Archive for March, 2024
Daily review 18/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 18th, 2024 - 3 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Tell Auckland Council don’t privatise the Port
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 18th, 2024 - 12 comments
The Maritime Union of New Zealand has set up an online petition urging Auckland Council not to privatise Auckland Port and also a very helpful web page allowing people to make submissions on Auckland Council’s draft long term plan, where the privatisation proposal is being considered.
Open mike 18/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, March 18th, 2024 - 56 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike 17/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 17th, 2024 - 9 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 …
Amateur hour
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, March 16th, 2024 - 11 comments
Government members of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee have managed to vote to support a Labour amendment that would make electric vehicles more attractive but submit a report to Parliament that suggested that the amendment had been lost.
Open mike 16/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 16th, 2024 - 40 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 15/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 15th, 2024 - 10 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
National’s Overseas Gambling Levy policy figures are not rock solid
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, March 15th, 2024 - 4 comments
The IRD has estimated that National’s proposed Overseas Gambling Levy Policy will bring in $500 million less than it promised during the election campaign.
Open mike 15/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 15th, 2024 - 45 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 14/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 14th, 2024 - 9 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Luxon on rents – another National economic idiot
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, March 14th, 2024 - 30 comments
I was incredulous that this lummox Christopher Luxon had ever paid attention during even a basic economics course. Landlords aren’t going to pass any cost reductions on to tenants in rent values. They charge new tenants the rental rates that the market can bear. In the absence of significiant new housing or a reduction in population, that is directly related to what tenants can afford to pay
Open mike 14/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 14th, 2024 - 11 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 13/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 13th, 2024 - 26 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Rock Solid Financial Geniuses
Written By: - Date published: 2:55 pm, March 13th, 2024 - 45 comments
The right has this belief that they are economic geniuses. Occasionally this belief is shown to be faulty. Like this week when National’s costings for tax cuts to Landlords was $800 million more than previously estimated.
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, March 13th, 2024 - 18 comments
meanwhile…
Open mike 13/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 13th, 2024 - 11 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 12/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 12th, 2024 - 6 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Open mike 12/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 12th, 2024 - 56 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 11/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 11th, 2024 - 3 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Tax cuts for landlords will not reduce rents
Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, March 11th, 2024 - 127 comments
Recently the Government has been working out how to cut funding for school lunches for poor kids while at the same time it has also announced that it will restore interest deductibility for landlords.
Open mike 11/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 11th, 2024 - 59 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 …
Chloe Swarbrick’s first words as new Green Party Co-Leader
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, March 10th, 2024 - 71 comments
In her first speech as Green Party Co-Leader, Swarbrick brings the party’s Charter to the fore, and talks about mobilising citizens to be part of democracy.
Vale, Magista
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, March 10th, 2024 - 5 comments
Respects to the falling of the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt.
Open mike 10/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 10th, 2024 - 13 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 …
“Deliberate nuclear use
Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, March 9th, 2024 - 18 comments
in a war over Taiwan” is the title of an Atlantic Council paper produced last September. They mean nuclear weapons. These are serious people; Undersecretary Bonnie Jenkins addressed them last year about AUKUS.
News and New Zealand Democracy
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 9th, 2024 - 15 comments
How do we prevent the decline of broadcast tv news being a deep wound to our democracy?
Open mike 09/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 9th, 2024 - 36 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Luxon crashes in latest Curia poll
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 pm, March 8th, 2024 - 39 comments
The Atlas aligned Taxpayer’s Union has released its latest Curia poll results. And the results are bad news for Christopher Luxon.
Daily review 08/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 8th, 2024 - 10 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Open mike 08/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 8th, 2024 - 64 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review 07/03/2024
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 7th, 2024 - 17 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
- No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...7 days ago - The Treasury and productivity
Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...1 week ago - The Controller and Auditor-General’s rolePeter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...1 week ago
- More harm than goodHow Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...1 week ago
- Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons ChhourAnd why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...1 week ago
- Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ electionsBryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...1 week ago
- Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Protest.
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...1 week ago - Gordon Campbell on miserly school lunches, and the banning of TikTok’s Gaza coverage
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...1 week ago - Weekly Roundup 10-May-2024
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to May 10Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2024
Open access notables A Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future: Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...1 week ago - Bryce Edwards: Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...1 week ago - The Song of Saqua: Volume VIII
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...1 week ago - Pretending to talk other people’s languages
Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...1 week ago - What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...1 week ago
- Following the political moneyBryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...1 week ago
- Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of EducationAlwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...1 week ago
- Fashionable folliesEric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...1 week ago
- Justice for Bainimarama!
