The top seven things Covid has changed
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Date published: 7:45 am, August 14th, 2020 - 23 comments
Categories: climate change, covid-19, economy, health, immigration, internet, interweb, uncategorized
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Covid has fundamentally changed society for the better in surprising ways.
Joe Biden’s Four Surprising Vectors for Success
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Date published: 7:00 am, August 14th, 2020 - 8 comments
He’s old, boring, uninspiring, and offends no-one: surely he’ll fail miserably as President? But he has a stronger chance than any Democrat President since LBJ of getting very strong domestic reforms done.
Open mike 14/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 14th, 2020 - 106 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 13/08/2020
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 13th, 2020 - 38 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 …
TheY aRe onlY aSKing qUestiOns
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Date published: 8:32 am, August 13th, 2020 - 110 comments
Yesterday National suggested a wide based and interesting conspiracy theory involving the Government and the Ministry of Health and all of the Health Boards suppressing news of community spread of Covid 19 for political advantage while at the same time complaining that the Government should be consulting with them on decisions.
Open mike 13/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 13th, 2020 - 256 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 12/08/2020
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 28 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 …
UMR Poll August 2020
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Date published: 3:36 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 33 comments
The latest Rogue Poll™ is out. This time it’s UMR’s turn and Judith Collins is on the rise.
Will National politicise the new Covid outbreak? *
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Date published: 12:38 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 167 comments
*Rhetorical question. Of course they will.
Biden/Harris
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Date published: 8:50 am, August 12th, 2020 - 53 comments
Joe Biden announces his VP pick.
Open mike 12/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 12th, 2020 - 175 comments
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Well that is a bit shit. Auckland level 3. Rest of NZ level 2
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Date published: 10:14 pm, August 11th, 2020 - 48 comments
Four cases of community transmission from the same family – presumably without an obvious cause. Lock down for 3 days in the Auckland super city area at level 3 starting noon Wednesday. Level 2 for everywhere else outside of Auckland. Allows time for contact tracing and a later decision once facts are known. Good response.
Daily review 11/08/2020
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 11th, 2020 - 60 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 …
Should the government replace sex data with gender (identity) data?
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Date published: 10:07 am, August 11th, 2020 - 99 comments
Stats NZ want to use gender rather than sex as the default for data collection. But they’ve neglected to ask women about that.
The strange tale of the Auckland Central selection and Merv from Manurewa
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Date published: 8:01 am, August 11th, 2020 - 57 comments
News has emerged that a senior National Party figure rang talkback radio and made derogatory comments about National’s only Sri Lankan candidate in an apparent attempt to reduce her chance of being selected as National’s Auckland Central candidate.
Why you should vote Labour this election
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Date published: 7:00 am, August 11th, 2020 - 146 comments
Four very good reasons why you should vote Labour in this election.
Open mike 11/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 11th, 2020 - 77 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 10/08/2020
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 10th, 2020 - 45 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 …
Vote No to Cannabis Reform
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Date published: 10:25 am, August 10th, 2020 - 118 comments
Ten reasons to vote against cannabis law reform this election.
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government: Style over substance or a guiding light for progressive politics?
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Date published: 8:42 am, August 10th, 2020 - 33 comments
Critics have dismissed the Jacinda Ardern government as being one of style over substance. This is unfair given the challenges this government has faced and the policy achievements it has had. However, it is a government that has much work to do if it wins a second term. And its over-reliance on Jacinda as party leader is a huge strategic risk, especially when the governments front bench is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be lightweight.
IT doESN’t aDD up
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Date published: 7:49 am, August 10th, 2020 - 57 comments
For a few days now Gerry Brownlee has been peddling this dog whistle conspiracy campaign that the Government is hiding bad news about Covid and we should all be really concerned.
Covid recovery and bouncing forward
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Date published: 6:05 am, August 10th, 2020 - 21 comments
Central to the Transition movement from the outset has been the idea of resilience. Usually framed as the ability to ‘bounce back’, it is seen in the Transition movement as being better imagined as the capacity to ‘bounce forward’, i.e. to use it as the opportunity to move forward to something better. How then to ‘bounce forward’ from COVID-19 in such a way that we also move to a way of doing things consistent with the scale of the climate crisis?
Open mike 10/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 10th, 2020 - 82 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 …
National’s list
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Date published: 12:50 pm, August 9th, 2020 - 23 comments
National’s list has now been released and highlights selection problems that it has had this year.
NZ First is in trouble in Northland
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Date published: 11:19 am, August 9th, 2020 - 70 comments
More bad news for NZ First. It looks like their hope that Northland could provide a get out of jail free card is misplaced.
Open mike 09/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 9th, 2020 - 200 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 …
July 2020 Roy Morgan Poll
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Date published: 7:11 pm, August 8th, 2020 - 45 comments
The latest Roy Morgan poll is out.
Crusher?
Crushed!
Jacinda’s speech to the Labour campaign launch
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Date published: 5:09 pm, August 8th, 2020 - 94 comments
Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour 2020 campaign launch.
Open mike 08/08/2020
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Date published: 6:00 am, August 8th, 2020 - 209 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 07/08/2020
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Date published: 5:30 pm, August 7th, 2020 - 31 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 return of John Key
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Date published: 11:10 am, August 7th, 2020 - 110 comments
In a sign of desperation National has trotted out John Key to campaign that the country’s success in containing Covid should be put to risk because of a misguided perception that it would be good for the economy.
- Here We Go Again.
10 mins ago - Is Billy TK Shouting “Fire” In A Crowded Theatre?Fire-Starter? The claims advanced by BillyTe Kahika are false. The matter to be determined, therefore, is whether or not they are likely to cause panic. In ordinary times, the answer would be “No.” In ordinary times, the opinions of conspiracy theorists may be safely ignored. Indeed, in ordinary times, the ...26 mins ago
- The “Childish Brutality” Of The National Party.It's In Their DNA: “The naïve, the almost childish brutality, with which the chiefs of the National Party fell upon power [in 1949] may seem quite surprising, until one remembers how famished for power they were, and with what an innocency of experience they faced the world about them.” - Dr J. C. ...37 mins ago
- Hi-Viz Vests Among The TreesAll That Remains: But, just imagine if the workers in the Hi-Viz vests refused to sink their chainsaws into the flesh of these miraculous trees and their mysterious networks of sentience. Imagine if ordinary working men and women stopped leaving all the decisions to the architects, engineers and accountants. Imagine ...1 hour ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Transformation of Jacinda Ardern
Will Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern go down in history alongside Richard Seddon and Michael Joseph Savage as a transformative prime minister? Utilising leadership theory, Josh Van Veen argues that Ardern will need to soon seize the historic moment that we are in, to make the country resilient against future disruptions. ...18 hours ago - When debunking is just so tempting
As New Zealand holds its breath waiting to find out the extent of the latest cases of COVID-19 community transmission, it’s hard to avoid the growing amount of mis- and dis-information online. It’s a very natural instinct to want to debunk this misinformation, but unfortunately, science communication theory shows that ...19 hours ago - Another big C week in politics: Community Covid, conspiracies & constitutional conventions
Campaigns suspended just as they began. Election day in doubt. And - following the 'words beginning with C' theme from last week's Caucus podcast - heated debate over conspiracies and constitutional conventions as Covid returns to the community. This week in politics is has been a disaster for Election 2020; you ...19 hours ago - Judith Collins is a complete liability to the National Party… and to be perfectly honest: New Zeal...
