capitalism
Categories under capitalism
- discrimination (83)
Class oppression and discrimination
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, November 27th, 2021 - 79 comments
A brief analysis of power.
ANZ Bank clearly believes that greed is good
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 29th, 2021 - 131 comments
ANZ Bank has just announced a $1.92 billion profit for the year to September 30, 2021. This is about 1% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Jacinda Ardern: Tear Down This Wall
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, October 17th, 2021 - 109 comments
In the coming months Fortress New Zealand will be dismantled. What will take its place?
China and Real Estate Developers
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, October 10th, 2021 - 17 comments
Speaking of contagion, China is dealing with an outbreak of real estate market ebola.
Government introduces law to assist tenants
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, September 29th, 2021 - 19 comments
Barry Soper and the Property Council are up in arms about proposals to ensure that all commercial tenants should only pay a fair proportion of their rental if their use of the premises has been affected by responses to the Covid pandemic.
We are stuck
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, August 12th, 2021 - 45 comments
New Zealand has one of the most concentrated and oligopolistic economies in the world, and also one of the least commercially protected societies. Will we ever be able to break out of it? If you look across our society, it is the relationships of less than 20 main companies with our government that form a […]
The billionaire race into space
Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, July 12th, 2021 - 90 comments
UK billionaire Richard Branson has won the rich man’s pissing competition by being the first billionaire into space even though 12 months ago he was urgently seeking Government grants while at the same time paying no tax because of his tax residency status.
RNZ’s Chinese Spies story doesn’t add up
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, July 2nd, 2021 - 47 comments
On Monday, RNZ reported that “Chinese Communist Party spies are infiltrating New Zealand universities”. Our guest poster views this thin and anecdotal ‘investigative’ reporting with deep suspicion. Was any of this activity was reported to the proper authorities. Or is it just the usual paranoia / racist dog-whistling or a paid story?
The America’s Cup is just another spinoff
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, June 17th, 2021 - 36 comments
We need less presumed hold over Team New Zealand, and more encouragement of more spinoff businesses that make their way in the world.
Onya Michael
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, May 8th, 2021 - 34 comments
Yesterday Minister of Labour Michael Wood led the announcement of a policy that conceivably could do more to address the decline in workers wages and conditions over the past 40 years than anything else tried recently.
Government Control at Air New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, April 14th, 2021 - 67 comments
The New Zealand government has just increased its loan to Air New Zealand to a $1.5 billion total, and there’s a catch.
What is Socialism – a primer for idiots
Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, April 5th, 2021 - 163 comments
Merchant Banker Troy Bowker has accused the Government of engaging in Socialist wealth redistribution ideology by not extending to landlords a state supported loan guarantee scheme and by implementing relatively modest wealth redistribution measures.
That’s No Moon – It’s A Space Station
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 pm, March 22nd, 2021 - 9 comments
Did anyone notice Russia and China signing up to a treaty to form a common base on the moon?
The Unbearable Lightness of the Bright-Line Test
Written By: - Date published: 4:20 pm, March 13th, 2021 - 96 comments
The bright-line test is a red herring and does nothing to deter housing speculation.
So! You want a “plan”?
Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, March 11th, 2021 - 50 comments
Expecting a bit much aren’t you? We haven’t had that since Muldoon. At least he had them. The kind of people now asking for a plan were those who complained about governments that “interfered with the sacred ‘free market’” and screamed about “central planning”, “picking winners”, “protectionism” etc. They prefer just getting cheap labour to give the illusion of economic growth. And build a cycleway!
Senior Business Leaders Call Out To Government. Again
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, March 3rd, 2021 - 41 comments
Senior business leaders have called for more openness and clarity from the Government on its plan for getting New Zealand to “COVID normal”. But have failed to say what they would do to contribute or what they are doing to help.
Post Carbon Institute: Capitalism, the Doomsday Machine (or, How to Repurpose Growth Capital)
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, March 2nd, 2021 - 21 comments
Foundational Capital and Growth Capital, and what we should be doing with both.
Life Without Mainstreet
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, February 15th, 2021 - 36 comments
Are our main cities becoming too big for a single civic promenade, and is the multicellular world of mall dominance just the way things are developing?
The fascinating story about when some redditors took on Wall Street
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 pm, January 29th, 2021 - 22 comments
The world has been watching, mostly with amusement, as some redditors have brought a Wall Street merchant bank to its knees, by buying stocks in a company, GameStop who has seen better days and whose business model is antiquated.
Must New Zealand Pay Back All This Public Debt?
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, December 20th, 2020 - 22 comments
Without much fanfare, Minister Robertson has used 2020’s crisis to bury the historic scourge of monetarism and within it the excuses of the governments that used it as a pretext to sell off our key government income generators.
Shock horror, trickle down does not work
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, December 18th, 2020 - 54 comments
In yet another study academics at the London School of Economics have concluded that trickle down leads to higher income inequality but do not have any significant effect on economic growth or unemployment.
