class war
Categories under class war
- No categories
Culture wars are a diversion from addressing class struggles
Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, August 24th, 2024 - 25 comments
Ditch the NZ culture wars if we really want challenge status quo.
Government is cutting funding for food banks
Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, June 29th, 2024 - 14 comments
Are things back on track? How about for those who can least afford to feed themselves? It appears not with reports that funding for food banks is being slashed. And the consequence could be dire.
Are we drifting away or falling apart?
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, May 18th, 2024 - 16 comments
What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?
The Useful Rich
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, December 31st, 2023 - 64 comments
New Zealand’s rich are endlessly fascinating, but as wealth concentrates ever tighter we are poorer.
Pagani and Edwards do not understand the working class
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, November 1st, 2023 - 87 comments
Bryce Edwards and Josie Pagani have suggested that there should be more working class in Parliament. But the quality of their analysis leaves a lot to be desired.
Multimillionaire landlords are the real squeezed middle according to National
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, October 11th, 2023 - 24 comments
Craig Rennie of the CTU has continued his excellent work analysing National’s proposed tax cuts and has come up with a doozie. Landlords who own multiple properties will get huge tax cuts if National’s policy is put in place.
Rules-based cricket disorder
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, July 6th, 2023 - 12 comments
“It isn’t cricket” supposedly set the ethical standard around the British Empire for over a century. Last week saw Lords, the ‘home of cricket,’ validate a damning report about racism, elitism, classism and sexism in British cricket just days after it was issued.
Where Is New Zealand Extremism Going?
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 28th, 2023 - 78 comments
I’ve worked my way through two books recently, both on extremist sects, one about New Zealand groups and one about those in the United States of America. It’s startling.
Chloe Swarbrick: We don’t live in a game of Monopoly
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, March 10th, 2023 - 49 comments
The case for redistribution of wealth in New Zealand.
Greens: Tax the banks
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, March 1st, 2023 - 60 comments
Instead of creating an appeal fund and one-off lotto draw, the Labour Government could tax the billions of dollars banks have made in unearned, excess profits and use the money to support people.
New Zealand is in a terrible state *
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, January 6th, 2023 - 116 comments
* or is it?
The 2022 We Are Heading Towards
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 13th, 2021 - 34 comments
Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.
We are all in this together
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, November 2nd, 2021 - 206 comments
Increasing levels of angst at the current lockdown can be related to privilege.
David Seymour is all class
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, October 12th, 2021 - 71 comments
David Seymour suggested that suburbs where the vaccination rate hit 90% should be allowed extra freedom. But an analysis suggests that the wealthiest parts of Auckland, including Remuera and Epsom would qualify, whereas the poorer parts of Auckland would struggle to qualify.
COVID, We Need To Talk About Class
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, September 14th, 2021 - 27 comments
We’ve never seen a nationwide disease illustrate class and deprivation like the future of the country depended on it. Not like this. This should change us.
The Top 20 Biggest U.S. Military Interventions, Best to Worst
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, August 31st, 2021 - 76 comments
With the last flights coming out of Kabul, it’s time to review whether this US attitude to the world is a good idea.
Housing, an update of sorts
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, May 18th, 2021 - 31 comments
Anarkaytie writes about the history of the housing crisis in New Zealand and how tiny housing provides some of the solutions.
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.
Tranquillum
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 pm, December 6th, 2020 - 134 comments
Don’t expect a jellyfish to grow a spine, they just bob along on the current and keep moving, gently, slowly, kindly.
UMR Poll August 2020
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 34 comments
The latest Rogue Poll™ is out. This time it’s UMR’s turn and Judith Collins is on the rise.
July 2020 Roy Morgan Poll
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 8th, 2020 - 45 comments
The latest Roy Morgan poll is out.
Crusher?
Crushed!
One News CB Poll July 2020
Written By: - Date published: 5:22 pm, July 30th, 2020 - 132 comments
The July One News Colmar Brunton poll is out at 6PM. Has Judith Collins worked the oracle? Or is it another of Gerry Brownlee’s rogue polls?
Stay tuned …
UPDATE: Labour in the 50’s, National 32
Winston Peters Names Alleged Super Leaker
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, July 22nd, 2020 - 87 comments
Winston Peters has named the person he says leaked his super details. Has ACT joined National in doing Dirty Politics?
Another Nat MP Quits
Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, July 20th, 2020 - 205 comments
Another Tory MP has quit. This time it’s first term MP Andrew Falloon.
UPDATE: The PM was informed on Friday, but chose to be discreet.
UPDATE: NewsHub are claiming that Falloon sent porn to a schoolgirl.
UPDATE: The victim was a uni student and her age means no offence was committed. Further, Falloon claims it was not him that sent the pic.
Wellington Central: Should Grant Robertson Stand Aside?
Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, July 19th, 2020 - 47 comments
Should Labour’s Grant Robertson stand aside in Wellington Central to guarantee the Greens are available to be a coalition partner?
Roy Morgan Poll July 2020
Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, July 15th, 2020 - 41 comments
The latest Roy Morgan Poll is further bad news for National and a stark warning for NZ First.
Walkergate: MP Quits
Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, July 8th, 2020 - 65 comments
Privacy breaching MP Hamish Walker has announced he will step down at the next election. But who else should go?
Update: Muller tries to divert attention by announcing that National still want a 4 lane highway from Chch to Ashburton. Problem solved!
White Riot
Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 11 comments
Love Music, Hate Racism? Here’s the film for you!
The 2008 Go Wellington Bus Lockout
Written By: - Date published: 5:44 am, July 3rd, 2020 - 6 comments
20 days after being elected President of the Wellington Tramways and Public Passenger Transport Employees Union (we just called it Tramways), drivers at Go Wellington were locked out. The City nearly ground to a halt with thousands unable to get to work and traffic congestion a nightmare. Certain journalists were quick to call this a communist conspiracy.
One News/CB Poll June
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, June 25th, 2020 - 49 comments
The latest One News/Colmar Brunton poll continues to show Labour are the favourites to lead the next Government.
Aroha Ardern Poster Banned?
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 pm, June 21st, 2020 - 66 comments
A piece of street art has got the right’s knickers in a twist. But Love conquers all.
