Author Archive
Simon Bridges – pants on fire
Written By: - Date published: 6:06 pm, July 16th, 2013 - 119 comments
It looks like it’s not just workers’ rights and health and safety that Simon Bridges has truth issues with…
Lusk/Slater to run negative Auckland campaign
Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, July 15th, 2013 - 58 comments
According to the tip line the farcical duo of Lusk and Slater will soon be kicking off a large negative campaign against Len Brown.
How the Right makes people believe lies
Written By: - Date published: 6:48 am, July 15th, 2013 - 96 comments
A UK study has found that public perceptions of key issues that the Right tries to win votes on are vast exaggerations of reality. What this shows is that Rightwing politicians are succeeding in whipping up false perceptions as a way of wedging working people against each other and against their class interests, and the Left is ceding the ground.
Why the Pakeha Party is great news for the Left
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, July 9th, 2013 - 207 comments
The ‘Pakeha Party’ has the most Facebook followers of any New Zealand political movement (excepting John Key’s page) That’s in one day of publicity. They’re seriously talking about forming an actual political party. Should we be worried about this apparent reactionary force? Nah. The creation of a ‘Pakeha Party’ would be good news.
Collins sanitising wikipedia
Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, July 8th, 2013 - 174 comments
Wellington alcohol and drug counsellor Roger Brooking has revealed a campaign by Judith Collins’ staff to sanitise her Wikipedia page and the pages on various issues related to New Zealand justice issues. References to facts that National doesn’t want to acknowledge – such as its links to the Sensible Sentencing Trust – have been purged by Collins’ team.
On having a more representative Parliament
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, July 4th, 2013 - 323 comments
Labour should be congratulated for facing up to the lack of women’s representation in our Parliament.
They could sit around waiting for society to eliminate all structural barriers and usher in full gender equality, but frankly I’d rather they did something about it now. It’s a messy debate, but that’s democracy.
Simon Bridges’ ongoing struggle with the truth
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 pm, July 1st, 2013 - 29 comments
Simon Bridges has been caught in a lie again.
This time it’s about the vital matter of forestry health and safety.
Putting this guy in charge of the employment portfolio shows just how little National think of Kiwi workers.
Mana Maori?
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, July 1st, 2013 - 39 comments
There’s a lot of talk about a reunification of the Mana and Maori Parties after the Ikaroa-Rawhiti result. So – what are the chances?
Christchurch East maneuvering
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, June 24th, 2013 - 33 comments
So it looks like Labour’s Christchurch East candidate when Lianne Dalziel steps down will be either Clayton Cosgrove or James Caygill. The first question you ask is ‘why wouldn’t Clayton just stand in Waimakiriri again?’. He’s won it 4 of 5 attempts and Wilkinson only has a 600 majority. A slight swing will win it for him again, why give that up? The answer is troubling.
Foreign land buyers: its non-residents, not immigrants
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, June 24th, 2013 - 38 comments
Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse was on Q+A yesterday, talking about immigrant labour exploitation and about foreigners pushing up prices for houses and land. Woodhouse, purposely, conflated immigrants buying houses when they are coming here with non-residents buying houses that are purely rental investments/speculations on the NZ housing market.
The nub of the issue
Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, June 19th, 2013 - 112 comments
John Key can’t admit there’s a crisis in manufacturing. His response is to huff and puff and call people bozos. Not good enough. Here are some basic questions that Key should be able to answer…
Bridges caught out by own bullshit
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 pm, June 18th, 2013 - 30 comments
Simon Bridges’ loose relationship with the truth has got him in trouble just a few weeks into his first big test as Minister of Labour. It started last week when he got caught off guard by an innocuous question from Darien Fenton…
Requiem for a doofus
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, June 18th, 2013 - 34 comments
Well, Slater’s reverse midas touch has struck again. It’s remarkable that Slater should be able to take a 125-year old publication and kill it in 6 months, especially when Judith Collins says he’s better than the mainstream media. Or, perhaps, he had been so successful in turning Truth into the new media dreadnought that its jobs was done. Ah well, lets remember how it began.
Inconvenient indeed
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, June 15th, 2013 - 62 comments
Your favourite smug, self-aggrandising Tory and mine, David Farrar, wrote a post yesterday about something called the “Performance of Manufacturing Index”, which is a wee survey that the BNZ does. Apparently, it shows manufacturing on the grow. ‘How inconvenient’ for people worried about the crisis in manufacturing, Farrar chortled. Then, Blenheim’s largest manufacturer laid off 84 workers.
A fighting liberal
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 pm, June 14th, 2013 - 42 comments
Lieutenant General David Morrison schools the misogynists and shows how you can be tough and liberal.
