Author Archive
The Air New Zealand Industrial dispute
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, December 11th, 2018 - 19 comments
Air New Zealand has provoked industrial action from its workers by trying to wind back wages and conditions at a time it is making near record profits.
Labour’s education reforms
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, December 9th, 2018 - 58 comments
The Government has released a discussion paper proposing radical change to our education system, including the establishment of regional hubs to improve cooperation between schools and provisions to strengthen the proposition that kids should attend their local well resources and well run school.
Nutjobs and the UN Global Migration Pact
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, December 7th, 2018 - 123 comments
National and ACT have alleged that a United Nations Pact supported by New Zealand in 2016 will take away sovereign rights even though the pact itself says that it is not legally binding.
National’s dead cat strategy
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, December 6th, 2018 - 56 comments
National has attempted to drown out news of further leaks, bad poll results and a reference of Maggie Barry’s behaviour to the Auditor General by staging a big stink in Parliament.
Jesse Mulligan deserves a medal
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, December 4th, 2018 - 23 comments
Maggie Barry is facing fresh allegations of staff bullying. And Jesse Mulligan has responded to her criticism of him by saying it shows he was doing his job properly.
We’re dreaming of a White Christmas
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 3rd, 2018 - 116 comments
Social media has erupted because a Santa Claus was not a fat old white guy with false facial hair.
Latest Colmar Brunton poll
Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, December 2nd, 2018 - 189 comments
The latest Colmar Brunton poll result is out suggesting a slight rebound in National’s fortunes.
Another National MP accused of bullying
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, December 1st, 2018 - 135 comments
The Herald has reported this morning on allegations of bullying being made by staff against Nati0nal MP Maggie Barry.
National wants there to be no unions
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, November 30th, 2018 - 76 comments
Dan Bidois this week in Parliament confirmed what we have always known, that National want there to be no unions around.
Stuff is banning climate change deniers from articles and comments
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, November 29th, 2018 - 261 comments
Stuff have adopted a policy of banning opinion pieces and comments from climate change deniers on the basis that the science is settled and allowing space for deniers is a dangerous waste of time.
The dinosaurs are clinging on
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, November 28th, 2018 - 32 comments
The Trump administration has produced an official report outlining the perils of climate change which the POTUS has rejected. And in Australia the dinosaur Liberal Party has suffered a huge loss in Victorian State elections, the loss of their Parliamentary majority and ScoMo has criticised school students taking direct action against the Government’s totally inadequate policies.
The strange case of the missing text from Bridges’ speech
Written By: - Date published: 5:04 pm, November 27th, 2018 - 25 comments
National’s social media team have sent out a tweet with a quote from Simon Bridges that does not appear in the speech that he gave.
National and its no tax promises
Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, November 27th, 2018 - 38 comments
National have got out the old “no new taxes” songbook and are singing it as loudly as they can.
Bridges believes fictional character is definitely a male
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, November 27th, 2018 - 91 comments
Simon Bridges is going for the under 10 misogynist vote by claiming that Santa Claus is definitely a man.
Academic freedom and relationships with China
Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, November 26th, 2018 - 108 comments
A number of prominent academics and researchers have signed an open letter to Jacinda Ardern urging her to take the allegations of Chinese involvement in crimes against Professor Anne Marie Brady seriously and to make a clear statement in defence of academic freedom in New Zealand.
Judith is getting ready
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, November 24th, 2018 - 125 comments
Judith Collins appears to be ramping up a leadership campaign using Fox News type references to climate change, social change and young people.
Bridges Billion dollar bungle
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, November 23rd, 2018 - 126 comments
Simon Bridges has claimed that Labour’s Kiwisaver fund is $18 billion short of the amount needed to meet the Government’s goals of constructing ten thousand Kiwibuild houses a year. The claim has as much credibility as National’s claim that Labour’s budget figures had an $11.5 billion hole in them.
Simon who?
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, November 22nd, 2018 - 43 comments
National MP Simon O’Connor is thinking of a tilt at Auckland’s mayoralty.
Auckland Council is investigating online voting
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, November 21st, 2018 - 63 comments
Auckland Council wishes to conduct a trial of online voting at next year’s local government elections. Is it time to try this out as a voting system?
Another day and more Simon Bridges f*&k ups
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, November 19th, 2018 - 54 comments
Simon Bridges has in the last 24 hours blamed Labour law changes for increasing rentals but has forgotten which ones, and has disagreed that an apology is owed to the families of the Pike River miners on the 8th anniversary of the disaster.
Will Andrew Little be responsible if the Pike River mine gets hit by a meteor?
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, November 18th, 2018 - 102 comments
Stacy Kirk has made the outlandish claim that Andrew Little is prepared to risk someone’s life in his desire to have the Pike River mine properly investigated.
Has Julian Assange been charged?
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 pm, November 16th, 2018 - 67 comments
In breaking news it appears that the reason for Donald Trump’s grumpiness may have been the impending release of news that Julian Assange has had charges laid against him.
May’s Brexit
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, November 15th, 2018 - 91 comments
The unsolvable problem that is Brexit is reaching it’s denouement with Theresa May’s leadership on the line, talk of a no confidence motion, a very leaky cabinet, and no possible achievable resolution in sight.
The strange case of the astroturfed Energy Voices organisation
Written By: - Date published: 3:34 pm, November 13th, 2018 - 18 comments
It has been discovered that the person behind the Energy Voices website is a National Party operative and former staffer.
American midterms – revenge of young people and the decline of the NRA
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 12th, 2018 - 51 comments
In the midterm US elections a number of candidates supported by the NRA have lost out to opponents with strong anti gun views. And the youth vote surged. Were these events related?
