Author Archive
Celebrating 50th Anniversary of PRC recognition
Written By: - Date published: 10:12 pm, December 21st, 2022 - 15 comments
“When Joe met Chou, we have opened the door and said hello” captions the photo of the Beijing meeting between Joe Walding and Chou EnLai in March 1973. It followed New Zealand’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China on December 22, 1972, an anniversary definitely worth celebrating.
The rise and rise of David Seymour’s ACT
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, December 20th, 2022 - 96 comments
I thought David Seymour was the most interesting speaker at the Victoria University post-election conference at Parliament last year. Two things stood out for me in his presentation following ACT’s election gains. He opened by offering lengthy and effusive praise to his researcher, then clearly stated his objective to supplant National as the leading party on the right. He’s on track for that, as current media attention shows.
The Zelensky Dump
Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, December 13th, 2022 - 311 comments
Vladimir Zelensky’s message to the New Zealand Parliament will be delivered in the last week before Christmas, in the bury-it time-slot. That seems appropriate, for much has changed since the heady days when our Parliament went straight for sanctions on Russia without discussion.
Diplomatic Values
Written By: - Date published: 5:39 pm, November 21st, 2022 - 4 comments
Trudeau got a 10-minute stand-up with Xi followed by a public shirt-fronting, Albanese a 32-minute sit-down, and Jacinda Ardern a 50-minute formal bilateral. In the carefully calibrated world of the diplomatic dance-card, that says something. New Zealand would be foolish not to take advantage of what is on offer from China.
In praise of Michael Hudson
Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, November 3rd, 2022 - 39 comments
82-year old polymath Michael Hudson is my favourite economist. He currently lectures in China to million-strong audiences. His latest book is The Destiny of Civilisation: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism. His latest article is well worth a read.
RIP KGD ONZ
Written By: - Date published: 3:37 pm, September 15th, 2022 - 47 comments
Ken Douglas was a big man, in every sense of the word, and a great man, deeply involved in his community right through his life, from the Drivers’ Union to the Porirua City Council.
‘Training’ for an early grave
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 pm, September 4th, 2022 - 99 comments
We’re sending 120 troops to Britain to ‘train’ raw recruits for the Ukraine killing grounds. For the Defence Generals, it’s an overseas trip to aid retention. For the Ukrainian conscripts, it’s a prelude to early death. It is cynical and criminal: we should be arguing for the war to stop, not keep it going ”to the death of the last Ukrainian.”
Why stick more fingers in the donations dyke?
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 pm, August 1st, 2022 - 13 comments
The latest attempt to construct a sensible political donations regime will likely again prove to be full of holes. Going back to basics would be much better. The good news is that the basics were comprehensively assessed 36 years ago by the 1986 Royal Commission on Electoral Reform. It recommended state funding.
Militarising the Pacific
Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, July 17th, 2022 - 16 comments
The Solomons Islands security agreement with China led to paroxysms of ‘serious concern’ about militarisation of the Pacific. 3 days before the Pacific Island Forum convened, 4 US B-2 nuclear-capable stealth bombers deployed on rotation into Australia. I know what worries me most.
Should our future lie with NATO?
Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, June 21st, 2022 - 62 comments
Not content to stay in the North Atlantic, NATO is shortly about to reveal in Madrid its next ten-year plan to contain China. Jacinda Ardern will be there, who knows why. Are we nailing our colours to a flag at half-mast?
Foot-shooting the sanctions’ lockstep
Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, June 18th, 2022 - 45 comments
RNZ’s “The Detail” asked are New Zealand’s sanctions against Russia working? They aren’t, but one detail we learnt that MFAT has 100 staff members assigned to sorting out their complications!! What a waste.
The terrorist ‘heroes’ of Mariupol
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, May 21st, 2022 - 128 comments
The mass surrender of over 2000 members of the extreme nationalist AZOV battalion in Mariupol is a major win in the fight against global race-based terrorism. These extreme nationalists share the same ideology as the Christchurch and Buffalo assassins. Efforts to combat extremism have focused on the influence of social media on individuals. Insufficient attention is paid to organising centres such as AZOV.
The Natives are Getting Uppity
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 pm, March 29th, 2022 - 33 comments
Jacinda Ardern is “gravely concerned.” Peeni Henare was ‘”caught off-guard.”. Barnaby Joyce feels “intimidated.” Solomon Islands PM Sogavare found it “insulting to be branded as unfit to manage our sovereign affairs.” I think he is right.
Five Eyes Joins Morning Report
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 pm, March 25th, 2022 - 65 comments
Morning Report today interviewed ex MI6 chemical weapons false flag specialist Hamish de Bretton-Gordon saying because Russia has lost in Ukraine it will likely resort using to chemical weapons. FiveEyes hawks want NATO to intervene, so we get World War 3, Hurrah!
Who Pays the Price of Sanctions
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, March 20th, 2022 - 194 comments
New Zealand’s sanctions on Russia have not stopped the war in Ukraine. They may have made our parliamentarians feel better, and Tony Blinken was quick to congratulate us on falling into line with the US “high-impact sanctions.” The language is combative, but the evidence shows sanctions do not work. They can have significant blow-back effects, particularly if not combined with effective diplomacy.
Denazifying Ukraine
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 pm, March 6th, 2022 - 128 comments
One of Vladimir Putin’s objectives in the Russian incursion into Ukraine was to “denazify Ukraine.” With the breakdown in the agreement to allow a humanitarian corridor out of Mariupol, this task will be much harder and the terrorist toll much higher. Once Russia has succeeded however, the world will be a better place for it.
Global Britain fell with Singapore
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 pm, February 16th, 2022 - 4 comments
Today February 15th is the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore in 1942, described by many as Britain’s worst military disaster. It was a massive strategic fail, and its effect is still powerful today, most notably with Australia’s lockstep with the US. Current British strategists don’t seem to have learnt a thing.