Best quote:
“You may find another employer where your attitude and behaviour is acceptable but I doubt it. The same goes for those that think toughness is build on humiliating others.”
Why can’t the Right face the manufacturing crisis?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 12th, 2013 - 117 comments
The NBR (motto: ‘our circulation’s falling at 12% per year’) and the Right blogs are all aflutter after supposedly proving that Russel Norman is wrong and there haven’t been 40,000 manufacturing jobs lost since 2008. NBR’s Rob Hosking claims the number is only 10,000-20,000. Because, you know, that would be OK. But the truth is, Norman’s right – 40,000 manufacturing job losses since June 2008.
Positioning and reality
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, June 10th, 2013 - 72 comments
There’s a lot of talk at the moment about whether Labour is too close to the Greens. Lately, we’ve seen spin coming out that Labour might be able to govern without the Greens, favouring NZF instead. Meanwhile, the Greens seem happy to talk about a future Greens-Labour government. National’s leaking to Peters and Peters is playing the race card. What’s going on?
Key’s credibility hit
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, June 4th, 2013 - 110 comments
At the same time as Russel Norman was laying out the Key Government’s flagrant disregard for democracy in powerful terms (and weren’t the Right’s pundits quick to circle the wagons around Key after that?), a poll was out showing the public is agreeing with Norman’s view of Key. 43.5% of Kiwis trust Key less than a year ago. 49% think its time for a change of government.
Lusk papers 2 – selling out to America
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, June 2nd, 2013 - 248 comments
Here’s the second of the Lusk papers that we were leaked, as was to be covered in today’s Sunday Star Times.
This paper confirms that a faction within National sees New Zealand as a vassal of America, and wants to see American influence (and American money) gain control over our politics.
The Lusk paper
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, June 1st, 2013 - 130 comments
This is the first of the Lusk papers, as leaked to us a couple of days ago, and as currently being discussed on The Nation.
Out of the shadows
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 pm, May 31st, 2013 - 38 comments
Well, its not taken long for the counter-strike. After Judith Collins’ main brain, Simon Lusk (better known as the cogent Whaleoil) went public last weekend threatening backbenchers that their careers would be short if they didn’t back Collins’ leadership bid when Key goes. Now, documents by Lusk talking about a ‘party within a party’ have been leaked.
That Lusk article
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, May 31st, 2013 - 71 comments
I’ve been meaning to write something on Andrea Vance’s very good piece on Simon Lusk. It tells us a lot that we already know: Lusk is the brains behind Slater; Lusk was involved in the demolition of Gilmore; and he’s very tight with the Collins camp. What’s interesting is why he has come out in the public light now. And the messages he is sending to National MPs. The leadership battle is heating up.
‘Cleared’
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 22nd, 2013 - 61 comments
So, Neazor’s written his report into the 88 New Zealanders that the GCSB spied on. In the spirit of open government, National’s suppressing it. But we’re told it find that the GCSB ‘arguably’ didn’t break the law. That’s coming from the guy who excused them in the Dotcom case, too, remember. And, it’s hardly ‘clearing’ the GCSB as the Nats claims.
Political science
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, May 20th, 2013 - 31 comments
As I/S pointed out yesterday, the Government’s “innovation” agenda is nothing more than a cuts to R&D and hidden subsidies.
Today in the Herald that’s confirmed
The gift that keeps on giving
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, May 17th, 2013 - 36 comments
First Collins fails the replicant test. Now Scott catches her openly plotting against her leader…
Budget summary
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, May 17th, 2013 - 120 comments
Nothing on poverty. Nothing on affordable housing. House prices forecast to keep rising. Attacks on local democracy. More fear into the lives of the poor (reviewable tenancies). Stealth privatisation of state housing, sorry, ‘social housing’. A ‘surplus’ of 0.03% of GDP. Weak growth outlook. $200b national debt. And a promise of 171,000 more jobs that’s just as credible as the last one.
City Rail Link in the Budget?
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 45 comments
A reader sent us a comment from another blog by someone who was polled a couple of weeks back. The questions are very interesting, especially once you realise that it’s clearly being done for National and the Right in Auckland (one of the questions gives it away). Have a read, then I’ll tell you why I reckon the Nats are going to fund the City Rail Link in the Budget.
Stealth privatisation of state housing in budget
Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, May 15th, 2013 - 35 comments
There’s more than one way to fleece the public of our assets. While attention is the energy companies, there’s also privatisation in the form of public organisations selling of their operations (eg Orcon), and opening public funding to for-profit companies (eg. charter schools). More seems on the cards for our state housing as National offers to give over control to private organisations.
