What if all New Zealanders had enough to live on?
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Date published: 6:10 am, August 6th, 2021 - 37 comments
Categories: benefits, economy, employment, unemployment, wages, welfare
Tags: values, vision, what if...?
Rather than economics, can we talk about the values that underlie how we manage the country?
National used to be better than this
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Date published: 8:28 am, August 6th, 2021 - 20 comments
Back in the day National used to have a strong urban liberal wing that gave the impression that it was sympathetic to LGBTQI issues. Yesterday that impression was trashed.
Open mike 06/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 6th, 2021 - 15 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 05/08/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 5th, 2021 - 9 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Aotearoa New Zealand approaches full employment
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Date published: 8:28 am, August 5th, 2021 - 79 comments
Yesterday Statistics New Zealand announced a dramatic drip in the unemployment rate as well as solid increases in wage rates and average weekly earnings for workers. While the Government celebrated Employers thought it was a crisis.
Open mike 05/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 5th, 2021 - 120 comments
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Daily review 04/08/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 4th, 2021 - 7 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
What if saving the world meant life was tasty, beautiful and just long enough?
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Date published: 10:43 am, August 4th, 2021 - 22 comments
The nasty, brutish and short meme is a failure of the imagination. We can have less and still live good lives.
Judith’s last stand?
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Date published: 8:04 am, August 4th, 2021 - 41 comments
Judith Collins has decided to attack the Government on the use of the Te Reo name for New Zealand even though the last National Government regularised its use.
Open mike 04/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 4th, 2021 - 115 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 03/08/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 3rd, 2021 - 35 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Youtube punishes Murdoch’s Sky News for pedalling Covid misinformation
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Date published: 7:44 am, August 3rd, 2021 - 38 comments
This will have the conspiracy theorists spinning. Youtube have stopped Murdoch’s Sky News Australia from uploading videos for the next seven days after the channel uploaded videos questioning Covid and advocating for the use of alternative medicines including Donald Trump’s favourite hydroxychloroquine
Open mike 03/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 3rd, 2021 - 57 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
We Need Better Politicians!
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Date published: 7:00 pm, August 2nd, 2021 - 24 comments
With the right people in power, we will get the answers we deserve, and our problems will melt away and scatter in a warm worriless wind.
Daily review 02/08/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 2nd, 2021 - 56 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The latest Reid Research Poll result
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Date published: 8:30 am, August 2nd, 2021 - 134 comments
Last night’s Reid Research poll result suggests that the electorate is reverting back to a more conventional dynamic after the stratospheric heights that Labour enjoyed immediately post Covid elimination.
Open mike 02/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 2nd, 2021 - 95 comments
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Women’s Space
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Date published: 1:19 pm, August 1st, 2021 - 58 comments
A dedicated space on The Standard for women’s debate, and introducing the new feminist online space of Women’s Liberation Aotearoa.
Lies damned lies and Crime statistics
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Date published: 10:39 am, August 1st, 2021 - 13 comments
It should be an offence for political parties to deliberately misrepresent law and order statistics as National has done this week. It should be an aggravating feature if the party is a conservative party that champions law and order issues. After all fraud is an offence and if we don’t punish it appropriately then everyone will do it.
Open mike 01/08/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 1st, 2021 - 144 comments
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Open mike 31/07/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, July 31st, 2021 - 56 comments
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Daily review 30/07/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, July 30th, 2021 - 12 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Nurses refuse pay offer
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Date published: 7:00 am, July 30th, 2021 - 28 comments
NZNO members who work in district health boards (DHBs) have voted by clear majority to reject the latest offer in their negotiations with the DHBs, saying it fails to address the chronic and systemic safe staffing issues in a way that would ensure and protect the future of the health system.
Open mike 30/07/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, July 30th, 2021 - 59 comments
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Are we really ready to escalate to war with China over Taiwan?
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Date published: 6:47 pm, July 29th, 2021 - 38 comments
“What will the role of New Zealand be should China invade Taiwan?” was by far the most popular question for Jacinda Ardern after she spoke at a NZIIA seminar last week. Promising to be benign, Ardern said we are “very predictable,” cited alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong, and went on to say we […]
Daily review 29/07/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, July 29th, 2021 - 5 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Citizenship is a human right
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Date published: 9:40 am, July 29th, 2021 - 81 comments
National has responded to the impending return to New Zealand of Suhayra Aden by hinting that they may follow Australia and breach human rights by bringing in laws allowing countries to arbitrarily remove rights of citizenship.
Open mike 29/07/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, July 29th, 2021 - 60 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 28/07/2021
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Date published: 5:30 pm, July 28th, 2021 - 30 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
“We have to talk about sex. It’s important”
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Date published: 10:55 am, July 28th, 2021 - 145 comments
British philosophy professor Kathleen Stock being interviewed by Redline’s Daphna Whitmore on gender critical feminism and the sex/gender wars. Also, why being able to debate matters.
Open mike 28/07/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, July 28th, 2021 - 105 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
- Marsden Point and security of supply
NZ Refining's shareholders are voting today on the future of the Marsden Point oil refinery, and whether to shut it down and shift their business to an import terminal. They've clearly read the writing on the wall and recognise the new reality: oil has no future, their refinery is a ...2 hours ago - Dancing With The 400,000 You Came With.
The Dancing Queen: The lesson delivered was as old as electoral politics itself: Dance with the person you came with. Or, more prosaically: before looking after anybody else, a wise political leader looks after the people who brought her victory.LABOUR’S 2005 WIN was, in the Duke of Wellington’s words, “a ...3 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 6 August 2021
Conversion therapy Bridie Witton (Stuff): ‘Shame’: Conversion Therapy bill passes first reading but is opposed by National Party Bridie Witton (Stuff): ‘Deeply disappointed’: Young Nats call for National Party to support conversion therapy bill Dan Satherley (Newshub): Young Nats clash with Simon Bridges again, this time over conversion therapy Michael Neilson (Herald): Parliament backs ...6 hours ago - Farmers: “get govt off our backs!”
