Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
9:14 am, July 6th, 2015 - 44 comments
Bill English is a strange denizen of National’s Wellington groundhog set. He keeps repeating the wet dreams that have been tried three times now and come up as failures each time. On Q&A yesterday he played with some silly numbers about dairy, ignoring the damage that it and National’s obsessive focus on the past has done on the resilience of our export economy.
National’s Nick Smith appears to have misled Parliament over the illegal export of Kauri logs. Thankfully for Smith, it’s nothing to do with the rumours swirling around who is responsible for the loss of our irreplaceable heritage timber, but more to do with the Minister’s inability to understand a clear and explicit piece of legislation.
The legal suit offered as part justification for the Government paying $11 million to a Saudi businessman was apparently “off the table” at the time that Cabinet agreed to the payment. So why was the payment made? And why didn’t Murray McCully tell this to Cabinet or to Parliament earlier?
It has emerged that the New Zealand Government has paid money to a Saudi businessman allegedly to settle a legal dispute that does not exist but more probably to persuade the Saudi Government to enter into a free trade agreement. Update – and maybe there was a threat of legal action but because of the actions of National, not Labour.
As New Zealand’s dollar approaches parity with Australia’s a responsible Government should be pondering the implications and acting in the country’s best interests. No such luck in Aotearoa …
Written By:
tracey -
Date published:
7:47 am, March 24th, 2015 - 84 comments
In the NZ herald today, Terence O’Brien has been questioned about the recent revelations of spying to get Minister’s jobs after politics. Despite a Press Corp being with the PM in ROK, none has yet bothered to as the Koreans, or the former Foreign Minister GCSB spied upon, for their comment, instead relying on Honest […]
Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
8:44 am, January 5th, 2015 - 94 comments
I was astonished by an anonymous NZ Herald editorial on New Years day – “NZ economy is in a good place and thriving”. Obviously an inferior intellect was slow cooked in the warm holiday weather. It turned to mush and regurgitated one of Bill English’s wet dreams. Dairy prices are unlikely to rebound any time soon.
Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
7:32 am, December 2nd, 2014 - 26 comments
The economic news is depressing for NZ at present. After riding a dairy commodity boom for the last few years, the payout for farmers looks like it will drop from a high of $8.50/kg last season to $4.85/kg this coming season. Meanwhile National has neglected our most sustainable resource – people. So expect a busted economy for the next few years.
Labour has the bold set of policies to take New Zealand forward into the 21st century – National’s “same old same old” tinkering will see the Kiwi skiff swamped. That was the clear conclusion from the debate between David Parker and Bill English on National Radio this morning.
This press release from the Greens pretty well sums up the situation that National have left the economy in. Once you remove the rebuild effects from the Christchurch earthquakes, our increasingly undiversified economy is looking in pretty poor shape for the decade ahead.
In the late 1980’s I worked on the establishment of the Meat Industry Tradesmens Agreement, bringing eight awards into one. My lasting memory is how the meat companies hated each other more than they hated the unions, and they were no union-lovers. 25 years later, the companies still can’t get their act together, and it is the country as well as the farmers who are hurting. It may surprise some, but it’s the Labour party who is putting forward policy to bring in the necessary change to the $8billion industry. Good work from Damien O’Connor and the Labour leadership.
It isn’t that often that we put up speeches by politicians. They’re usually aimed at the general public and don’t really get into the guts of the issues in the way that our activist commenters like to argue at – they tend to be political and in this site preaching to the converted. However this speech by Phil Goff is exceptional. It was made at a centre looking at China, and looks at the benefits and risks of our current and future relationships with that country. Worth reading
Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
9:44 am, July 2nd, 2014 - 90 comments
Dairy prices have resumed their slide, falling 4.9 per cent at the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction overnight. The drop was the ninth fall out of the last 10 auctions. It looks to me like the boom is over. Looking at the rise in production for whole milk powder in China, and increased exports from other countries, I think that it will continue to decline. In the meantime National have been allowing our other export industries to stagnate.
The great tragedy in New Zealand trade policy came in the 1990s when we almost literally gave away the farm, dismantling most of our tariffs unilaterally to “demonstrate” how much fun life is with no tariffs. You can’t get much more fundie than that. And now – quelle surprise – we have basically no cards to play when negotiating with other countries. Who would have thought it?
Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
10:54 am, April 30th, 2014 - 77 comments
Manufacturing exports dropped by 3.3% over the last year. Manufacturing businesses and their jobs disappeared with them. Meanwhile the National MP’s with dairy farms and interests will today be proclaiming a buoyant economy based on them selling barely processed milk-powder to China. It is good for them but as they gut the manufacturing jobs few other kiwis will reap any benefits.
Written By:
karol -
Date published:
6:47 pm, January 10th, 2014 - 16 comments
There’s a tussle going on as Obama pushes to seal the deal and to limit Congress’s say on TPPA deals. But, Congress would still have more say about the deals than NZ MPs. It’s about democracy & sovereignty. It could slip under the radar over summer.
Written By:
Eddie -
Date published:
10:32 am, October 5th, 2013 - 94 comments
Old man Armstrong’s out on the Herald’s front lawn this morning, shaking his fist and telling those bloody kids in Labour to stop questioning whether the Reserve Bank is doing the right thing. They should sit quietly and accept whatever the Bank decides to do. This is called ‘consensus’, apparently. Problem is, Armstrong provides no justification for complete RB independence.
Written By:
lprent -
Date published:
2:37 pm, September 24th, 2013 - 53 comments
National is a very traditional party. They think that NZ is good at clearing land and raising animals, with a bit of mining on the side. The population is there to service farmers and miners on low wages. That may have been the case in the 1950’s. But as usual they’re hopelessly dated. Sometimes in recent years it has appeared to me that Labour thinks that way as well. But it looks like David Cunliffe is intent on refocusing us back on the burgeoning hi-wage and hi-growth hi-tech sector.
Written By:
karol -
Date published:
8:08 am, May 12th, 2013 - 42 comments
An article in today’s Sunday Star Times, provides evidence of an organised business in providing students with assignments for their tertiary education courses. The focus is on Chinese ethnicity. Ultimately, the blame for such rorts lies with the neoliberalisation of universities: the undermining of the critical endeavour of education.
