Archive for June, 2011
Whenever you’re ready, John
Written By: - Date published: 6:57 am, June 21st, 2011 - 53 comments
Gerry Brownlee says an announcement on Christchurch’s land will be made “very, very soon” but testily refuses to give a date, or even a real timeframe. I have a sinking feeling this is all a PR exercise. Just as Brownlee has got everyone really agitated, that Nice Man Mr Key will unveil the information. When it fits into his diary, of course.
Open mike 21/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 21st, 2011 - 84 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Gamechanger?
Written By: - Date published: 5:29 pm, June 20th, 2011 - 50 comments
The Te Tai Tokerau by-election has the potential to be a game-changer. If it comes off for Kelvin on Saturday the result may shake up a few other predictions for the general election – another example of the wisdom of Harold Wilson’s famous remark that a week is a long time in politics. Now it’s down to who goes out on the day. After the battle of the hustings will come the battle of the explanations – they will be fascinating.
Privatisation, if only
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, June 20th, 2011 - 19 comments
NZX Chairman Andrew Harmos laments opposition to asset sales saying “if only opponents of this could have the intellectual honesty to recognise that it is a policy that has no losers”. Rijab respectfully disagrees and wonders if it isn’t the Chairman of the organisation with the most to gain from privatisation that is being intellectually dishonest.
Labour to entrench SOEs
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, June 20th, 2011 - 92 comments
Phil Goff has just announced that Labour is putting up a private members’ bill to entrench SOEs. This would mean they could only be sold either with 75% support of Parliament, or with majority support in a referendum. Great Stuff. These are our assets. They should not be sold without our permission.
Labour proposes asset sales law
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, June 20th, 2011 - 57 comments
Labour proposes a new law to stop asset sales. More like this please!
The Magic Market
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, June 20th, 2011 - 64 comments
Low-paid, crappy job? It’s obviously your fault, according to the Right. You mustn’t have enough qualifications, or the correct ones. The good jobs are out there, they’re just hiding. Or, if they’re not, you can weave one from thin air. But, even if this free market magic were real, what’s the end point? The crap jobs still need to be filled.
The end of Kiwishare
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, June 20th, 2011 - 18 comments
The autocratic National government is changing the Kiwishare obligation of Telecom without consultation or notice. They say obligations will be the same, but they will no longer be legal restrictions, but changeable company “deeds”.
Squeezing the life out of the economy
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, June 20th, 2011 - 41 comments
Are we “roaring out of recession”? No. Is there an “aggressive recovery”? No. What’s going wrong? The problem is that the Nats are squeezing the life out of the economy.
Open mike 20/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 20th, 2011 - 58 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
The wrong man for the job
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, June 19th, 2011 - 46 comments
I haven’t seen the full interview of Brownlee on the Nation. If the clips on the news were anything to go by, it was more of the same. No info for Christchurch residents. No empathy for them either. More haughty bullshit. More vague excuses for delays. More focused on himself than the people who need help. He needs to go.
Why I love polls
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, June 19th, 2011 - 12 comments
“Consumer confidence ‘back to normal'”. “Financial woes keep growing”. Take your pick.
It’s begun
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, June 19th, 2011 - 141 comments
Argue with the science if you must, but it’s pretty hard to argue with the world. The effects of climate change are upon us..
Open mike 19/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 19th, 2011 - 36 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Crisis explained
Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, June 18th, 2011 - 28 comments
John Clarke and Bryan Dawe calculate the cost of the European debt crisis…
Why blog?
Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, June 18th, 2011 - 59 comments
In which r0b ponders why he blogs, and decides to come out. Very boring and predictable, I promise.
FTT Day of Action
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, June 18th, 2011 - 9 comments
Information about the 22 June Global Day of Action in support of the Financial Transactions Tax (FTT).
Drip, drip, drip of job losses
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 18th, 2011 - 239 comments
We are hearing no end of job loss stories in the news and the government has no plan for New Zealand jobs. Their best idea is to cut the wages of the young, rather than to create jobs of real value. We need workers paid a Living Wage so all Kiwis can have fulfilling lives.
