America would never happen here!
Written By:
Date published: 9:49 am, January 22nd, 2025 - 19 comments
Categories: david seymour, Dirty Politics, Donald Trump, Environment, Mining, taxpayers union, workers' rights
Tags: Atlas Network, elon musk, Heritage Foundation, Nazi salute, Project 2025
Why corporate fascism may no longer be a distant dream – and how it’s closer than you might think
In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman
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Date published: 2:11 pm, January 22nd, 2025 - 11 comments
Golriz Ghahraman didn’t shoplift “again” – but recent media reports made it sound like she did. This article looks back on her history and her treatment by NZ’s political and media class.
The difference between Christopher Luxon and Donald Trump *
Written By:
Date published: 12:15 pm, January 22nd, 2025 - 11 comments
* is not as great as you think.
Open mike 22/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 22nd, 2025 - 46 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 …
The future dystopia
Written By:
Date published: 11:28 am, January 21st, 2025 - 48 comments
He’s baack. The man least suited to running the world’s most powerful country is now President again.
Open mike 21/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 21st, 2025 - 134 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 …
Luxon’s panicked reshuffle
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Date published: 1:12 pm, January 20th, 2025 - 61 comments
Christopher Luxon has conducted a major Cabinet Reshuffle with the stand out feature the demotion of Shane Reti and the transfer of Health from Reti to Simeon Brown.
Open mike 20/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 20th, 2025 - 31 comments
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The World has too many Oligarchs
Written By:
Date published: 3:27 pm, January 19th, 2025 - 14 comments
In his final speech Joe Biden has warned the world about the dangers posed by Oligarchs supporting the right into democratic power. He is right.
Open mike 19/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 19th, 2025 - 73 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 …
Open mike 18/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 18th, 2025 - 22 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 …
Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
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Date published: 10:07 pm, January 17th, 2025 - 33 comments
The government has replaced half of the Waitangi Tribunal, removing three of NZ’s most highly regarded experts in mātauranga Maori.
Latest opinion poll – Labour overtakes National
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Date published: 2:21 pm, January 17th, 2025 - 62 comments
That grinding noise you can hear from the Parliamentary precinct is the sound of National backbenchers sharpening their knives getting ready for a change of leadership. Because the latest Curia poll shows National has fallen behind Labour in the preferred party stakes.
Open mike 17/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 17th, 2025 - 33 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 …
NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
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Date published: 6:41 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 28 comments
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention from media or opposition. The implications are stark.
Reviewing the Cook Strait Ferry fiasco
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Date published: 1:07 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 35 comments
A review of the history of the Ferries issue suggests that this could be coalition ending and career ending.
Open mike 16/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 16th, 2025 - 36 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 …
Open mike 15/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 15th, 2025 - 30 comments
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The Left Went That Way
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Date published: 8:38 am, January 14th, 2025 - 37 comments
In the past two decades, election results in western Europe, Australasia, and North America have been framed as a crisis of the left. But in reality are things that bad?
Open mike 14/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 14th, 2025 - 65 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 …
Open mike 13/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 13th, 2025 - 70 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 …
Open mike 12/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 12th, 2025 - 20 comments
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Labour’s Long-Sightedness and the Opposition’s Opprobrious Omniabsence
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Date published: 4:05 pm, January 11th, 2025 - 52 comments
New Zealand is sleepwalking to an unmitigated constitutional, societal, and environmental disaster under the smokescreen of culture wars.
The Los Angeles fires – could they happen here?
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Date published: 12:02 pm, January 11th, 2025 - 20 comments
With large parts of Los Angeles burning and the right still trying to divert attention and blame the question arises, could the same thing happen here?
President Biden’s Accomplishments
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Date published: 9:37 am, January 11th, 2025 - 33 comments
It’s common these days to see the rapid 2024 exit of multiple global social democrat leaders as just a post-COVID symptom of democratic impatience. But Biden achieved far more than his age-related decline obscures.
