Author Archive
The Nats’ new ‘swimmable’ rivers aren’t
Written By: - Date published: 3:08 pm, February 28th, 2017 - 15 comments
Under the new standards we have up to a 1 in 6 risk of serious infection at the times that we actually swim in rivers, and Smith is trying to hide this fact by fudging around with year-long averages. David Parker’s analysis yesterday was bang on.
Homeless crisis hidden in plain sight
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, February 28th, 2017 - 10 comments
Bill blames the blowout in emergency housing grants on the “hidden homeless”. Hidden only from those who will not see. Hidden only from a government that deliberately chooses for political reasons not to collect the relevant data.
You can’t afford a house because of – plants!
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, February 27th, 2017 - 58 comments
I’m used to hearing some pretty pathetic excuses out of the National government. But this will really take some beating.
A fan grieves Key’s popularity bubble
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, February 26th, 2017 - 24 comments
Today’s news, tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. Tracy Watkins grieves. Max Rashbrooke explains.
Australia’s war
Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, February 25th, 2017 - 5 comments
Surprising no one: “A newly declassified report obtained by Fairfax Media reveals Australia’s role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq was undertaken solely to enhance our alliance with the US.”
Can we even afford to be tenants in our own country?
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, February 25th, 2017 - 93 comments
Being tenants in our own country is starting to look like the good old days.
Mt Albert – the left and the right
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, February 24th, 2017 - 80 comments
All the best to all candidates, and thank you to Julie Anne Genter and Jacinda Ardern for showing us all such a model of cooperation.
Two big policy fails
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, February 24th, 2017 - 10 comments
This is what you get with a hasty, reactive, “top down” policy process.
1984
Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, February 23rd, 2017 - 120 comments
That Orwell was ahead of his time.
Living wage rises to $20.20 an hour
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, February 21st, 2017 - 30 comments
The living wage rises, and an odd argument for abolishing the minimum wage.
What if anything does Bill English believe in?
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, February 21st, 2017 - 71 comments
Can anyone work out what English stands for? His actions and his words are at odds. Vernon Small tries and fails to pin English down on electoral deals, Winston Peters, abolishing the Maori seats, and more.
Rocketwerkz – an enlightened employer
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, February 20th, 2017 - 8 comments
We sometimes give employers a bit of a hard time on this blog, so it’s nice to occasionally celebrate a good one. Dunedin gaming company Rocketwerkz is in the headlines for all the right reasons.
National’s one-trick election pony – the eternal mirage of tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, February 20th, 2017 - 46 comments
As Finance Minister Bill English effectively ruled out tax cuts, but it’s election year, and so of course the Nats can’t help but trot out their one-trick election pony again.
Fires are the new normal
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, February 17th, 2017 - 65 comments
Hey Bill English, it’s not the case that “no one could have anticipated the large-scale fire on the Port Hills”. Just about every relevant organisation could and did predict it. Most of the other predictions relating to climate change will come true too.
Human Rights Commission calls for an inquiry – English says no
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, February 15th, 2017 - 10 comments
Greens stand aside in Ōhāriu
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, February 14th, 2017 - 114 comments
Putting aside misgivings for the sake of the greater good is a mark of political maturity which many politicians and commentators could learn from.
Russia’s ‘traditional family values’
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, February 12th, 2017 - 22 comments
Constructive and positive ‘conservative’ organisations everywhere should be outraged at the way the use of ‘traditional family values’ gets corrupted, and they should be doing more to speak out against it.
Salvation Army report – NZ “Off the Track”
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, February 8th, 2017 - 61 comments
“The absence of any meaningful progress in reducing child poverty rates over the past decade—and the lack of interest by Government in using welfare and income support programmes to do so—points to wilful indifference toward the long-term personal and social impacts of this avoidable harm.”
Low bar diplomacy
Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, February 7th, 2017 - 23 comments
So apparently the PM managed to get through a 15 minute call without “upsetting” Trump. That’s where we set the bar these days.
A good week for Labour and Greens
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, February 4th, 2017 - 25 comments
Following on from their joint “state of the nation” it’s been a good week for the political left in NZ. Here’s a roundup.
Poverty and health
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, February 4th, 2017 - 43 comments
Socioeconomic status is a major health risk factor. Not exactly a surprise is it.