All that is wrong with America’s democracy
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, November 10th, 2018 - 40 comments
In Georgia, despite the Repbublican candidate who oversaw the election process engaging in the mass disenfranchisement of Democrat voters, the removal of voting machines to make voting in Democrat areas more difficult and baseless smearing of the Democrat candidate, the result is on a knife edge and a second vote is a possibility.
Latest poll results – National in freefall
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, November 9th, 2018 - 81 comments
A recent UMR poll has put National support at 37%, deep in danger territory for Simon Bridges.
Jeff Sessions resigns as Attorney General
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, November 8th, 2018 - 27 comments
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned at the President’s request and has been replaced by someone who thought that Mueller’s investigation into POTUS went too far.
ScoMo’s flying bus tour
Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, November 8th, 2018 - 20 comments
In an effort to revive sagging support levels Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on a bus tour of Australia involving him flying and being picked up by the bus, drinking lots of beer, wearing different hats and saying fair dinkum a lot.
Triumph the insult dog meets Beto and Cruz
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, November 7th, 2018 - 6 comments
If you have 10 minutes to waste and enjoy laughing uproariously I can recommend this video. Warning should not be watched while you are drinking coffee and the contents may be sprayed on your screen …
Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions
Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, November 6th, 2018 - 45 comments
Simon’s strategy is that cunning you could be tempted to pin a tail on it and call it a weasel.
- Legal Beagle: Name suppression appeals
I recently published a tweet thread, which I thought I might copy and past here, for anyone interested.=============I have long thought that the 20 working days allowed to appeal a refusal to make a suppression order is too long, when ...35 mins ago - Accountability
Over the past months we've learned of a crisis in NZTA's oversight of vehicle warrants of fitness, with garages allowed to issue thousands of dodgy warrants to unsafe vehicles and the work of truck inspectors not checked. People have died ...1 hour ago - A convenient failureHow many children in state care have mental health issues or have attempted suicide? Conveniently, CYFS doesn't know:A psychiatrist says it's a "failing of the system" that Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, does not know how many children in ...2 hours ago
- Protest worksFor the past month France has been brought to a standstill, as members of the yellow vest movement have protested against inequality, the cost of living, and president Emmanuel Macron. And today, a week after serious riots in Paris, Macron ...2 hours ago
- AT’s Consultation Crunch
Consultation is an important part of the process for public agencies but getting it right is easier said than done. Sometimes the issues with consultation stem from what is included, sometimes from how the results are interpreted – only those ...7 hours ago - Australia – Moving to Renewable Energy
Solar and Wind Australia’s six States and two Territories have always had primary responsibility for implementing policies on the transition away from fossil fuels to renewables as an energy source. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the ...10 hours ago - Public Television
Around the turn of the century, I had the privilege and pleasure of serving on the board of Television New Zealand for a period of about ten years. I enjoyed the experience enormously and welcomed the chance to make my ...21 hours ago - Climate Change: Punching above our weightNew Zealanders are usually proud when New Zealand ranks highly at something when measured per capita. But one measurement of that nature which we shouldn't be proud of: we're one of the worst countries in the world for per-capita greenhouse ...23 hours ago
- Hard News: Music: A Teutonic TonicOne of the many challenges posed by Christmas is Christmas music. Christmas carols are all very well, but spending the day actually listening to carols? That way lies madness, or at least an unseasonable degree of suffering. In our house, ...23 hours ago
- The First CRL Breakthrough
1 day ago - Climate Change: Fingers in their earsBack in October the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that we have to limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures, and that we had only 12 years left to do so. The stark description of ...1 day ago
- The British establishment’s propaganda problemFrom 1948 to 1978, the UK Foreign Office ran a secret domestic propaganda operation, the Information Research Department, which targeted UK trade unions and left politics under the guide of "countering communism". Forty years after that operation was shut down, ...1 day ago
- Hard News: A complicated pathway to wellnessHe Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction was published last week and while it offers a substantial list of recommendations for the way such services should be conceived and delivered, I found what it ...1 day ago
- A victory for transparencyThis morning the government announced that it will be proactively releasing ministerial diaries from January next year:Government ministers are trying to shake the image of shady politicians holding secret meetings by opening up their diaries. The State Services Minister will ...1 day ago
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #49
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Video of the Week... Reports of Note... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster ...1 day ago - Letters of Low Expectations – tomorrow’s work at Auckland Council
It seems that almost every day we learn more about the urgent need for radical action to avert catastrophic climate change. Not only are the disastrous consequences becoming clearer, but after years of relatively stable emissions, they are actually increasing ...1 day ago - What we do
With the horrible, tragic case of Grace Millane in the news, we’ve been talking a lot about what women do – and what we shouldn’t have to – to be safe in our country. So I wrote on Twitter: My ...2 days ago - 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #49
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sunday, Dec 2 through Saturday, Dec. 8 Editor's Pick Can 2018’s extreme weather persuade skeptics that the climate is changing? A ...2 days ago - Raining On The White Tribe’s Parade
3 days ago - RIP Pete Shelley
...4 days ago - New research, November 26 – December 2, 2018