And sooner or later, the National Party will simply have to own up to the fact that the reason she was never chosen as Leader prior to her rolling Todd Muller a little less than a month ago was for very solid ones: the display of some truly ugly behaviour ...20 hours ago - More dirty dairying
The Waikato Regional Council is actually enforcing the RMA for once: Three Waikato farmers have been fined a total of $116,100 for illegally discharging farm effluent. [...] Gerard Wolvers from South Waikato, who has farmed for nearly 50 years, was convicted on three charges after an unknown amount of ...23 hours ago - Whither New Zealand’s September 19 election date?The return of COVID-19 community transmission, with Auckland back in a level 3 lockdown and the rest of New Zealand at level 2, raises real questions about New Zealand’s upcoming general election.Polling day is scheduled for September 19 but the planned election process would actually start far earlier. All candidates were to be ...1 day ago
- Brownlee is a conspiracy theorist
Conspiracy theorist - Gerry BrownleeWhat on earth is going on with the National Party? Now that Crusher Collins is in charge, it seems like it’s their policy to say really dumb things just to get attention. Unfortunately it’s working, with most of the mainstream media bending over backwards to provide ...1 day ago - There is no corruption in New ZealandA corrupt public sector manager abuses their office to funnel public money to companies set up by himself and a friend. America? Australia? No, its New Zealand: Consultancy firm Deloitte has delivered a damning report on the New Zealand Transport Agency that says it failed to follow its own ...1 day ago
- How genome sequencing could crack the case of the NZ Covid comebackThe novel coronavirus mutates as it travels between people and around the world. By sequencing the genome, we can try to work out which case is linked with another. As Aotearoa confronted its first cases of Covid-19 community transmission in more than 100 days, the director general of health, Ashley ...1 day ago
- Get noticed Gerry!
INT: ILAM ELECTORATE OFFICES – TUESDAY GERRY: Morning everybody. ADVISORS 1, 2, AND 3: Morning Gerry. GERRY: Now… this is a bit of a crisis meeting. Several rogue polls have come out putting the National Party on or around 40% ADVISOR 2: 26? ADVISOR 1: 12? ADVISOR 3: 29? GERRY: ...2 days ago - Showing us who they areWhat's National's first move under lockdown? Call for elections to be delayed: National leader Judith Collins is demanding Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delay the September election after the discovery of Covid-19 community transmission cases in Auckland. A clearly frustrated Collins on Wednesday afternoon said she was directly asking Ardern ...2 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #32, 2020
Respecting the journal editorial process Each week we scan between 450 and 650 articles for relevance to Skeptical Science's remit: communication of the science of climate change itself the many affected branches of scientific inquiry by climate change. The 100+ journals we cover encompass a galaxy of expertise we cannot ...2 days ago - Supermarket queues: is this really panic buying?You may have heard that there were queues at the supermarket last night, and again this morning. This will probably carry on for a while, even though it’s clear that supermarkets and other essential outlets and services will remain open and stocked throughout Alert Level 3 (and Alert Level 4, ...2 days ago
- That Russian COVID-19 vaccine – not for us thanksRussia are deploying a COVID-19 vaccine to its people without knowing if it works or if it is safe. They also appear to be taking advance orders for doses from other countries. It is almost hard to know where to start with why this is so wrong. Reckless, unethical, and ...2 days ago
- Its not the pay, its the conditionsAnother rural business is complaining about being unable to find staff, despite offering "high" pay. So what do they want people to do? “There’s also a perception that contractors work from sunrise to sunset but that’s not accurate, either,” Hawker said. “Health and safety is our biggest concern – ...2 days ago
- Containers for reproducible bioinformatics researchBy Aleksandra Pawlik, Ngoni Faya, Joseph Guhlin, Megan Guidry, Tom Harrop, Dinindu Senanayake Rapid development of computational bioinformatics tools mean we can more easily push research boundaries. However, it comes at a cost. The complexity of the software chain that needs to be installed and configured to run advanced ...2 days ago
- Here we go againSo, the inevitable has happened and we have Covid in the community again. So now we have to do it all again to try and get it back under control. And already the usual suspects are whining, pretending that they don't know what the plan is when really they simply ...2 days ago
- Why does geothermal electricity count as renewable?Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz Geothermal electricity produces emissions but is categorised with wind and ...2 days ago
- Don’t panic. We can do this. TogetherAotearoa surpassed 100 days without a case of community transmission of Covid-19. Last night that virus-free streak ended and we’re moving back up the alert levels. For months now, we’ve been intercepting cases of Covid-19 at the border. But just as has happened in many other countries, somehow the sneaky ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 12 August 2020Today’s content Community transmission Ben Thomas (Spinoff): What the Covid resurgence means for the election campaign Luke Malpass (Stuff): In this new lockdown, Labour competence will be key Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): NZ’s bubble bursts as Covid returns Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Extremely disappointed’: National Party leader Judith Collins blasts Govt; says it let Covid-19 back ...2 days ago
- National: Strong Team of Law and Order (the politics one, not the TV show)Today the National Party have annouced plans to get tough on gangs. Again. We at MyThinks thought it was important to identify a list of gangs the National Party were planning on getting tough on. National have said if they are elected their new “The Gang Unit” gang unit will ...2 days ago
- Ardern’s conservatism could be the very thing that keeps her flying highIn the musical Wicked, a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, the hit song Defying Gravity comes at the end of the first act and talks of how one woman (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) breaks from what’s expected to strike off on her own path. ...3 days ago
- Scientists discover new ‘human fingerprint’ on global drought patternsThis is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Daisy Dunne Human-caused climate change has “intensified” patterns of extreme rainfall and drought across the globe, a new study finds. There is a detectable “human fingerprint” on decreasing rainfall over the US, central Asia and southern Africa, according to the results. It is ...3 days ago
- Defamation law is a threat to democracy. Let’s get rid of itBack in June, Newsroom published a well-investigated piece about how the Department of Conservation had waived rehabilitation requirements for a mining company. Now, one of the company's directors - specifically David Wong-Tung, who just happens to be Judith Collins' husband and the director of environmental pillagers Oravida - is threatening ...3 days ago
- COVID myths & politicsThis year’s election campaign in New Zealand has attracted a number of “fringe” parties, at least some of whose supporters seem to have a fairly tenuous hold on reality and a highly flexible approach to the truth. I mean, how else could one describe some of those affiliated with the ...3 days ago
- Submission: Parliament needs a better way to protect our human rightsOn the last day, I've finally put together a submission on the New Zealand Bill of Rights (Declarations of Inconsistency) Amendment Bill: I support the New Zealand Bill of Rights (Declarations of Inconsistency) Amendment Bill and asked that it be passed with amendments. The bill is a ...3 days ago