CommentsOpinions
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- The Government MUST Step In To Save New Zealand News
First they came for Newshub, and I said nothing because I didn’t watch TV3. Then they came for One News, and I said nothing because I didn’t pay much attention to them either. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out because all the ...6 hours ago - Reefer
Something I especially like about you all, you loyal and much-appreciated readers of More Than A Feilding, is that you are so very widely experienced and knowledgeable. Not just saying that. You really are.So I'm mindful as I write today that at least one of you has been captain of an ...8 hours ago - The corruption list
Yesterday the navy lost one of its newest ships in an accident. And so obviously, National used it as cover to release its list of projects to be rubber-stamped under its corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law. When the list of invitees was released, I called it "a who's who of New ...10 hours ago - Follow The Money In NZ’s Health Privatisation Heist
On Friday, Luxon and Reti were at Ormiston Private Hospital to talk up the benefits of private money in public health. [And defend Casey Costello - that’s a given for now by our National Party Ministers - including the medical doctor Shane Reti.]Luxon and Reti said we were going to ...12 hours ago - How Good Politicians Become Untrustworthy Turdgoblins
Hi,If you are unfortunate like me, you will have seen this image over the weekend.Donald Trump returned to the site of his near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania — except this time he brought Elon Musk with him. It’s difficult to keep up with Trump’s brain, but he seems to have dropped ...15 hours ago - 2023 Census first look: how we travel to work and school
Last week finally saw the first major release of detailed data from last year’s Census. There are a huge number of stories to be told from this data. Over the next few weeks we’ll be illuminating a few of them – starting today with an initial look at how New ...15 hours ago - Bishop goes for growth, but leaves finance hand brake on
The Government finance hand brake that stalled construction momentum in early 2024 remains firmly on. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, October 7:Infrastructure and Housing Minister Chris Bishop ...15 hours ago - Geoffrey Miller: How the US election could affect New Zealand foreign policy
Change is coming to America. Next month’s elections are likely to pave the way for an overhaul of US foreign policy– regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the presidency. Decisions made in Washington will also have a direct impact on Wellington. While the Biden administration started its ...17 hours ago - Bishops answers the call
Those business leaders who were calling last week for some indication of an economic plan from the Government got their answer yesterday. In what amounted to the first substantial pointer to the future rather than the past from a Government Minister, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop set out the reasons for ...19 hours ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #40
A listing of 30 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 29, 2024 thru Sat, October 5, 2024. Story of the week We're all made of standard human fabric so it's nobody's particular fault but while "other" parts of the world ...1 day ago - An Ailing Health Service
I had occasion yesterday to visit our health centre. My doctor had said that I needed a blood test. The first thing I noticed was that the phlebotomist was acting as her own receptionist. She was handing a number to prospective patients in the order in which they presented themselves. ...1 day ago - Real Kiwis Say Welcome
One day there will come a timeWhen the person you are named after diesAnd all of a sudden, you're the only one leftSong: The Smith Street BandThis headline jumped out at me yesterday: Racism fallout at North Shore Hospital after patient request to avoid Asian staff.The article is sparse in ...2 days ago - A better way of living
Nicola Willis and her boss have been peddling a fake short history of the previous government that runs as follows:They spent and spent, they had nothing to show for it and that is not how you grow the economy, because You can't tax yourself to prosperity.There is a sort of ...2 days ago - The End of the Beginning of a Curate’s Egg: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episode 8...
There’s a bad taste in my mouth. And it has nothing to do with dinner. The Rings of Power season two – undoubtedly a massive improvement on season one – has concluded on a mixed note. It’s not season one bitterness, in that parts of this episode were indeed excellent, ...2 days ago - Join the Protest 23-October
This is a live page and will be updated with updates and resources.Facebook page: No to Privatisation by StealthSigns ...2 days ago - If the Rain Comes
If the rain comes they run and hide their heads.They might as well be dead,If the rain comes, if the rain comes…Can you hear me that when it rains and shines,It's just a state of mind,Can you hear me, can you hear me?Song: Lennon-McCartneyIt’s been quite a week for Dunedin ...3 days ago - Up and down
3 days ago - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head: Dunedin Flooding
I noted a few days ago that the Hospital protest happened to coincide with favourable weather. Well, it was a very happy coincidence, because the past twenty-four hours have been rather wet in this part of the world. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/weather-pictures-dunedin-flooded-as-state-of-local-emergency-declared/HNOB5YIEWFCUXNWXYIWGICZ6ZU/ In terms of sheer amount of rain, it’s one of those ...3 days ago - Is the New Zealand’s Retirement Strategy Sustainable?
Today’s mañana strategy will lead to a crisis for the oldest elderly.It is said that the only certainties are death and taxes, but a lack of each causes uncertainties. As longevity increases, the pressures on state spending increase. A reluctance to increase taxation means the pressures on the elderly increase.The ...3 days ago - Taking the piss
When cancer minister Casey Costello convinced Cabinet to give her mates at Philip Morris a $216 million tax cut, she did so in the face of departmental advice that there would be no benefits and that Philip Morris' "heated tobacco products" were more cancerous and toxic than cigarettes. But she ...3 days ago
- National’s democratic suppression fails
Last week, National rammed its destructive offshore gas-drilling legislation through to select committee under urgency, and then gave submitters only four working days to have a say on it. The goal was clearly to stifle opposition, but it appears to have failed spectacularly: Despite being given only 3½ working ...3 days ago
- Deep-dive: What does an ageing population mean for Aotearoa?
Long story short: Treasury has warned again public debt will rise exponentially in the decades to come because of the rising costs of our ageing population, unless we change one or more of our New Zealand Superannuation promises, publicly-funded healthcare or tax settings. The current Government isn’t planning any changes, ...4 days ago
- Extreme weather events coming for us all
Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:“Why does everywhere seem to be flooding right now, Vox asks, as a new study predicts that 70% of ...4 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 4-October-2024
Welcome to the first week of October, which brings longer days and (we hope) lighter spirits. Despite the state of things, there are still abundant reasons to feel encouraged. On we roll! This roundup is brought to you by our largely volunteer crew. If you’d like to support our work ...4 days ago
- One Heartbeat or Two?