Big developments in Beijing
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, February 7th, 2022 - 31 comments
The meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping is likely to set the geopolitical direction for the 21st century. If ‘divide and rule’ was the mantra for the US’s hegemonic rule in the 20th century, ‘unite and share’ looks like setting the tone for the 21st. Co-operation rather than competition is the mantra, and “friendship between the two states has no limits.” A truly remarkable turnaround.
Prisoners of the Narrative #1
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, January 23rd, 2022 - Comments Off on Prisoners of the Narrative #1
Robert Ayson’s advocacy of a sanctions regime for New Zealand in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is a bad idea based on poor intelligence.The “Russian invasion” narrative was always a beat-up, and there is no support from major players in Europe for sanctions such as removal from the SWIFT payment system. Russia’s claim for border security is reasonable and essential for peace.
Blinken and Blind-Sided?
Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, January 16th, 2022 - 17 comments
Russian peacekeepers are already leaving Kazakhstan having nipped the ‘colour revolution’ in the bud. Blinken clearly didn’t have a clue when he said Russians never leave the house. Russian intelligence was superb. Now we wait for Russia’s response to US likely refusal to pull back from its borders. One thing I’d bet on – no invasion of Ukraine.
Unwanted guests?
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 pm, January 8th, 2022 - 22 comments
When I heard US Secretary of State Blinken’s take-away line from his D.C. press conference on RNZ’s news bulletin today on events in Kazakhstan ‘I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave’ I wondered what the Iraqis would think.
Let’s punch for peace
Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, December 30th, 2021 - 34 comments
Today’s Herald editorial says New Zealand ‘wisely’ doesn’t punch above its weight in military activities. That’s not true – I remember sailing around the nuclear-powered USS Truxtun as it entered harbour in a Wellington gale. It was just one of many flotillas campaigning against nuclear weapons and nuclear war that resulted in a knockout – New Zealand’s suspension from the ANZUS alliance on a point of principle.
Assange extradition judgment overturned
Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, December 12th, 2021 - 29 comments
I should have known not to be hopeful. British justice is an oxymoron which makes a mockery of official references to our ‘like-minded countries’ in the Five Eyes. The decision by senior judges in the UK to overturn a previous court decision not to extradite Julian Assange to the US is an example of state persecution of a person with the courage to speak out against crimes of the state.
Mothers of the Revolution
Written By: - Date published: 6:16 pm, November 20th, 2021 - 41 comments
Saw an inspiring premiere of this NZ -made movie about the amazing women of Greenham Common at the Wellington Film Festival today. Their years-long protest led to the INF treaty, a major advance in nuclear safety, now abandoned. Well worth seeing – a timely reminder in light of today’s news about NATO moving nuclear missiles around Eastern European nations on Russia’s borders.
The AUKUS Shell-game
Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, October 4th, 2021 - 44 comments
While the agreement between the 19th Century anglophone maritime powers the US and the UK to admit Australia to the exclusive nuclear submarine club gained all the headlines, another much more significant and imminent agreement was reached between the US and Australian governments on expanding US bases in Australia in the AUSMIN statement. The US gains another unsinkable aircraft carrier.
China reports zero local symptomatic Covid-19 cases for first time in weeks
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, August 24th, 2021 - 55 comments
You probably won’t see this in our local media, as our pundits today debate whether it is time to ditch our elimination strategy and Australia gives up on it. China is also well ahead on ensuring its vast population is vaccinated as well.
Advice from Oz for the anti-China media
Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, August 10th, 2021 - 23 comments
There’s so many of them here – Guyon Espiner, Anna Fifield, Lucy Craymer, Sam Sachdeva, Laura Walters, John Daniell, Emile Donovan, Paula Penfold, reef fish with the same few sources. Australian Paul Strutynski provides the textbook in his “Guide for budding foreign policy journalists wanting to work for the Nine Network or Newscorp.”
Are we really ready to escalate to war with China over Taiwan?
Written By: - Date published: 6:47 pm, July 29th, 2021 - 38 comments
“What will the role of New Zealand be should China invade Taiwan?” was by far the most popular question for Jacinda Ardern after she spoke at a NZIIA seminar last week. Promising to be benign, Ardern said we are “very predictable,” cited alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong, and went on to say we […]
Communist Party of China turns 100
Written By: - Date published: 11:59 pm, June 30th, 2021 - 59 comments
July 1st this year marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai in 1921. It is a date worth commemorating as while the Party is not well understood, its positive achievements have been outstanding.
NZ Nuclear-Free Day
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 pm, June 8th, 2021 - 3 comments
June 8 is the anniversary of Aotearoa’s 1987 nuclear-free legislation. NZOnScreen is running a retrospective of our proud history, the Nuclear-free Collection. It is well worth a watch. I particularly liked the movie “Nuclear Reaction,” with Big Norm seeing off the French, Big Dave seeing off the Americans, and Kiwi Keith also clear about where we stood. The nuclear risk is worse now than it has ever been.
Uyghur separatists behind call for Parliamentary motion on genocide
Written By: - Date published: 4:26 pm, May 4th, 2021 - 72 comments
On Morning Report today ‘High Court lawyer’ Sam Vincent called for Parliament to resolve to condemn alleged Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang. He said he spoke on behalf of Uyghur Solidarity Aotearoa committed to taking action on Xinjiang “or as they call it East Turkestan.” If they call it East Turkestan they are likely separatists, with possible links to terrorists. That explains a lot.
- Garrick Tremain’s view …
... 3 hours ago - Tribute has been paid to Titewhai Harawira but Beehive has missed govt response to the CPI and Crown...
Buzz from the Beehive Hurrah. Today we found something fresh on the Beehive website, Beehive.govt.nz, which claims to be the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information. It wasn’t from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, whose reaction to the latest inflation figures would have been appreciated. So, too, ...3 hours ago - After Ratana.