Open mike 18/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 18th, 2011 - 56 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Plain news from Canterbury TV
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, June 17th, 2011 - 7 comments
From Canterbury TV (good to see they are still serving Canterbury) the first news report is better than most of the other stuff I see in the TV news about Christchurch. This is what people are telling us (one sent this clip through) in e-mails and comments. Now you can see them. It is a […]
When I fall
Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, June 17th, 2011 - 4 comments
One of my favorite bands and one of my favourite of their tracks. Barenaked Ladies playing “When I fall”. Great lyrics for the ongoing GFC. You have to love satirical songs…. Songwriters: PAGE, STEVEN / ROBERTSON, ED I look straight in the window, try not to look below Pretend I’m not up here, try counting […]
Weekend social 17/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, June 17th, 2011 - 25 comments
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?
The war on drugs is lost
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, June 17th, 2011 - 28 comments
The Global Commission on Drug Policy have just released their latest report on the global war on drugs. Its message is quite simple; the war has failed, and it is time to begin new dialogue on what has become the greatest social failure of the last fifty years.
NRT: Nats killing the Kiwishare
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, June 17th, 2011 - 27 comments
Out of the blue, National has decided to scrap the Telecom ‘Kiwishare’. This is the provision that ensures all Kiwis have free local calling and that Telecom can’t be majority owned by a foreign company. National has refused to supply any justification for opening Telecom to foreign control.
Lifting productivity
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, June 17th, 2011 - 14 comments
So, the statement of intent from the Ministry of Health has just been released. This document outlines how our health service will operate during the next three years; so what does it actually say? Is health truly safe under National?
Blindingly obvious – but secret
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, June 17th, 2011 - 119 comments
In the damaged suburbs of Christchurch, people’s lives, their emotions, in many cases their finances, are all stuck in limbo. Residents need to know which areas are going to be written off. What they don’t need is Gerry Brownlee telling them they are “simplistic”…
Open mike 17/06/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 17th, 2011 - 61 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Nats to slash wages
Written By: - Date published: 6:38 pm, June 16th, 2011 - 155 comments
Patrick Gower has revealed the Nats are poised to announce a policy to reintroduce the youth minimum wage at a rate of about $10 an hour, and potentially make it apply to people in their 20s. Outrageous and a breach of human rights. You should get paid for the work you do. Not your gender. Not your ethnicity. Not your sexuality. Not your age.
Fluff and a Jab
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, June 16th, 2011 - 16 comments
Green Party MP Metiria Turei asked some very important questions of John Key in Parliament today. Once again, the Prime Minister wasn’t there so Bill English tried to answer for the absentee leader. And what we learned is that National not only has no answer to poverty but also doesn’t really give a damn.
Nats’ election strategy – all about Key
Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, June 16th, 2011 - 28 comments
National’s election platform is pretty much out. It shows that National is very much dependent on Brand Key. They released the Budget and then the rest of their major policies in rapid-fire succession. This shows National doesn’t believe its policies are vote-winners. They want policy to take a backseat and all the focus on Key’s smile.
Nat websites publicly-funded
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, June 16th, 2011 - 30 comments
Ianupnorth does ‘the Whale’ and has a dig around the National Party websites. It turns out they are registered and run by Parliamentary staffers. In fact, National and ACT’s MPs’ sites are all publicly-funded, while other parties’ MPs’ are not. Is NACT breaking the rules? No doubt everyone’s least favourite cetacean will be on to it.
- The case for cultural connectedness
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...1 week ago - Useful context on public sector job cutsDavid Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...1 week ago - Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
1 week ago - True Blue.
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...1 week ago - Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...1 week ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...2 weeks ago - Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts
Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...
2 weeks ago - Or is that just they want us to think?
Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...2 weeks ago - Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...2 weeks ago
- Arguing over a moot point.
I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...2 weeks ago - No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
2 weeks ago - Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...2 weeks ago - Sad tales from the leftMichael Bassett writes – Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...2 weeks ago
- In Whose Best Interests?On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...2 weeks ago
- Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...2 weeks ago - Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...2 weeks ago - Small accomplishments and large ironies
2 weeks ago - The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...2 weeks ago - Accelerating the Growth Rate?
There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...2 weeks ago - The only thing we have to fear is tenants themselves
1. Which of these acronyms describes the experience of travelling on a Cook Strait ferry?a. ROROb. FOMOc. RAROd. FMLAramoana, first boat ever boarded by More Than A Feilding, four weeks after the Wahine disaster2. What is the acronym for the experience of watching the government risking a $200 million break ...2 weeks ago - Peters talks of NZ “renewing its connections with the world” – but who knew we had been discon...
