Archive for April, 2015
Open mike 25/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 25th, 2015 - 111 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Anzac Day – 100 years
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 am, April 25th, 2015 - 35 comments
100 years ago today ANZAC forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. They are remembered.
Image from NZ History.
Daily review 24/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 24th, 2015 - 34 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other.
Welcome to Wealth Gap Tower
Written By: - Date published: 3:52 pm, April 24th, 2015 - 452 comments
A great illustration of the gap between money-rich and money-poor in NZ.
Weekend social 24/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, April 24th, 2015 - 12 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 ponytails, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?
Caption Competition
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 24th, 2015 - 114 comments
Keep it seemly!
Pillock of the week
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 24th, 2015 - 48 comments
Although John Key clearly wins the award this week for unbecoming insensitive and bizarre behaviour there is a media figure who did their best to provide him with competition. And it is not Rachel Glucina.
Hip throw to the lions
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, April 24th, 2015 - 38 comments
For once I agree with Mike Hosking – the Hip cafe owners are also losers in the fallout from John Key’s ponytail-pull fetish. But not for the same reasons as Mike. It seems Grant and Brown threw their employee to the lions for quite selfish motives. They appear to have betrayed their responsibility of trust and confidence to their employee.
Abusive and creepy
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, April 24th, 2015 - 274 comments
Of all the ways Key could have shot his leadership and his legacy in the foot – this really was the stupidest.
Image from Emmerson in The Herald – definitive.
Campbell Live – Day of Action
Written By: - Date published: 6:11 am, April 24th, 2015 - 12 comments
Protests in support of Campbell Live, today (Friday) in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Marvelous!
Open mike 24/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 24th, 2015 - 87 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 23/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 23rd, 2015 - 119 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other.
NRT: National’s hand-wringing on housing
Written By: - Date published: 4:12 pm, April 23rd, 2015 - 20 comments
Auckland house prices have exploded again. Houses get more capital gains than their inhabitants do in salaries. So what is the government doing about it? Nothing. They haven’t tried the economic basics.. Capital gains tax to decrease demand, or a building programme to increase supply. Meanwhile National’s landlord MPs laughing all the way to the bank…
Herald’s interview with the waitress – updated
Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, April 23rd, 2015 - 334 comments
Late night developments, the “hair pull” waitress states that a Herald interview (to be published today) was obtained under false pretences, and she withdrew her consent for it.
Multiple updates on the changing story.
Chaos and Mayhem at the Herald
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, April 23rd, 2015 - 140 comments
The Herald has responded to criticism of its role in publishing the identity of the victim of John Key’s creepy behaviour by publishing, at this stage, three different responses. What is going on?
Andrew Little entrusted with delivering a Gallipoli medal
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 16 comments
It was touch and go at Wellington Airport as the great-niece of a Gallipoli soldier raced to meet Labour leader Andrew Little to get him to deliver a medal to Turkey on her behalf.
Blogging at The Standard since Election 2014
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 10 comments
A brief numbers-y overview of what your honoured authors have gotten up to since September.
National Council of Women open letter to John Key
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 28 comments
The text of an open letter from the National Council of Women to John Key about his treatment of waitresses.
International laughing stock
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 72 comments
John Key has finally achieved the world fame he has clearly always wanted, but not in a good way. Here’s a roundup of the international coverage of his harassment.
Open mike 23/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 23rd, 2015 - 78 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Dear John… UPDATED
Written By: - Date published: 6:11 pm, April 22nd, 2015 - 65 comments
UPDATED And another one fingering another little girl’s hair. Not a ponytail but braids. Very brief at 2:15. (h/t ianmac)
Daily review 22/04/2014
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 22nd, 2015 - 61 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other.
Record-breaking Government
Written By: - Date published: 4:50 pm, April 22nd, 2015 - 4 comments
Not satisfied with setting records for biggest deficit and largest total deficit over term, the Key government is now going for most deficits in a row. They now look to equal the National government’s 7 deficits from 1966-72. And this is the stuff they want to be judged on…
Reaction to harassed waitress story
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 22nd, 2015 - 183 comments
Some of the reaction from Twitter.
My Little Ponytail
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, April 22nd, 2015 - 407 comments
A really strange story has appeared on The Daily Blog. It claims to be a first person account of PM John Key regularly physically harrassing a staff member in his local cafe over the summer. While it may be much ado about nothing, the Prime Minister really should tell NZ his side of the story. Or resign if it’s true.
Update: It’s true. Key’s office has confirmed the harassment.
International interest in Auckland property market
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, April 22nd, 2015 - 46 comments
If the latest ad running in Malaysia and Singapore is anything to go by we can expect more fuel to the Auckland property price flames. “How would you like people in New Zealand, to give you around half their weekly wages?”…
Open mike 22/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 22nd, 2015 - 90 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 21/04/2015
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 21st, 2015 - 18 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other.