Written By:
Eddie -
Date published:
7:56 am, April 12th, 2013 - 134 comments
National’s 3 quarters of the way through its time at the crease now. And what has it achieved? A record debt pile. 300,000 jobless. 100,000 underemployed. Rising poverty. 1,000 a week fleeing to Australia. A new housing bubble. A record high dollar that’s killing our businesses. And falling household incomes. A list of articles on Stuff sums it up.
There’s this almost puritan kind of myth that we’ve got so much international debt as punishment for our spendthrift ways. We ‘live beyond our means’, apparently. But it’s not true. If ‘our means’ is the money we make in exports, then most of the time, they exceed what we spend on imports. Yet, we run a $10 billion deficit as a country. Why? Because of the profit outflow.
Written By:
karol -
Date published:
10:44 am, March 17th, 2013 - 39 comments
The Draft Auckland Unitary Plan has much to commend it. It focuses on resource management, responds to the reality of climate change & aims for a more dense but ‘liveable’ city. It has weaknesses, embraces destructive “growth” and raises questions: e.g. about affordable housing & environmental management.
Written By:
Eddie -
Date published:
9:58 am, February 11th, 2013 - 25 comments
Convicted fraudster and Herald columnist Damien Grant says ‘good riddance’ to manufacturing in his latest piece. A lower dollar would make his next smartphone more expensive, he says. When not in jail, Grant’s a receiver. Things are good for him at the moment. But, I’ll tell him this: even carrion birds ultimately need a healthy herd to scavenge off.
Inflation is still below the Reserve Bank’s target band of 1-3%. It says: “ This mainly reflects the impact of the overvalued New Zealand dollar.” The high and overvalued dollar keeps import prices down , but kills exporters who must provide for our economy’s future. The Reserve Bank’s obsession with the very different problems of the 1980’s means that as a country we are eating our seed corn.
Written By:
Ben Clark -
Date published:
7:01 am, January 31st, 2013 - 75 comments
National is failing to resolve the lack of jobs as they provide a 14-year high in unemployment – even after exporting 180,000 Kiwis to Australia. If we add them in the unemployment rate doubles to 13.8%. More than 40,000 of those job losses have been in manufacturing. Research says that manufacturing jobs have a multiplier of 2.9, that means about 80,000 other indirect job losses. Combined that’s 2/3rds of our unemployment rate, just by getting back to where we were when National took office.
Written By:
karol -
Date published:
9:05 am, January 20th, 2013 - 43 comments
The World Bank has recently issued a report saying NZ needs to focus more on being friendly to multinational corporations. Matt McCarten argues that some multinationals are bad for our health. And sugary food and drinks are rotting Kiwi children’s teeth.
Written By:
Eddie -
Date published:
9:37 am, December 20th, 2012 - 12 comments
Japan just elected a Liberal Democrat government promising more jobs through a huge quantitative easing programme. The US has stated it’ll continue QE until unemployment drops below 6.5%. The effect has been to send our dollar to new highs, killing exporters and import-exposed local businesses. Contrary to media belief, Japan and the US aren’t in worse positions than us.
Written By:
karol -
Date published:
10:07 am, December 18th, 2012 - 35 comments
On TV3 this morning, John Key was soothing and slick. All is well on Planet Key, and critics are delusional. He reeled of numbers and facts, but material realities of daily lives, and the suffering of people on low incomes aren’t mentioned. And asset sales?
Time To Get Tough: What Jacinda Ardern needs to project in the wake of all those embarrassing new Covid-19 cases is a no more Ms Niceperson image. She has tried to be kind, and far too many selfish bastards have taken advantage. Now it is time to kick some idiot ...
Could the quarantine and testing botch-ups have an impact on the election? The Government might have been hoping that the scandal was a one-week wonder, but the stories of quarantine and testing fiascos keep coming and will be felt strongly by the public. Many voters will now have much less ...
A guest repost by the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF). Fundraising is not the objective of this article but readers may wish to know that CSLDF is currently conducting a summer fundraiser to support the important work of defending research scientists and research integrity from anti-science interference by politicians and industrial interests. We’re one of ...
Watching The World Burn: What was it that Michael Caine, playing the role of Batman’s butler, said: “...some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” Just substitute the word “worthwhile” for “logical” ...
Something I missed in the lockdown chaos: Chad has abolished the death penalty: The European Union has hailed Chad for abolishing the death penalty for terrorism crimes nearly five years since its last execution. In a statement on Saturday, the EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Virginie ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Bangladesh Coal Plants Threaten World's Largest Mangrove ForestImportant Coastal Barrier at Risk from Increased Pollution The Bangladesh government threatens ...
The most effective way New Zealand has of fighting climate change and preventing the earth from becoming uninhabitable in the short term is planting trees to soak up carbon. And, thanks to the carbon price being hard up against the cap for a few years, this has finally been happening. ...
During the State Opening of Parliament after the 2017 election, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pledged that her administration would be a government of transformation. 31 months later, it is clear that Labour in 2020 will never be transformational. Here are ten dead giveaways that explain why. 1. When the Budget ...
Whether we like it or not, change is upon us everywhere we look across cultural, political, economic, societal and technological responses to COVID-19… but how much of the Old World thinking keeps a grip on the possibilities of what could be “a new way forward”? Turns out, quite a ...
I was born just before the outbreak of the Second World War. I spent my early years with my mother and young sister in our little state house in Hawera, while my father was “away at the war” in the Air Force. I grew up with an awareness, as I ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 14 through Sat, June 20, 2020Editor's ChoiceWorld has six months to avert climate crisis, says energy expertInternational Energy Agency chief warns of need to prevent post-lockdown surge ...
A week ago JK Rowling tweeted that that biological sex is real. She took issue with an article that referred to “people who menstruate,” instead of “women”. She pointed out: “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. . . . I do not believe it’s hateful to ...
Painting, Lego, honey and a lawyer.SATURDAY JUNE 20Landscape Artist of the Year (Prime, 6.00pm). Want to literally watch paint dry? Stephen Mangan and Joan Bakewell begin the quest for a new British landscape artist in Yorkshire.Great British Railway Journeys (Living, Sky 017, 7.30pm). Michael Portillo and his many colourful jackets ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Mother Nature gave human civilization a survival pop-quiz in 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic. Nations like South Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan, which studied for the quiz and heeded the expertise of their tutors (i.e., scientists), have done much better on ...
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. The quotation illustrates one of the struggles writing history. Just as you want to be sensitive to differences when you are travelling – unless you are an ugly imperialist – you need to recognise that, say, a history of ...