. . . It was Open Field Day for the Cranks from both rural and urban communities. One – spread widely through social media and promoted unwittingly by at least one right-wing blog – was fake; . . The image had been mis-appropriated; re-branded; and used to promote the ...6 hours ago - Geoffrey Miller: NZ’s Olympic-sized relationship with Japan may be about to changeAs the Tokyo Olympics come to an end, Geoffrey Miller analyses the state of New Zealand’s wider relationship with Japan – and says that a very successful partnership may be about to become a lot more complicated. As New Zealand’s very successful Olympic campaign in Tokyo draws to a ...8 hours ago
- National's oily mates love burning coal
You’ve probably noticed National criticising the Labour and Green Coalition Government recently about the amount of coal that’s being imported into New Zealand.In fact they’ve been incessantly repeating their disapproval about imported coal for well over a year now, which is getting a bit tedious to say the least.There is ...9 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #31, 2021
Want to make a dangerous bet? Modes of climate science denial run across a spectrum, with the "soft" end being "climate change has happened in the past what's the big deal," through "we don't really know what'll happen" and ending with the fully delusional "it's not possible for humans to change ...20 hours ago - On the wrong side of history, like alwaysParliament debated the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill this afternoon, and voted to send it to select committee by a margin of 87 to 33. The only party opposed? National. This is a bill aimed at ending the torture of LGBTQ kids and giving them the freedom to be who ...22 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Progressive opposition will help kill off hate speech proposalsWhen significant voices on the political left start speaking out against Labour’s proposed hate speech laws it’s a sign that they’re in big trouble. With criticisms now coming from across the political spectrum, it’s much more likely that the Government will ditch the botched speech regulation reforms. The latest leftwing ...22 hours ago
- National continue climate change denialIt seems somewhat absurd for there still to be climate change deniers around these days. Not only is the world experiencing unprecedented heat waves, droughts, floods and more intense wildfires than ever before, but these extreme weather events have all been categorically linked to climate change by peer-reviewed scientific research.However ...1 day ago
- Climate Change: Unfit to governWe've just had record floods on the West Coast, and freak wind events in Auckland. Greece and Turkey are on fire. And in what seems like a blast from the past, National's climate change spokesperson is calling climate change "bullshit": National Party MP Stuart Smith has described a government ...1 day ago
- Graham Adams: The thorny hate-speech debate sorts sheep from goatsFormer Labour MP Sue Moroney discovers the perils of offering simple solutions to a complex problem. Graham Adams argues that common sense isn’t enough to decide when speech becomes a crime scene. The hate-speech debate is quickly becoming an arena where reputations go to die. Kris Faafoi, the Minister ...1 day ago
- DrawnA ballot for three member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Restriction on Crown Funding Agreements and Unfunded Cancer Medicines) Amendment Bill (Shane Reti) Overseas Investment (Exempt Investment from OECD Countries) Amendment Bill (Damien Smith) Crimes ...1 day ago
- The Herald’s Bias
Like many other Kiwis, my wife and I have had our first Covid vaccination. It was efficiently delivered at the time and place specified, and our second vaccination will take place next week. The Herald, however, continues to pursue its determined campaign to persuade us – in the face of ...1 day ago - An immediate perception of corruptionOver the course of the Covid crisis there has been unease with border restrictions, as people have found it difficult to get MIQ spots. And meanwhile, the government has been secretly letting billionaires in: Billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page visited New Zealand amid Covid-19 border restrictions after his child ...1 day ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 5 August 2021Parliament, political parties Michael Neilson (Herald): Government communications spending increases 50 per cent in four years(paywalled) Jo Moir (Newsroom): What’s eating Kris Faafoi? Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Mystery delay to National Party donations trial Ben Thomas (Stuff): Collins lurches off-road in search for culture wars vote 1 News: Labour’s ‘massive’ drop in poll a ‘wake up ...1 day ago
- Gesta Gertrudis: Volume I
Introducing my new D&D character, taking the place of Annalax: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/the-adventures-of-annalax-a-compendium/ Gertrude von Amleth: Level 8 Human Bard (Glamour)STR: 10DEX: 17CON: 13INT: 18WIS: 4CHA: 20Will Power: 13 Cantrips: Vicious Mockery, Prestidigitation, Minor IllusionFirst Level Spells: Comprehend Languages, Healing Word, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Dissonant WhispersSecond Level: Heat Metal, Silence, ...2 days ago - What’s the carbon footprint of a wind turbine?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sara Peach Dear Sara, Wind turbines are an absolute joke. Has anyone actually figured out the amount of carbon emissions emitted for the entire process from initial construction of the components and land development (construction machinery emissions)? — Mike ...2 days ago
- Throw the landlords out!The Spinoff this morning has a horrific cartoon from the Side Eye about how people are being locked out of owning their own home. Along the way, it points out that the only people who benefit from this crisis are property investors, and that there's remarkably few of them: only ...2 days ago
- People could live in those ghost houses, Jacinda ArdernYou can understand why Jacinda Ardern is somewhat hesitant to do more about tackling the housing crisis. After all, making houses affordable would effectively mean that billions of dollars of paper wealth would be wiped from people's books. And with a considerably larger percentage of the voting public owning property ...2 days ago
- One way of fixing itYesterday, in response to upcoming industrial action, DHBs decided to take the nurses' union to court, claiming they weren't doing enough to guarantee safe staffing levels during the strike. The core issue in the strike is... safe staffing levels, so there's a heavy dose of irony there. And its a ...2 days ago
- 5,000 employed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and outperformed expectations again, with unemployment dropping to 4.0%. There are now 117,000 unemployed - 5,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Which, given the pandemic, is a pretty spectacular performance. Throw in a drop in underutilisation and increased wages, and it ...2 days ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day. First is the committee stage of Andrew Bayly's racist, anti-immigrant New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Bill. Labour has sadly decided to back it - apparently they value the votes of dying, racist NZ First voters more than those of their own ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 4 August 2021Housing Bernard Hickey: Here’s all the levers the Govt is not pulling to fix our housing catastrophe Chloe Swarbrick (Herald): UN-enshrined human right to housing eclipsed by investor greed Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): ‘Way too many hoops’: First Home Grant payouts fall short Toby Morris (Spinoff): The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: Locked out Claire ...2 days ago
- Playing Skadi: The Amazon Identification Debate
As I noted in a previous post, Amazon have released the first image of the upcoming Second Age series. Much like their map-leak from a couple of years ago, it is clearly intended to get the geekier elements of online Tolkien fandom in a lather. And much like a ...2 days ago - An increasingly hysterical base and the National “Leadership”team: far too similar in mindset, o...