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change mitigation Emission scenario analysis for China under the global 1.5 °C target Climate change communication Attribution matters: Revisiting the link between extreme weather experience and climate change ...4 days ago - General Motors layoffs and how capitalism works today
The increasingly parasitical nature of capitalism today is reflected today in a number of ways. One is the artificial nature of share ‘values’ and how workers’ jobs, pay and conitions are affected by this. Below is a piece dealing ...4 days ago - News from the COP24 Climate Change conference in Poland
NZ slammed by Climate Action TrackerCANA’s Cindy Baxter, reporting from the COP24 conference, says that Climate Action Tracker has rated NZ’s current policies to be “highly insufficient” and our 2030 target “insufficient”, and we are also being criticised for ...4 days ago - Same old same oldA couple of years ago, in response to a report showing pervasive criminality within the fishing industry, the Ministry of Primary Industries finally started talking about doing something about it, via remotely-monitored cameras on fishing boats. After much foot-dragging that ...4 days ago
- A Tom Scott cartoon on Saudi Arabia…
A Tom Scott cartoon… . . The only thing is… It’s not commenting on the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Kashoggi… It’s post September 11, and was drawn 2001/02. Some things never seem to change. . Published on The ...4 days ago - AT not ambitious enough with electric buses
If Auckland Transport’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap is adopted by its board next week, all new buses in Auckland from 2025 onward and all buses by 2040 will need to have zero emissions. They also are targeting to have the City ...4 days ago - Twitter: reinstate Meghan Murphy
Sign the change.org petition to re-instate Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy is one of Canada’s pre-eminent feminist journalists and the editor and publisher of “Feminist Current”. Feminist Current’s reach is international. For a decade Murphy has dedicated ...5 days ago - Australia: racism beats “national security”Today the Australian house of representatives is debating the government's super-important encryption backdoor legislation, which would require services like Signal to put a government backdoor in their software. Meanwhile, the Senate is debating an amendment which would require the government ...5 days ago
- PassedLast night Parliament passed the Employment Relations Amendment Act. The Act is disappointing, in that it only eliminates 90 day trials for large employers and restricts union access to workplaces. At the best, it returns the law to where it ...5 days ago
- Protecting the umpire
Thursday’s flare-up in Parliament, which saw the Speaker ordering both National’s leader and Leader of the House out of the chamber while most of their party colleagues (read more ...5 days ago - Climate Change: A threat to our securityIf we don't stop it, climate change threatens to cause famine, migration, war, and death. and now NZDF has recognised the obvious: that all of this is a threat to New Zealand's security:Climate change has been identified as one of ...5 days ago
- A history of the light rail project
There have been some slightly strange conspiracy theories floating around recently about how the City Centre to Mangere light rail project came into existence. I looked at the history recently but thought it would be worthwhile taking a more detailed ...5 days ago - Trump’s disbelief won’t stop dangerous climate change“I don’t believe it,” said Donald Trump when asked about the fourth national climate assessment, authored by 13 government agencies and hundreds of the US’s top climate scientists. His administration had tried to hide the report, publishing it on Black Friday ...6 days ago
- Media statement: Child poverty bill doesn’t address cause: InequalityFor immediate release Monday 3rd Dec 2018 CHILD POVERTY BILL DOESN’T ADDRESS CAUSE: INEQUALITY As Parliament prepares to pass the Child Poverty Reduction Bill this coming week, the income equality group Closing the Gap again urges MPs to tackle the ...6 days ago
- Complicit in conspiracy.
I do not mean to bang on about the Anne Marie Brady case but since it is coming up on one year since the campaign of criminal harassment began against her, I feel compelled to mention how the Labour-led government’s ...6 days ago - Climate Change: Helping the marketThe government today announced a $100 million green investment fund to help new Zealand transition to a green economy: The Government has bankrolled a $100 million green investment fund which aims to invest with businesses to reduce emissions while also ...6 days ago
- NZ should sign the UN Global Compact on MigrationOne of the foundations of New Zealand foreign policy has been support for international institutions and international law. Now, the National Party is opposing that foundation over the UN Global Compact on Migration, saying that "it's not for the UN ...6 days ago
- The causes and economic consequences of rising regional housing prices (part 1)
This is a post from Peter Nunns I stepped down from Greater Auckland at the start of the year as my schedule was about to get a lot busier. First, I was going to have a baby in August. This has ...6 days ago - Après moi, le délugeConsequences of National's austerity, part 287: the public service forgot how to deal with (and was not funded for) a change of government:Public servants responsible for the transition between governments failed to support new ministers as no-one had planned for ...6 days ago
- Legal advice and freedom of informationThe UK government was found to have committed contempt of parliament today, and will be publishing its full Brexit legal advice as a result (and as a desperate attempt to keep government ministers out of the clock tower). Meanwhile, human ...6 days ago
- HealthCarePlus Newsletter Summer 2018
HealthCarePlus Spring 2018 Newsletter ...6 days ago - Making Charitable Gifts and Paying TaxesThe Christmas festive session is traditionally the time for charitable giving, when many of us recognise the need to ensure that the hungry can enjoy a Christmas dinner and that Father Christmas can bring presents on Christmas morning for kiddies ...6 days ago
- Kids in the City: Access
This three-part series of guest posts is written by Alex Bonham, a member of Women in Urbanism, who has worked as a Porse carer and is now researching “the playful city” for her doctorate. In this series of three posts ...6 days ago - Gavin Hawthorn: send him to (drug) court, but not to prison6 days ago
- Can we save the planet without a revolution?We all know we’re shafting the planet, and headlines every other week are making sure we don’t forget. As another Conference of the Parties (COP) conference kicks off this week - this time in Poland, this time called COP24 - we ...7 days ago
- Brexit or Bust?Over the next week the British Parliament debates the terms for Brexit or not. There is no point in my trying to guess what might happen. There are many opinions and they all contradict one another; probably all will be ...7 days ago
