Archive for May, 2012
MMP Review: Last Day
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, May 31st, 2012 - 1 comment
Today is the last day for submissions to the MMP Review.
If you haven’t done so yet, make sure your have your say – it only takes 5 minutes for the short submission.
Another shaming poverty report for the government to ignore
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, May 31st, 2012 - 51 comments
Here’s a prediction for you – the Nats will ignore this report too. They’re not particularly interested in the issue of kids in poverty.
Banks’ vote protects him from Jones-like accountability
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, May 31st, 2012 - 26 comments
Labour’s got its Auditor-General inquiry into Jones’ approval of Yan’s citizenship. We’ve seen this movie before. In a year, the report will recommend better procedures but nothing more. Jone will be reinstated. The politics is more important. Shearer’s shown he has the power to control his senior MPs and set a high standard of accountability. When will Key match that standard and stand down Banks?
Collins rates her reputation worthless
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, May 31st, 2012 - 25 comments
Judith Collins has tried to go for a lower bar in her defamation suit against Andrew Little and Trevor Mallard to get it over with quicker. But asking for a declaration, rather than damages, doesn’t reduce the legal test. There’s just no way Collins is going to be able to show she was legally defamed, let alone rebuff the defences Little and Mallard have.
Key’s future gets shorter
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, May 31st, 2012 - 60 comments
Budgets allocate money not just for 1 year, but for the next 4. When National says its putting $511m into education, that’s actually $128m a year over 4 years (less than inflation). So, it stands out like a sore thumb that National has promised to limit teacher loses at 2 per school for only 3 years. After that? Seems like Key doesn’t expect it’ll be his problem.
Open mike 31/05/2012
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 31st, 2012 - 111 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…
National’s war on the deficit – 2015
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, May 30th, 2012 - 7 comments
Nats pay for booze for the elite, cut home insulation for families
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, May 30th, 2012 - 33 comments
National blew the VIP entertainment budget for the Rugby World Cup by $5 million, despite none of the promised big names actually turning up. They got the extra dosh out of Mfat’s budget. In unrelated news, the government is cutting the Greens’ Warm Up New Zealand programme, which has returned four times its costs in benefits. There’s no money, you see.
A modest proposal
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, May 30th, 2012 - 149 comments
Winston Peters is on the attack over Tariana Turia’s slush fund again. This time, Turia and John Key find themselves defending a $60,000 grant to a rugby club to investigate “undertake whanau development research”, on the spurious grounds that ‘the old way doesn’t work, this is something new, so let’s try it’. In that spirit, I have a proposition for Mr Key.
See no evil
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, May 30th, 2012 - 27 comments
There was a time when John Key used to promise solutions to any problem you could name. Or he would act sympathetic and concerned by the consequences of his government’s own policies. But the broken promises and falseness wore thin. Key’s new tactic is simply to pretend that problems don’t exist. Apparently, that’s called leadership in National Party circles.
Sacking ‘only’ 400 teachers ‘good news’ say Nats
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, May 30th, 2012 - 87 comments
National has copped a hell of a backlash for increasing class sizes. The internal polls are said to be diabolical. There are a million parents of school-age kids out there, and they’re pissed off. Now, they’ve flipp-flopped and dipped into the emergency money. They won’t say how many teachers they’re cutting but it’s at least 400, probably 1,000.
Larger classes only for the peasants
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, May 30th, 2012 - 34 comments
So, half the Cabinet sends their kids to private schools. Those schools – which National has upped the taxpayers subsidies for – boast of small class sizes. Kings, where Key sends his kid, says: “Class sizes are limited and our policy of a low pupil-to-teacher ratio ensures students are given greater individual attention in the classroom”. Guess larger classes are only good for the peasants’ kids.
Open mike 30/05/2012
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 30th, 2012 - 119 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…
NRT: Breaking our word on the environment
Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, May 29th, 2012 - 7 comments
No Right Turn on the World Wildlife Fund report which finds us failing to meet the major commitments agreed to at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years ago.
Budget app a waste of money
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, May 29th, 2012 - 17 comments
National is crowing that 8,600 people downloaded the Budget App. Pity it doesn’t work. And, of course, you can view the budget via your phone or tablet’s browser already without an expensive app. The Nats reckon the $59,000 cost is ‘free’ because it came from printing fewer paper editions – a bit like how if you save $100 at a sale it doesn’t matter if you set $60 on fire.
Class size backdown
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, May 29th, 2012 - 32 comments
Is the government coming to its senses on the matter of reducing class sizes? That would be a rare pleasure indeed…
Your choices for PM: a thinker or a ‘glib performance artist’
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, May 29th, 2012 - 96 comments
Colin James contrasts Shearer with Key: At a post-budget standup on Thursday he lacked leader-like fluency, deferring readily – and necessarily – to finance shadow minister David Parker who had his lines off pat.This factor should diminish over time as Shearer settles – though don’t expect him to become the sort of glib performance artist John Key has become. Shearer is too earnest and too aware of complexity.
Who’s National looking out for?