5 hours ago - Ominous Similarities.Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of “Act of Oblivion” concerns the relentless pursuit of the “regicides” Edward Whalley and William Goffe – two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles I’s death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harris’s novel brings to life a period ...6 hours ago
- You could dismiss co-governance critics as racist – or you could consult Thomas Cranmer (and see h...To challenge the Government’s promotion of co-governance, to share power between Maori and public authorities and agencies, is to invite accusations of racism. An example: this article by Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog headed Luxon’s race baiting hypocrisy at Ratana. The article was triggered by National leader Christopher Luxon, ...10 hours ago
- Political Roundup: 26 January 2023
RĀTANA, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): After Ratana Thomas Manch (Stuff): Could Three Waters be on the chopping block? Here’s what Prime Minister Chris Hipkins could do Ted Greensmith-West (Stuff): Co-governance is less controversial than Christopher Luxon makes out John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Luxon’s done Rātana. Is Rātana ...11 hours ago - Getting the full story about Ukraine
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...12 hours ago - The Mayor on Light Rail
Yesterday the Herald ran an op-ed from Mayor Wayne Brown titled “The case for light rail is lighter than ever” and a few things stood out. However, it’s getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of ...12 hours ago - Checklist: How to take advantage of brand-new clean energy tax credits
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...14 hours ago - National goes back to Brash
In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...1 day ago - Inflation is not slowing down yet, so can Hipkins take a tip from Prebble and risk a snap election?
Inflation is showing little sign of slowing down, posing a problem for freshly minted PM Chris Hipkins. According to that old campaigner Richard Prebble, Hipkins should call a snap election. If he waits till October, he risks being swept away. The dilemma for the new leader is that fighting an election ...1 day ago - Alas, we must rely on the media to find what our leaders said while pitching for the Maori vote at R...Buzz from the Beehive A great deal has happened since January 19. Among other things, a new Prime Minister and deputy have been sworn in and our leaders (past, present and aspiring) have delivered speeches at Ratana. Newshub reported that politicians of all stripes had descended upon Rātana for the ...1 day ago
- Introducing Chippy, the new bloke
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...1 day ago - Thomas Cranmer: Chris Hipkins on co-governance – “No-one understands what it means”New Zealand has another Prime Minister who does not have a basic grasp of the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. THOMAS CRANMER writes: It is simply astonishing that New Zealand’s next Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, is unable to give even a brief explanation of the three articles ...1 day ago
- Graham Adams: Misogyny, the media and the martyrdom of Jacinda ArdernA statue of a semi-naked Nick Smith puts the misogyny debate into perspective. GRAHAM ADAMS writes … In the wake of Ardern’s abrupt resignation, the mainstream media are determined to convince us she was hounded from office mainly because she is a woman and had to fall on her sword ...1 day ago
- Chris Trotter: Does Chris Hipkins have the spinal steel to force a change in Labour’s course?A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is ...1 day ago
- Political Roundup: 25 January 2023Items of interest and importance today RĀTANA AND CO-GOVERNANCE Luke Malpass (Stuff): Rātana mission complete for Christopher Luxon, but outshone by Chris Hipkins Felix Desmarais (1News): Analysis: Co-governance casts shadow over PM’s exit at Rātana Thomas Cranmer: Luxon talks co-governance at Rātana Pā Tova O’Brien (Today FM): All political parties ...1 day ago
- NIMBYs go BANANAs over young singles in their areaAn editorial in the NZ Herald last week, titled “Nimbyism goes bananas as housing intensifies“, introduced Herald readers to a couple of acronyms that go along with the now-familiar NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard): “bananas” (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) “cave” dwellers (citizens against virtually everything). The editorial ...2 days ago
- What Robertson has learned from Covid and how it will define this election year
Back in the dark autumn of 2020, when the prospect of Covid was freaking the country out, Finance Minister Grant Robertson set himself and Treasury a series of questions about what a post-Covid economy might look like. Those were fearful days, and the questions in part reflected a series ...2 days ago - The U.S. had 18 different billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson The contiguous United States suffered 18 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022, according to NOAA, tied for the third-highest number in inflation-adjusted data going back to 1980. Only 2020, with 22 billion-dollar weather disasters, and 2021, with 20, had more. NOAA ...2 days ago
- Our politicians have swarmed to Ratana where Hipkins may cause some buzz when he explains his co-gov...Buzz from the Beehive Yet another day has passed without Ministers of the Crown posting something to show they are still working for us on the Beehive website. Nothing new has been posted since January 17. Perhaps the ministers are all engaged in the bemusing annual excursion ...2 days ago
- Framing an election-winning budget a priority for Hipkins-led team — but will inflation erode an...Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already indicated he intends making the tax system “fairer”. That points to the route a government facing an election could take to tilt the odds towards winning in its favour, given Labour’s support in the last months of the Ardern era had been ...2 days ago
- Wage rises, not tax cutsNewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Shrinking Of Labour’s VisionLabour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...2 days ago
- Political Roundup: 24 January 2023Items of interest and importance today GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT Simon Wilson (Herald): Chippy vs the donors de Luxe (paywalled) Rachel Smalley (Today FM): The power of vulnerability – Can Chris Hipkins heal our country? Henry Cooke: Nine thoughts on Prime Minister Chippy Branko Marcetic (Jacobin): Jacinda Ardern’s Leadership Was a Cautionary Tale ...2 days ago
- What Is Co-Governance?Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...3 days ago
- What are the Rail Network Shutdown Outcomes?The first of Kiwirail’s big network shutdowns to fix the foundations on our tracks is now well underway with the Southern Line closed between Otahuhu and Newmarket. This is following on from the network wide Christmas/New Year shutdown, during which Kiwirail say that nearly 1,300 people working across 69 different ...3 days ago
- Input to USDA about how to allocate IRA climate-smart agriculture fundsThis is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blog In last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...3 days ago
- The real reason Jacinda Ardern resigned
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...3 days ago - On the darkness behind the PM’s departure.