- Redacting their dirty laundryEarlier in the year, in response to a litany of abuse by EQC, MBIE, and others, the government initiated an inquiry into the government's use of Thompson and Clark Investigations, New Zealand's private anti-left-wing spy agency. In September, after Stuff ...7 days ago
- Lock them in the clock tower!Three weeks ago, the UK parliament voted unanimously to order the government to release its full legal advice on Brexit, so that it would be available to them ahead of their "meaningful vote". The government subsequently refused to obey, providing ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: National are still dragging their feetThe terrible news on the climate recently - the IPCC report, the UN report on rising greenhouse gas concentrations, and the background drumbeat of places burning, flooding, or otherwise being struck by climate-induced disaster - has caused some to hope ...1 week ago
- NZTA, ANPR and privacyEarlier in the month, we learned that NZTA would be trialling point-to-point speed cameras in the Waterview Tunnel. The cameras are a good road-safety tool to detect speeding, but they use automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), and depending on how long ...1 week ago
- David Seymour – A Valid ‘Hit’ and a Colossal ‘Miss’. . For lone ACT MP, David Seymour, November has been a “mixed bag”. The leader of a near-non-existent Party scored this month – though only one was a try/goal/bowled-out. The other was a foul/offside/no-ball that all but negated ...1 week ago
- The Driver License Test Guide
“Faster. Faster. Faster… OK, pull over, and we’ll discuss that. Back there, if you go at that speed in your test, you’ll fail. It’s a critical error. That road is where four of my students have failed their test for ...1 week ago - Strengthening local voices
Local government is an essential part of New Zealand’s democracy, providing local infrastructure and leadership, facilitating economic and community development along with strategic and financial planning and decision-making (in consultation with communities) on current and future key issues. Today, our ...1 week ago - 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #48
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... G20 told crucial COP24 climate change conference 'must succeed': Guterres UN News/Natalia ...1 week ago - A compromised decisionStuff reports on the government shelving its plans for a fisheries review after pressure from NZ First. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash is trying to present this as no big deal, but it basicly means that the status quo - under ...1 week ago
- What’s special about Simons Pass?Simons Pass is a hugely controversial dairy conversion on leased high country land in the Mackenzie Country. The leaseholders plan to stick 15,000 cows on some of the dryest land in the country, using irrigation to turn the tussock into ...1 week ago
- New Fisk1 week ago
- Inquiries, the OIA, and the Privacy ActThe Sunday Star-Times had a significant story yesterday about unprofessional behaviour by MPI staff regarding environmental activist Pete Bethune, where they had referred to him in a derogatory fashion in internal emails, apparently because of his opposition to illegal fishing ...1 week ago
- COP24: UN climate change conference, what’s at stake and what you need to know
Reprint of article originally posted on UN NEWS on Nov 29, 2018. Click here to access the original. As global temperatures continue to rise, climate action is lagging and the window of opportunity is closing. On Sunday, the United ...1 week ago - Ian McKinnon Cycleway Opened
On Friday I got up early so I could be at the 7am opening for Auckland’s newest and already one of our best cycleways. The Ian McKinnon cycleway connects the Northwestern Cycleway with Upper Queen St might only be 800m long but is ...1 week ago - 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sunday, Nov 25 through Saturday, Dec. 1 Editor's Pick Climate change signals and impacts continue in 2018 The long-term warming ...1 week ago - November ’18 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image Credit: How to Start a Blog as a Home-Based Side Business I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly ...1 week ago - Who Caused the Problems in the First Place?The Guardian published a few days ago an article by Peter Mandelson, someone I might once have described as an “old friend and colleague” but for whom the term “former” is probably more accurate. In the article, Mandelson rehearses at ...1 week ago
- Flashback Saturday: Amsterdam is “bad ass”
Every weekend we dig into the archives. This post by Stu was first published in September 2015. Greetings from Amsterdam. As some of you may know, I’ve recently moved here from Brisbane to begin a PhD in Economics. Fun times. In this post ...1 week ago - But their Emails!
Here we go again. It's always emails with these people. First there was "Climategate!" — the misquoting, selective quoting, and uninformed quoting of stolen emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) in Great Britain. Emails ...2 weeks ago - The Fourth FreedomThe European Union’s single market strategy is based on the four freedoms of the movement of goods, capital, services, and labour. While each is complicated, it is the fourth which has proved the most contentious. Arguably, it was that experience ...2 weeks ago
- Hutt City Council ignores the lawThe Hutt City Council has abandoned its plans to protect Significant Natural Areas (SNAs):Hutt City Council has abandoned plans to use the District Plan to protect biodiversity on private land, with the city's mayor Ray Wallace issuing an apology to ...2 weeks ago
- Every election is determined by the people who show upNew Zealand’s recent experience with using referenda to make decisions has all been a bit odd, really. We had a rather pointless one in 2011 on whether to retain or junk MMP, mainly because John Key inherited Don Brash’s promise that ...2 weeks ago
- Democracy, trust, and populismThere's an excellent piece in The Guardian today on why we stopped trusting elites. The short version is that democratic society depends on trust: trust that elected representatives are actually representing us, rather than their donors; trust that officials are ...2 weeks ago
- Hard News: Friday Music: Slow BurnsBefore she finally got to make her solo record this year, Sandy Mill sang on a lot of other people's records. And two of those people, Dick Johnson and Steve Hewitt, formerly of Placebo (and now of Love Amongst Ruin), ...2 weeks ago
- New research, November 19-25, 2018A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change impacts Mankind Decreased takeoff performance of aircraft due to climate change Failure to protect beaches under slowly rising sea level (open access) Heading for the hills: climate-driven community ...2 weeks ago
- The Politics Of Transformation – Warning: TERF Triggering.