Buzz from the Beehive The thrust of the country’s foreign affairs policy and its relationship with the United States have been addressed in four statements from the Beehive over the past 24 hours. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters somewhat curiously spoke of New Zealand “renewing its connections with a world ...2 weeks ago - Muldoonism, solar farms, and legitimacy
NewsHub had an article yesterday about progress on Aotearoa's largest solar farm, at "The Point" in the Mackenzie Country. 420MW, right next to a grid connection and transmission infrastructure, and next to dams - meaning it can work in tandem with them to maximise water storage. Its exactly the sort ...2 weeks ago - NZTA does not know how much it spends on conesBarrie Saunders writes – Astonishing as it may seem NZTA does not know either how much it spends on road cones as part of its Temporary Traffic Management system, or even how many companies it uses to supply and manage the cones. See my Official Information Act request ...2 weeks ago
- If this is Back on Track – let's not.
I used to want to plant bombs at the Last Night of the PromsBut now you'll find me with the baby, in the bathroom,With that big shell, listening for the sound of the sea,The baby and meI stayed in bed, alone, uncertainThen I met you, you drew the curtainThe sun ...2 weeks ago - Welfare: Just two timid targets from the National governmentLindsay Mitchell writes – The National Government has announced just two targets for the Ministry of Social Development. They are: – to reduce the number of people receiving Jobseeker Support by 50,000 to 140,000 by June 2029, and – (alongside HUD) to reduce the number of households in emergency ...2 weeks ago
- The Hoon around the week to April 12Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts Bernard Hickey and Peter Bale, along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, Merja Myllylahti on AUT’s trust in news report, Awhi’s Holly Bennett on a watered-down voluntary code for lobbyists, plus special guest Patrick Gower ...2 weeks ago
- A Dead Internet?
Hi,Four years ago I wrote about a train engineer who derailed his train near the port in Los Angeles.He was attempting to slam thousands of tonnes of screaming metal into a docked Navy hospital ship, because he thought it was involved in some shady government conspiracy theory. He thought it ...2 weeks ago - Weekly Roundup 12-April-2024
Welcome back to another Friday. Here’s some articles that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Wednesday Matt looked at the latest with the Airport to Botany project. On Thursday Matt covered the revelation that Auckland Transport have to subsidise towing illegally parked cars. ...2 weeks ago - Weekly Roundup 12-April-2024Welcome back to another Friday. Here’s some articles that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Wednesday Matt looked at the latest with the Airport to Botany project. On Thursday Matt covered the revelation that Auckland Transport have to subsidise towing illegally parked cars. ...2 weeks ago
- Antarctic heat spike shocks climate scientistsA ‘Regime Shift’ could raise sea levels sooner than anticipated. Has a tipping point been triggered in the Antarctic? Photo: Juan Barreto/Getty Images TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon between and ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #15 2024Open access notables Global carbon emissions in 2023, Liu et al., Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Annual global CO2 emissions dropped markedly in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing by 5.8% relative to 2019 (ref. 1). There were hopes that green economic stimulus packages during the COVD crisis might mark the beginning ...2 weeks ago
- Everything will be just fine
In our earlier days of national self-loathing, we made a special place for the attitude derided as she’ll be right.You don't hear many people younger than age Boomer using that particular expression these days. But that doesn’t mean there are not younger people in possession of such an attitude.The likes of ...2 weeks ago - Farmers and landlords are given news intended to lift their confidence – but the media must muse o...Buzz from the Beehive People working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Todd McClay and his associates have been in recent days. But if they check out the Beehive website for a list of Melissa Lee’s announcements, pronouncements, speeches and what-have-you ...2 weeks ago
- National’s war on rentersWhen the National government came into office, it complained of a "war on landlords". It's response? Start a war on renters instead: The changes include re-introducing 90-day "no cause" terminations for periodic tenancies, meaning landlords can end a periodic tenancy without giving any reason. [...] Landlords will now only ...2 weeks ago
- DrawnA ballot for two Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill (Cameron Luxton) Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill (Marama Davidson) The ...2 weeks ago
- At last some scienceEle Ludemann writes – Is getting rid of plastic really good for the environment? Substituting plastics with alternative materials is likely to result in increased GHG emissions, according to research from the University of Sheffield. The study by Dr. Fanran Meng from Sheffield’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, ...2 weeks ago
- Something important: the curious death of the School Strike 4 Climate MovementThe Christchurch Mosque Massacres, Covid-19, deep political disillusionment, and the jealous cruelty of the intersectionists: all had a part to play in causing School Strike 4 Climate’s bright bubble of hope and passion to burst. But, while it floated above us, it was something that mattered. Something Important. ...2 weeks ago
- The day the TV media died…Peter Dunne writes – April 10 is a dramatic day in New Zealand’s history. On April 10, 1919, the preliminary results of a referendum showed that New Zealanders had narrowly voted for prohibition by a majority of around 13,000 votes. However, when the votes of soldiers still overseas ...2 weeks ago
- What's the point in Melissa Lee?