Fuming and foaming about the fact their Party lost most recent NZ Election, the barrage, even four years on, from their supporters has not lost any signs of abating. Partly because they claimed high support in the past which gave them an unearned sense of “Right to Rule” and ...3 days ago - Racist party wants to ban Maori word3 days ago
- Dawn raids, continuing exploitation
by Don Franks Beginning in 1974, New Zealand police armed with dogs repeatedly accosted Pacific Nation people, in their homes, in the early morning. The operations were carried out to arrest alleged visa overstayers. After these raids some of the adult victims were deported, their children being placed in state care ...3 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Radical reform coming to a supermarket near youThe supermarket sector is finally about to receive some serious government intervention. Following a scathing report from the Commerce Commission, it’s now almost inevitable that the Labour Government is going to have to introduce some major changes to this vital but uncompetitive retail sector. And these moves are likely to ...3 days ago
- Thinking is Power: The problem with “doing your own research”This is a re-post from the Thinking is Power website maintained by Melanie Trecek-King where she regularly writes about many aspects of critical thinking in an effort to provide accessible and engaging critical thinking information to the general public. The phrase “do your own research” seems ubiquitous these days, often by those who ...3 days ago
- Air pollution exposure is shifting from outdoor to indoor – here’s why
Nicola Carslaw, University of York and David Carslaw, University of York You may have seen the before-and-after-lockdown photos of major cities that appear to show dramatic changes in air quality. In one, the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi is barely visible amid the smog. Then, during lockdown, ...3 days ago - Curiouser and Curiouser: The First Image Out of Amazon’s Second Age Series
Courtesy of Twitter, we now a release date for the upcoming Amazon LOTR/Second Age series: 2nd September, 2022. Which just happens to be the 49th anniversary of Tolkien’s Death. We also have the first image from the series: Very pretty. A figure in white robes looking out over ...3 days ago - Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying downDavid I. Shore, McMaster University You’re agitated by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around your head. The buzzing stops. You feel the tiny pinprick and locate the target. Whack! It’s over. It’s a simple sequence, but it demands complex processing. How did you know where the mosquito was ...3 days ago
- Incentives workHuh. It turns out that incentives to buy EVs and lower their price relative to fossil vehicles work: The first month of the "feebate" saw a huge spike in electric vehicle sales, which nearly quadrupled. There were 1944 pure EV and hybrid light vehicle new registrations during July, according ...3 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 August 2021Opinion polls, government, political parties Claire Trevett (Herald): Poll should be death knell for Judith Collins but a Covid hangover is hitting for PM Jacinda Ardern (paywalled) Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern not bothered by result as Labour plummets to 43 percent Zane Small (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Judith ...3 days ago
- New technology offers insights on Southern Ocean’s carbon secretsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica makes up less than a third of the global ocean surface, yet scientists believe it “plays an outsized role in the climate system,” according to a 2021 journal article in Geophysical Research Letters. Water and currents from other ...4 days ago
- The government is breaching the right to housingHousing is a human right, one which the New Zealand government accepts through its adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. And now the Human Rights Commission has stated the obvious: we're breaching it: Successive Governments have breached New ...4 days ago
- Mass vaccination event wasn’t a shambles4 days ago
- Climate Change: A $3.5 billion mistakeIn May last year the government increased the ETS fixed price option to $35, as a prelude to moving to an auction-based system with a cost-containment reserve. At the time, carbon prices were $25 - hard up against the previous price cap - so it must have looked impossibly high. ...4 days ago
- Neither Passionless, Nor Zombies.Once Again With Feeling: What the parties on both sides of the aisle need to understand, however, is that New Zealanders are not passionless, and they are certainly not zombies. They are voters – and they want change. Now.I NEVER BOUGHT Gordon McLauchlan’s Passionless People argument. The book was published ...4 days ago
- No wonder people are confused. Most official COVID vaccine advice is way too complexDanielle Marie Muscat, University of Sydney; Julie Ayre, University of Sydney; Kirsten McCaffery, University of Sydney, and Olivia Mac, University of Sydney As Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow, the message has shifted to urgently “get the jab”. And people’s motivation to get vaccinated is increasing. But with ever-changing ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 2 August 2021NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS AND READERS I’m very pleased to bring back the “NZ Politics Daily” email service today. During the break I’ve been able to secure some funding so that a research assistant can help put the service together. I will, however, need to find more money to make the service sustainable. ...4 days ago
- Collins is crushing her own credibilityEven before Judith Collins became overlord of the National Party, you could tell there was a huge ideological divide between her questionable values and those of the party’s former leaders. And just over a year after becoming the opposition's de facto leader, that chasm between Crusher and what her party ...4 days ago
- Legal Beagle: The New New Prohibition
In the decades leading up to the 18th Amendment, the case for the prohibition of alcohol was made repeatedly. The harms of alcohol were substantial, and the US experience was worse than most. The victims made the case, and campaigners made the case for those who couldn’t speak for themselve. ...5 days ago - Let’s talk about sex self ID
Speak Up For Women have toured New Zealand in the last month speaking on the proposed law change that would allow people to change their birth certificate sex by a simple declaration. It was a great opportunity to meet with hundreds of people and exchange ideas. Here is the talk: ...5 days ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #31Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 25, 2021 through Sat, July 31, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’, State of the climate: 2021 ...5 days ago
- July ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: Nicole MamaNYC I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. ...5 days ago- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
Session Fifty-Six Annalax’s schemes were, alas, put on hold at the start of the session, due to a horrifying discovery of a mangled body outside the town brothel. The victim had been hideously mutilated, complete with faux-antlers being driven into their skull. And, sure enough, a crowd was ...6 days ago- 2021 Reading Log: July (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for July: The Caesars, by Emperor Julian the ApostateThe A.B.C. Murders, by Agatha ChristieFive Little Pigs, by Agatha ChristieThe Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Vols 2-4 of 6) The Works of Poe is the six volume 1896 edition, edited by Stoddard. The library was missing the first ...6 days ago- Clouds study finds that low climate sensitivity is ‘extremely unlikely’
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Ayesha Tandon It is “very likely” that the way clouds change as the world warms will drive further temperature rise, a new study finds. The response of clouds to a change in global temperature – known as the “cloud feedback” – plays a ...6 days ago- Are We Nudging Enough?
Inside the Nudge Unit by David Halpern, provides new insights into behaviour which New Zealand public policy is steadily taking into consideration.Have you noticed that the defaults or first choices in the website of a commercial entity favour the business’s goal? Fill in their forms and, as like as not, the ...7 days ago- Ending royal corruption in Scotland?
Earlier in the week, The Guardian reported that England's monarch had been secretly having laws amended to carve out exemptions for herself, using a procedure called "crown consent". Its a corrupt holdover from the days of absolute monarchy, and something which has no place in a modern democracy, or even ...7 days ago- Government must ban synthetic fertilisers
1 week ago- Ending conversion “therapy”
The government has introduced a bill to outlaw homophobic conversion "therapy": Practices intended to change or suppress someone's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, also referred to as gay conversion therapy, will become a criminal offence under legislation announced today. Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said today the ...1 week ago- The Sin Of Cheapness.
Commodities, Commodities, Everywhere - And None Of Them Are Cheap! No less an authority than the Commerce Commission has determined that New Zealanders are paying too much for their food and groceries. An apparent aversion to aggressive competition has led the dominant players to match one another’s’ prices rather than better ...1 week ago- Should We Trust The Science – Or Ourselves?
“Pure” Science: The lesson to be drawn from the history of science, however, is that knowledge is always and everywhere embedded in culture. That the one cannot be separated from the other. Culture can empower knowledge, or suppress it; advance it or divert it to the utmost wickedness. Knowledge goes where it’s told. “TRUST ...1 week ago- Kids set free to roam on their own feel more confident navigating in adulthood
Vanessa Vieites, Rutgers University The distance from home that kids are allowed to roam and play has shrunk significantly over the last 50 years. That’s largely due to parents’ concerns over safety, especially in cities. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has further restricted children’s independent activity. As a Ph.D. ...1 week ago- Running into Trouble: COVID-19 in Japan during the Tokyo Olympics
Dr Leah Grout, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker * The 2020 Olympic Games were originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delayed event has now opened, with the opening ceremonies held on 23 July 2021 and competitions scheduled to take place through 9 August 2021. ...1 week ago- Simon Bridges cannot be trusted
You may recall former National Party leader Simon Bridges gaining a lot of public attention last month after claiming he was a witness to a gang fight. The former Crown Prosecutor made a huge song and dance about it all over Facebook and Twitter while also attacking the Government with ...1 week ago- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30, 2021
88 articles Physical science of climate change, effects Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica Ghiz et al. The Cryosphere Open Access pdf 10.5194/tc Quantifying the Mechanisms of Atmospheric Circulation Response to Greenhouse Gas Increases in a Forcing–Feedback Framework Zhang et al. Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli ...1 week ago- Hate Speech law is unworkable
Make a submission to stop this mess being codified into law The Free Speech Union is urging people to make submissions to halt the proposal putforward by the Ministry of Justice for hate speech laws. The FSU state: “[T]he proposals put forward by the Ministry of Justice are dangerously vague ...1 week ago- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – How the Government has fuelled rampant increases in wealth
Jacinda Ardern’s household wealth increased by an estimated $290,000 over the last year. Although she earnt nearly half a million dollars from her job, her windfall was solely due to the value of her Auckland house increasing. And by her own policy designs, it’s a capital gain which is untaxed. ...1 week ago- Climate Change: The other Tiwai scam
Newsroom has a good piece this morning about the government's consultation on industrial free allocations, revealing that Fletcher Building is getting an extra $5 million a year ($7 million at today's prices) due to miscalculated carbon subsidies. That's bad, and it needs to be stopped by resetting emissions baselines to ...1 week ago- End the Tiwai scam
A little over a year ago, Rio Tinto was pleading povery, claiming its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was unprofitable, and threatening to close it unless it got a government handout to keep it running. Their bluff worked, and we ended up paying the BluffGeld by giving them lower electricity prices ...1 week ago- Holes in the Tundra: Why Burping Cows Are the Least of Our Worries.