2 weeks ago - From A Table By The Window – A Short Story About The Huawei Decision.
2 weeks ago - Winston Keeps His Pledge To The Small Businesses Of Small-Town New Zealand.
2 weeks ago - Democracy denied – Labour’s saddest failing. . Labour’s most tragic failing to date has largely flown under the media radar: to reinstate the right of prisoners to vote. Labour’s inaction is made worse in the knowledge that it would have taken little effort and ...2 weeks ago
- Andrew Little – Speech to Amnesty International event to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Univ...
ANDREW LITTLE - SPEECH TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EVENT TO MARK THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ON WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, PARLIAMENT, WELLINGTON ...20 hours ago - Tax reforms focus on fairnessNew tax legislation has been introduced to Parliament to ensure greater fairness in the way the tax system shapes commerce, investment decisions and social policies. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2019-20, GST Offshore Supplier ...6 days ago
- Preventing death and injury on our roadsPolice Minister Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter are encouraging road users to be alert to a new safety campaign launched today by Police and the NZ Transport Agency in the lead up to the Christmas. ...2 weeks ago
- New comms centre improves public servicesA new digital services and communications centre opened on the Kapiti Coast will help transform the way Police connect with the public and work to make communities safe. Police Minister Stuart Nash has officially opened the Police Digital Services Centre, ...2 weeks ago
- MNZ Supports the Global Compact on Migration
Morocco is hosting the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the ‘Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’ today and tomorrow. ...34 mins ago - ACC levy changes a backward step for safetyThe NZ Automobile Association is disappointed with the announcement by the Government to end ACC’s Vehicle Risk Rating scheme. ...2 hours ago
- Fish & Game: compensation claims ‘completely false’Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game has strongly refuted as “completely false” a Waikato Times article’s claim that the organisation has been ordered to pay compensation as the result of a court case. ...3 hours ago
- NZ called on by global leaders to step up at COP24Tuesday, December 11: New Zealand has been urged to be bolder at COP24 in Poland, the annual United Nations climate change conference. ...4 hours ago
- Medicinal Cannabis Bill set to pass ParliamentMedicinal Cannabis Bill set to pass Parliament; patients celebrate ambivalently From: NORML NZ - National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ...17 hours ago
- Response to Health Select Committee press releaseResponse to Health Select Committee press release dated December 7, 2018, “Health Committee considering breast cancer medicines and PHARMAC funding” ...17 hours ago
- Global problem needs a global solutionOn December 10-11, the United Nations will convene at an intergovernmental conference in Marrakech, Morocco to sign the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), establishing global agreement on a common approach toward international migration. ...18 hours ago
- Tax change bad news for tenantsTax change bad news for tenants - a media release from the NZ Property Investors' Federation ...20 hours ago
- Kind hearted Kiwis used to prop-up Government under-funding“Charitable dollars should not be used to subsidise under-funded Government services,” says CCS Disability Action Chief Executive David Matthews. “The generous donations Kiwis give should be used to enhance basic services and also provide for badly needed ...22 hours ago
- Major energy costs in trying to replace natural gasA new report today warns there will be major costs to New Zealanders in trying to replace the role of natural gas, according to the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ). ...23 hours ago
- PSA: World Human Rights Day an opportunity to reflectThis year’s World Human Rights Day is an opportunity to reflect on the state of the world 70 years after the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, says the PSA. ...23 hours ago
- Completion of the West Coast Inshore Fisheries Trawl SurveyAn inshore trawl survey commissioned by Fisheries New Zealand and undertaken by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) was completed on Sunday, 2 December. ...23 hours ago
- Multiple risks of legalising euthanasiaA new information campaign highlighting the risks of legalising euthanasia was launched today at a public meeting in Christchurch. ...23 hours ago
- Significant increase in opposition to euthanasiaThere has been a significant increase in opposition to the legalisation of euthanasia, according to Peter Thirkell, Secretary of the Care Alliance. ...23 hours ago
- School audits results and two media announcements publishedWe have published the results of the 2017 school audits . This includes the types of audit opinions we issued and the matters we identified from our audits. We have provided this information to the Secretary for Education. ...23 hours ago
- Anti-bullying message a winner for prison youthAn anti-bullying project has won a group of young prisoners from Hawkes Bay Regional Prison a national award, along with a host of accolades. ...1 day ago
- Consumer NZ calls out chicken meat producersSAFE is demanding the chicken meat industry stops misleading people, after Consumer NZ calls out Tegel, Ingham and Pams chicken for their misleading “cage-free” labelling on chicken meat products. ...1 day ago
- Transparency of ministerial meetings is a victoryThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has welcomed the Government’s commitment to proactively release details of ministerial meetings. ...1 day ago
- Māori and Pasifika children more vulnerableThe Child Poverty Monitor 2018 released today shows one in five kids are facing food deprivation. The report also highlights that Māori and Pasifika families are at least twice as likely to have kids facing food deprivation. While only about ...1 day ago
- NZers want medicinal cannabis bill to go furtherA new survey of more than 2,000 Kiwi adults finds they overwhelmingly want doctors and nurse practitioners to be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis as they see fit, on a patient by patient basis, and for it to be treated ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Housing Minister Phil Twyford interviewed by Corin DannHousing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford is refusing to be drawn on reports that the Chief Executive of the KiwiBuild programme has left his job after just 5 months. ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Sir John Key interviewed by Corin DannANZ Bank Chair Sir John Key defends criticism of the ANZ’s $2 Billion dollar profit. ...1 day ago