South Australia’s new Covid strain
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, November 19th, 2020 - 16 comments
During a week in which two Covid vaccines have been announced there is disturbing news coming out of Australia where a new more potent strain of the virus has appeared in South Australia.
C’mon Grant
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, November 18th, 2020 - 51 comments
This government must demonstrate that it has the ability to lead the New Zealand economy where it has stated it wants it to go. It does not want more headlines like the average house in Auckland now being priced at $1 million.
Could the real Labour Party please stand up
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, October 29th, 2020 - 35 comments
We need to get the Labour government to focus on decreasing inequality and poverty in all its forms and effects. The new government needs to show that Labour has changed the country for good. Otherwise there’s no reason to vote for them in 2023.
NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 - 47 comments
The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.
“Reds under the Bed”.
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, September 4th, 2020 - 78 comments
Everyone has recently had an education on “Socialism” working in practice.
And a graphic illustration of the shortcomings, of under regulated “Free market” Capitalism, Globalism, tax cuts for the rich, and the mania for monetising everything in sight, and “running it like a business”.
New Zealand believes Labour are better economic managers than National
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, July 28th, 2020 - 51 comments
There used to be a mantra in New Zealand politics that National were always perceived to be better managers of the economy than Labour. Until now.
White Riot
Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 11 comments
Love Music, Hate Racism? Here’s the film for you!
A World That Just Doesn’t Need As Much Oil
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, June 18th, 2020 - 27 comments
BP yesterday sent a really big message that effectively now, Covid-19 is the break that tips the world away from oil dependence.
Guest Post – Industrial Democracy for Air New Zealand?
Written By: - Date published: 2:56 pm, June 9th, 2020 - 16 comments
To assist with the emergence from the Covid19 crisis it is time to build firms like Air New Zealand into social institutions of democracy, accountable to citizens and not subject to a takeover by the private interests of capital.
Babylon’s Burning
Written By: - Date published: 3:17 pm, June 5th, 2020 - 24 comments
Nothing changes
- Gordon Campbell On Surviving Trump’s Trip To La La Land
The film industry was probably naive to think it would be spared from Donald Trump’s war on globalisation. If you believe Trump, every dollar being spent on foreign film crews, FX houses and film locations, every dime being spent by “runaway” film productions on foreign accomodation and food, is money ...7 days ago - Where’s your evidence, Brooke? Where’s your evidence?
Asked to comment on the passing of Bob Jones last week, our Prime Minister said he’s a living legend. Such is the B-bursary brain power of our leader. A dead guy is a living legend.No surprise then that all he grasped from Brooke van Velden's robot talk about vandalising pay ...1 week ago - The Coalition’s Pay Equity Betrayal
The Coalition of Chaos' latest incredibly short-sighted move sees them funnelling around a billion dollars from throwing pay equity claims into the bin into some new helicopters, supposedly for defence or emergency services. Fine, modern equipment is necessary, but at what cost?Pay equity claims, painstakingly initiated to address systemic wage ...1 week ago - The Government Aren’t Paying For Our Defence Spend. Workers Are.
Saving money? The best budgeters recommend cutting the biggest expenses first. I have several facts to present. The earnings gap between management and workers, and particularly between CEOs and workers, has been diverging dramatically since the 80s.The public sector (nearly) matches the pay rate of the private sector for managerial ...1 week ago - The Government Aren’t Paying For Our Defence Spend. Workers Are.