While making coffee this morning I listened to Paddy Gower from Newshub being interviewed on RNZ. It was painful listening. His hurt and love for that organisation, its closure confirmed yesterday, quite evident.As we do when something really matters, he hasn’t giving up hope. Paddy talked about the taonga that ...2 weeks ago - Bernard's Top 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10 am on Thursday, April 11
TL;DR: Here’s the 10 news and other links elsewhere that stood out for me over the last day, as at 10:10 am on Wednesday, April 10:Photo by Iva Rajović on UnsplashMust-read: As more than half of the nation’s investigative journalists are sacked, Newsroom’s Tim Murphy shows what it takes to ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell On Winston Peters’ Pathetic Speech At The UNGood grief, Winston Peters. Tens of thousands of Gazans have been slaughtered, two million are on the brink of starvation and what does our Foreign Minister choose to talk about at the UN? The 75 year old issue of whether the five permanent members should continue to have veto powers ...2 weeks ago
- Subsidising illegal parkingHopefully finally over his obsession with raised crossings, the Herald’s Bernard Orsman has found something to actually be outraged at. Auckland ratepayers are subsidising the cost of towing, storing and releasing cars across the city to the tune of $15 million over five years. Under a quirk in the law, ...2 weeks ago
- When 'going for growth' actually means saying no to new social homesTL;DR: These six things stood out to me over the last day in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy, as of 7:06 am on Thursday, April 11:The Government has refused a community housing provider’s plea for funding to help build 42 apartments in Hamilton because it said a $100 million fund was used ...2 weeks ago
- https://www.politik.co.nz/?p=12733As the public sector redundancies rolled on, with the Department of Conservation saying yesterday it was cutting 130 positions, a Select Committee got an insight into the complexities and challenges of cutting the Government’s workforce. Immigration New Zealand chiefs along with their Minister, Erica Stanford, appeared before Parliament’s Education and ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:06 pm on Wednesday, April 10
TL;DR: Six substacks that stood out to me in the last day:Explaining is winning for journalists wanting to regain trust, writes is his excellent substack. from highlights Aotearoa-NZ’s greenwashing problem in this weekly substack. writes about salt via his substack titled: The Second Soul, Part I ...2 weeks ago - EGU2024 – Picking and chosing sessions to attend virtuallyThis year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a fully hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from April 15 to 19. I decided to join the event virtually this year for the full week and I've already picked several sessions I plan to ...2 weeks ago
- But here's my point about the large irony in what Luxon is saying
Grim old week in the media business, eh? And it’s only Wednesday, to rework an old upbeat line of poor old Neil Roberts.One of the larger dark ironies of it all has been the line the Prime Minister is serving up to anyone asking him about the sorry state of ...2 weeks ago - Govt gives farmers something to talk about (regarding environmental issues) at those woolshed meetin...Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of three rurally oriented ministers launching the first of their woolshed meetings, the government brought good news to farmers on the environmental front. First, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced an additional $18 million is being committed to reduce agricultural emissions. Not all ...2 weeks ago
- Climate change violates human rightsThat's the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights today: Weak government climate policies violate fundamental human rights, the European court of human rights has ruled. In a landmark decision on one of three major climate cases, the first such rulings by an international court, the ECHR raised ...2 weeks ago
- Which govt departments have grown the most?David Farrar writes – There has been a 34% increase over six years in the size of the public service, in terms of EFTS. But not all agencies have grown by the same proportion. Here are the 10 with the largest relative increases between 2017 and ...2 weeks ago
- What’s to blame for the public’s plummeting trust in the media?Bryce Edwards writes – The media is in crisis, as New Zealand audiences flee from traditional sources of news and information. The latest survey results on the public’s attitude to the media shows plummeting trust. And New Zealand now leads the world in terms of those who want ...2 weeks ago
- Something Important: The Curious Death of the School Strike 4 Climate Movement.The Hope That Failed: The Christchurch Mosque Massacres, Covid-19, deep political disillusionment, and the jealous cruelty of the intersectionists: all had a part to play in causing School Strike 4 Climate’s bright bubble of hope and passion to burst. But, while it floated above us, it was something that mattered. Something ...2 weeks ago
- Cow Farts and Cancer Sticks.
