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Water Rights War Brewing
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, March 10th, 2021 - 6 comments
Minister Parker is firing an 18 inch gun round that he’s ready to take on all with his call-in of the Otago water rights plan change.
The Speech From The Throne
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, November 27th, 2020 - 21 comments
I’m sure one needs a particular depth of political nerdiness to give a flying fig about such things, but since I am one of those, these are my highlights from the speech from the throne to Parliament this week.
Regenerative economies: $100,000 growing permaculture kale
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, October 11th, 2020 - 56 comments
A Thames couple are showing how to make a living from small scale market gardening, and leading the way in regenerative horticulture.
The Greens on urban farming
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 24th, 2020 - 25 comments
This is exactly the kind of approach the Green Party would like to encourage – it’s strategic, it’s intergenerational and it recognises the interconnectedness of our people, the environment and local communities.
Greenpeace on the Green Party’s Farm for the Future policy
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, September 15th, 2020 - 58 comments
“Wildfires are burning across the world and our rivers and lakes have been pushed to the brink. This is no time for half measures. Phasing out the use of PKE is exactly the kind of bold and transformational policy that is needed to deal with the climate and freshwater crises.”
What is this regenerative agriculture thing anyway?
Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, September 13th, 2020 - 32 comments
Given the state of New Zealand land and water, changing how we do farming should be a strong political topic for the left this year. The Greens and Greenpeace are campaigning for a shift to regenerative agriculture, so it’s timely to look at what that is.
If National wins the hope for clean water and swimmable rivers will be gone by lunchtime
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, August 27th, 2020 - 40 comments
National has promised that if it gains power rules designed to improve water quality in our streams and rivers will be “gone by lunchtime.
The fragility of our food supply
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, August 6th, 2020 - 98 comments
As climate, ecological, pandemic and neoliberal pressures put our food security at risk, we can take heart from the many people who have been developing and practicing sustainable and resilient food growing.
The politics of gun control
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, March 9th, 2020 - 180 comments
National and NZ First are frustrating the passage of the Arms Legislation Bill by raising issues that may appeal to extremists but will not make the country a safer place after the Christchurch massacre.
Happy cows and land restoration
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, March 1st, 2020 - 12 comments
The point here isn’t to go ‘boo vegans’, it’s to point starkly to the problems with the current food and environment debate, and show case the pathways beyond the meat/no meat binary.
Federated Farmers launches petition against its business model
Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, January 19th, 2020 - 157 comments
Federated Farmers has started a petition against an educational resource that teaches about climate change and activism because it does not present their industry in a sufficiently positive way.
The Government’s Economic Development Plan
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, September 30th, 2019 - 15 comments
Last week the government launched its Economic Development Plan, arguably late but with lots of useful initiatives.
Fonterra, again
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, September 29th, 2019 - 24 comments
Why New Zealand – and its government – need to engage much harder about Fonterra.
The NZIER Report on dairying and fresh water
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, September 20th, 2019 - 19 comments
“New Zealand does not face stark choices between having a dairy sector versus having clean waterways. Experience shows that, by focusing on profits, not production, farms can increase their economic returns and reduce their impact on the environment.”
Fonterra failure and Government failure
Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, August 19th, 2019 - 95 comments
Fonterra is dragging New Zealand down, faster and faster. What is this Government going to do?
Police – ignoring their job in Southland
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, August 12th, 2019 - 49 comments
“Allegations of trespassing and intimidation as Southland winter grazing protest escalates” yesterday. The reporter completely missed the most important salient point – the police don’t seem to be doing their job. Leaving a pissed lynch mob of farmers trying to force people out of their house to ‘talk’ to them is pretty clearly an act of intimidation. And that doesn’t even cover the original idiot farmer who is alleged to have rammed someone’s car.
Brian Easton on methane
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, July 18th, 2019 - 4 comments
Brian Easton has put up a interesting post at Pundit which looks at how we should measure and constrain in our methane emissions. My initial impression is that his approach defeats the purpose of trying to reduce the effects of climate change over the coming century.
The hard change of forestry
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, May 18th, 2019 - 98 comments
Forestry is forcing an important tilting point between mitigating climate change and land use, and it’s going to affect the viability of some North Island towns.
Zero carbon bill – let the battle commence
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, May 9th, 2019 - 102 comments
The Zero Carbon bill is already being attacked by farming groups who are clearly concerned at the implications for their industry. And National is already showing signs that it will play politics with the issue.
Westland Dairy sale
Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, March 20th, 2019 - 30 comments
Westland Dairy has done a deal to sell out to Yili industrial Group of Mongolia. This company is the third largest dairy company in New Zealand.
New Zealand needs a Government that understands climate change
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, January 10th, 2019 - 47 comments
In an opinion piece in Stuff National Spokesperson on climate change Todd Muller has cast doubt on National agreeing to a political consensus on climate change.
No sense, nonsense and a dearth of common sense.
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, November 29th, 2018 - 23 comments
We wouldn’t tie a rope to a heavy load and then push on the rope with the expectation of achieving anything, right? So why is the Guardian’s Environment Editor entreating that we do just that? Is he merely stupid? Or is there something more cynical at play?
What does it take for bosses not to get their bonus?
Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, September 13th, 2018 - 17 comments
Why is it that all risk lies with the shareholders? Why does poor performance by a company not result in CEO and top management bonuses being clawed back?
Fonterra’s loss
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, September 13th, 2018 - 67 comments
Fonterra has just reported an after tax loss of $196 million for the 2018 year. It’s never had an annual loss in its history.
No Waimea dam
Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, August 17th, 2018 - 26 comments
With the change in Government and ever increasing costs of construction it appears that the Waimea dam project in Tasman District is going to be scuppered.
Steaming cow poo.
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, June 2nd, 2018 - 54 comments
Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth according to a Guardian headline.
Yeah. No it’s not.
It’s Time for a Cost-Benefit Analysis of Dairy Farming
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, May 29th, 2018 - 166 comments
Not just, ‘we’ve got to make the good outweigh the bad’. I mean: why should dairy farming exist here?
Bio-fuels.
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, February 11th, 2018 - 35 comments
Biofuels and fossil. The difference?
Fonterra a failure in concept and in practice
Written By: - Date published: 6:10 pm, February 9th, 2018 - 109 comments
New Zealanders 17 years ago accepted the idea of a national dairy monopoly on the condition it would deliver outstanding returns. The cost has been high — filthy and unswimmable rivers. Now it turns out the result has been a financial fiasco – the whole thing is literally bullshit, or more correctly, cowshit.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, January 25th, 2018 - 137 comments
The positive aspects of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership.
Labour and rural voters
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 6th, 2017 - 94 comments
In recent years Labour has allowed National to dominate rural politics. Maybe it is time for Labour to think about reaching out to rural voters and suggest to them that a progressive vote is in their interests.