- SFO muzzles Jami-Lee RossAccused - Jami-Lee RossNobody would think poorly of you if you wrote former National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross off as just another crackpot! After all, now that he’s hitched his Advance NZ wagon to Billy Te Kahika’s crazy Public Party, there’s little chance of him ever redeeming himself or recovering ...3 days ago
- Climate Change: Mark the dateStudents will be striking for the climate again on Friday, September 4: Students in Wellington are gearing up to strike from school this September 4th, to protest inaction on climate change. Their demands? That Government invests in a green COVID-19 response; that there is a just transition provided for ...3 days ago
- Borders and BubblesThere’s no Covid on the Cook Islands. But isolation-free travel into New Zealand from the Cooks looks to be a long way off. The Prime Minister confirmed on Monday that Cabinet had considered draft text being worked on via officials which will become the basis of an agreement for quarantine-free travel ...3 days ago
- Education departments are weirdSo our Joel Hernandez has completed some more work on what’s all going on in New Zealand’s school system and an Auckland Uni education prof is mad about it. Oh well. Joel’s long term project has been to look at differences in outcomes across students and schools, using the administrative ...3 days ago
- Collins’ husband threatens legal action3 days ago
- A battery charge meter that actually worksIf you drive an electric car more than trivial distances between charges, you likely appreciate a state-of-charge meter (that is, what would be called a fuel-gauge in a petrol car) that is accurate. When it reports a range of 30 km, you do want to be sure it will actually ...3 days ago
- A Shonky Poll
What to do to improve the public perception of the newly elected National party leader, when her performance so far has no doubt disappointed the expectations of her supporters? The answer is to get a National-supporting newspaper (the Herald) to organise a poll that could be guaranteed to provide an ...3 days ago - NZ Politics Daily – 11 August 2020Today’s content Auckland Central Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Senior National Party figure accused of using secret alter ego ‘Merv’ to derail Auckland Central candidate RIchard Harman (Politik): “Merv” upsets Nats’ Auckland Central selection Luke Kirkness (Herald): National Party’s Roger Bridge accused of using ‘Merv’ alter ego to derail candidate Nuwanthie Samarakone Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Out ...3 days ago
- This election is brought to you by the letter CCampaigns. Culture. Character. And perhaps most of all, Covid. Now the House has risen and politicians are hitting the road to pitch their woo to voters, those will be front of mind for the candidates.They were also where the new season of politics podcast Caucus began on Thursday. This year ...4 days ago
- My submission on the sex and gender identity statistical standards
There are only a few days left to make a submission on Statistics New Zealand's consultation on sex and gender identity statistical standards. This represents a really important step for recognising the very real diversity of gender, including people with no gender, and ensuring everyone has the option to see ...4 days ago - Cranky Uncle cartoons available as PPT slidesSince finishing the Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change book, I’ve frequently dipped into that 176-page clip-art library, reshaping the cartoons to fit the 1920 x 1080 pixel format for Powerpoint presentations. I’ve also adapted many of the cartoons for the Cranky Uncle video series. Over the last few weeks, a few people ...4 days ago
- Supplementary Question on the OIANewsHub Nation has launched a new podcast, "Supplementary Question". Their inaugural episode is about the OIA, and asks "is our most important transparency law fit for purpose?" While they interviewed Justice Minister Andrew Little and Ombudsman Peter Boshier for this, there's not actually a lot of them in there, and ...4 days ago
- Why is HBRC still subsidising Ruataniwha?Remember the Ruataniwha dam? The Hawke's Bay Regional Council wasted $14 million trying to push this environmental disaster through before the Supreme Court ruled that the land swap it relied on with DoC was illegal. At the end of it, they wrote off the money and sold the existing consents ...4 days ago
- The housing policy we needFor years we've had a housing crisis in New Zealand, driven by immigration-driven population growth and the market refusing to build enough houses (and enough of the right sort of houses) to meet it. As a result, people can't get homes, while Boomer landlords leech away their income and parasitical ...4 days ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #32Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Drawdown Review 2020: How To Address Global Warming In A Responsible Manner Source: Project Drawdown Project Drawdown is a non-profit organization that relies ...4 days ago
- Reducing the health burden from contaminated drinking water in NZ: Opportunities arising from the ne...Dr Tim Chambers, Prof Nick Wilson, Jayne Richards, A/Prof Simon Hales, Dr Mike Joy, Prof Michael Baker (author affiliations*) Increasing water-related health threats, notably the waterborne campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North, have highlighted failings in NZ’s regulatory system for drinking water. In this blog we consider how the new Water ...4 days ago
- Gearing Up for the ElectionYes, an election is in the offing – and we all know that elections can be polarising, as parties of the left and right square off against each other. But we should not allow our party and political allegiances to obscure the fact that, in a properly functioning democracy like ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 10 August 2020Today’s content Labour Party Henry Cooke (Stuff): Labour launch an extremely centrist campaign Audrey Young (Herald) Labour launch is a deliberately understated affair from Jacinda Ardern (paywalled) Audrey Young (Herald): Jacinda Ardern’s decision to ditch Labour manifesto carries risk (paywalled) Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): Labour planning to revisit coalition Government policy casualties Simon Wilson (Herald): Election diary: Happy ...4 days ago
- Marketing a vaping lifestyle to non-smokers is working: Vaping is seen as trendy and viewed positive...Dr Sommer Kapitan, Auckland University of Technology, and Dr Patrick van Esch, Auckland University of Technology The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill will limit vape sales at dairies and service stations to only three flavours, and make vaping illegal in smokefree areas. Vaping laws will be more ...5 days ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Aug 2, 2020 through Sat, Aug 8, 2020 Editor's Choice Five Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent Alarm The encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ motivated many people ...5 days ago
- Closing The Gap – Newsletter: August 2020
...6 days ago - The Equality Network: Election 2020Read The Equality Network’s Messaging on Income and Wealth Inequality ...6 days ago
- Media Link: A crisis of governance.
...6 days ago - NZ’s pre-Election Phase: the predictable strains… and some truly wild sidesteps
From some quarters, incessant scaremongering. From others, it’s a full-on tilt into touching the alarmist buttons a little too readily (uncertain times make for very captive audiences with this angle of attack). The (so-called) Opposition (and merely regarding them as that seems to be a far looser term now ...6 days ago - Right wing delusionsNational Party leader - Judith CollinsElections often bring out the best and worst in politicians. Some rise to the occasion and provide us with a clear vision for the future. While others wallow in resentment and controversy, over-relying on attack politics to try to attain the interest of voters.That’s been ...6 days ago
- I haven’t gone away. Neither has this problem.