The decontextualisation of ANZAC Day
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 21st, 2015 - 69 comments
Everyone else is giving their reckons on the treatment of ANZAC Day this year, as we commemorate the centenary of the first year of World War I. So here are mine.
Dirty Politics on Nine to Noon
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, April 21st, 2015 - 154 comments
Matthew Hooton’s attack on Nicky Hager’s journalistic credentials on Nine to Noon yesterday was straight out of the “Dirty Politics” playbook. Kathryn Ryan wasn’t impressed and neither was I. Coincidentally Hager spoke last week about his investigative journalism – you can judge for yourself who spoke the truth.
Parsing John Key
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 21st, 2015 - 32 comments
John Key’s recent public response to the news of the likely interception of Chinese diplomatic communications resemble those of a used car salesman rather than those of a New Zealand Prime Minister.
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Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...3 weeks ago - Christmas Gifts: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...3 weeks ago
- ‘Utterly heartbreaking’: Two children allegedly murdered in grim start to 2025
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- Cane toads on the barbie? How eating invasive species might help manage them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carla Archibald, Research Fellow, Conservation Science, Deakin University ABC Eating rabbit, camel, carp, feral cat, deer and cane toad might sound extreme to some, but it’s gaining attention as a solution to tackle the growing impact of invasive species. Now, Tony ...1 day ago - Inland Revenue changes interest rates for late payments
Inland Revenue is changing the interest rates paid by and to taxpayers who over and underpay their tax. ...1 day ago
- ‘I don’t hold the hose, mate’: Australia’s political history is full of gaffes. Here are som...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University The Oxford English Dictionary defines a gaffe as a “blunder, an instance of clumsy stupidity, a ‘faux pas’.” It evokes a sense of triviality rather than high ...1 day ago
- Can apps and digital resources support your child with autism or ADHD? Here’s what to look for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelsie Boulton, Senior Research Fellow in Child Neurodevelopment, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney Fabio Principe/Shutterstock Neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism affect about one in ten children. These conditions impact development, behaviour and wellbeing. ...1 day ago
- Fully recovering Australia’s threatened species would cost 25% of GDP. We can’t do it all at onc...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By April Reside, Lecturer in Conservation, The University of Queensland An endangered golden-shouldered parrot Imogen Warren/Shutterstock Australia has already lost at least 100 species since European colonisation. Across land and freshwater habitats, 1,657 species are currently threatened with the same fate. Their populations ...1 day ago
- Wellington’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed
Summer reissue: Claire Mabey assesses the browsing merits of the capital’s secondhand bookstores. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. Secondhand bookstores are extremely dangerous ...1 day ago - It’s time for the Greens to grow up – Swarbrick
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Opinion: The sad passing of Dame Tariana Turia has rightly drawn attention to the value of politicians who have strong convictions which they pursue even when it is difficult to do so. Not all of the people who have expressed admiration for her were moved to that emotion when she ...1 day ago
- Where is she now? Wendy Frew
The search for Wendy Frew takes you to Pine Crescent Park, Rosedale, in Invercargill. “Possibly windswept and interesting” to quote a Billy Connolly-ism.It’s a setting that nurtured a remarkable deep-south sporting family dynasty – one fit to rival the Bracewells of the North.Among the eight children of Karen and Colin ...1 day ago
- ‘The room went dead quiet’: Josh Thomson on his worst 7 Days moment
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- Final day for public feedback on Treaty Principles Bill
The legislation proposes to rewrite the treaty principles long-defined by the courts ...1 day ago
- How you – yes, you! – can be a godsend to a new parent
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- Dame Tariana Turia to be laid to rest today
Dame Tariana died on Friday, aged 80. ...1 day ago
- ‘Man had eel in his bum’: Remembering the story that almost broke the Herald
Summer reissue: This year the Herald on Sunday celebrated a significant birthday. Hayden Donnell takes a look back at one of its most defining moments. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and ...1 day ago
- How Wellington became a cornucopia of Malaysian food
Summer reissue: Our capital is a far cry from hot, bustling Kuala Lumpur, so why is this freezing city full of excellent Malaysian cuisine? My dad once told me that there are more Malaysian restaurants in Wellington per square kilometres than there are back in Malaysia. He was completely ...1 day ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Daily crossword, Tuesday 7 January
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COMMENTARY: By David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report With the door now shut on 2024, many will heave a sigh of relief and hope for better things this year. Decolonisation issues involving the future of Kanaky New Caledonia and West Papua – and also in the Middle East with ...2 days ago
- Labour should apologise to Dame Tariana Turia’s whānau – Willie Jackson at tangi
Willie Jackson was among politicians past and present paying respect to Dame Tariana today - and made the call for an apology over her treatment during the Foreshore and Seabed controversy. ...2 days ago