The meaning of utu
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, May 14th, 2013 - 115 comments
Aaron Gilmore has promised ‘utu’, or reciprocation, against a select band of National insiders. What’s going on behind the scenes?
Claudette Hauiti
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, May 13th, 2013 - 60 comments
After a brutal smear-campaign from Key, Gilmore is gone. Nothing he did made him unfit to be an MP ,* but lying to Key meant Key had to get him out of the caucus or look weak. And the only safe way to do that was have him resign. That done, we get Claudette Hauiti. Who’s she? Well, here’s a measure of her calibre. In a 2010 Auckland local board competition, she came 10th out of 12.
What’s done can be undone
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 13th, 2013 - 220 comments
SkyCity will get more pokies and cashless gambling in return for building the convention centre that it always wanted to build. (…excuse me, I’m just trying not to puke watching Len Brown on Breakfast as he shrugs off the problem gambling increase from this deal…) The convention centre will be a white elephant. SkyCity should know that what’s done can be undone.
Update: Anyone buying in to the Nats’ “Labour did it too” line should read Russell Brown’s demolition of that lie.
- Fair Enough!
Sounds About Right: It would seem that the realities of practical politics makes utilitarians of us all.DOING THE GREATEST GOOD for the greatest number has long been the ethical rule-of-thumb for New Zealand politicians. At least, that is how they would argue if challenged to justify their own, or their ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: The wrong direction
Today the government released its "action plan" for the next three months - basically, the list of what it wants to get done. Yes, its government by KPI, with all the bullshit that that entails. But contempt for management culture aside, what about the substance? And in particular, the substance ...2 weeks ago - The complex and bloated Executive
David Farrar writes – The NZ Initiative has published a research note comparing our Executive Government to others. They note: We have 44% more Ministers, 282% more portfolios and 156% more departments than countries of similar size NZ has 41 departments NZ has 27 crown agencies NZ has ...2 weeks ago - Steven Joyce’s revolving door entry into a $4000/day govt appointmentBryce Edwards writes – Former National Government Finance Minister Steven Joyce is being paid $4000 a day to chair the new Government’s “expert advisory panel” on infrastructure. That’s over twice what Prime Minister Christopher Luxon gets, and makes Joyce New Zealand’s highest-paid public servant. At the same time, ...2 weeks ago
- The debt rules being used to strangle NZIn reality, there is far too little ‘future proofing’ being undertaken by councils, mainly because of the fear of the perceptions of councillors, officials, mayors (and Government ministers) that they’ll be punished for being ‘fiscally reckless’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six news items of note on ...2 weeks ago
- A data scientist’s case for ‘cautious optimism’ about climate change
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda Against the regular drumbeat of negative news on climate and the environment, a positive note can be both startling and therapeutic. To keep pressing forward, we need to know that progress has been — and still can be — made. ...2 weeks ago - Suddenly Seymour.
I know Seymour's the greatestBut I'm dating a semi-sadistSo I've got a black eyeAnd my arm's in a cast.Still, that Seymour's a cutieWell, if not, he's got inner beautyAnd I dream of a placeWhere we could be together at last..How are you feeling about David Seymour, six months after the ...2 weeks ago - The Kaka’s diary for the week to April 8 and beyond
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 8 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-cabinet news conference at 4pm today.Parliament is not sittingBuilding consents data is due on Thursday.Photo by Marissa Grootes on UnsplashThe Kaka’s diary for the week to ...2 weeks ago - Daughters of Derbyshire: Published
My 4300-word historical fiction piece, Daughters of Derbyshire, is now out, via The Lesbian Historical Motif Podcast. Print format: https://alpennia.com/blog/lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-episode-283-daughters-derbyshire-daniel-stride Audio format: https://lesbianhistoricmotif.podbean.com/e/daughters-of-derbyshire-by-daniel-stride-the-lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-episode-283/ It concerns seventeenth century English Puritans – at once alien to modernity, and yet also a story written in the grim shadow of 2020. ...2 weeks ago - A moment of friction.
In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), … Continue reading ...2 weeks ago - Spotlight on the CourtsMuriel Newman writes – “Houston, we have a problem!” New Zealand’s Supreme Court – the highest court in our land – has been captured by activist judges. What is heartening, is the emergence of a wide range of eminent legal voices all openly criticising the Court and calling ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Government announces ban on walking
RNZ reports: As part of their ‘100 Day Plan – Phase 2’, the government today announced a ban on walking on streets and in most public spaces. Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the move is part of the Government’s plan to boost economic growth and productivity. “Walking is just too ...2 weeks ago - 2024 Reading Summary (+ Writing Update)Completed reads for March: Lamia (poem), by John Keats The Moon Pool, by Abraham Merritt A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking Inverted World, by Christopher Priest Fugue for a Darkening Island, by Christopher Priest The Secrets of Dr John Taverner (collection), by Dion Fortune St Benedict’s Rule ...2 weeks ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #13A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 24, 2024 thru Sat, March 30, 2024. Story of the week When it comes to polar sea ice appearances can be deceptive, trends may be obvious ...2 weeks ago
- Love is Love.