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #25, 2021
127 Articles Observations of climate change, effects Anthropogenic and climatic contributions to observed carbon system trends in the Northeast Pacific Franco et al Global Biogeochemical Cycles DOI: 10.1029/2020gb006829 Emergence of seasonal delay of tropical rainfall during 1979–2019 Song et al Nature Climate Change DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-01066-x Dwindling ...10 hours ago - End parliamentary secrecy
The Herald last night revealed that a National MP appears to be a thief: A National Party MP faced allegations of inappropriate spending of taxpayer money – allegations the MP is refusing to front on and which Parliamentary Service refuses to discuss under the cone of silence that protects ...12 hours ago - Harete Hipango should resign
Well that was short lived. Less than two week’s into the job and National's new MP, Harete Hipango, has been accused of misusing taxpayer money.According to a National Party staff member the anti-abortionist used her Parliamentary expense account to purchase numerous furnishings for her own house, which is a gross ...12 hours ago - PardonedFour years ago, the Spanish government jailed nine Catalan leaders for the "crime" of advocating peacefully for independence. Now, it has pardoned them: Spain’s prime minister has called for a new “era of dialogue and understanding” as his Socialist-led government pardoned nine Catalan independence leaders for their roles in ...13 hours ago
- Time to outlaw ecocideWe live in a time of historic ecological crisis, with the Earth on the verge of dangerous levels of anthropogenic climate change, threatening the ecology, food supplies, world peace, and the habitability of some of the most densely-populated parts of the planet. And while this is going on, some people ...14 hours ago
- Carmel Sepuloni must fix ACCYou may have noticed that the Accident Compensation Corporation, or ACC for short, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. Not only has newish research shown that the claims process discriminates against woman, Māori and Pasifika people, ACC apparently also penalises Kiwis depending on how and ...15 hours ago
- A slight relaxation of secrecyThe government has introduced a new Crown Minerals (Decommissioning and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. The bill is one of the products of the 2019-20 consultation on the Crown Minerals Act, and mostly addresses the problem of forcing oil companies to clean up their own mess, but it makes a number ...17 hours ago
- COVID-19: The rise and rise of Delta
From media headlines it feels like hearing the boy cry “fire” in the theatre. There’s a new variant about. Or perhaps he is really a crier, calling out a new season of the show, a new plot twist with a craftier villain? The main feature in town is now the ...1 day ago - Laurel Hubbard is a trailblazer
Laurel Hubbard has qualified to represent New Zealand at the next Olympics (whenever or wherever those happen) in women’s weightlifting. Virtually no one would have paid any attention to this – weightlifting not being one of the three sports (cricket, netball, league) New Zealanders actually care about – if it ...1 day ago - An attack on parliamentary privilegeToday the Speaker referred the High Court judgement in Staples v Freeman to the Privileges Committee. Its not surprising. The court in its decision finds that a speech by Winston Peters in Parliament was defamatory. That seems to violate s11 of the Parliamentary Privilege Act 2014, which prohibits the courts ...2 days ago
- The problem of police dishonestyRNZ has a major story this morning about the police killing of Shargin Stephens in Rotorua in 2016. The "Independent" Police Conduct Authority of course cleared police of any wrong-doing, and found police actions "reasonable" and the killing justified. The police are now using that finding to prevent a coronial ...2 days ago
- Penk wants to be Prime Minister2 days ago
- Against the militarization of spaceRocketLab is a cool company. Its right there in the title: "rocket". As someone who loves space exploration and the knowledge it brings, I love the fact that they're launching from New Zealand, and I love the fact that they're planning to send probes to the Moon and Venus (and ...2 days ago
- NZ’s clean car discount is a turn in the right direction, but how much will it drive consumer dem...Basil Sharp, University of Auckland New Zealand faces two enormous challenges if it is to meet its international climate change commitments under the Paris Agreement: biogenic methane emissions from agriculture, and carbon emissions from industry and transport. For now, there seems little prospect of significantly reducing agricultural emissions, short ...2 days ago
- More needs to be done about the slumlordsIt always amazes me to see the illogical arguments made by real estate industry insiders when they’re complaining about any type of housing sector regulation. They simply don't seem to care if their arguments make any sense or whether their unbound greed is worsening an already terrible housing crisis that ...2 days ago
- Who Else Is There? Why the Right Needs Winston Peters.
2 days ago - No Questions Please – We’re Revolutionaries!The Kids Were All Right: By stripping away all moral and practical grounds for unified struggle, Critical Race Theory can only strengthen the elites’ grip on contemporary society. The abdication of School Strike For Climate Auckland offers a textbook example of this phenomenon. The moral force of the nation’s secondary students ...2 days ago
- Making climate impact science more accessible to the public: ISIpedia launchThis is a re-post from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research based on their press release about the new Inter-Sectoral Impacts Encyclopedia - ISIpedia for short. Decision-makers on all levels are provided with a new tool to tackle the climate challenge. Data and explanations on global warming impacts – ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The case for and against the “They Are Us” film
The last week has been full of debate over plans to make a film about the 2019 terrorist attacks on two Christchurch mosques. The vast majority of media coverage has focused on opposition to the film. These criticisms need to be taken seriously. But a strong case can be made ...2 days ago - Perilous Treasures: Published
It’s the Winter Solstice here, which means (Northern Hemisphere) e-zine Eternal Haunted Summer has released its Summer Solstice edition for 2021:https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/summer-solstice-2021/ My story, Perilous Treasures, is out, as part of it:https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/summer-solstice-2021/perilous-treasures/ As previously mentioned, this was a fictional attempt to portray the very vexed medieval issue of writing ...2 days ago - Incompatible regimesThe Official Information Act is our core transparency legislation. But its only covers central government. Local authorities are covered by the parallel Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, which duplicates most of the OIA's provisions, and adds in some stuff about local authority meetings as well. Since the ...2 days ago
- Boris BerlusconiRemember Silvio Berlusconi? Whenever the Italian courts seemed to be catching up to his corrupt behaviour as Prime Minister, he would just change the law to get himself off the hook. Well, now there's a new contender for the "self-serving abuse of power" title: Boris Johnson: Boris Johnson is ...3 days ago
- Climate explained: could biofuels replace all fossil fuels in New Zealand?Climate 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, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz Could biofuels replace all fossil fuels in ...3 days ago
- Josh Van Veen: NZ First UnbowedThe improbability of NZ First returning to power cannot be overstated. Between 2017 and 2020, support for the party collapsed from 7.2% to 2.6%. With barely a third of its 2020 vote, and no electorate seat, NZ First appears to be a spent force. But the party faithful were ...3 days ago
- Health co-benefits need to be adequately considered in the Climate Change Commission’s final advic...Tim Chambers, Simon Hales, Jude Ball, Michael Baker, Cristina Cleghorn, Nick Wilson (*Author details) The Climate Change Commission’s final advice to the Government has been tabled in Parliament. This final report further acknowledged the potential health co-benefits of climate action presented in the Commission’s draft advice. However, the Commission has ...3 days ago
- Winston's last throw of the diceYou’ve got to wonder if Winston Peters will ever retire. I mean what keeps the old rogue going? Perhaps Peters has been reinvigorated by the Government’s decision to follow through on various policy NZ First had previously put the kibosh on...or maybe he thinks there's still a chance of becoming ...3 days ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #25Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 14, 2021 through Sat, June 19, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Earth is now trapping an ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, NASA says, Fake news: a simple nudge isn’t ...3 days ago
- Goldilocks and the three futuresGoldilocks, the house breaker, always had a choice of three, one of which always appeared to be just right. Temporally, there’s three types of futures too. Short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Those are all relative, depending on what you are looking at. Some technologies, for example, change very quickly, so “long-term” ...4 days ago
- Baby talk 3: the eggs, the lube, the triggeringSo we took a bit of an unscheduled posting hiatus there; but more on that later. Today we’re talking eggs, lube, and triggers. Just as the self-injection routine started to get good and routine, and I wasn’t having a total emotional break on a daily basis, came the sharp reminder ...4 days ago
- ‘There is no debate’ is simply a denial of reality
Hat tip to Mike Treen from Unite Union for this article by Lindsey Graham published in Counterfire. It raises important debates that are happening in many parts of the world, including New ZealandGood morning. I want to raise some issues here about the whole debate on trans rights in Britain. ...4 days ago - Leaked cabinet papers won’t help ACTIt was somewhat amusing to see the Act Party completely misread the room this week when they leaked a Labour Party document concerning our oceans and fisheries. It outlined the Government's intention to discuss several marine policies at cabinet, the most controversial being the installation of 300 cameras on commercial ...5 days ago
- Writing the Rights: No Right Turn is Wrong
New Zealand’s extreme form of parliamentary sovereignty is something of an international oddity these days. Under the New Zealand system, an Act passed by Parliament (and hence signed by the Governor-General) is automatically law. And in the absence of a written constitution, Parliament can Do Anything. Literally. Our checks ...5 days ago - Unemployment Insurance
Providing for the redundantly unemployed is admirable but difficult and expensive to implement.The 2021 Budget announced that the government was, at the urging of Business NZ and the Council of Trade Unions, committed to the development of a Social Unemployment Insurance scheme. It is likely to have two main components. ...5 days ago - Losing The “Struggle-Session” Over Climate Change.Blaming And Shaming: A "property owner" is humiliated before the masses during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. Critical Race Theory may substitute "White Privilege" for "Class Privilege", but the inescapability of the offending group's responsibility for "oppression" is exactly the same. The self-abasement of School Strike For Climate Auckland for its ...6 days ago
- Cleaning up the fishing industryThe government is finally cleaning up the fishing industry, with cameras on boats and an end to high-grading, with an easier penalties regime to enforce it. Good. Because as we've seen over the years, the fishing industry is pervasively criminal, routinely violating the law on discarding fish and reporting bycatch. ...6 days ago