Aussie Aussie Aussie, Ouch Ouch Ouch!
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, February 3rd, 2017 - 70 comments
Diplomacy in the age of Trump is going to be a real blast. Just ask Australia.
O’Connor and Jackson for Labour
Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, February 2nd, 2017 - 71 comments
Like many, I have mixed feelings about these developments, but on balance I am in favour of the “broad church” approach
English condemned
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, February 1st, 2017 - 25 comments
Interim PM Bill English is getting a hammering for his “weak and indecisive” response to Trump’s Muslim ban.
A PM but not a leader
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, January 31st, 2017 - 35 comments
Bill English has failed his first test of real leadership. Compare and contrast, English and Little’s responses to the Muslim ban.
Update: The image is Emmerson’s take in The Herald.
Trump’s Muslim travel ban
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, January 29th, 2017 - 150 comments
Welcome to the new America.
The cost of education
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, January 28th, 2017 - 14 comments
National needs to do something to address spiraling education costs in both the secondary and tertiary sectors.
Special Relationship 2
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, January 27th, 2017 - 58 comments
The Bush Blair “special relationship” was a geopolitical disaster of epic proportions. Get ready for Round 2, Trump May.
Postcards from the Trumpocalypse
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, January 26th, 2017 - 66 comments
This is what an unfettered right-wing government looks like.
Lifeboat NZ
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, January 25th, 2017 - 100 comments
How do we feel about NZ becoming a lifeboat for the super-rich to run out on the problems that they created?
Minimum wage increase doesn’t meet real costs (the CPI is broken)
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, January 25th, 2017 - 53 comments
Any increase in the minimum wage is better than nothing, but National’s increases have not kept pace with the real cost increases (notably housing) faced by low income earners. That is why we are seeing the rise of the working poor, and increases in homelessness and poverty.
- Climate minister doesn’t expect criticism of new oil and gas at global summit
New Zealand can stay a member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance even while drilling for new oil and gas, Simon Watts says The post Climate minister doesn’t expect criticism of new oil and gas at global summit appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago - Explainer: Four things to look out for at COP29 climate summit
The annual COP climate summit – taking place this year in Baku, Azerbaijan – is an absolutely massive event. More than 40,000 people are attending, more than attended the 2015 Paris summit (though only half of the 80,000 or so at last year’s COP in Dubai).As the first major diplomatic ...1 week ago
- Act preparing the ground for political exploitation
Opinion: The coalition as a whole is winding back the clock to when Māori ‘knew their place’ The post Act preparing the ground for political exploitation appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- COP29: The trillion-dollar questions to be asked at climate summit
Analysis: A grand bargain was struck between developed and developing countries in Paris – now we have to settle the bill The post COP29: The trillion-dollar questions to be asked at climate summit appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Trump’s resurrection comes with economic caveats
Business & investing: A ‘Trump bump’ in markets is just one sign of the incoming president’s economic influence – for good or bad The post Trump’s resurrection comes with economic caveats appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Mike Joy floats legal action over nitrate pollution ‘ecocide’
Contamination of drinking water by dairying, and the regulator’s lack of action, could prompt court action, a freshwater ecologist suggests The post Mike Joy floats legal action over nitrate pollution ‘ecocide’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 11 November
Loading…(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, Monday 11 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- The WHO’s bold step towards a cancer-free future
Analysis: Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, and in August 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination. Yes, you read that right; we may never have a universal cure for cancer but there are some we can prevent by vaccination. The WHO’ s strategy ...1 week ago
- Cancelled bus routes leave parents scrambling, and angry
Some farmers and rural families are furious over the Government’s review and cancellation of school bus routes, fearing small towns will be abandoned and students will stop attending class.The Ministry of Education regularly conducts route reviews, which can be prompted by several factors, including requests from schools, changes in the ...1 week ago
- The first empty chair