Saving money? The best budgeters recommend cutting the biggest expenses first. I have several facts to present. The earnings gap between management and workers, and particularly between CEOs and workers, has been diverging dramatically since the 80s.The public sector (nearly) matches the pay rate of the private sector for managerial ...1 week ago
- China needs Taiwanese ports to take the island. Mines are the key to protecting them
If China ever makes good on decades of implicit threats to invade Taiwan, most of its ground force will have to land at ports. Relatively little of it can come over beaches, because they ‘lack ...1 week ago - China needs Taiwanese ports to take the island. Mines are the key to protecting them
If China ever makes good on decades of implicit threats to invade Taiwan, most of its ground force will have to land at ports. Relatively little of it can come over beaches, because they ‘lack ...1 week ago
- Dropped
All charges against the Restore Passenger Rail protestors have finally been dropped. Good. But they should never have been laid in the first place, and it shouldn't have taken a jury telling the police to go fuck themselves (or the threat of them doing so again) for the state to ...1 week ago - Cameron Slater’s Selective Outrage Over Benjamin Doyle
Cameron Slater, the once-feared Whale Oil blogger now pathetic bedroom hack, is back at it again, flogging a dead horse while the rest of the right-wing propaganda circus has packed up and left town. His latest fixation? Green MP Benjamin Doyle, whose private social media account sparked a brief, baseless ...1 week ago
- National supports sexism
That's the only possible conclusion we can draw from their decision to legislatively terminate all pay equity claims, and make future claims much harder to win: Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim, ...1 week ago
- Vocational training can play a greater role in national security
Australia’s national security strategy has evolved significantly in recent years, expanding beyond military and intelligence domains to address cyber threats, critical infrastructure protection and emergency response. But despite its contribution to these areas, the vocational ...1 week ago
- Tuesday 6 May
New analysis found the clean slate law has no relevant impact on the likelihood of eligible individuals finding work. The New Zealand film sector is keeping calm and carrying on in the wake of new tariff threats on film and TV production made in non-US countries. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister “has ...1 week ago - Bernard’s Chorus & Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Tuesday, May 6
Willis and Luxon began the year trumpeting their plan to “go for growth”, but when the Government doesn’t invest, the private sector doesn’t either. Photo: Getty ImagesBriefly, in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Tuesday, May 6: Growth in our housing-market-with-bits-tacked-on of an economy is stalling and ...1 week ago - Erica Stanford Put New Zealand’s Security At Risk
Education and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford must resign for using her personal Gmail account to handle sensitive government business...think pre-Budget announcements, visa changes, and chats with conservative think-tank mates. This isn’t just a whoopsie; it’s a screaming neon sign flashing “hack me” to every cyber-criminal from Beijing to Moscow. And ...1 week ago
- Underinvestment in ADF reserves weakens our security
A larger, enhanced Australian Defence Force reserve component is vital to Australia’s security. However, it has been largely overlooked in discussions around achieving greater self-reliance and meaningful capability in short order. Around one third of ...1 week ago
- IDK – I Just Work Here
Maybe I'll win the lottery, buy myself a lobotomyScoop out my brains, and maybe thenI'll blend right in with managementPretty, rich, or talented, you need two to make itI guess I'll just pledge allegiance to the paycheckSong: Durry. Read more ...1 week ago - National out performs the opposition, David Attenborough turns 99 + More
Here are a few tidbits that may be of interest this morning:1. National tops the list of donations to political parties with almost $5m in contributions The Electoral Commission's figures show National had by far the biggest donations to 30 April 2025.National: $4,889,538.20Labour: $1,627,713.92Greens: $1,588,680.02ACT: $1,463,445.22New Zealand First: $758,773.91 and ...1 week ago - Lie To Me
Hi,I am increasingly surrounded by friends talking to ChatGPT. Some of them are using it for work — getting vast amounts of information summarised and crunched down down to the bare essentials. Others are using it to write code. For many it seems to be replacing Google for recommendations — ...1 week ago - What Shocked Me About Erica Stanford’s Emails
Maiki Sherman revealed last night that Erica Stanford has been using her personal email for work, including for highly sensitive government documents.Despite Luxon claiming it was no big deal, and only done in limited circumstances (mainly tech related, he claimed), 1News revealed hundreds of pages of offending material over many ...1 week ago - Visualizing daily global temperature – part 2
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink There are is a lot of dire news in the world these days – the dismantling of US climate policy, the apparent canceling of the 6th National Climate Assessment, etc. So sometimes its worth taking a break from doomscrolling and indulging in one’s hobbies. ...1 week ago - The battle for Pentagon acquisition policy: tradition versus new-and-cheaper
An upcoming battle over defence acquisition will have repercussions for US military posture, particularly in the Pacific. The weapons that get bought in larger or smaller quantities, or are launched or cancelled, will indicate whether ...1 week ago
- The Woke War On the Cultural Conduits of Capitalism.
WHAT IS WOKE MORALITY? How does it work? More to the point, can it be countered without making use of the same arguments and justifications deployed by the woke themselves?To begin with, “woke” is just the latest political shorthand for the ethical architecture supporting the tactics and strategies of anti-capitalism. ...1 week ago - US tariffs complicate Indonesian defence acquisition
Indonesia is weighing a purchase of more US weapons—such as the new F-15EX—as a bargaining chip against US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariffs on Indonesian exports to the United States. But that approach carries ...1 week ago
- Another unfair Australian election
Australians went to the polls on Saturday in an election originally expected to be a tight contest between an uninspiring ALP government, and a full-on monstrous radical Coalition opposition. But then Trump happened, and Dutton doubled down on culture war bullshit, and so instead its been a Labour landslide. Which ...1 week ago
- Bernard’s Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mixes for Monday, May 5
Our PM and Foreign Minister appear to have a policy of staying low on Trump’s radar, but when might we finally stand up to support our two closest allies against his bullying? Photo: Getty ImagesBriefly, in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, May 5:When will our ...1 week ago - Australian Army Chief searches for a new ‘theory of the army’
The Australian Army needs a clearer sense of self. With no warning time for conflict, the army must cap its ongoing transformation with a new ‘theory of the army’ that enables civilian leaders to choose ...1 week ago
- Nobody Should Be Praising Bob Jones
1 week ago
- Monday 5 May
Unions joined forces on May Day to fight back against the ongoing attack on workers’ rights under the current Government. The senior doctors’ union is not ruling out further industrial action, following the nationwide health strike. Stats NZ is likely to report official unemployment has edged up to at least ...1 week ago
- Choose Australian companies to strengthen Australia’s defence
Australia has a unique opportunity to reinforce its national security by fostering a stronger domestic defence industry. For decades, foreign defence contractors have played a significant role in our military supply chains, but it’s essential ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On Aussie Election Aftershocks And Life Lessons
While Donald Trump is being widely cited as a reason/explanation for Anthony Albanese’s landslide victory on the weekend, that’s like blaming the icing for the state of a badly baked cake. In no particular order of incoherence…although allegedly being the party of low taxes, the Liberal opposition voted against Labor’s ...1 week ago
- Humanity cannot keep simping for the Ultra Rich and expect to survive: pick a side, and organise acc...