There are three comedians I particularly like. One Scottish, one American, and one Australian. No walking into a bar in this joke, they’re all at various stage of alcoholism - funny how that works. They’re all liberal more than necessarily left - although the Scottish one is typically socialist. It’s ...2 weeks ago - In journalism facts should be verifiable
Fact-Checkers’ personal biases will often lead to presenting fake news as factual, or facts as fake news. Image credit: “The Psychology of Fact-Checking.” I ... 2 weeks ago- The Origins of Rage
Hi,I dyed my hair pink* this week. If I was being pretentious I’d say it was an art project. I’d used a pink-hair filter on social media earlier this month, which had people evenly split between “Oh my God you dyed your hair!” to “That’s clearly a filter!”At some point ...2 weeks ago- The Missing Body.
“And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.” – Matthew 27:2“THIS COURT OF INQUIRY will come to order!”The Presiding Officer surveyed the room. The tables arranged to form a hollow square. The soldiers in their dress uniforms. The evidence folders placed neatly ...2 weeks ago- National’s Governing For (Crony) Capitalists – Not Capitalism.
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme! The late Bruce Jesson used to say that while National governed for capitalists, Labour governed for Capitalism. Jesson’s suggestion: that National was so firmly locked inside the individualist logic of the private sector that it struggled to see the broader capitalist picture; was a shrewd one.WHY IS THE ...2 weeks ago- Rapture and Rage.
When Push Came To Shove: If Jacinda Ardern’s government struggled to contain 3,000 angry Kiwis in 2022, how will Christopher Luxon’s cope with 300,000 in 2025?THE OCCUPATION OF PARLIAMENT GROUNDS stands as one of the oddest moments in New Zealand political history. Not the least of its oddities was the mixture ...2 weeks ago- Things I’d have hoped we could all agree on
Eric Crampton writes – This week’s Budget Policy Statement was disappointing. There are a few things I’d have thought we could all have agreed on. They seem pretty basic. If the Reserve Bank is still using monetary policy to push against inflation, fiscal stimulus is a pretty bad ...2 weeks ago- Labour’s crime legacy of the last three years
Michael Bassett writes – The Labour Government lost the 2023 election when its support halved from 2020. It deserved to lose on economic grounds alone. Covid lockdowns that went beyond the prudent and wrecked livelihoods in the name of saving lives; an orgy of careless spending of borrowed ...2 weeks ago- Heroes and Rogues.
Happy Easter. 🙂As with last week’s review I’ll begin today with the the view from the right. Which last week seemed cloudy, and lacking in the ideal accoutrements for depth perception. Hosking’s Hall of Heroes.Donald Trump: 7/10 He floated and made a fortune and got a bond reduction with more time ...3 weeks ago- Getting Laid with Lamiae: The Origins of Sexy Vampires
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...3 weeks ago- Here’s hoping road users don’t depend only on ministerial advice to stay alive
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...3 weeks ago- Luxon’s challenge – Fiscal discipline or tax cuts
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...3 weeks ago- Failing to internalise new realities
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bay concluded “that ...3 weeks ago- Auckland Council’s astute feedback on the GPS
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...3 weeks ago- The Hoon around the week to March 29
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...3 weeks ago- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #13 2024
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change: The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...3 weeks ago- Why NZ First shouldn’t get any apologies for the SFO’s failed prosecution
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...3 weeks ago- National’s total reversal on marine protection
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...3 weeks ago- Lee, Costello, Hoggard and Simmonds walk into a bar
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...3 weeks ago- Bryce Edwards: Why NZ First shouldn’t get any apologies for the SFO’s failed prosecution
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...3 weeks ago- Paying for the RoNS like Rail
Note: Consultation on the GPS closes on Monday The Government’s Draft Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport contains many ideological burbs and inconsistencies. One of the many of those is around the rail network. For example, it talks about how rail freight investment has seen a significant increase in recent ...3 weeks ago- Past plans are undone by a government keen to make the most of ocean resources and cut that “dam r...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...3 weeks ago- Who Ordered the Culture Wars?