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...1 week ago - March for Nature in JuneDon't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...1 week ago
- Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Thursday May 9
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...1 week ago - The non-woke $3 Lunch.
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...1 week ago - Labour’s chickens come home to roostThe Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...1 week ago
- Calvin Reviews Lord of The Rings1 week ago
- Climate Adam: How to visualise Climate Change (ft. Katharine Hayhoe)This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...1 week ago
- The wrong directionSome good news on climate change today: the energy transition away from fossil fuels is picking up speed, and renewables now make up 30% of global electricity supply. Meanwhile, in Aotearoa, we're moving in the opposite direction, with Genesis Energy announcing that it will resume importing Indonesian coal. Their official ...1 week ago
- National hates democracyIts a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...1 week ago
- No Tikanga Please, We're Lawyers.
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...1 week ago - Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day, and it seems we've entered the slowdown as things emerge from select committee. First up is the committee stage of Greg O'Connor's Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the second readings of Stuart ...1 week ago
- Hurrah for coal – Shane Jones welcomes Genesis Energy’s import plans as natural gas production s...Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Following the political money“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...1 week ago
- A Left-Right ranking of universities in NZ: a practical guide for students and parentsRob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim. Extreme Left Auckland University of Technology Evidence The ...1 week ago
- Inflation and GST thresholdsEric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...1 week ago
- Green Party grapples with persistent scandalsJacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...1 week ago
- A law school to be avoided – Auckland University of TechnologyGary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...1 week ago
- 17 people in Malaita stand in way of China’s takeover of the SolomonsCleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on the Hamas Ceasefire Offer, and Mark Mitchell’s IncompetenceWith hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...1 week ago
- Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday May 8Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...1 week ago
- A few PT announcementsThere’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...1 week ago
- Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Green Party grapples with persistent scandalsParliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...1 week ago
- At a glance – Tree ring proxies and the divergence problemOn 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 ...1 week ago
- Nothing to sneer at
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...1 week ago - Still on their bullshitWhen in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...1 week ago
- DrawnA ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...1 week ago
- A nod and a wink that will unnecessarily cost Aucklanders tens of millions per yearSimeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...1 week ago
- Correcting the Corrections announcement – a fiscal farce that should bother the OECDBuzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...1 week ago
- Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into ‘Pillar 2’ – or they are going to ChinaChris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...1 week ago
- A balanced and an unbalanced articleDavid Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...1 week ago
- Deeply unserious countryEvery bit of this seems insane. And people wonder why productivity is falling through the floor. Energy News reports that the Environment Court finally threw out Allan Crafar’s appeal against a solar farm. From the story: Consent was granted in 2022. Crafar appealed November 2022. On what grounds? That ...1 week ago
- Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law studentsThe tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied… Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...1 week ago
- https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/?p=77196The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...1 week ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, May 7
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...1 week ago - HM Prison Aotearoa.
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...1 week ago - Get Your Webworm Merch!
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...1 week ago - Top OECD economist puts Willis between a rock and a hard placeThe OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...1 week ago
- Media Link: “A View from Afar” on the moment of friction, and more.
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading ...2 weeks ago - Preposterous priorities – politicians preferred pastryNewsroom writer Aaron Smale, in an article triggered by the High Court’s ruling on whether a sitting MP must respond to a summons to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal, reports on issues underpinning the tribunal’s urgent inquiry into the Government’s intention to remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Forcing accountability in the UKIn 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...2 weeks ago
- Other councils are keen to be next to strike a water deal with govtBuzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report: District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...2 weeks ago
- Why India is key to heading off climate catastropheThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections A farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...2 weeks ago
- Meanwhile “… the disturbing trend of increasing violence towards children continues to worsen”Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand’s geopolitical friendly fire has its limitsGeoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...2 weeks ago
- The post-Covid economy: is it in another long stagnation – and if so, why?Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...2 weeks ago
- On the LTP 2024 FeedbackA few weeks ago Auckland Council released the results of consultation on the Long Term Plan (LTP) that occurred in March. With almost 28,000 submissions, it received the most feedback of any LTP in Auckland. It covered a wide range of topics soliciting feedback on different areas of council funded ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, May 6
TL;DR: Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...2 weeks ago - Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s geopolitical friendly fire has its limitsThe gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...2 weeks ago
- I could be a Florist.
