Author Archive
Charter schools fiddling their results
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, December 9th, 2016 - 110 comments
Charter schools are fiddling their results. Just another example of the way that education for profit is all about profit, with education hardly getting a look in. All of National’s ideological interventions in education are failures.
Nat MPs one week window of relevance
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, December 6th, 2016 - 48 comments
Key has been so dominant for so long that Nat MPs have become invisible. But now, for one glorious week, they enjoy a brief window of relevance. And the infighting has begun.
Key’s 4th term – something doesn’t add up
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, December 6th, 2016 - 145 comments
Key has long craved a “historic” 4th term. Interviewed on 24 September he was still saying he wanted it, he now claims he had already decided to quit. While rumours are hard to believe, something doesn’t add up here.
Key “concedes” Mt Roskill by election
Written By: - Date published: 6:39 am, December 2nd, 2016 - 21 comments
Key says he expects National to lose in Mt Roskill – under the bus for Parmjeet Parmar. He won’t be attending the wake either, and he spins another lie just for good measure.
Massive education fail
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 30th, 2016 - 45 comments
Thanks National: “NZ kids worst at maths in English-speaking world”.
Labour Green seat deals – about bloody time
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, November 29th, 2016 - 69 comments
Reports that Labour and the Greens will cooperate in some seats. Watch Patrick Gower’s head explode! But this is no Epsom.
Three strikes – seven years – for bottom pinching
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, November 25th, 2016 - 88 comments
The first application of “three strikes” is an example of exactly one of the main problems that opponents of the law raised. Remove discretion and you can get perverse outcomes.
Sale of Key’s old house a powerful symbol
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, November 25th, 2016 - 11 comments
English admits that the government has done a poor job of maintaining state houses, and uses it as an excuse for privatisation – its by design. The attempted sale in Christchurch, incuding Key’s childhood home, is a powerful symbol of the way this government likes pulling up the ladder that they used behind them.
Chester Borrows goes to trial, Barry Soper goes to pieces
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, November 22nd, 2016 - 208 comments
Nat MP Chester Borrows is to stand trial for injuring a protestor with his car. Barry Soper is outraged, because “elderly female, placard waving protesters” just don’t deserve the protection of the law.
Rewarding incompetence with a 4th term?
Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, November 20th, 2016 - 76 comments
Disaster response is about more than showing up for photos and cancelling a trip or two. National has made a mess of Christchurch and comprehensively failed to learn its lessons. They should in no way be rewarded with a 4th term.
Nats politicising earthquake response
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 18th, 2016 - 74 comments
Oh look, National are nakedly politicising government earthquake response.
Pike River Mine can be safely re-entered – but the Government says no
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
Damien O’Connor and Denise Roche have taken it to Nick Smith in the House today over the government’s plan to seal Pike River mine forever.
Dirty politics past and present
Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
A couple of dirty politics related stories that slipped under the radar in the last hectic week.
Nat allegations about Michael Wood a pack of lies
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, November 12th, 2016 - 25 comments
I trust the truth will be reported by all the media that reported the lies.
Flogging the dead TPP horse
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, November 11th, 2016 - 24 comments
The Nats are determined to keep flogging the TPP horse in Parliament. Someone should buy them a newspaper.
So sheepgate was Key’s fault
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, November 7th, 2016 - 66 comments
According to Fran O’Sullivan the cause of Sheepgate was Key’s decision to abandon leadership of a business mission in 2010. As to the subsequent scandal – Watkin and Hooton voice the anger we should all be feeling.
Conservative, honky males in suits
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, October 31st, 2016 - 23 comments
As a government National is no friend to women, and as a party National has structural problems with selecting and supporting women. Stacey Kirk in the SST writes on National’s lack of female depth.
Spinning Key’s India fail
Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, October 28th, 2016 - 35 comments
Key’s India trip started off going nowhere fast, and ended up the same way. Gotta love the spin though.
Meth and housing
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 27th, 2016 - 29 comments
Why has Housing NZ ignored repeated advice and misused meth tests to evict tenants? RNZ: “Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said Housing New Zealand had caused a huge amount of harm by knowingly misusing the guidelines.”
Tory MP resigns on point of principle
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 26th, 2016 - 25 comments
No, not in NZ, of course. With bonus notes on a “grotesque folly”.