What do you do if you’re a new government minister and the science is in. All of the evidence and facts are clear, but they’re not to your liking? They’re inconsistent with your policy positions and/or your spending priorities.Well, first off you could just stand back and watch as the ...2 weeks ago - Member’s DayToday is a Member's day. First up is James Shaw's New Zealand Bill of Rights (Right to Sustainable Environment) Amendment Bill, which does exactly what it says on the label. Despite solid backing in international law and from lawyers and NGOs, National will likely vote it down out of pure ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard's Top 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10 am on Wednesday, April 10
2 weeks ago - What’s happening with Airport to BotanyOne of the few public transport projects the current government have said they support is the Airport to Botany project (A2B) and it’s one we haven’t covered in a while so worth looking at where things are at. A business case for the project was completed in 2021 before being ...2 weeks ago
- Bishop more popular than Luxon in Curia pollCount the Chrises: Chris Bishop (2nd from right) is moving up in the popularity polls. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These six things stood out to me over the last day in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy, as of 7:06 am on Wednesday, April 10:The National/ACT/NZ First coalition Government’s opinion poll ...2 weeks ago
- Silmarillion Fan Poetry: A Collection (2022-2024)
It’s been some time since I properly exercised my poetic muscles. Prose-writing has been where it’s at for me, these past few years. Well, to get back into practice, I thought I’d write the occasional bit of jocular fan poetry, based off Tolkien’s Silmarillion… with this post being a collection ...2 weeks ago - At a glance – The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is not causing global warmingOn February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...2 weeks ago
- Bryce Edwards: What’s to blame for the public’s plummeting trust in the media?
The media is in crisis, as New Zealand audiences flee from traditional sources of news and information. The latest survey results on the public’s attitude to the media shows plummeting trust. And New Zealand now leads the world in terms of those who want to “avoid the news”. But who ...2 weeks ago - Dead on target
My targets for today are: 1 newsletter sent out by 4.30pm 800 words of copy delivered to a client by COB, as we say in the world of BAU1 dinner served by sunset GST returnSo far so good. Longer-term targets are: Get some website copy finished before I get on a plane on Saturday ...2 weeks ago - The PM sets nine policy targets- and in case you missed the truancy one, Seymour has provided some...Buzz from the Beehive Targets and travel were a theme in the latest flow of ministerial announcements. The PM announced a raft of targets (“nine ambitious Government Targets to help improve the lives of New Zealanders”) along with plans to head for Singapore, Thailand, and Philippines. His Deputy and Foreign ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Unwelcome adviceYesterday He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission released two key pieces of advice, on the 2036-40 emissions budget and the 2050 target. Both are statutorily required as part of the Zero Carbon Act budgeting / planning process, and both have a round of public consultation before being finalised and ...2 weeks ago
- In a structural deficit, the only real tax cut is a spending cutEric Crampton writes – This week’s column in the Stuff papers. A snippet: Tabarrok warned that America had two political parties – “the Tax and Spenders and the No-Tax and Spenders” – and neither was fiscally conservative. In the two decades after Tabarrok’s warning, the federal government ...2 weeks ago
- A Return to Kindness?