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...3 weeks ago- Borrowing $15b more to pay for $14.9b of tax cuts
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...3 weeks ago- You can start applying for the American Climate Corps next month
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...3 weeks ago- Gordon Campbell on the US opposition to mortgage interest deductibility for landlords
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...3 weeks ago- Willis’s tax cuts dilemma
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...3 weeks ago- The American Nightmare
Hi,Back in 2020 Webworm wrote about how “Havana Syndrome” was bullshit. If you missed it, America claimed its diplomats in Cuba were under attack from sonic weapons, causing everything from vomiting to brain damage. They termed it Havana Syndrome. During this time, Webworm kept writing about how it was bullshit ...3 weeks ago - The Origins of Rage
- Indonesian military’s crimes in West Papua and the democratic solution
By Sharon Muller of Arah Juang On Friday, March 22, a video circulated of TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers torturing a civilian in Papua. In the video, the victim is submerged in a drum filled with water with his hands tied behind his back. The victim was alternately beaten and kicked ...4 days ago - View from The Hill: Danielle Wood pricks Albanese’s industry policy balloon – but leaves him wit...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Among the critics emerging to find fault with Anthony Albanese’s interventionist industry policy, the one who gave the most damaging prick to the Prime Ministerial balloon was Danielle Wood, the new head of the Productivity ...4 days ago
- ‘Corrosive obsession with a person’s race’: David Seymour on Māori Wards
ACT Party leader David Seymour would vote against Māori wards if his home council were to hold a referendum on them. ...4 days ago - Danielle Wood pricks Albanese’s industry policy balloon – but leaves him with some good adviceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Among the critics emerging to find fault with Anthony Albanese’s interventionist industry policy, the one who gave the most damaging prick to the Prime Ministerial balloon was Danielle Wood, the new head of the Productivity ...4 days ago
- NEW POLL: Kiwis want Nicola Willis to hold firm on tax relief
A new Taxpayers’ Union – Curia poll has revealed that 53% of New Zealanders believe that the Government should continue to deliver the tax relief that was promised by the National Party during the election campaign. 29% of respondents thought that ...4 days ago - Fast-track approvals: Minister's letter states some 'were invited to' applyA letter from Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop shows some project owners had been "invited to" submit to the fast-tracking process. ...4 days ago
- Trillions of tonnes of carbon locked in soil has been left out of environmental models – and it’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuanyuan Huang, Research Scientist, CSIRO TaraPatta / Shutterstock We all know about the carbon in Earth’s atmosphere, and probably about the carbon contained in plants and the bodies of animals. But a substantial fraction of the carbon in the planet’s ...4 days ago
- Murray Valley encephalitis: summer is over but mosquito-borne disease remains a risk in northern Aus...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney encierro/Shutterstock Cooler temperatures are fading our memories of summer and reducing numbers of mosquitoes in southern parts of Australia. But up north, warmer temperatures and plenty of rain ...4 days ago
- Australia’s live music crisis is essentially a crisis of confidence. How could we bring it back?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod Davies, Lecturer in Popular Music, Monash University It has been a big few weeks in the Australian live music scene. The cancellations of major festivals Groovin’ the Moo and Splendour in the Grass have ushered in a stream of news reports ...4 days ago
- Health NZ chairperson resigns after less than a year in positionDame Karen Poutasi has resigned after just over nine months in the job. ...4 days ago
- Australia is playing catch-up with the Future Made in Australia Act. Will it be enough?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naoise McDonagh, Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University IM Imagery/Shutterstock Australia is a trading nation. Its economy relies on a strong and open global trade environment. Australian governments have historically rejected protectionist industrial policies that ...4 days ago
- Tickle vs Giggle: in a world where transgender people are under attack, this is a test case for Aust...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Gerber, Professor of Human Rights Law, Monash University Around the world, the human rights of transgender people are under attack. Media reports of trans women being vilified, excluded and discriminated against are frequent, and the consequences of this rise in hatred ...4 days ago
- The politics of recognition: Australia and the question of Palestinian statehoodSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Micaela Sahhar, Lecturer, History of Ideas, Trinity College, The University of Melbourne What is the significance of the Australian government signalling this week that it may finally recognise Palestinian statehood? Though not universally popular, Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s diplomatic gesture towards Palestinian ...4 days ago
- Australia is playing catchup with the Future Made in Australia Act. Will it be enough?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naoise McDonagh, Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University IM Imagery/Shutterstock Australia is a trading nation. Its economy relies on a strong and open global trade environment. Australian governments have historically rejected protectionist industrial policies that ...4 days ago
