultimately sunlight of course a major source of Vitamin D for the human body. But again, this obvious connection is now being deprecated as a 'fringe theory' and willfully ignored by medical authorities. And it's not the only one.

              Not all non-official ideas will of course be true, probably most will not be, but right now everything but the magical bloody vaccines is being ignored and censored as 'misinformation'.

              • Drowsy M. Kram …
                25 December 2020 at 2:00 am

                But again, this obvious connection is now being deprecated as a 'fringe theory' and willfully ignored by medical authorities.

                Not all non-official ideas will of course be true, probably most will not be, but right now everything but the magical bloody vaccines is being ignored and censored as ‘misinformation’.

                That's a really interesting opinion. Is there evidence to back it up? Seems to me that medical authorities are for the most part doing their bit to promote the benefits of vitamin D supplements – heck, even the esteemed Dr Fauci has not tried to conceal that he takes a vitamin D supplement.

                "There is good evidence that if you have a low vitamin D level, that you have more of a propensity to get infected when there are infections around," he said last fall. "Those data are pretty good data." Fauci has said he takes vitamin D and vitamin C supplements.

                However: "If you really want to keep your immune system working optimally, there are things that you do that are normal things: get a reasonable amount of sleep, get a good diet, try to avoid or alleviate severe stress, which we know can sometimes impact the immune system," said Fauci. "That is much more healthy living than giving yourself supplements of anything."

                And do everything you can to prevent getting – and spreading – COVID-19 in the first place: Wear a face mask, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars, and house parties), practice social distancing, only run essential errands, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
                https://www.eatthis.com/vitamins-may-prevent-covid/
                [22 Dec. 2020]

                I take a multivitamin tablet once a day – probably unnecessary but it's a peace of mind thing. As for vitamin D supplements:

                There is not enough evidence that vitamin D supplements protect people against Covid-19, an expert panel says.

                Made up of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, it said more research was needed.

                But everyone is still advised to take a daily supplement this winter to keep bones and muscles healthy.
                https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55333063 [18 Dec. 2020]

                Covid: Free Vitamin D pills for 2.5 million vulnerable in England
                https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55108613 [28 Nov. 2020]

                Vitamin D is is great for all sorts of things, but it's simply not as good as universal masks at preventing the (still increasing) spread of COVID-19 (21,667,626 "Currently Infected Patients"), and it's not as good a an effective vaccine when it comes to decreasing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.

                I (still) think it makes sense to at least consider the consensus opinion of scientists and medical health experts; but what do I know?

                • RedLogix …
                  25 December 2020 at 2:38 am

                  Seems to me that medical authorities are for the most part doing their bit to promote the benefits of vitamin D supplements

                  I hadn't noticed.

                  This virus is going to be around for a good few years yet, and decent vaccine coverage is still likely to be later next year. This means that for most people there remains a good chance you will catch it. Quarantine isn't a magical, impermeable force field and even if one highly contagious variant gets loose in NZ it could be all on again.

                  So in the meantime a simple, cheap low risk vitamin, while it won't stop you catching it, is very likely to reduce the chance of a severe illness as a result. What exactly are you objecting to here?

                  • Drowsy M. Kram …
                    25 December 2020 at 8:29 am

                    Why is it that you hadn't (want to?) noticed, do you think?

                    There is not enough evidence that vitamin D supplements protect people against Covid-19, an expert panel says.

                    Made up of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, it said more research was needed.

                    But everyone is still advised to take a daily supplement this winter to keep bones and muscles healthy.
                    https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55333063
                    [18 Dec. 2020]

                    Covid: Free Vitamin D pills for 2.5 million vulnerable in England
                    https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55108613
                    [28 Nov. 2020]

                    Can Diet Influence the COVID-19 Mortality Rate?
                    https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/512841

                    We know what works to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases – it's not rocket science, or brain surgery – and yet, sadly, the spread of COVID-19 remains stubbornly out of control in many countries inhabited by the "golden billion".