New Zealanders are a pretty fair minded bunch. By and large we like to give people a go.Ian Foster, for example, had a terrible record as a head rugby coach. Like not even good, and did we let that bother us? Yeah, but also Nah. Because we went ahead and ...2 weeks ago - Aukus or not, New Zealand’s foreign policy is being remadeGeoffrey Miller writes – This could be a watershed week for New Zealand’s international relations. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, is heading to Washington DC for a full week of meetings. The surprisingly lengthy trip just happens to coincide with a major trilateral summit of leaders from the United States, ...2 weeks ago
- Back to the future, with a 2032 deadlineAiming to look visionary and focused, Luxon has announced nine targets to improve measures for education, health, crime and climate emissions - but the reality is only one target is well above pre-Covid levels. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items of note for me in Aotearoa-NZ’s ...2 weeks ago
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Brooke is on the TV, being a Minister! She is going to talk to Jack on the TV!It's hard to watch Jack on the TV without thinking to yourself:How can anyone be that good-looking,and also be even brainier than they are good-looking?Talk about lucky!But also, Jack works for the TV news. So ...2 weeks ago - There’s gold – or rather, energy without carbon – in that rock, but Jones reminds us of the Tr...Buzz from the Beehive Oh, dear. One News tells us an ownership spat is brewing between Māori and the Crown as New Zealand uses more renewable energy sources. No, not water or the shoreline. Ownership of another resource has come into the reckoning. The One News report explained that 99% of ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Bad faith from NationalOne of the weird features of the Zero Carbon Act was its split-gas targets, which separated methane, produced overwhelmingly by farmers, from carbon dioxide produced by the rest of us. This lower target for methane was another effective subsidy to the dairy industry, and was the result of a compromise ...2 weeks ago
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters has highlighted the strong ties that bind New Zealand and the Nordic countries of Northern Europe during a trip to Sweden today. “There are few countries in the world more likeminded with New Zealand than our friends in Northern Europe,” Mr Peters says. “We ...3 weeks ago - First New Zealand C-130J Hercules takes flightThe first New Zealand C-130J Hercules to come off the production line in the United States has successfully completed its first test flights, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. “These successful flights are a significant milestone for the New Zealand Defence Force, bringing this once-in-a-generation renewal of a critical airlift ...3 weeks ago
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By Salwa Amor in Istanbul Palestine solidarity activists are preparing a flotilla to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, vowing to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory on board the Akdeniz, a seven-deck passenger ship. Currently docked in Istanbul, the ship will carry 800 people from more than ...3 days ago - Auditor-General's Submission On The Fast-track Approvals Bill
We’d like your feedback: Our website includes a feedback form. Please tell us if you found our information useful. ...3 days ago - More Frontline Cuts As Government Goes Soft On Organised CrimeThe Government is putting at risk the defences of our land and sea borders against organised crime, and our online defences against child exploitation, terrorism and online crime with cuts to critical frontline roles at Customs and Internal Affairs. ...3 days ago
- Supermarket facial recognition failure: why automated systems must put the human factor firstSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Rickerby, Lecturer, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury Getty Images The incident of a woman misidentified by facial recognition technology at a Rotorua supermarket should have come as no surprise. When Foodstuffs North Island announced its intention to trial ...3 days ago
- Job cuts: Proposal for 79 roles to go at airports, ports
Workers from teams such as boarder operations, intelligence and compliance service delivery are on the chopping block, PSA says. ...3 days ago - New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a good cry: All of Us Strangers (Disney+) It’s the dreamlike, emotional film that had viewers running from the cinema in floods of tears, and ...3 days ago - Foreign Minister Winston Peters defers recognition of PalestineThe foreign minister says diplomatic recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when not if", but doing so now could impede progress towards a two-state solution. ...3 days ago
- Watch live: Three strikes policy to return with changes, PM announcesThe coalition will reintroduce the sentencing law later this year - but it will be slightly different than last time. ...3 days ago
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- More than half of Solomon Islands election results in as counting continuesBy Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara More than 60 percent of the national results of the Solomon Islands election are now in. So far, two female MPs have been elected and three former prime ministers may be in the running for the top job. Counting is still progressing ...3 days ago
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The post Daily crossword, Monday 22 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago - How Popstars and TrueBliss changed reality television foreverThis week we’re celebrating 25 years since the first episode of Popstars, a series that cemented TrueBliss in our pop culture history and created a new genre of reality television. Today, Alex Casey looks back at the origin story of Popstars and its impact. It could have been our own ...3 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 22 AprilLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],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, Monday 22 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Health NZ denies it's ordered a hiring freezeThe agency says it is still recruiting to fill shortages after writing about a ban on double shifts and closing some vacant roles. ...3 days ago