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, May 29th, 2012 - 45 comments
We’re told that these are tough times and we all have to share in the pain. Yeah, right. National dug this hole with $2 billion in ‘fiscally neutral’ tax cuts, billions in subsidies to polluters, and white elephant motorways that aren’t worth what they cost. And who’s being made to bear the cost? The rich are doing well, while the poor and middle class go backwards.
Open mike 29/05/2012
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 29th, 2012 - 69 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…
Bliar on Leveson tonight
Written By: - Date published: 1:33 pm, May 28th, 2012 - 9 comments
Riveting television for politicos on-line at the Leveson enquiry tonight at 9pm as Tony Blair is questioned by the silken Robert Jay QC. More details on the mating of porcupines will no doubt come up. Revelations of the hidden relationship based on mutual interest between Murdoch-owned media and British politicians are very disturbing. While prosecutions and resignations may follow there, the lessons apply here as well.
Curing Tobacco
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, May 28th, 2012 - 125 comments
So tobacco is a ridiculously addictive drug that offers no accompanying high for the user. It has pretty dire health consequences and was promoted for years as harmless, chic and sophisticated and the government even gave it away to combatants during WWII by the carton load.
But now the government wants it gone.
Picking winners
Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, May 28th, 2012 - 10 comments
National’s got this love affair with ‘outcomes, not outputs’. Means funding teachers and community groups on the achievements of their students or clients, not the number they have. You don’t have to have seen The Wire to know the results. Schools and community groups will pick winners, only those who can achieve easily, to protect their funding.
Spin update
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, May 28th, 2012 - 20 comments
Just as a quick update on my pre-budget Spin v reality about a Government that has the worst growth record of any since before Michael Joseph Savage, and has a 52% increase in unemployment despite more than 1,000 NZers leaving for Australia each week.
Nats attack education at every level
Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, May 28th, 2012 - 109 comments
If you were a rightwinger, who believed the route to a prosperous society (for the elite, at least) was through private endeavor, wouldn’t the way to help that along be to invest heavily in education? Then, people would be equipped to work out the rest themselves, without the State. So, why is National attacking education at every level? Do they see education as a threat?
Open mike 28/05/2012
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 28th, 2012 - 98 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…
Sunday reading
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, May 27th, 2012 - 8 comments
A couple of good BBC articles: what have the Romans done for us? and can we have a society that doesn’t depend on us becoming ill with our fatness? And Kim Hill’s excellent interviewee Steve Keen.
Not with a bang but a whimper
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, May 27th, 2012 - 128 comments
Bad news from Bonn. Not that you’d know it from NZ media coverage of course.
Asset sales: still bad
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 27th, 2012 - 16 comments
Adding to the canon of reasons and commentators on why you don’t sell your assets (particularly to pay for your maintenance) is an excellent article on The Guardian. It is an article exhorting the countries of the Arab Spring to resist Western countries pressure to implement neo-liberal economics in the name of ‘freedom’. It cites […]
Open mike 27/05/2012
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 27th, 2012 - 116 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…
English taunts students
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, May 26th, 2012 - 65 comments
Taunting the young people who are getting the shitty end of the economic stick – does it get any more arrogant than that?
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- Under his eye
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- RBNZ loosening as Govt tightening
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The Reserve Bank will be announcing a change to the Official Cash Rate this afternoon, with most economists expecting a cut of around 50 basis points. The Government is reallocating $30,000 towards more senior doctors and specialist nurses, but some including the NZNO say that this is a “sticking plaster” ...5 days ago
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- These Days
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- Government by google
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- Will Luxon let ACT privatise the health system?
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- Our Surgical Waiting List: A Story In Screenshots
...6 days ago - Luxon’s Breakfast
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- What to do about Auckland Transport?
Greater Auckland is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join our circle of supporters here, or support us on Substack! Last week Mayor Wayne Brown proposed a major shakeup ...6 days ago
- Human-caused ocean warming intensified recent hurricanes, including all 11 Atlantic hurricanes in 20...
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- PM Luxon is house proud as David Seymour continues to push the edges of social division
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Luxon Is That Job Interviewee That’s All Sunshine And RainbowsCraig McCulloch (RNZ) has an unbeatable report this morning on Luxon’s reflections of his first year as PM.Allow me to replicate:On ...7 days ago - Monday 25 November 2024
Maritime workers are joining opposition to the government’s plans for resuming live animal exports on the basis that the country “would benefit from being seen as a kind of modern and progressive exporter”. The TEU is slamming a proposal that would end an invaluable timber machining apprenticeship programme, while the ...7 days ago
- PM ‘constructively dissatisfied’ with himself
“Look, I don’t really live with regrets,” Luxon said in one of the interviews marking his first year as PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, November 25: The news: COP29 ...7 days ago - Team of One
Oh, it's a mystery to me We have a greed, with which we have agreed And you think you have to want more than you need Until you have it all, you won't be freeSongwriter: Eddie VedderToday is the last day to subscribe to Nick’s Kōrero at the original price ...7 days ago - A Bad Day
7 days ago - A visitor from the Hawkes Bay rides AT’s buses & trains.