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...2 weeks ago - The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 12 and beyond
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...2 weeks ago - Willis on defenceThe price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...2 weeks ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...2 weeks ago
- A prerequisite for Vulture Capitalism.
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...2 weeks ago - Early evening, April 30
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...2 weeks ago - Do Newsroom’s staff think they’re culturally superior to the rest of us? Are they arguing that A...Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...2 weeks ago
- Fun minor grudgesEric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s dawn chorus for Saturday, May 4 and pick ‘n’ mix for the weekendA new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...2 weeks ago
- Report provides insights into marine recovery
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...1 week ago - NZ to send political delegation to the PacificDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...1 week ago
- Low gas production threatens energy securityThere has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...1 week ago
- Defence industry talent, commitment recognisedDefence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...1 week ago
- Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for IndustryWelcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...1 week ago
- Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data SummitIt is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...1 week ago
- Ceasefire agreement needed now: PetersNew Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...1 week ago
- Daily school attendance data now availableA new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...1 week ago
- Ambassador to United States appointedForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...1 week ago
- New permit proposed for recreational gold miningThe Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...1 week ago
- NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiationsMinister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...1 week ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to signNew Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...2 weeks ago
- Next stop NASA for New Zealand studentsSix tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...2 weeks ago
- $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crimeNew Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...2 weeks ago
- OECD reinforces need to control spendingThe OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...2 weeks ago
- Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for AucklandThe Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...2 weeks ago
- Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with GermanyForeign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...2 weeks ago
- Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of PlentyThe Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...2 weeks ago
- Speech to New Zealand China CouncilThank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...2 weeks ago
- Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi householdsThe Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...2 weeks ago
- Government recommits to equal payThe coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...2 weeks ago
- Transforming how our children learn to readStructured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...2 weeks ago
- NZ not backing down in Canada dairy disputeTrade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...2 weeks ago
- Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable childrenThe rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...2 weeks ago
- Streamlining Building Consent ChangesThe Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...2 weeks ago
- Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...2 weeks ago
- Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...2 weeks ago
- Accelerating airport security linesFrom today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...2 weeks ago
- Community hui to talk about kina barrensPeople with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...2 weeks ago
- Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into forceKiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...2 weeks ago
- Mining resurgence a welcome signThere are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...2 weeks ago
- Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first readingThe return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...2 weeks ago
- Government to boost public EV charging networkEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...2 weeks ago
- Residential Property Managers Bill to not progressThe coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...2 weeks ago
- Independent review into disability support servicesThe Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...2 weeks ago
- Justice Minister updates UN on law & order planJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...2 weeks ago
- Ending emergency housing motels in RotoruaThe Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...2 weeks ago
- Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and DubaiTrade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...3 weeks ago
- Education priorities focused on lifting achievementEducation Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...3 weeks ago
- NZTA App first step towards digital driver licenceThe new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...3 weeks ago
- Auckland Council set to approve 10-year budget plan
Auckland Council will go over the final proposal for the city's 10-year-budget two days after it was revised by the mayor. ...1 day ago - With two weeks to go, what do we know about Budget 2024?