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- Unstable employment while you’re young can set you up for a wage gap later in life – even if you...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Irma Mooi-Reci, Professor in Labour Sociology, The University of Melbourne The Conversation/Pexels/Unsplash, CC BY As they kick off their careers, young people often have to navigate a maze of short-term and casual jobs. In Australia, many of them also wish to ...3 days ago
- Lending rule changes a prelude to bigger overhaul of CCCFAThe government has announced tweaks to the much-maligned law, but isn’t scrapping the lending affordability regulations – at least, not yet, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The first stage of ...3 days ago
- Financial mentoring services sound warning over wind-back of lending regulationsThe government is reforming the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA), which it says has created unnecessary compliance costs, and blown out the timeframes for accessing a loan. ...3 days ago
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- Consultants are just the sound of cans being kicked down potholed roadsOpinion: We do not need to spend resources on identifying our problems because the big ones are already obvious The post Consultants are just the sound of cans being kicked down potholed roads appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- At least two businesses invited to apply for fast-track consents have donated to National, says Labo...Labour is warning that allowing just three ministers the last word on fast-tracking infrastructure projects opens them up to accusations of bias, especially when political donations might muddy the waters. ...3 days ago
- There’s no need to make emergency housing harder. It’s hard enough alreadyTrust me, I know: I’ve been living in a damp, violent hotel in central Auckland for six months and counting. I get it, Minister. I really do. You want us out of emergency housing. And believe me, so do we. I have been living in emergency accommodation in a hotel ...3 days ago
- A list of transport projects Wellington could actually deliver in the next 10-15 yearsMetlink is warning Wellington commuters to expect buses to replace trains on weekends for the next 10-15 years. But there are a few things to look forward to while we wait. Thomas Nash is a Greater Wellington Regional Councillor. Ten to fifteen years. Four little words that sparked a mini ...3 days ago
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- The revolution will be memoired1967: I hadn’t heard from my family in Rotorua for months and months, not a letter or a phone call, nothing. One weekend I decided to go back on the Herald bus, along with bundles of newspapers tied up with rough twine that were stacked in the side compartments and ...3 days ago
- Maths education more than just test scoresOpinion: There has been a lot of talk of late about maths education due to New Zealand’s poor results in international testing. We can certainly improve maths learning experiences in our classrooms, and outcomes. However, I’m concerned that the desire to get better test results might lead to undesirable curriculum ...3 days ago
- Breaking barriers on sexual assault figuresAlison Mau had two choices when she was laid off from Stuff – carry on in journalism but not her specialist #MeToo reporting or quit the industry and try to make a meaningful difference in that area. She chose the latter and teamed up with another high-profile campaigner, barrister Zoe ...3 days ago
- Where is she now? Sonia WaddellIn a full circle moment, Olympic rower Sonia Waddell is back entrenched in the sport of athletics – the first of three codes in which she’s worn the silver fern. “Athletics will always be my passion, even though I ended up rowing at the Olympics,” laughs Waddell, at home ...3 days ago
- Taiwan wants NZ support to counter ‘expanding authoritarianism’Taiwan’s foreign minister says the territory can also expand ties with New Zealand in areas less likely to attract Chinese ire The post Taiwan wants NZ support to counter ‘expanding authoritarianism’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- View from The Hill: Albanese to walk Kokoda track and engage in some jungle diplomacySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese will trek the Kokoda track on Tuesday and Wednesday before attending the Anzac Day dawn service at the Isurava Memorial site that commemorates one of the toughest battles the Australians fought in the ...4 days ago
- Australian author leads silent protest over ‘blood debt’ owed to PapuansAsia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...4 days ago
- EDS Highlights Reputational Risks Of Fast-track Inclusion“Make no mistake: this proposed legislation, with its Ministerial overreach and capacity for environmental harm, is extremely radical and controversial,” said EDS CEO Gary Taylor. ...4 days ago
- Government agrees to raise concerns about forcible deportation of Afghans with PakistanThe government has promised to raise concerns about the forcible deportation of Afghans with Pakistan. ...4 days ago
- Australia’s social cohesion under strain, challenges and solutionsPacific Media Watch Australians are being urged to stay united following the horrific events in Sydney last week, reports the ABC’s Saturday Extra programme. Five women and one man were killed in a mass stabbing at Bondi Junction last Saturday by a man with a history of mental illness, and ...4 days ago
- Government announces lending changesThe government has announced it will reform financial services in a bid to make it easier to get home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections. ...4 days ago
- Who helps with the 'huge emotional toll' of being an MP?The House - MPs have some of the highest pressure jobs in New Zealand, and the stressors aren't always what you might think. ...4 days ago