Conflict Billionaires + Corrupted Government = Chaos Incorporated (and, frankly, possible species extinction at this rate). That’s the formula, and it keeps being rolled out. Today’s ultra-rich, trans-national entities and individual billionaire CEO’s have amassed wealth and power far, far in excess of those who were around in the ...1 week ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 27, 2025 thru Sat, May 3, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...1 week ago
- Bernard’s Sunday Soliloquy for the week to Sunday, May 4
Peter Dutton absorbs his loss in the Australian federal election. The fact that the ‘Trumpian’ candidates in both the Canadian and Australia elections lost not only the leadership vote but also their own seats must be giving pause to politicians here who may have thought Trump had a winning formula. ...1 week ago - Labour Landslide !
Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News was still trying to attack Anthony Albanese last night.Headlines on the channel replayed Albanese falling off a stage on the campaign trail. Apparently he “lied”, they said, and that was a negative for Rupert Murdoch’s commentators, who had spun out multiple videos and negative headlines based ...1 week ago - The Great Aussie Reckoning
The 2025 federal election wasn’t just a contest of political ideas; it was a bloody massacre, with Peter Dutton’s Liberal-National Coalition copping a hiding so severe it’s left them scrambling for the smelling salts. The opposition leader’s loss of his own seat of Dickson (held for 24 years) to Labor’s ...1 week ago
- The Right Direction
When you came along boy, you were different from the restNever tried to hurt me like so many men beforeMade me feel important, something special in your eyeKnowing that you care for me has made me come aliveSongwriters: Garry Paige and Mark Punch.The headline in the Guardian this morning sums ...1 week ago - In national security, Australia needs a ‘banana republic’ shock
On 14 May 1986, Paul Keating gave one of the most consequential political interviews in Australian history. He was interviewed by John Laws of 2UE, in the pre-internet era when talkback radio was dominant, and ...1 week ago
- EGU2025 – How the week in Vienna unfolded
Note: This blog post will be updated during EGU25 happening in Vienna from April 28 to May 2. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. This year's General Assembly of ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s defence budget before and after the 2009 white paper
Thanks to Michael Pezzullo’s Strategist article last month, we now know that Australia’s 2009 defence white paper foresaw our risky future and planned for it. The white paper’s outlook for Chinese force development and the ...2 weeks ago
- Are We Paying Enough Attention to the Working Class?
A major American study suggests they are not?This column is about the white working class. In the US 2024 elections they mainly voted for Donald Trump. Had they voted with the white middle class, Trump would have lost the election with only 42 percent of voters instead of the 50 ...2 weeks ago - Australia’s critical minerals strategy must avoid Pinjarra’s mistakes
The Albanese government’s announcement of a $1.2 billion critical minerals strategic stockpile marks an important step towards securing Australia’s economic future. Yet history warns us that simply building supply is insufficient: market volatility, fragmented value ...2 weeks ago
- For long-term AI ambitions, Australia should think nuclear
Australia’s two major parties are divided over nuclear energy and the future mix of the nation’s power sources. But they are missing Australia’s opportunity to power the next generation of AI models. During the election ...2 weeks ago
- Australian critical minerals reserve would put country on the right track
Australia’s future prosperity will not be built on nostalgia for past booms. It’ll be forged in the critical supply chains of tomorrow. That’s why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement of a $1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic ...2 weeks ago
- Nailing NZ’s Richest
Sorry folks, I sent the wrong version out earlier. This video is the right one - and it took a long time to re-upload it. I’ve deleted the last post, if you’ve commented, please can you transfer it over. My apologies! - MTAs a relative newcomer to politics, I often ...2 weeks ago
- Let ’em Eat Cake
'Cause you know and I knowIt'll be fluctuating forеver yeah yeah yеahIt's the way it goHigh tide and then it's lowYou build it up and the wind blows and blows it down downdown down downSong: Casual Healing.Morena folks, this morning, we're taking a lighter look at some of the good ...2 weeks ago - Budget 2025: delivering for whom?