The prime minister has made it clear this is a no frills budget in all but name, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...1 day ago - Government's invite list shows fast-track process is flawed – Forest & BirdThe group has also raised concerns about the power that ministers could have after it was revealed Shane Jones failed to report a dinner with a company deputy chair. ...1 day ago
- Hamilton councillor Melaina Huaki quit after being queried about regular absencesMelaina Huaki attended only two-thirds of the meetings she was scheduled to be at, and resigned after RNZ asked why. ...1 day ago
- Diary cock-up heaps pressure on fast-track ministers
Minister Shane Jones’ failure to declare a dinner with mining interests is just one red flag of many about the Government’s proposed fast-track legislation, Transparency International says. Earlier this week, Newsroom revealed Jones, the Resources Minister, at a dinner on the West Coast on February 16, encouraged a mining company ...1 day ago - Deadnaming, insults and harassment: trans Corrections officer brings landmark human rights case agai...Exclusive: A transgender man is bringing an unprecedented human rights case against the Department of Corrections. He tells Alex Casey about his experience at work and what he’s fighting for. This story contains transphobic language and references to self-harm. Take care. A trans Corrections officer is taking a case against ...1 day ago
- Vaping and how to stop another chemical generationOpinion: A recent study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports recently presented a novel approach to predicting which chemicals might be emitted from a vape. During heating, chemicals can break down into smaller molecules. A process known as pyrolysis. This study combined deep learning computational methods with chemical structure information from ...1 day ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 16 MayLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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, Thursday 16 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Olympic runner’s zippy secret weaponWhile women’s sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still don’t hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS Talk isn’t afraid to have that kōrero. LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah Cowley Ross host the episodic podcast, sparking ...1 day ago
- Building firms uncertain about work pipeline after post-Covid highsThe construction sector wants to know when it can rely on state-funded projects again The post Building firms uncertain about work pipeline after post-Covid highs appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 16 MayThe post Daily crossword, Thursday 16 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Bishop indicates RMA reform could tackle heritage debateWith 10 Wellington sites retaining heritage status, Minister for RMA Reform Chris Bishop is looking for new pathways to enable de-listing The post Bishop indicates RMA reform could tackle heritage debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- NZ holds its own on defence spending but global volatility is a challengeOpinion: Future governments will have to decide whether they can afford to keep up with security partners’ defence budgets The post NZ holds its own on defence spending but global volatility is a challenge appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Time to rebalance our food system towards cheap healthy foodOpinion: New Zealand is a country of food producers. We may be a small, isolated nation at the end of the world, but we create an outsized amount of kai, most of it bound for faraway shores. Each year New Zealand exports enough food to feed 39 million people their ...1 day ago
- The unsung heroes keeping our lights onWhen households and businesses pulled the country back from the brink of painful power cuts on the coldest day of the year, there was no reward for the sacrifices they made in turning off their heat pumps and lights. Matt Ward, SolarZero CEO Photo: Supplied Consumers saved the day ...1 day ago
- Health negotiators told to put sovereignty ahead of stopping pandemicsDiplomats have been tasked with ensuring New Zealand can opt out of health rules rather than focusing on strong new pandemic prevention measures The post Health negotiators told to put sovereignty ahead of stopping pandemics appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Are best-before dates a waste of time – and a waste of food?1 day ago
- New Caledonia violence ‘unfortunate’ but ‘not surprising’, says Pacific Forum chief
RNZ Pacific Outgoing Secretary-General Henry Puna of the Pacific Islands Forum is “not surprised” with the violent unrest in New Caledonia which has shut down the French Pacific territory. New Caledonia has come to a virtual stop after three days of civil unrest, resulting in burning, shooting and looting, as ...1 day ago - Antoinette Lattouf: A disheartening feminist ‘silence’ over GazaCOMMENTARY: By Antoinette Lattouf Sorry Palestinian women and children. It seems Australia’s leading women’s media company has more pressing issues to cover than the seemingly endless human rights atrocities committed against you. It’s been seven months of almost complete silence from Mamamia and their most popular writers and podcast hosts. ...2 days ago
- Gallery: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be freeAsia Pacific Report As Israel drives the Palestinians deeper into another Nakba in Gaza with its assault on Rafah, the Palestine Youth Aotearoa (PYA) and solidarity supporters in Aotearoa New Zealand tonight commemorated the original Nakba — “the Catastrophe” — of 1948. The 1948 Nakba . . . more than ...2 days ago
- The budget couldn’t include every ‘good idea’ but not boosting JobSeeker and the Youth Allowan...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Goldie, Adjunct Professor and UNSW Law Advisory Council Member, UNSW Sydney Victoria Labadie/Shutterstock The government says the budget will help people doing it tough. But it has also opted not to increase JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, despite expert advice these ...2 days ago