Open mike 11/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 11th, 2025 - 19 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 …
Winston’s Next Job
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Date published: 8:30 am, January 10th, 2025 - 18 comments
While he scoops up behind Minister Willis’s Cook Strait ferry disaster, he’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and our primary lead on the rise of President Trump and boy does he have a job ahead of him.
Open mike 10/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 10th, 2025 - 22 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 …
Open mike 09/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 9th, 2025 - 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 …
Who funds the Taxpayer’s Union?
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Date published: 9:03 am, January 8th, 2025 - 31 comments
Six months late and in the middle of the Holiday Period the Tax Payers Union has filed its election year accounts suggesting that it received $2,628,721 in donations that year. And there is no indication of who from.
Open mike 08/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 8th, 2025 - 46 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 …
- Climate Adam: Will 2025 be the Hottest Year Ever Recorded?
This video includes personal musings and 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). 2025 has only just begun, but already climate scientists are working hard to unpick what could be in ...26 minutes ago - A way to begin
The maxim is as true as it ever was: give a small boy and a pig everything they want, and you will get a good pig and a terrible boy.Elon Musk the child was given everything he could ever want. He has more than any one person or for that ...3 hours ago - Govt leaving food banks in funding limbo
A food rescue organisation has had to resort to an emergency plea for donations via givealittle because of uncertainty about whether Government funding will continue after the end of June. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Wednesday, January 22: Kairos Food ...4 hours ago - How is this legal?
Leo Molloy's recent "shoplifting" smear against former MP Golriz Ghahraman has finally drawn public attention to Auror and its database. And from what's been disclosed so far, it does not look good: The massive privately-owned retail surveillance network which recorded the shopping incident involving former MP Golriz Ghahraman is ...5 hours ago - Not so qualified?
The defence of common law qualified privilege applies (to cut short a lot of legal jargon) when someone tells someone something in good faith, believing they need to know it. Think: telling the police that the neighbour is running methlab or dobbing in a colleague to the boss for stealing. ...5 hours ago - Wednesday 22 January
NZME plans to cut 38 jobs as it reorganises its news operations, including the NZ Herald, BusinessDesk, and Newstalk ZB. It said it planned to publish and produce fewer stories, to focus on those that engage audience. E tū are calling on the Government to step in and support the ...5 hours ago - Working people will pay for static inflation
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that inflation remains unchanged at 2.2%, defying expectations of further declines, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “While inflation holding steady might sound like good news, the reality is that prices for the basics—like rent, energy, and insurance—are still rising. ...8 hours ago
- DB Punches Down.
I never mentioned anythingAbout the songs that I would singOver the summer, when we'd go on tourAnd sleep on floors and drink the bad beerI think I left it unclearSong: Bad Beer. Songwriter: Jacob Starnes Ewald.Last night, I was watching a movie with Fi and the kids when I glanced ...9 hours ago - What Trump’s second inauguration means for us
Last night I spoke about the second inauguration of Donald Trump with in a ‘pop-up’ Hoon live video chat on the Substack app on phones.Here’s the summary of the lightly edited video above:Trump's actions signify a shift away from international law.The imposition of tariffs could lead to increased inflation ...11 hours ago - Growing Auckland
An interesting article in Stuff a few weeks ago asked a couple of interesting questions in it’s headline, “How big can Auckland get? And how big is too big?“. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t really answer those questions, instead focusing on current growth projections, but there were a few aspects to ...11 hours ago - “That would never happen here!”
Today is Donald J Trump’s second inauguration ceremony.I try not to follow too much US news, and yet these developments are noteworthy and somehow relevant to us here.Only hours in, parts of their Project 2025 ‘think/junk tank’ policies — long planned and signalled — are already live:And Elon Musk, who ...20 hours ago - Gordon Campbell On The Looming Conflicts Within The Trump Presidency
How long is it going to take for the MAGA faithful to realise that those titans of Big Tech and venture capital sitting up close to Donald Trump this week are not their allies, but The Enemy? After all, the MAGA crowd are the angry victims left behind by the ...21 hours ago - Finally
Back in March, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned after hitting the age limit for his office. And now, almost a year later, parliament has finally gotten around to appointing a replacement: John Richard Allen is likely to take over the role of chief ombudsman from Peter Boshier, who still ...1 day ago
- Close To The Edge.