I’ve been going to school for a couple of months, happy to walk there and back on my own, as it’s only three blocks away.Today I arrive home to find the front door wide open. From what I know of front doors, this is odd. Mum’s standing there as if ...1 week ago
- The ferry to Russell
In an effort to squeeze in as much public transport as possible to the last day of my trip, I caught the ferry from Paihia to Russell/Kororāreka The crossing took 17 minutes and cost me $17 for a return trip. There are three ferry companies operating services across the bay. ...1 week ago - The longest commute, day seven: To the end of New Zealand’s public transport network
Joel MacManus attempts to travel from the bottom to the top of the country without a car or plane. Today: the last hurrah. The mission: Get from Stewart Island to Cape Reinga as fast as possible using only public transport. Wherever I can, I’ll travel by train. In areas that ...1 week ago
- An Ode to .. Kamala
Don’t look upHigh above the clouds,On the viewing deck of the Mighty Tower of Brat,A gentle zephyr plays on the Holy Campaign TeamWho sit around sipping iced tea on satin poufsChecking celebrity endorsements on TikTok.Empress of the Free World-elect Kamala admiresThe giant Democratic strategy sitting on the table:An intricate house ...1 week ago
- In search of the mythical Trump voter
Journalists, scholars, and political pundits have been in search of the mythical Donald Trump voter since 2015. By mythical, I do not mean in the sense that they don’t exist, like unicorns. Trump voters, as evidenced by the more than 70 million and counting who voted for him in the ...1 week ago
- I’m not allowed to bike to Cape Reinga
Mad Chapman has vetoed my plan to bike the last leg from Kaitaia to Cape Reinga. It’s a bit hypocritical coming from someone who once rode an Onzo bike from Mt Eden to Huntly for a story, but she’s all responsible now that she’s the editor. Please, if you have ...1 week ago
- The Bay of Islands
I’ve made it to Paihia but something terrible has happened that could put this entire trip in jeopardy. I need to go make some calls. I’ll fill you in soon. ...1 week ago
- TVNZ directors turn down Govt’s 41% fee increases – for now
Chair Alastair Carruthers says it would be inappropriate to accept fee increases, in light of the broadcaster’s big job cuts The post TVNZ directors turn down Govt’s 41% fee increases – for now appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- The longest commute, day six: It’s back to the bus for Joel
Joel MacManus attempts to travel from the bottom to the top of the country without a car or plane. Today: I enter the north. The mission: Get from Stewart Island to Cape Reinga as fast as possible using only public transport. Wherever I can, I’ll travel by train. In areas ...1 week ago
- The Secret Diary of .. America
American mediaNow is the time for cool heads but America is doomed. This is the end. The end is just beginning. The end is spelled Trump, and Trump spells the end of civilisation, of democracy, of happiness. No one is happy. The 77 million Americans who voted for Trump don’t ...1 week ago
- US election: Why men broke so strongly for Trump
Four days ahead of the US election, basketball star LeBron James posted a video endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The video immediately became controversial.“What are we even talking about here??” James wrote on social media. “When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, ...1 week ago
- The Weekend: I don’t know how to travel
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This week we’ve been talking all about travel, from Joel trying his darnedest to get from the bottom to the top of the country without a car or plane, to our senior writers detailing their greatest ever trips. What has become immediately ...1 week ago
- ‘Such a thrill’: Chelsie Preston Crayford on seeing a sitcom legend in the flesh
The star of A Remarkable Place to Die reflects on her life in television. It’s been a big year for Chelsie Preston Crayford, whose previous screen credits include Nude Tuesday, Eagle vs Shark and Underbelly: Razor. In Dark City: The Cleaner, she paced the suburban streets of Christchurch as the ...1 week ago
- Behind the mic: Why Aotearoa needs more Māori music managers
Despite the success of reo Māori music, a shortage of Māori music managers means many Māori artists struggle to thrive in the business side of the industry. The Māori music scene in Aotearoa is arguably as strong as it has ever been. Reo Māori waiata are topping the charts, and ...1 week ago
- Toi Te Mana: The landmark indigenous history of Māori art has arrived
Two authors of an extraordinary new book on the history of Māori art, Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, discuss how they approached it, and why. Māori art is one of the great art traditions of the world. That kaupapa was the starting point for a project we began 12 years ...1 week ago
- On being undeniably, irretrievably old
David Hill is in his ninth decade. In a touching tribute to his late friend, he challenges some myths about ‘old farts’. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members. I‘m past The Birthday. Not “the ...1 week ago
- ‘So simple, so sweet, so pure’: Rita Mae’s perfect weekend playlist