- PM’s critics should stick to the factsThere’s been a lot of grumbling lately amongst the right wing and certain mainstream media pundits who are looking to either score cheap political points or attract readers by attacking the Prime Minister.Of course some of the criticism is justified. After all no Government is perfect and there are always ...6 days ago
- Climate Change: Auckland fails IILast year, the Auckland Council passed a climate change plan, setting goals of halving emissions by 2030, and net-zero by 2050. So you'd expect their new transport plan to be consistent with that goal, right? Wrong: The 10-year transport plan for Auckland has emerged from consultation with small changes, ...6 days ago
- Anti-fluoridation group tells porkies about NZ fluoridation review
FFNZ spreads misinformation about the NZ fluoridation review – yet again New Zealand opponents of community water fluoridation (CWF) are at it again. Their only response to the recently upgraded fluoridation review is to call it “propaganda” and to completely misrepresent it. But it’s interesting to look at their misrepresentation ...6 days ago - Landmark decision in the sex and gender debateOn June 10, after two years of legal battles, Maya Forstater won a landmark legal ruling that looks set to change the direction of the sex and gender debates in the Britain, and provide legal protection for gender-critical people against discrimination and harassment. This ruling will be important in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- CSLDF and the Government Accountability Project Launch New Scientific Integrity Reporting ProjectThis is a guest post by the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. Today, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and Government Accountability Project launched the Scientific Integrity Reporting Project: a confidential, anonymous way for scientists and others in science-adjacent roles to detail their experiences involving past and ongoing threats to scientific norms and scientific integrity. We ...6 days ago
- Australia needs a Bill of Rights ActAustralia is one of the few western democracies not to have legal protection for fundamental human rights. The closest they come is recognising an implied right to freedom of political communication (but not other forms of freedom of expression) from the "representative government" clauses of their constitution. But some of ...7 days ago
- FalloutLast week I revealed how the Police had lied to the public over their "emissions-free fleet" strategy. Stuff's Henry Cooke has done the obvious followup of asking the Minister what she thinks about it, and it seems she is not happy: Police Minister Poto Williams says she is disappointed ...7 days ago
- Can we be born into the wrong body?by Don Franks Are some of us born into the wrong body? The possibility is sometimes offered as a clinching argument that some people need to, and are able to, change their sex. With one proviso, the answer has to be, yes, such a thing is possible. The only requirement ...7 days ago
- Moa’s Ark or flypaper of the Pacific – New Zealand’s place in the biology of the PacificIt was the year 2002 and I was sitting in the shiny new office of our Biogeography Professor for my oral Diploma exam. It was going well, when I was asked to name an example of a Gondwanan distribution pattern, or in other words a species or group of species ...7 days ago
- Auckland is the world’s ‘most liveable city’? Many Māori might disagreeElla Henry, Auckland University of Technology While I am always happy to celebrate any accolades my country and city might garner on the international stage, seeing Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau awarded the top ranking in a recent “most liveable cities” survey left me somewhat flummoxed. In particular, I would argue that ...7 days ago
- Patrick Gower – Hero of the week7 days ago
- Juliet Moses – Arsehole of the Week1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #24, 2021A hot budget problem This week's standout article for highlighting is Satellite and Ocean Data Reveal Marked Increase in Earth's Heating Rate (open access). From the two very different perspectives of above the atmosphere and below it, a team of authors led by Norman Loeb (head of NASA's CERES program) and including Gregory Johnson (head ...1 week ago
- Let it dieThe fishing industry is complaining in the Herald about their "labour shortage" and lamenting the fact that Young People These Days for some reason don't want to work for six weeks at a time doing hard, dangerous work on a boat in the middle of nowhere, and never seeing their ...1 week ago
- More bigotry in HungaryLast year Hungary ended legal recognition of trans people and banned gay people from adopting children. Now, they've followed that up with a Russian-style "propaganda law", banning "promotion" of homosexuality in schools or on TV: Hungary’s parliament has passed a law banning gay people from featuring in school educational ...1 week ago
- Institutionally corruptOver thirty years ago private investigator Daniel Morgan was murdered in London. The UK police repeatedly fucked up the investigation so obviously and blatantly that the government was forced to call a public inquiry. Now, after years of obstruction, it has finally reported back, finding the police to be "institutionally ...1 week ago
- With seas rising, stalled research budgets must also riseThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe and Eric Rignot From 1900 to 2000, the ocean along the U.S. East Coast rose at twice the annual rate of the pace in the previous 19 centuries, according to a recent study from Rutgers University. From Miami to New York to ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Worst could be yet to come for New Zealanders’ perceptions of ChinaNew Zealanders’ hostility towards China is growing rapidly – but the worst may be still ahead. International analyst Geoffrey Miller examines the latest survey results on how this country feels about China. The latest “Perceptions of Asia” survey from the Asia New Zealand Foundation, released today, shows a sharp rise ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Cash for access to politicians continuesShould anyone have trust in politicians, given the manner in which they solicit money from the wealthy? Probably not, since virtually every party in Parliament in recent times has been found to be involved in flaunting the law or accepting dodgy donations from the rich. News reports of questionable donations ...1 week ago
- Proceed to your nearest (virtual) exit: gaming technology is teaching us how people respond to emer...Ruggiero Lovreglio, Massey University Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) aren’t just for gaming anymore, they’re also proving to be useful tools for disaster safety research. In fact, they could save lives. Around the world, natural and human-made disasters such as earthquakes, bushfires and terrorist attacks threaten substantial ...1 week ago
- Inaction speaks louder than wordsOne of the good things the government has done is implement a proactive release policy, requiring most cabinet papers to be published within 30 working days of a decision being made. Its not a perfect policy (note "most", but also they get to redact them however they want, without oversight), ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: The dangers of putting media on the government’s payrollAccusations by a journalist that the Prime Minister leads an unusually secretive government don’t tell the whole story about its desire to control information. Graham Adams takes a closer look at the guidelines for the new $55 million journalism fund. Despite widespread cynicism about the Government’s ability to fulfil its ...1 week ago
- David Seymour caught telling liesAct Party Leader David SeymourIt really bothers me when the NZ Herald reports the claims of certain right wing politicians as the truth without any fact checking. Not only do they encourage dishonest politicians to continue to lie, they also degrade the standard of reporting we get in New Zealand.Of ...1 week ago
- To Speak, Or Not To Speak? That Is The Question.Speaking Rights: The spectacle of the nation’s prime minister being denied the right to speak to her fellow citizens, personally, on New Zealand’s national day would generate massive antagonism among Pakeha of both sexes. A refusal to be guided by the customs of Ngāpuhi, on the other hand, would be ...1 week ago
- We discovered what’s killing the world’s rarest penguin – and it could help us make a vaccineVartul Sangal, Northumbria University, Newcastle Yellow-eyed penguins are the most endangered penguin species in the world, with just 4,000 left in the wild. Found only in New Zealand and its outlying islands, these birds can grow up to 79cm tall and weigh 8.5kg, which is similar to a one-year-old ...1 week ago
- The COVID-19 lab leak theory highlights a glaring lack of global biosecurity regulationAlexander Gillespie, University of Waikato The revived debate over whether COVID-19 could be the result of an accidental release from the Wuhan Institute of Virology may never be adequately resolved. Either way, we risk not seeing the wood for the trees. While the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in ...1 week ago
- Opponents of fluoridation all at sea with new legislationImage credit: Why Ideology and Science Don’t Mix Opponents of community water fluoridation (CWF) should be supporting the proposed fluoridation legislation instead of organising opposition to it. Think about it. If Fluoride Free NZ (FFNZ) was honest in its claim that they are ...1 week ago
- Silent calamity: The health impacts of wildfire smoke
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson Articles on U.S. wildfires don’t often show a photo of someone gasping in a hospital bed or felled by a heart attack. Yet an increasing body of evidence suggests that the biggest societal impacts of increasing wildland fire are happening ...1 week ago- Smokefree 2025
The Government’s proposed approach for achieving SmokeFree 2025 is a bit over-the-top. The proposals would restrict tobacco sales to a smaller number of to-be-licenced R18 outlets, which could then be subject to a sinking lid; impose an annual one-year increase in the purchase age for tobacco until full prohibition were ...1 week ago- Update on Long-COVID
Prof John D. Potter* This blog post updates an earlier post on Long-COVID and reports that estimates of prevalence are still wide at about 15 to 65% of those initially infected with the pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2. As things stand now across the world, we do not yet have systems in ...1 week ago- A long-overdue apology
The New Zealand government is going to formally apologise for the "dawn raids" which targeted Pacific peoples in the 1970's. Good. Terrorising people on the basis of their race was wrong and something which should be a lasting shame to New Zealand. But there's another wrong they need to apologise ...1 week ago- Climate Change: The return of feebate
The government has resurrected its feebate policy to lower transport emissions, taxing dirty vehicles to subsidise clean ones. Good. We've known for a long time that passive measures such as fuel economy ratings and up-front labelling of lifetime costs weren't enough, and neither was the ETS (which adds just a ...1 week ago- National wants to convert farms into pine forests
It really hasn’t been a good time on the opposition benches lately. Not only have we had the various National Party scandals to ensure a decline in their public support, they’ve also entirely misread the room when it comes to the Climate Change Commission’s final report and the Government’s Clean ...1 week ago- Government for sale again
When the National Party ran a "Cabinet Club", selling personal access to Cabinet Ministers in exchange for large donations, I called it Government for Sale. Now the Labour party is doing the same thing: The Labour Party is selling tickets to a “business conference" featuring the prime minister and ...1 week ago- Nobody Owns The Christchurch Tragedy.
