Author Archive
Protecting ‘brand Key’
Written By: - Date published: 6:54 pm, June 26th, 2008 - 51 comments
For the first second third time, National is trying to shut down the reporting of things they feel don’t cast them in the glowing light they’d prefer. TV3 indicates that National is to make a formal complaint over the reporting of John Key’s ignorant and insulting comments in relation to the ‘peaceful’ settlement of New […]
More migration mythbusting
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, June 26th, 2008 - 7 comments
From Brian Fallow in The Herald on migration and immigration: …Statistics New Zealand has been comparing last year with previous peak gross outflows, allowing for changes in population size and age-structure. In unadjusted terms, permanent and long-term departures for Australia last year were just 7 per cent lower than the 1979 peak, but 20 per […]
No consistency needed
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, June 26th, 2008 - 12 comments
Colin Espiner’s just posted an entry headed “National’s position on smacking confusing”. It is – but only if you’re expecting philosophical consistency. Key’s approach isn’t at all confusing if all you’re trying to do is to win an election by accentuating and exploiting negative perceptions of your opponent. For the time being, this is National’s […]
Neuro-Liberalism
Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 24th, 2008 - 16 comments
George Lakoff has a new book out. You might remember him from such books as “Moral Politics” and “Don’t Think of an Elephant”. These books largely dealt with what he termed “reframing” of political metaphors – using belief structures to which voters already subscribe as supports for arguments for progressive policies. The NYT reviews his […]
How Obama reinvented campaign finance
Written By: - Date published: 12:16 pm, June 24th, 2008 - 15 comments
Click for the full-res version. (an infographic by XPLANE)
Blog reader survey
Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, June 24th, 2008 - 2 comments
Dear Blog Reader, My name is Andrew Cushen, and I am conducting a survey of New Zealand Political Blog Readers. This survey is part of my research toward a Master of Arts in Political Studies at the University of Auckland. As the reader of a blog that features postings related to political news, discussion and debate in New […]
Reflected by the internet
Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, June 23rd, 2008 - 2 comments
Clayton Cubitt (friend of one of the editors of BoingBoing) has recently visited NZ. He’s posted some fantastic visual material to his tumblr site including the video below – a short interview with Vic Taurewa Biddle. More of Clayton’s Kiwi content here but (warning) it’s not a permalink so you might have to page back and forward […]
Reverse graffiti
Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, June 20th, 2008 - 2 comments
It’s a viral ad, but still pretty cool…
How to harm your brand
Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, June 19th, 2008 - 83 comments
Kiwibank, New Zealand’s supreme award winning Sunday Star-Times/CANNEX best value bank for the third year in row, the Socialist Bank of Jim Anderton, the one doomed to failure but making healthy profits, is now advertising on Kiwiblog. Strange, ’cause I wouldn’t have thought that the Kiwiblog right are quite their target demographic. And I wonder how Kiwibank would feel […]
The 100 thing challenge
Written By: - Date published: 4:46 pm, June 17th, 2008 - 20 comments
From Time magazine: Excess consumption is practically an American religion. But as anyone with a filled-to-the-gills closet knows, the things we accumulate can become oppressive. With all this stuff piling up and never quite getting put away, we’re no longer huddled masses yearning to breathe free; we’re huddled masses yearning to free up space on […]
Firefox download day
Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, June 17th, 2008 - 22 comments
Sick of Internet Explorer for being slow and buggy and not open-source? Why not try out Firefox instead? It’s a free, open-source browser, developed collaboratively for Windows, Mac and Linux. It’s claimed to be (and most people seem to agree) the fastest most secure, most customisable browser. On June 17, 2008, Firefox wants to set a […]
CFL FTW
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, June 17th, 2008 - 24 comments
And the winner is… the compact fluorescent lightbulb! Stuff reports that “from late next year, the old incandescent bulbs will be phased out as part of an Efficient Lighting Strategy”. The strategy aims to reduce lighting energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2015 and to help some energy efficient bulbs will be subsidised. PS. If you […]
Keeping it in the family
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 10 comments
The ODT reports that Bill English’s brother, Conor English, has been picked as the new CEO of Federated Farmers. Once the press secretary to National Government Lands Minister John Luxton, Conor replaces ex-National MP Annabel Young as CEO.