- Department of Internal Affairs announces cuts, winds up water reform teamsTwenty-eight jobs will be cut at the Department of Internal Affairs' National Library and the Māori, Strategy and Performance branch, the agency has confirmed. ...4 days ago
- Government Spending Cuts Force DIA To Contract Out Critical Legal WorkCommercial work undertaken by a Department of Internal Affairs’ legal team will be fully outsourced to private law firms under proposed job cuts to meet the Government’s drive for spending cuts. "How does fattening the profits of law firms make sense ...4 days ago
- Public Submissions Open On Te Korowai O Wainuiārua Claims Settlement BillThis bill seeks to give effect to certain matters contained in the deed of settlement signed on 29 July 2023 by the Crown and Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. ...4 days ago
- Our supermarket aisles are ‘rife with greenwashing’
While New Zealand is yet to even size up the scale of greenwashing, other parts of the world are forging ahead with new rules. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. The loo paper in my shopping basket is “earth smart”. The cotton buds, ...4 days ago - Indigenous rights flag-burning protest rocks CNMI communityBy Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent A man on Saipan has burned the official CNMI flag in protest, saying that it does not truly represent Indigenous people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI). A public video of the flag-burning was posted by Raymond ...4 days ago
- School attendance held back by sickness – Ministry of EducationJust over half of students regularly attended school in term four last year, up on the same term in 2022. ...4 days ago
- No, beetroot isn’t vegetable Viagra. But here’s what else it can doSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland CLICKMANIS/Shutterstock Beetroot has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Supply issues in recent months have seen a shortage of tinned beetroot on Australian supermarket shelves. ...4 days ago
- Green economy summit: how can Australia get more from its relationship with Vietnam?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trang Nguyen, Southeast Asia Lead, Climateworks Centre Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin, Shutterstock Next week, more than 100 green energy, technology, education and finance companies from Australia and Vietnam will gather in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting is billed as ...4 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘狐 fox’ by Lee MurrayA poem from Lee Murray’s new collection Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud. 狐 fox You are running through the streets of a city—Tāmaki Makaurau, or maybe Pōneke—quiet paws scampering over the broken concrete footpaths, where spindly weeds grow from the cracks. You must not be ...4 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 12The 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 The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Canongate, $55) Unstoppable! 2 Butter by Asako ...4 days ago
- EDS Calls For Fast-track Approvals Bill To Be Abandoned In Submission To Select CommitteeThe Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has filed its final substantive submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...4 days ago
- City planners love infill development. So why are cities struggling with it, and how can they do bet...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil G Sipe, Honorary Professor of Planning, The University of Queensland Forestville, Adelaide Renewal SA, CC BY Infill development is an increasingly hot topic in Australian cities. It involves building on unused or underutilised land within existing urban areas. City planners ...4 days ago
- The Petrov affair: how a real-life Cold War defection became a soothing spy story for anxious Austra...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melanie Brand, Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, Macquarie University This year marks 70 years since Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov sensationally defected to Australia shortly before the 1954 election, beginning what came to be known as the “Petrov affair”. The defection itself is interesting ...4 days ago
- Government warned against repealing Oranga Tamariki's Treaty commitmentsThe Government has been warned against repealing Oranga Tamariki's Treaty commitments. ...4 days ago
- Geopolitical reasons why Warner Bros were always going to mutilate NZ’s NewshubCOMMENTARY: By Martyn Bradbury, editor of The Daily Blog The day the news axe fell: Presenters, insiders fear ‘huge blow for democracy’ The future of New Zealand’s media landscape is becoming clearer by the day, with confirmation that it will no longer feature one of the country’s big two TV ...4 days ago
- Grant Robertson is swapping cabinet for academia – but should ex-politicians lead universities?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Baker, Associate Professor in Human Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images The appointment of former Labour finance minister Grant Robertson as vice-chancellor is a first for Otago University, which has never had a non-academic in the ...4 days ago
- Watercare signals possible 25% increase in water ratesAuckland's water provider chair says she knows struggling residents won't welcome the prospect. ...4 days ago
- The aftershocks keep coming in gripping new psychological drama Friends Like HerSet in small town Kaikōura, Three’s sharp new local drama follows two best friends and a surrogacy pact that goes wrong. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Kaikōura has never looked better than in new psychological drama Friends Like Her, with its ...4 days ago
- The week in politics: Targets, truants and MPs' pay pickleAnalysis - A look back at "ambitious" public service targets, plans to fix school attendance and pay rises for politicians. ...4 days ago
- Charter Schools establishment board pay revealedThe eight-member board will provide strategic oversight and advice on the model for the schools. ...4 days ago