1 week ago- Piers Morgan – Arsehole of the Week
1 week ago- Climate change and tornadoes: Any connection?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson Climate change may be the existential threat of our lives, yet when it comes to in-your-face weather, tornadoes are in a class of their own. Fortunately, human-warmed climate isn’t making violent U.S. tornadoes any more frequent. However, climate change may ...1 week ago- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Labour’s sacrificing of the poor
Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson like to think of themselves as leftwing politicians. So why aren’t they prioritising and championing the vulnerable at the bottom of society? Since Covid hit they have chosen economic policies that benefit the rich while pushing more into poverty. Increasing inequality was thrown into stark ...1 week ago- Climate Change: Just predatory delay again
Another day, another story arguing that climate change is Just Too Hard for farmers, and that they should be given more time to wait for a magic technological solution which will cut emissions while allowing them to continue doing exactly what they're doing at the moment. Today, the magic Technological ...1 week ago- A note on the “jihadi bride.”
I ruffled a few feathers by referring to Gerry Brownlee as a “buffoon” during a radio interview this week. The subject in question was the involuntary repatriation of Suharya Aden and her children to NZ after Australia cancelled her citizenship. Brownlee was blathering about her being a terrorist security threat, ...1 week ago- Militaries plunder science fiction for technology ideas, but turn a blind eye to the genre’s socia...
Will Slocombe, University of Liverpool Military planning is a complicated endeavour, calling upon experts in logistics and infrastructure to predict resource availability and technological advancements. Long-range military planning, deciding what to invest in now to prepare armed forces for the world in thirty years’ time, is even more difficult. ...1 week ago- Still the same question
The Independent Police Conduct authority has found another case where police used excessive force in making an arrest: A police officer broke a woman’s arm with a baton before dragging her out of her car by the hair following a chase. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the ...1 week ago- The Danger from the Extreme Right
Like other readers, no doubt, I recently experienced a “believe it or not” moment, when I read an account of a crowd at a recent Trump rally cheering the news that the US Women’s Football Team had been beaten at the Olympic Games. The reason for the cheering was, apparently, ...1 week ago- Aggressive marketing has driven the rise of the double-cab ute on New Zealand streets — time to hi...
Kirsty Wild, University of Auckland and Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland “Explore your inner beast.” That was the slogan used last year to sell the Ford Ranger. At 2.4 tonnes, that’s a lot of “light” truck, but the stakes are rising. This year, the 3.5 tonne Ram 1500 “eats ...1 week ago- Why calling ordinary Kiwi cyclists ‘elitist’ just doesn’t add up
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around. Once a novelty, bike riding has moved from being a critical transport mode to a children’s pastime to now being popularly perceived as an ...1 week ago - The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
- New classrooms for thousands of Kiwi kids
As part of our work to secure our COVID recovery, we’re upgrading schools around the country. This will not only ensure young Kiwis have modern classrooms to learn in, but will also support hundreds of local jobs and provide an economic boost for our communities. ...1 day ago - How the TIA helped three Kiwi mums into careersAs we secure our recovery from COVID-19, we’re helping more Kiwis get the skills they need for work. The Training Incentive Allowance, which supports people into training or to transition into new careers, is one way we’re doing this. We chatted with three people who know first-hand the difference this ...2 days ago
- Green Party welcomes conversion therapy prohibition bill
The Green Party welcomes the announcement by Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi to introduce a bill to prohibit conversion therapy used against Rainbow communities. ...1 week ago - Green Party welcomes Commerce Commission’s draft findings, cautions against wait and hope solution...The Green Party welcomes the findings of the Commerce Commission’s report on competition in the retail grocery sector, which takes aim at the duopoly formed by Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs. ...1 week ago
- Building back betterIt’s a three-week recess in Parliament – so, no bills are going through the House and no select committees are meeting. But the hard work of our ministers continues, and many of our MPs are back in their electorates, taking the opportunity to meet with local communities and businesses about ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homesThe Green Party is launching a petition today calling on the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards to be backed up with a proper Warrant of Fitness (WoF) for rental homes. ...2 weeks ago
- New innovation fund for more mental health initiatives
The government has set up a one-off defined mental health innovation fund to further expand the support available to those who need it, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “This government is transforming Aotearoa - New Zealand’s approach to mental wellbeing with greater focus on care in the community, and more ...2 hours ago - New training scheme for lower South Island engineering sectorAn innovative training programme to support jobs and businesses in the engineering and manufacturing sector in the lower South Island has been officially launched in Balclutha. Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash has opened a new skills training academy established with an initial investment of $495,000 from the Provincial ...3 hours ago
- Speech to Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Conference 2021Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Conference 2021 Mihi Tēnā tātou katoa. Ki te reo pōhiri, kei te mihi. Ki a koutou ngā pou o te whare hauora o Aotearoa, kei te mihi. He taura tangata, he taura kaupapa e hono ana i a tatou katoa i tenei ...4 hours ago
- Speech to the Environmental Defence Society annual conferenceKia ora kōtou katoa. Firstly, thank you for the invitation to speak today. The Environmental Defence Society’s contributions towards environmental policy are invaluable, and alongside that your work in identifying and analysing issues and potential solutions are fundamental in driving transformation. My colleague Minister Parker, who outlined the Government’s environmental ...5 hours ago
- New regs on stream for whitebait seasonThe 2021 whitebaiting season is about to kick off with new regulations in place to help ensure a healthy future for the fishery. “The new regulations herald a more equitable fishery, easing the pressure on whitebait species while providing better alignment and consistency of fishing rules across the country,” Conservation ...5 hours ago
- Health Indicators will track better care for all NZersThe Government’s reform of the health system took a big step forward today with the unveiling of the system that will be used to hold it accountable and ensure it delivers more equitable healthcare for all New Zealanders. Health Minister Andrew Little has already announced the 20 district health boards ...6 hours ago
- Govt congratulates Lisa Carrington on becoming NZ’s most decorated OlympianSport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has today congratulated New Zealand Olympic kayaker Lisa Carrington on her exceptional performance at the Tokyo Olympics which has led to her becoming the most decorated New Zealand Olympian. “Lisa is a phenomenal athlete. To win the K1 200m three Olympics in a row, ...23 hours ago
- Construction sector transformation continues with Network launchHousing Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods and Building and Construction Minister Hon Poto Williams today launched the Construction Sector Accord Network. Designed to bring the sector together to lift performance and drive change, the Network is a collective of businesses, government agencies and other organisations committed to a higher performing ...24 hours ago
- The ‘Tulī Takes Flight’ scholarships announcedThe Associate Minister of Education, Aupito William Sio, has today announced the establishment of the ‘Tulī Takes Flight’ scholarships as part of the goodwill gesture of reconciliation to accompany the Government’s apology to Pacific families and communities impacted by the Dawn Raids. “Education is the key to unlocking success, opportunity, ...1 day ago
- 8,000 additional public housing places delivered in major Government milestone New Zealanders now have an extra 8,000 warm, dry public housing places to call home, under a Government public housing programme that is full steam ahead, says Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. “Of the 74,337 households now being supported in public housing places, more than six thousand (6,503) are living in ...1 day ago
- New classrooms and building improvements for central and lower North Island schoolsSix schools across Wellington, Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki are getting a funding boost so projects can enter construction and deliver much needed works sooner, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. While visiting Cannons Creek School in Porirua, Chris Hipkins also announced 10 schools in the central and lower North Island that ...1 day ago