Fundrace
Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 7 comments
From The Huffington Post’s “Fundrace“ website: Want to know if a celebrity is playing both sides of the fence? Whether that new guy you’re seeing is actually a Republican or just dresses like one? If your boss maxed out at that fundraiser or got comped? Whether your neighbor’s political involvement stops at that hideous lawn […]
California to ban cell phone use for teen drivers
Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, June 16th, 2008 - Comments Off on California to ban cell phone use for teen drivers
Apparently California is, on July 1, to become the 15th US state to ban cell phone use for teen drivers. In what looks like major differnce to the proposed new rules here though, unlike older drivers these younger Californians won’t even be allowed to use hands-free kits.
Matt McCarten from the Herald on Sunday
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 15 comments
Worth a read: Remember when George Bush’s administration promised the world that the invasion of Iraq would be over in a few weeks? We were assured that the Iraqis would throw flowers at their liberators, the war would make a tidy profit and petrol prices would plummet. Next time you fill up your car think […]
He would say that wouldn’t he
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 21 comments
Stuff reports that National Party energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee has labelled the government’s inquiry into petrol pricing a cynical move that would not make a difference to prices. A similar inquiry in Australia resulted in a decision to provide increased transparency for consumers by stipulating that the petrol was to be set and notified by petrol companies […]
Political monogamy
Written By: - Date published: 1:42 pm, June 13th, 2008 - 43 comments
Thought this might make a good followup to Steve/Trotter’s comments in the post below. It’s from the group TruthThroughAction.org – a group of independent filmmakers who create content in support of Democratic causes. It may also serve as a timely warning to any women planning on attending the next of John Key’s young professional networking […]
The gods of greed
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, June 13th, 2008 - 19 comments
The Guardian has extracts from a new book by Larry Elliott and Dan Atkinson, The Gods That Failed: How Blind Faith in Markets Has Cost Us Our Future, in which they explain “how the reckless speculation of a super-rich elite has left us all the poorer”. They promised economic stability, order and prosperity. But instead the […]
Comparatively, gingers have it easy
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, June 13th, 2008 - 2 comments
Last month Mike Hucknall, lead singer of Simply Red, asserted that ‘ginger jibes’ were a form of racism. Opinion was divided. As you ponder that one, spare a thought for Tanzanian albinos. The New York Times reports that in the past year at least 19 albinos there have been killed and mutilated – victims of what Tanzanian […]
Benson-Pope rejects Legalise Cannabis Party offer
Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 12th, 2008 - 19 comments
Reported today in the ODT: Dunedin South MP David Benson-Pope will not be accepting an invitation to stand as the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party’s (ALCP) electorate candidate at the next election. “Their judgement has obviously been impaired by their recreational habits,” he said when contacted.
I did not have policy relations with REINZ
Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, June 12th, 2008 - 23 comments
With tones of the Brethren debacle we’re getting conflicting reports from the National Party as to whether or not they have haven’t have met with the Real Estate Institute of NZ. Simon Power says unequivocally that National hasn’t met with REINZ since the Real Estate Agents Act Bill [cheers lemsip, typo] went for public submissions. Yet […]
BBC/TVE Earth Report special: NZ
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, June 12th, 2008 - 15 comments
BBC and TVE screen an Earth Report special this week focussing on New Zealand’s objective to become carbon neutral: New Zealand, host for World Environment Day 2008, plans to be the first to create a completely carbon neutral economy. Their target is 2020 and they have ambitious plans to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions with […]
Obama-Clinton
Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, June 11th, 2008 - 3 comments
Dreamticket or not?