Morning all, this is just a quick note from me this morning: I’m off for a scan shortly. I’m sure you know the drill, especially if you’re a mum: a squeeze of surprisingly cold gel straight on your front, which the radiologist then uses the ultrasound machine to try and ...4 days ago - The Hoon around the week to October 4
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including another extreme climate event in the United States; on the escalating conflict between Israel, Iran ...4 days ago
- Govt to underwrite new private house-building
With housing construction stalled, the Government has come up with a plan to underwrite new developments. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, October 4:The Government is set to ...4 days ago - “We Have The Money For Health”
Yesterday, there was an excellent interview on 1News Breakfast with Former Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell. He was being interviewed in response to the government signalling to privatising our hospitals.Campbell confirmed what this publication and its readers have long talked about. One: We have the money for Health. Two: The ...4 days ago
- The new winning face of the Government
Yesterday’s NZME “Mood of the Boardroom” survey should be a wake-up call for the Government. This annual survey polls a wide range of private and public sector business leaders. Respondents to the survey rated their confidence in the New Zealand economy at 3.23 out of five, the highest score for optimism ...4 days ago
- The Farcical Casey Costello Saga
Do you want to hear a joke?One day a government Minister fought very hard to help out mates with tax cuts She scored them - a massive NZ $106 billion multinational tobacco company with shares trading at $192 each - $216 million worth of tax cuts on their star product ...4 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #40 2024
Open access notables Sloth metabolism may make survival untenable under climate change scenarios, Cliffe et al., PeerJ: Sloths are limited by the rate at which they can acquire energy and are unable to regulate core body temperature (Tb) to the extent seen in most mammals. Therefore, the metabolic impacts of climate change ...4 days ago
- cancer 🙁
I have been outside this week, replacing spouting. Although this involves ladders and sharp tools, I am pleased to say there have been no cuts, no falls, no disasters. I mention this because from some of the comments some of you have made, I'm getting the feeling I may have ...4 days ago - Breakfast with Nicola and Barbara
At six o'clock I'm goin' downCoffee's hot, and the toast is brownHey street sweeper, clear my waySweethearts breakfast is the best in townSongwriter: Donald Hugh WalkerIt’s that time of year again when NZME presumably thanks the country’s business leaders for all the advertising they’ve done during the year. They do ...4 days ago - Ableism in Medicine: Why We Need Disabled Doctors
It’s very exciting to be getting a new medical school. It would be more exciting if the hospitals needed to train them weren’t on the verge of losing their licenses due to understaffing issues, and if the cost of such a school wasn’t coming at the expense of the health ...5 days ago - Thursday 3 October 2024
The PPTA has changed its constitution to allow teachers at charter schools to join their union, which David Seymour is claiming as a victory for charter schools. The union has pushed back on that claim and reiterate their opposition to the forced imposition of charter schools. Workers at Winstone Pulp ...5 days ago - The unsung heroes of India’s extreme weather disasters
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sanket Jain Noushadbi Mujawar has created a community health model that helps people in India build resilience amid the rising climate disasters. (Photo credit: Sanket Jain) Community health care worker Noushadbi Mujawar safely evacuated everyone from Rajapur, an isolated ...5 days ago
- Throwback Thursday: a Low Traffic Neighbourhood by any other name…
This time three years ago – as described in this Thursday throwback post by Jolisa – Auckland was deep into experiencing another prolonged shift in perspective around how a city can look and feel. . A lot has changed since then; and a lot hasn’t. As a recent guest ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the perils of Israel’s war fever
Israel seems on the brink of achieving the war with Iran that Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying all year to provoke. Until now, Iran had not taken the bait. It had not replied in kind to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its bombing of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, and its assassinations ...5 days ago
- A Glitch in the Matrix: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episode 7 (Season 2)
This is the tardiest review I have yet done for The Rings of Power – but, alas, real-life gets in the way sometimes. It has been a busy few days, and it became a matter of finding the time to sit down and express my thoughts. Also, it took a ...5 days ago - Welcome to the end of neoliberalism: privatisation
5 days ago - A private matter
Boy oh boy, are you as excited as I am for a fresh wave of privatisation? You only need to reflect for a moment on how much better off privatisation has made us these past few decades to see that more of that would be a very good thing.The paragraph ...5 days ago - National wants to loot the health system
Hot on the heels of their cancellation of Dunedin hospital (meaning a cut to health services in half the south Island), National has revealed the next part of their agenda: the outright privatisation of the health system: The health agency is suggesting the Government to consider allowing private companies ...5 days ago
- Public Health Funding For Private Profit
I've had enough of scheming and messing around with jerksMy car is parked outside, I'm afraid it doesn't workI'm looking for a partner, someone who gets things fixedAsk yourself this question, do you want to be rich?I've got the brains, you've got the looksLet's make lots of moneyYou've got the ...6 days ago - How will Auckland Council address the cycling budget shortfall?
This is a very timely post from Bike Auckland, re-published here with kind permission. See also yesterday’s post by Patrick on the abundantly clear case for funding cycling as the powerful “stealth mode” for easy access to and around our city. The short version The central Government’s transport ...6 days ago
- Wednesday 2 October 2024
The Pacific Media Network have covered the CTU’s analysis of the gender pay gap, with Rachel Mackintosh being interviewed on the impacts for Pasifika women. The NZPFU are calling for an inquiry into a fatal house fire in Ōtaki, as volunteer firefighters were left to handle the fire on their ...6 days ago
- Four ways climate change likely made Hurricane Helene worse
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Hurricane Helene at sunset on Sep. 26, 2024, as the storm was closing in on the Florida coast as a Cat 4 with 130 mph winds. (Image credit: NOAA/RAMMB-CIRA Satellite Library) After a spectacular burst of rapid intensification, Hurricane ...6 days ago
- It’s about the economy, stupid
Neoliberalism will defend itself. It must, because it has amassed power and wealth in those who are most invested in it.Take John Key, for instance, who has taken the unusual and controversial move of quietly endorsing Donald Trump as a former NZ PM, claiming that not only is Trump likely ...6 days ago - Luxon escapes having to pay $70,000 in ‘brightline’ capital gains taxes
The timing was fortuitous for Luxon, saving him over $70,000. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, October 2:PM Christopher Luxon was able to escape having to pay ‘brightline’ ...6 days ago - A Podcast Direct From Hell
Hi,I will explain the horrifying painting of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon shortly.But first, I got a text from my friend Aaron over the weekend:In short, Aaron had loaded about a year’s worth of our text history into Google’s AI (privacy, what privacy?) — and instructed the AI to ...6 days ago - Where is National’s care and concern for the South Island? Probably off having dinner with the CCP...
National has a representation issue. Not in terms of gender, or race, or disability, or socio-economic background (though they do also have a lack of all of those), but with its representation for the South Island. Is it any surprise we’re the ones getting shafted when there’s only a single ...6 days ago - Government Moves To Privatise Health
Often when folks ask me what we can do about this government’s short sighted and often dubious policies1, I frequently veer to a similar answer:Share information, stay aware, act locally where you can, stay positive, and wait.Wait - for what?Well tonight it became clear.On 1News tonight, it was revealed Health ...6 days ago - Luxon just became a poster boy for taxing the rich
Whenever our politicians are caught with their hand in the till, they loudly proclaim that their theft from the public was "within the rules". The problem is that they are the ones writing the rules, and there's a certain suspicion that they write them to suit themselves. And so their ...6 days ago
- At the end of the day we’ll always have John Key
He dumped us years ago, but the media still pines for him, stalks his Insta, has a little flutter of the heart whenever he saunters back into the room.So naturally Stuff wanted to hear everything John Key had to say about the US election. And although the tape goes for ...6 days ago - Tuesday 1 October 2024
The Commerce Commission has announced they are blocking Foodstuff’s North and South Island merger, on the basis that it would substantially lessen competition and make it harder for other retailers to grow. The cancellation of plans to build a Dunedin hospital is continuing to cause controversy, with Otago mayors revealing ...6 days ago
- VIDEO: Health Commissioner Lester Levy: “It’s not up to me to fix everything”
Related links:Auckland University of Technology Professor Lester Levy is also the Part Time Health NZ Commissioner charging taxpayers $320,000 a yearPM says no doctor for Dargaville Hospital cardiac arrest 'challenging' - Dr Payinda noted a "nervous, worried, concerned nurse" was left alone to manage the cardiac arrest and "rely on ...6 days ago
- Climate Change: Fossil fuels versus free trade
One of the arguments against National's gas fantasy is that it breaches our environmental commitments under various free trade agreements, including the NZ-EU FTA, which requires us to meet our Paris commitments and not weaken our environmental protections. And it turns out that MFAT agrees: Legal advice from the ...6 days ago
- ‘I don’t know what the point of the questioning is.’