California Burning: The veteran firefighters of California and Los Angeles called it “a perfect storm”. The hillsides and canyons were full of “fuel”. The LA Fire Department was underfunded, below-strength, and inadequately-equipped. A key reservoir was empty, leaving fire-hydrants without the water pressure needed for fire hoses. The power companies had ...1 day ago - Sabotaging te Tiriti
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the government, pointing out repeatedly that its racist, colonialist policies breach te Tiriti o Waitangi. While it has no powers beyond those of recommendation, its truth-telling has clearly gotten under the government's skin. They had already begun to ...1 day ago
- National Hugging Day
I don't mind where you come fromAs long as you come to meBut I don't like illusionsI can't see them clearlyI don't care, no I wouldn't dareTo fix the twist in youYou've shown me eventually what you'll doSong: Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.National Hugging Day.Today, January ...1 day ago - Rwanda’s Kagame: from Saviour to Tyrant?
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...1 day ago - NZ now frozen, listless, mean & hopeless
The economy isn’t cooperating with the Government’s bet that lower interest rates will solve everything, with most metrics indicating per-capita GDP is still contracting faster and further than at any time since the 1990-96 series of government spending and welfare cuts. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short in ...1 day ago - Welcome to American Hell
Hi,Today is the day sexual assaulter and alleged rapist Donald Trump officially became president (again).I was in a meeting for three hours this morning, so I am going to summarise what happened by sharing my friend’s text messages:So there you go.Welcome to American hell — which includes all of America’s ...1 day ago - Moving away from high-end emissions scenarios
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink I have a new paper out today in the journal Dialogues on Climate Change exploring both the range of end-of-century climate outcomes in the literature under current policies and the broader move away from high-end emissions scenarios. Current policies are defined broadly as policies in ...2 days ago
- A silver lining for cycling?
Long story short: I chatted last night with ’s on the substack app about the appointment of Chris Bishop to replace Simeon Brown as Transport Minister. We talked through their different approaches and whether there’s much room for Bishop to reverse many of the anti-cycling measures Brown adopted.Our chat ...2 days ago
- Will swapping Shane Reti for Simeon Brown make any difference?
Last night I chatted with Northland emergency doctor on the substack app for subscribers about whether the appointment of Simeon Brown to replace Shane Reti as Health Minister. We discussed whether the new minister can turn around decades of under-funding in real and per-capita terms. Our chat followed his ...2 days ago
- The cabinet metastasises
Christopher Luxon is every dismal boss who ever made you wince, or roll your eyes, or think to yourself I have absolutely got to get the hell out of this place.Get a load of what he shared with us at his cabinet reshuffle, trying to be all sensitive and gracious.Dr ...2 days ago - Puberty blockers
The text of my submission to the Ministry of Health's unnecessary and politicised review of the use of puberty blockers for young trans and nonbinary people in Aotearoa. ...2 days ago - Why the TikTok Ban Was Just a Stunt
Hi,Last night one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, TikTok, became inaccessible in the United States.Then, today, it came back online.Why should we care about a social network that deals in dance trends and cute babies? Well — TikTok represents a lot more than that.And its ban and subsequent ...2 days ago - Arrange and Rearrange
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightAnd rub my achin' old eyesIs that a voice from inside-a my headOr does it come down from the skies?"There's a time to laugh butThere's a time to weepAnd a time to make a big change"Wake-up you-bum-the-time has-comeTo arrange and re-arrange and ...2 days ago - Luxon flicks Reti’s hospital pass to Brown
Former Health Minister Shane Reti was the main target of Luxon’s reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short to start the year in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate: Christopher Luxon fired Shane Reti as Health Minister and replaced him with Simeon Brown, who Luxon sees ...2 days ago - Can we have a normal Minister of Transport now?