This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, an examination on cruise control and speed limits, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. Greater Auckland is brought to you by a ...7 days ago
- Bridges challenges Luxon’s foreign policy
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last Friday appeared to be starting to moderate his pivot to the United States under the foreign policy reset. Back in August he had told Australia’s Lowy Institute last August that New Zealand’s independent foreign policy was a “nonsense”. But in his latest foreign policy speech, ...7 days ago
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- End Game
Related articles belowIntroductionRecently, I’ve been having some delays in putting pen to paper.It’s not because I’m short on words -Verbosity seems to be one of the banes of my life. And it’s not because there isn’t enough content: I just whipped up a long list from the past few days.So, ...1 week ago - Rowdy scrappers, beautiful birds
Who doesn't love to watch Tūī? Who doesn't love those colours, almost too good to be true - the deepest, glossiest, most lustrous of deep blue, the iridescent turquoise, the crisp-as-a-vicar's-collar white tuft?Who doesn't love the way they move, swooping as swift as a jet or occasionally bashing the hell ...1 week ago - Fact brief – Has human-caused climate change increased extreme weather?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Has human-caused climate ...1 week ago
- What’s Been Happening? Political Roundup
For paid subscribersI’m currently writing an article in response to a promise to Bill about where everything is heading - and I included a ‘quick’ snapshot of political updates.However, as that list of updates got longer, I thought it made sense to send out as a separate article.So here it ...1 week ago - Bitch
I'm a bitch, I'm a loverI'm a child, I'm a motherI'm a sinner, I'm a saintI do not feel ashamedI'm your Hell, I'm your dreamI'm nothing in betweenYou know you wouldn't want it any other wayWriters: Shelly Peiken, Meredith BrooksGood morning, all you lovely people. 🙂 A newsletter this morning ...1 week ago - Property Rights and the Treaty Principles Bill
Property rights – which enable decisions over tangible and intangible assets – are critical to an economy as Why Nations Fail pointed out. Not just private property rights for, as we shall see, they are more complicated than that. Neoliberals argue that private property rights lead to the maximum economic ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to November 22
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with: on the US Presidential elections, Israel vs Gaza/Iran/Lebanon, Ukraine/Nato vs Russia/North Korea and whether NZ now joins AUKUS;Special guest Helen Clark on the issues above, ...1 week ago
- Justice in Brazil
Following the 2022 Brazilian general election, election loser Jair Bolsonaro tried to do a Trump, attempting a coup to overturn the election. It failed. But unlike his American friend, he hasn't been allowed to get away with it: The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and some of his closest ...1 week ago
- Treasury warns deeper recession worsening Budget deficit
The gift that keeps giving: David Seymour has now opened a split in the coalition over the future of National’s promise to build a new medical school. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 22-November-2024
It’s another Friday and we’re inching closer to the end of the year. Here’s some of the stories that have caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and ...1 week ago
- Beyond Question?
Record Numbers: The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, which began at the tip of the North, and the tail of the South, on 11 November, culminated outside Parliament on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, in one of the largest demonstrations in New Zealand’s political history.ACCORDING TO TE ARA, the Ministry of Culture ...1 week ago
- The Rush To Blame “The Activists”
Activists are such easy scapegoats. The right and center have been conditioned for decades to roll their eyes at all protests. The left are easily aggravated over students leading movements they see as belonging to grownups, who have more important concerns like the economy and whether the trains come on ...1 week ago - Cutting Through An Inundation of Dipshit Racists
Hi,Watching New Zealand from afar offers a strange perspective. It can be a good thing — distance from Aotearoa helped keep me sane while I reported on abuse at New Zealand’s biggest megachurch over the course of a year. It helps fuel my silly podcast. But it can also be ...1 week ago
- Release: A Labour Government will not join AUKUS
New Zealand will not sign up to the nuclear-powered pillar one, or the pillar two of AUKUS under a Labour Government. ...6 hours ago - Release: Labour will build Dunedin Hospital
Labour will build Dunedin Hospital as it was committed to prior to election 2023. ...6 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins: Speech to Labour Party Conference 2024
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira ma Tena koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa ...6 hours ago
- Luxon Folds on ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, is calling Luxon’s leadership a joke after it was revealed this morning on Q+A that ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was not a bottom line. "New Zealand officially has a laughing-stock Prime Minister whose leadership folded as he trades away the rights of tangata whenua ...10 hours ago
- Prime Minister shirks responsibility on global climate commitment
In an interview with Q&A this morning, the Prime Minister refused to say whether he would commit to meeting the Paris Agreement, the international climate agreement which commits all countries to act locally to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. ...14 hours ago - Release: All workers deserve fair treatment
The Government’s latest change to the Employment Relations Act has no justification apart from making it easier to sack employees without having to follow due process. ...3 days ago
- Covid Inquiry report underlines need to invest in Health
The Green Party says the report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 Response underlines the need for proper investment in our health system so we are prepared for future pandemics. ...3 days ago
- Waititi Orders Police Withdraw from Matapihi
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki is demanding that the Police Minister immediately remove the heavy Police presence in the Matapihi community, as hundreds of officers saturate the Western Bay of Plenty area. “Minister Mitchell must intervene immediately and order the removal of the armed Police presence in ...3 days ago
- Release: Opposition parties unite on way forward to protect ECE
Early childhood education needs to be treated as a public good, say Labour, the Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori in their newly released report of findings from public hearings they held into the Government’s ECE Regulatory Review. ...4 days ago
- Government’s First Year a ‘Catastrophe for Māori’
Te Pāti Māori is calling the Government’s first year a catastrophe for Māori, following a year of policies that have done nothing but marginalise tangata-whenua. Today marks one year since the coalition was sworn into power. “This year has been an absolute catastrophe for Māori. This Government has fast-tracked us back ...4 days ago