So why exactly did the New Zealand Police undertake an armed response teams (ARTs) trial in the first place? Of course there was the Christchurch mosque terrorism attack, but that was an isolated incident and therefore cannot be used as an excuse to arm Police. What this trial does do ...
You’ve really got to wonder who exactly informed National Party MP Michael Woodhouse about the close contacts two UK women had during their trip from Auckland to Wellington?The pair later tested positive for COVID-19 and may have infected others, giving rise to legitimate questions about just how effective New Zealand’s ...
Confronting The Past: What to do with our anger? That’s what counts now – as the promised New Zealand History curriculum nears completion. Should every Pakeha explorer; every missionary and trader; every royal emissary and military man be tried and convicted posthumously? Should every statue of the squat Queen-Empress be ...
My blog post here has essentially nothing to do with space and astronomy, my usual subjects, but it concerns a little matter of history I thought I’d like to write about. Once upon a time I wrote a long book about calendars, and as a consequence accumulated knowledge about ...
A word of caution: the military is not a quarantine panacea. At least 60 NZDF personnel have been on quarantine patrol duties since April 1, and yet breaches of the restrictions on physical contact occurred. What is more, the NZDF presumably has its own testing regime in place (for its ...
A ballot for two Member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: District Court (Protection of Judgment Debtors with Disabilities) Amendment Bill (Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki) Local Government (Customer Focus) Amendment Bill (Jacqui Dean) These are both pretty boring bills, which make tweaks rather than big, ...
The PM’s press briefing on Wednesday 17 June channeled the nation’s collective rage at discovering what seems now to be only the tip of the iceberg of an “avalance of incompetence in the quarantine system” (to mix metaphors). At it, she referred to “pressure”, including from the courts, to take ...
Efficient and Effective? If Heather Simpson had dared to produce a report that restored to “efficient” and “effective” their true meanings, then it would have recommended the complete abolition of both the Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards, and their replacement with an all-encompassing Department of Health and ...
Freedom Now: Residents enjoy the new order established in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone of central Seattle in Washington state, USA.IT’S DOUBTFUL whether many of those applauding the current US protests grasp fully the enormity of what is happening there. Take those six city blocks in Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington ...
The Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill, which finally make the ETS sortof function, over a decade after it was first established. Farmers are naturally unhappy, claiming that the law will see polluters buying farms to plant trees, effectively driving them off the land. To which the only ...
Attitudes in this country have changed considerably over the past century and racism is far less overt than it once was. However, racism still persists and is most blatant when it comes to refugees and migrants who are still too frequently viewed as less worthy of basic rights. The case ...
Over the past year I've noticed a rise in the number of secrecy clauses in legislation: specific clauses requiring that certain information be kept confidential, effectively forbidding its release under the OIA. The most shocking bit is that these are usually applied to information collected from other government agencies, and ...
NZ First Twitter advert that was removedYou’ve really got to wonder at how desperate NZ First must be in light of their recent polling results. Not only has Winston Peters gone on the attack with one of the loudest dog-whistles you’ve ever heard in New Zealand politics, but he’s also ...
Shaun Hendy; Alex James, University of Canterbury; Audrey Lustig, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research; Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Nicholas Steyn, and Rachelle Binny, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchNew Zealand is one of a handful of countries where community transmission of COVID-19 has been eliminated. But with two new ...
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Prof Duncan McLaren Over the past three decades, the perceived wisdom for how to approach climate targets has changed several times. From initial ideas of climate stabilisation, suggested approaches have focused on percentage CO2 emissions cuts, atmospheric CO2 concentrations, carbon budgets and today’s ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Martin Eichner (*author details)In this new study, we estimated the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks associated with air travel from Australia (with a low prevalence of COVID-19 infection) to NZ. We found that the combined use of exit and entry screening, two ...
The US Supreme Court has ruled that existing anti-discrimination law covers sexual orientation and identity: The top court in the US has ruled that employers who fire workers for being gay or transgender are breaking the country's civil rights laws. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court said federal ...
In the wake of the Christchurch Mosque shootings, Labour moved urgently on gun control. Semi-automatic firearms were banned immediately. But their second tranche of legislation, designed to establish a more permanent framework, got bogged down by NZ First. And now it looks like Labour has chickened out, and will let ...
Ever since he killed 51 people in Christchurch, people have been asking how the hell the Christch mosque shooter managed to get a firearms licence. And now we know the answer: the police just didn't bother checking properly: The March 15 terrorist was wrongly granted a firearms licence due ...
It is rare for a first-term New Zealand prime minister to be the subject of a biography. Let alone two. But then Jacinda Ardern is no ordinary prime minister. At least, that is what two recent books claim. Michelle Duff’s Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader (2019) is ...
I try my best to know what I don't understand, and one of the things I know is that meta analyses and evidence reviews are difficult for lay people to assess. The merging of data from multiple sources is complex and understanding what's going on requires actual knowledge of the ...
Being the opposition to a first-term New Zealand government simply isn’t fair. Voters historically appear minded to give whoever is in charge the benefit of the doubt, seemingly thinking that they should get a decent run at the job before being ignominiously turfed out of it. It takes something pretty ...
The government has announced the results of its review of the health system, and it looks like a thorough shake-up: The Government is backing a proposal for the biggest reforms to healthcare in a generation, which includes culling the number of District Health Boards around the country and dropping elections ...
One of the valuable things about Health & Disability Commission (HDC) decisions (findings) is that interesting experiences are published in a readable manner from which much can be learned. Decisions are specific to their own distinctive circumstances. Each HDC decision involves some form of tragedy. But they can provide insights ...
The government will be introducing its bill to gut the RMA this week. The bill will replace the current RMA process with a Muldoonist one for selected, projects, removing public submission rights and effectively gagging us and preventing us from speaking up for our interests or presenting evidence to inform ...
Labour released its party list today, and it goes all the way to 84 - enough candidates for 70% of the vote (or a lot of mid-term replacements). There are a couple of high profile demotions, though the list spots are still more than winnable, so that's really just stabbing ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... 'Surprisingly rapid' rebound in carbon emissions post-lockdownBusier roads to blame, with fears of worse to come as workers shun public ...
Kenan Malik (published by @guardian) This is a transformational moment. Let’s use it to challenge structural injustice, not to elicit or wallow in guilt The transformation has been bewilderingly swift. Six years ago, most Americans thought that police killings of black suspects were “isolated events”. Now, three out of four accept that ...