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts. This is very good ...2 days ago
- Signs of panic
The sacking of Health Minister Shane Reti yesterday had an air of panic about it. A media advisory inviting journalists to a Sunday afternoon press conference at Premier House went out on Saturday night. Caucus members did not learn that even that was happening until yesterday morning. Reti’s fate was ...3 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Rise Of Simeon Brown
Yesterday’s demotion of Shane Reti was inevitable. Reti’s attempt at a re-assuring bedside manner always did have a limited shelf life, and he would have been a poor and apologetic salesman on the campaign trail next year. As a trained doctor, he had every reason to be looking embarrassed about ...3 days ago
- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #03
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 12, 2025 thru Sat, January 18, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...3 days ago
- The ‘Martin With Thirty-One Queens’ Chess Challenge
After another substantial hiatus from online Chess, I’ve been taking it up again. I am genuinely terrible at five-minute Blitz, what with the tight time constraints, though I periodically con myself into thinking that I have been improving. But seeing as my past foray into Chess led to me having ...3 days ago - Don’t You Know Who I Am?
Rise up o children wont you dance with meRise up little children come and set me freeRise little ones riseNo shame no fearDon't you know who I amSongwriter: Rebecca Laurel FountainI’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…2015A decade ago, I made the ...3 days ago - In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman
In 2017, when Ghahraman was elected to Parliament as a Green MP, she recounted both the highlights and challenges of her role -There was love, support, and encouragement.And on the flipside, there was intense, visceral and unchecked hate.That came with violent threats - many of them. More on that later.People ...3 days ago - Too tiny to matter; enough to change everything
It gives me the biggest kick to learn that something I’ve enthused about has been enough to make you say Go on then, I'm going to do it. The e-bikes, the hearing aids, the prostate health, the cheese puffs. And now the solar power. Yes! Happy to share the details.We ...4 days ago - Fact brief – Can CO2 be ignored because it’s just a trace gas?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Can CO2 be ...4 days ago
- Bastards Abound
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...4 days ago - Latest Poll- Nats in a slo-mo death spiral?
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...5 days ago - Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...5 days ago - Back on Track?
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...5 days ago - Handbags and Gladrags
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...5 days ago - Weekly Roundup 17-January-2025
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...5 days ago
- How the Far Right Weaponised the Grooming Gangs Story
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...6 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2025
Open access notables Long-term trends in heat wave gaps for the New York City metropolitan area, Lin & Colle, Urban Climate: Heat waves occurring in close succession to one another are hazardous because of the prolonged stress on the human body and energy demand. A heat wave gap metric, the ...6 days ago
- NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...6 days ago - Not getting any younger
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...6 days ago - Political societies and economic preferences.
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...6 days ago - Submission on Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...6 days ago
- The Ol’ Switcheroo
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...6 days ago - Nobody’s insurance rates are safe from climate change
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Asheville, North Carolina, was once widely considered a climate haven thanks to its elevated, inland location and cooler temperatures than much of the Southeast. Then came the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It was a stark reminder that nowhere is safe from ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On More Threats To Democracy From David Seymour
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...7 days ago
- Choosing your fights
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...1 week ago - Hit The Road Jack
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...1 week ago - Review: The Narnia books, by C.S. Lewis (1950-1956) – Part One
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...1 week ago - Sabin 33 #11 – Is solar energy more expensive than energy from fossil fuels?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...1 week ago
- Our Health Isn’t Your Wealth, Shane Reti & Lester Levy
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...1 week ago
- No one could save me but you
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...1 week ago - The disinformation grift in NZ.