- Funding might change, but Job-ready Graduates stays for now. What does the budget fine print say abo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gwilym Croucher, Associate Professor, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne On one level, the 2024 federal budget brought few big surprises for universities. The two key measures were already announced leading up to May 14: ...2 days ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Budget fight looms on Future Made in Australia tax breaksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday handed down his third budget. It had a second successive surplus and sweeteners, including relief on energy bills, and tax breaks for development of green hydrogen and critical minerals processing. ...2 days ago
- Emily Perkins takes home top prize for fiction at Ockham book awardsBooks editor Claire Mabey reports on the winners of this year’s book awards. Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction ($65,000 prize) Lioness by Emily Perkins (published by Bloomsbury), about a middle-aged woman wrestling with her life choices, has won the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Hooo boy this ...2 days ago
- Police cannot rush pulling out of attending mental health callouts, foundation saysThere are worries the crackdown on gangs could come at the cost of mental health. ...2 days ago
- Ockhams: Emily Perkins wins $65K fiction prizeEmily Perkins has won the fiction prize at the 2024 Ockham book awards for her novel Lioness. She collects $65,000, the most loot you can pocket in New Zealand letters, as winner of the Jan Medlicott Acorn fiction prize for her satire of the anxious rich. It’s kind of ...2 days ago
- The budget is full of good news, but good news isn’t the same as good managementSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute This year’s budget has “something for everyone”, with very little in the way of cuts and no new taxes. It’s a classic “good news” pre-election budget. Whether it is too good to ...2 days ago
- Carbon credit supply might need to be cut as efficient furnace comes onlineA new steel-making furnace will reduce emissions so much, environment officials have pitched reducing the whole country's supply of carbon credits. ...2 days ago
- Three dead in New Caledonia amid independence, electoral unrestThree people have now died in New Caledonia in the wake of pro-independence protests and escalating unrest. Charles Wea, a spokesperson for international relations in the New Caledonian territorial President’s office, confirmed the deaths to RNZ Pacific. The circumstances are unclear in the French territory’s third day of violence. France’s ...2 days ago
- Waitangi Tribunal to hear a claim into government disestablishing the Māori Health AuthorityClaimants have been notified that they have met the criteria for a 'priority inquiry' scheduled for October 2024. ...2 days ago
- Why is the government proposing caps on international students and how did we get here?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ziguras, Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne The federal government is due to introduce legislation on Thursday to enable new caps on the number of international student places at educational institutions in Australia. These include ...2 days ago
- For a ‘future made in Australia’, we need more innovation and diverse people in science and techSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Walker, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University Crazy Owl Productions/Shutterstock This year’s federal budget is making up for decades of lost time – both in our clean energy transition and in betting on new technological breakthroughs. The Future Made in ...2 days ago
- Two-thirds of us support banning pet cats from roaming. A ban would save millions of native animals ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University Jaana Dielenberg Australians have more pet cats than ever before – more than 5 million in total. With the growing number, expectations on pet owners are shifting. Many cat owners are now ...2 days ago
- Symphonie of the Bicycle: on the desire to be great, and the desire to live a life with great meanin...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Tracey Leigh/State Theatre Company of South Australia Symphonie of the Bicycle is a tour de force. Actor and writer Hew Parham takes the audience through comic and heartfelt parallel stories ...2 days ago
- The police minister loves numbers. Except when he’s asked about lowering themWhy worry about accurate messaging around gangs when you can throw out some scary numbers instead? As sure as night follows day, Mark Mitchell will premise a gang policy announcement with a spine-tingling stat about soaring gang membership. “New Zealanders need only look at the fatal shooting in Ponsonby recently ...2 days ago
- Curious Kids: why is blood red?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong BonNontawat/Shutterstock Why is blood red? – Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales What a great question about something in our body, Asher. Blood is inside our body, but ...2 days ago
- ‘Westralia shall be free!’ How Western Australia’s secessionists stoked British fears the Empi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Wilson Mountford, Associate Professor in History, Australian Catholic University State Library of Western Australia, call number: BA428/1 Around 90 years ago, two-thirds of Western Australian voters voted in favour of leaving the Commonwealth at a state referendum. This 1933 ...2 days ago
- Israel’s invasion of Rafah will not eliminate Hamas or end the war. So, what is Benjamin Netanyahu...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University The Gaza war has now entered its eighth month and a resolution to the conflict still seems far off. Israel claims to have killed 13,000 Hamas militants so far. ...2 days ago