What a pity! It hasn’t taken long for some commentators to start re-writing history. According to those commentators, the government didn’t do what it has universally been commended for doing; they say that Jacinda did not call forth a great collective effort (the “team of five million”) to defeat the ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 7 through Sat, June 13, 2020Editor's ChoiceMichael Mann Fought Climate Denial. Now He’s Fighting Climate Doom.The climatologist is taking on both the fossil fuel lobby and those ...
Don Franks Removing statues of discredited historical figures is understandable, it will keep happening because of people’s strong feelings. It does not change the past though and we should remember the past as it was. In some cases, it might be better to place a very visible plaque beside a ...
SATURDAY JUNE 13Exhibition on Screen: Van Gogh & Japan (Sky Arts, Sky 020, 8.00pm). One of those 8K tellys would be awesome for this Exhibition on Screen doco about the influence of Japanese art on Van Gogh. It seems so obvious when they put it like this.Stockholm (Sky Movies Premiere, ...
Ōpōtiki was one of the big winners in yesterday's Provincial Growth Fund announcement outlining a $60 million cash injection for councils and KiwiRail to create employment for local workers. The town's mayor was also optimistic, saying the future of the town is "right now" as it can move forward with ...
Hon Ron Mark MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First is supporting the Coalition Government’s Arms Legislation Bill with amendments. “New Zealand First held many reservations following the second reading of this Bill. We’ve listened to submissions, and have worked hard to bring balance, in the context of ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs A programme to assist foreign nationals in serious hardship has been announced today by Foreign Minister Winston Peters, and Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Poto Williams. The Assistance for Foreign Nationals impacted by COVID-19 Programme will provide ...
The Green Party is welcoming the final report of the Health and Disability System Review, but cautions that any changes to the DHB system must protect communities’ right to have their say. ...
Our 2020 General Election Party List shows that the Labour Party is bolstering an experienced Caucus with diverse new talent as the country rebuilds and recovers from COVID-19. ...
Regions around the country received a funding boost for rail and roading projects that the Coalition Government says will create hundreds of extra jobs. The Provincial Growth Fund is providing $60 million to councils and KiwiRail to create employment for local workers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund is providing $60 million to councils and KiwiRail to create employment for local workers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “As part of the recent Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) reset we announced an allocation of $60m for ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark is standing by the military spend-up amid theeconomic havocwrought bycoronavirus. He saysthe spending, the most since the depths of the Cold War, is required because climate change will place new demands on the NZ Defence Force (NZDF). Billions have already been committed to new equipment such ...
Hon Tracey Martin, New Zealand First MP New Zealand First MP Tracey Martin was today confirmed as the party’s candidate for the Ōhāriu electorate. “I’m looking forward to giving the people of Ōhāriu another choice and the chance for them to influence the shape of the next Parliament and government,” ...
With no active COVID-19 cases in New Zealand, it's clear our plan to eliminate the virus is working. The opportunity now is to keep building on that success: getting people back into work, investing in businesses and industries, and setting New Zealand up to bounce back stronger, faster, and better ...
The awarding of joint hosting rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a landmark decision for women’s sport in our region Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern said. For the first time in history, Australians and New Zealanders will be able to experience a tier one football ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson and Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford are welcoming the success of the trans-Tasman AsOne bid in securing co-hosting of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Grant Robertson says winning the rights to co-host the event is another milestone in raising the value and visibility ...
A law that makes crucial environmental improvements to the RMA, particularly for freshwater, has passed its third and final reading today. “Achieving this step in the Government’s approach to reforming New Zealand’s resource management system is a significant milestone,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “The Resource Management Amendment Bill reduces ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing nearly $8 million in two game changing projects in the Hawke’s Bay, preparing youth for vocational training and job readiness, and creating immediate jobs in the manufacturing, recycling and horticulture industries, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “The Hawke’s Bay ...
The Public Finance (Wellbeing) Amendment Bill passed by Parliament today puts New Zealand in a world-leading position by legislating for Governments to consider peoples’ wellbeing alongside traditional fiscal and economic indicators of success, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The new legislation passed by Parliament requires: the Government of the day ...
The Government is establishing 15 independent Regional Skills Leadership Groups to better manage changing skills and workforce needs in our regions and cities and to support the recovery of labour markets. “These Groups were planned before the arrival of Covid-19 as part of a joined up approach to labour market ...
Nominations open today for the 2020 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards and Health Minister Dr David Clark is asking New Zealanders to ensure volunteers get the recognition they deserve. “I’m delighted to be able to open these Awards during National Volunteer Week,” David Clark says. “The theme for this week ...
Foreign Affairs and Racing Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters has welcomed a breakthrough for New Zealand horse bloodstock sales with Korea. New Zealand sourced horses purchased by The Seoul Racehorse Owners Association delivered exceptional results in a showcase race this week – and has triggered a surge in Korean interest ...
Auckland Constable Matt Hunt has been honoured by brand new Police recruits and senior Police leadership at the latest graduation ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Police College today. Minister of Police Stuart Nash says Constable Hunt’s death on duty on Friday weighed heavily on today’s graduation of 38 new ...
West Coasters will soon have better access to modern integrated high quality health services at the new Te Nikau, Grey Hospital and Health Centre, Health Minister Dr David Clark says. The Ministry of Health plans to hand over the building to the DHB on 20 July 2020. Staff are due ...
Extensive new protections are being put in place as part of an updated plan to look after New Zealand’s native Hector’s and Māui dolphins, announced Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash and Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “Hector’s dolphins are nationally vulnerable with about 15,000 in New Zealand’s waters. Māui ...
A Bill that will strengthen protections for whistleblowers has been introduced by the Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today. The Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Bill will replace the Protected Disclosures Act 2000. “Whistleblowers are critical to maintaining public confidence in the integrity of government and business in New ...
Cabinet has agreed to end the twin track Auckland Light Rail process and refer the project to the Ministry of Transport for further work, Transport Minister Phil Twyford says. Despite extensive cross-party consultation, Government parties were unable to reach agreement on a preferred proposal. The future of the project will ...
The Government and dairy sector have joined forces on a new campaign to support COVID-19 affected workers into a farming career, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. The 2020 GoDairy campaign was launched today by DairyNZ, in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry for Social Development (MSD), and ...