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, October 1:PM Christopher Luxon has made $460,000 in tax-free income this year from capital gains on the sale of two of his rental properties, almost as much ...7 days ago - In the Waiting Line
Do you believeIn what you seeMotionless wheelNothing is realWasting my timeIn the waiting lineDo you believe inWhat you seeSongwriters: Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker, Sophie Alexandra Jessica BarkerOctober already. This year feels like it’s going quickly, provided you don’t count it out in WTF moments from the coalition. Before we know ...7 days ago - Land of The Bullies
Kāinga Ora When Chris Bishop asked Bill English to help him do an “independent review” of Kāinga Ora last year, who here could guess that English’s report said exactly what Bishop already indicated?A reminder of how it went down:For the modest payday of $500,000, Bill English was paid from the ...7 days ago - Stealth mode: the surprisingly powerful city centre access hack
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the City Centre Advisory Panel and a candidate in this months Entrust election It might surprise you to learn that in Auckland, our harbour city, wrapped around the shores of the beautiful Waitemata, bikes bring as many people to the city centre in the ...7 days ago
- How many people did the Beryl blackout kill?
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler link You should probably learn the term compound climate event. It refers to the occurrence of multiple weather- or climate-related hazards happening simultaneously or in close succession, leading to amplified impacts. One of the most feared compound events is ...7 days ago
- The Right Are Furious That Abuse Doesn’t Work
We must have sympathy for the right.After all, it’s difficult being a conservative these days. Progressive politics are proceeding at a rapid pace. World leaders preaching kindness and compassion are lavished with praise and acclamations. You can’t hit your kids anymore, you can’t hit your dog, you can’t hit your ...7 days ago - The Dunedin hospital crisis may be about more than just a hospital
The news that the University of Waikato med school proposal has passed its cost-benefit analysis just two days after the Dunedin Hospital funding crisis announcement may not be linked, but one certainly impacts the other. POLITIK understands that ACT opposes the Waikato proposal and NZ First is lukewarm, but somehow, ...7 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the Dunedin hospital fiasco
The word “blow-out” is such a politically loaded term. It carries a strong whiff of extravagance and incompetence. In fact, and with public health budgets in particular, going “over budget” is a sign that reality has finally caught up with what – from the outset – was always a budget ...1 week ago
- 2024 Reading Summary: September (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for September: Old English Genesis A & B (poetry), by Anonymous Old English Exodus (poetry), by Anonymous The Life of St Guthlac of Crowland (poetry), by Anonymous The Death of St Guthlac (poetry), by Anonymous Maxims I [The Exeter Book Maxims] (poetry), by Anonymous Maxims II [The ...1 week ago - Hayden Donnell raises my ‘grim’ Hamish to ‘furious’ Hamish
Delightful piece from Hayden Donnell at The Spinoff (how did I miss it?) — Huge opportunity: Could you be the guy standing behind the PM looking furious? OK, so I thought ‘grim’, right? But Hayden has brought receipts, as the saying goes… and his view is ‘absolutely ropeable’. Lol. “Usually ...1 week ago - The problem, and the solution
Reader Pete Hodgson was in touch after Saturday’s edition to offer his speech notes from the Dunedin rally. They are excellent, they deserve the widest audience. My name is Pete Hodgson, and I chaired or served on the governance group of the new hospital for 6 years until last Xmas. ...1 week ago - Climate Change: The end of coal in the UK
It's official: coal has been eliminated from the UK's electricity system: Britain’s only remaining coal power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire will generate electricity for the last time on Monday after powering the UK for 57 years. The power plant will come to the end of its life in ...1 week ago
- The Bewildering World of Chris Luxon – Broken Promises, An Angry Country, and a Govt on Life S...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.National Party leader (current), Christopher Luxon, speaking at a public meeting in Gore, in January last year:“Now lets be clear, Dunedin Hospital, started under a National Government, mucked around under a Labour Government for ...1 week ago - A tipping point?
The National Party has been promising Dunedin - and the lower South Island - a new hospital since 2008. Despite those promises, the Key government did nothing during its nine years in office, and it was left to Labour to actually start the process in 2017. National promptly criticised them ...1 week ago
- Wake Me Up When September Ends
A bit disoriented this morning. I’ll blame Daylight Savings; I slept late. To be fair, it was probably the new mattress. After going to Rotorua the other week, we realised just how terrible ours was.“Scalloped” is a term that will be familiar to guitarists. It describes how some guitars have ...1 week ago - Rays of Sunshine – Bravo, Bravo !
Cartoon: Guy BodySam Sharpe Studio brought “Wrecking Ball Luxon” to the marchPlease consider supporting my work and subscribing. Thanks, Tui.Oliver Mould provided an exciting statistic yesterday.He wrote in the comments:Source: Why Civil Resistance Works The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent ConflictAnd I paused…It was exciting to read that. Thanks, OM. A ...1 week ago - Monday 30 September 2024
35,000 people march against the Government’s “downgrades” to Dunedin Hospital. NZEI and PPTA are continuing their campaign against charter schools, after the legislation passed its final reading in Parliament last week. Analysis released by the NZCTU shows that Pasifika women were working for free from last Friday, and that it ...1 week ago
- Is this our least worldly Minister of Transport?
Over the weekend, the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown proudly announced his new speed-setting rule, a decision that will undoubtedly lead to greater harm on our roads. It’s a tragically predictable decision by a Minister who seems to be on only nodding acquaintance with both evidence and international norms. Fueled ...1 week ago
- One in four march against Govt in Dunedin
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, September 30:Over 35,000 people marched in Dunedin on Saturday to protest against the Government’s plans to downgrade the new hospital being built there.In the scoop of the ...1 week ago
- Govt Gambling Safety of our Moana
Yesterday the government announced the list of 149 projects selected for fast-tracking across Aotearoa. Trans-Tasman Resources’ plan to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki was one of these projects. “We are disgusted but not surprised with the government’s decision to fast-track the decimation of our seabed,” said Te ...8 hours ago
- Release: Govt takes the scalpel to regional health budgets
At Labour’s insistence, Te Whatu Ora financial documents have been released by the Health Select Committee today showing more cuts are on the way for our health system. ...10 hours ago - Trojan Horse approach to fast-track projects threatens environment
The Government’s fast-track list is another example of its reckless approach to the environment and disregard for due process. ...12 hours ago - Release: Fast track list reveals Govt’s backroom deals
The coalition Government’s backroom deals with coal and ironsands mining companies have finally been revealed – and it’s not pretty. ...16 hours ago
- Release: Nicole McKee unfit for firearms portfolio
Fresh questions have been raised about the conduct of the Firearms Minister after revelations she misled New Zealanders about her role in stopping gun reforms prior to the mosque shootings. ...16 hours ago
- Release: The question remains… will schools get their classrooms?