- Release: 1500 Te Whatu Ora cuts will hurt New Zealanders’ health
Massive cuts across Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora demonstrate National’s willingness to risk the health of New Zealanders. ...4 days ago
- Release: Government to make public transport more expensive… again
The Government’s decision to push for significant fare increases on buses and trains over the next few years is a huge blow to communities across the country. ...4 days ago
- Release: National has given up on climate action
Climate action is missing from the list of things National is patting themselves on the back for one year on from becoming government. ...4 days ago
- Public transport fare hikes a disaster
The Government’s directive to councils to increase bus and train fares substantially over the next few years is a bitter pill to swallow for communities across the country. ...5 days ago
- Release: Minister leaves Community Housing Providers out in the cold
Housing Minister Chris Bishop’s speech to Community Housing Providers today should have been titled ‘we want you to build houses, but we refuse to spend money so you’re on your own’. ...6 days ago
- Green Party appalled by woeful Government offer to school support staff
Support staff across Aotearoa have been dealt yet another devastating blow with the release of the latest collective agreement offer from the Government. ...6 days ago
- Release: Chris Hipkins sad to hear about Nikki Kaye
"The news today that Nikki Kaye has passed away after her long battle with cancer is incredibly sad," Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...6 days ago
- Release: Government should be transparent on live exports
Targeted consultation on reinstating live cattle exports by sea won’t allow the New Zealand public to have their say. ...1 week ago
- NZ’s global climate rankings plummet as Govt removes agriculture from ETS
The Government has passed legislation to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) while Aotearoa’s reputation on climate action plummets. ...1 week ago
- Failed boot camp experiment must end
As legislation to set up boot camps passed its first reading, the Green Party urged the Government to abandon this failed policy experiment for the good of our rangatahi. ...1 week ago
- Gender-affirming care must centre evidence and health needs, not political posturing
The Ministry of Health has today released an evidence brief regarding the use of puberty blockers in gender-affirming healthcare, amid moves by the government to limit access. ...1 week ago
- Release: National doesn’t care about manufacturing
The National Government is walking away from our manufacturing sector with constant reports of closures and job losses. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker speech – Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change
David Parker's speech from the University of Auckland's forum on Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change in September 2024. ...1 week ago
- Release: Youth mental wellbeing no longer a priority for Child Poverty Minister
Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National’s lack of climate action taking NZ backwards
National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...2 weeks ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...2 weeks ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, the Citizenship (Western Samoa Restoration) Amendment Bill, has passed its third reading and will become law. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...2 weeks ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 weeks ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...2 weeks ago
- Mautohe Cathedral Cove reopens to walkers
The Government has delivered on its promise to restore public walking access to the popular Mautohe Cathedral Cove in time for Summer 2024-2025. The walking track to the famous Coromandel beach - renowned for its natural rock arch feature and idyllic waters – was severely damaged by extreme weather events ...11 hours ago - Increased medicines access continues following budget boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see further increased availability of medicines for Kiwis following the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this Government assumed office, ...16 hours ago
- NZ and United Kingdom strengthen partnership
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy held the inaugural annual New Zealand-United Kingdom Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue today in London. “The United Kingdom is our oldest, and one of our closest and most trusted partners,” Mr Peters says. “While we are separated ...2 days ago
- Minister reminds public health officials of priorities
Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti says the National Public Health Service should concentrate its focus on prioritising serious public health issues facing New Zealanders. “Earlier this week I was informed about an 8-page submission by the southern arm of the NPHS regarding a proposed fast food outlet in Wanaka,” ...2 days ago
- World class visitor centre for Punakaiki
Sightseers to the iconic Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track) will enjoy a richer experience thanks to a world class visitor experience centre run by local Iwi, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. This state-of-the-art facility provides visitors to the West Coast with a high-quality experience and helps boost the region’s ...3 days ago
- Healthy Homes Initiative improves health of more than 200,000 people
A five-year evaluation of the Healthy Homes Initiative has demonstrated the positive impact of warm, dry homes on the health and wellbeing of more than 200,000 people. The Healthy Homes Initiative, led by Health New Zealand, helps families living in cold, damp homes, providing support like education, beds and bedding, ...3 days ago
- A year of concrete progress for infrastructure and transport
In a busy year of delivery, the Government has made concrete progress toward improving the foundations of the infrastructure system and addressing New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, and is streets ahead when it comes to getting transport back on track, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown say. “It ...3 days ago
- Mining stats show a sector delivering for NZ
New figures on mining activity across New Zealand show the Crown collected nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in revenue in the 2023/24 financial year, bolstered by royalties collected from petroleum and gold, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The statistics, released this morning by the Ministry of Business, Innovation ...3 days ago
- Safer ports – approved code of practice for loading and unloading cargo takes effect today
Today marks a significant milestone for the port and maritime sector, with the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon Brooke van Velden, and the Associate Minister of Transport celebrating the Approved Code of Practice for Loading and Unloading Cargo at Ports and on Ships (ACOP) coming into effect. “The ...3 days ago
- Red Tape tipline gets over 300 reports in first week