Joint statement from: Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand Minister of Defence; Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, Australia Minister for Defence; Hon Harjit Sajjan, Canada Minister of National Defence; Rt Hon Ben Wallace, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence; and Dr Mark Esper, United States Secretary of Defense. The ...
***Check against delivery*** Mr Speaker, I move, that the Racing Industry Bill be now read a second time. Mr Speaker, racing has a long and proud history in New Zealand. And this bill closes the circle started by Sir Thaddeus McCarthy with his Royal Commission report of December 1970. As ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today expressed the serious concern of the New Zealand Government about the proposed annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank. The comments are in advance of the 1 July date set by Israel for a vote on annexation. “New Zealand is a long-standing ...
• Regular health check and asymptomatic testing of all border facing workers • Regular testing of quarantine exempt people such as New Zealand based air crew • Testing available for anyone presenting to primary or secondary care with any type of COVID-19 symptom • DHBs required to regularly review and ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has released the Desktop Review of the official reports into the Anzac Day 2010 helicopter crash, in which three of the crew were killed and the fourth critically injured. The Minister called for the review to provide assurance that the reports, taken together, comprise a full ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says a major operation against the Mongols motorcycle gang in Bay of Plenty today will make a significant impact on the methamphetamine trade and inter-gang violence in the region. Police have announced ten arrests and the seizure of eight prohibited firearms and six Molotov cocktail explosive ...
The Government is supporting fair and safe workplaces as more and more New Zealanders get back to work in Level 1. We are investing in programmes to ensure employers and employees know their rights and obligations and at the same time we are supporting two new health and safety initiatives ...
The Government is proud to play our part in international humanitarian work to provide support and protection to refugees, and celebrate the contributions our refugee community makes on World Refugee Day today says Minister of Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway. “We are proud to welcome and support refugees who have escaped extreme ...
The contribution of volunteers and charities has been recognised by Minister Poto Williams to mark National Volunteer Week, 21 June to 27 June 2020. “I want to offer my thanks and appreciation to our amazing volunteers and charity workers for giving up their time to help others. This has ...
Doubling of New Zealand Defence Force staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities. Urgent review of end-to-end protocols and their application at managed isolation and quarantine facilities. Immediate suspension of private functions at managed isolation facilities Air Commodore Darryn Webb to ensure exit testing protocol is followed 105 hotline for ...
In the interests of public safety and animal welfare Racing Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today that the Government has invested $399,305 in 18 projects to improve safety at racecourses. The grants are made available through the Racing Safety Development Fund which provides $0.99 million annually to racecourse safety ...
The Prime Minister and Minister of Police have issued the following statement on the shooting in Massey this morning. “This is devastating news. Our police officers work hard everyday to keep us and our communities safe,” said Jacinda Ardern. “To lose a Police officer is to lose someone working for ...
Auckland barrister and solicitor Kathryn Beck has been appointed as a Judge of the Employment Court to be based in Auckland, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Beck has been a partner with SBM Legal (formerly Swarbrick Beck Mackinnon and Swarbrick Beck), a boutique employment law firm, since 2005. Her ...
Construction is to start on a water storage development that will help a Far North iwi move their land to higher value horticulture, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Shane Jones will today attend a blessing on the site where the small-scale water storage facility, funded by the ...
New frontline support for high quality teaching that promotes the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people was announced by Associate Minister of Education Tracey Martin today. “We are funding up to 40 Curriculum Leads who will work directly with schools, kura, early learning services and kōhanga reo ...
Eleven Southland and Otago engineering and manufacturing firms will receive up to $2.2 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to support economic growth and create new high-skilled jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “The vision of these companies align with the Provincial Growth Fund’s objectives to increase ...
Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw today welcomed the decision of New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) to support projects that will cut emissions at Wellington’s port. NZGIF will provide $15 million to electrify vehicles, generate renewable energy and upgrade energy efficiency at the port. This is the first investment ...
Tougher gun laws will begin to take effect from next week following the passage of new firearms legislation through Parliament today. The Minister of Police says the Third Reading of the Arms Legislation Bill is an historic milestone for community safety. “We know we always have more work to do ...
A massive joint effort between New Zealand Government agencies, employers, and the Vanuatu Government is underway to repatriate over 1000 Vanuatu nationals stranded in New Zealand, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark say. “With no commercial flight options available, the Vanuatu nationals who are largely made up of ...
Mr Speaker The details of this bill have been worked on assiduously since it was first announced eleven months ago. But in reality there is at least 23 years of knowledge and analysis behind it. On a day like today, in the middle of winter, 30 June 1997, Justice Sir ...
Today’s GDP figures show the expected impacts of the decision to go hard and early to protect New Zealand against the global COVID-19 pandemic, which now means the economy has been able to open up faster than most countries around the world, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. GDP fell 1.6% ...
We, the Home Affairs, Interior, and Security Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (the ‘Five Countries’) have met via video conference on 17/18 June 2020. Guided by our shared responsibility and commitment to build a more peaceful and secure world for ...
As current restrictions on tenancy terminations ends under Alert Level 1 on 25 June, the Government is extending and increasing Rent Arrears Assistance to support people at risk of being evicted because they are unable to pay rent, Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, and Associate Housing Minister, Kris Faafoi, ...
The Government is pumping an extra $3 million into the Drought Recovery Advice Fund to help hundreds of farmers and growers recover from drought and prepare their businesses to better meet future needs, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “There was an overwhelming response from farmers when we launched the ...
Julia Steenson has been appointed to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-Based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. Ms Steenson will be taking over the Commissioner vacancy left by Judge Coral Shaw who took over as Chair ...
New Zealand and the UK have formally launched free trade negotiations today. “As the UK embarks on its next steps post-Brexit, New Zealand is pleased to be among the first countries to negotiate a trade agreement with one of our oldest friends,” Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker said. “We ...
Struggling to find the correct apportionment of blame for the failure of light rail in Auckland? Hayden Donnell is here to help.Aucklanders’ hopes for a functional transport network took another hit last week, with the announcement that light rail will not be approved before the election. Many people have lashed ...
The conspicuous scuppering of government plans is designed to win support for social conservative voters. Unfortunately for NZ First, the evidence suggests it isn’t working: they’re undermining their own government for no gain, argues Danyl Mclauchlan.The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the New Zealand First Foundation, an organisation linked to ...