On 22 May, the coalition government will release its budget for 2025, which it says will focus on "boosting economic growth, improving social outcomes, controlling government spending, and investing in long-term infrastructure.” But who, really, is this budget designed to serve? What values and visions for Aotearoa New Zealand lie ...2 weeks ago - Better defence demands a better veteran affairs strategy
Australia needs to develop a new veteran affairs strategy. Failure to do so will worsen the Australian Defence Force’s recruiting crisis, increase separations from service, and grow cynicism from families and taxpayers about how government ...2 weeks ago
- Butter Dreaming
1. What did Nicola Willis say this week about her budget?a. There will be no lolly scrambleb. Do or do not. There is no tryc. Get in losers, we're going shoppingd. Is butter a carb?2. What was the full price of a 500g block of Anchor Butter at Woolworths on ...2 weeks ago - Simeon Brown’s Dunedin Hospital Dishonesty
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- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Friday, May 2
Already fearful over austerity measures and the repeal of smokefree legislation, doctors now say patients are dying from ‘third world diseases’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesBriefly in our political economy of housing, poverty and climate on Friday, May 2:Waikato Hospital doctors say patients are dying from ‘third world diseases’ and the ...2 weeks ago - Trump’s national security strategy: from Pax Americana to Pact Americana
After 100 days of action, US President Donald Trump’s national security strategy is coming into focus. His second presidency appears to embrace a ‘peace through strength’ approach, as first suggested by US Senator Roger Wicker ...2 weeks ago
- A Webworm Brain Dump
Hi,I usually try to keep Webworm laser focussed, for my own sanity — and yours. Not today. This is going to be an edition of stray thoughts and finds, and I hope you’ll bear with me.Thanks for sticking with me through that hard read about megachurch abuse on Monday. These ...2 weeks ago - The Hoon around the week to May 2
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- Gordon Campbell On The Aussie Election Finale
The only spectre haunting Anthony Albanese’s government going into Election Day tomorrow will be the way the polls got wrong the likely 2019 election outcome. Back then, the Scott Morrison government got re-elected in an upset result. Opposition leader Peter Dutton is clinging to that precedent, in hope of a ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18 2025
Open access notables Public opposition to coal-fired power in emerging economies, Alkon et al., Energy Policy: Constructing new coal fired power plants presents significant climate, ecological, health, and economic risks. This presents sometimes acute tradeoffs for leaders in emerging economies, where rapid economic and population growth are driving large increases ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s quiet counterterrorism wins are being missed. That’s a problem
In early April, Victorian Supreme Court Justice James Elliot ruled that Abdul Nacer Benbrika—Australia’s most notorious terrorist and the architect of a planned mass-casualty attack on the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2005—continued to pose an ...2 weeks ago
- Mayday from Auckland Hospital
M-A-Y-D-A-YMayday, maydayM-A-Y-D-A-YMayday, maydayAnd so the days go on and onAnd I don't know if I can carry on much longerI just need a signAnything honey, just give me a signSongwriter: Ian Parton.The rain was heavy just after nine thirty this morning, and I thought, “Hmm, maybe this isn’t the best ...2 weeks ago - The five-domains update
Sea state An Australian contingent participated in Exercise Bersama Shield on 17-22 April, joining with forces from Britain, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore in a simulated defence operation around the Malay Peninsula. The exercise focused ...2 weeks ago
- Preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI released Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report developed for the next government and to promote public debate and understanding ...2 weeks ago
- Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Australian police officer Amy ScottMay Day Striking doctors outside Auckland hospital (1News)Today over 5000 senior doctors, surgeons, dentists and specialists around the country strike, not for themselves, but for the public health system. Vacancies are critical. Resourcing has never been as bad as the last year. Many doctors are stretched ...2 weeks ago - Not so risky after all: bilateral consequences of compromised intelligence operations
It’s a staple of screenwriters and novelists, stock news footage and a spectre haunting ambassadors’ dreams: a spy unmasked; riots outside embassies, flags and effigies alight; newspaper headlines blaring outrage; and the chilling words persona ...2 weeks ago
- Stephen Rainbow – Arsehole of the Week
It’s not every day you see a so-called “human rights” figure spew racist rhetoric so toxic it could curdle milk, but Stephen Rainbow, New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner, has outdone himself. This week, he’s earned the coveted Arsehole of the Week Award for his rancid claim that Muslim immigration ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Thursday, May 1
Briefly this morning in Aotearoa’s political economy: Nicola Willis may be about to means test the Government’s already-reduced $251 per person per year KiwiSaver contribution in Budget 2025.Air New Zealand lowers its emissions reduction target to barely 20% by 2030.The Commerce Commission says a market study of Air New Zealand’s ...2 weeks ago - What else we could do with the money: AUKUS Plan Bs from a CSBA exercise
Sceptics of AUKUS Pillar 1, the nuclear-submarine element of the Australian-UK-US defence technology partnership, have called on the Australian government to go for a Plan B. Proposed alternatives have included buying nuclear submarines of French ...2 weeks ago
- 2025 Reading List: April (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for April: The Gospel of Thomas, by Didymus Jude Thomas The Gospel of Mary (fragmentary) The Gospel of Judas The Infancy Gospel of James The Gospel of Peter The Stranger’s Book (fragmentary) Obviously a very quiet month in terms of reading. In fairness, real life and ...2 weeks ago - Make China great again!