Mass Outpourings Of Love And Solidarity: In excess of 20,000 Wellingtonians gathered at the basin Reserve in mid-March 2019 to reaffirm Prime Minister Ardern's "They are Us" response to the Christchurch Mosque Shootings. The opponents of the "They Are Us" movie project would rather the world was not reminded of ...1 week ago- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #24
Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 7, 2021 through Sat, June 12, 2021 This week it was somewhat tricky to identify suitable articles for sharing which is why the list ended up shorter than it usually is. Articles Linked to ...1 week ago- Hoping For Divine Intervention.
By Any Chance, Are These Two Related? Climate Change Commission Chair, Rod Carr, and Michelangelo's Jehovah. Is that the message hidden in the CCC's report? That only divine intervention can save the planet from the effects of anthropogenic global warming?ROD CARR reminds me of God. Seriously, that beard. From a ...2 weeks ago- Re-Writing The Rules of the Game: Where Chile is Leading, Can Aotearoa-New Zealand Follow?
People Power: Ending neoliberalism requires massive and militant action on the ground. Between 2019 and 2020, the young and the poor made Chile ungovernable. Engaging in running battles with the Police and facing-down the army’s bullets, they rendered the political class and its mainstream media mouthpieces increasingly irrelevant to what ...2 weeks ago- National is falling apart
You’ve really got to wonder what possessed MP Simon Bridges to blatantly lie about gang violence he claimed to have witnessed yesterday.Perhaps he was just a bit desperate for some attention being that the headlines haven’t be very flattering for the National Party lately.His belief that misleading the public and ...2 weeks ago- How Are We Progressing with the War on Poverty?
Child Poverty Levels Are only Slowly Coming Down, What Next?Having settled on its macroeconomic settings, the Government then has to decide what to do with its revenue. In the 2021 Budget; it was largely committed to rolling forward existing spending, together with meeting some necessary commitments like dealing with covid ...2 weeks ago - Silent calamity: The health impacts of wildfire smoke
- Greens urge Wellington Council to support a Spatial Plan that best addresses the climate and housing...
The Green Party is urging Wellington City Council to pass an ambitious Spatial Plan that sets Wellington up for action on the housing crisis, allowing for more new homes close to the city centre. ...1 day ago - Housing solutions, accelerated
New Zealand’s housing crisis has been decades in the making. And we know that one of the key barriers to the construction of more homes is a lack of basic infrastructure. Our $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund – designed to speed up the pace and scale of house building – ...2 days ago - Small steps for Hauraki Gulf protection, much more action neededThe Green Party welcomes the Government’s proposals for increased marine protection in the Hauraki Gulf, released today, but says much more needs to be done. ...2 days ago
- Greens announce Members Bill to stop military launches at Rocket Lab protestThe Green Party’s Security and Intelligence spokesperson, and Te Mātāwaka member Teanau Tuiono MP launched his Member’s Bill at the ‘STOP militarisation’ protest today outside RocketLabs Headquarters in Tāmaki Makaurau. This Bill will amend the Outer Space and High altitude Activities Act and prohibit the launching of military hardware into ...3 days ago
- Green Party supports call to end youth detention in police cellsThe Green Party strongly supports the call by the Children’s Commissioner to repeal the law allowing youth to be held in police cells. ...3 days ago
- Working in partnership with our primary sectorA few great days at Fieldays are done and dusted! We had a huge team of Labour MPs at Mystery Creek this year – and we were there because partnering with farmers, growers, and our rural communities matters to us. ...5 days ago
- Chlöe Swarbrick puts Bill aimed at minimising alcohol harm in Members’ ballotGreen Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick has put the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Harm Minimisation) Amendment Bill into the Members’ ballot. ...6 days ago
- Investing in our rural communitiesFarmers and growers have been the economic backbone for New Zealand throughout COVID-19, and our primary sector will be at the heart of our recovery. This week, as Fieldays gets underway, we’ve outlined the next steps in our work with farmers to secure our recovery. ...6 days ago
- Green MPs back calls for work to stop immediately in Pūtiki Bay following unnecessary police presen...Green MPs Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and Chlöe Swarbrick strongly support the calls by Ngāti Paoa for Auckland Council to immediately step in to stop works happening in Pūtiki Bay/Kennedy Point today. ...7 days ago
- Acting boldly to address the housing crisis so we all thriveTēnā koe Minister Woods, ...1 week ago
- Addressing period poverty in schoolsToday, we’re taking the next step in our work to support children and young people in poverty, starting to roll out free period products in more than 1,600 schools and kura across New Zealand. ...1 week ago
- Dawn Raids apology welcomed, needs to be backed up with amnestyThe Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka Māori and Pasifika Caucus welcomes an announcement today by the Prime Minister to apologise for the Dawn Raids. ...1 week ago
- Making cleaner cars accessible to more KiwisToday, we’re taking action in line with the advice of the Climate Change Commission to reduce our carbon footprint, so future generations have a fair go. Our Clean Car package, announced this morning, delivers on our promise to cut transport emissions. It will make it easier to make the switch ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party set to deliver open letter to Immigration Minister with 17k signaturesThe Green Party will deliver its open letter asking the Minister for Immigration to fix the broken immigration system next week. ...2 weeks ago
- Dr Elizabeth Kerekere receives her COVID-19 vaccinationToday, Green Party MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere received her COVID-19 vaccination from Tamaiti Whāngai COVID-19 vaccination centre, which had its official opening yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Our action on climate changeIn 2019, we established the Climate Change Commission to provide independent advice on climate change action and to hold this Government and future Governments to account. Today, the Commission's final advice was released. It sets out the total amount of global warming pollution Aotearoa must cut by 2035 to be ...2 weeks ago
- Our action on climate changeIn 2019, we established the Climate Change Commission to provide independent advice on climate change action and to hold this Government and future Governments to account. Today, the Commission's final advice was released. It sets out the total amount of global warming pollution Aotearoa must cut by 2035 to be ...2 weeks ago
- It’s time to get behind our nursesThe Green Party supports the 30,000 nurses striking today for better pay and safer working conditions. ...2 weeks ago
- Celebrating our oceansAotearoa New Zealand is surrounded by Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean. The ocean is central to our identities and to our ecosystems. The Big Blue both isolates us from other countries and connects us to our Pacific neighbours. We have the seventh largest maritime area in the world, ranging from ...2 weeks ago
- Caring for the land, caring for peopleHere in New Zealand, we have a remarkable natural environment, with unique ecosystems and native species. It’s taken millions of years for Aotearoa to develop this precious environment – and it’s up to us to protect it! In collaboration with communities across the country, we’re doing just that. ...3 weeks ago
- Caring for the land, caring for peopleHere in New Zealand, we have a remarkable natural environment, with unique ecosystems and native species. It’s taken millions of years for Aotearoa to develop this precious environment – and it’s up to us to protect it! In collaboration with communities across the country, we’re doing just that. ...3 weeks ago
- How much do you know about Aotearoa’s unique environment?Test your knowledge this World Environment Day! Think you’re a nature super-fan? Can’t tell a kauri from a kāmahi? To celebrate World Environment Day this week, we’ve put together a quiz to test how much you know about Te Taiao. Flex your nature muscles or learn something new about the ...3 weeks ago
- Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman receives her COVID-19 vaccinationToday Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman, who is immunocompromised, received her first COVID-19 vaccination at the Auckland CBD vaccination centre. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens welcome Auckland walking and cycling bridge, call for more climate focusThe Green Party is welcoming the Government’s renewed commitment to safe walking and cycling across the Waitematā Harbour, but warning that new highway investment puts our response to the climate change emergency at risk. ...3 weeks ago
- Alert Level 2 in Wellington, Wairarapa and Kāpiti Coast
Alert Level 2 measures are now in place for Wellington, Wairarapa and Kāpiti Coast to the north of Ōtaki, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. These measures are precautionary, following the potential exposure of New Zealanders to a COVID-19 case from Sydney. The person visited a range of locations in ...10 hours ago - Speech to the India New Zealand Business Council Summit5pm, Wednesday 23 June 2021 [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Tuia te Rangi e tū nei Tuia te Papa e takoto nei Tuia te here tangata Ka rongo te pō, ka rongo te Ao Tihei Mauri Ora Introduction Namaskar, tēnā koe and good evening. Thank you for your kind invitation to ...11 hours ago
- Agencies to have powers to secure maritime domainA Bill introduced to Parliament today aims to prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including transnational offending and organised crime, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Aotearoa New Zealand will be better placed to keep our maritime environment secure against threats like drugs trafficking, wildlife trafficking and human trafficking with the ...13 hours ago