With the billions in foreign student money gone thanks to border restrictions, schools that took a nice chunk of that money must learn to re-cut their cloth. It's our fifth-biggest export earner, contributing more than $5 billion each year to the economy - but the impact of Covid-19 means the international ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Eden-Monaro voters are calling for a compassionate and empathetic recovery process as Australia emerges from the pandemic. In focus group research conducted this week, ahead of Saturday’s byelection, the vast majority of participants favoured increasing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penny van Oosterzee, Adjunct Associate Professor James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University Today marks the end of Australia’s commitments under the Kyoto climate deal as we move to its successor, the Paris Agreement. Emissions Reduction Minister ...
A member's bill raising the minimum amount of time a resident has to have lived in New Zealand before being entitled to superannuation has passed its first reading. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter O’Connor, Professor, Business and Management, Queensland University of Technology Panic buying has returned to Australia in the wake of its second-biggest city experiencing a spike in COVID-19. The Victorian government has reimposed stay-at-home restrictions on 36 of Melbourne’s 321 suburbs in ...
The Green Party’s major new election policy for a wealth tax has, not unexpectedly, had a mixed reception, not least from politicians of other parties. The policy to tax the wealthy to fund a payment of at least $325 a week for anyone not in full-time work, predictably brought cheers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penny van Oosterzee, Adjunct Associate Professor James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University Today marks the end of the Kyoto climate deal and the start of its successor, the Paris Agreement. Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor on ...
The government's new screen sector recovery package - designed to protect jobs and investment in NZ productions in the wake of Covid-19 - includes a $73.4 million Screen Production Fund. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Troy Potter, Lecturer, The University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne COVID-19 is changing the way we live. Panic buying, goods shortages, lockdown – these are new experiences for most of us. But it’s standard fare for the protagonists of young adult (YA) ...
The use of zombies in video games is getting the world’s most inventive artform stuck in the mud, ready to have its brains eaten out, Sam Brooks writes. The Last of Us. Resident Evil 7. Days Gone. State of Decay. Metal Gear Survive. Dying Light. The Evil Within. 7 Days ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Stevens, Associate Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Jules Verne sent his fictional submarine, the Nautilus, to the South Pole through a hidden ocean beneath a thick ice cap. Written 40 years before any explorer had ...
Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling on all debt to the Ministry of Social Development to be cancelled to stop people from missing out on essentials such as rent, food and bills. Official Information Act figures acquired by Auckland Action ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) says Police are not giving the whole story behind their claims that licenced firearms owners are the source of firearms for violent criminal gangs. The claim was made this morning by Detective Superintendent ...
"It looks like there are good investments on the table in the Government’s Covid recovery infrastructure announcement today. But the devil will be in the detail, which has not yet been made available. It remains to be seen whether the Government ...
Nearly three-quarters of Maori support legalising cannabis for personal use, with 84% believing prohibition has failed to limit cannabis access and use, according to an independent survey. Less than 12 weeks out from the General Election, 72% of ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The Greens have shaken up the election campaign with the announcement of their radical poverty and action plan to reform welfare provision and introduce a new wealth tax for millionaires. It’s a big-thinking, controversial policy and has generated a ...
The Opportunities Party is going into the election enthusiastic about its prospects of getting a Universal Basic Income on the table. But internal division once again threatens to overshadow the campaign. Alex Braae reports. Sometimes it’s tough at the TOP. Just as the party was starting to gain momentum on its ...
Whitireia and WelTec CE Mark Oldershaw welcomed today’s announcement of a $185 million investment in and job creation in the Wellington region. The Government has outlined how the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the COVID Response and Recovery ...
IHC is calling on the Government to heed the wave of anti-brutality sentiment sweeping the world, and move away from the use of force and restraint in schools. The Education and Training Bill, currently before the Committee of the whole House, includes clause ...
CPAG’s latest background paper, Family tax credits: Do children get the support in New Zealand that they would get in Australia? published today, finds that Australia’s family tax benefits system is significantly more generous than New Zealand’s Working ...
How anyone in the Green hierarchy could seriously believe their new tax and welfare package would be a winner is perhaps the most baffling point of all, says Peter Dunne ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Naomi Pfitzner, Postdoctoral Research fellow with the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, Monash University During lockdown, we have seen an increase in demand for domestic violence services in Australia and around the world. The United Nations recognised this problem ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillip O’Neill, Director, Centre for Western Sydney, Western Sydney University This is the third of three articles based on newly released research on the impacts of a lack of local jobs on the rapidly growing Western Sydney region. The problem of ...
By Zahra Karim Didarali in Jakarta The covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has brought numerous challenges to the way journalists report and has limited the stories they’re able to tell, forcing many of them to drop coverage of issues like the environment in order to focus on the public health crisis. But ...
The AA is keenly waiting for the full list of infrastructure projects in the Covid-19 recovery package to be revealed, following today’s initial announcement. The Government today identified 12 of the more than 150 projects from around the country that will ...
The inspiration for an upcoming Taika Waititi movie, Hemi Pomara was forcefully taken from the Chatham Islands to Sydney, and then to London, where he sat for a French portrait photographer in 1846. That photo was recently discovered in Australia’s national library by two researchers, who write here about how ...
Six years after the Government first promised cameras onboard commercial fishing boats to prevent dumping and protect vulnerable species, there are fewer than 100 vessels outfitted with the technology. A Newshub investigation broadcast last night ...
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill, due for its second reading this week, would undermine smokers’ attempts to quit and sustain punitive taxes on low-income communities. The New Zealand Taxpayers Union is calling ...
The Farm Debt Mediation laws that take effect today [July 1] govern a scheme that farmers would hope never to have to use, but it’s a very useful backstop if a farm’s finances do go pear-shaped. "We strongly supported this legislation as it was ...
Today’s infrastructure investment announcement from the Government will see Central New Zealand receive $625 million in the first tranche of targeted funding. The investment package includes about $210 million for climate resilience and flood protection projects, ...
What are you going to be watching in June? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.Click here to see our listings from June.The biggiesThe Baby-Sitter’s Club (on Netflix from July 3)Hold on to your ...
Latest from the Beehive – The Beehive Bugle Brigade doubled the blare about the baby boon, which is being boosted from today. A statement from the PM and Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced July 1 marks progress for workers, families Iain Lees-Galloway, speaking as Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety, ...
“It is time to stop treating our Pacific family as cheap hired help” said Hannah Tamaki of Vision New Zealand. She went on to say, “Many of our Pacific people enter New Zealand on an Essential Skills Work Visa and are in jobs which do not provide ...