- Restoring the richness of the Rangitata riverA major Jobs for Nature project to protect and enhance some of the South Island’s most unique habitats and restore the health of the Rangitata River highlights the important role farmers have in caring for the land, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “Canterbury’s braided rivers are an iconic part of ...1 day ago
- Foreign Minister to take part in ASEAN-related meetingsForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will today begin a suite of meetings with her ASEAN and East Asia Summit counterparts, starting with the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting tonight. That will be followed by the ASEAN-New Zealand Ministerial Meeting on Thursday 5 August and the 28th ASEAN Regional ...2 days ago
- Arts and heritage venues get helping handA new round of funding to support capital projects will help keep our arts and heritage sector alive and vibrant, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan announced today. “Communities work hard to raise funds for arts, culture and heritage related capital projects as they add significant value ...2 days ago
- Foreign Ministers welcome opening of New Zealand High Commission in ColomboNew Zealand and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministers, Nanaia Mahuta and Dinesh Gunawardena, have welcomed the opening of the New Zealand High Commission in Colombo next week. The Foreign Ministers, who met virtually yesterday, spoke about the opening of the High Commission as a major milestone in the bilateral relationship. Both ...2 days ago
- New Zealand to increase NZDF commitment to the United Nations Command, Republic of KoreaThe New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will deploy three additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission from nine to 12 personnel. “Increasing the size of our deployment to the Republic of Korea ...2 days ago
- Wages up, unemployment downThe Government’s efforts to secure the recovery has seen more Kiwis in jobs and higher wages, with unemployment falling to pre-COVID levels and more people in work. Stats NZ figures show unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in the June quarter from 4.6 percent in the March quarter, the lowest ...2 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Kihi Ngatai OSMMauao tiketike tūmokemoke mai ana ra koe, papakitia ana e ngā tai kawenga roimata o te motu. E Ngāti Ranginui, mo tō manuhuia kua tīkapea i te rangi. E Ngai Te Rangi, mo tō manutaki kua riro i te hau o Aitū kikini, E Ngāti Pukenga mo tō manutaiko, kua ...2 days ago
- Government support screen industry with funding for sound stages in West AucklandAuckland Film Studios in West Auckland has received funding for a major expansion through the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group’s (IRG) COVID-19 Response Fund. The Government is investing $30 million of a total $35 million project to construct two 2,000sqm sound stages and development of further workshops and offices, to expand ...3 days ago
- Protecting unique land for generation nextThe Government is boosting legal protection for critically important natural habitats on private land, Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says. “An $8 million investment over four years will see Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Ngā Kairauhī Papa (QEII) work with government agencies, councils and others to provide legal protection of ...3 days ago
- New Zealand’s support for Fiji’s COVID-19 response continues with vaccine delivery, operational ...Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced further support for Fiji, including funding support for nursing staff and 100,000 doses of vaccines due to arrive in country today. “Our thoughts remain with Fiji during this incredibly challenging period,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “New Zealand has funded 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ...3 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Hōhepa (Joe) MasonKo koe tēnā e te hurumanu e Hōhepa, te tōwenetanga a te iti, te māpihi herenga mahara o te tini, ka tauawhi tonuhia koe e to iwi ki te uma pupuri ai. Me pēhea he kupu kia koutou kua puta i nga ākinga a nga tau kua hori, kua waia ...3 days ago
- Finance Minister and RBNZ Governor agree to update MOU on macro-prudential policyFinance Minister Grant Robertson and Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr have updated the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on macro-prudential policy to further protect the financial system and support the Government’s housing objectives. “This change will ensure that the Reserve Bank has the flexibility to respond to emerging financial stability risks ...3 days ago
- Government commits further assistance for drought and flood-affected rural communitiesFarmers and growers affected by this year’s drought or floods in Marlborough, Tasman, West Coat, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands will have access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) from today, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced. “The Government is committed to easing the financial pressures on ...4 days ago
- Cook Islands youth lead Language WeekThe Cook Islands Language Week theme for 2021 highlights the vital role language plays in maintaining young people’s links to their Pacific home, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “The Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week – theme is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki ...4 days ago
- Government offers formal apology for Dawn RaidsA formal and unreserved apology for the Dawn Raids The Government will offer education scholarships as part of the apology Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Scholarship Training courses Support Pacific artists and historians to develop a comprehensive written and oral account of the Dawn Raids Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ...5 days ago
- Speech to Dawn Raids ApologyTēnā koutou katoa, Kia orana kotou katoatoa, Fakaalofa lahi atu ki mutolu oti, Tālofa nī, Mālō nī koutou, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakatalofa atu, Noa'ia 'e mauri, Kam na mauri, Malo e lelei, Sioto'ofa, Mālō lava le lagi e mamā ma le soifua maua, Oue tulou, tulou atu, tulouna lava ...5 days ago
- Bridging the gap – last piece of Northcote Safe Cycle Route now completeThe opening of two bridges over Auckland’s Northern Motorway is the last link of a cycling and walking route which provides a safe, active alternative for students and commuters, Transport Minister Michael Wood said today. Michael Wood cut the ribbon for the completion of the Northcote Safe Cycle Route, at ...5 days ago
- Progress in establishment of Aged Care CommissionerRecruitment for an Aged Care Commissioner will start next month, to ensure greater oversight of New Zealand’s aged care sector. “This sector is responsible for supporting a large and often vulnerable population. While most people are able to access quality care, there have been cases where that care has fallen ...6 days ago
- New record number of homes consentedIn the year ended June 2021, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 44,299, up 18 percent from the June 2020 year. In June 2021, the seasonally adjusted number of new dwellings consented rose 3.8 percent. In June 2021, 4,310 new dwellings were consented, an increase of 3.8 per ...1 week ago
- Communities backed to tackle wilding pinesTwelve community projects across New Zealand will receive a share of $2 million to carry out wilding pine control, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor announced as part of Biosecurity Week. “Wilding pines are a serious problem that threaten many of the unique landscapes that New Zealanders value. Community groups and trusts ...1 week ago
- Health Minister Andrew Little responding to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's rejection of ...I was advised last night that the result of the ballot of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation members have rejected the latest proposal to settle their collective agreement. Let me be clear: the proposal was one they put to the Government. The Nurses Organisation rejected their ...1 week ago
- Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation introduced to ParliamentLegislation has been introduced to Parliament to protect against practices intended to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Introducing the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, Minister of Justice, Kris Faafoi, said the measures proposed were aimed at ending conversion practices which don’t work, are widely ...1 week ago
- New kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services to support people in central North IslandNew mental health and addiction services rolling out across the central North Island will improve outcomes and equity for Māori, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare says. Today the Minister met with providers of the new kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service, Poutama Ora, which will ...1 week ago
- New kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services to support people in central North IslandNew mental health and addiction services rolling out across the central North Island will improve outcomes and equity for Māori, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare says. Today the Minister met with providers of the new kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service, Poutama Ora, which will ...1 week ago