The attempts to sabotage Corbyn's leadership seems likely to do more damage than Corbyn supposedly ever could have done, even if all the stories about him were true: I was reluctant to say anything but this is too important, the full story needs to be told.Don’t let anyone ever tell ...6 days ago - What are they hiding?Good day to everyone. I’ve been asked by Mr Thinks to come here and talk to you all about my concerns regarding the government response to Covid-19. We’ve been living through this pandemic for, what seems like, years. Years and years and years. Why else would the National Party have ...6 days ago
- Commonsense Economics from Two Very Good Economists‘Good Economics for Hard Times’ should be on your reading list. New Zealand does not have a Minister of Labour. It has Ministers of Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety but there is no minister with responsibility for the labour market. That responsibility was abolished in 2012 when ...7 days ago
- Climate Change: The CDM problemBack in the Kyoto era, the international climate change regime included a Clean Development Mechanism to fund emissions reduction projects in developing nations. Essentially someone would certify that a project - e.g. building a windfarm, or installing energy-efficient lightbulbs - would reduce emissions over and above "business-as-usual". The project would ...7 days ago
- Should a COVID-19 vaccine be compulsory — and what would this mean for anti-vaxxers?Claire Breen, University of Waikato With COVID-19 vaccine developers reporting promising results, it is probable we will one day face a major public health question: can the government compel New Zealanders to be vaccinated? Just as inevitably, some people will refuse a vaccine. As we have seen overseas with debates ...1 week ago
- Want a reason to support STV?As the classic MMP cartoon goes, just look at who is against it. Yesterday, the Hamilton City Council voted to use STV for its next two local body elections. The move was initially opposed by deputy mayor Geoff Taylor. The reason? Because a voting system which provided accurate representation and ...1 week ago
- Chalk one up for the good guys …On Wednesday evening (which in Parliament’s weird world technically was still Tuesday because urgency had been taken and so time stood still), MPs united to remove a pretty terrible piece of law from our statute books. No real fanfare or fireworks accompanied this action. Indeed, I didn’t even know about it ...1 week ago
- Questioning of Behrouz Boochani decision by “pro-refugee” Judith Collins disappoints campaignerBy Geoffrey Miller Prominent refugee advocate Murdoch Stephens says he is disappointed by Judith Collins’ reaction to Immigration New Zealand’s decision to grant refugee status to Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani. Judith Collins told media last month that “there’s a lot of concern in New Zealand about what they see as ...1 week ago
- When rehoming wildlife, Indigenous leadership delivers the best resultsAisling Rayne, University of Canterbury; Channell Thoms, University of Canterbury, and Levi Collier-Robinson, University of Canterbury This article is republished from The Conversation. Read the original article. Whakapapa [genealogy] binds tākata whenua [people of the land] to the mountains, rivers, coasts and other landscapes, linking the health of the people ...1 week ago
- National – Strong TeamHello all. Judith here to talk about how National are going to take the election in September. The National Party prides itself its unity and cohesion. We are working together to deliver for New Zealanders. First of all, ee are a strong team. We are a very strong team. Our ...1 week ago
- Assessing Labour’s termParliament has just begun the adjournment debate, signalling the effective end of this Parliament. So it seems like an appropriate time to assess Labour's term in office. Unfortunately, its a pretty dismal assessment. Labour campaigned on one thing: change. Not just a change in who got the top jobs and ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Still insufficientOur climate change policies are insufficient to achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, according to independent assessor Climate Action Tracker: New Zealand won’t be carbon neutral by 2050 without much stronger policies, says an independent analysis by Climate Action Tracker. The non-profit highlighted a lack of active ...1 week ago
- The Beirut explosion shockwaveThat was clearly a huge explosion. Just after the explosion, we see a cloud of ‘fog’ moving outwards at high speed. This is a shockwave, rather similar to that which causes a sonic boom. The ‘fog’ is caused by water condensing from the atmosphere in areas of intense low pressure ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Where is the contest of ideas in the election campaign?Can we postpone this year’s election? Quite frankly, the political parties don’t seem ready for it, and aren’t about to offer voters the necessary policy choices for the unprecedented times we’re in. We’ve ended up with a campaign focused on scandal, personality and leadership, with a policy void that’s worse ...1 week ago
- Parliament still doesn’t care about our rogue militaryIt is the last sitting day of Parliament, and the last question time before the House is dissolved. So, are there any questions about the damning findings of the Hit and Run inquiry, and how the government plans to bring the military back under democratic control? Of course not. ...1 week ago
- Key is a fool1 week ago
- Does the Left know how to fix Capitalism?1 week ago
- US atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki : 75th Anniversary
by Don Franks This talk was given to the Wellington Anti Capitalist Alliance, fifteen years ago. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction so far seen on this planet have been used just twice, 60 years ago this month. August 6 and August 9 1945 witnessed the US atomic bombing ...1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #31, 2020100 Articles Physical science of global warming & effects Analyzing the Arctic Feedback Mechanism between Sea Ice and Low-Level Clouds Using 34 Years of Satellite Observations Observations of global warming & effects Sea‐Level Rise Driving Increasingly Predictable Coastal Inundation in Sydney, Australia (open access) The recent state and variability ...1 week ago
- An indictment by another name.After I noticed that my name had been taken yet again in vain by my friendly antagonist Tom Hunter over at No Minister, I went over to see what the fuss was about. Nothing much, but then I discovered a post about the Operation Burnham Inquiry by Psycho Milt. I ...1 week ago
- James Shaw awaiting precautionary COVID-19 test result
Green Party Co-leader James Shaw is awaiting the result of a precautionary COVID-19 test after travelling to the South Auckland area over the weekend. ...1 day ago - Greens call for continued commitment to science from political leadersThe Green Party is calling for a renewed commitment to trust medical science, following community transmission of COVID-19. ...1 day ago
- COVID-19: Auckland at Level 3, rest of NZ at Level 2
The Auckland region moved to Alert Level 3 on 12 noon on Wednesday 12 August. The rest of New Zealand moved to Alert Level 2. Visit covid19.govt.nz for the latest information on alert levels, including an overview of restrictions in your area. ...2 days ago - Best moments: Labour Campaign Launch 2020It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...4 days ago
- Best moments: Labour Campaign Launch 2020It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...4 days ago
- Greens unveil Homes for All PlanThe Green Party has revealed its Homes for All Plan, which lays the foundation for an Aotearoa where everyone has a warm, dry and affordable home. ...5 days ago
- Flexi-wage subsidy to support up to 40,000 people into workWe've announced that we will expand the Flexi-wage programme to support up to 40,000 more people into work, or to help them start their own business. It's yet another way we're helping keep our economy moving by getting people into work and training. Read on to find out more ...6 days ago
- Speech: Labour Campaign Launch 2020Read below for Jacinda Ardern's Labour 2020 Campaign Launch speech. ...6 days ago
- Labour backs businesses to hire 40,000 New ZealandersBusiness subsidy of on average $7500, and up to $22,000, to hire unemployed New Zealanders Up to 40,000 jobs to be supported by $311 million investment in keeping New Zealanders off the unemployment benefit Ring-fenced fund to help unemployed start their own business ...6 days ago
- Week That Was: Last week of ParliamentThis week was the last of the 52nd Parliament: a major milestone for our Government and a great opportunity to look back at all the progress we've made for New Zealanders. This week, we increased support for businesses to take on apprentices, improved access to hospital care in Northland, and ...7 days ago
- Stronger Green voice needed next term to stop more mining on or under conservation landThe Green Party is strongly opposed to MBIE’s decision to grant mining permits under public conservation land in the Coromandel. ...1 week ago
- Speech: Adjournment of the 52nd ParliamentKia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...1 week ago
- 10 times Jacinda Ardern was a true leaderOn 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory. Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...1 week ago
- Greens celebrate rent reformsThe Green Party is celebrating the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, calling it a win for people who rent. ...1 week ago
- Guaranteed minimum income needed to cushion impact of growing underemploymentWith the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...1 week ago
- A to Z: Our COVID-19 responseWe went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...1 week ago
- Week That Was: Another week of progressInvesting in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...2 weeks ago
- Keeping New Zealand moving: July 2020July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for Māori and Pāsefika healthcare to be prioritisedThe Green Party is calling for greater prioritisation of Māori and Pāsefika healthcare to fix systemic inequities in the health system. ...2 weeks ago
- Former Defence Force Chiefs must front up over torture allegations: Green PartyThe Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...2 weeks ago
- Our plan to keep New Zealand movingThanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...2 weeks ago
- Our plan to keep New Zealand movingThanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...2 weeks ago
- Government to regulate environmentally harmful plastic packaging, tyres, e-wasteThe Government is stepping up action to deal with environmentally harmful products – including plastic packaging, tyres and e-waste – before they become waste. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party protects stranded Kiwis from $3000 fee for coming homeThe Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...2 weeks ago