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...1 week ago
- Anna Wilding, Bullshit Master
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...1 week ago - Summertime in Aotearoa
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...1 week ago - 2024 sets some new road safety records
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...1 week ago
- The role of climate change in the catastrophic 2025 Los Angeles fires
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...1 week ago
- Submission on Regulatory Standards Bill
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...1 week ago - There’s a solution in there, there really is
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...1 week ago - Hamilton Central Station: Britomart 2.0
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Christopher Luxon’s important trip to the Middle East
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...1 week ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #02
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On The History Of Doo Wop Music
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...1 week ago
- If You Tolerate This
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...1 week ago - Elon Musk Adores Chris Luxon
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...1 week ago - American Carnage
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...1 week ago
- Careless Memories
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...2 weeks ago - A Bully of Billionaires
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...2 weeks ago - Weekly Roundup 10-January-2025
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...2 weeks ago
- L.A. Burns
2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis has a new job while she oversees New Zealanders losing theirs
There are still struggles ahead with rising rents, rates, insurance and high unemployment, despite today’s inflation data. ...7 hours ago - Government spin won’t pay the rent
The latest Consumer Price Index figures show rents rising almost twice as fast as general inflation. ...7 hours ago - Aotearoa must step up as Trump plays with climate fire
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...1 day ago
- Release: Cabinet reshuffle a futile exercise from failing government
National's Cabinet reshuffle is a futile attempt to turn around a failing government. ...1 day ago
- Greens welcome Gaza ceasefire, but say more work to do
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...6 days ago
- Release: Labour mourns passing of Dame Tariana Turia
Ka kohukohu te awa o Whanganui!Ka tau te kākahu taratara ki runga I te maunga o Whānau Ora!Ka tangi hotuhotu tō iwi Māori! ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour acknowledges Lyn Fleming’s death
Labour expresses its shock and sadness at the death of widely respected Police Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. ...1 week ago
- Greens welcome deadline extension but reiterate call for Bill to be binned
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Dame Tariana Turia
The Green Party acknowledges the enormous life, contribution and passing of Dame Tariana (Kahurangi) Turia, the co-founder of Te Pāti Māori. ...3 weeks ago
- KO disruptive tenants’ easy ride over
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...2 weeks ago - 80% reduction in building determination wait times
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...2 weeks ago
- Top baby names for 2024
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...2 weeks ago
- Enabling works to begin on Westgate Bus Station
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...2 weeks ago
- A nationwide shift towards acting together to stop family and sexual violence
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...2 weeks ago
- He poroporoaki ki a Kahurangi Tariana Turia
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...3 weeks ago
- New qualification a step forward for diabetes care
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...3 weeks ago
- Trump’s war on migrants could make an enemy of the country he needs most: Mexico
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong On his first day in office, Donald Trump launched his second term with a barrage of executive orders. Unsurprisingly, many could have a major impact on ...45 minutes ago - Why a common asthma drug will now carry extra safety warnings about depression
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University Nial Wheate Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently issued a safety alert requiring extra warnings to be included with the asthma and hay fever drug montelukast. The warnings are for users and their ...1 hour ago
- ‘A mini climate-control system’: the tech behind sportswear at the Australian Open
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer and Program Manager, Bachelor of Fashion (Enterprise) program, RMIT University When a tennis player serves at 200km/h in 30°C heat, their clothing isn’t just fabric. It becomes a key part of their performance. Modern tennis wear ...2 hours ago
- For tennis star Destanee Aiava, borderline personality disorder felt like ‘a death sentence’ –...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry, Monash University Last week, Australian Open player Destanee Aiava revealed she had struggled with borderline personality disorder. The tennis player said a formal diagnosis, after suicidal behaviour and severe panic attacks, “was a relief”. But “it ...2 hours ago
- REVEALED: $4 Million To Subsidise Whale-oil Is Outrageous
Research methods in this project included healing Kauri trees through using "sonic samples of healthy whales to construct a tapestry of rejuvenation and wellbeing.” ...3 hours ago - Carol Jerrems captured Melbourne and Sydney of the 1970s, understanding photography as a collaborati...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Simon, Senior Lecturer in Media, Macquarie University Carol Jerrems, 1/2 length self portrait in mirror, wearing pyjama shirt, camera at shoulder height, 1979. National Library of Australia Manuscript collection (MS 10718). © The Estate of Carol Jerrems Australian photographer Carol ...4 hours ago