- Manawatū Tenants Union Condemns Proposed Residential Tenancies Act AmendmentsThe Manawatū Tenants Union has expressed deep concern over the proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act put forward by Housing Minister Chris Bishop. The changes, aimed at revitalising the rental property market, have raised significant ...4 days ago
- Enga ‘isn’t that bad’, says Australian diplomat on troubled area visitPNG Post-Courier The Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, John Feakes, has become the first foreign diplomat to visit the “valley of tears” in Wapenamanda, Enga, province. Feakes braved fears of tribal warfare when he visited Australian government-funded projects at a tribal fighting zone on Wednesday. The battlefields of ...4 days ago
- 'Devastated': Widow pleads for late husband’s dream to be realisedThe wife of a late Rotorua councillor is pleading with the council not to shelve her late husband's dream of a skatepark. ...4 days ago
- Pseudoephedrine could be back on the shelves as soon as JuneMedsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing the medicine. ...4 days ago
- Annual Food Price Inflation Slows To 0.7 PercentFood prices increased 0.7 percent in the 12 months to March 2024, the smallest increase since April 2021, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. The 0.7 percent increase followed a 2.1 percent increase in the 12 months to February 2024, and is ...4 days ago
- Public Submissions Open On The Te Pire Whakatupua Mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Red...The Māori Affairs Committee is calling for public submissions on the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill. This bill would give effect to certain matters contained in Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo/the Taranaki Maunga ...4 days ago
- When Wellington starred in a Bollywood spy thriller: a scene-by-scene breakdownSubways, palaces, gold heists, rockets on trains and luxury nightlife? You Bollywood in Wellington. I still remember the first Bollywood movie I ever watched. The year was 2001, I was eight years old, and my cousins had just brought home a copy of Khabbie Khushi Khabie Gham that they’d bought ...4 days ago
- Fast-track bill: Which projects could be approved for quicker consent?There is consensus among advocates on which projects are most likely to try their hand at a path of lesser resistance. ...5 days ago
- Fast-track bill: Which projects could be approved for quicker consent?There is consensus among advocates on which projects are most likely to try their hand at a path of lesser resistance. ...5 days ago
- Despite what you might hear, weather prediction is getting better, not worseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Australia’s weather bureau copped harsh criticism after El Niño failed to deliver a much-vaunted dry summer in eastern Australia. Parts of northern Queensland in the path of Tropical Cyclone Jasper had ...5 days ago
- All the things we won’t know in 10 yearsAn ongoing survey measuring child poverty has been axed, and a longitudinal study of child health is at risk. Are we throwing the literal baby out with the bathwater? The year is 2034. Four journalists and 120 trained bots assemble to report on a speech from the prime minister in the ...5 days ago
- Watch live: PM Christopher Luxon talks to media in AucklandThe Prime Minister is back in Auckland and talks to journalists during a bleak week for media and public servants. ...5 days ago
- Half a million more Australians on welfare? Not unless you double-countSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun carried an exclusive story on Sunday headed “Half a million extra on welfare”. It was subheaded: NDIS blowing the budget. The story ...5 days ago
- Foy & Gibson’s 8,100,000 miles of yarn: how Australians were sold ‘fashionable’ (and ‘he...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lorinda Cramer, Lecturer, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, Deakin University How do you describe the feel of wool against your skin? For some that feel is snuggly soft. Others remember a prickly sensation. But would you call wool “healthy”, “comfortable” or ...5 days ago
- Choice and control: are whitegoods disability supports? Here’s what proposed NDIS reforms saySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a draft ...5 days ago
- It’s common to ‘stream’ maths classes. But grouping students by ability can lead to ‘massive...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, Professor, University of Newcastle Karolina Grabowska/Pexels, CC BY It is very common in Australian schools to “stream” students for subjects such as English, science and maths. This means students are grouped into different classes based on their previous ...5 days ago
- RNZ's pips are changing – Can you hear the difference?The iconic beeps that mark each hour are getting a shake-up. ...5 days ago
- AUKUS, Gaza on agenda during Winston Peters Antony Blinken talks in WashingtonBoth agreed there are powerful reasons Aotearoa should engage with AUKUS. ...5 days ago
- Does Melissa Lee have a plan to help media?The media minister’s stubborn unwillingness to share any details of what she proposes has drawn both criticism and ridicule, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A tough day to be media ...5 days ago
- RNZ's brand new current affairs show: 30 with Guyon EspinerGuyon Espiner says "there might be the odd f-bomb dropped" in his new, unedited 30 minute interview show. ...5 days ago
- Lessons from Manchester as Govt works out how it wants city deals run
A presentation to NZ mayors and chief executives by Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham has added fuel to the growing discussion about city deals and devolution The post Lessons from Manchester as Govt works out how it wants city deals run appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago - Ranking the best and worst of Wellington’s tourism adsFrom ‘Absolutely Positively Wellington’ to ‘You would in Wellington’, the coolest little capital sure has seen plenty of slogans. Wellington’s promotional agency, WellingtonNZ, has revealed its latest ad campaign to attract tourists to the capital city, centred around a new slogan: “You would in Wellington”. Over the past three decades, ...5 days ago