In just its first week, over 300 people have reported red tape issues to the new Red Tape tipline, Regulation Minister David Seymour says. “Red tape wastes valuable time, money and sanity. I am not surprised to see an outpouring of discontent from Kiwis who are sick of the tangle ...3 days ago
- More flexible dismissal process for high-income employees
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says an upcoming change to the Employment Relations Act will enable employers to ensure they have the right fit for their high impact leadership and specialist roles. This policy delivers on the ACT-National coalition to set an income threshold above which personal ...3 days ago
- NZ and Germany deepen cooperation
New Zealand and Germany are committed to enhancing their partnership, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our discussions in Berlin over the last few days have underlined the broad range of interests that New Zealand and Germany share,” says Mr Peters, following his meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. ...3 days ago
- Chemical weapons and Iranian missiles targeted in new Russia sanctions
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced new sanctions in response to Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine – and joined partners in a Call to Action on sanctions-evading ‘shadow fleet’ activities. “These new sanctions respond to recent findings by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that illegal ...3 days ago
- Exporters benefit from new trade system
The modernisation of New Zealand’s trade certification system, which supports $33 billion of exports, is making selling top Kiwi products overseas more reliable and adaptable for the future, Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard says.“New Zealand food and wine is admired around the world and brings jobs, money, and opportunities into ...3 days ago
- Whanganui to benefit from the latest health technologies
Today’s opening of a new MRI facility at Whanganui Hospital is the latest in a number of health infrastructure projects designed to improve healthcare services for the people of Whanganui and surrounding districts, says Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti. “I’m really pleased to have been able to deliver on ...3 days ago
- Strengthening timber trade with new assurance system
The Government is delivering on its commitment to combat trade in illegally harvested timber, with consultation starting today on operational details to implement New Zealand’s legal harvest assurance system, Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced today. “The system will limit the risk of importing illegally harvested timber and provide the international ...4 days ago
- Royal Commission into COVID-19 phase 1 report received
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has today received the report from phase 1 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19. “The delivery of the phase 1 report marks the conclusion of phase 1 of the Inquiry. Phase 1 Commissioners Professor Tony Blakely and John Whitehead have now ...4 days ago
- More support in reading and maths for Kiwi kids
The Government is ensuring more Kiwi kids get extra support with their reading and maths by boosting the level of targeted interventions in classrooms around the country. “We are relentlessly focused on giving more Kiwi kids confidence at school so they can achieve their potential. Due to high demand, we’re ...4 days ago
- SH1B Telephone Road to reopen next year
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed that State Highway 1B (SH1B) Telephone Road in Waikato will reopen in 2025, following agreement by KiwiRail and the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) on a package of improvements to enable the road and rail crossing to function safely and effectively together. “Economic growth, productivity, and ...4 days ago
- Growth of clinical psychology pipeline welcomed
The University of Canterbury is to be commended for increasing its intake of clinical psychology students, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey and Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds say. “This Government is focused on increasing access to support and growing the workforce is critical to this,” Mr ...4 days ago
- NZ and France agree to intensify close relationship
New Zealand and France have renewed efforts to work together more intensively in the Indo-Pacific and on issues of mutual importance, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It’s been a seriously productive few days in Paris, with New Zealand and France redoubling our efforts on bilateral relations, strategic alignment and ...4 days ago
- Squeezing more bang for buck from blackcurrants
The Government is backing a project to squeeze more value out of New Zealand blackcurrants, Associate Minister for Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says. “We’re investing in a two-year project with PharmaZen Limited to add value to our blackcurrant industry by piloting a processing facility in Canterbury which will allow growers to ...4 days ago
- First charter school announced to open Term 1 2025
Associate Education Minister David Seymour today announced Christchurch-based Mastery Schools New Zealand – Arapaki as the first new charter school set to open in term one 2025. “This announcement is a significant step in the Government’s efforts to lift educational achievement in New Zealand,” says Mr Seymour. “Charter schools will ...4 days ago
- More relief for Kiwi families
The latest drop in the official cash rate will mean more relief for Kiwis’ backpockets, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The 50 point drop in the rate is the third drop since August, meaning the rate has fallen 125 basis points in that time. “That is good news for families ...5 days ago
- Action on lifesaving immunisations
Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti has praised hauora Māori providers for continuing to lift delivery of life-saving immunisations across all ages and all populations. “In the first 10 months of the Immunising our Tamariki programme, hauora Māori providers have now delivered more than 69,000 vaccinations across all population groups, ...5 days ago
- Speech to the Community Housing Aotearoa Annual Conference
Introduction Growing together. An apt slogan not only for this year’s CHA conference but also for how good partnerships between the Government, Community Housing Providers, Iwi and others can work to enable better housing outcomes for New Zealanders. It's my pleasure to be here with you this morning as we ...5 days ago
- Fewer than 1000 Emergency Housing households
A strong focus on supporting people into better homes has seen the number of households still in emergency housing reduce to under 1000 since the Government came into office one year ago, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “The total number of households living in emergency housing motels has been ...5 days ago
- Māori housing partnership to deliver 198 affordable rental homes
An $82million Government investment into Māori housing providers will benefit many whānau across the country, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. Supported by funding administered by Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, 12 Māori housing providers will create a total of 198 whare in areas ...5 days ago
- ‘A path less travelled’ – delivered to the French Institute of International Relat...