Singer-songwriter Rita Mae shares her perfect weekend playlist. “Gritty, bold, and to-the-point” is how Tāmaki Makaurau indie darling Rita Mae describes her upcoming project. The singer-songwriter’s second EP, Kiss the Sky, will be released into the world on November 15. “[Kiss the Sky is] about desire and greed, it’s about ...1 week ago
- Like it or not, ethnicity is a useful shortcut for identifying health needs
Proxies, including those based on ethnicity, play an important role in a fair and equitable resource allocation system, write public health academics Tim Tenbensel and Monique Jonas. The government’s recent directive that public services should be prioritised “on the basis of need, not race” will make it harder and more ...1 week ago
- Podcast: The cost of prison
Is New Zealand’s prison system about safety, or just punishment? And what are the social and financial costs of prioritising retributive justice? What if our hunger for punishment is costing us more than we realise? In this week’s episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey sits down with ...1 week ago
- NZ’s best baller is back in action
Steven Adams has swapped franchises and has a new home for the 2024-25 NBA basketball season.And his Houston Rockets teammates got a taste of how different he is to them when he posted a picture on Instagram of a bare room featuring a mattress on the floor with the caption, ...1 week ago
- Winner of the Sargeson Prize, Secondary Schools Division
Third try. With a shaky hand, I place the burgundy bindi on my forehead. Is it centred?You’d always put the bindi on for me; I couldn’t do it. Then you’d braid my hair, finishing it with a delicate red ribbon. You’d help me with everything. I remember your crimson-red saree ...1 week ago
- Katherine Mansfield and some risky advice
No series on the legacy of Katherine Mansfield would be complete without the father – daughter duo Karl Stead and Charlotte Grimshaw. They are Mansfield Menton Fellowship winners: Karl in 1972, Charlotte in 2024.Stead’s literary life is packed with bouquets – and brickbats – for novels, poetry and literary criticism.[vimeo ...1 week ago
- Khalistan ‘Referendum’ In Auckland Discussed At Top Diplomatic Levels
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed that S Jaishankar, India's minister of external affairs, raised the issue during the meeting but declined to provide details of the discussion. ...1 week ago - Raw Politics: Act finally gets its shot at the Treaty
Each time the tide comes in, it comes further up the beach. Well, that appears to be the Act Party’s strategy launching its Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament with not a single vote in support of it passing likely from any of Parliament’s other five political parties.Raw Politics looks at ...1 week ago
- Commission Calls For The Promise Of Te Tiriti O Waitangi To Be Honoured
The Commission’s Rongomau Taketake Indigenous Rights Governance Partner, Dayle Takitimu, said the Government had completely ignored the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendations in its interim report Ngā Mātāpono, including for the Bill to be abandoned. ...1 week ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘COLD EROTICA’ by Loretta Riach
A new poem by Loretta Riach. COLD EROTICA Kiss me, Hardy, in the dark-robed blindness of passion, both of us pressed up against the parapets of your one bedroom apartment, a chill against the sliding door. Kiss me, stranger– harder than that! Give it to me like a sail full ...1 week ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 8
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Kai Feast by Christall Lowe (Bateman, $60) This from the publisher’s blurb is enough to get ...1 week ago
- Robert Patman: NZ shouldn’t be afraid to call Trump out
Donald Trump is labelling his win ‘the greatest political movement of all time’. How historic is it for someone (globally) to be elected president twice non-consecutively, especially with a tumultuous background?Like or dislike it, Donald Trump is arguably the most impactful US president during the 21st century. Elected twice as ...1 week ago
- The many mysteries of A Remarkable Place to Die
Tara Ward watches TVNZ’s sleek and scenic new murder-mystery series. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s a beautiful day in Central Otago for a car to plummet off a cliff. Somewhere deep inside Skipper’s Canyon, a car leaves the road and ...1 week ago
- The Spinoff guide to life: How to be a good camper
Summer’s coming. It’s time to brush the dried grass out of your tent, and more importantly, brush up on your campsite manners. Ah, the joys of sleeping in a nylon dome. No ventilation, no insulation and no soundproofing. That little rock that wiggles its way through your long sponge masquerading ...1 week ago
- A survival guide for holidaying with your horrible children
Travelling with kids can test even the most patient of parents, but go in armed with these tried-and-true tips and you might just come out of it unscathed. When you become a parent, all manner of pleasant activities you once took for granted become distant memories: weekend sleep-ins, leisurely cafe brunches, ...1 week ago
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