                    And, amazingly, there are a couple of apparently effective COVID-19 vaccines already being distributed to some of the most vulnerable citizens in those same countries. Over the next six months these vaccines should make a real difference to the chances of developing lethal symptoms from a COVID infection, and once immunisation rates are high enough the vaccines could have a real impact on the spread of coronavirus too.

                    But we're not out of the COVID woods yet, either here in NZ, or anywhere else. Stay the course – Stamp is out, keep is out.

                    We don't know how lucky we are – Merry Xmas smiley

                    • Dick Michaels …
                      25 December 2020 at 10:36 pm

                      You're giving a totally wrong impression of the coverage of vit D. To anyone who has been following this from the start, the media has hyped up a vaccine from day 1 as being the only focus and solution. I have not seen one news item in 2020 that discussed vitamins for covid.

      • Andre 9.1.2
        24 December 2020 at 3:58 pm

        Ioannidis copped extra swipes of the blowtorch because his study trying to determine the true rate of infection in the community was full of the junk science errors that he made his reputation shredding other people's work for having. Crap such as self-selected non-random sampling, not properly considering the effects of false positives were just the most egregious of these errors.

        What's worse, even at the time he was using the results of his study to try to poo-poo those arguing for stringent public health responses, the evidence already existed that his headline conclusion was false. At the time Ioannidis was asserting the infection fatality rate was likely 0.1% or less, New York City already had a population fatality rate above 0.1% (New York City population fatality rate from COVID is now just under 0.3%, and the way cases took off again in November suggest they were nowhere near herd immunity)

        When it comes to vitamin D, at this point all we have is a correlation between low vitamin D levels and higher likelihood of poor COVID outcomes. There have been clinical trials looking at administering vitamin D to infected people, most of which are ongoing. But the few that I've seen that have completed suggest there is no benefit to giving COVID patients vitamin D after they're in hospital. Haven't seen any results from trials of giving people vitamin D before covid exposure, but it's unlikely to cause harm.

        However, an opinion I've received third hand from a pulmonary intensive care doctor totally stretched to the absolute max in the US is that for covid patients, vitamin D levels are merely a marker of general health and lifestyle factors that correlate with covid outcomes, and that the vitamin D level itself isn't an important factor.

        • RedLogix 9.1.2.1
          24 December 2020 at 4:38 pm

          Low cost, low risk … just damn well do it and see if it helps.

          • Andre 9.1.2.1.1
            24 December 2020 at 4:44 pm

            And maybe give people a false sense of security that they're protected by something that might in fact be doing nothing. But because of that false sense of protection, maybe they don't bother with whatever other preventive actions they might have otherwise taken.

  10. barry 10
    24 December 2020 at 12:59 pm

    It is all very well to say that we should just ignore them and go an make a cup of tea, and in most cases we would be happier for it. Certainly adding to the noise doesn't help.

    However it is not true to say that the shock jocks and people like Ioannidis (or Billy TK) have no effect. People are influenced by them and they cost us big time. An obvious example is the Auckland August cluster. Some people involved didn't follow the health guidelines (because they were under bad influences) and the cluster grew and persisted resulting in 3 deaths and billions of dollars in cost to the economy.

    So it would be good to have the news media (including Twitter & Facebook, and talkback radio) stopping the propagation of lies, misinformation and disinformation. I know there are problems determining truth, but some of the lies are pretty obvious.

  11. Brendan 11
    24 December 2020 at 2:40 pm

    Nat voter here.

    Agree Agree Agree, sometimes saying nothing is the best option.

    A mate of mine's sports team got sponsorship from a brothel.

    There was outrage in the media.

    After everything blew over, the manager threw a party and invited the team – one of the guys actually went along.

    He had just gotten $20K of free publicity.

    Or may I quote Mr Slater, who remarked that you don't wrestle with pigs, because you get dirty and the pig enjoys it.