Education Minister Erica Stanford still can’t confirm when the Government will deliver the $2 billion worth school upgrades she cut earlier this year. ...3 days ago
- Release: Govt failing NZ’s manufacturing sector
Labour acknowledges the hundreds of workers today losing their jobs as the Winstone Pulp mill closes and what it will mean for their families and community. ...4 days ago
- Tell National what their $216m tobacco tax cut could have funded instead
In Budget '24, the National Government put aside $216 million to pay for a tax cut which mainly benefitted one company: global tobacco giant Philip Morris. Instead of giving hundreds of millions to big tobacco, National could have spent the money sensibly, on New Zealand. ...4 days ago
- Release: Govt has made up a cost crisis to justify cuts
Te Whatu Ora’s financials from the last year show the Government has manufactured a financial crisis to justify making cuts that are already affecting patient care. ...4 days ago
- Speech: Why Kiwi businesses are the best in the world
The New Zealand business community is unique. It has always punched well above its weight on the world stage. ...5 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Statement on Israel & Iran
Over 41,000 Palestinian’s have been murdered by Israel in the last 12 months. At the same time, Israel have launched attacks against at least four other countries in the Middle East including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. “You cannot play the aggressor and the victim at the same time,” said ...5 days ago
- Release: Costello makes a fool of the PM
Associate health minister Casey Costello has made a fool of the Prime Minister, because the product she’s been fighting to get a tax cut for and he’s been backing her on is now illegal – and he doesn’t seem to know it. ...6 days ago
- Work to do on climate adaptation
The Finance and Expenditure Committee’s inquiry into climate adaptation is something that must be built on for an enduring framework to manage climate risk. ...7 days ago
- End of free RAT tests means more exposure to virus
The end of free Rapid Antigen Tests today is another sign the Government is giving up on the challenge of protecting the community from Covid-19. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government breaks promise on ferry plan
Time has run out for Nicola Willis who has failed to keep her promise to deliver a solution to replace the Interislander ferries by today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour supports marches for better health
Labour supports Buller and Dunedin communities who are marching today and calling on the Government to act urgently to fix the health crisis. ...1 week ago
- Raising speed limits will cost our communities
The Government’s move to disregard all evidence and increase speed limits will result in serious harm. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Buller community
The Green Party stands in solidarity with the Buller community in its silent protest for better healthcare. ...1 week ago
- Release: Proposed job losses devastating for Timaru
News that the Smithfield meatworks could close is devastating for the hundreds of people who work there, Timaru and the wider region. ...1 week ago
- Release: Question mark over financial sustainability of Polytechs
The Government is taking tertiary education down a worrying path with new reporting finding that fourteen of the country’s sixteen polytechnics couldn’t survive on their own,” Labour’s tertiary education spokesperson Dr Deborah Russell says. ...1 week ago
- TPM issues warning to Govt: Back down or prepare for the wrath of the million Māori
Today the government announced a $30m cut to Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori- a programme that develops te reo Māori among our kaiako. “This announcement is just the latest in an onslaught of attacks on te iwi Māori,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt set to break promise on Dunedin Hospital
The Green Party is calling on the Government to honour its promise to Dunedin and build its new hospital to full capacity. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Dunedin Hospital d-listed by Government
The non-announcement in Dunedin today had Ministers leaving broken promises and a likely severely diluted hospital build in their wake. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour welcomes UAE trade deal
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed today with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Hundreds more jobs cuts on housing frontline
The Government has shown its true intentions for the public service and economy – it’s not to get more public servants back to the office, it’s more job losses. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt not addressing health workforce crisis
The National Government is hiding the gaps in the health workforce from New Zealanders, by not producing a full workforce plan nearly a year into their tenure. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Government cuts fair pay for bus drivers
The Government has cut funding for bus drivers to get paid fairly for the work they do, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...2 weeks ago
- Crown Minerals Bill Advances Colonisation
Today, the Crown Mineral Amendment Bill was read for the first time, reversing the ban on oil exploration off the coast of Taranaki. It was no accident that this proposed law change was read directly after the Government started to unravel the ability of iwi and hapū Māori to have ...2 weeks ago
- Landlord govt finds new way to undermine public housing
Proposed cuts to Kāinga Ora reflect a failure to fully commit to fixing the housing crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Crown should prove their rights to Foreshore & Seabed – Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Justice, Tākuta Ferris, has hit out at the Government, demanding the Crown prove its rights to the foreshore, following the Marine and Coastal Area Amendment Bill, passing its first reading. "Māori rights to the foreshore pre-exist the Declaration of Independence, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must urgently help whanau in Lebanon
The Government must immediately help evacuate New Zealanders and Lebanese whanau caught up in the current conflict unfolding across south Lebanon. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Government will revoke oil and gas permits
The Green Party vows to reinstate the oil and gas ban and revoke permits when it returns to government following the coalition’s introduction of legislation to reopen offshore oil and gas exploration this afternoon. ...2 weeks ago
- Government introduces controversial MACA legislation
The Government’s introduction of its interventions in the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act threatens to throw relations between Māori and Crown into deeper disharmony. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gun lobby bill removes regulation at ranges
Gun lobbyist Nicole McKee and her conflict of interest has struck again, this time removing safety regulations from shooting clubs and ranges in New Zealand. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt forgetting the 6000 jobs they’ve cut
The real problem in the public sector is ongoing job losses and cuts to the front line. ...2 weeks ago
- Government undermines public service with WFH crackdown
The Green Party says the Government’s retrograde move to tighten up on Work from Home arrangements is the latest in a series of blows to the Public Service. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Ministers oblivious to cuts’ effect on families
The National Government is oblivious to the impact cuts to services will have on New Zealanders who are doing the hard yards caring for mentally ill family members. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Public service set up to fail under National
Nicola Willis has set up the public service to fail to pay for reckless tax cuts for landlords and the tobacco industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Coalition cooking up costly RMA replacement
National continues to dismantle environmental protections in the interests of rushing through unsustainable development that will ultimately cost communities. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National red-faced as benefit numbers skyrocket
The economy has stagnated and the National Government is having to face the consequences of its atrocious lawmaking, as beneficiary numbers skyrocket past even Treasury’s predictions. ...3 weeks ago
- Unlocking the potential of ethnic businesses
This week’s inaugural Ethnic Xchange Symposium will explore the role that ethnic communities and businesses can play in rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee says. “One of my top priorities as Minister is unlocking the economic potential of New Zealand’s ethnic businesses,” says Ms Lee. “Ethnic communities ...13 hours ago - New Zealand marks anniversary of 7 October