- Critical support for New Zealand’s budding researchersFellowships to attract and retain talented researchers in the early stages of their career, have been awarded to 30 New Zealanders, Associate Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “I am pleased to congratulate these researchers, who will be receiving funding through the MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship. ...18 hours ago
- Bill to stop taxpayers having to fund oil field decommissionsThe Government is preventing taxpayers picking up the bill for the decommissioning of oil fields, says Energy and Resource Minister Dr Megan Woods. “After the Crown had to take responsibility for decommissioning the Tui oil field, it became clear to me that the current requirements around decommissioning are inadequate and ...19 hours ago
- Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand to pauseNew Zealand’s Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand will be paused while the source of infection of new cases announced in Sydney is investigated, says COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. There are 10 new community cases of COVID-19 today in New South Wales, taking the Australian ...1 day ago
- Milestone reached for Iwi Affiliation Population CountsIwi affiliation data released today provides updated population counts for all iwi and addresses gaps in Māori data originating from the 2018 Census, says Associate Minister of Statistics Meka Whaitiri. “The release of the 2018 Iwi Affiliation Estimated Counts is a really important step, and I acknowledge the hard work ...1 day ago
- Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Bill passes first readingTreaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little welcomed Ngāti Rangitihi to Parliament today to witness the first reading of The Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Bill. “I know it took a lot of hard work, time and patience by all parties involved to reach this significant milestone. I am honoured to ...1 day ago
- Speech to the Sustainable Healthcare and Climate Health Conference AotearoaMihi Tēnā tātou katoa Kei ngā pou o te whare hauora ki Aotearoa, kei te mihi. Tēnā koutou i tā koutou pōwhiri mai i ahau. E mihi ana ki ngā taura tangata e hono ana i a tātou katoa, ko te kaupapa o te rā tērā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ...2 days ago
- Infrastructure Acceleration Fund opening for businessCriteria to access at least $1 billion of the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund (HAF), announced in March, is now available, and an invitation for expressions of interest will be released on 30 June, Housing Minister Megan Woods has announced. “This is a key milestone in our plan to accelerate ...2 days ago
- Bringing back the health of Hauraki GulfNew marine protection areas and restrictions on fishing are among a raft of changes being put in place to protect the Hauraki Gulf for future generations. The new strategy, Revitalising the Gulf – Government action on the Sea Change Plan, released today, draws on input from mana whenua, local communities, ...2 days ago
- Speech to AI Forum – Autonomous Weapons SystemsAI Forum New Zealand, Auckland Good evening and thank you so much for joining me this evening. I’d like to start with a thank you to the AI Forum Executive for getting this event off the ground and for all their work and support to date. The prospect of autonomous ...2 days ago
- New Zealand boosts support to Fiji for COVID-19 impactAotearoa New Zealand is providing additional support to Fiji to mitigate the effects of the current COVID-19 outbreak on vulnerable households, Foreign Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “Recognising the increasingly challenging situation in Fiji, Aotearoa will provide an additional package of assistance to support the Government of Fiji and ...3 days ago
- Round 2 of successful energy education fund now open$1.65 million available in Support for Energy Education in Communities funding round two Insights from SEEC to inform future energy hardship programmes Community organisations that can deliver energy education to households in need are being invited to apply for the second funding round of the Support for Energy Education in ...3 days ago
- New Ngarimu scholarships to target vocational trainingAssociate Education Minister Kelvin Davis today announced three new scholarships for students in vocational education and training (VET) are to be added to the suite of prestigious Ngarimu scholarships. “VET learners have less access to study support than university students and this is a way to tautoko their learning dreams ...3 days ago
- Recognising the volunteers who support our health systemNominations have opened today for the 2021 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards, as part of National Volunteer Week. “We know that New Zealanders donate at least 159 million hours of volunteer labour every year,” Minister of Health Andrew Little said in launching this year’s awards in Wellington. “These people play ...3 days ago
- Drug Free Sport supported to deal with new doping challengesDrug Free Sport New Zealand will receive a funding boost to respond to some of the emerging doping challenges across international sport. The additional $4.3 million over three years comes from the Sport Recovery Fund announced last year. It will help DFSNZ improve athletes’ understanding of the risks of doping, ...3 days ago
- Government support for South Auckland community hit by tornadoThe Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to support Auckland communities impacted by the Papatoetoe tornado, Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi says. “My heart goes out to the family and friends who have lost a loved one, and to those who have been injured. I ...4 days ago
- Celebrating World Refugee DayWorld Refugee Day today is an opportunity to celebrate the proud record New Zealanders have supporting and protecting refugees and acknowledge the contribution these new New Zealanders make to our country, the Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi said. “World Refugee Day is also a chance to think about the journey ...4 days ago
- Face to face meeting delivers significant progress on NZ-UK FTANew Zealand and the UK have committed to accelerating their free trade agreement negotiations with the aim of reaching an agreement in principle this August, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor announced. “We’ve held constructive and productive discussions towards the conclusion of a high-quality and comprehensive FTA that will support sustainable and inclusive trade, and ...5 days ago
- Government taking action to protect albatrossNew population figures for the critically endangered Antipodean albatross showing a 5 percent decline per year highlights the importance of reducing all threats to these very special birds, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall says. The latest population modelling, carried out by Dragonfly Data Science, shows the Antipodean albatross ...5 days ago
- Adoption laws under reviewNew Zealand’s 66-year-old adoption laws are being reviewed, with public engagement beginning today. Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said the Government is seeking views on options for change to our adoption laws and system. “The Adoption Act has remained largely the same since 1955. We need our adoption laws to reflect ...6 days ago
- Wider roll-out of cameras on boats to support sustainability and protect marine lifeUp to 300 inshore commercial fishing vessels will be fitted with on-board cameras by 2024 as part of the Government’s commitment to protect the natural marine environment for future generations. Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker today announced the funding is now in place for the wider roll out ...6 days ago
- Plan for vaccine rollout for general population announcedNew Zealanders over 60 will be offered a vaccination from July 28 and those over 55 from August 11, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. The rollout of the vaccine to the general population will be done in age groups as is the approach commonly used overseas, with those over ...6 days ago
- New Zealand introduces Belarus travel bansNew Zealand has imposed travel bans on selected individuals associated with the Lukashenko regime, following ongoing concerns about election fraud and human rights abuses after the 2020 Belarus elections, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. The ban covers more than fifty individuals, including the President and key members of ...7 days ago
- NZ economy grows driven by households, construction and business investmentThe Government’s efforts to secure the recovery have been reflected in the robust rebound of GDP figures released today which show the economy remains resilient despite the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grant Robertson said. GDP increased 1.6 percent in the first three months of 2021. The Treasury had ...7 days ago
- Milestone 250th tower continues to improve rural connectivityThe Government has welcomed the completion of the 250th 4G mobile tower, as part of its push for better rural connectivity. Waikato’s Wiltsdown, which is roughly 80 kilometres south of Hamilton, is home to the new tower, deployed by the Rural Connectivity Group to enable improved service to 70 homes ...7 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel pause with Victoria to lift on TuesdayFollowing a further public health assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak in greater Melbourne, New Zealand’s Quarantine Free Travel pause with Victoria has been extended to 11.59pm on Tuesday 22 June, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. It has been determined that the risk to public health in New Zealand continues ...7 days ago
- Prime Minister mourns passing of Dr Sir Ian HassallPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is mourning the passing of Dr Sir Ian Hassall, New Zealand’s first Children’s Commissioner and lifelong champion for children and children’s health. As a paediatrician Sir Ian contributed to a major world-first cot death study that has been directly credited with reducing cot deaths in New ...1 week ago