- Think Ahead, Act Now: Greens unveil vision for AotearoaThe Green Party has launched its policy platform. ...3 weeks ago
- National Does the Nation a Disservice
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today called for National Party and Opposition leader Judith Collins to stop undermining democracy. “New Zealanders are sadly being fed a steady stream of misinformation about the pre-election period from the National Party,” said Mr Peters. “Its effect is to sow doubt about the legitimacy ...19 hours ago - Speech at the graduation of Wing 340Graduation of Wing 340 2pm, 13 August 2020, The Royal New Zealand Police College [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Introduction Ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege to be here today to celebrate the graduation of Wing 340. Let us begin by acknowledging the presence of Coalition Government colleague, Police Minister the ...22 hours ago
- Transitional housing provides much needed support for Taumarunui whānauTransitional housing provides much needed support for Taumarunui whānau New emergency and transitional homes will help ease a housing shortage in Taumarunui and provide whānau with much needed support, say Māori Development Minister, Nanaia Mahuta and Whānau Ora Minister, Peeni Henare. The Ministers officially opened five two-bedroom units ...23 hours ago
- Government announces plan to tackle problem plastics and seven single-use plastic itemsFollowing the success of the phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags, the Government now has plans to phase out more single-use and problem plastics to reduce waste and protect the environment announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage. The proposals are to phase-out: some hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene ...2 days ago
- New opportunities for Kōpū marine facilitiesA commercial and industrial site in Thames-Coromandel will receive $8.2 million to revamp its marine-servicing infrastructure and create new economic development opportunities, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. This project is being supported from the $3 billion ‘shovel ready’ fund set aside in Budget 2020 to kick-start the post COVID-19 ...2 days ago
- PM comments on Auckland COVID-19 caseAfter 102 days we have our first cases of Covid-19 outside of a Managed Isolation or Quarantine facility in New Zealand. Shortly I will ask Dr Bloomfield to set out the details of the case. While we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, we have also planned ...3 days ago
- Significant investment in Raukūmara Pae Maunga to prevent Raukūmara forest collapseAn iwi-Crown approach programme to restore the Raukūmara forest on the East Coast of the North Island and boost employment opportunities for whānau, particularly rangatahi/young people, will receive $34 million funding, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced. “Raukūmara Pae Maunga is a partnership with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, and ...3 days ago
- New partnership central to delivering more Māori housingGovernment agencies and partners are working closer together to provide more Māori Housing through the Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action (MAIHI). MAIHI is a kaupapa Māori approach that drives a system change to give effect and impact on Māori ...3 days ago
- Manawatū Gorge replacement highway drives forwardSite work is soon to begin on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, the project to replace the former SH3 route through the Manawatū Gorge, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Phil Twyford was today in Woodville at the signing of a formal agreement by members of the Alliance ...3 days ago
- Pacific Ministers meet to discuss regional economic prioritiesThe Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) begins today and will focus on the major economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on the Pacific. FEMM is an important congregation of Economic Ministers and senior officials from around the region, and for the first time, the annual meeting will be ...3 days ago
- Formal apology and payment to George NepataCabinet has approved a formal apology and ex gratia payment to former soldier George Nepata, announced Defence Minister Ron Mark. This payment is to recognise the New Zealand Defence Force’s failure to provide Mr Nepata with a safe system of work in April 1989 when, as a result of an ...3 days ago
- Report into Iain Lees-Galloway’s expenditureA report undertaken by Ministerial Services into Iain Lees-Galloway’s ministerial expenditure has found no evidence of any inappropriate transactions or spending. Ministerial Services undertook a line by line review of all his expenditure, including staff and spouse expenses for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2020. “I commissioned ...4 days ago
- Managed isolation charges to start 11 AugustManaged isolation charges for returnees will come into force from 12.01am Tuesday 11th August, after they passed their last cabinet milestone today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. “The new charging system balances the rights of New Zealanders to return home and helps reduce pressure on the managed isolation and quarantine ...4 days ago
- Update on New Zealand and the Cook Islands travel bubbleThe Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Henry Puna have welcomed the completion of phase one in the establishment of a travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Island. Negotiations on the text of an ‘Arrangement to Facilitate Quarantine-Free Travel ...4 days ago
- One-stop ‘jobs and training’ shop goes liveThe Government has launched a new online, phone and onsite service to help New Zealanders connect to a range of employment support and products for workers and businesses affected by COVID-19, announced Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. Connected.govt.nz is a one-stop-shop for jobseekers, ...4 days ago
- MSD security guards to be paid Living WageSecurity guards contracted to the Ministry of Social Development will be paid at least the Living Wage from next month supporting the Government’s commitment towards fair pay and employment conditions, announced Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “MSD was among the first government agencies to pay its employees the living ...4 days ago
- New strategy to ensure nature thrivesThe Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today launched Te Mana o te Taiao, the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - a way forward that envisions Aotearoa New Zealand as a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient, and people embrace the natural world. “Many of New Zealand’s plants and wildlife species ...4 days ago
- Provider Languages Fund will support Pacific Wellbeing approach“Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of our Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa. The strength and resilience of Pacific Aotearoa is not only vital to their own prosperity but integral to the prosperity of all New Zealanders, and is particularly ...4 days ago
- COVID-19: More funding for schools and boost to construction sector· $38 million to help schools cover unexpected costs related to COVID-19 · $69 million upgrade for online learning · $107 million contingency funding to support school construction suppliers facing additional costs due to the lockdown. The Government is releasing $214 million from the COVID-19 response and recovery fund to ...4 days ago
- Stay safe on the tracks – Rail Safety WeekDespite the Government installing safety upgrades around the country, people should still take care around rail crossings, said Transport Minister Phil Twyford launching Rail Safety Week. Phil Twyford said installing safety infrastructure is crucial, but we are encouraging people to be more careful around trains too. “We’re making good progress ...4 days ago
- Government backs Manawatū social housing projectThe Government is providing a cash injection to help Palmerston North City Council complete a programme to provide 78 social housing units for vulnerable tenants. The $4.7 million to build 28 units in the Papaioea Place redevelopment comes from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the Government’s COVID-19 ...4 days ago
- Major funding boost for Predator Free Banks PeninsulaA pest free Banks Peninsula/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū is one step closer with a $5.11 million boost to accelerate this project and create jobs, announced Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage in Canterbury today. “This is a game changer for this ambitious project to restore the native wildlife and plants on Ōtautahi/Christchurch’s doorstep ...5 days ago
- Major investment for indoor sports in Hawke’s BayA Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...5 days ago
- New infrastructure for Far North tourist townThe Far North tourist destination of Mangonui is to receive Government funding to improve waterfront infrastructure, open up access to the harbour and improve water quality, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. A total of $6.5 million from the $3 billion set aside in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund ...6 days ago
- Government remains committed to Women’s Cricket World CupThe Government has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the hosting of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which the ICC has delayed from 2021 to 2022. “This is obviously a disappointing decision for cricket players and fans around the world and for the White Ferns and their supporters here at ...6 days ago
- Green light for Te Awa River Ride in $220m nationwide cycleways investmentCyclists and walkers will now have a safer way to get around Taupō, Tūrangi, and between Hamilton and Cambridge, with funding for shared paths and Te Awa River Ride, Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. “The Te Awa River Ride is the latest part of massive growth ...6 days ago
- Six major ‘shovel-ready’ cycleways funded in ChristchurchSix major cycle routes will be completed in Christchurch thanks to funding from the Government’s investment in shovel-ready infrastructure as part of the COVID-19 recovery Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. $125 million will be invested to kick-start construction and fund the completion of the following cycleway ...6 days ago
- New Police facilities for WhanganuiPlans are underway for a brand new state-of-the-art hub for Whanganui’s justice and social agencies, following confirmation the ageing Whanganui Central Police Station is to be replaced. Police Minister Stuart Nash has announced $25 million in new infrastructure spending to improve facilities for the wider community, and for staff who ...6 days ago