- Parents’ top online concernsNew research on New Zealand parents’ views and experiences of digital parenting reveals their concerns about risks related to online sexual content and behaviour. ...1 day ago
- Food poverty due to inadequate incomes and high cost housingCPM 2018: Inadequate incomes and high cost housing to blame for rise in food poverty ...1 day ago
- 160,000 hungry kids need your help today – KidsCanKidsCan is urging more action after this year’s Child Poverty Monitor found one in five New Zealand children – more than 160,000 kids - live in households without access to either enough food, or enough healthy food. ...1 day ago
- Child poverty report a call for urgent welfare reformThe Child Poverty Monitor 2018 report points out one in five kids are living without access to food. People on the benefit were disproportionately affected, with the report highlighting many were spending more than half of their income on rent, ...1 day ago
- Strong Public Support for Medical Cannabis CardsWith the final reading of the Medical Cannabis bill likely to be early this coming week, it outlines strong support across the political spectrum for significantly more reform than what was offered in the Govt Cannabis Bill. ...2 days ago
- Israel Institute demands answers to NZ abstentionIsrael Institute of New Zealand director, Dr David Cumin, is demanding to know who was responsible for a ‘bizarre’ decision by New Zealand to abstain on an important procedural vote at the UN which helped pave the way for ‘a ...2 days ago
- Israel Institute demands answers to NZ abstentionIsrael Institute of New Zealand director, Dr David Cumin, is demanding to know who was responsible for a ‘bizarre’ decision by New Zealand to abstain on an important procedural vote at the UN which helped pave the way for ‘a ...2 days ago
- Disabled NZers at risk due to underfunding, new report showsA new Deloitte report released today by the New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN) shows support services for disabled New Zealanders are significantly underfunded by the Government – and the situation is getting worse. ...2 days ago
- Climate action, Formula E is an obvious fitIf New Zealand is to take urgent climate action, Formula E is an obvious fit ...3 days ago
- NZ needs to speak up on “broken” UN drug policy systemNZ needs to speak up on "broken" UN drug policy system UN Headquarters, Vienna. 8th December 2018 – – – A New Zealand medical cannabis company is calling on the government to show international leadership in what it says is ...3 days ago
- Secondary teachers welcome bold thinkingSecondary teachers welcome the Tomorrow’s Schools taskforce report and are excited to see bold and fresh thinking about the education system. ...4 days ago
- PSA: Carolling for Equal PayPSA's nationwide networks of equal pay advocates are putting solidarity behind an equal pay claim for DHB administration and clerical workers into song for Christmas. ...4 days ago
- New Zealand must not sign UN Global Compact on MigrationObjective 17 of the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration poses serious risk to the freedom of expression and press in New Zealand and should not be signed by the Government, says the Free Speech Coalition. ...4 days ago
- Criminal Justice Activists Support Auckland Pride BoardPeople Against Prisons Aotearoa (PAPA) offers its congratulations to the Auckland Pride community, which at a Special General Meeting last night rejected a motion to remove its board. The vote was called by a group opposed to Pride’s decision ...4 days ago
- Wage Claim Disruption Easily FixedThe government could head off the avalanche of wage claims that will cause significant disruption for the public and drive up inflation, by scrapping GST and replacing it with a transactions tax. ...4 days ago
- Mediation after Air NZ engineers strike voteAviation unions say they are very disappointed with the misleading information released by Air New Zealand in response to a strike notice by its aviation engineers. ...4 days ago
- Karel Sroubek and the Compact on MigrationIs Karel Sroubek a sign of things to come if the government signs the UN’s Global Compact on Migration? ...4 days ago
- SAFE blows the whistle on failings of Protected Disclosures7 December 2018 | MEDIA RELEASE SAFE blows the whistle on failings of Protected Disclosures Act ...4 days ago
- National Iwi Chairs Forum Delegation at COP24 UNCCC KatowiceKiwi’s can be proud of the New Zealand delegation in attendance at the UN Climate Change Conference COP24 meeting in the city of Katowice, says Mike Smith, who is leading the Iwi Leaders Group on Climate Change. ...4 days ago
- Whanau Ora at risk of incompetenceThe Head of the Ministry of Maori Development (Te Puni Kokiri) must go as incompetence that led to a $600,000 payment to a private shareholder was exposed in Parliament. ...4 days ago
- Culture of climate change denialThe Māori Climate Commissioner, Donna Awatere Huata has called on New Zealanders to challenge the culture of climate denial. ...4 days ago
- NZers must Challenge the Culture of Climate DenialThe Māori Climate Commissioner, Donna Aware Huata has called on New Zealanders to challenge the culture of climate denial. ...4 days ago
- New accessibility work programme an important stepThe Human Rights Commission welcomes the announcement of a new government work programme focussing on accessibility. ...4 days ago
- All we want for Christmas is a fair deal say Sistema workersSistema workers have walked off the job again. ...4 days ago
- How much can changing land use fight climate changeHow much can changing the way we use land fight climate change? A Motu Media Release New research from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research looks at whether New Zealand can change the way we use land to achieve our ...5 days ago
- Update: Police arrest four in major organised crime opPolice can now detail the items restrained in an overnight Police operation targeting organised crime in Rotorua. ...5 days ago
- President Moon’s visit – a lost opportunityWhilst we welcome President Moon Jae-in’s recent visit to New Zealand we are disappointed that the Government has failed to make full use of the opportunity to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and between the United States and the ...5 days ago
- 18 months imprisonment for illegal pāua haulA jail sentence for a Porirua pāua poacher will send a strong message that stealing from our fisheries will not be tolerated, says Ministry for Primary Industries. ...5 days ago
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a future-facing nostalgia playground