- To save Australia’s animals, scientists must count how many are left. But what if they’re gettin...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Shutterstock/ Glenda Rees Humans are causing enormous damage to the Earth, and about one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction. Keeping track of what’s ...4 hours ago
- Sleeping on beaches and staying social: how Australians kept cool in heatwaves before modern technol...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandy Paul, Visiting Research Fellow, School of Humanities, University of Adelaide A beach in Glenelg, South Australia is packed during an evening in February 1938. State Library of South Australia The Black Friday bushfires which swept across southeastern Australia in January 1939 ...5 hours ago
- When does an actor stop, and AI begin? What The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez tell us about AI in Holl...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Hume, Lecturer In Theatre (Voice), Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne A24 The Brutalist has drawn attention this week for its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to refine some of the actors’ dialogue. Emilia Pérez, a ...5 hours ago
- Politics of kindness to be tackled in Ardern’s tell-all memoir
The former prime minister will reveal why she stepped down in a new book out later this year. ...5 hours ago - ‘Annie has a pretty macabre streak’: Jenny Pattrick’s holiday with Proulx
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa’s writers, and other guests. This week: Jenny Pattrick, playwright of Hope, which runs at Circa Theatre from January 25 – February 23. The book I wish I’d written How to choose? Let’s say ...6 hours ago - Samoa political update: Fiame prevails in leadership crisis
SPECIAL REPORT: By Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson and Lilomaiava Maina Vai The Speaker of the House, Papali’i Li’o Taeu Masipau, decisively addressed a letter from FAST, which informed him of the removal of Fiame along with Deputy Prime Minister Tuala Tevaga Ponifasio, Leatinu’u Wayne Fong, Olo Fiti Vaai, Faualo Harry Schuster, ...6 hours ago
- Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato Shutterstock/KV4000 Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates ...7 hours ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: Luxon launches reboot for 2025
New year, same friendly local politics podcast. The political year kicked off with a dramatic reshuffle that sees Shane Reti removed from health in favour of Simeon Brown, James Meager made minister for the fiefdom that is the South Island and Nicola Willis in the renamed role of minister for ...7 hours ago
- A serious and urgent briefing for the first minister for the South Island
Alex Casey and Tara Ward assemble a list of demands for James Meager, the first minister for the South Island. South islanders, rejoice, for there is now one man dedicated to ensuring that each and every 1,260,000 of us has our voices heard in parliament. This week Rangitata MP James ...7 hours ago
- Gaza and the Western media – complicit in genocide
COMMENTARY: By Steven Cowan, editor of Against The Current New Zealand’s One News interviewed a Gaza journalist last week who has called out the Western media for its complicity in genocide. For some 15 months, the Western media have framed Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza as a “legitimate” war. Pretending ...8 hours ago
- No change to abortion laws, new Health Minister Simeon Brown promises
Simeon Brown's opposition to abortion as been on the public record for years, having led a pro-life group at university and voted reform in 2020. ...8 hours ago
- Christopher Luxon defends government’s economic growth record
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the government has been taking the problem of economic growth seriously, and its work on that so far has been "significant". ...9 hours ago
- Buyers have more power in ‘deep’ property downturn, new figures show
REINZ stats show sales down 27.4 percent in December compared to November and up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. ...10 hours ago
- It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marta Yebra, Professor of Environmental Engineering, Australian National University Picture this. It’s a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike ...10 hours ago
- ‘Should I let my kid play Roblox?’ New safety features reduce risks – but more are needed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University Wachiwit/Shutterstock Roblox isn’t just another video game – it’s a massive virtual universe where nearly 90 million people from around the world create, play and socialise. This includes some 34 ...10 hours ago
- Why do some young people use Xanax recreationally? What are the risks?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Anecdotal reports from some professionals have prompted concerns about young people using prescription benzodiazepines such as Xanax for recreational use. Border force detections of ...10 hours ago
- Trump has begun dismantling America’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Here’s why Au...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Lundy, Lecturer in Management, Edith Cowan University Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock It’s been a significant day for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the United States. Such initiatives are about providing equality of opportunity and a sense of being valued ...10 hours ago
- What challenges does 2025 have in store for the local screen industry?