- Relativity adjustment for Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi TahuAn adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...7 days ago
- Auckland rail upgrades pick up steamDeputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...7 days ago
- PGF support for Wairoa creates jobsThe Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...7 days ago
- Public and Māori housing to trial renewable energy technologyTenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...7 days ago
- $2.7m for Hokianga infrastructureHokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...7 days ago
- New fund to support housing and construction sectorA $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...1 week ago
- Government investment to boost Auckland’s community recycling networkAs part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...1 week ago
- Te Papa transformation starts at Cameron RoadThe Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...1 week ago
- Low-emissions options for heavy transport a step closerGetting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...1 week ago
- New training centre to upskill workersA new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...1 week ago
- Subsequent children legislation to changeThe Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...1 week ago
- Funding to expand mental health support for Pacific peoplesA $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...1 week ago
- Auckland Council Not Worthy Of Bailout From Taxpayers
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Finance Minister to refuse a bailout for Auckland Council until it manages to rein in, or at least stop increasing, its operating spending. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “ On ...15 mins ago - Covid-19: More cases linked to current cluster identified, Chris Hipkins says
The Health Minister says New Zealand is not at a position where it needs to go into level 4 lockdown. ...34 mins ago - Mental Health And COVID-19...38 mins ago
- 50 French police who have returned from Polynesia test covid positive
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk French authorities say 50 gendarmes who had been deployed in French Polynesia have tested positive to covid-19 after their return to France, reports Tahiti’s Radio One. The police were part of a group of 82 from Tarbes who had just returned home, the prefecture in the ...1 hour ago - ‘Everyone knows what’s coming’: Business makes the case for another wage subsidy
Whether it’s a grant or a wage subsidy, industry leaders say Auckland businesses need government support.With the mending glue barely having dried, some Auckland businesses will be cracking again under the pressure of the new level three lockdown. Now they are calling on the government to help.Finance minster Grant Robertson ...1 hour ago - Gov’t Must Consider Increase Mass Testing For All Citizens NowNZ Ministry of Health/Minister do not have adequate data to understand ‘how and why’ the latest community Covid cluster has emerged this week, so they are concentrating at the cold store site where containers are transported by trucks, CEAC assume all ...2 hours ago
- Billions are injected into developing a Covid-19 vaccine – here’s hoping NZ can secure a supply ...
New Zealanders are still reeling from the shock they didn’t succeed in suppressing Covid-19, let alone eliminate it. Having convinced themselves after 100 days without community transmission that economic recovery, too, was moving ahead, the stern reality is the country faces new challenges. These challenges may not be overcome until ...2 hours ago - The Government Doesn’t Seem To Realise Business Reality Makes Our Elimination Strategy UntenableOn Tuesday morning I had a very difficult conversation with my staff. With tears in my eyes I told them that due to the likely renewed lockdown there was a good likelihood I would eventually have to let some of them go. These are young people with responsibilities ...2 hours ago
- NZ covid-19 update: More coronavirus cases linked to Auckland clusterBy RNZ News New Zealand Health Minister Chris Hipkins says there are more covid-19 cases related to the Auckland cluster which will be revealed at 1pm today. He says for New Zealand to move to alert level 4 there would need to be a number of clusters and unconnected cases. ...2 hours ago
- How schools and students are coping with (and planning for) a return to lockdownThey’ve been through it all before, so how are Auckland students and teachers coping with the second move into level three? And how are other schools preparing for the possibility they’ll soon be doing the same? Last time the country went into level three lockdown, on March 24, schools had ...2 hours ago
- From Kangaroo Island to Mallacoota, citizen scientists proved vital to Australia’s bushfire recove...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist Following the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, many people throughout Australia, and across the world, wanted to know how they could help in response to the environmental disaster. Hundreds contacted the Australian ...3 hours ago
- In COVID’s shadow, global terrorism goes quiet. But we have seen this before, and should be warySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Have we flattened the curve of global terrorism? In our COVID-19-obsessed news cycle stories about terrorism and terrorist attacks have largely disappeared. We now, though, understand ...3 hours ago
- The COVID-19 crisis tests oppositions as well as governments. Ahead of New Zealand’s election, Nat...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology It isn’t easy being a political opposition in the midst of a crisis. The volatility within New Zealand’s National Party – which has had three leaders in as many months – is ...3 hours ago
- Pandemic letter from America: how the US handling of COVID-19 provides the starkest warning for us a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Elshaug, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, Professor of Health Policy and Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney This is one of our occasional Essays on Health, this time from an Australian visiting fellow in Washington, DC. Adam ...3 hours ago
- Pacific people have been ‘pummelled and demeaned’ for too long – now they’re fighting backSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick D. Nunn, Professor of Geography, School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast Sea level rise is a serious threat to the low-lying islands of the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. To fight it, their president recently ...3 hours ago
- Australia’s smallest fish among 22 at risk of extinction within two decadesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Lintermans, Associate professor, University of Canberra The tragic fish kills in the lower Darling River drew attention to the plight of Australia’s freshwater fish, but they’ve been in trouble for a long time. Many species have declined sharply in recent decades, ...3 hours ago
- A 3-decade ‘moving picture’ of young Australians’ study, work and life, thanks to LSAYSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somayeh Parvazian, Survey Methodologist, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) unpack the lives of young Australians as they leave school, enter further study or the workforce and make the transition into adulthood. The latest ...3 hours ago
- Vital Signs: this university funding crisis was always coming – COVID-19 just accelerated itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In the early 1930s a 21-year-old undergraduate at the London School of Economics asked a great question during his summer research project: “if my economics professors are right that markets are an efficient way to allocate ...3 hours ago
- For some companies, JobKeeper has become DividendKeeper. They are paying out, even though the future...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Linden, Sessional Lecturer, PhD (Management) Candidate, School of Management, RMIT University In this recession, unlike in previous ones, governments have chosen to help pay salaries to keep workers in work rather than pay unemployment benefits when they laid off. It means ...3 hours ago
- Friday essay: on reckoning with the fact of one’s deathSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin John Brophy, Emeritus Professor of Creative writing, University of Melbourne A friend is sending me documents needed to make me the executor of his will. He does not expect to die from this pandemic but he has enough weaknesses in his ...3 hours ago
- It’s time to stop building prisons
NZ relies on prisons for retribution but what if we found viable alternatives to our punitive justice system? ...3 hours ago - Live updates, August 14: Today’s the day – will Auckland stay in lockdown?Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 14, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz.7.15am: It’s decision ...4 hours ago
- The Bulletin: How we’ll learn what happens nextGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Timeline for decision on alert levels released, updates on new cases and testing, and a failure of testing at the border has potentially severe consequences.Right now, we don’t know what the situation around alert levels will be at the end ...4 hours ago
- Business Wrap: Precinct valuations cut
Big Auckland property company hit hard, Xero sees subscriber growth slow, as Covid effects become clear ...5 hours ago - Protection From GE For Northland Growers And Exporters WelcomedThe Environment Court has upheld the appeal by the Whangarei District and Far North District Councils and others on the management of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the coastal Marine Area (CMA) in Northland. [1] The Environmental Court ...6 hours ago
- Cold temperatures are where Covid thrives
With investigations into a coolstore and freight as a potential pathway for the latest outbreak of Covid-19, what does science say about surfaces and refrigeration? Surfaces at a Mount Wellington coolstore are being tested for Covid-19 in an effort to uncover the route of the virus back into the community. A ...6 hours ago - Reckless and unsafe: Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine
As promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates are well into trials around the world, Russia claims it has a vaccine, and is recklessly and unethically moving to distribute it. Helen Petousis-Harris explains why that's so wrong. Russia is deploying a Covid-19 vaccine to its people without knowing if it works or if it is ...6 hours ago - Rent saga a death knell for some Auckland businesses
It could prove even harder to get landlords and tenants in Auckland to come to an equitable agreement now that the Government's bluff has been called. ...6 hours ago - Could NZ experience ‘lockdown fatigue’?