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler As readers of this Substack will know, I've been increasingly concerned about the destruction of one of America’s greatest competitive advantages: our university research system. Recently, the Trump administration announced that they were going to cut university overhead rates to ...2 weeks ago
- No Russia in Papua: Indonesia’s quiet diplomacy speaks loudly
Indonesia’s low-key rejection of reported Russian interest in military basing in Papua says more than it appears to. While Jakarta’s response was measured, it was deliberate—a calculated expression of Indonesia’s foreign policy doctrine of non-alignment, ...2 weeks ago
- Australia (still) needs a dedicated and public-facing national security adviser
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI released Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report developed for the next government and to promote public debate and understanding ...2 weeks ago
- Vietnamese reunification 50 years later: ‘let bygones be bygones’
On 27 January 1973, the conflict in Vietnam was brought to an end with the formal signing in Paris of the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring the Peace in Vietnam by four parties: ...2 weeks ago
- A “secret” that wasn’t
Back in 2018, Aotearoa was in the midst of the Operation Burnham inquiry. During this, it emerged that key evidence was subject to a US veto under an obscure and secret treaty. Part of the Five Eyes arrangement, this treaty was referred to by a number of different names in ...2 weeks ago
- Nicola Willis’ Austerity Threatens New Zealand’s Future
I hate to sound the alarm, but New Zealand’s economy is teetering on the edge, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is wielding her austerity axe with a reckless abandon that could plunge us into a prolonged recession. The 2025 Budget, with its brutal $1.1 billion reduction in baseline spending, is ...2 weeks ago
- Nicola Willis’ Austerity Threatens New Zealand’s Future
I hate to sound the alarm, but New Zealand’s economy is teetering on the edge, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is wielding her austerity axe with a reckless abandon that could plunge us into a prolonged recession. The 2025 Budget, with its brutal $1.1 billion reduction in baseline spending, is ...2 weeks ago
- Punish That Criminal !
Crime Pays for the PoliticiansThis morning, Paul Goldsmith, the Minister who wants Te Reo Maori scrubbed, announced that prisoners who are serving terms of less than 3 years be barred from voting. From left, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith & Mental Health Minister Matt DooceyNZ’s Electoral Review ...2 weeks ago - Four Walls
Well, I can't see and I can't hearThey've burnt out all the feelingsAnd I never been so crazy, and it's just my second yearFour walls, wash basinFour walls, wash basinFour walls, wash basin, prison bedSongwriter: Don Walker.The coalition parties are mulling the austerity budget they will soon put to the ...2 weeks ago - The Left Must Rally Behind Andrew Little
First, hats off to Tory Whanau. Her decision to bow out and run for the Māori ward instead, putting the city’s future above her personal ambition, is commendable. Facing a torrent of personal abuse and a council mired in chaos, she still delivered on water investment, cycleways, and housing reforms. ...2 weeks ago
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- Ban on engineered stone essential to protect workers
The Green Party has renewed its call for the Government to ban the use, supply, and manufacture of engineered stone products, as the CTU launches a petition for the implementation of a full ban. ...2 weeks ago - Release: Anzac Day a time to recommit to veterans
This Anzac Day, Labour recognises veterans and the service they have given to our country. ...3 weeks ago - Education Should be Led by Experts-Not Economists
Te Pāti Māori are appalled by Cabinet's decision to agree to 15 recommendations to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector following the regulatory review by the Ministry of Regulation. We emphasise the need to prioritise tamariki Māori in Early Childhood Education, conducted by education experts- not economists. “Our mokopuna deserve ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Govt’s flagship cost of living policy a failure
After promising $250 a fortnight to many families, the Government has been forced to admit just a couple hundred families are receiving it. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Transparency needed on changes to early childhood education
The Government is putting children at risk in early childhood education (ECE) by proposing to loosen the requirement for qualified teachers. ...3 weeks ago
- The cost of being: A mum taking extended maternity leave
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a new mum shares her mortgage anxiety as her paid maternity leave period comes to an end. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 30. Ethnicity: ...13 hours ago - Labour’s Chris Hipkins takes aim at pay equity changes, government’s ‘austerity...