- New Zealanders have had their say on climate adaptation: here’s where we agree and disagreeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raven Cretney, Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images Adaptation to climate change will challenge New Zealand politically and economically. As such, it becomes a problem of imagination. We will need to fund things differently, build differently, restructure aspects ...2 days ago
- Auckland won’t complete big busway in PM and minister’s electoratesA new 10-year budget for Auckland has dropped funding for the fourth and final part of the up to $1.4 billion dollar Eastern Busway, partly because the Government ditched the regional fuel tax. The Auckland Council believes it has been left $600m short by that early call to do away ...2 days ago
- Netsafe investigating Facebook page pretending to be New Zealand First MP Tanya UnkovichThe page impersonating Tanya Unkovich sent a message to someone in relation to her bathroom bill. ...2 days ago
- Watch: PM Christopher Luxon speaks to business leaders ahead of Budget 2024Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says do not expect any curveballs in this month's Budget, but he reaffirmed a commitment to tax relief. ...2 days ago
- Anything Less Than $49/week Isn’t Tax Relief, It’s Shortchanging New Zealanders
Connor Molloy, said: “Christopher Luxon is right to point out that inflation over the last 14 has pushed New Zealanders into higher income tax brackets so that they are paying more of their wages in tax even when they are not better off." ...2 days ago - How easy is it to leave a gang?As police focus on curbing gang activity, community leaders say arrests won't solve issues that run deeper. ...2 days ago
- Cheaper medicines and a new approach for mental health care. Will the budget make us healthier?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute Shutterstock Health was a centrepiece of last year’s budget, based on a new vision for Medicare. This year, there is less health reform, but the budget does set the foundation for ...2 days ago
- Violence erupts in New Caledonia as independence supporters oppose legislation in ParisMacron’s plan has backfired. But there can be no sustainable solution without cooperation of all parties, writes a former Australian diplomat New Caledonia. ANALYSIS: By Denise Fisher Monday night saw demonstrations by independence supporters in New Caledonia erupt into serious violence for the first time since the 1980s civil disturbances. ...2 days ago
- Why Ngāti Toa is standing up against the fast-track billWe won’t be violent, but we will organise and do everything in our power to prevent further degradation of our taiao, writes Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik. In the early 1950s, prime minister Sidney Holland’s National government was under enormous pressure to increase housing supply ...2 days ago
- Watch live: PM Christopher Luxon speaks to business leaders ahead of Budget 2024The Prime Minister is speaking to business leaders ahead of this month's Budget. ...2 days ago
- New Caledonia unrest: Pro-independence calls for calm ‘to preserve peace’By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A group belonging to New Caledonia’s pro-independence movement, UNI (Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance), has released a communiqué saying they were “moved by and deplored the exactions and violence taking place“. UNI member of New Caledonia’s Northern provincial assembly Patricia Goa said ...2 days ago
- Waka Kotahi pays PWC to meld together technologies, then again to pull them apartThe Transport Agency wanted to see if it could combine two vehicle-spotting technologies. It couldn't. ...2 days ago
- Live Export: New Zealand Sails Backwards Whilst The UK And Australia Competitively Sail Forward"The United Kingdom’s Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill has just passed its final stage in Parliament (last night, NZ time) and will soon be enshrined into law. This will mean that the UK has banned export of farmed animals by sea. The Australian ...2 days ago
- Landscape Architects Have Much To Offer For Climate Change AdaptationThe Government’s success in designing a national climate adaptation framework will depend entirely on its propensity to utilise landscape architects. ...2 days ago
- ‘One hell of a lesson’: a conversation with Ngāhuia Te AwekōtukuMatariki Williams speaks with Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku about her extraordinary memoir, Hine Toa. Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku has a seemingly effortless approach to knowledge: the ingesting, digesting and sharing of it has been part of her scholarship for decades. The week after I interviewed her, I was heading to Venice to ...2 days ago
- Comical Incompetence As Wellington Council Might Have To Dig Up Brand New $55 Million Bus Lanes And ...A memo accidentally released by Wellington City Council shows at least $5.2 million of pipes needing urgent repair have just been covered up by $55 million of brand new bus and cycle lanes on Thorndon Quay. ...2 days ago
- Offshore Wind Industry Warns Against Taranaki Seabed MiningA damning briefing paper released by a group of offshore wind developers warns that if Trans Tasman Resources gets the go-ahead to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight, it would spell the end of New Zealand’s chance to embrace offshore wind ...2 days ago
- What are charter schools, and why are they so controversial?The government intends for new charter schools to be operating by the beginning of 2025. How does the model work? Shanti Mathias explains. What did David Seymour announce? On Tuesday, Act Party leader and minister for education David Seymour said the upcoming government budget would include $153m of new funding ...2 days ago