Before beginning today, we would like to acknowledge the French Institute of International Relations. You have contributed to debates about international affairs over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. Can we also thank the Institute’s founder and Chairman, Thierry de Montbrial, and Deputy ...5 days ago
- Data set to quantify how business events benefit tourism
Today the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey announced Business Events Industry Aotearoa (BEIA) will be the first recipient of the Tourism Data Partnership Fund at the industry body’s annual conference. “Understanding how business events contribute to New Zealand’s economy will help regional tourism organisations to make critical decisions ...5 days ago
- Trade Minister heads to Canada for CPTPP
Trade Minister Todd McClay will travel to Vancouver today for the 8th Commission Meeting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). “CPTPP is a gold-standard free trade agreement. The accession by the United Kingdom and the interest shown by other economies shows the value of the Agreement,” Mr ...5 days ago
- Supporting rural New Zealand: one year of action
Farmers and rural communities are the backbone of New Zealand’s economy. Over the past year, the Government has delivered practical reforms to reduce costs, cut red tape, provide certainty, and get Wellington out of farming. With 80 per cent of all the goods exports coming from the primary sector and ...6 days ago
- Speech to the Community Housing Aotearoa Annual Conference
Introduction Good morning. It’s great to be here at the Community Housing Aotearoa Conference and to see so many people dedicated to fixing New Zealand’s housing crisis. I’d firstly like to congratulate you on celebrating 20 years. Well done, and here’s to 20 more. I’d also like to thank you. ...6 days ago
- Levelling the playing field for Community Housing Providers
The Government has agreed to a series of changes to remove barriers faced by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) in delivering social housing, Housing and Associate Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Social housing is an important part of New Zealand’s housing market, providing affordable rental housing for low income tenants. CHPs ...6 days ago
- Statement on Nikki Kaye
Prime Minister and National Party Leader Christopher Luxon and Deputy Leader Nicola Willis are deeply saddened by the passing of Nikki Kaye, a cherished colleague, friend, and former Minister, Deputy Leader and Member of Parliament for Auckland Central. “Nikki’s contribution to our party, her community, and New Zealand has left an ...6 days ago
- Advisory group to focus on organised crime
Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Group on transnational and serious organised crime, Associate Police Minister Casey Costello announced today. “This is an important step to ensuring we have a better cross-government response to fighting the increasing threat posed to New Zealand by international and domestic crime ...6 days ago
- Funding for 50 new senior doctors, more nurses
Frontline funding by the Government will enable the employment of 50 new senior doctors, as well as additional specialist nurses and other health professionals. “This will reduce wait times, enhance patient safety and support vulnerable specialties like dermatology,” says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “Our senior doctors are key to ...6 days ago
- Board of inquiry for Te Awamutu waste-to-energy proposal is appointed
Judge Brian Dwyer has been appointed as chair of the newly established board of inquiry for the Te Awamutu waste-to-energy proposal, alongside a group of high skilled individuals, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “I am pleased to announce Judge Brian Dwyer of the Environment Court as chair,” Ms Simmonds says. “With a ...6 days ago
- PM marks one year in Government
As the Government marks a year in office this Wednesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is committed to continuing to take bold action on the economy, law and order, health and education. “I’m aspirational for New Zealanders and energised by our ongoing fight to rebuild and grow the economy to reduce ...6 days ago
- New Police station in Auckland CBD
Today, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, alongside newly appointed Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, welcomed the announcement of a new police station in central Auckland. “Public safety is at the heart of this Government’s law-and-order programme, and increasing police visibility across our main CBDs is a key part of that. “Having a ...6 days ago
- Moana 2: The magic is missing in this half-baked Pacific sequel
REVIEW: By Sam Rillstone, RNZ News Disney has returned to Motunui with Moana 2, a sequel to the 2016 hit Moana. But have they been able to recapture the magic? This time, the story sees Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) setting out from her home island once again to try ...1 hour ago - West Papua: Once was Papuan Independence Day, now facing ‘ecocide’, transmigration
On Papuan Independence Day, the focus is on discussing protests against Indonesia’s transmigration programme, environmental destruction, militarisation, and the struggle for self-determination. Te Aniwaniwa Paterson reports. By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News On 1 December 1961, West Papua’s national flag, known as the Morning Star, was raised ...5 hours ago