- New school site for booming West AucklandThe Government will build on a new school site in West Auckland to cope with rapid population growth in the area, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Ministry is working with existing local schools to determine how the 1.5-hectare site at 279 Hobsonville Point Road will be used to support ...1 week ago
- Trans-Tasman travel window to close at midnight tomorrowA further 500 MIQ rooms released for managed returnees from NSW Further Government actions announced today are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall says. The actions were foreshadowed last ...1 week ago
- Govt investing millions in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti schoolsNapier Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools are among those set to benefit from a $16.5 million investment in the Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti region, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash announced today. The Government has set aside money in Budget 2021 to accelerate five projects in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North ...1 week ago
- Game changing Jobs for Nature investment for NorthlandConservation Minister Kiri Allan has announced Jobs for Nature funding for a portfolio of projects that will create ‘game changing’ gains for nature and communities across Northland/Te Tai Tokerau as part of the Government’s acceleration of the economic recovery from COVID. “This portfolio of 12 projects will see over $20 ...1 week ago
- Third COVID-19 vaccine receives provisional approvalNew Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an ...1 week ago
- Refinery Closure Another Blow To Regional Jobs
The decision by Refining NZ to close the Marsden Point refinery is understandable but disappointing, says Energy Resources Aotearoa. "This continues a worrying trend of de-industrialisation and job losses in the regions," says chief executive ...1 hour ago - Larry Page can travel to and from NZ due to residency visa
An immigration lawyer says Google co-founder Larry Page can travel in and out of New Zealand on his current visa. ...1 hour ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending 6 August
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Canongate, $33)The bestselling novel about a library where each book is ...2 hours ago - Marsden Point refinery closure to save 100Mt carbon emissions
Small investors entered the Refining NZ shareholders meeting, in the terse expectation they would vote to end the company's business as they've known it for 60 years. The decision to shut down New Zealand's only oil refinery was just "pandering to the Greens", said one shareholder; it jeopardised the supply of ...2 hours ago - To enable healing, there’s a more effective way to Close the Gap in employment in remote Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Staines, ARC DECRA Research fellow, The University of Queensland Talk of healing, care, and well-being is woven throughout the refreshed Closing the Gap agreement. These things were also central to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement of the Closing the Gap implementation ...2 hours ago - Make switch to Māori roll easier, say Taranaki politiciansTaranaki Māori politicians including Adrian Rurawhe and Howie Tamati want it to be easier for voters to join the Māori electoral roll. ...2 hours ago
- TPOOM Calls For Mana Motuhake In Māori Electoral Option Review...3 hours ago
- Dr Shane Reti’s Member’s Bill Pulled From BallotNational Party MP Dr Shane Reti’s Member’s Bill has been pulled from the ballot today and would see unfunded chemotherapy drugs administered in public hospitals. The Member’s Bill proposes a law change that would allow DHBs to administer, and ...3 hours ago
- Reintroduction Of Health Performance Metrics Is A Taxpayer VictoryResponding to the Health Minister’s introduction of national health indicators , New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “We’ve been calling for this and frankly it’s incredible that the Government has taken so long. ...4 hours ago
- Legal Case Against E-scooters On Footpaths LaunchedLiving Streets Aotearoa has filed a claim in the High Court in Auckland against the decisions of Auckland Council and the NZTA which resulted in large numbers of e-scooters being used on the city’s footpaths. Living Streets is seeking judicial ...4 hours ago
- Marsden Point potential closure: Government defends import-only strategyThe government is defending its assessments that there is little risk to the country's energy security, even if the only oil refinery stops operating. ...4 hours ago
- DHB reforms: Government reveals 'accountability' for new health systemThe government's new health system will abolish national health targets tied to funding and replace them with 12 measures of performance, Minister Andrew Little says. ...4 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: RED FLOWER // RED FLAG, by Ruby SollyA new poem from poet and musician Ruby Solly.RED FLOWER // RED FLAGKo Rata te ikoa o tōku tīpuna a man who had to chop down a tree over and over again while every night the birds would pick up the pieces and restore the tree chink by chink as ...5 hours ago
- Building timelines blow out amid timber shortageConstruction jobs are getting bogged down in delays due to a lack of timber and other building supplies. Alex Braae reports.With the government considering an inquiry into the chronic shortage of timber and potentially even export controls, builders are speaking out about how difficult construction is right now. It is seen ...5 hours ago
- Economist Piketty: Everyone Should Get €120,000 For Their 25th BirthdayOriginally published at https://scoop.me/thomas-piketty-120000euro-for-birthday/ French economist Thomas Piketty calls for all citizens to receive 120,000 euros for their 25th birthday. This “start-up money” would open up many opportunities for ...6 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Progressive opposition will help kill off hate speech proposalsAnalysis by Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. When significant voices on the political left start speaking out against Labour’s proposed hate speech laws it’s a sign that they’re in big trouble. With criticisms now coming from across the political spectrum, it’s much more likely that the Government will ...6 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – August 6 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Conversion therapy Bridie Witton (Stuff): ‘Shame’: Conversion Therapy bill passes first reading but is ...6 hours ago
- A ‘Christian nation’ no longer: why Australia’s religious right loses policy battles even when...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Conservative Christians are prominent in Australia’s Liberal-National Coalition parties. Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott are two of the most devout and theologically conservative prime ministers in ...7 hours ago
- Australians are 3 times more worried about climate change than COVID. A mental health crisis is loom...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rhonda Garad, Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in Knowledge Translation, Monash University Shutterstock As we write this article, the Delta strain of COVID-19 is reminding the world the pandemic is far from over, with millions of Australians in lockdown and ...7 hours ago
- Being able to skip classes improves some students’ performance. Others struggle with more autonomySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rigissa Megalokonomou, Lecturer in Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock Remote learning online has been a common tool in the battle against COVID-19. School and university campus closures have affected over 1.5 billion learners in 165 countries. The reduced need ...7 hours ago
- If machines can be inventors, could AI soon monopolise technology?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Amanda-Jane George, Postgraduate Research Coordinator, Senior Lecturer in Innovation & Intellectual Property Law, School of Business and Law, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock What does it mean to be an inventor? In patent law, designed to protect the intellectual property of ...7 hours ago
- Friday essay: Tongerlongeter — the Tasmanian resistance fighter we should remember as a war heroSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Clements, Adjunct Researcher, University of Tasmania Lieutenant John Bowen and party arriving at Risdon, by Thomas Gregson (c.1860). Courtesy of the WL Crowther Library Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, August 6: National’s president faces challenge as annual conference kicks offWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 6, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.10am: National’s president could face challenge as party conference kicks offThe National Party’s annual conference kicks off today, with reports party president Peter Goodfellow could lose his job.It’s ...7 hours ago
- The young Māori designer overcoming whakamā with fluoroSmall Ōtepoti label Karaoke Superstars has gained a cult following on social media for its distinct motocross-meets-goth hoodies and t-shirts. Charlotte Muru-Lanning talks to Rosette Hailes-Paku, the designer behind the brand.Dressing up in her mum’s ever-growing collection of vintage dresses as a child sparked Rosette Hailes-Paku’s fascination with fashion. Now 23, ...7 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Covid in Australia worse every dayGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Covid in Australia worse every day, it turns out the co-founder of Google has NZ residency, and conversion therapy ban passes first reading.Despite the measures taken against spread, the Covid situation in Australia is getting worse by the day. The Sydney Morning ...8 hours ago