  12. Adrian Thornton 12
    24 December 2020 at 10:29 pm

    " The new Government was sworn in on 6 November, less than seven weeks ago, but already people call her ‘Blair in high heels’, which sounds to me a little inaccurate, unfair, premature, impatient, and puerile "

    Really?…

    Government kills off capital gains tax, won't happen on Jacinda Ardern's watch

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-kills-off-capital-gains-tax-wont-happen-on-jacinda-arderns-watch/PRAJYZ2BSONYAFTJI4HJ6JUS5A/

    Jacinda Ardern says 'sustained moderation' remains the Government's goal when it comes to house prices, as people 'expect' the value of their most valuable asset to keep rising

    https://www.interest.co.nz/property/108301/pm-jacinda-ardern-says-sustained-moderation-remains-governments-goal-when-it-comes

    6,000 Homeless In Motels A National Disgrace

    "It is a national disgrace that 6,000 Kiwis are being accommodated in motels, and a further 7,000 were in transitional housing, camping grounds, boarding houses, and other temporary accommodation.

    Another 31,000 are staying with others in a severely crowded dwelling.

    Even middle income earners are finding it difficult to afford an accessible and decent home with often 60 to 80 percent of household income going on paying the rent."

    Meanwhile…….

    Government surplus becomes largest in NZ history

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/government-surplus-becomes-largest-in-nz-history/NMCXTS4XI2RIEYPN7IZ4WWQ5WE/

    Living wage guarantee for RSE workers in border exemption

    But not for local orchard and farm workers!!!!!!! …under Ardern/Labour in New Zealand 2010…WTF.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/431752/living-wage-guarantee-for-rse-workers-in-border-exemption

    The truth about inequality in New Zealand

    "The wealthiest 20 per cent of households in New Zealand hold 70 per cent of the wealth, while the top 10 per cent hold half the wealth. At the other end of the household wealth spectrum, the bottom 40 per cent of households account for just 3 per cent of total wealth.

    …shows a steady increase in income inequality beginning in the 1980s and continuing into the early-2000s."

    And this is exactly the same neoliberal ideology that Ardern and Labour are inflicting on the country today,and will again tomorrow and for as long as they govern, just like every other neoliberal Labour and National government has done since 1984…so why the fuck wouldn't you be angry?

    I mean seriously Incognito, why would you write this piece? People should and have the right to feel rage and anger at what they feel has happened and is happening to our country, our towns and communities, fellow citizens and the planet, expressing that opinion in what ever form it takes is one of the things this forum is here for. Most people know (many only instinctively I think) that much of this damage has been brought about by the pursuance of a political concept that has lust for endless growth at any cost which is destroying and devouring our future and that of our children …so I say, so what if we get angry and rage on the internet here and there…personally I think there isn't enough rage by half….sure most of it is ineffectual at the moment…who cares? Let us rage, at least citizens are displaying some emotion and passion about something that isn’t fucking rugby or some other sport, which apparently in NZ is the only thing that you are allowed to yell about it….none of us can know who’s rage and anger could turn into the spark that ignites the flame of change that will come at some point…lets just hope it is the progressive Left change so desperately needed.

    Turn Labour Left!

  13. Adrian Thornton 13
    24 December 2020 at 11:07 pm

    But seeming its Christmas eve and all, let’s keep it positive for the kids and pets..so here is a little something for all you Labour supporters out there (just to prove good things happen under Liberalism too!), yep a little something that has been spawned out of the destroyed Southern States of the great USA during this disastrous neoliberal hegemonic epoch (but we won’t yell about it)…and very much like what liberalism has done to us, this tune rolls over you like some sort of unstoppable lahar, a force of nature if you will….I give you Weedeater…you can thank Milton Friedman for this creation …happy Christmas one and all!!!