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters are renewing New Zealand’s calls for restraint and de-escalation, on the first anniversary of the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel. “New Zealand was horrified by the monstrous actions of Hamas against Israel a year ago today,” Mr Luxon says. ...19 hours ago
- Iwi-led and partnered projects among those referred for Fast Track approval
Kia uru kahikatea te tū. Projects referred for Fast-Track approval will help supercharge the Māori economy and realise the huge potential of Iwi and Māori assets, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. Following robust and independent review, the Government has today announced 149 projects that have significant regional or national ...1 day ago
- Fast-track to boost renewable electricity
The Fast-track Approvals Bill will list 22 renewable electricity projects with a combined capacity of 3 Gigawatts, which will help secure a clean, reliable and affordable supply of electricity across New Zealand, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Government has a goal of doubling New Zealand’s renewable electricity generation. The 22 ...1 day ago
- Fast-track to drive transport projects forward
The Government has enabled fast-track consenting for 29 critical road, rail, and port projects across New Zealand to deliver these priority projects faster and boost economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit, and our Government is working to fix it. Delivering the transport infrastructure Kiwis ...1 day ago
- Fast-track projects released
The 149 projects released today for inclusion in the Government’s one-stop-shop Fast Track Approvals Bill will help rebuild the economy and fix our housing crisis, improve energy security, and address our infrastructure deficit, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says. “The 149 projects selected by the Government have significant regional or ...1 day ago
- Ruakākā recreation centre opened
A new multi-purpose recreation centre will provide a valuable wellbeing hub for residents and visitors to Ruakākā in Northland, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Ruakākā Recreation Centre, officially opened today, includes separate areas for a gymnasium, a community health space and meeting rooms made possible with support of ...3 days ago
- Extra Government support for farmers and growers in Southland and parts of Otago
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced up to $50,000 in additional Government support for farmers and growers across Southland and parts of Otago as challenging spring weather conditions have been classified a medium-scale adverse event. “The relentless wet weather has been tough on farmers and ...3 days ago
- Government welcomes move to delay EU Deforestation Regulation
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today welcomed a move by the European Commission to delay the implementation of the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by 12 months, describing the proposal as a pragmatic step that will provide much-needed certainty for New Zealand exporters and ensure over $200 million in ...3 days ago
- Response to Ministerial Inquiry into School Property
The Government is taking decisive action in response to the Ministerial Inquiry into School Property, which concludes the way school property is delivered is not fit for purpose. “The school property portfolio is worth $30 billion, and it’s critically important it’s managed properly. This Government is taking a series of immediate actions ...4 days ago
- New Government support for residential construction market announced
The Government has announced a new support programme for the residential construction market while the economy recovers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say. “We know the residential development sector is vulnerable to economic downturns. The lead time for building houses is typically 18 ...4 days ago
- New appointment to the EPA board
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has confirmed the final appointee to the refreshed Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board. “I am pleased to welcome Brett O’Riley to the EPA board,” Ms Simmonds says. “Brett is a seasoned business advisor with a long and distinguished career across the technology, tourism, and sustainable business ...4 days ago
- Strengthening resilience with critical road improvement projects
The Government has approved a $226.2 million package of resilience improvement projects for state highways and local roads across the country that will reduce the impact of severe weather events and create a more resilient and efficient road network, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Our Government is committed to delivering ...4 days ago
- Doubling road rehabilitation this summer to prevent potholes
Kiwis will see fewer potholes on our roads with road rehabilitation set to more than double through the summer road maintenance programme to ensure that our roads are maintained to a safe and reliable standard, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key ...4 days ago
- Sir Jerry Mateparae appointed in Bougainville post-referendum moderator role
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the announcement of Sir Jerry Mateparae as an independent moderator, to work with the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government in resolving outstanding issues on Bougainville’s future. “New Zealand is an enduring friend to Papua New Guinea and the ...4 days ago
- Latest census data highlights New Zealand’s growing ethnic diversity
The latest 2023 Census results released today further highlight New Zealand’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity, says Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee. “Today’s census results are further evidence of the increasingly diverse nature of our population. It’s something that should be celebrated and also serve as a reminder of the ...4 days ago
- FamilyBoost payments make ECE more affordable
Parents and caregivers are now able to claim for FamilyBoost, which provides low-to-middle-income families with young children payments to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we are supporting families with young children who are struggling with the cost of living, by helping ...4 days ago
- South Pacific defence meeting fosters collaboration
This week’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) has concluded with a renewed commitment to regional security of all types, Defence Minister Judith Collins says. Defence Ministers and senior civilian and military officials from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga gathered in Auckland to discuss defence and security cooperation in the ...4 days ago
- Minister welcomes larger Police recruitment wings
Associate Police Minister Casey Costello has welcomed the Police announcement that recruitment wings at the Police College will be expanded to 100 recruits next year. “This is good news on two fronts – it reflects the fact that more and more New Zealanders are valuing policing and seeing it as ...5 days ago
- Speech to the Minerals West Coast Forum
Introduction Good morning! What a pleasure to be back in the stunning West Coast at one of my favourite events in the calendar. Every time I come back here, I’m reminded of the Coast’s natural beauty, valuable resources, and great people. Yet, every time I come back here, I’m also ...5 days ago
- Positive progress on Government health targets
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti welcomes new data from Health New Zealand, saying it demonstrates encouraging progress against the Government’s health targets. Health New Zealand’s quarterly report for the quarter to 30 June will be used as the baseline for reporting against the Government’s five health targets, which came into ...5 days ago
- Supporting better access to data for Kiwis
The launch of a new data tool will provide Kiwis with better access to important data, Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly says. “To grow our economy and improve productivity we must adopt smarter ways of working, which means taking a more data driven approach to decision-making. “As Statistics Minister one of ...5 days ago
- Progressing remote building inspections
The Government is progressing plans to increase the use of remote inspections to make the building and consenting process more efficient and affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “We know that the building and construction sector suffers from a lack of innovation. According to a recent report, productivity ...6 days ago
- PPTA accepts charter schools
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes the PPTA putting a proposal to members at its annual conference to change its constitution and allow membership of teachers who work in charter schools. “The PPTA has had a come to Jesus moment on charter schools. This is a major departure from the ...6 days ago
- New TAIC Chief Commissioner appointed
David Clarke has been announced as the Chief Commissioner of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC). David Clarke is a barrister specialising in corporate and commercial law and he has over 20 years experience in governance roles in commercial, public and charitable sectors. He also is a current TAIC Commissioner. ...6 days ago