Time for another round of fear mongering
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, October 25th, 2016 - 49 comments
Latest fear mongering sounds like a rerun of the jihadi brides lie, which as an editorial summary put it – “raises serious questions about the accuracy of claims made by John Key, SIS boss Rebecca Kitteridge and Security Intelligence Minister Chris Finlayson.”
Workers, unions and the Labour party
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, October 23rd, 2016 - 198 comments
Convincing workers not to organise in their own best interests is one of the great successes of right-wing politics.
Take a lesson from the All Blacks
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 22nd, 2016 - 21 comments
The Japanese proved decades ago that shared ownership – involving workers in management – is a highly successful and productive model. Seems that it works for the All Blacks too.
Poverty is too difficult in Key’s New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, October 17th, 2016 - 47 comments
Key is out of touch. But not so out of touch that he doesn’t know about the poverty crisis in NZ. The denial and evasions are deliberate.
TPP – Let it go John
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, September 21st, 2016 - 132 comments
So Key has been trying to explain the TPP to America. Apart from looking ridiculous, what did he think he was going to accomplish?
Complaint over Key’s prison rape stunt upheld
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, August 25th, 2016 - 65 comments
The Friday dump on Havelock North
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, August 20th, 2016 - 68 comments
What a surprise that the news that NZ’s worst ever waterborne disease outbreak is most likely caused by livestock should be the subject of a classic Friday 5pm news dump.
Clean up our water!
Shit in the water
Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, August 15th, 2016 - 92 comments
The damage so far in the Havelock North “gastro” outbreak is one possible death, two older people in intensive care, 18 hospitalised, 50 making their way to the emergency department, 280 notifications, and hundreds of kids staying away from school.
Saudi sheepgate coverup continues
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 12th, 2016 - 41 comments
What was the payment for, why did the Nats go ahead with it against all advice, and why won’t they release the letter?
Nats contradicting each other on panicked infrastructure policy
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, August 8th, 2016 - 29 comments
From Newshub:
Listen to Nick Smith trying to defend fudged foreign ownership data
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, August 2nd, 2016 - 22 comments
Anyone who believes the Nats’ figures needs to listen to yesterday’s interview – Why won’t Nick Smith answer this one simple question? Excellent work from Garner.
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- Without clean water, Pacific Islanders turn to sugary drinks. Tackling this could reduce obesity
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suneha Seetahul, Senior Research Fellow, Applied Microeconomics, University of Sydney Kara Math/Shutterstock One in two people in the Pacific Islands is classified as overweight (with a body mass index of 25–29) or obese (a BMI 30 or above). This is a ...1 week ago - Beware of bad customers – and 3 other ways small and medium businesses can thrive in 2025
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Fiedler, Senior Lecturer, Management and International Business, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau There is no denying times have been tough for small and medium-sized businesses, and 2025 is not looking that much better. Gross domestic product per capita is continuing ...1 week ago
- Community Voices Needed To Challenge Legislative Threats To Māori Wellbeing
The Regulatory Standards Bill and the Oranga Tamariki Bill are both open for public submissions, yet the urgency of these proposed laws remains largely under the radar for many. ...1 week ago - ‘Just like the pie’: Bubble tea is here to stay
Bubble tea has taken the world, and New Zealand, by storm. But where did it come from and is it here to stay? At 5pm on a sunny evening on Dominion Road, the retail shops have closed and the restaurants have yet to start doling out their saucy noodles ...1 week ago - James Cameron to launch new ‘vision’ to save struggling Wellington
A group of high-profile Wellingtonians are launching a series of events about the future of the city, with the first to feature film director James Cameron. ...1 week ago - Getting people out of their cars is possible with the right plans and policies – case study
Despite efforts by governments, councils and individuals, sustained increases in the use of alternative modes of transport remain elusive. ...1 week ago
- How can I keep my cat happy? 5 tips from a vet to help your feline friend live their best life
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Quain, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney antibydni/Shutterstock Around one third of Australian households live with at least one cat, yet surveys tell us the cats’ needs are not being met. Cats may rule the internet, ...1 week ago