National’s policy vacuum
Written By: - Date published: 5:13 pm, June 9th, 2008 - 52 comments
From the editorial in the ODT today we learn that Bill English is keen to dampen down concern within the party at the lack of policy, telling delegates at their southern conference: “We pick the timing [for policy release] – not Labour, not the media, not the public.” He signaled it may be released very late and […]
Bubbles and empty spaces
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 7th, 2008 - 63 comments
John Key’s policy vacuum is such a joke that even the ad-men are using it for comic material. Have a listen. powered by ODEO lprent: There seems to be a problem At ODEO. Stored local in link below. John Key – Bubbles
Video: Dr Cullen at Drinking Liberally
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, June 7th, 2008 - 70 comments
We just received a video of Michael Cullen’s speech to Drinking Liberally on Wednesday from one of the attendees. It’s well worth a look. Everyone who was there that I have spoken to since was hugely impressed because Cullen spoke from his roots, from his political soul. He would do well to speak like this […]
Key greets high school students, Vulcans
Written By: - Date published: 4:51 pm, June 6th, 2008 - 11 comments
Before you bag him, give it a go yourself, it’s harder than it looks. It’s a little known fact that Spock took years to perfect the Vulcan salute and sparked more than his fair share of diplomatic interplanetary incidents during that time.
Quote of the week
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, June 6th, 2008 - 28 comments
On John Key’s visit to Waitara High School yesterday: Ms Gellen said Mr Key’s visit had been excellent and the students had got a lot from it. “They are now more aware of who he (Mr Key) is. “Some said they weren’t going to vote before, but now they are going to go away and have […]
Who is the Listener listening to?
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, June 6th, 2008 - 7 comments
Here’s an interesting piece from Otago University student magazine, Critic – “Who is the Listener listening to”: Substance does not always equate to sales. [Editor] Stirling admits that during the 2005 election, their eight ‘political covers’ bombed. Yet there are perennial features that seem bigger sellers than others, and one of the Listener’s eternal stalwarts is […]
National policy vacuum becoming a joke
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, June 6th, 2008 - 24 comments
A reader just alerted us to this. When John Key went missing in action on Sunrise what did the “Allstars” suggest he was up to? Watch to find out…
- Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November
The post Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago - ‘Extremely disappointing’: Watts blasts countries for blocking negotiations at COP29
The clock is now ticking and ministers have just four days to agree to a global finance goal and settle other thorny issues The post ‘Extremely disappointing’: Watts blasts countries for blocking negotiations at COP29 appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education
Opinion: The school curriculum framework’s acknowledgement of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been replaced with a commitment to ‘the science of learning’ The post Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Spark’s slump tars communications index as worst performer
Normally a nice, boring, stable utility, Spark has caught investors’ attention this year for all the wrong reasons The post Spark’s slump tars communications index as worst performer appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Poor outcomes for poverty
Stephen Turnock had a breakthrough moment as lay on a stranger’s roof in pouring rain for four hours, evading police.“I remember it as if it was yesterday,” he tells The Detail. “I was up to no good and we were being actively looked for. As I lay on that roof ...6 days ago
- Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening ocean circulation, speeding up warming down sou...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Menviel, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Mozgova, Shutterstock A vast network of ocean currents nicknamed the “great global ocean conveyor belt” is slowing down. That’s a problem because this vital system redistributes heat around the world, ...6 days ago - Council looking into controversial post on hīkoi
Whangārei District Council says it's looking into reports about councillors' comments on social media relating to the hīkoi - but won't say if any formal Code of Conduct complaint has been lodged. ...6 days ago - ‘It’s a complete and total nightmare’ – aid worker speaks about Israel’s relentless Gaza g...