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SPECIAL REPORT: By Paul Gregoire United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) provisional government interim president Benny Wenda has warned that since Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took office in October, he has been proven right in having remarked, after the politician’s last February election, that his coming marks the return ...2 days ago
- Should I get a weighted vest to boost my fitness? And how heavy should it be?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University ZR10/Shutterstock Exercise training while wearing a weighted vest is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance. Social media posts and trainers are promoting them as a potential strategy for improving fitness and health. ...2 days ago
- Live: Hīkoi mō te Tiriti supporters invited to honour Dame Tariana Turia at tangi
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- How do mosquito repellents work? A chemistry expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Eldridge, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Swinburne University of Technology kamitana/Shutterstock It’s summertime, and for many of us that means plenty of time outside – and, unfortunately, mosquitoes. The combination of the increase in temperature and plenty of water is ideal ...2 days ago
- Even calm people can fly into a rage behind the wheel. Here’s how to curb your road rage – befor...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Risk & Resilience, UNSW Sydney Marian Weyo/Shutterstock If someone bumps into us on the footpath or in the mall, we’re generally quite forgiving. We instinctively apologise or step aside, and usually don’t scream at, stalk, ...2 days ago
- Relentless warming is driving the water cycle to new extremes, the 2024 global water report shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University EPA/MIGUEL ANGEL POLO Last year, Earth experienced its hottest year on record − for the fourth year in a row. Rising temperatures are changing ...2 days ago
- Continental drift: why the need for critical minerals might change the way we define Earth’s zones
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rupert Sutherland, Professor of tectonics and geophysics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Office of Ocean Exploration and Research/NOAA, CC BY-SA Continents and oceans have scientific definitions that underpin international law. The idea of dividing the world into geographical ...2 days ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nisa Salim, Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock The Bureau of Meteorology has warned Australia is facing one of the hottest summers on record. As the weather warms, many of us reach for light-coloured ...2 days ago
- 3 drugs that went from legal, to illegal, then back again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Martyr, Lecturer, Pharmacology, Women’s Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia Peruvian Syrup, containing cocaine, was used to ‘cure’ a range of diseases. Smithsonian Museum of American History/Flickr Cannabis, cocaine and heroin have interesting life stories and long ...2 days ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Ridder, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Murdoch University Kiefer Photography/Shutterstock You’re doing daycare or school drop-off, you’re already late for work, and your child’s lip starts to quiver. A tremble turns into a wail, a wail into heart-rending cries as ...2 days ago
- Perfectionist leaders can push their teams to meet high standards – but it can backfire and stifl...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gamze Koseoglu, Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne fizkes/Shutterstock Have you ever kept a brilliant idea to yourself, fearing your boss’s reaction? This hesitation is more common than you might think, especially when working under perfectionist leaders. Some of the most ...2 days ago
- 5 tips to ace a job interview – including how to prepare for the question they’ll definitely ask
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerry Brown, Professor of Employment and Industry, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Photo by Anna Shvets/Pexels If you’re back in the job market, or looking for your first position after graduating, you’ll need to think about how to ...2 days ago
- Why you should treat workplace friendships like your diet – aim for balance and variety
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stefan Korber, Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images The list of organisations abandoning the option of fully remote work for employees has grown recently, with the likes of Amazon, IBM, JPMorgan and Meta ...2 days ago
- Sunglasses reflect more than the light: a brief history of shades, from Ancient Rome to Hollywood
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Maynard, Associate Professor, School of Communication and the Arts, The University of Queensland State Library Victoria Sunglasses, or dark glasses, have always guarded against strong sunlight, but is there more to “shades” than we think? The pupils of our ...2 days ago
- Inside the fast rise and faster collapse of the acclaimed K Road restaurant Cotto
Summer reissue: The Auckland eatery closed its doors with no warning in late 2023, prompting concerned customers to ask the simple question: what went wrong? Stewart Sowman-Lund finds out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...2 days ago
- Dunedin’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed
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- Stanford braces herself for a year of cuts – and reform
“Next year is going to be a tough year for me, because I’m going to have to make some very, very difficult decisions,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.That means cuts. Or at least replacements.“This is the problem in education: we never stop doing things.”This leads to a disjointed system, where ...2 days ago
- Protecting our democracy by reforming Parliament
Opinion: Aotearoa New Zealand currently exists in an unstable world. Democracies are under challenge across the globe, and we are not immune.As the inhabitants of one of the world’s oldest democracies, New Zealanders are accustomed to electing their Members of Parliament every three years and we value the importance of ...2 days ago
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