- APEC structural reform meeting a successAPEC ministers have agreed working together will be crucial to ensure economies recover from the impact of COVID-19. Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs David Clark, chaired the virtual APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting today which revolved around the overarching theme of promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth ...1 week ago
- Digital hub to boost investment in forestryA new website has been launched at Fieldays to support the forestry sector find the information it needs to plant, grow and manage trees, and to encourage investment across the wider industry. Forestry Minister Stuart Nash says the new Canopy website is tailored for farmers, iwi and other forestry interests, ...1 week ago
- Government continues support for rangatahi to get into employment, education and trainingOver 230 rangatahi are set to benefit from further funding through four new He Poutama Rangatahi programmes, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “We’re continuing to secure our economic recovery from COVID by investing in opportunities for rangatahi to get into meaningful employment, education or training ...1 week ago
- NCEA subjects up for consultationThe education sector, students, their parents, whānau and communities are invited to share their thoughts on a list of proposed NCEA subjects released today, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. This is a significant part of the Government’s NCEA Change Programme that commenced in 2020 and will be largely implemented by ...1 week ago
- Major investment in plantain forage programme aims to improve freshwater qualityThe Government is backing a major programme investigating plantain’s potential to help farmers protect waterways and improve freshwater quality, Acting Agriculture Minister Meka Whaitiri announced at Fieldays today. The Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) fund is contributing $8.98 million to the $22.23 million seven-year programme, which aims to deliver ...1 week ago
- America’s Cup decisionThe Minister responsible for the America’s Cup has confirmed the joint Crown-Auckland Council offer to host the next regatta has been declined by the Board of Team New Zealand. “The exclusive period of negotiation between the Crown, Auckland Council, and Team New Zealand ends tomorrow, 17 June,” said Stuart Nash. ...1 week ago
- Food and fibres sector making significant strides towards New Zealand’s economic recoveryThe Government is backing the food and fibres sector to lead New Zealand's economic recovery from COVID-19 with targeted investments as part of its Fit for a Better World roadmap, Forestry Minister Stuart Nash said. “To drive New Zealand’s recovery, we launched the Fit for a Better World – Accelerating ...1 week ago
- Speech to He Whenua Taurikura – New Zealand’s annual hui on countering terrorism and violent...Check against delivery Can I begin by acknowledging the 51 shuhada, their families and the Muslim community. It is because of the atrocious violent act that was done to them which has led ultimately to this, the start of a dialogue and a conversation about how we as a nation ...1 week ago
- Cost of Government Southern Response proactive package releasedThe Government has announced the proactive package for some Southern Response policyholders could cost $313 million if all those eligible apply. In December, the Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission, David Clark announced a proactive package for SRES claimants who settled their claims before October 2014. It trailed the judgment ...1 week ago
- First period products delivered to schoolsThe first period products funded as part of the Government’s nationwide rollout are being delivered to schools and kura this week, as part of wider efforts to combat child poverty, help increase school attendance, and make a positive impact on children’s wellbeing. “We know that nearly 95,000 9-to-18 year olds ...1 week ago
- New support to reduce emissions from public building and construction projectsGovernment agencies are getting new support to reduce carbon emissions generated by construction of new buildings, with the release of practical guidance to shape decisions on public projects. The Ministers for Building and Construction and for Economic Development say a new Procurement Guide will help government agencies, private sector suppliers, ...1 week ago
- Covid infections in Fiji soar with record 279 cases – four deaths
By Timoci Vula in Suva Fiji has reported its highest daily total of positive covid-19 infections with 279 cases reported as of 8am today as the outbreak continues to soar. The ministry has also reported four deaths attributed to the virus. Health Secretary Dr James Fong announced these figures in ...4 hours ago - NZ’s capital moves to covid alert level 2 after Sydney tourist scareRNZ News The Wellington region moved to alert level 2 at 6pm today after an Australian tourist who visited the New Zealand capital on the weekend tested positive for covid-19 on his return to Sydney. Wellington, Wairarapa and Kāpiti Coast are now at alert level 2 until 11.59pm on Sunday ...4 hours ago
- Fiji records two covid deaths amid record 180 new casesBy Lice Movono, RNZ Pacific correspondent in Suva Fiji’s covid19 case count broke records again yesterday as medical authorities recorded another two deaths at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM) in the capital Suva. Two men, a 68-year-old and a 42-year-old are the latest certified covid deaths. The CWM Hospital ...4 hours ago
- Bridging visas for three months granted to Tamil familySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Three members of the Biloela Tamil family have been given bridging visas for three months, which will allow the parents work and study rights. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has granted the visas to Nades and ...5 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Sussan Ley and Terri Butler on the Great Barrier Reef being ‘in da...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government’s response to the UNESCO recommendation that the Great Barrier Reef be listed as “in danger” was one of surprise and shock. The recommendation will be considered at UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee meeting next ...6 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Excess Deaths by Age Cohort: New Zealand and comparator countriesAnalysis by Keith Rankin. New Zealand, concerns for all age groups. Chart by Keith Rankin. The international source for these data calculates the percentage increase (decrease if negative) of deaths compared to ‘expected deaths’. There is a weakness in the data, in that ‘expected deaths’ is simply the average for ...7 hours ago
- Vessels in international waters: Agencies to gain powers to stop, search, detain
Parliament has introduced a bill that gives agencies powers to stop any suspected serious criminal offending on ships in international waters. ...8 hours ago - Siouxsie Wiles: Why the Covid-19 delta strain’s weekend in Wellington is so serious
How did we get here, why is the alert level change necessary, and could this all have been avoided?After several scares, it’s finally actually happened. The uber-infectious delta variant of Covid-19 has hitched a ride to Aotearoa. It’s come via a visitor from Sydney who took advantage of the trans-Tasman ...10 hours ago - Eight incredible moments from the new series of MatangireiaHeartbreak, scandal and intrigue are never far away in the new conversations with former Māori MPs. Leonie Hayden points to the highlights. Maybe it’s only ever possible to see the true humanity of politicians once they’ve left politics. Take away the campaigning, the party lines, the spin and the relentlessness of ...11 hours ago
- Who is Wellington’s Next Top Mould-el?Wellington’s most mouldy flat is finally getting the recognition it deserves. A City for People shares the grand prize winner of Wellington’s Next Top Mould-el, plus spot prizes. Mushrooms, perma-soggy floors, and mummified rats: the biodiversity of our capital city’s “character”-filled rental homes has been flooding the inbox of A City ...11 hours ago
- Charting New Zealand's vaccine rollout
How many people have been vaccinated in New Zealand? How does that stack up with the rest of the world? Newsroom presents a weekly dashboard of everything you need to know about our country's vaccine rollout. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var e in a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-"+e)||document.querySelector("iframe[src*='"+e+"']");t&&(t.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][e]+"px")}}))}(); In the past week, New Zealand ...11 hours ago - The case for a Tasmanian AFL team, from an economist’s point of viewSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney No one did a cost-benefit analysis before accepting Tasmania into the Commonwealth. Should the Australian Football League do the same? Tasmanians have pushed for their own AFL team since the 1980s, ...12 hours ago
- What is the ‘unified protocol’ for PTSD? And how can it help?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Berle, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney ChameleonsEye/www.shutterstock.com Many of us experience at least one potentially traumatic event in our lifetime. These can include accidents, natural disasters, exposure to war and combat, or physical and sexual ...13 hours ago
- A lone tree makes it easier for birds and bees to navigate farmland, like a stepping stone between h...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carla Archibald, Research Fellow, Conservation Science, Deakin University Shutterstock Vast, treeless paddocks and fields can be dangerous for wildlife, who encounter them as “roadblocks” between natural areas nearby. But our new research found even one lone tree in an otherwise ...13 hours ago
- What is COVAX-19, the most advanced of Australia’s remaining local COVID vaccine candidates?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Griffin, Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland David Mariuz/AAP Australia’s current crop of COVID-19 vaccines consists of a shot by American biotechnology company Pfizer, which we import, and the vaccine by British-Swedish multinational AstraZeneca, the ...13 hours ago
- Seymour nettles the PM with questions about EVs, “feebate”, the Auckland cycle bridge and the di...