Filmmaker Ahmed Osman reflects on the many challenges the screen industry is facing this year – and what needs to change. I grew up in front of the TV. For me, it was more than just background noise: it was connection. Shows like bro’Town, Street Legal, and Outrageous Fortune weren’t ...11 hours ago
- New Zealand Government Moves To Scrap Regulations That Constrain Corporate Profit
The government last year created a new Ministry for Regulation, with ACT leader David Seymour in charge, to review regulations and, in Seymour’s words, “to look for red tape to cut.” ...11 hours ago
- History under the floorboards: decoding the diets of institutionalised women in 19th century Sydney
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Connor, Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford Archaeology Center, Stanford University Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks photographed in 1871, when the building served as a women’s immigration depot and asylum. City of Sydney Archives. Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks was built between 1817 and ...11 hours ago
- Nicola Willis hints at visa changes to grow economy
Finance Minister Nicola Willis was recently given the new responsibility of economic growth minister. ...11 hours ago
- Here’s when you should consider a longer home loan fix
The time may be coming to lock in a longer rate, here's how you can spot it. ...12 hours ago
- NZ’s climate policies are no longer enough to keep warming at 1.5°C – here’s what needs to ha...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University NASA/Earth Observatory, CC BY-SA It’s now official. Last year was the warmest year on record globally and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This doesn’t mean ...12 hours ago
- NZ political parties gear up for a busy 2025
Analysis - The political year is kicking off with a flurry of gatherings and speeches after the Prime Minister used Wellington Anniversary weekend to get his team in order. ...14 hours ago
- Clean-out at the Waitangi Tribunal: Who’s in and who’s out?
There’s been a major shake-up at the Waitangi Tribunal, with more than half of the current members, including some esteemed Māori academics, losing their places to make way for some controversial new appointments. Established in 1975, the Waitangi Tribunal investigates alleged Crown breaches of the promises made to Māori in ...15 hours ago
- Are we doing enough about ‘forever chemicals’?
PFAS chemicals are omnipresent, enduring, and almost certainly in your bloodstream. Here’s a guide to where they come from, why there are concerns about their use and what regulations are in place to help you avoid exposure. Your raincoat, beading with water. The slippery smooth surface of your non-stick pans. ...15 hours ago
- Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy
Opinion: Austria is poised to become the next European country to fall to the far right. There is only one option for mainstream parties to break this cycle. The post Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy appeared first on Newsroom. ...15 hours ago - Willis’ greater economic powers could come at a cost
Prime Minister Christoper Luxon has turned Finance Minister Nicola Willis into a ‘super minister’ by adding the rebranded economic portfolio to her plate and bolstering her ability to implement change.Luxon announced his decision to appoint Nicola Willis to the role of Minister for Economic Growth as part of a wider ...15 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 22 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 22 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...15 hours ago
- Harvey Crewe’s cousin speaks out
When I reflect on my life, I look at how everything changed on the evening of June 22, 1970.I was lying in bed when the phone went late one night. My father picked it up. He was on the phone for what seemed like an eternity, and I could tell ...15 hours ago
- New privacy code: gold-plated gift or a banana skin?
Opinion: After an exhaustive period of consultation spanning almost two years, the Privacy Commissioner, in the week before Christmas, released the draft version of the Biometric Processing Privacy Code he intends to issue under the Privacy Act.Biometric information, collected through the likes of facial recognition technology, is personal information covered ...15 hours ago
- Why some are working against public transport and rail
Opinion: With a freshly minted transport minister taking the helm this week, it’s a good time to consider why we lack a fair and objective conversation about transport in New Zealand.The main reason for opposing investment in public transport and rail is that these modes reduce the reliance on and ...15 hours ago
- Record-breaking Kiwi swimmer goes out on her terms
After 23 years following a black line at the bottom of a swimming pool, Aquablack and Olympian Helena Gasson has retired from competitive swimming on her terms.She now wants to share her expertise and give back to the sport after being the only New Zealander to compete at an Oceania ...15 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 22 January
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 22 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...15 hours ago
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