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be expected now that she has resigned. I noted that the level of threat she has been exposed to is unprecedented ...3 days ago - When Sepuloni finds time to check on the latest benefit stats, perhaps she will explain what has bee...Buzz from the Beehive Again we must report that nothing fresh has been posted on the Beehive website since 19 January, when Jacinda Ardern announced the General Election will be held on 14 October and her resignation as Prime Minister. But we are eagerly awaiting the posting of a statement ...3 days ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West AucklandDr Bryce Edwards writes: The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey ...3 days ago
- Does Chris Hipkins Have The Spinal Steel To Force A Change In Labour’s Course?A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...3 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West AucklandThe days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...3 days ago
- A different Tunnelled Light Rail OptionFollowing the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...4 days ago
- Hipkins “reset” was all in the plans anywayMuch of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkins’ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...4 days ago
- Mutterings about Musk
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...4 days ago - 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022 With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...5 days ago
- The Revenge of the Managerialists: Hipkins It Is
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ... 5 days ago - Bryce Edwards: PM Hipkins resets Labour to the rightGet ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become “too woke” on social issues. Overall, ...5 days ago
- 2023: a crucial year for Aotearoa already, fair thinking voters need to step up right now
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...5 days ago - The Hipkins bit of the conjecture about Labour’s leadership has been settled – now for the deput...Buzz from the Beehive Because our hard-working Ministers of the Crown are engaged in Labour Party caucus stuff in Napier, no doubt jockeying to ensure they keep their jobs or get a better one, Point of Order was not surprised to find no fresh news on the Beehive website this ...5 days ago
- Danyl Mclauchlan: The Visions of Jacinda ArdernBy the end of 2019, Jacinda Ardern was a political superstar heading towards an election defeat. She was an icon, internationally beloved, on track to be an ex-prime minister before the age of forty. It was the year of the Christchurch terror attack when Ardern’s response to the atrocity saw ...6 days ago
- Bullshit Work
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...6 days ago - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Why Jacinda Ardern’s resignation changes everythingDr Bryce Edwards writes: Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. ...6 days ago
- A scourge of cockroaches might be among the culprits as commentators conjecture on the PM’s decisi...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been nothing fresh on the Beehive website, since Jacinda Ardern gave us a double whammy yesterday – the announcement of her resignation and the date (14 October) ... 6 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Why Jacinda Ardern’s resignation changes everythingShould New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. So, although Ardern has named an ...6 days ago
- The west vs the rest – the world is changingI warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...6 days ago
- In the face of China’s “coercive tendencies”, is it time for NZ to shape its own “Indo-Pac...Earlier this week Point of Order carried a post by Geoffrey Miller on how Japan under a new security blueprint is doubling its defence spending. The plans see Japan buying up advanced weaponry – including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US – and spending more on ...6 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 20-January-2023Anyone else suffering back-to-work-blues? We’re battling, but still upright. Haere tonu! Today’s cover image is of sunset over Tirohanga Whānui Bridge, sourced from Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Jolisa pondered the fate of AT’s ‘Statements of Imagination’. Tuesday’s post was a guest post by Grady ...7 days ago
- Labour — nothing can be taken for grantedLabour’s inner circle will ideally want this Sunday’s caucus meeting to end with a sole nominee for party leader and their deputy. ...7 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2023Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...7 days ago
- PM makes NZ a world leader
The resignation of Jacinda Ardern has already made more global headlines than you might expect for that of the PM of a small commonwealth nation like say Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Singapore (population 5.5 million). But international observers might not be too surprised by Ardern’s announcement that ...1 week ago - Into the Valley of Something Unexpected: The Resignation of Jacinda Ardern
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...1 week ago - Yes, the PM did have something to say in Napier – NZ will go to the polls on 14 October (without h...Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of our Buzz from the Beehive earlier today, the PM has made two announcements – the 2023 general election will be held on Saturday 14 October and she will not be campaigning to win a third term as Prime Minister. She will ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Jacinda Ardern’s outsized New Zealand foreign policy legacyJacinda Ardern had an outsized impact on New Zealand’s international relations. While all Prime Ministers travel internationally, Ardern’s calendar was fuller than most. Ardern’s first major foreign trip came within weeks of her election in 2017, to the APEC summit in Vietnam. The meeting gave Ardern her first in-person encounter ...1 week ago
- Jacinda
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...1 week ago - An amazing disappointmentJacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on Ardern, business confidence, and the worth of sanctionsThe decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...1 week ago
- Jacinda Ardern: “For me, it's time”. So how will she be remembered?