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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    12 hours ago

  • Fucking useless
    Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    12 hours ago

  • Setting things straight.
    Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    13 hours ago

  • Far too light a sentence
    David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    15 hours ago

  • Unwinding Labour’s Agenda
    Muriel Newman writes –  Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    15 hours ago

  • Sequel to “Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour”
    Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    16 hours ago

  • The Govt’s Fast-Track is being demolished by submissions to Parliament
    Bryce Edwards writes –  The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    16 hours ago

  • A generation is leaving at a rate of one A320-load per day
    An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    18 hours ago

  • NZUP RORS back to life
    The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    19 hours ago

  • School Is Out.
    School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    21 hours ago

  • How Are You Doing?
    Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    23 hours ago

  • The Rings of Power: Season Two Teaser Trailer
    I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – What ended the Little ice Age?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Talking Reo with the PM
    “The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Waitangi Tribunal’s authority in Chhour case is upheld – but bill’s introduction to Parliament...
    Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.  The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Australia jails another whistleblower
    In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Some “scrutiny”!
    Back in February I blogged about another secret OIA "consultation" by the Ministry of Justice. This one was on Aotearoa's commitment in its Open Government Partnership Action Plan to "strengthen scrutiny of Official Information Act exemption clauses in legislation" (AKA secrecy clauses). Their consultation paper on the issue focused on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • TVNZ is loss-making, serves no public service due to bias, and should be liquidated
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • The conflicted Covid Chair
    David Farrar writes –  Kata MacNamara reports:    Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Attacking the smartest and most resilient people in the room is never a good idea
    Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A fortune-telling failure, surely, if the tarot cards can’t see a bulldozer coming
    RNZ reports –  It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • The climate battleground heats up
    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Tuesday, May 14
    The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on why anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitic
    To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Climate change is making hurricanes more destructive
    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Wayne Brown’s PT Plan
    Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago

  • Potaka's Private Universe.
    And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Our slow regional councils
    The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law after all
    Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • NZTA takes the wheel after govt gives it the road map for regional roads (and puts a speed governor ...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Change in Catalonia?
    or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Having an enrolment date is not depriving anyone of a vote
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Perhaps house prices don’t always go up
    Don Brash writes –  There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Can’t read, can’t write, can’t comprehend – and won’t think…?
    Mike Grimshaw writes –  At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Time for some perspective
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Will NZ Herald’s ‘poor journalism’ cost lives?
    Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 19 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Popup Photos!
    Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • The Gods Must Be Woke.
    Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • More road
    We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Seeing the Aurora Australis
    There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • Welcome to the current welfare mess
    Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • A shovel-ready autopsy
    Oliver Hartwich writes –  Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Why we almost blacked out and how to fix it
    TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • What Is Instagram Trying To Sell Us?
    Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Precious Little Excitement: Warner Brothers, Peter Jackson, and Gollum
    Back in February 2023, I made the cardinal mistake of getting my hopes up. Warner Brothers declared that fresh Middle-earth movies were in the works: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-warner-brothers-and-impending-tolkien-adaptations/ My assumption, based on which rights were available, and what had already been done, was that this was a stab at either the Angmar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • Do We Need a Population Census?
    ‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
    Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The Treasury and productivity
    Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • The Controller and Auditor-General’s role
    Peter Dunne writes –  I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • More harm than good
    How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos   Chris Trotter writes –  TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour
    And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?   Gary Judd writes –  Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Protest.
    Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on miserly school lunches, and the banning of TikTok’s Gaza coverage
    Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 10-May-2024
    Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to May 10
    Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2024
    Open access notables A Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future: Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VIII
    Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Pretending to talk other people’s languages
    Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...
    Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Following the political money
    Bryce Edwards writes –    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of Education
    Alwyn Poole writes –  After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Fashionable follies
    Eric Crampton writes –  A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Justice for Bainimarama!
    In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • March for Nature in June
    Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Thursday May 9
    Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • The non-woke $3 Lunch.
    I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Labour’s chickens come home to roost
    The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Calvin Reviews Lord of The Rings
    Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Climate Adam: How to visualise Climate Change (ft. Katharine Hayhoe)
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Pre-Budget speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • New Zealand and Vanuatu to deepen collaboration
    New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says.    “This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Penk travels to Peru for trade meetings
    Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Minister attends global education conferences
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Education Minister thanks outgoing NZQA Chair
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Joint statement of Christopher Luxon and Emmanuel Macron: Launch of the Christchurch Call Foundation
    New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.   This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Panel announced for review into disability services
    Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Minister welcomes Police gang unit
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