The latest entry in the Smash Bros. series doesn’t just cash in on nostalgia, it builds on it. Sam Brooks reviews Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.I write about nostalgia a lot – it’s a fascination of mine. Nostalgia is the process ...8 mins ago - US official sends China warning
Pentagon's top Asia official says NZ doesn't have to pick a side - but countries should be careful with what they sign up to. ...24 mins ago - Wrightson shareholder Agria settles US fraud
PGG Wrightson's cornerstone shareholder Agria Corp and its executive chair Alan Lai have settled with US authorities over claims the agriculture investment firm hid losses from investors through fraudulent accounting and overstated the value of its New York-listed stock. ...40 mins ago - Stuff: the media monster no one wants to own
Stuff is both the biggest news site in the country and its most precarious big media company. Duncan Greive continues his series on the major media companies with a hard look at it from some senior media executives speaking under ...51 mins ago - Official proclamation: The 20 best poetry books of 2018
All week this week we present the 20 best books of the year. Today: the 20 best collections of poetry.Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble (Victoria University Press, $30) The best book of poems published in New Zealand in 2018. Tibble’s debut collection ...53 mins ago - ADHD prescriptions are going up, but that doesn’t mean we’re over-medicating
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Efron, Associate Professor, Royal Children’s Hospital The rate of medications dispensed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children aged 17 and under increased by 30% between 2013-14 and 2016-17. The Australian ...1 hour ago - Huawei executive’s arrest will further test an already shaky US-China relationshipSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University When US Vice President Mike Pence got to his feet at the conservative Hudson Institute in Washington on October 4, it was ...1 hour ago
- Pacific voices tell stories of climate change reality in new documentary
A new documentary Subject to Change, a collection of interviews and personal stories from across the Pacific, explores the impact of climate change. Video: MFAT Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Two young women students are the driving force who created a ...2 hours ago - Andrew Little’s plea to British media
Justice Minister Andrew Little has urged international media to respect the interim name suppression granted to the man accused of murdering British backpacker Grace Millane. ...2 hours ago - Peter Yealands fined for “unprecedented offending”
Yealands Estate Wines has pleaded guilty to “unprecedented offending” under the Wine Act 2003 and has copped a $400,000 fine. ...2 hours ago - Call for law society resignations after members veto sale
Disgruntled Auckland District Law Society members want heads to roll at the top of the organisation after they defeated a divisive plan to sell the society's heritage building. ...3 hours ago - Domestic violence: ‘There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done’ – P...
Grace Millane's death is a reminder of the huge amount of work that needs to be done to reduce violence directed at women, says Jacinda Ardern. ...3 hours ago - Finaccess bid for Restaurant Brands control gets thumbs up
Finaccess Capital's $881.5 million bid for three-quarters of Restaurant Brands New Zealand has the backing of the Kiwi firm's board, with the per-share price topping the independent adviser's assessment. ...4 hours ago - Shock news: The Spinoff’s readers are extremely online
The Spinoff partnered with UMR to survey the attitudes of our readers, and the nation as a whole. Today, how are we consuming media, and what do we reckon about it?Previously: Data! Opinions! The results of The Spinoff’s major national ...4 hours ago - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Oh, oh, oh… dear
Australia’s batsmen are mud. There isn’t a player among them fit to lace David Boon’s boots – a task, this column suspects, that is almost certainly outsourced these days. ...4 hours ago - Recovered Aboriginal songs offer clues to 19th century mystery of the shipwrecked ‘white woman’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Morey, Senior Lecturer, Department of Languages and Linguistics, La Trobe University In 1846 Melbourne was gripped by a panic: a story had spread that a white woman had been shipwrecked off ...4 hours ago
- NZD climbs to 15-month high vs pound
The New Zealand dollar climbed to a 15-month high against the British pound after a delayed Brexit vote reignited fears the UK won't agree to terms on leaving the European Union, adding to uncertainty in the global economy. ...5 hours ago - PM mum on Kiwibuild head Stephen Barclay’s status
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is staying tightlipped on Kiwbuild head Stephen Barclay's uncertain role spearheading the government's flagship house-building policy. ...5 hours ago - As Indigenous incarceration rates keep rising, justice reinvestment offers a solutionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Russell, Research Associate, UNSW The over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is one of our nation’s most significant human rights concerns. Data released last week show the number of ...6 hours ago
- How physical activity in Australian schools can help prevent depression in young peopleSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Parker, Professor of Physical Activity and Mental Health, Victoria University Adolescence is a critical time for the development of mental health problems. In fact, depression is most likely to occur during ...6 hours ago
- Cities can grow without wrecking reefs and oceans. Here’s howSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Silvia Tavares, Lecturer in Urban Design, James Cook University “What happens if the water temperature rises by a few degrees?” is the 2018 International Year of the Reef leading question. While the ...6 hours ago
- Digital platforms. Why the ACCC’s proposals for Google and Facebook matter big timeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sacha Molitorisz, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Media Transition, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released the preliminary report of its Digital Platforms Inquiry, ...6 hours ago
- Recovered Aboriginal songs offer clues to 18th century mystery of the shipwrecked ‘white woman’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Morey, Senior Lecturer, Department of Languages and Linguistics, La Trobe University In 1846 Melbourne was gripped by a panic: a story had spread that a white woman had been shipwrecked off ...6 hours ago
- Bird with wonky bill inspires big project
A small bird with a beak that hooks to the right has inspired Dr Jan Wright to continue her environmental work. ...7 hours ago - The Bulletin: Shock, grief as Grace Millane murder-accused goes to court