- How to read a poem: All day on Ma’uke by Rob HackThe latest in a semi-regular series that breaks down a poem to analyse what it’s really trying to tell us. In this edition of How to Read a Poem, Vaughan Rapatahana reads All day on Ma’uke by Rob Hack, published in a new anthology called Katūīvei: Contemporary Pasifika poetry from ...4 days ago
- Hear me out: It’s embarrassing that Wellington doesn’t have an ice rink Wellington’s lack of ice rinks undermines our credibility as a ‘capital’, much less a ‘city’, writes ice enthusiast Fox Meyer. When I moved to Aotearoa to study, I had several universities to choose from. I ignored all their academic merit and simply googled “best ice rink in New Zealand”. Google ...4 days ago
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon returning from Southeast Asian tripPolitical issues such as the war in the Middle East had not overshadowed Southeast Asian mission, Christopher Luxon says. ...4 days ago
- Luxon pushes at an open door in Southeast AsiaAnalysis: Christopher Luxon’s first trip outside Australasia should be seen as a success. But the real test is whether he can translate his new friendships into a cohesive strategy for Asia, backed by the resources to see it through. During the Prime Minister’s five days travelling through Singapore, Bangkok and ...4 days ago
- Time to give your heart (and wallet) an oil changeOpinion: Extreme weather events in Europe, where most of our olive oil is imported from, have led to reduced olive harvests and higher prices for olive oil on our supermarket shelves. In March it was estimated to be the highest global price in 26 years. Only about 10 percent of ...4 days ago
- An Ode to .. Simeon BrownSimeon’s Hole The Profit Simeon walked upon The Concrete Overpasses of the Holey Land. “Cancel everything,” he told his followers. “Including the ferries …?” “Cancel.” “Auckland light rail … ?” “Cancel.” “The Mt Victoria double tunnels of prophecy …?” “Cancel.” His followers wondered aloud at this zealous fervour. But the ...4 days ago
- Lest we forget? The shame of our two-tier veteran’s systemOur laws are leaving many veterans who served after 1974 out in the cold. I know, because I’m one of them. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. As I write this story, I am in constant pain. My hands shake with adrenaline, and the ...4 days ago
- Five reasons why you should watch new reality series My Mum, Your Dad NZThree’s new dating show breaks all the reality rules, writes Tara Ward. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you think dating shows are only for the young, think again. From The Bachelor, to Too Hot to Handle, to Love Is Blind, there’s ...4 days ago
- Firms invited to apply for fast-track consents include 'environmental destroyers' – ...Environmentalists have slammed a list of organisations who have been invited to apply to the Government's proposed fast-track approvals scheme. ...5 days ago
- Solomon Islands political chess begins with Manasseh Sogavare re-elected in East ChoiseulBy Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...5 days ago
- The moment of friction.Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...5 days ago
- Fast-track Bill A Fraud Being Perpetrated On All Future GenerationsThe Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...5 days ago
- Focus on Politics: Luxon boosts defence amid rising global tensionsAs global tensions escalated this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was touring Southeast Asia, strengthening defence and security ties. ...5 days ago
- Why the pathology bulk-billing campaign is more about driving industry profits than saving you moneySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...5 days ago
- All about Emma: Three writers talk about the name they share in commonEmmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...5 days ago
- Restoring coastal habitat boosts wildlife numbers by 61% – but puzzling failures mean we can still...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...5 days ago
- Public sector job cuts: Affected staff criticise leaders' handling of announcementsStaff are shell shocked and frustrated, and say leaders handled the announcements poorly. ...5 days ago
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- Shadow-boxing turns real for Israel and IranIn apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...5 days ago
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets KPIs on Southeast Asia missionPower Play - Asked for his own assessment of the visit, the prime minister said he was returning home "excited and energised". ...5 days ago
- Embracing Māori Representation Enriches Democracy, Not Divides ItMāori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...5 days ago
- Anne Salmond: My open submission on this radical, flawed fast-track billThis week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...5 days ago
- Short story: Finally, by Caoimhe McKeoghThe summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...5 days ago
- Thomas James is a master of inventionWhen Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...5 days ago
- All 28 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to bestFrom the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...5 days ago
- How to make the most of your market haulLucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...5 days ago
- From a library basement comes a fashion historyZoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...5 days ago
- Rousing farewell for Kiwi doctors flying out to Gaza aid flotillaKia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...6 days ago
- Communities Against The Fast-track Heartened By ‘Overwhelming’ Public Response; Disgusted By ‘...With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...6 days ago
- Renters Rights To Drastically Reduce Under Landlord GovernmentThe Government’s announced changes around tenancy rules set renters’ rights back by nearly a decade. ...6 days ago
- NZPI Submission on Fast Track Approvals BillOur response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...6 days ago
- Fast Track Invite List Includes Most Destructive Industries In New ZealandThe new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...6 days ago
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