- Government secures market access for blueberries to Korea
The Government has secured market access for New Zealand blueberries to Korea, unlocking an estimated $5 million in annual export opportunities for Kiwi growers Minister for Trade and Agriculture Todd McClay today announced. “This is a win for our exporters and builds on our successful removal of $190 million in ...6 days ago
- South Pacific Defence Ministers meet in Auckland
Partnership and looking to the future are key themes as Defence Ministers from across the South Pacific discuss regional security challenges in Auckland today, Defence Minister Judith Collins says. The South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) brings together Defence Ministers, Chiefs of Defence and Secretaries of Defence from New Zealand, ...6 days ago
- Keytruda, CGMs, and FamilyBoost welcomed
In a triple whammy of good news, 1 October heralds the beginning of the funding of two major health products and a welcome contribution to early childhood fees, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “Keytruda is the first drug to be funded and made available from the $604 million boost we ...6 days ago
- Children’s Unit opens at Rotorua Hospital
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti today opened the refurbished Children’s Unit at Rotorua Hospital, which will provide young patients and their families in the Lakes District with a safe, comfortable and private space to receive care. “The opening of this unit is a significant milestone in our commitment to improving ...7 days ago
- Minor variations no longer major problem
It is now easier to make small changes to building plans without having to apply for a building consent amendment, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Previously builders who wanted to make a minor change, for example substituting one type of product for another, or changing the layout of ...7 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced seven diplomatic appointments. “Protecting and advancing New Zealand’s interests abroad is an extremely important role for our diplomats,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to announce the appointment of seven senior diplomats to these overseas missions.” The appointments are: Andrew ...7 days ago
- SuperGold Information Hub live
The first iteration of the SuperGold Information Hub is now on-line, Minister for Seniors Casey Costello announced today. “The SuperGold Hub is an online portal offering up-to-date information on all of the offers available to SuperGold cardholders. “We know the SuperGold card is valued, and most people know its use ...7 days ago
- New fund to clean up old landfill and dump sites
A new Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfills Fund will help councils and landowners clean up historic landfills and other contaminated sites that are vulnerable to the effects of severe weather, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. "This $30 million fund, part of our Q4 Action Plan, increases the Government’s investment in ...7 days ago
- Increased medicines access welcomed following budget boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...7 days ago
- Foreign Minister completes successful week of international engagements
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today wrapped up a week of high-level engagements at the United Nations in New York and in Papeete, French Polynesia. “Our visit to New York was about demonstrating New Zealand’s unwavering support for an international system based on rules and respect for the UN Charter, as ...1 week ago
- Final 2024 Action Plan focused on infrastructure
The Government’s Quarter Four (Q4) Action Plan will be focused on making it easier and faster to build infrastructure in New Zealand as part of its wider plan to rebuild the economy, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “My Government has been working at pace to get the country back on ...1 week ago
- Four new laws to tackle crime passed in Q3
New Zealanders will be safer as a result of the Government’s crackdown on crime which includes tougher laws for offenders and gangs delivered as part of the Quarter Three (Q3) Action Plan, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “I’m proud to say we have delivered on 39 of the 40 actions ...1 week ago
- Government partnership boosting vineyard productivity
The Government is backing a new world-leading programme set to boost vineyard productivity and inject an additional $295 million into New Zealand’s economy by 2045, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today announced. The Next Generation Viticulture programme will transform traditional vineyard systems, increasing profitability by $22,060 per hectare by 2045 without ...1 week ago
- Strong support for NZ minerals strategy
Over 90 per cent of submissions have expressed broad support for a New Zealand minerals strategy, indicating a strong appetite for a considered, enduring approach to minerals development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. A summary of the 102 submissions on the draft strategy has been published today by the Ministry ...1 week ago
- Snapper catch limits up, orange roughy down
Catch limits for several fisheries will be increased following a review that shows stocks of those species are healthy and abundant. The changes are being made as part of Fisheries New Zealand’s biannual sustainability review, which considers catch limits and management settings across New Zealand’s fisheries. “Scientific evidence and information ...1 week ago
- Fast-track approvals: Wellington housing developments Silverstream Forest and Plimmerton Farm given ...
The government's Fast-track Approvals Bill could see a much-needed boost to the capital's housing supply, but some of the projects are not without controversy. ...5 hours ago - Why TVNZ is right to shut down 1news.co.nz (with one major caveat)
It’s possible to view TVNZ shutting its news website as a retrenchment from digital. In fact, it’s the opposite, argues Duncan Greive. Has there ever been a year like 2024 for news about the news? First Newshub fell, then TVNZ killed two of its most popular current affairs shows, then ...6 hours ago - SBS’s Four Years Later is an immigrant love story that pushes the boundaries of onscreen represent...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney SBS’s new romantic drama Four Years Later comes in the middle of an eventful week for cultural diversity in the Australian media. On one hand, there was ...6 hours ago - Aotearoa New Zealand’s Record On Women’s Rights Before The United Nations
As the country’s national human rights institution, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission has prepared a ‘shadow report’ for the UN CEDAW Committee. As an A-status national human rights institution the Commission will also be speaking ...7 hours ago - Trans-Tasman Resources: Taranaki seabed mining included in fast-track projects list
Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine 50 million tonnes of sea bed a year for 30 years, and it's just been included on the fast-track projects list. ...7 hours ago
- Cuts To The National Public Health Service Shortsighted – College Of Public
...8 hours ago
- Could anyone but Luxon lose the CGT fight for National?
If the Labour Party was to dream up its ideal opponent in a fight to implement capital gains tax, they’d probably sketch the current prime minister. First published in Henry Cooke’s politics newsletter, Museum Street. One of the many shibboleths in NZ politics is the impossibility of diversifying our tax ...8 hours ago
- Is there anything good about menopause? Yep, here are 4 things to look forward to
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yvonne Middlewick, Nurse, Lecturer & Director of Post-graduate Studies in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University Insta_Photos/Shutterstock Menopause is having a bit of a moment, with less stigma and more awareness about the changes it can bring. ...9 hours ago
- TVNZ plans to end its 1News website in February
That's just one item on a list of proposed changes it presented to staff today as it aims to find $30 million in savings. ...9 hours ago
- Independent Reviewer Appointed For Oversight Of The Oranga Tamariki System
The Minister for Social Development and Employment, Louise Upston, has already announced plans to strengthen the oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system by increasing the independence of the Monitor of children’s system and re-creating a stand-alone ...9 hours ago
- The crowd at Listen In sucked – why are New Zealand fans so unruly?
Evidence suggests New Zealanders are particularly bad when it comes to basic concert etiquette. 21 Savage is a rapper in his prime, deftly dropping Instagram quotables over a slick Brazilian sample. He sounds crisp, but while he’s about to take the stage at Auckland’s Listen In music festival, I’ve already ...9 hours ago
- The crowd at Listen In sucked – why are New Zealand fans so unruly?