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a minister and Andrew Little’s noble resignation ...1 week ago - Jacinda Resigns.An Astonishing Rapport: Jacinda Ardern's "Politics of Kindness" raised so many progressive possibilities. Her own tragedy, and New Zealand's, is that so few of them were realised.MUCH WILL BE WRITTEN in the coming days about "The Ardern Years", some of it sympathetic and insightful, most of it spiteful and wrong.For ...1 week ago
- Are the police following the law on DNA?Back in November, Newsroom reported that the police were racist in their collection of DNA samples from young people. The report came on the back of widespread police racism, illegality, and abuse of privacy in their policy of photographing and fingerprinting Māori youth. When I blogged about this, I highlighted ...1 week ago
- If you are looking for the PM, try Napier – and for good measure she might have something to sayBuzz from the Beehive We drew another blank, when we checked the Beehive website this morning for ministerial announcements, pronouncements or denouncements. Nothing has been posted since January 16, when Damien O’Connor announced he was travelling to Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change ...1 week ago
- Few favourable economic signals in sight, but there’s a glimmer of light in GDT dairy export price...Kiwis returning to work after their summer breaks and scanning the economic horizon may find few encouraging signals. Even the agricultural sector, which proved to be the mainstay at the height of the Covid pandemic, is now having to navigate the inflation raging in the domestic sector. As well, ...1 week ago
- Political Roundup: 19 January 2022Items of interest and importance today PARLIAMENT Thomas Coughlan (Herald): National reshuffle awaits, Labour and Nat MPs descend on Napier for awkward week (paywalled) Felix Desmarais (1News): Analysis: The three Government announcements pundits expect next week Will Trafford (Whakaata Māori): No guarantee Māori-stacked cabinet will continue – Ardern Stuff: Wealthy donors ...1 week ago
- The rich are trying to buy the electionThe Herald this morning reports on the rich's efforts to buy this year's election. And you'll never guess who their chosen vehicle is: The National Party may start election year with a $2.3 million war chest raised from 24 big donors in 2022, while Labour has declared just $150,000 ...1 week ago
- No news (about missing children) might be good news – but who knows?Here’s more from the “no news today” file. Under the heading Wellbeing of missing Marokopa children huge question mark – psychologist, RNZ reminds us that three children have been missing with their father for a year. Marokopa father Thomas Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember have not ...1 week ago
- No news is good newsBuzz from the Beehive Our visit to the Beehive website this morning found nothing new since Damien O’Connor posted the announcement of his journey to Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. No news, of ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: National can’t be allowed to sleepwalk to victoryDR BRYCE EDWARDS writes – Christopher Luxon’s National Party are the odds-on favourites to win the general election this year. They have been consistently ahead of Labour in the polls in recent months, and have a firm coalition partner in Act, which is often polling about 10 per cent. Betting ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: National can’t be allowed to sleepwalk to victoryChristopher Luxon’s National Party are the odds-on favourites to win the general election this year. They have been consistently ahead of Labour in the polls in recent months, and have a firm coalition partner in Act, which is often polling about 10 per cent. Betting agencies can’t take bets on ...1 week ago
- Improving AT’s responses to PT disruptionDisruptions to public transport have long been a frustrating fact of life in Auckland, but the last year has taken this to a whole new level, with the ongoing longterm rail shutdowns with bus replacement services, plus thousands of bus cancellations a day becoming a regular occurrence. Things are currently so ...1 week ago
- Can induction stoves convince home cooks to give up gas?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler You walk into your kitchen to make pasta. After filling a pot with water, you place a small silicone mat in the middle of your counter, then set the pot above it and open a stovetop app on your phone. ...1 week ago
- Dirty tricks in National Party candidate selectionThe extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxer who was outed in Nicky Hagar’s “Dirty Politics”, Cameron “Whaleoil” Slater, has resurrected himself and is now promoting a campaign for his sometime-associate, Simon Lusk, to disrupt National’s candidate selection for the Tukituki electorate. ...1 week ago
- Tolkien-Related Stress II: Scanning the Oath of Fëanor
I have just taken a stab at scanning Tolkien’s famous Ring Verse: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/01/17/tolkien-related-stress-scanning-the-ring-verse/ I noted that the problem with the Verse is that it is too loose in its accentual nature: it is sometimes unclear where the four stresses are supposed to fall on a given line. I ...1 week ago - Tolkien-Related Stress: Scanning the Ring VerseYou know it as well as I, the famous Ring Verse from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien: Three Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die One ...1 week ago
- Urgent action needed to support families
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...1 day ago - Green Party writes to new Prime MinisterThe Green Party has written to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins outlining a plan for a fairer Aotearoa. ...1 day ago
- Green Party looks forward to working with Chris HipkinsThe Green Party welcomes Chris Hipkins as the sole nominee for leader of the Labour Party, and the next Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand. ...5 days ago
- Greens recognise Prime Minister Ardern’s serviceThe Green Party is today acknowledging Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s service to Aotearoa. ...1 week ago
- Green MPs write directly to Grand Ayatollah Khamenei of IranMembers of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have today written to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei to condemn the ongoing violence and killing of women’s rights and democracy protesters, and to call on him to intervene immediately. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare Harawira
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...1 day ago - General Election to be held on 14 October 2023The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces resignationJacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...1 week ago
- Trade and Agriculture Minister to attend World Economic Forum and Global Forum for Food and Agricult...The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...1 week ago
- Government funding relief for flood-affected Wairarapa farmers and growersThe Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...1 week ago
- Government provides support to flooded Tairāwhiti communitiesThe Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...2 weeks ago
- Government support for flood-affected Gisborne Tairāwhiti farmers and growersRural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...2 weeks ago
- Monkeypox vaccination available to eligible people from next week A vaccine for people at risk of mpox (Monkeypox) will be available if prescribed by a medical practitioner to people who meet eligibility criteria from Monday 16 January, says Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. 5,000 vials of the vaccine have been obtained, enough for up to 20,000 ...2 weeks ago
- Rurawhe will not contest Te Tai Hauāuru, moves to Labour list