- Crown-Māori relations ‘probably worse’ than a year ago, Christopher Luxon says
There is "more division" nowadays, PM says, but blames much of that on the previous Labour government. ...6 hours ago - Tjibaou’s party unveils plan for New Caledonia’s future ‘independence’
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonia’s largest pro-independence party, the Union Calédonienne (UC), has unveiled the main outcome of its congress last weekend, including its plans for the French Pacific territory’s political future. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday in Nouméa, the party’s newly-elected ...11 hours ago
- Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks at party’s annual conference
Live - Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins is speaking at the party's annual conference in Christchurch. ...13 hours ago
- Protesters condemn Fiji ‘complicity, silence’ over Israel’s Gaza genocide
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji solidarity group for the Palestinians has accused the Rabuka-led coalition government of “complicity” in Israel’s genocide and relentless war in Gaza that has killed more than 44,000 people — mostly women and children — over the past year. The Fijians4Palestine have called on the Fiji ...14 hours ago
- ‘Exciting’: Nanaia Mahuta is ‘re-entering’ politics
The former Labour minister has returned to Labour after taking a year off, but says it's not her "intention" to run again. ...15 hours ago
- Final sitting days to follow intense government scrutiny
There are just five House sitting days of Parliament left, which will feel like a warm down after what happens prior - five tough days of government scrutiny, with help from a watchdog. ...17 hours ago
- Sharp-shooter McKenna leads a remarkable basketball surge
Mid-Northern Whai are surging. The Tauranga-based franchise has won four of its last five games in the Tauihi basketball league to storm into playoff contention.Currently fourth, Whai could finish as high as second or slump to the bottom of an increasingly competitive and unpredictable competition. Their last fixture of the ...18 hours ago - Treaty Principles Bill only one of the issues Labour’s focussed on – Chris Hipkins
But the party is also focussed on jobs, healthcare and education, he says. ...19 hours ago
- ‘Counting down’ on climate implies an end point
Opinion: Each year since 2016 the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change has published annual reports that document the devastating health impacts of a heating world. The report for 2024 announces a ‘new phase’ of increased scope and ambition, in a desperate attempt to alert the world to the ...21 hours ago
- An Ode to .. King Luxon
It Was a Very Good YearThe scribes and pamphleteers fill the Great Hall.It is the afternoon of the Annual Press ConferenceOf King Luxon the First.The scribes scuffle amongst themselvesTo get a good seat.“O King, How do you feel your first yearOn the Golden Throne has gone?”,Inquires an eager scribe.“What I ...21 hours ago
- Australian printmaker Ruth Faerber has died aged 102. She never stopped making art
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Honorary Senior Fellow, School of Culture and Communication. Editor in chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne In 1974, when a local Sydney newspaper wrote on the success of two local artists, they were introduced using ...1 day ago
- COP29: Pacific takes stock of ‘baby steps’ global climate summit
By Sera Sefeti in Baku, Azerbaijan As the curtain fell at the UN climate summit in Baku last Sunday, frustration and disappointment engulfed Pacific delegations after another meeting under-delivered. Two weeks of intensive negotiations at COP29, hosted by Azerbaijan and attended by 55,000 delegates, resulted in a consensus decision among ...1 day ago
- Gallery: Palestinian musicians, poets and solidarity partners in vibrant celebration
Asia Pacific Report Palestinian diaspora poets, singers and musicians gathered today with solidarity partners from Aotearoa New Zealand, African nations — including South Africa — in a vibrant celebration. The celebration marked the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and similar events have been happening around New ...1 day ago
- City Rail Link: French executives to fly to NZ as officials raise concerns over costs
French executives will be flying to New Zealand to discuss the timing and budget of the Auckland City Rail project after concerns from officials about its deadline. ...1 day ago
- New Zealand Nurses To Hold Nationwide Strike
The fight for free and universal health care must be linked with the political struggle for the socialist reorganisation of society. Workers cannot limit their demands to what the parliamentary parties and union bureaucrats claim is “realistic” or ...1 day ago - Willie Jackson decries coalition and Treaty Principles bill at Labour Party annual conference
Speaking at the Labour Party annual conference, Willie Jackson criticised the coalition leaders for their respective roles in the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 day ago
- How did Health NZ spend $72m on a single IT project?