Parliament, mostly a humdrum affair these days, nevertheless has moments which fascinate long-time aficinados. One such moment came at Question Time yesterday when ACT’s David Seymour was probing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over the “feebate” scheme which the government is introducing to accelerate the introduction of EVs. The Prime Minister ...13 hours ago - Bus Operator Surprised At Rejection Of Latest Pay Offer
NZ Bus says it is surprised at the rejection of its latest pay offer to Wellington bus drivers. The revised offer was developed with help from Greater Wellington Regional Council and recommended to drivers by the Tramways Union. “The decision is a surprise ...14 hours ago - Maniapoto Deed Of Settlement Ready For Iwi RatificationThe Maniapoto Māori Trust Board (MMTB) have reached the final step in resolving their historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. Maniapoto whānau are now encouraged to support the process by voting on and accepting the Maniapoto Deed of Settlement ...14 hours ago
- Why New Zealand is more vulnerable to a new COVID-19 outbreak than ever beforeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Hobbs, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, University of Canterbury Sydney’s community outbreak of COVID-19 has been dominated by the delta variant. Bai Xuefei/Xinhua via Getty Images Health authorities have raised the COVID-19 alert to level 2 for Wellington, from 6pm today ...14 hours ago
- Newsroom challenges Crown lawyers' conduct
Papers filed with the district court reveal Newsroom’s arguments against a charge of breaching the Family Court Act. David Williams reports Newsroom’s written court submissions throw light on police and Crown Law behaviour the news website’s lawyer maintains is unfair and, perhaps, predetermined. Yesterday, Newsroom appeared in the Christchurch District ...14 hours ago - After 71 years, we must end the Korean War – and NZ has a role to playIt’s easy to forget the Korean War never ended. As the armistice anniversary approaches, New Zealand must lend its weight to help end the on-going stalemate, writes Rebekah Jaung. Just past the Parnell Rose Gardens, lies the Auckland Korean War Memorial Rock. A giant slab of Korean stone, engraved with the ...14 hours ago
- Woods protects taxpayers from oil and gas decommissioning costs – but she invites applications to ...
One Beehive announcement from Megan Woods steers the public to around $1 billion sloshing around in a $3.8 billion trough in her Housing bailiwick by announcing eligibility criteria. Partnership with Maori will be helpful for those who are keen to line up for a slice of the action. Another announcement ...15 hours ago - NZ-US Trade Flows Show Impact Of COVID-19 But Underlying ResilienceNZUS Council executive director, Jordan Small said today the latest quarterly data on New Zealand’s trade with the United States looks bad but underneath the headline number is resilience in high value exports that bodes well for a future beyond the ...15 hours ago
- The Antarctic Treaty is turning 60 years old. In a changed world, is it still fit for purpose?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/PR Handout The 1959 Antarctic Treaty celebrates its 60th anniversary today. Negotiated during the middle of the Cold War by 12 countries with Antarctic interests, it remains the only ...15 hours ago
- Kura Forrester relives the horror of being the Eagle Boys mascotThe comedian and actor tells us about her actual first appearance on Shortland Street, first job and more in the latest episode of FIRST.Kura Forrester was living in London and working as a waitress when a friend invited her to watch an open mic night. “It was kind of inspiring,” ...16 hours ago
- Amid a labour shortage, here’s how businesses could hire more refugees — and gain a strategic ad...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeannie Eun Su Lee, Lecturer, University of Newcastle Shutterstock Australia is in the grip of a labour shortage, as pandemic border closures stem the flow of workers from other countries. At the same time, Australia has an untapped talent pool ...16 hours ago
- Feedback Sought On Fisheries Catch LimitsFisheries New Zealand is inviting people to have their say on proposed changes to catch limits and other settings across a range of fisheries for the new fishing year, beginning 1 October. “The consultation is part of a regular cycle of reviews that ...16 hours ago
- Australians are not aware news outlets are in financial trouble: new reportSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Fisher, Co-author of the Digital News Report: Australia 2020, Deputy Director of the News and Media Research Centre, and Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Canberra Shutterstock During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 150 Australian news outlets have contracted, ...16 hours ago
- Collins dismisses review idea, says Little responsible for slow mental health spendNational Party leader Judith Collins says the Health Minister is responsible for the slow roll-out of a $1.9 billion investment in mental health services and that a review into the matter isn't necessary. ...16 hours ago
- Nau Mai Rā Petition Power Generators And Government To End Power PovertyKaupapa Māori power retailer Nau Mai Rā has launched a petition imploring power generators and Government to work together in providing better electricity outcomes for vulnerable communities. In two weeks, the petition has gained over 3,000 signatures. ...17 hours ago
- Former National Party leader Todd Muller to retire at next electionThe former National Party leader has decided to step down at the next election. ...17 hours ago
- Parliamentary Services Should Call 105 Over Missing TelevisionThe alleged use of taxpayer funds to purchase a television which ended up in a National MP’s home is a criminal matter, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesperson Jordan Williams says, “Using a work account to buy a television for ...17 hours ago
- 'Unbridled' NZ housing speculation attacked by UN representative
As the Government revealed details of a housing infrastructure fund, a UN watchdog took aim at the country's overpriced, substandard housing stock and a culture of asset speculation which has taken root A United Nations representative has taken aim at unbridled housing speculation in New Zealand and the "astronomical" amount being ...18 hours ago - Big Tobacco Exploit Dairy Owners In Cynical Attempt To Derail Smokefree PolicyLate yesterday afternoon, Hāpai Te Hauora sent a tweet in response to NZ Herald’s article: Revealed: Big Tobacco behind dairy owners postcard protest at Parliament . The response from Hāpai says "Disappointed - yet not surprised, that Big ...19 hours ago
- Brown Optimism, by J.C. SturmIt is believed that Sturm wrote this poem between 1946 and 1948, in her 20s. It was likely published in a student newspaper and has just been rediscovered in a box of her old clippings. Read more about the poem and how it was found here. Brown OptimismWith dust of labour on ...19 hours ago
- Today we publish a poem by J.C. Sturm that has been lost for 70 yearsSturm’s literary executor Paul Millar introduces the poem – and the poet. Read the poem ‘Brown Optimism’ in full here. If you think colonisation has been good for Māori, then at first glance Jacqueline Cecilia Sturm must seem like exhibit number one. Adopted from an impoverished iwi, Jacquie excelled in mainstream New ...19 hours ago
- Union Says Poor Pay And Conditions To Blame For Skyrocketing ECE VacanciesEducation union NZEI Te Riu Roa says ECE centres are struggling to fill vacancies - and it's all down to the sector's low pay and poor conditions. For the first time since it began collecting data late last year, NZEI Te Riu Roa says ECE vacancies ...19 hours ago
- UN Calls Attention To The Positive Role Of The Right To A Decent Home In Tackling New Zealand’s Ho...The housing crisis is a human rights crisis in New Zealand according to the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on adequate housing in a new report officially tabled over night at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Housing speculation, a lack ...19 hours ago
- We shouldn’t blame young people for ‘jumping the queue’ to get a COVID vaccine. They could be ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diego S. Silva, Lecturer, Sydney Health Ethics, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney Over recent weeks, we’ve seen reports some Australians under 40 who are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine have been getting their first dose. These are ...19 hours ago
- Net zero by 2050? Even if Scott Morrison gets the Nationals on board, hold the applauseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Christoff, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, Melbourne Climate Futures initiative, The University of Melbourne Resurrected Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is back in the saddle, facing backwards. His determination to prevent the Morrison government from adopting a target of net-zero greenhouse ...19 hours ago
- Australian government was ‘blindsided’ by UN recommendation to list Great Barrier Reef as in-dan...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon C. Day, PSM, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Shutterstock The Australian government on Tuesday expressed shock at a draft decision to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”. ...19 hours ago
- To find out how galaxies grow, we’re zooming in on the night sky and capturing cosmic explosionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Allen, Coordinator Swinburne Astronomy Online | Program Lead of Microgravity Experimentation, Space Technology and Industry Institute, Swinburne University of Technology Sara Webb, Author provided Scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this series, we’ve ...20 hours ago
- COVID-19 revealed flaws in Australia’s food supply. It also gives us a chance to fix themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penny Farrell, Research Fellow and Lecturer, University of Sydney Since COVID hit, many Australians have seen first-hand what shocks to the food system can do. Uncertainty around panic-buing, food supply and pricing have thrown our national food system into the spotlight. And ...20 hours ago