Labour's leader in a speech said the government's policies would lead to "decline", and hinted at sweeping tax changes under his leadership. ...13 hours ago - A looming workforce crisis in NZ tourism and hospitality threatens industry growth plans
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Brien, Associate Professor, Department of Global Value Chains and Trade, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images Last week’s big tourism conference in Rotorua saw plenty of optimism about the industry’s potential, but also warnings that airline capacity is hampering post-COVID ...14 hours ago - From Zoo Quest to Ocean: The evolution of David Attenborough’s voice for the planet
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil J. Gostling, Associate Professor in Evolution and Palaeobiology, University of Southampton Over the course of seven decades, Sir David Attenborough’s documentaries have reshaped how we see the natural world, shifting from colonial-era collecting trips to urgent calls for environmental action. ...14 hours ago
- Trump heads to the Gulf aiming to bolster trade ties – but side talks on Tehran, Gaza could drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman attend the G20 Summit in Japan in 2019. Eliot Blondet/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump will sit down ...14 hours ago
- What did the parties say on TikTok in the election, and how? Here’s the campaign broken down in 5 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Oates, PhD Candidate, School of Social Sciences, Monash University TikTok emerged as a key battleground in an election where young voters comprised a dominant share of the electorate. All the prominent political parties used the platform – especially after tactics by ...14 hours ago
- Dementia risk depends on more than lifestyle factors. Overstating this can cause stigma and blame
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joyce Siette, Associate Professor | Deputy Director, The MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University Shvets Production/Pexels As public awareness of dementia grows, so too does the appetite for prevention. Global headlines tout the benefits of exercise, diet, brain training and social activity ...14 hours ago
- Range anxiety – or charger drama? Australians are buying hybrid cars because they don’t trust p...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ganna Pogrebna, Executive Director, AI and Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University VisualArtStudio/Shutterstock Range anxiety has long been seen as the main obstacle stopping drivers from going electric. But range isn’t the real issue. The average range of a new ...14 hours ago
- ‘We’re testing for testing’s sake’ – new maths tests fail to make the ...
The government is "testing children to death" with the announcement of a new maths test for the youngest children, says the head of the Principals Federation. ...14 hours ago
- Union, government in mediation over working from home restrictions
The PSA said tightening up on working from home disproportionately affects women who make up 62 percent of for public sector staff. ...15 hours ago
- Health NZ aims to cut surgery waitlists by outsourcing to private hospitals, extending doctors’...
And it also plans to ask surgeons to work longer hours in a bid to cut the waitlist. ...15 hours ago
- ‘Confession pages’ an online challenge for Auckland schools
At least two high schools are dealing with online bullying where students share highly personal information. ...15 hours ago
- Act takes a victory lap as Waitangi Tribunal faces government review
The government says its review will help the tribunal navigate the coming decades. Critics say it’s an ideological attack in disguise, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A half-century check-up… The Waitangi Tribunal is undergoing its first-ever ...15 hours ago
- Working From Home Dispute In Mediation Today – Will Govt Support Women On This?
The PSA filed action with the Employment Relations Authority last December to stop the Government from restricting flexible workplace practices, which disproportionately impacts women who make up 62% of public service workers. ...15 hours ago - Social media restrictions will need to be policed by government – expert
The government should not rely on social media platforms to restrict use for under-16s on their systems, an information systems expert says. ...15 hours ago
- ‘Nothing further from the truth’ – pay equity shake-up not cutting pay for women, ...
Christoperh Luxon critics are "scaremongering", but Labour says the coalition is "gaslighting" half the population. ...17 hours ago
- Windbag: The urbanist value of a rainbow crossing
Roadway art like Wellington’s rainbow crossing can be a cheap way to improve inner-city vibrancy and pedestrian safety. Windbag is The Spinoff’s Wellington issues column, written by Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Subscribe to the Windbag newsletter to receive columns early. Wellington’s rainbow crossing at Cuba Street and Dixon Street opened with pomp ...17 hours ago
- The Fold: Why are there suddenly two country music stations in New Zealand?