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Man appears in court charged with murder of British backpacker Grace Millane, little progress made on child poverty, and National responds to UN pact critics.A 26 year old man has appeared ...7 hours ago - Olympic equestrian vows to overcome cancer
Rio Olympian Julie Brougham is determined to beat a rare and aggressive cancer, and return to the international dressage arena with her once-in-a-lifetime horse. ...8 hours ago - The Spinoff Hot Take Advent Calendar: December 11
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Alice Neville on why you should tell your kids that ...8 hours ago - Grace Millane’s death reminds us of the violence so many women in NZ face
The shameful culture of violence against women in New Zealand must urgently change, writes Women’s Rights Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo. Grace Millane’s death is an absolute tragedy. While the details of the case are still emerging, our hearts rightly ...9 hours ago - The real reasons we oppose the UN Global Compact on MigrationIt is absurd to cast the National Party as appealing to an anti-immigration sentiment – the UN compact is riddled with problems that are ill-suited to New Zealand shaping sensible policy, writes foreign affairs spokesperson Todd McClay.Yesterday from New York ...9 hours ago
- FactCheck: did more people buy their seventh home than bought their first home last year?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney Last year, more people bought their seventh home than those buying their first. – Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick ...14 hours ago
- FactCheck: did more people buy their seventh home than bought their first last year?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney Last year, more people bought their seventh home than those buying their first. – Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick ...14 hours ago
- Outlander recap: A long snake in a long drop
Last week saw a hat-eating pig on Fraser’s Ridge, this week there was a snake in the dunny. What other joys await us in the next episode of Outlander? Tara Ward finds out. When Outlander begins with a snake stuck in ...16 hours ago - UN official defends West Papuan rights – free speech, peaceful assembly
UN’s OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani … “there are many West Papuan grievances, and we’ve seen this in many parts of the world where grievances are unaddressed, or there’s a suppression of dissent.” Image: UN interview screenshot Pacific Media Watch ...17 hours ago - Project Runway Power Rankings, week 11: The end is nigh
In the eleventh episode of Project Runway New Zealand, the designers had to make a look representing their hypothetical spring/summer line. Henry Oliver ranks the results and predicts the ultimate winner.Ahhhhh the final challenge. Traditionally, the first chance the designers have ...17 hours ago - You did not need to know Grace Millane to feel overcome by waves of traumaMany of us, especially young women, have been experiencing dark thoughts and emotions in the aftermath of Grace Millane’s death. It’s called vicarious trauma, writes 20-year-old Waveney Russ, and it’s a totally valid response.Yesterday was a day like any other, ...18 hours ago
- ACC lowers work levy, scraps vehicle risk ratingThe government is to reduce the ACC Work Levy which is paid by employers and self-employed people but other levies will remain at the same rate. ...18 hours ago
- Government says no to ACC levy increase
The Government has announced a reduction to ACC's work levy, saying it will hold all other ACC levies at their current rate. ...18 hours ago - Twyford under pressure as NZTA chief resigns
Fergus Gammie has stepped down as head of Transport Agency NZTA. ...19 hours ago - Keith Rankin’s Chart for this Month: Crisis Postponed
19 hours ago - PM apologises to family of British backpacker Grace MillanePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made an emotional apology to the family of the 22-year-old British backpacker Grace Millane. ...19 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 10 2018
Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 10 2018 Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.Education Liz Gordon (Daily Blog): Yesterday’s ...19 hours ago - Christmas shopping guide: the 20 best kids books of 2018
All week this week The Spinoff Review of Books presents the best books of the year. Today: the best 20 books for kids.Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Walker, $28)Picture book 3+. On the train one day, Julian is mesmerised ...20 hours ago - Crampton: Hard spirits
It was during the discussions of measuring spiritual capital that the ghost of Sir John James Cowperthwaite hovered near. ...20 hours ago - Recruitment bill skyrockets at Maxwell’s commission
Spending on recruitment at Retirement Commissioner's office increased by over 1000 percent in the last financial year. ...21 hours ago - Mataura Valley begins infant formula trials
Mataura Valley Milk started its first nutritional product trials last week and is on target to begin commercial production at the end of January. ...21 hours ago - How low will Bitcoin now go? The history of price bubbles provides some cluesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Smales, Associate Professor, Finance, University of Western Australia Nearly 170 years before the invention of Bitcoin, the journalist Charles Mackay noted the way whole communities could “fix their minds upon one ...21 hours ago
- ACC levy cuts worth $50M a year to business
Cuts to the Accident Compensation Corp's risk-related work levies will save New Zealand businesses about $50 million a year, while other levies will either not change or, in the case of risk-rated vehicle levies, will be discontinued. ...21 hours ago - Unfair business practices on borrowed time
Business owners who use unfair trading and contract terms in their dealings look likely to face a stiffer range of rules and penalties following a government review of unfair commercial practices. ...21 hours ago - Going travelling? Don’t forget insurance (and to read the fine print)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Beirman, Senior Lecturer, Tourism, University of Technology Sydney Over the past year, Australians took almost 11 million international trips. We’re among the world’s leading international travellers on a per-capita basis. Australians ...22 hours ago
- New director of Vital Healthcare’s manager unfazed by fire-at-will clause
Graham Stuart says he isn’t worried that Vital Healthcare Property Trust’s manager can fire him at will after a current review of the manager’s fees has been completed. ...22 hours ago
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