Democracy Now! AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We turn to Israel’s war on Gaza. A special UN committee has reported Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”. Another report by Human Rights Watch finds Israel has committed ...6 days ago
- The Coalition will block the student caps bill. Brace yourself for more uncertainty over internation...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University In a surprise move, the Coalition has announced it will vote against Labor’s bill to cap international student numbers. This follows previous Coalition comments saying it would work with ...6 days ago
- Treaty Principles bill hīkoi pauses to gather steam, before march to Parliament
Final preparations are being made as tens of thousands of people in te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti convoys converge in the capital. ...6 days ago
- My Brilliant Career: musical based on Miles Franklin’s novel takes us on a sassy, spirited journey...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Hunter, Senior Lecturer in Art and Performance, Deakin University Pia Johnson Melbourne Theatre Company’s My Brilliant Career is a musical re-imagining of Miles Franklin’s classic 1901 novel of the same name. It follows a young woman, Sybylla Melvyn, as she ...6 days ago
- Stinky feet, angry mermaids and a toilet ghost: Round The Twist musical captures the magic and madne...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Schirmer, ROLE at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Lyndon Mechielsen It’s a universally acknowledged truth that a geriatric millennial in possession of a Scholastic book club catalogue and a television must have been a fan of Paul Jennings back in the ...6 days ago
- Why Mark Mitchell won’t resign one year after becoming Police Minister
Mark Mitchell promised to step down if there was no significant change in law and order statistics in his first 12 months. ...6 days ago
- Air is an overlooked source of nutrients – evidence shows we can inhale some vitamins
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flávia Fayet-Moore, Adjunct Lecturer, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Ground Pictures/Shutterstock You know that feeling you get when you take a breath of fresh air in nature? There may be more to it than a simple lack ...6 days ago
- Hikoī day 8: Te Pāti Māori co-leader speaks of ‘sense of betrayal’ over bill
ACT leader David Seymour has spoken out on Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s haka in Parliament as a Hīkoi against his controversial Treaty Principles Bill converges on Wellington. The Te Pāti Māori MP was suspended for 24 hours and “named” for leading the haka during the first reading of the bill last Thursday. ...6 days ago
- Statement From Palestinian Leaders: Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti Is A Historic Moment For All In Aotearoa
Inspired by the kotahitanga of te ao Māori, we draw on our own political tradition of nurturing a unified Palestinian people despite exile and separation. We unify here for te Tiriti. ...6 days ago - What is ‘doll therapy’ for people with dementia? And is it backed by science?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nikki-Anne Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), UNSW Sydney Jack Cronkhite/Shutterstock The way people living with dementia experience the world can change as the disease progresses. Their sense of reality or place in time can become distorted, which ...6 days ago
- As Australia privatises nature repair, the cheapest approach won’t save our threatened species
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penny van Oosterzee, Adjunct Associate Professor James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University Shutterstock Australia is a world-leader in species extinction and environmental decline. So great is the problem, the federal government now wants to harness ...7 days ago
- Dozens of refugees are still stranded in precarious situations in PNG – and support from Australia...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Nethery, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Policy Studies, Deakin University After nearly a year without basic income and support services, 42 refugees and asylum seekers remaining in Papua New Guinea will soon begin receiving a meagre allowance of 900 kina (A$338) ...7 days ago
- David Seymour criticises Maipi-Clarke’s haka on eve of Treaty hīkoi’s arrival at Parlia...
The ACT leader and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have spoken to reporters as a hīkoi against his controversial Treaty Principles Bill converges on Wellington. ...7 days ago
- Financial stress and cultural differences make migrants particularly vulnerable to gambling harms. H...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Himanshu Gupta, Senior Research Fellow (Lived Experience), Rural and Remote Health, Flinders University Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock Australians lose around A$25 billion on legal forms of gambling each year, representing the largest per person losses in the world. Gambling harms – including financial, ...7 days ago
- New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you like big-budget sci-fi: Dune Prophecy (Neon, November 18) Set 10,000 years before Denis Villeneuve’s awe-inspiring Dune, the mysterious all-female sect the Bene Gesserit take centre-stage ...7 days ago - Select committee calls for repeal of Section 7AA of OT Act to be softened
A select committee led by coalition MPs has called for the proposed repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act to be softened. ...7 days ago
- What can we really expect from an expanded mining industry?
The minerals sector is highly volatile, highly competitive and changing rapidly, and the most obvious rationale for expansion – that it will provide a boost to national and regional economies – is certainly not a given. Shane Jones’s mining boosterism has regenerated a seemingly perennial debate around the industry and ...7 days ago
- Pacific profiles: Meet the Southside Aiga Midwives, who serve whānau in the heart of Māngere
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Dinah Otukolo and Dianne Wihoni, two Southside Aiga Midwives. All photos by Geoffery Matautia. Tucked away at the edges of the Māngere ...7 days ago
- Federated Mountain Clubs Of New Zealand Stand Firm: Conservation Access For All, Not Just The Wealth...