Te Tai Hauāuru MP and Speaker of the House Adrian Rurawhe will not stand for the Māori electorate in October's general election and will instead move to the Labour Party list. ...34 mins ago - Swarbrick wants aligned approach on Auckland issues from mayor, new PM
Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick has written to the new prime minister, thanking him for making Auckland one of his first priorities as leader. Chris Hipkins spent the day in Tāmakai Makaurau meeting with business leaders, as well as attending the tangi for Māori activist Titewhai Harawira. In the letter ...2 hours ago - Activists hail life jail sentence for army major over brutal Papuan killings
RNZ Pacific The Indonesian military says a tribunal has sentenced an army major to life in prison for his involvement in the brutal murder of four Papuan civilians in the Mimika district. Their mutilated bodies were found in August 2022. Benar News reports that human rights activists and victims’ relatives ...3 hours ago - Fisheries Plan For Ailing Hauraki Gulf Not Enough To Restore Mauri
Forest & Bird is deeply disappointed that bottom trawling, dredging and Danish seining will still be allowed under the Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan , released in draft form last week . “We need to move beyond ripping up the seafloor to catch ...4 hours ago - What each Treasure Island star’s favourite inspirational quote reveals about themBefore a fresh group of Treasure Island castaways wash ashore next week, we predict what their go-to words of wisdom might say about how their gameplay. When the Treasure Island: Fan v Faves castaways find themselves marooned on a deserted Fijian beach, it’s likely they’ll need to call on some ...4 hours ago
- Aiyaz ‘trying to mislead the people’ over use of term Fijian, says AGBy Meri Radinibaravi in Suva Fiji’s Constitution does not require everything related to the government to be called Fijian, says Attorney-General Siromi Turaga. Speaking during a media conference, he said there was no right or wrong way to describe a title or name a government. He said FijiFirst party general ...4 hours ago
- Something really weird happened in the Silver Ferns game this morningAlice Webb-Liddall has watched a lot of netball in her life. This was hands down the most confusing five minutes she’s ever seen. This morning at the crack of dawn, I and presumably no more than 10 or so other New Zealand netball tragics woke up to watch the Silver ...5 hours ago
- Papuan journalist Victor Mambor says bomb attack likely due to his reportingPacific Media Watch A prominent Papuan journalist has said a recent bombing near his home is the latest in a string of attacks against him, reports ABC Pacific Beat. Victor Mambor said he heard motorbikes ride past his home before a bomb exploded about 3 metres from his house on ...5 hours ago
- Fiji police suspend questioning of former AG Aiyaz in ‘hatred’ caseRNZ Pacific Police interviewing of FijiFirst Party general secretary and former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has reportedly been suspended but will continue later. FBC News reports the interview with Sayed-Khaiyum will continue. The police Chief of Intelligence and Investigations, Assistant Commissioner Surend Sami, told the state broadcaster the suspension is to ...5 hours ago
- It’s Time For New PM To Rescue Water Reforms – CouncilsCouncils representing more than a million New Zealanders are calling on the new Prime Minister to take a fresh look at a model for water reform that works. The member councils of Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori (C4LD) said that ...5 hours ago
- ‘Constructive… positive’: Hipkins well received in first major engagementThe new prime minister enjoyed what he described as a “constructive” meeting with senior members of the business community in Auckland this morning. The hour-long, closed doors discussion was Chris Hipkins’ first engagement since being elected leader of the Labour Party and, therefore, prime minister. Speaking to media after the ...6 hours ago
- David Livingstone was an LSD pioneer – why it’s taken 50 years to restart his researchHis groundbreaking work conducted in Christchurch in the 1960s was never pursued. Now a legal loophole could make NZ a global leader in LSD research. This story was first published on Stuff. When Mark Livingstone was going through his father’s possessions after his death in 1970, he discovered a small ...6 hours ago
- Not Working For FamiliesCPAG has long thought that Working for Families (WFF) needed to be renamed to put children at its centre, not work. In a letter to the editor today (26 January) Chris Brown of Tauranga came up with a title that accurately reflected the reality of low ...7 hours ago
- Hipkins meets business leaders, promises government collaborationNew prime minister Chris Hipkins is meeting with Auckland business leaders this morning at a roundtable event – his first official engagement in the top job. Greeted by Auckland Business Chamber head Simon Bridges, the former National Party leader, Hipkins gave opening remarks before media were ushered out of the ...8 hours ago
- A short list of all New Zealand’s shortagesFrom eggs to houses and (almost) everything in between. If there’s one thing New Zealand doesn’t currently have a shortage of, it’s shortages. It’s a word so commonly seen at the supermarket or in the news at the moment that it’s stopped looking like a real word. For a while, ...8 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins: 'I'm not going to write the Budget or a tax policy on day two of the job�...
*This story was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to media after meeting with business leaders in Tāmaki Makaurau this morning. Hipkins says Auckland is incredibly important to the New Zealand economy, and our gateway to the world. He says his meeting with business ...8 hours ago - PM Chris Hipkins: 'I'm not going to write the Budget or a tax policy on day two of the job...After meeting with business leaders, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he won't get ahead of decisions that still need to be made. ...9 hours ago
- Grant Robertson explains why he didn't run to be prime ministerThe finance minister says he is relieved Chris Hipkins put his hand up, because he really did not want to. ...9 hours ago
- Minimum wage too high to increase further without fuelling inflation – National's Nicola ...Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says it's a "great shame" the minimum wage has gone up so much under Labour. ...9 hours ago
- Understanding Perceptions About Natural Hazards In Lower Seismic AreasDo people who live in regions of lower seismic activity in Aotearoa New Zealand think about and prepare well for earthquakes in their regions? A research project funded by Toka Tū Ake EQC will provide a better understanding about what influences ...10 hours ago
- PM Hipkins meets business leadersIt’s Thursday, January 26 and welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates with me, Stewart Sowman-Lund. Reach me on [email protected] The agenda New prime minister Chris Hipkins is in Auckland today for his first official engagement in the job. He’ll meet with CEOs at an Auckland Business Chamber ...10 hours ago
- The rise and rise of rugby’s ‘super’ coachesWhere does all the power and influence in world rugby lie? Increasingly, with an exclusive group of top international coaches. This is an excerpt from The Bounce, a Substack newsletter by Dylan Cleaver. A learned, rugby-loving friend of mine believes the sport is, to its detriment, being slowly and systematically controlled ...10 hours ago
- Why did Grant Robertson not want to become prime minister?Labour’s leadership transition was a masterclass in how to pass the reins of power. Part of that was the lack of contenders willing to put themselves forward. One of those who chose not to go for the top job, despite expectations he would, was Grant Robertson. The former deputy PM ...10 hours ago