Veteran broadcaster Mike Puru and NZME chief audio officer Jason Winstanley join Duncan Greive to talk about the rise of country, and the current state of digital audio in Aotearoa. For a long time New Zealand’s country music audience was presumed to be the town of Gore and its ...17 hours ago
- Nobody is cutting through government spin like the Act Party
Whether it’s pay equity or the Waitangi Tribunal review, the person most committed to combatting government PR is government minister David Seymour. Only 3.2% of The Spinoff’s readership supports us financially. We need to grow that to 4% this year to keep creating the work you love. Sign up to ...17 hours ago
- Council asks court to set aside ‘remarkable’ correspondence
A High Court case centred on the agricultural pollution of water is thrown a curveball involving ‘highly probative’ documents The post Council asks court to set aside ‘remarkable’ correspondence appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago - Auckland port sails past profit target, bright light for council firms
Port of Auckland is in a mini-boom financially but Auckland Council’s development and property arm is in a funk The post Auckland port sails past profit target, bright light for council firms appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 13 May
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.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 13 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Cabinet wipes 33 pay equity claims ahead of taking pay rise
In July, taxpayer funds will top up MPs’ pay by $669,100, despite the tight fiscal environment that’s led to some big Budget trade-offs The post Cabinet wipes 33 pay equity claims ahead of taking pay rise appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- In a divided world, new Pope signals a turn towards unity and communion
Comment: Habemus papam (“we have a Pope”). Along with the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, these Latin words informed the world that the Roman Catholic Church had elected a new pontiff: Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.The first words of the Pope’s inaugural address to the ...17 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Tuesday 13 May
The post Daily crossword, Tuesday 13 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- New German chancellor’s first week: from near-defeat to statecraft
Comment: Unable to secure immediate loyalty and popularity at home, Merz has sought to build authority abroad The post New German chancellor’s first week: from near-defeat to statecraft appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Smokefree 2025 goal all but up in smoke
More than 80,000 Kiwis must quit smoking before the end of the year to meet the goal of Smokefree 2025, which was launched 14 years ago.But Professor of Public Health Chris Bullen tells The Detail it is unlikely to happen – “I don’t believe so, sadly”.“The evidence suggests we are ...17 hours ago
- A ‘wonk’ waves goodbye
Outgoing Labour MP David Parker on the need for fairer taxation, the problem with identity politics, and social media’s ills The post A ‘wonk’ waves goodbye appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Early KiwiSaver withdrawals used more for financial hardship than first homes
Retirement savings pots are being accessed early to help people pay rent, debt arrears or for surgery The post Early KiwiSaver withdrawals used more for financial hardship than first homes appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Ockhams: oldest writer ever to make shortlist
At 92, CK Stead is the oldest writer to ever contest a prize at the national book awards – probably. I think so anyway. His collection In The Half Light of a Dying Day is shortlisted for the $10,000 poetry prize awarded tomorrow night (Wednesday, May 14) at the Ockham ...17 hours ago
- Kiwi travellers warned of US detention risk under Trump
New Zealanders heading to the United States could be detained, deported and banned from re-entering the country if they fall foul of entry conditions being strictly enforced by authorities, according to new advice issued by the Government.Officials have also warned that travellers’ electronic devices and other belongings could be inspected ...17 hours ago
- PSNA says broadcast ruling a warning to NZ news media to be wary of ‘Israeli propaganda’
Asia Pacific Report A decision by the Broadcasting Standards Authority to uphold a complaint against a 1News broadcast last November is a warning to news media, says the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. The authority ruled that a TVNZ news item on violence in Amsterdam in the Netherlands breached BSA rules. ...21 hours ago
- If you really want to close the US trade deficit, try boosting innovation in rural manufacturing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, & Interim Head, Department of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology President Donald Trump has long been preoccupied by the trade deficit — the gap between what the U.S. sells to the ...22 hours ago
- Bindi Irwin was rushed to hospital for appendix surgery. But what is appendicitis?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Warwick Teague, Co-group Leader, Surgical Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute lev radin/Shutterstock Bindi Irwin has reportedly been rushed to hospital in the United States to undergo emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. According to brother Robert Irwin, “she’s going to be ...23 hours ago
- Otago academics plan declaration on Palestine to ‘face daily horrors’
Asia Pacific Report A group of New Zealand academics at Otago University have drawn up a “Declaration on Palestine” against genocide, apartheid and scholasticide of Palestinians by Israel that has illegally occupied their indigenous lands for more than seven decades. The document, which had already drawn more than 300 signatures ...23 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Albanese shifts Tanya Plibersek from environment, in favour of ‘can-do’ Murr...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The reshuffle announced by Anthony Albanese is a mix of continuity and change, with those in the government’s top rank staying in their previous ministries, as the prime minister had earlier flagged, but some big ...1 day ago
- View from The Hill: Albanese shifts Tanya Plibersek from environment, in favour of ‘can-do’ Murr...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The reshuffle announced by Anthony Albanese is a mix of continuity and change, with those in the government’s top rank staying in their previous ministries, as the prime minister had earlier flagged, but some big ...1 day ago
- View from The Hill: Albanese shifts Tanya Plibersek from environment, in favour of ‘can-do’ Murr...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The reshuffle announced by Anthony Albanese is a mix of continuity and change, with those in the government’s top rank staying in their previous ministries, as the prime minister had earlier flagged, but some big ...1 day ago
- Forest & Bird Says National Parks Not Game Parks
Undermining the incredible landscapes and habitats of Fiordland National Park so that a few hunters can shoot a small number of deer each year, is catering to a handful of vested interests at the expense of all New Zealanders. ...1 day ago
- Genes, environment or a special bond? Why some twins talk and think in unison
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeffrey Craig, Professor in Medical Sciences, Deakin University An interview with Paula and Bridgette Powers – identical twins who witnessed their mother’s carjacking – recently went viral. The way they spoke and gestured in unison has captivated global audiences. Bridgette and Paula ...1 day ago
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