Analysis - RNZ's Phil Pennington digs into how a single costly project is a test case for what can go wrong in infrastructure project planning. ...1 day ago
- Call for children to have their own representation in relationship break-ups
The difference between a stable home and being in crisis can be as simple as the loss of a job or a relationship break-up, advocate Mark Henaghan says. ...2 days ago
- Cool water from the deep could protect pockets of the Great Barrier Reef into the 2080s
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chaojiao Sun, Research Group Leader, physical oceanographer, CSIRO marcobrivio.gallery/Shutterstock For coral reefs, climate change is an existential threat. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has endured seven mass bleaching events over the past 25 years. Five have occurred in the past eight years. ...2 days ago
- Chris Hipkins calls for Labour to change to win 2026 election
New Zealanders have lost faith in Labour, and "we need to reconnect with a much broader range of Kiwis", the party leader says. ...2 days ago
- Dunedin hospital: Warning given just before cutbacks
Clinicians warned officials about the dangers of scaling down the new Dunedin hospital project just two days before the government announced cutbacks. ...2 days ago
- The good, the bad and the ugly of mumfluencing
The dark side of ‘mumfluencing’, which is monetising the mummy lifestyle using social media, has lately been on display.Child abuse, fake kidnapping reports, and pulling children out of school permanently to fulfill social media committments are among the growing list of serious issues in headlines lately.And then there are the ...2 days ago
- Short story: A New Zealand Elegy, by CK Stead
Towards the end of the war, when the German death camps were one by one being overrun by the advancing Allies, our newspapers had been full of photographs of the dead and the nearly dead: piles of corpses, their stick-like arms and legs pointing in all directions; or living skin-covered ...2 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Luxon’s anniversary
MONDAYA year since I became PM! David Seymour had his feet up on my desk when I came into work this morning, and said, “Happy anniversary! I got you a little something.”He threw a parcel at me. I fumbled it, and it dropped onto the floor. I could hear glass ...2 days ago
- The Weekend: A guide to The Spinoff, for readers old and new
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This week The Spinoff published an open letter about the financial reality we find ourselves in. If you haven’t read it yet, here it is (spoiler: it’s bleak but hopeful). The point within it about the appreciation for the work we do ...2 days ago - ‘Blood everywhere’: David Correos on his shocking Give Us a Clue appearance
Comedian David Correos takes us through his life in television, including the genius of Spongebob Squarepants and the pitfalls of being ‘the Burger King guy’. If you’ve glanced at a television some point in the last few years, you’ve likely encountered David Correos. The Billy T award-winning comedian delivered a ...2 days ago
- How to start reading again this summer
Books editor Claire Mabey on tips for getting back into reading for pleasure. It’s December and you’re fritzed. Your concentration is at an all-time low and you’re dredging every particle of energy from your very bone marrow to get to the end of the working year, when you can put ...2 days ago
- Dear Air NZ, stop the flashy safety videos and bring back flights to Kaitāia
Air New Zealand’s latest safety video, featuring Steven Adams and a cast of local stars, would have been expensive. That money could be better spent improving services, lowering fares, or reinstating cut routes, argues Liam Rātana. Sigh. Another year, another tiresome Air New Zealand safety video that probably cost way ...2 days ago
- ‘It’s so funky here, you can smell it’: Sam Fowles’ perfect weekend playlist
Pōneke musician Sam Fowles shares his perfect weekend playlist. “Punchy”, “psychedelic” and “introspective”: Pōneke singer Sam Fowles describes his debut album, After Dark, as a genre-bending “musical exploration of my inner world” driven by groove. “It’s a modern take on the blues – today’s blues, just dressed up differently. These ...2 days ago
- God defend the breast screeners of New Zealand
After having her first mammogram, Anna Rawhiti-Connell finds efficiency, reassurance and care in a beleaguered public health system. I have a very Swiss attitude towards my body. In the interests of peace and stability, body neutrality has been my go-to policy since entering a period of detente four years ago ...2 days ago
- A thank you to the family who gave my child a heart
We were waiting for another child to lose their life to give our son a second chance. Life and hope and unimaginable pain colliding. November 30 is Thank You Day, a day of appreciation dedicated to those who make organ donation possible. I’ll never forget the moment my now-husband told ...2 days ago
- Open letter plea by NZ community broadcaster for end to Israel’s ‘sadistic cruelty’ in Gaza
Pacific Media Watch A community broadcaster in Aotearoa New Zealand has appealed for an end to the “sadistic cruelty” and the “out in the open genocide” by Israel in Gaza and the occupied Palestine territories. In an open letter, Lois Griffiths, co-presenter of the environmental, social justice and current affairs ...2 days ago
- Peter Kaye, the father of former National MP Nikki Kaye, has died
Former National deputy leader Nikki Kaye died last Saturday after a long battle with cancer, at age 44. ...2 days ago
- Māori lawyer goes viral for educating people on Treaty Principles Bill
Riana Te Ngahue's bite-sized breakdowns of complex Māori issues are educating audiences far beyond Aotearoa. ...2 days ago
- Privatising health care ‘not my overt policy’ – Shane Reti
The Health Minister wants to work more closely with the private sector to cut waiting lists - but insists that is not a step towards privatisation. ...2 days ago
- The government agrees Australia’s secrecy laws need to change. Now comes the hard part – taking ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, Macquarie University Earlier this year, the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM), Jake Blight, compared the sheer volume of Australia’s secrecy laws to works of literature. “You’d be looking at about 3,000-plus pages. That’s ...2 days ago
- At ACMI’s The Future & Other Fictions, artists challenge us to imagine a more optimistic worl...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa French, Professor & Dean, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University Eugene Hyland/ACMI The Future & Other Fictions, ACMI’s flagship summer exhibition, explores where storytelling imagines and rethinks the future. It is an original show co-curated by ACMI’s Amanda ...2 days ago
- Health Minister criticises officials for Wānaka McDonald’s submission
Shane Reti has taken a swipe at the National Public Health Service, saying it should be focused on prioritising serious public health issues. ...2 days ago
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