On access issues, FMC represent Aotearoa’s passionate outdoor and conservation communities, dedicated to keeping natural spaces open for everyone—regardless of income or background. ...7 days ago
- Fiji’s mainstream media fight for survival in social media era
By Georgia Brown, Queensland University of Technology Fijian newsrooms are under pressure to adapt as audiences shift away from traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and television, in favour of Facebook and other social media platforms. Asia Foundation research showed that Fijians ranked Facebook as their third most significant source ...7 days ago
- MFAT Decision To Ship $4 Million To Vanuatu Out-Of-Touch
The comments made by NZ’s delegation to COP 29, Mr. Croad discussing additional ‘pathways’ to forfeit more NZ tax dollars to Vanuatu are both out-of-touch & disrespectful to hardworking taxpayers, says Union Communications Officer, Alex Emes. ...7 days ago
- Public pressure mounts for Kiwisaver funds to invest ethically
A new campaign is targeting ASB due to its Kiwisaver funds having investments in Motorola, a company that supplies Israel’s military. Over three million New Zealanders have Kiwisavers across 350 funds, each with their own investment portfolio. According to the latest Kiwisaver annual report, the highest and fastest growing investment ...7 days ago
- The government wants to count blue carbon towards climate targets. But ocean carbon could cut both w...
NZ's enormous exclusive economic zone contains a huge amount of carbon in its ocean sediments, and releasing even a tiny proportion could undo any other climate benefits. ...7 days ago
- As AI and megaplatforms take over, the hyperlinks that built the web may face extinction
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana McKay, Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information, RMIT University Jakub Krechowicz / Shutterstock The original idea for the world wide web emerged in a flurry of scientific thought around the end of World War II. It began with a hypothetical ...7 days ago
- The latest COVID booster will soon be available. Should I get one? Am I eligible?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Bartlett, Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recently approved a new COVID booster. The shot was developed by Pfizer and targets the JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron. This ...7 days ago
- Traditional owners and scientists worked together on ‘coral IVF’ projects. Here’s what we foun...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Randall, Senior Research Scientist, Benthic and Restoration Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Coral Brunner/Shutterstock The Great Barrier Reef, which supports an estimated 64,000 jobs and has a social and economic value of around A$6.4 billion, is under threat due ...7 days ago
- Waiting for exam results can be awful. Our research shows how best to manage the stress
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Kalokerinos, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, The University of Melbourne Jan Faukner/Shutterstock It’s that time of year when students are waiting for school and university results that could change the course of their lives. Uncertain waiting periods are among ...7 days ago
- Would a mandatory five-day working week solve construction’s work-life balance woes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Working practices in the construction industry have been labelled a relic of a bygone era – 64% of employees work more than 50 hours per week. Long working hours can ...7 days ago
- Another rushed migration bill would give the government sweeping powers to deport potentially thousa...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government is looking to introduce laws that would give it unprecedented powers to forcibly remove non-citizens from Australia. The newly introduced Migration ...7 days ago
- We need a minister for big tech, and we need one now
We have a minister for racing, and for space. It’s utterly indefensible that we don’t have one in sole charge of dealing with large technology platforms. When you start looking, it’s all you see. Just last week, the Commerce Commission announced criminal charges against One NZ for advertisements around its ...7 days ago
- Live: Māori Queen to join hīkoi mō Te Tiriti to Parliament
The Treaty Principles Bill jeopardises Māori rights and sends a clear message Māori don't matter, Lady Tureiti Moxon says. ...7 days ago
- Maaori Queen Brings Message Of Kotahitanga To The Nation
Te Arikinui is urging all New Zealanders to embrace our shared identity and collective strengths to move forward together. will join the people of the nation as they Hiikoi to Parliament on Tuesday under the protection of Te Kahu o te Raukura, which represents ...7 days ago
- Treaties, truth and equality: how NZ, Australia and Canada are all struggling with colonial politics
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University The hīkoi (march) to protest NZ’s Treaty Principles Bill crosses Auckland Harbour Bridge, November 13. Getty Images With the ACT ...7 days ago
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