- The Bulletin: The electoral impact of rising interest ratesGood attempt here by the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan (paywalled) to work out whether those most impacted by rising interest rates are a significant enough voting bloc to shift the election. Those most impacted will be those who have bought in the last couple of years. Data on average mortgages and household net ...10 hours ago
- A busy business day for the new prime ministerChris Hipkins got straight to work yesterday as new prime minister, chairing his first cabinet meeting and then reiterating to the media that he plans to rein in certain government projects and focus on the cost of living. He heads to Auckland today where he’ll meet with business leaders at ...10 hours ago
- Newsletter: January 26 2023 – Items of interest and importance todayNew Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance today RĀTANA, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): After Ratana Thomas Manch (Stuff): Could Three Waters be on the ...10 hours ago
- These 5 spectacular impact craters on Earth highlight our planet’s wild historySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Brand, Senior Beamline Scientist – Powder Diffraction, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Image of Gosses Bluff taken from the ISS. NASA I think all craters are cool, I’m just going to start with that. I am very biased. Impact craters ...11 hours ago
- ‘Change the date’ debates about January 26 distract from the truth telling Australia needs to doSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University “Australia Day”, January 26, brings an annual debate of whether celebrations should continue or be moved to a different date. This clash of views means Aboriginal ...11 hours ago
- Australia Day hasn’t always been on January 26, but it has always been an issueSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia January 26 is a date that sparks mixed emotions in Australia. For some, it’s a day to celebrate all the good things about living in Australia. For others, it’s a painful reminder of ...11 hours ago
- Got gastro? Here’s why eating bananas helps but drinking flat lemonade might notSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Unsplash, CC BY Doctors are reportedly concerned about a spike in the number of kids with gastroenteritis – when tummy infections can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, ...11 hours ago
- Why do cats and dogs get the zoomies?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Shutterstock Does your cat or dog suddenly get a burst of energy and perform athletic feats around the house that would make even a gold medallist jealous? ...11 hours ago
- One of these underrated animals should be Australia’s 2032 Olympic mascot. Which would you choose?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Wes Mountain/The Conversation/Shutterstockl Am I not pretty enough? This article is part of The Conversation’s series introducing you to unloved Australian animals that need ...11 hours ago
- ‘An activist masquerading as an artist’: we should all be talking about Richard BellSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University Madman Entertainment Review: You Can Go Now, directed by Larissa Behrendt. A new documentary from Larissa Behrendt, You Can Go Now, highlights the life, ...11 hours ago
- Leading Professors Say “No” To New Airport At TarrasEleven of New Zealand’s leading academics have written an open letter to business leaders and politicians stating that the proposed new international airport in Central Otago “should not proceed”, as it runs against prevailing research. The letter, ...11 hours ago
- Poll shows change at the top has potential to shift votesPrime minister Chris Hipkins reiterated yesterday that the “bread and butter” issue of inflation is the number one focus for the government and a new poll demonstrates why, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, ...11 hours ago
- Group Claims Sport Northland Breached NZ Bill Of RightsSport Northland, a community organisation funded by local and central government, has blocked a group from hiring a public venue, because of the political views they hold. Julian Batchelor from ‘Stop Co-Governance’ said Sport Northland has acted ...11 hours ago
- Poll Shows Growing Support For Cutting Fertiliser And Cows"New polling shows growing public support for calls to cut fertiliser, regulate the dairy industry to protect water and, while not yet a majority, lower dairy cow numbers," says Greenpeace Aotearoa senior campaigner Steve Abel. The polling ...11 hours ago
- Dunne's Weekly: Key And Ardern Broke The MouldJacinda Ardern and Sir John Key have set a new standard for New Zealand Prime Ministers. Too often Prime Ministers have clung to their position, often through thick and thin, until they have been either been tossed out by the electorate or dumped by their ...11 hours ago
- New Zealand Government Under Spotlight At UN Review On Children’s Rights ProgressNew Zealand Government representatives will today present to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the sixth review on the country’s progress in upholding children’s rights. This review is the first since 2016. A New Zealand ...11 hours ago
- Small print shows the real impact of inflation isn’t 7.2% but a massive 8.7%
Stats NZ publishes figure for consumers price index plus interest payments, that undermines Government's claim that 'inflation has peaked' ...13 hours ago - A policy checklist for the new PMChris Hipkins has promised to ‘run a ruler’ over Labour’s extensive policy agenda. So what’s likely to be on the chopping block? And what could be brought back from the dead? New Zealand’s new prime minister had a busy first day in the job. Fresh from being sworn in shortly ...14 hours ago
- Should you wear a bike helmet?Are helmets a necessary safety measure, a cause of health issues, a government cop out – or something more complex? I usually wear a helmet on my bike commute to work. Recently, however, I’ve discovered a new, safer route that mostly keeps me away from rush hour car traffic. My ...14 hours ago
- Small businesses offer Chris Hipkins advice: 'Take some of the pain off'Small businesses across Aotearoa aren't confident the new prime minister will address their issues in time to win them over before the general election. ...14 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins to sit down with business leaders: 'There to ask questions'Chris Hipkins' first big meetings as prime minister are a series of charm offensives with Auckland businesses, as he seeks to understand what their priorities and issue are. ...15 hours ago
- 'There to ask questions' – Hipkins to sit down with business leadersChris Hipkins' first big meetings as prime minister are a series of charm offensives with Auckland businesses, as he seeks to understand what their priorities and issue are. ...15 hours ago
- Labour’s electoral mountain remains as high as ever
Despite Labour’s smooth transition to a new leader, there are many potentially insurmountable challenges ahead for new PM ...15 hours ago - The insurmountable $147,725 cost to fight your corner in court
NZ is split between those who can afford to use the law and those locked out ...15 hours ago - How higher maths can help with your mortgage
The more that students study maths to a higher level, the better for society. No financial literacy course can replace understanding the fundamental mathematical concepts Opinion: The announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of a plan to boost the mathematical capacity of their high school graduates by making maths compulsory up ...15 hours ago - NZ rejected Ukrainian request for military vehicles
The Ukrainian Ambassador asked the PM for surplus light armoured vehicles ...15 hours ago - Book of the Week: Mum's capacity for sex