Overseas, protracted or repeated lockdowns have been met with an increasing unwillingness to comply with public health restrictions. Could the same happen here? Marc Daalder reports With Auckland entering Level 3 lockdown for the second time and the rest of the country poised to follow if cases outside of the ...6 hours ago - We have the culture to prevail over Covid
Kiwi businesses are learning what they need to do to cope with Covid, and are acting fast. ...6 hours ago - This week’s best-sellers
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias NON-FICTION 1 Pull No Punches by Judith Collins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) "Toneless": from my review at ReadingRoom. 2 The Quick and the Dead by Cynric Temple-Camp (HarperCollins, ...6 hours ago - Jacinda Ardern on true transformation, and Covid-19’s silver lining
A little over 24 hours before Jacinda Ardern learnt of new Covid-19 community cases, she sat down with Newsroom to discuss what real transformation looks like, how to improve our pandemic planning, and making the most of the Covid crisis Oh for the days when a missed meal was among Jacinda ...6 hours ago - What not to do if you want to quash a virus
Spreading harmful misinformation about Covid-19 is one of the most effective ways to make sure we fail to defeat the virus, writes Joel Rindelaub It feels surreal. We worked so hard for so long to beat the virus. We made sacrifices for the good of the team, and we came ...6 hours ago - When printing even $100b is not enough
Overly cautious politicians and bankers are forcing the Reserve Bank to look at even more extreme ways to stimulate our Covid-hit economy and revive inflation, Bernard Hickey writes The Reserve Bank announced much more stimulus than everyone expected this week, but even this much was not enough to move the inflation needle, or ...6 hours ago - Meet the cast of Youth Wings, a new political documentary series coming soonThe Spinoff’s new six-part documentary series Youth Wings goes behind the O Week stalls to get to know some of the youngest and most passionate members of New Zealand’s main political parties.It may be hard to imagine, but every single member of New Zealand’s parliament was once young. And when ...6 hours ago
- The ruthless electoral politics behind National’s Covid conspiracy-baitingThe public hated National’s politicisation of the coronavirus crisis the first time around. So why is the party doubling down on it now?So far the National Party leadership team of Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee has been a lot milder than everyone expected. Judith Collins has arched her eyebrows and ...6 hours ago
- Repurposing rubbish
Reduce, re-use, recycle is taking on a new and more formal meaning with the Government's product stewardship scheme At the end of last month, the Government announced a major change in how it deals with waste - six compulsory end-of-life product management schemes which put the onus on manufacturers, importers and ...6 hours ago - Peters’ conflicting claims in super leak case
Winston Peters' allegations in Parliament of who leaked his superannuation overpayment might impact two of the three declarations he is seeking in a Court of Appeal case. ...6 hours ago - Grattan on Friday: Morrison government needs to improve, rather than defend, its poor COVID aged car...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The state of aged care preparation in the era of COVID is, it seems, in the eye of the beholder. Vastly different claims emerged this week, when the royal commission examining the sector turned its ...10 hours ago
- Covid spread could ‘decimate’ Pasifika, Māori communities, warns TukuitongaBy Sri Krishnamurthi of Pacific Media Watch Pacific health specialist Dr Collin Tukuitonga is worried that the latest community transmission of covid-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand “could get very messy”. “The latest cluster is a worry because the source is unknown and highly probable as community transmission,” says Dr Tukuitonga, ...11 hours ago
- Why New Zealand needs to focus on genome sequencing to trace the source of its new COVID-19 outbreakSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Welch, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland Genetic surveillance — a technology that uses the genetic fingerprint of a virus to track its spread — is part of the public health response to New Zealand’s new COVID-19 community outbreak and could help ...14 hours ago
- Why New Zealand needs to ramp up genome sequencing to trace the source of its new COVID-19 outbreakSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Welch, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland Genetic surveillance — a technology that uses the genetic fingerprint of a virus to track its spread — is part of the public health response to New Zealand’s new COVID-19 community outbreak and could help ...16 hours ago
- Reclaim Her Name: why we should free Australia’s female novelists from their male pseudonymsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Nelson, Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia The Australian poet Gwen Harwood used to submit poems to literary journals under both her own name and a male pseudonym, Walter Lehmann. Furious that the latter poems were more favourably ...17 hours ago
- Early and mid-career scientists face a bleak future in the wake of the pandemicSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Shaw, Conservation Biologist, The University of Queensland The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on research in Australia. We surveyed 333 early and mid-career researchers in science, technical, engineering and medical (STEM) fields and found the impact on their productivity ...18 hours ago
- Cannabis Referendum 2020 – Voting No? Think AgainSpecialist criminal defence firm LawAid International brings decades of in-court experience to the debate around Cannabis law reform, arguing strongly for legalisation and asking the undecided and those voting ‘No’ in September’s referendum to ...18 hours ago
- Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, August 13The Covid resurgence cluster is now at 17 people. Chris McDowall presents the latest information in visual form.With thanks to the Science Media Centre.At today’s 1pm press briefing the director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, announced 13 new cases of Covid-19 detected outside isolation or quarantine in the Auckland region. ...18 hours ago
- Government Fails Transparency Day Test...18 hours ago
- The Cost To Business For Lockdown Is Too HighGovernment says they learned things from the last lockdown so if they did can we do things differently and let all businesses that can comply with Covid-19 safety measures stay open, says Auckland Business Chamber CEO Michael Barnett. “The cost ...19 hours ago
- Business Is Boring: The Dunedin company growing NZ’s high-tech manufacturing sectorBusiness is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Sarah Ramsay, CEO of United Machinists.Not that long ago in the scheme of ...19 hours ago
- Refreshing To Hear The Green Party Wants To Embrace Science – FedsFederated Farmers couldn’t agree more with the call from the Green Party today that science should guide the policies and decisions of MPs. "They issued the challenge in relation to the recent positive COVID-19 cases in Auckland but as a ...19 hours ago
- NZ covid-19 update: 13 new cases in community, one in managed isolationBy RNZ News New Zealand has 13 new cases of covid-19 in the community in Auckland today and one in managed isolation. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the 13 new cases were all linked to one Auckland cluster – the four people who were reported as confirmed cases ...19 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on tax cuts, inequality, and the Queensland electionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The second wave of the pandemic in Victoria has pushed the post-COVID economic recovery further beyond the horizon. Among the challenges for the federal opposition are dealing itself into the debate and formulating alternative economic ...20 hours ago
- It’s hard to admit we’re lonely, even to ourselves. Here are the signs and how to manage themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle H Lim, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist, Swinburne University of Technology The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to loneliness in Australia. This is especially so as Melburnians entered the strictest lockdown to date. Meanwhile, the rest of Australia braces for the ...20 hours ago