- In the Bible, angels can be deadly. So why do we place them at the top of our Christmas trees?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament & Director of the Wesley Centre, University of Divinity Shutterstock Those beautiful white and gold angels you see on Christmas trees were originally monsters. At least, that is the claim made by scholar Esther ...1 week ago
- Almost 1 million Australians are LGBTQIA+ – and for the first time, there’s a new national healt...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Power, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University Lomb/Shutterstock New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week shows one in 20 (4.5%) Australians over 16 are ...1 week ago
- Heatwaves and bushfires can be a dangerous mix for the electricity grid. Here’s how to shore up yo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shukla Poddar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney The Australian summer has started to unleash its power. On Monday, the Victorian town of Walpeup reached 47.1°C, and towns in Queensland, western New South Wales, South Australia ...1 week ago
- Climate anger can lead to action – or curdle into despair. We found out why
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Stanley, Research Fellow in Social Psychology, UNSW Sydney Jacob Lund/Shutterstock Strong emotional responses to environmental problems are remarkably common. We know people are angry about climate change – but how many? Our new research surveyed 5,000 Australians and found ...1 week ago
- ‘You can’t hear a smile’: how video visits help dads in prison stay connected with their kids
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elisabeth Duursma, Research Theme Fellow Education and Work, Western Sydney University Julia M Cameron/ Pexels , CC BY Many Australians know December 21 as “Gravy Day”. This is a reference to Paul Kelly’s song and new film How to Make Gravy, ...1 week ago
- Personalising a luxury gift with a name or initial? Research suggests a hidden social cost
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne-maree O’Rourke, Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Queensland Andrei Antipov/Shutterstock You might think spending $5,000 on a handbag or wallet would be prestigious and exclusive enough. What about taking things one step further – and personalising it with your own ...1 week ago
- Yuletide cheer – but not too much: cinema’s best ‘Christmas adjacent’ films (yes, including ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia IMDB Christmas films appear in many guises. There is the witty (Christmas in Connecticut, Scrooged). The comedic (It Happened on 5th Avenue, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). The wonderfully sentimental ...1 week ago
- A book for every year of your life: Part two, ages 31 to the grave
From Mansfield Park to Jurassic Park, some reading inspiration for every age. A book for every year of your life: Part one, ages 0-30 Here is the second instalment of a book for every year of your life. After 30, any sort of age recommendation for works of great literature ...1 week ago
- Christopher Luxon should have accepted Waitangi challenge – trust chair
"As heated as it may get, we have to keep up those conversations and not stop talking with each other," Pita Tipene told Morning Report. ...1 week ago
- Chistopher Luxon should have accepted Waitangi challenge – trust chair
"As heated as it may get, we have to keep up those conversations and not stop talking with each other," Pita Tipene told Morning Report. ...1 week ago
- NZ tight-lipped over membership of space network
Analysis - Operation Olympic Defender aims to protect space from the likes of exploding satellites, but NZ is keeping quiet about its involvement. ...1 week ago
- Fast-tracked hotel and hostel in Mount Eden surprise residents
Plans for a hotel and student hostel at Auckland's Eden Park stadium have been revealed in the release of fast-track application documents. ...1 week ago
- The Bulletin wrapped, 2024
The Bulletin editor Stewart Sowman-Lund reflects on the year – what you were reading and what you engaged with the most – and looks ahead to 2025. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...1 week ago
- The year in news: Stories that dominated the headlines in 2024
Here's a snapshot of party politics in 2024. ...1 week ago
- The year in politics: Stories that dominated the headlines in 2024
The year saw nationwide protests, swathes of legislation repealed and introduced, crackdowns on crime and some stern words to local councils. ...1 week ago
- No budget for psychiatric beds despite being over capacity
Workers on the front line of NZ's mental health wards say surging demands are leading to people getting turned away or discharged early. ...1 week ago
- The lady on the beach: whānau’s shock at development in unsolved murder
A month after Joanna Sione-Lauaki’s body was found on a Northland beach, her whānau got a shock when police made an announcement about a crucial development.In a statement to the media and on social media, police released CCTV pictures of a man they believed was the last person to see ...1 week ago - The boozeless bubbly of Aotearoa, reviewed and ranked