- Here’s an approach to mentoring that can help close the leadership gender gapSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Teresa Wozniak, Senior Research Fellow and co-founder Catalyse Mentorship Program, Menzies School of Health Research Shutterstock Mentoring is known to be a critical component of job satisfaction and career development. It is also widely recognised that career advancement in medicine, research ...20 hours ago
- Smart street furniture in Australia: a public service or surveillance and advertising tool?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Humphry, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of Sydney A smart light pole in the UK can also recognise faces and numberplates and detect speeding. Nazlika/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Smart street furniture – powered and digitally networked furniture that collects and ...20 hours ago
- Anticipatory nostalgia: how wedding videographers craft memories before they’re even overSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Wade, Lecturer in Social Inquiry, La Trobe University Shutterstock In 2019, the average cost of weddings in Australia increased to $32,333. Around 42% of couples hired a professional videographer, at an average cost of $2,702. Once lavish, many weddings have ...20 hours ago
- Self-employed workers getting spurned on mortgages should not give up hopeWith the cost of borrowing so low, banks are seemingly willing to loan to anyone who can service a debt. So why are self-employed people on decent incomes finding they have to jump through so many hoops?There are a lot of juicy perks that come with being self-employed. It can ...20 hours ago
- Govt announces $1b for housing infrastructure in perceived snub to councils
Housing Minister: Local authorities are 'too slow' to build water and road infrastructure ...20 hours ago - Live updates, June 23: Bloomfield won’t rule out lockdown as Wellington faces Covid-19 scareWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for June 23, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.50am: Bloomfield says ‘all options are on the table’ as Wellington faces Covid-19 scareA lockdown in Wellington has not yet been considered by health officials, but “all options ...20 hours ago
- New political puppets unveiled at Wellington's Backbencher pubFour prominent politicians have been enshrined in surprisingly-flattering puppet caricatures at Wellington's Backbencher pub. ...20 hours ago
- How a virtual placenta could help with early detection of at-risk babiesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alys Clark, Associate Professor in Bioengineering, University of Auckland Shutterstock/ESB Professional None of us would be here without our placenta, the remarkable fetal organ that nourished and sustained us before birth. But despite its importance, the placenta is among the ...20 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Covid positive person spent weekend in WellingtonGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Covid positive person spent weekend in Wellington, new plan aimed at protecting Hauraki Gulf announced, and a billion set aside for housing infrastructure fund.
A person who later tested positive for Covid-19 travelled to Wellington from Sydney over the weekend. ...
21 hours ago - Online learning has changed the way students work — we need to change definitions of ‘cheating...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Rowan, University Teaching Consultant, Massey University www.shutterstock.com As university students wait on their mid-year exam results, some will no doubt be thinking about more than just passing. Since COVID-19 pushed teaching and testing online last year, the issue of ...21 hours ago
- Covid-positive person flew into Wellington
A Covid-positive person from Sydney flew into Wellington and was in the city last weekend. The New South Wales health authority has issued an alert about two flights between Wellington and Sydney linked to a Sydney Covid-19 case. Passengers on a Qantas and an Air NZ flight are being considered ...21 hours ago - Health Minister calls for faster funding rollout for mental health facilitiesThe government is facing increasing pressure over how quickly it is rolling out its record $1.9 billion investment in mental health. ...21 hours ago
- Book of the Week: Nicky Hager on peace in our time
Nicky Hager reviews a new edition of a 1939 classic Archibald Baxter's classic 1939 book We Will Not Cease, reissued by Otago University Press, is set in the First World War but also helps us understand something important about modern-day New Zealand. It tells the story of Baxter, a Dunedin ...21 hours ago - Franz Josef struggles to keep the doors open
The famous Franz Josef glacier has drawn people to the South Westland town for more than 100 years but the lack of international tourists is threatening its survival. Border restrictions due to the pandemic have starved the town of its lifeblood, forcing many of its businesses to shut or hibernate. Franz Josef is ...22 hours ago - No time to wait on dangerous housing stock
New health protections for tenants launch in July, but those who see the health effects poor housing stock has on Kiwi kids want quicker and broader changes A third of life is spent asleep - but not everybody gets to be warm, safe and healthy while doing it. This used to be the ...22 hours ago - Peters takes on PM over Labour's Māori agenda
Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern are at odds over the highly controversial He Puapua report. Political editor Jo Moir explains why Peters is so set on proving her wrong. ANALYSIS: It was Labour’s then-Māori development minister Nanaia Mahuta who chose not to progress the recommendations from He Puapua to a ...22 hours ago - In the public service, mindsets matter
Jess Berentson-Shaw explains why she thinks there is plenty of reason to be hopeful that the public service we all need is possible. ...22 hours ago - On addiction and video games
Extensive research has been done on whether video games are addictive, yet scientists still don't know for sure. But, as Dr Allen Fowler asks, if they were, would that be a bad thing? COMMENT: In a recent article in the Washington Post, US writer and producer Amy Brill expressed concerns about how ...22 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Wednesday 23 June
...22 hours ago - Virus could slip through three-day hole in paused bubble
Although New Zealanders fleeing Victoria on green flights are required to deliver a negative Covid test result before departure, the three days between testing and boarding the aircraft still provide them with ample time to pick up the virus The timing of a pre-departure test for trans-Tasman travellers may ...22 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 23 June
...22 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 23 June
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...22 hours ago - The occupation at Pūtiki Bay, Waiheke – explainedA planned marina at Kennedy Point on Waiheke Island has led to an occupation by a group against the development for over 100 days. Last week, tensions were stirred as police arrested three protesters. Charlotte Muru-Lanning on what’s behind the dispute.What is going on?The picturesque Pūtiki Bay on the south ...23 hours ago
- Struggling ASB Showgrounds in liquidation amid $2m rent row
Hit by rent demands and Covid lockdowns, the repeated pleas for help from Auckland's biggest event centre fell on deaf ears. Liquidators have moved in and secured the cash-strapped ASB Showgrounds, which has lost millions of dollars with the cancellation of major events. Auction House Webb's had 44 classic cars, ...23 hours ago - Health Ministry 'out of step' on masks evidence
Experts say the Ministry's newly-documented reluctance to back more widespread mask use didn't align with the evidence ...23 hours ago - Olympic Bonds: Erica and Micah, the Little Chargers
He's taught her the ropes of sailing a flying cat, sharpened her card skills and tried to make her love Formula One. And Erica Dawson couldn't be more grateful to her skipper Micah Wilkinson as they head to the Tokyo Olympics. Early on in their relationship – which wasn’t really ...23 hours ago - Chastened Immigration NZ reviewing hundreds of wrongly curtailed visas
Ombudsman upholds international students' complaints, with wide-reaching implications ...23 hours ago - Senate knocks out regulation allowing ARENA to fund carbon capture and blue hydrogenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Senate on Tuesday night disallowed a government regulation that would have allowed the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to invest in technologies such as carbon capture and storage and blue hydrogen using fossil fuel. ...1 day ago
- Australians fear China-US military conflict but want to stay neutral: Lowy 2021 PollSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra China’s aggressive stands and the sharp deterioration of the bilateral relationship are flowing through strongly to produce record negativity by Australians towards our biggest trading partner. The Lowy Institute’s annual poll for the first time ...1 day ago
- NZ’s next Covid scare is just around the corner, and we’re acting like we don’t careNot, at least, if the number of people using the Tracer app is a guide. The latest outbreaks in Australia should deliver a chilling reminder of just how vulnerable we are.Maybe you’re one of the diligent ones. But probably, like me, you’ve slacked. You now only rarely, if at all, ...1 day ago
- Duterte threatens to jail Filipinos who refuse getting vaccinatedBy Pia Ranada in Manila What is Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s solution to vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos? Threaten them with jail time. Duterte, in a meeting with pandemic task force officials yesterday said he would order the arrest of people who refused to get vaccinated. “Kung ayaw mo magpabakuna, ipaaresto ...1 day ago
- New Caledonia tension simmers over early independence vote dateBy Walter Zweifel, RNZ Pacific reporter Political tension is rising in New Caledonia as a third referendum on independence from France is planned in December. The decolonisation process under the 1998 Noumea Accord is nearing its conclusion and scenarios are being drawn up for how to deal with the result. ...1 day ago
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