A daughter's memoir Younger people may be tired of hearing what an exciting time the 70s was for women. But it remains true, and no less so for those within and on the edges of the literary world. At the time, I was an avid reader – of Atwood, Drabble, ...15 hours ago - MMP and my part in the downfall of First Past the Post
MMP won out but big parties still don't like changes that threaten their dominance ...15 hours ago - Daily crossword, Thursday 26 January
...16 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 26 January
Loading...(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. ...16 hours ago - Body image campaigner Taryn Brumfitt is 2023 Australian of the YearSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Taryn Brumfitt, a body image campaigner whose work has been recognised internationally, is the 2023 Australian of the Year. A writer and film maker from Adelaide, Brumfitt’s 2016 documentary Embrace, about women’s body loathing ...21 hours ago
- Alcohol bans and law and order responses to crime in Alice Springs haven’t worked in the past, and...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Pin Rada/AAP Since colonisation, “interventions” to curb Aboriginal “crime” and alcohol have been deployed to control and harm First Nations communities and people. Nowhere is this more true than in the ...22 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins' 'capital O' opportunity to rebrand post-Jacinda Ardern LabourAnalysis - The choices he makes this week will have a huge impact on what happens in October, when we go to the polls, Tim Watkin writes. ...1 day ago
- Should Australia let Kanye West in?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Crock, Professor of Public Law, University of Sydney Evan Agostini/AP Just one year after then-Immigration Minister Alex Hawke moved to expel tennis star Novak Djokovic from Australia on character grounds, his Labor successor, Andrew Giles, is faced with another ...1 day ago
- With inflation still rising, the RBA will almost certainly lift interest rates in FebruarySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Interest rates are almost certain to rise again in February, after the latest Consumer Price Index figures showing inflation hit 7.8% in 2022 – its highest rate in 33 years. The data from the Australian ...1 day ago
- Hipkins reiterates plan to rein in projects – but won’t say whatNew prime minister Chris Hipkins has reiterated his plan to rein in some government projects over the coming weeks. But, he would not comment on what projects could be on the chopping block. Speaking at his first post-cabinet press conference, Hipkins once again said his government would be focused on ...1 day ago
- Watch: Hipkins to front first post-cabinet press conferenceFresh from being sworn in as our new prime minister, Chris Hipkins will answer questions from media after a cabinet meeting was held this afternoon. You can tune in below, thanks to RNZ. ...1 day ago
- Big Tech is firing employees by the thousands. Why? And how worried should we be?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathalie Collins, Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Tech companies are always in the news, usually touting the next big thing. However, the tech news cycle recently hasn’t been dominated by the latest gadget or innovation. Instead, layoffs are in the headlines. In ...1 day ago
- Prime Minister Chris Hipkins defends cost-of-living record, promises more actionChris Hipkins has put the "bread and butter" issue of inflation at the top of his government's agenda, saying today's figures confirm that's the right approach. ...1 day ago
- Everything Everywhere All At Once leads Oscar nods, shock best actress nominationWith the biggest news in entertainment that I somehow forgot to include this morning, here is Sam Brooks: Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced this morning, with indie breakout Everything Everywhere All At Once leading with 11, trailed by both The Banshees of Inisherin and All Quiet on ...1 day ago
- Spare by Prince Harry: more Coronation Street than SuccessionLinda Burgess devours the royal memoir that’s already been half-spilled across the internet to feed those of us – you know who you are – who love to lap it all up. In recent days, in between real news, like changing prime ministers, there’ve been a few laconic locals from ...1 day ago
- Vic Books is closing after almost 50 years – a sign of the times?News that Vic Books is closing down on March 31 has been met with an outpouring of grief, confusion and some existential grappling about what its absence means for Wellington’s very soul. Well, double fuck. After 48 years, Vic Books Kelburn (situated on campus at Victoria University of Wellington) is ...1 day ago
- Immediate Improvement Possible To The Cost Of Living“Congratulations to Chris Hipkins on becoming the new Prime Minister of New Zealand. We applaud his stated aim to “focus on bread and butter issues” like the cost of living and the economy” says Sue Harrison, President of the NZ Property Investors’ ...1 day ago
- Labor maintains lead over Coalition in both federal and NSW Resolve pollsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A federal Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted January 17-22 from a sample of 1,606 people, has given Labor 42% of the ...1 day ago
- Watch: Chris Hipkins holds first post-Cabinet media briefing as PMWatch live: Hipkins says at his first Cabinet meeting as prime minister he reiterated his expectation that reprioritisation work will be the government's absolute priority over the coming weeks. ...1 day ago
- Māori seats don't 'make a lot of sense' – Christopher LuxonThe National Party leader's latest comments follow his criticism of the government's approach to co-governance with Māori. ...1 day ago
- Wayne Brown gives two interviews from 108 requestsAuckland’s mayor Wayne Brown accepted just two interview requests from media during his first month of office. That’s despite 108 requests made by journalists. RNZ’s obtained figures showing the total breakdown of requests to Brown’s office, revealing 54 out of the 108 were declined outright, while statements were provided in ...1 day ago
- What is an inflation rate?Statistics New Zealand made its quarterly announcement about the consumer price index (CPI) this morning. A percentage number and the word ‘inflation’ always feature in the headlines about these announcements – but what does the CPI actually measure, and why is that about inflation? What is that percentage? Right now ...1 day ago
- Appointment Of Chief Executive At Human Rights Commission An Opportunity For ResetThe Free Speech Union notes the appointment of Meg de Ronde as the new Chief Executive of the Human Rights Commission, the first ever to hold this role, and welcomes the opportunity for a reset towards core human rights at the Commission, says Jonathan ...1 day ago
- 5 reasons to check on your elderly neighbour during a heatwaveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Cunningham, Doctoral Candidate in Public Health, Griffith University Shutterstock We all know someone who insists on wearing a cardigan in summer or refuses to turn on the air conditioning because “it’s not that hot”. Chances are this is an ...1 day ago
- The live saga of Marcus Lush’s missing keysTalkback listeners were taken on an unexpectedly thrilling journey last night as the Newstalk ZB host broadcast his frantic search for the studio swipe card. “I probably sound a bit different tonight,” Newstalk ZB’s Marcus Lush told listeners shortly after 8pm. “Am I feeling different? No. Do I sound different? ...1 day ago
- New Zealand (officially) has its 41st prime ministerA smiling Chris Hipkins has officially been sworn in as the 41st prime minister of New Zealand. Carmel Sepuloni becomes the first Pacific person to take on the deputy role. The ceremony took place at Government House in front of senior government representatives such as Grant Robertson and Kelvin Davis. ...1 day ago
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