There is a major push to legalise cannabis in New Zealand and all the while, drug addiction problems are growing. Sensible Sentencing Trust (SST) have joined with SAM-NZ in their Vote Nope to Dope campaign. SST National Spokesperson Jess McVicar ...
Infracom (NZ Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga) welcomes the Government’s infrastructure investment announced today to help kick-start the post-COVID recovery. "We’re acutely aware of the challenges faced by both local government and ...
The interim Board of GenPro, the General Practice Owners Association, whose objectives include supporting the productivity and efficiency of the New Zealand health and disability system, have today welcomed the focus on addressing inequalities and moving ...
New Zealand’s largest outdoor recreation retailer, Hunting & Fishing New Zealand, today called on the Government to get back around the table and genuinely work with the hunting community to develop a pragmatic and long-term solution for ...
New business ventures are trying to jump-start the economy of New Brighton, the Christchurch beachside suburb that locals say is on the cusp of greatness – if it can just maintain some momentum post-Covid. Green Bear Coffee runs on a simple concept: good coffee, community and sustainability. But what isn’t simple ...
By RNZ Pacific Fiji’s health minister is trying to allay concerns about the health of more than 160 soldiers who returned from the Middle East at the weekend. There has been community concern about their return from Sinai, particularly after it was revealed some of the locals who had been ...
The shovel ready projects infrastructure programme will inject almost $1 billion dollars into the EMA’s region in the Upper North Island, and generate important employment opportunities. Funds allocated for as yet un-named projects will see $970 ...
Public Service Association members this week celebrate new milestones in the struggle for gender equality and dignity for working people, with the introduction of 26 weeks paid parental leave and the commitment by core government agencies to support flexible ...
The New Zealand Activity Index (NZAC) has been launched to provide a more granular and timely signal of movements in the New Zealand economy. It has been constructed by staff at the Treasury, Stats NZ, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. The NZAC ...
New Zealand Red Cross is scaling up at speed to address the urgent needs of people on temporary visas in Aotearoa New Zealand who are experiencing serious hardship due to COVID-19. From 1 July, people who are in need and on temporary visas can check ...
Deloitte survey of over 18,000 millennials and Gen Z respondents across 43 countries reveals a values-driven cohort, managing high levels of anxiety and stress with an increasingly low opinion of traditional institutions. Shaped by the trying circumstances ...
The first chunk of projects set to get money from the Government's shovel-ready fund has been announced Auckland, Canterbury and Otago will get the largest chunks of the Government's $3b shovel-ready fund. The Government announced it had approved 150 projects in principle - adding up to $2.6b - with further ...
The first chunk of projects set to get money from the Government's shovel-ready fund has been announced Auckland, Canterbury and Otago will get the largest chunks of the Government's $3b shovel-ready fund. The Government announced it had approved over 150 projects in principle - adding up to $2.6b - with ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
New Zealand’s Vote Nope to Dope campaign is rubbishing claims that the Vote NO campaign is being bankrolled by or controlled by US organisations. “An alliance of community organisations and leaders (including ex-addicts, educators, ex-police, ...
Tourism sector hit as APEC 2021 goes online and Victoria diverts all international flights from Melbourne as parts of city go into full lock-down to contain Covid-19 second wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ritesh Chugh, Senior Lecturer/Discipline Lead – Information Systems and Analysis, CQUniversity Australia Australia has ruled out abandoning the government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app in favour of the rival “Gapple” model developed by Google and Apple, which is gaining widespread support around the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Baer Arnold, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of Canberra Australia’s 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement, which comes into force today and lasts five years, will see the government provide A$16 billion for dispensing subsidised medicines and A$1.15 billion for other services ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin A. Welbergen, President of the Australasian Bat Society | Associate Professor of Animal Ecology, Western Sydney University On Saturday, Cairns Regional Council will disperse up to 8,000 endangered spectacled flying-foxes from their nationally important camp in central Cairns. The camp is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Kingham, Professor, University of Canterbury CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Brown, Lecturer in Careers and Employability Learning, La Trobe University The government’s higher education funding changes aim to ensure graduates are “job-ready”. Students will be charged more for courses the government deems have poorer employment outcomes, to incentivise them into cheaper ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cherine Fahd, Director Photography, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney Review: The Body Electric, National Gallery of Australia In 1992, the legendary American writer Kathy Acker said: The students who come to my class are very closely related to all ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New benefits and new taxes in effect from today, questions raised over whether a leading Brexiteer is getting into NZ politics, and contrasting polls on cannabis legalisation.Today is a big day for New Zealand, with a whole lot of previously ...
The country’s biggest electricity generator has been found to have distorted the market, costing both electricity retailers and the environment. Alex Braae reports.A furious electricity retailer says the biggest generator in the country has cut against its claims of being environmentally friendly by deliberately spilling water from hydro dams and ...
It's often said that global problems require global solutions - but will the Covid-19 pandemic help to bolster the case for globalisation, or prove to be its undoing? The health of the global order amidst the pandemic was the topic of a panel discussion in Wellington last week, hosted by ...
Dr Collin Tukuitonga draws on New Zealand's response to Covid-19 to argue for a designated population health agency An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed major shortcomings in the funding and delivery of population health services in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Population health, also called ...
Build it and they will come. A US billionaire’s plan to build more golf courses in Mangawhai to attract tourists rolls on despite border closures. Farah Hancock reports. A town north of Auckland home to around 10,000 residents is set to have four golf courses. Two of those are existing: ...
Emma Espiner on a coming-out memoir by her friend Lil O'Brien. “You’re the only friend I can’t flirt with,” she said to me when we were planning her book launch. It figures. I was raised by a coven of Lower Hutt lesbians in the 90s. It was to their collective ...