- A student’s visa has been cancelled for links to ‘weapons of mass destruction’. What’s going...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Lecturer (Law), Southern Cross University Drones are an example of the ‘dual-use technologies’ that can fall foul of research security concerns. Goh Rhy Yan / Unsplash Over the weekend, Queensland University of Technology PhD student Xiaolong Zhu became national ...2 days ago
- I’m pregnant. Do I need a multivitamin?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Gallo, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast gpointstudio/Shutterstock Growing a healthy baby relies on getting enough nutrients while pregnant. But rather than following a healthy diet to provide those nutrients, we’re concerned too many ...2 days ago
- Green industry yes, conservation no: a budget for people, not for natureSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Neal, Senior lecturer in Economics / Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney Sonpichit Salangsing/Shutterstock Last night’s budget is another missed opportunity to arrest the poor and deteriorating state of the Australian environment. Subsidising green industry in Labor’s ...2 days ago
- From Bridgerton to Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes is the queen of romance. Here’s how she gets ou...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Trelease, Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology Netflix/ABC Television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes has come a long way since being a scriptwriter for the 2002 film Crossroads. Her production company Shondaland now shines in its delivery ...2 days ago
- Cricket’s pilgrimage: Go north, young womanSome of our brightest talent has flown north for the British summer as cricketing opportunities increase for our up-and-coming female cricketers. Included in that group is Otago Sparks batter and wicketkeeper Olivia Gain who has travelled to England for the second successive year as she looks to gain more ...2 days ago
- Strike Force Raptor 3.0? The new anti-gang unit, and the questions that remainA new national gang unit – coupled with smaller ‘disruption units’ – will target and ‘harass’ gang members, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A gang crackdown Throughout National’s election campaign and into its time in government, ...2 days ago
- Questions about coalition's Covid-19 mandate pledgeThe government is still trying to work out how it will meet its pledge to end Covid mandates, given the mandates were scrapped more than a year ago. ...2 days ago
- Questions about coalition's Covid-19 vaccine mandate pledgeThe government is still trying to work out how it will meet its pledge to end Covid mandates, given the mandates were scrapped more than a year ago. ...2 days ago
- Treatment hopes dashed for MS sufferersIt was the first glimmer of hope – ever – for New Zealanders with the worst type of multiple sclerosis. A drug treatment that can halt a cruel descent into immobility, incontinence and the loss of agency that comes with PPMS – the primary progressive form of the disease. Pharmac ...2 days ago
- Jones’ undeclared dinner had two more mining industry attendees“Sadly, these things are never a juicy conspiracy,” Shane Jones says of his office neglecting to include a dinner with mining interests in his ministerial diary. “They’re largely a cock-up – not a particularly polite expression but it is a regular feature of politics.” On Tuesday, in a Newsroom story, ...2 days ago
- Suicide Prevention Office to continue in name – but with no full-time staffThe office that was initially expected to close survives in name, but may have no full-time roles and the likely addition of greater oversight. ...2 days ago
- Hazard-prone development likely under fast-track law, insurers and engineers warnMore building in flood prone areas is 'highly likely' as a result of the proposed Fast Track Bill, scientists and engineers warn. ...2 days ago
- British High Commissioner Speech To The NZIIA: In An Unstable World, Standing With Our Friends Is Ne...This decade is becoming increasingly characterised by accelerating instability and standing with our friends is needed now more than ever. ...2 days ago
- The toilet bill is designed to outrage but that doesn’t mean we can ignore itThe bill opens the door to hate. It’s our collective job to shut it, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Just over 11 years ago, most of the country was basking in the refracted light of a big gay rainbow. National MP Maurice Williamson’s speech in support of the Marriage Equality Bill, and ...2 days ago
- Thousands of New Zealand students have to work for free each year. Is that fair?Nurses, teachers, med students, midwives and social workers are among professions that require students to complete unpaid work placements to qualify. A campaign is seeking to change that reality. “It’s really hard to write an essay when you’ve only had two hours’ sleep because you’re been up all night attending ...2 days ago
- The Reserve Bank’s double-pronged cash planWhat happens when cash is king – and then your bank leaves. A businessman in a town that hasn’t had a bank for three years says the Reserve Bank’s plans to put more cash in the hands of its people and introduce digital cash could save hours of time. John ...2 days ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 15 MayThe post Daily crossword, Wednesday 15 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Taskforce disestablishment a setback for pay equity claims – employersEmployers in the funded NGO sector say the goal of reaching pay parity with the public service is now further away The post Taskforce disestablishment a setback for pay equity claims – employers appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Ockhams: Catton wins People’s ChoiceThe people have spoken, in their hundreds. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton has been overwhelmingly voted the favourite New Zealand book of 2023 as nominated by ReadingRoom readers. The vote can informally be regarded as the People’s Choice award – ahead of tonight’s Ockham book awards, where Catton’s novel is competing ...2 days ago
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