- Stuff, The Spinoff, Newsroom, SYSCA and NZ Geographic on the media crisisAbove the Fold: as two of our biggest media organisations face radical downsizing, Duncan Greive asks media leaders what’s going on, and what can be done about it. Today: the leaders of Stuff and a number of key independent news and magazine publishers. This is part five of Above the ...5 days ago
- Winston goes to WashingtonThe Right Honourable Winston Peters is back on the world stage, and showing every sign of relishing his new, old, job. But it won’t be business as usual for him despite having held the Foreign Affairs role twice before. “I think we’re seeing a sea-change in New Zealand foreign policy,” ...5 days ago
- Lobbying: an industry devoid of principles?Opinion: The problem with lobbying lies somewhere between affable arrogance, profit maximisation and abrogation of duty The post Lobbying: an industry devoid of principles? appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Auckland housing hearings halt until certainty returnsAuckland’s councillors have provided some certainty to residents on whether or not they need to be preparing for hearings on the future of intensification in areas like the former Auckland Light Rail corridor. The National-led Government came into power on the back of strong promises around housing and transport, such ...5 days ago
- Auckland credit union to hand over operations as costs mountCredit Union Auckland fell foul of the Reserve Bank’s Capital requirements midway through last year The post Auckland credit union to hand over operations as costs mount appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Is netball’s top league tough enough?Last year was a disappointing one for netball in New Zealand, with the Silver Ferns missing out on a medal for the first time in their rich Netball World Cup history. After the Ferns lost to Jamaica in the bronze medal match in Cape Town, it raises the question: Is ...5 days ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 12 AprilThe post Daily crossword, Friday 12 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- This week’s bestselling books, April 12NONFICTION 1 Evolving by Judy Bailey (HarperCollins, $39.99) Judy Bailey! Legend; nice person; the New Zealander of pretty much every year. A free copy of her guide to ageing is available in this week’s book giveaway. To enter, email stephen11@xtra.co.nz with the subject line in screaming caps OLD AGE IS ...5 days ago
- NZ urgently needs to invest in strong climate researchLong-term climate research funding is needed to properly understand what weather extremes NZ faces in the future The post NZ urgently needs to invest in strong climate research appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Minister left $46b benefit of smokefree reforms out of Cabinet paperNZ would only reach a five percent smoking rate in 2061 if smokefree reforms were repealed, officials warned The post Minister left $46b benefit of smokefree reforms out of Cabinet paper appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 12 AprilLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],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, Friday 12 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Grattan on Friday: Albanese government can’t be accused of excessive caution any longerSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Commentators used to complain the Albanese government was being too cautious. That charge can’t easily be levelled now. Take two totally different issues on which the government in recent days has defined itself by ...5 days ago
- Pacific states could help ‘help prevent’ nuclear war, says advocateBy Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Pacific nations and smaller states are being urged to unite to avoid being caught in the crossfire of a possible nuclear conflict between China and the US. On the cusp of a new missile age in the Indo-Pacific, a nuclear policy specialist suggests ...5 days ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Burns on being a Jewish MP during a terrible conflictSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The death of Australian Zomi Frankcom and other World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza in an Israeli strike has led to yet more intense and critical scrutiny over how Israel is prosecuting the war ...5 days ago
- Corrections defends pace of change: 'There is no reluctance'Corrections is pushing back against claims it's been too slow to make changes after Covid. ...5 days ago
- Late Night with the Devil is a sly, gleefully horrifying Aussie hit that invites you to be hypnotise...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury Maslow Entertainment The ’70s-throwback found-footage horror comedy, Late Night with the Devil, joins a long list of recent Australian horror success stories. Framed as a tabloid-style retrospective, the ...5 days ago
- Women set to bear brunt of Tertiary Education Commission losses – unionThe government agency overseeing universities and polytechnics is cutting 28 roles, mainly held by women. ...5 days ago
- Once enemies, Japan and US strengthen their alliance – and it goes beyond AUKUSSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Faculty (Japan Campus), Temple University Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit to the White House has already resulted in one of the most ambitious boosts to the United States-Japan alliance. This alliance is now at ...5 days ago
- Department of Conservation set to lose scientific expertise in job cuts"DOC won't have the capacity to deliver on species conservation programmes," an academic says. ...5 days ago
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