1 week ago
Could the quarantine and testing botch-ups have an impact on the election? The Government might have been hoping that the scandal was a one-week wonder, but the stories of quarantine and testing fiascos keep coming and will be felt strongly by the public. Many voters will now have much less ...1 week ago
A guest repost by the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF). Fundraising is not the objective of this article but readers may wish to know that CSLDF is currently conducting a summer fundraiser to support the important work of defending research scientists and research integrity from anti-science interference by politicians and industrial interests. We’re one of ...1 week ago
Something I missed in the lockdown chaos: Chad has abolished the death penalty: The European Union has hailed Chad for abolishing the death penalty for terrorism crimes nearly five years since its last execution. In a statement on Saturday, the EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Virginie ...1 week ago
Whether we like it or not, change is upon us everywhere we look across cultural, political, economic, societal and technological responses to COVID-19… but how much of the Old World thinking keeps a grip on the possibilities of what could be “a new way forward”? Turns out, quite a ...2 weeks ago
I was born just before the outbreak of the Second World War. I spent my early years with my mother and young sister in our little state house in Hawera, while my father was “away at the war” in the Air Force. I grew up with an awareness, as I ...2 weeks ago
A week ago JK Rowling tweeted that that biological sex is real. She took issue with an article that referred to “people who menstruate,” instead of “women”. She pointed out: “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. . . . I do not believe it’s hateful to ...2 weeks ago
Painting, Lego, honey and a lawyer.SATURDAY JUNE 20Landscape Artist of the Year (Prime, 6.00pm). Want to literally watch paint dry? Stephen Mangan and Joan Bakewell begin the quest for a new British landscape artist in Yorkshire.Great British Railway Journeys (Living, Sky 017, 7.30pm). Michael Portillo and his many colourful jackets ...2 weeks ago
Yesterday I wrote that I can find some reason to celebrate almost any date, and today (19th June) is no exception: it’s World Albatross Day. Unfortunately the day began with a news story concerning a commercial fishing boat killing four endangered Antipodean albatrosses off NZ’s East Cape. Even more ...2 weeks ago
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. The quotation illustrates one of the struggles writing history. Just as you want to be sensitive to differences when you are travelling – unless you are an ugly imperialist – you need to recognise that, say, a history of ...2 weeks ago
So why exactly did the New Zealand Police undertake an armed response teams (ARTs) trial in the first place? Of course there was the Christchurch mosque terrorism attack, but that was an isolated incident and therefore cannot be used as an excuse to arm Police. What this trial does do ...2 weeks ago
A word of caution: the military is not a quarantine panacea. At least 60 NZDF personnel have been on quarantine patrol duties since April 1, and yet breaches of the restrictions on physical contact occurred. What is more, the NZDF presumably has its own testing regime in place (for its ...2 weeks ago
Don Franks Removing statues of discredited historical figures is understandable, it will keep happening because of people’s strong feelings. It does not change the past though and we should remember the past as it was. In some cases, it might be better to place a very visible plaque beside a ...3 weeks ago
I can't believe it's only twenty bucks ...3 weeks ago
Ōpōtiki was one of the big winners in yesterday's Provincial Growth Fund announcement outlining a $60 million cash injection for councils and KiwiRail to create employment for local workers. The town's mayor was also optimistic, saying the future of the town is "right now" as it can move forward with ...2 weeks ago
The Green Party is welcoming the final report of the Health and Disability System Review, but cautions that any changes to the DHB system must protect communities’ right to have their say. ...2 weeks ago
Our 2020 General Election Party List shows that the Labour Party is bolstering an experienced Caucus with diverse new talent as the country rebuilds and recovers from COVID-19. ...2 weeks ago
The awarding of joint hosting rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a landmark decision for women’s sport in our region Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern said. For the first time in history, Australians and New Zealanders will be able to experience a tier one football ...6 days ago
Struggling to find the correct apportionment of blame for the failure of light rail in Auckland? Hayden Donnell is here to help.Aucklanders’ hopes for a functional transport network took another hit last week, with the announcement that light rail will not be approved before the election. Many people have lashed ...16 hours ago
With the billions in foreign student money gone thanks to border restrictions, schools that took a nice chunk of that money must learn to re-cut their cloth. It's our fifth-biggest export earner, contributing more than $5 billion each year to the economy - but the impact of Covid-19 means the international ...17 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Eden-Monaro voters are calling for a compassionate and empathetic recovery process as Australia emerges from the pandemic. In focus group research conducted this week, ahead of Saturday’s byelection, the vast majority of participants favoured increasing ...22 hours ago
A member's bill raising the minimum amount of time a resident has to have lived in New Zealand before being entitled to superannuation has passed its first reading. ...24 hours ago
The Green Party’s major new election policy for a wealth tax has, not unexpectedly, had a mixed reception, not least from politicians of other parties. The policy to tax the wealthy to fund a payment of at least $325 a week for anyone not in full-time work, predictably brought cheers ...1 day ago
The electrification of our economy is needed to reduce emissions, particularly from industry and transport. What will that look like? ...1 day ago
...1 day ago
How anyone in the Green hierarchy could seriously believe their new tax and welfare package would be a winner is perhaps the most baffling point of all, says Peter Dunne ...1 day ago
Latest from the Beehive – The Beehive Bugle Brigade doubled the blare about the baby boon, which is being boosted from today. A statement from the PM and Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced July 1 marks progress for workers, families Iain Lees-Galloway, speaking as Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety, ...1 day ago
The first chunk of projects set to get money from the Government's shovel-ready fund has been announced Auckland, Canterbury and Otago will get the largest chunks of the Government's $3b shovel-ready fund. The Government announced it had approved 150 projects in principle - adding up to $2.6b - with further ...2 days ago
Tourism sector hit as APEC 2021 goes online and Victoria diverts all international flights from Melbourne as parts of city go into full lock-down to contain Covid-19 second wave ...2 days ago
The recent passing of a law granting some prisoners the right to vote was a lesson in how not to do democracy, writes Laura Walters. ...2 days ago
It's often said that global problems require global solutions - but will the Covid-19 pandemic help to bolster the case for globalisation, or prove to be its undoing? The health of the global order amidst the pandemic was the topic of a panel discussion in Wellington last week, hosted by ...2 days ago
Dr Collin Tukuitonga draws on New Zealand's response to Covid-19 to argue for a designated population health agency An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed major shortcomings in the funding and delivery of population health services in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Population health, also called ...2 days ago
Build it and they will come. A US billionaire’s plan to build more golf courses in Mangawhai to attract tourists rolls on despite border closures. Farah Hancock reports. A town north of Auckland home to around 10,000 residents is set to have four golf courses. Two of those are existing: ...2 days ago
Emma Espiner on a coming-out memoir by her friend Lil O'Brien. “You’re the only friend I can’t flirt with,” she said to me when we were planning her book launch. It figures. I was raised by a coven of Lower Hutt lesbians in the 90s. It was to their collective ...2 days ago
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