‘Tis the season for festive fizz, but what if you’re not drinking? There’s plenty on offer beyond Grapetise these days – we delved in to bring you the best and worst. We’re smack bang in the middle of the most liquor-soaked period of the year, with more Christmas parties, boozy ...1 week ago
- How the gambling industry is using influencers to appeal to a new generation
From paid partnerships and podcasts to ‘party holes’, the TAB and its youth-focused subsidiary Betcha are making a concerted effort to attract young people to gambling. Shanti Mathias reports. A group of men are crowded around a golf green, waiting for a ball. When it’s successfully putted into the hole, ...1 week ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 20 December
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- A lesson in playing chicken with Big Tech
Opinion: Big Tech is choking the life out of New Zealand journalism. The advertising monopoly run by platforms like Meta and Google starves local media of revenue, making it harder to pay journalists and sustain quality reporting. New Zealand’s Media and Communications Minister, Paul Goldsmith, is studying Australia’s new tougher approach ...1 week ago
- The biggest selling books of 2024
FICTION1 The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth Ward & Louise Ward (Penguin Random House, $38)Wow! The biggest-selling novel of the year is a detective caper dreamed up by the very people who know best about bestsellers – bookstore owners. The Wards run Wardini’s, that wondrous book emporium in ...1 week ago
- Luxon’s reason for skipping Waitangi challenges the sniff test
Comment: The Prime Minister’s announcement that he won’t mark Waitangi Day in Waitangi itself next year would make sense in most other contexts – but not so much when he has admitted Māori-Crown relations have worsened under his leadership.Christopher Luxon has said in the past that he would like to ...1 week ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 20 December
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('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.Keep playing
Daily crossword, Friday 20 December 1 week ago- Coalition scraps plan to leave open government pact
The Government has backed away from a secret proposal to withdraw New Zealand from a global transparency initiative, with officials repeatedly pushing for the country to pull out.A leading civil society group has welcomed the decision, but says greater buy-in from ministers and officials is necessary if the initiative is ...1 week ago- Queen T’s threepeat of Tauihi final showdowns
Tania Tupu has a painful, puffed-up reminder of her Tokomanawa Queens’ shock semifinal victory in the Tauihi basketball league last weekend.The highly-successful Queens head coach is still hopping around on a swollen knee after trying to show her team the moves that drove her through two Olympics and 93 games ...1 week ago- Wheels off the bus: bikes on buses do us good
Opinion: As we enter the holiday period, there will inevitably be many more cars on the road, which usually leads to a spike in the road toll.More cars on the roads means more traffic, more crashes and more injuries, as well as more pollution and more greenhouse gas emissions.We should ...1 week ago- West and media are ‘erasing’ Palestinian history, say critics
Asia Pacific Report Palestinian history is “deliberately ignored” and is being effectively “erased” as part of Western news media narratives, while establishment forces work to shut down anyone speaking out against Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, academics have told a university conference of legal and Middle East experts. Article ...1 week ago- Government’s First Paris Agreement Report Fails To Address How It Plans To Hit Targets
The report fails to address how it plans to hit its emissions savings targets. ...1 week ago- Former Defence Minister Peeni Henare Calls Vanuatu Flight Woes ‘Embarrassing’
A Hercules plane carrying urban rescue staff to Vanuatu was stranded in New Caledonia after an engine fault. ...1 week ago- Vanuatu quake: Rescue teams continue Port Vila hunt for survivors
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific news editor There are conflicting reports of the official death toll from this week’s massive earthquake in Vanuatu as rescue teams continue to scour the rubble for survivors. On Tuesday, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office reported 14 deaths. It said four people had been ...1 week ago- Hipkins’ letter to BlackRock boss over SolarZero liquidation goes unanswered
A letter sent by Opposition leader Chris Hipkins to BlackRock asking for assistance to ensure 160 terminated SolarZero staff are paid what they are owed has been met with silence.Hipkins sent a letter to David Giordano, BlackRock’s managing director of climate infrastructure, on December 4, one week after news broke ...1 week ago- International student numbers in Australia will be controlled by a new informal cap. Here’s how it...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Hurley, Associate Professor and Director, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Paper Cat/ Shutterstock The federal government has found a new way to manage the number of international students in Australia. It has instructed immigration officials to prioritise student visa applications ...1 week ago - Coalition scraps plan to leave open government pact
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