Evidence suggests New Zealanders are particularly bad when it comes to basic concert etiquette. 21 Savage is a rapper in his prime, deftly dropping Instagram quotables over a slick Brazilian sample. He sounds crisp, but while he’s about to take the stage at Auckland’s Listen In music festival, I’ve already ...9 hours ago
- PM side-steps questions on declined Dunedin flood risk mitigation plan
Otago floods destruction is "devastating", the PM says, with 11 homes now red-stickered, but he was unaware of a government-declined plan to reduce risk to residents. ...9 hours ago
- PM side-steps questions on declined Dunedin flood risk mitigation plan
Otago floods destruction is "devastating", the PM says, with 11 homes now red-stickered, but he was unaware of a government-declined plan to reduce risk to residents. ...9 hours ago
- ERANZ Members Are Fast-Tracking New Zealand’s Renewable Electricity Future
These projects will help New Zealand increase electricity generation and secure a supply of renewable energy sources to power Kiwi homes, businesses, and transportation infrastructure. ...10 hours ago
- People don’t like a ‘white saviour’, but does it affect how they donate to charity?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Efforts to redress global inequality are facing an unexpected adversary: the white saviour. It’s the idea that people of colour, whether in the Global South or North, need “saving” ...10 hours ago
- People don’t like a ‘white saviour’, but does it affect how they donate to charity?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Efforts to redress global inequality are facing an unexpected adversary: the white saviour. It’s the idea that people of colour, whether in the Global South or North, need “saving” ...10 hours ago
- New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
FeaturWe round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you like local fish-out-of-water dramedy: Camp Be Better (TVNZ+, October 10) Following a group of delinquents sent to a special 100-day camp to put themselves on the ...10 hours ago
- New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
FeaturWe round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you like local fish-out-of-water dramedy: Camp Be Better (TVNZ+, October 10) Following a group of delinquents sent to a special 100-day camp to put themselves on the ...10 hours ago
- Locals fear damage, report smell after HMNZS Manawanui sinking
Residents in Samoa are concerned about what potential environmental damage from the disaster might mean for tourism and fishing businesses. ...10 hours ago
- Remembering One Year Ago Today
We remember the victims of that day, the 1200 massacred in unimaginably barbaric ways, the thousands more mutilated, and the hundreds abducted to Gaza, of whom 101 remain there. ...11 hours ago
- Kamala Harris maintains narrow lead in key states in US presidential race
Source: 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 The United States presidential election will be held on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris ...11 hours ago
- Why a portrait of a former NRL great could spark greater concussion awareness in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Townsend, Research Fellow, UQ School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland A new portrait of NRL legend Wally Lewis conveys a striking message about the consequences of brain trauma in sport. The portrait, created by visual artist ...11 hours ago
- ‘Essentially been allocated nothing’: Road funding snub frustrates mayor
"Rotorua seems to keep missing out," Tania Tapsell mayor says. ...11 hours ago
- NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter’s moon Europa
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Lloyd, Research Fellow, ARC CoE Plants for Space, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia Illustration of the spacecraft above Europa’s icy surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, ...11 hours ago
- Is owning a dog good for your health?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tania Signal, Professor of Psychology, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity Australia Pogodina Natalia/Shutterstock Australia loves dogs. We have one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, and one in two households has at least one ...11 hours ago
- Could NZ foreign policy be Trumped? Why the government will be hoping Kamala Harris wins the US elec...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago Getty Images One of the political ironies of the race for the White House is that the foreign policy interests of New Zealand’s centre-right government are probably best served by Democratic ...12 hours ago
- Incinerator Will Put NZ On The Wrong Track
“We are concerned that including the Incinerator in the Fast Track project list will mean this process gets short circuited,” says Sue Coutts from the Zero Waste Network. ...12 hours ago
- Approval For 35-Year Sand Mining In Bream Bay: A Devastating Decision For Our Precious Coastlines
Approving sand mining here is not only environmentally destructive but a betrayal of the communities who have fought to protect these areas for decades. ...12 hours ago
- TVNZ staff called into meeting amid search for $30m
TVNZ in August said it needed to save $30m amid a "constrained economy, market disruption and a difficult advertising market". ...12 hours ago
- The problem with prison double bunking
As a prisoner at Mount Eden is charged with his cellmate’s murder, criminologist Emilie Rākete of People Against Prisons Aotearoa explains why double bunking is an improvised, dangerous response to prison overcrowding. What happened? On the morning of September 27, staff at Mount Eden Corrections Facility found Andrew Chan Chui ...12 hours ago
- Simple ACC Survey Costs More Than $250,000
ACC wasting over a quarter of a million dollars on a run-of-the-mill survey shows what happens when you give bureaucrats bottomless budgets to work with. There’s not a chance waste like this would be signed off in the private sector. ...13 hours ago
- ‘It’s my ship and I’m gutted’: Former minister Ron Mark on Manawanui sinking
Ron Mark says the project to convert the vessel had "astonished our partners": "No one anticipated that she'd hit a reef." ...14 hours ago
- Traffic is made of cars
Please listen. Today is my last day as a fill-in Spinoff staff writer. These five weeks have been filled with incisive storytelling, literary achievement, and most of all, men with eels in their bums. Sadly now it’s over. But if I had to leave you with one message, it would ...14 hours ago
- Shane Jones calls Fast Track Bill conflict fears politically motivated
The law is 'economically necessary', the Regional Development minister says. ...15 hours ago
- Stop Weaponising Te Tiriti O Waitangi To Divide New Zealanders From Each Other
“The Treaty was created to bring people together. Everyone has a place under Te Tiriti,” says Modlik. “But it is often weaponised to divide New Zealanders from each other.” ...15 hours ago
- Repeat Dunedin flood victims counting the cost again, call on council for solution
A resident hopes the floods will put a buyout of flood-prone homes back on the agenda, but the council says the scheme didn't find favour with government. ...15 hours ago
- Meet the unsung icon behind the primary school hit ‘Fish and Chips’
Play it at breakfast, lunch or tea, the song ‘Fish and Chips’ is almost as famous in Aotearoa as the dish itself. So why is the woman who wrote it virtually unknown? When you see Claudia Mushin zooming through the streets of Wellington’s Miramar in her electric wheelchair, you might ...15 hours ago
- New Zealand First refuses to say if it would support buying climate action from other countries
The climate change minister has admitted there's no way to meet NZ's commitments under the Paris Agreement without buying help. ...16 hours ago
- A year of devastation: with hope and trust shattered, what can bring an end to the violence in Israe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney On October 7 2023, Hamas launched a savage attack on southern Israel, massacring around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 240 people. The following day, I wrote in an ...16 hours ago
Recent Comments