- Assassinated Filipino activist Echanis’ widow demands release of his bodyWidow Erlinda Echanis demands the release of the body of her husband, assassinated peace activist Randall “Randy” Echanis. Video: Rappler By Rambo Talabong in Manila After her repeated urgings were unheeded, Erlinda Echanis formally has formally demanded that Pink Petals Memorial Homes release the body of her husband, assassinated Anakpawis ...20 hours ago
- A city betrayed: a New Zealander on the devastation in BeirutThe blast that took at least 171 lives in downtown Beirut last week was the latest in a long line of official failures that have pushed the Lebanese people to the brink of despair, writes Kirsten O’Regan. As I began this essay, my partner was trying to fall asleep in our ...20 hours ago
- Scania backs NZ economy, expands local operation
Swedish truck manufacturer, Scania, likes New Zealand’s economic outlook enough to invest millions in expanding its local presence. Mark Jennings reports on the company’s move to acquire Truck & Trailers Service Centres - a nationwide servicing business. The market for new trucks in New Zealand is relatively small but it’s highly competitive. ...20 hours ago - Alternative Aotearoa – Final ReportOn 25 July 2020 several hundred people attended a seminar at Pipitea Marae in Poneke/Wellington, and several thousand more joined the discussion online, in the wake of Covid-19 and the lead-up to the general election to imagine an Alternative Aotearoa to that which ...21 hours ago
- Carbon dioxide levels over Australia rose even after COVID-19 forced global emissions down. Here’s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Loh, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO COVID-19 has curtailed the activities of millions of people across the world and with it, greenhouse gas emissions. As climate scientists at the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, we are routinely asked: does this mean ...21 hours ago
- Masking the outbreak: despite New Zealand’s growing COVID-19 cases, there are more ways to get bac...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Wilson, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago As New Zealand enters its second day at heightened alert levels to contain a community outbreak of COVID-19, we expect that it should only be a temporary setback. Four cases with no direct ...21 hours ago
- National’s election delay call purely political, says James ShawGreens co-leader James Shaw has accused National of calling for the election to be delayed out of concern for their own self-interest, not democracy. ...21 hours ago
- How to talk to whānau about conspiraciesMāori are particularly vulnerable to conspiracy theories – especially ones that relate to the eradication of people – because that has been the reality for indigenous people. But if we’re going to protect our whānau from Covid-19, we need to engage, not block.If you’re Māori and on Facebook, chances are ...21 hours ago
- William Cooper: the Indigenous leader who petitioned the king, demanding a Voice to Parliament in th...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bain Munro Attwood, Professor of History, Monash University The Conversation is running a series of explainers on key figures in Australian political history, looking at the way they changed the nature of debate, its impact then, and it relevance to politics today. ...21 hours ago
- Enforced quarantine for confirmed cases
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 will now be sent straight to a managed quarantine facility by order of the Director-General of Health Thirteen new confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been identified - all linked to the four cases of community transmission that triggered a lockdown of Auckland this week. Under a new ...22 hours ago - ‘We are taboo everywhere’: how LGBTIQ+ people, and their children, become statelessSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas McGee, PhD researcher, Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, University of Melbourne No child should be denied her rights because her parents are LGBTIQ+, and no family should have to endure the indignity we did. These are the words of ...22 hours ago
- New Game Animal Councillors AppointedThe Minister of Conservation has appointed five new councillors and a new Chair to the New Zealand Game Animal Council. “Grant Dodson has been appointed Chair of the Game Animal Council and takes over from Don Hammond who has been Chair since ...23 hours ago
- We need super, but we’re taxing it the wrong way roundSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Varela, Research Fellow, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many economists think that earnings in super funds should be taxed at a relatively low rate, compared to labour earnings and other types of earnings ...23 hours ago
- Gerry Brownlee just thinks it’s interestingWhat the deputy leader of the opposition has been implying lately is more than “nonsense” – it represents a threat to one of New Zealand’s most powerful and undervalued assets, writes Duncan Greive.Things started getting interesting last Friday. National’s deputy leader Gerry Brownlee appeared on RNZ’s Morning Report to discuss ...23 hours ago
- When the Greens press party leaders to continue commitment to science, we wonder if they include the...
Latest from the Beehive We drew a blank, when we paid our morning visit to the Beehive website. Nothing had been posted since Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced the Government’s plans to phase out more single-use and problem plastics to reduce waste and protect the environment. Hmm. Let’s ...23 hours ago - Masking the outbreak: how New Zealand could return to its COVID-19 elimination status even fasterSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Wilson, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago As New Zealand enters its second day at heightened alert levels to contain a community outbreak of COVID-19, we expect that it should only be a temporary setback. Four cases with no direct ...23 hours ago
- Bus driver tells of masks resistance as PNG announces record covid casesBy Patricia Kamo in Port Moresby A bus driver in Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby says it is hard to force passengers to wear masks when they walk in. It is one of the measures put in place after the lifting of the country’s 14-day restrictions. Driver Mark Duma, ...23 hours ago
- Robertson rejects National suggestion for PM to ‘step back’ over covid callsBy RNZ News Senior Labour MP Grant Robertson has rejected opposition National’s suggestion that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern step back from announcements on covid-19 alert levels so close to a New Zealand election. National Party leader Judith Collins says it should be health officials, not the Labour leader, announcing changes ...23 hours ago
- We went to a ‘gender critical’ feminist event at parliament, and it didn’t end wellIn the second episode of Alice Snedden’s Bad News, Alice goes to an event at parliament to try to talk with a group of ‘gender critical’ feminists – but things don’t go quite as planned.You’ve probably heard the term used in relation to high-profile people like JK Rowling, but what ...23 hours ago
- LIVE: A View from Afar – Global Authoritarianism and Abandonment of International LawEvening Report Video: This week in A View from Afar with Paul G. Buchanan and Selwyn Manning, we continue with our debate of how leaders around the world are embracing authoritarianism, isolationism, and in some cases, an abandonment of the rule of international law. A View from Afar is ...23 hours ago
- Police add almost 1300 officers to ranks, but fall short of 1800 targetThe government has failed to meet its target of increasing the total number of police by 1800 officers in three years. But there are 1280 more officers than this time three years ago. ...1 day ago
- James Shaw self-isolating after precautionary Covid-19 test
Greens co-leader James Shaw is isolating at home after a Covid-19 test following a campaign trip to the location of New Zealand's latest community cases Climate Change Minister and Green Party co-leader James Shaw has undergone a precautionary Covid-19 test after developing "minor cold symptoms" following a trip to South Auckland ...1 day ago
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