- DHB reform consultation with people who are disabled will continue – govtThe government is reassuring disabled people their voices will be heard as it presses on with major reforms to New Zealand's district health boards. ...8 hours ago
- Power Play: Pressure at the top – National's annual conferenceThere will be little to celebrate at the National Party annual conference this weekend as the party still nurses its wounds from the 2020 election, Jane Patterson writes. ...8 hours ago
- Time to put right the damage we've done to nature
An environment conference hears from all parties that the time for exploiting nature is over and we need to focus on putting things right, writes Rod Oram ...9 hours ago - Marsden Point's fuel company owners split over biofuels
Biggest shareholder Mobil questions viability of biofuels production in shareholder vote on refinery's future ...9 hours ago - Refinery Closure A Serious Strategic Mistake05.08.21 A decision at tomorrow’s shareholders meeting meaning New Zealand's capability to refine oil will be shut down and Refining New Zealand then becoming an importer of pre-refined fuel would be a serious strategic mistake. Such a move would put New ...9 hours ago
- French Embassy Targeted To Mark Hiroshima DayThe French Embassy will be targeted for its ongoing role in the nuclear poisoning of the Pacific by activists and artists following a day of kōrero and art-making at the Newtown Community Centre starting at 1pm on Saturday, 7th August. “As we ...10 hours ago
- Almost 20-thousand Strong Petition Handed To Iranian Embassy In WellingtonAmnesty International is handing over 19,300 signatures to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington tomorrow morning (from 8.45am) . The signatures are across three petitions focusing on the rights of women and children. One calls for an end to the execution ...10 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 6 August
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 6 August
...10 hours ago - Conversion therapy ban passes first hurdle in divided parliamentA ban on conversion therapy is coming and it remains possible, just maybe, that parliament could pass the law unanimously in the end. Justin Giovannetti reports.A proposed ban on conversion therapy passed its first reading at parliament yesterday following a tense debate where the chamber seemed unanimously opposed to the ...10 hours ago
- Pictures of politicians getting their Covid vaccinations – reviewed2021, we are told by Jacinda Ardern, is the year of the vaccine. And as the rollout gathers pace, we now have the pictures to prove it. Ben McKay critiques our leaders’ social media vaxpics and asks: whose shot of their shot is the shit? Litres of Pfizer’s finest are hitting ...10 hours ago
- Bernard Hickey: The team of five million rhetoric rings hollow for those locked in visa limboAmid increasing calls for the tens of thousands of temporary workers stranded here to be given pathways to residence, Bernard Hickey says the government risks being exposed as the Dubai of the South Pacific.Follow When the Facts Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.Whaddarya? Whaddarya? Whaddarya? Whaddarya? ...10 hours ago
- Closing our fuel insurance policy
Marsden Pt shareholders will vote today on a proposal to shut down New Zealand's only oil refinery, slashing hundreds of jobs. Is it worth fighting to save it? Perched on the edge of a pristine white beach on Whangārei Harbour, with the backdrop of the Heads and Mt Manaia, is ...10 hours ago - From 9 to 5 Freightways job to founding vetting startup
Freightways employee was shocked to find how often employers were collecting too much personal information. ...10 hours ago - Teens looking in the cracked mirror of social media
Teachers and psychologists say schools need to equip teens with the tools to be aware of the insidious effects of social media It’s been just over a decade since the internet migrated onto the average Kiwi's phone. Today’s teens are the first generation to grow up never having known a life ...10 hours ago - Treasury wanted EVs feebate deferred
Briefings in a Budget-related document dump show officials recommended funding for the EV subsidy be deferred to future Budgets. ...10 hours ago - Andrew Little's hospital pass
Despite billions of dollars going into health, the new minister is stumped by how little has changed. ...10 hours ago - Treasury wanted feebate deferredBriefings in a Budget-related document dump show officials recommended funding for the EV subsidy be deferred to future Budgets. ...10 hours ago
- Demand, but no debate, at National AGM
The National Party wants all New Zealanders to demand a debate. But its own members will be stopped from doing just that at this weekend’s conference, writes political editor Jo Moir Today the National Party will gather in Auckland for a three-day conference but not everyone is happy with what’s ...10 hours ago - Black Ferns find right fit with new kit
The Black Ferns' brand new jersey means so more than just kit - it bears the legacy of teams past, Ashley Stanley discovers. There will come a day where the ‘firsts’ in women’s sport are no longer considered news, but rather the norm. Unveiling a Black Ferns jersey will be part ...10 hours ago - Grattan on Friday: We will need an inquiry to learn from rollout mistakesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra We are living simultaneously in two COVID worlds. On the one hand we’re talking about how life will be when 70% or 80% per cent of eligible people are fully vaccinated. On the other, what ...15 hours ago
- Morrison government loses fight for national cabinet secrecySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra original The Morrison government has been dealt a blow with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruling national cabinet is not a committee of federal cabinet and therefore is not covered by cabinet confidentiality. This means ...16 hours ago
- Carrington's first concern: Colin
With all the pressure of her epic Olympic Games schedule, paddler Lisa Carrington thinks of home, and one bright-eyed supporter. Suzanne McFadden reports. When Lisa Carrington calls home from Tokyo once a day, there’s always one thing she wants to talk about first. And that’s Colin. Colin is Carrington’s cavoodle ...19 hours ago - Hillsong pastor Brian Houston charged with allegedly concealing information about child sex offencesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Hillsong church pastor Brian Houston has been charged over the alleged concealment of information relating to child sex offences. Houston is a personal friend of Scott Morrison who wanted him invited to the White House ...20 hours ago
- Fiji’s climate of fear deepens in time of covid pandemic crisisBy Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist As Fiji struggles with an unprecedented health and economic crisis, the country’s already limited democratic space is being choked off. Opposition MPs routinely face arrest for criticising legislation before Parliament, and the international response has been found lacking. In the past two weeks numerous ...20 hours ago
- Government marks adding 8000 additional public housing placesThe government says it has reached a milestone of 8000 additional public housing places across the country. ...20 hours ago
- Voting age discrimination case is heard in Court of AppealSixteen and 17 year olds are continuing their pursuit of the right to vote spending the day trying to convince the Court of Appeal leaving them out is unjustified discrimination. ...20 hours ago
- When faces are partially covered, neither people nor algorithms are good at reading emotionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hedwig Eisenbarth, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Sergey Tinyakov Artificial systems such as homecare robots or driver-assistance technology are becoming more common, and it’s timely to investigate whether people or algorithms are better ...21 hours ago
- Australia’s vaccination plan is 6 months too late and a masterclass in jargonSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Russell, Adjunct Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney from www.shutterstock.com Six months after the prime minister received his first jab, Australia finally has a national plan to roll out COVID vaccines. The plan’s goals, set ...22 hours ago
- Conversion therapy ban legislation passes first reading at ParliamentNew Zealand is a step closer to banning gay conversion therapy, with legislation criminalising the practice passing its first hurdle in Parliament this afternoon. ...22 hours ago
- A brief history of asylum seekers at the Olympics — and why they are sometimes misunderstoodSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Martin Meissner/AP The Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo this week after her Olympics were over, bound not for her home country, but a new home in Poland. ...22 hours ago
- General arming of police not the answer, say Ardern, Minister Williams, Commissioner CosterThe prime minister, the police minister and the police commissioner all remain firmly against the general arming of police, despite 73 percent of frontline officers favouring the move. ...22 hours ago
- Dairy industry emissions depend on who does the measuring but Greenpeace presses for a culling of th...
Greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farming have reached an all-time high – but emissions from the dairy cows themselves have dropped year-on-year. Confused? Well you might be. And to many it might not matter much, but for NZ’s most important export industry, it looms as a vital issue. The calculation ...22 hours ago - Think our unis are all much the same? Look more closely and you will find diversitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Zipparo, Executive Manager, Research Engagement, UTS; PhD Higher Education, UNSW Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic plunged Australian universities into crisis. From early 2020, many voices declared increased specialisation and difference between institutions was the way for them to survive. Yet ...23 hours ago
- Business is Boring: What Theresa Gattung is doing to support women in entrepreneurshipThe New Zealand business leader tells Simon Pound why she’s funding the Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship and why we need to start taking burnout in business more seriously.Follow Business is Boring on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.When Theresa Gattung became CEO of Telecom at ...23 hours ago
- Taking back the streets: Meet the South Aucklanders standing up to violence in their communitiesIn response to a recent spate of violent crime in Māngere and Manurewa, South Aucklanders are fighting back by bringing people together.On a blustery Sunday afternoon when many in Māngere were glued to their TV screens watching the dawn raids apology, an altercation in the neighbouring community of Favona was ...23 hours ago
- Raiding the dawnA spoken word poem by Marina Alefosio.Who is worthy of the first light?The break of day?A new beginning?If our value is measured by the pigment of our skin or the origin of our story – who gets to decide how that story is analysed? Captured in text? Bound in history ...23 hours ago
- What’s eating Kris Faafoi?Opinion - Once a shining star of Cabinet, Kris Faafoi has gone to ground as pressure mounts in his immigration and justice portfolios, political editor Jo Moir writes. ...23 hours ago
- Call to change how Māori can be enrolled to voteThe amount of Māori voters on each roll determines how many Māori electorates or seats there are in Parliament - and there are calls to change how Māori can switch between them ...24 hours ago
- NZ is beefing up its defence commitment to UN work in South Korea (a reminder that the Korean War ha...
Three of the latest Beehive announcements pertain to this country’s relationships with countries in South-east and East Asia, giving pointers to our foreign affairs geopolitical priorities. One statement signalled “a suite of meetings” between Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her ASEAN and East Asia Summit counterparts, starting with the ...24 hours ago - Maritime Union Says Tauranga Incident Reinforces Need To Stay On GuardThe Maritime Union says a COVID alarm aboard a vessel in the Port of Tauranga is a reminder that strict processes at ports are essential to protect New Zealand from exposure. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says the ...1 day ago
- We may need to vaccinate children as young as 5 to reach herd immunity with Delta, our modelling sho...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma McBryde, Professor of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, James Cook University from www.shutterstock.com Recently released modelling from the Doherty Institute, which the federal government used to back its roadmap out of the pandemic, misses one critical point — the importance ...1 day ago
- Three women at the sharp end of the tech revolutionThe way we work – and why we go to work in the first place – is changing rapidly under the influence of technology. Simon Day spoke to three women who have embraced that change. This content was created in paid partnership with Vodafone. Many of the loudest predictions about the way ...1 day ago
- How AI can help choose your next career and stay ahead of automationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nik Dawson, Honorary Scholar, University of Technology Sydney Rawpixel / Shutterstock The typical Australian will change careers five to seven times during their professional lifetime, by some estimates. And this is likely to increase as new technologies automate labour, production ...1 day ago
- ‘No need to agitate’, warns Rabuka against instability over Fiji lands billBy Arieta Vakasukawaqa in Suva Violence can only hinder Fiji’s safe passage leading up to next year’s next general election, says former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka. After the enactment of Bill 17 to amend the iTaukei Lands Trust Act 1940, he said no disturbance could change what had been done ...1 day ago
- For Sesenieli, the Fijiana sevens rugby triumph in Tokyo thrills home villageBy Josefa Babitu in Suva It might have been just a bronze medal to some people but for the Fijiana team — especially Sesenieli Donu — it was the fruit of sacrifice and a token of appreciation for her village of Vatukarasa in Nadroga. After an intense competition for the ...1 day ago
- We’re hiring: part-time office manager, 12-month contractSeeking an office manager to join our dynamic, creative organisation on a fixed-term contract as maternity cover.The Spinoff Group is seeking an office manager for approximately 20-25 hours per week for a 12-month fixed-term contract while our current office manager goes on maternity leave beginning early October. We’re looking for someone ...1 day ago
- Young Nats break with party over conversion therapy voteYouth wing are "deeply disappointed" National's caucus has decided to vote against legislation banning conversion therapy. ...1 day ago
- The Law Of Unintended ConsequencesThe New Zealand Amateur Sport Association is calling out the Government for creating a law of unintended consequences with reforms to the Incorporated Societies Bill. In a submission to the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee, Association ...1 day ago
- Papuan local governments push covid vaccine in spite of hoaxes, distrustBy Hengky Yeimo in Jayapura Local governments in Papua — such as the Yapen Islands and Puncak administrations — say they are continuing to promote the benefits of covid-19 vaccines to indigenous Papuans as hoaxes and distrust from local people towards the Indonesian government has increased low vaccination rates. Head ...1 day ago
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