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The 2022 Economic Boom
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 12th, 2021 - 23 comments
New Zealand is seeing a strong, business-led recovery. But what will we do with this success?
Fair pay agreements – the employers fight back
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, December 11th, 2021 - 48 comments
BusinessNZ and Federated Farmers have this week attacked the Government for intending to implement policy designed to improve the plight of poorly paid workers.
Fonterra’s Capital Restructure
Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, December 7th, 2021 - 32 comments
Fonterra is in the middle of a big restructure of its capital. It is still the case given its dominance over us that where Milk Supertanker Fonterra goes, we go.
National’s factional problem
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, November 28th, 2021 - 91 comments
National’s basic problem is that it has three discrete factions, christian conservatives, urban liberals and the country grouping. And no coherent vision to reconcile these totally disparate groupings.
He Waka Eke Noa?
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, November 24th, 2021 - 14 comments
While a core of farmers protested a few days ago against farm environmental regulation with long lines of tractors, the organised form of agribusiness, Maori and government working together have concluded that making a climate different isn’t possible.
Down With Farmer Bashing
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 13th, 2021 - 126 comments
A Guest Post by DB Brown on how and why regenerative stock grazing matters ecologically, and where best to place our anger about climate change.
Why Not Support The Farmers?
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, July 17th, 2021 - 106 comments
The Groundswell farmers movement want the new freshwater policy scrapped, the “ute tax” removed, lots of imported labour for farm work, parts of the ETS dumped the new Significant Natural Area policy dumped, the draft policy on indigenous biodiversity scrapped and Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill stopped. How likely is this?
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.
- Gordon Campbell on responding to the need in Tonga
The power of the Tonga eruption (and the size of the aid response being mounted) have been sobering indications of the scale of this disaster. The financial impact is certain to exceed the damage done by Cyclone Harold two years ago, which was estimated at the time to cost $US111 ...8 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 20 January 2022
Covid, MIQ, border Will Trafford (Māori TV): Secret state report reveals swamped ICUs; Omicron will evade face masks Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Callous MIQ Tweet sets Government back after victorious summer(paywalled) Ben Thomas (Stuff): Whodunit? Mystery border call a clue to new normal Luke Malpass (Stuff): The only certainty is uncertainty: Labour enters year three of ...10 hours ago - The Totalitarian Impulses Driving “Consequences Culture”.
12 hours ago - Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go: The Rings of Power
About an hour ago, we got an interesting tweet. Not a leak, for once, but for the first time since last year’s incident with the Two Trees, an Honest to Eru update, straight from the horse’s mouth. We now have: (1) A name for the series (‘The Lord of ...14 hours ago - Philosophical trends in feminism
Philosophical trends in feminism is a collection of essays by Indian revolutionary Anuradha Roy. I met Anuradha in India in 2004 on a fact finding tour with lawyers investigating human rights abuses in Andhra Pradesh. We spent several hours together discussing the state of the womens movement in India and ...21 hours ago - A democratic peace or a feminist peace?
Many years ago when I was in mid academic career, two theoretical strands emerged in the field of international relations and comparative foreign policy. One was the basis for a school of thought that came to be known as feminist international relations theory, which to crudely oversimplify one sub-strand, posited ...1 day ago - Hiding their dirty laundry
The government is trying to "reform" Oranga Tamariki, and has a bill before the House to do so: the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill. Submissions on the Bill close next Wednesday, and children's rights campaigners are horrified by it - and in particular ...1 day ago - NZ Politics Daily: 19 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border RNZ: Government postpones next MIQ lottery due to spike of Omicron cases at border Herald: Upcoming MIQ room release postponed due to Omicron cases at border Kate Green (Stuff): Next MIQ lobby postponed as Omicron arrivals surge David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A cowardly way to close the border Jamie Morton (Herald): Has NZ dodged ...1 day ago
- Defending Death of the Author: A Reply to Tolkien LoreIt is one of the oddities of the internet that many commentators will take the side of Authorial Intentionalism over Death of the Author. Part of this, I think, is down to J.K. Rowling – and now also the response to J.K. Rowling. When one has creators delivering New ...2 days ago
- United with Manchester: What happens when we all choose poorly
The city government of Manchester, England is coming under some fire for choosing to lease space on pavements (also known as sidewalks) for electronic display advertisements, or "digital out of home advertising." Criticism is twofold in nature. Some point out that crowding of pavements with bulky fixed installations is an ...2 days ago - The Great Awokening
Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy by Batya Ungar-Sargon is a superb book that examines the transformation of journalism in the US during the twentieth century. She shows how the media has become a key player in the woke movement. The book charts the trajectory of journalism as it ...2 days ago - The Choice.Revolution From Below Averted: The critical political choice made by leading Pakeha politicians, jurists and bureaucrats in the 1980s and 90s was to halt the momentum of left-wing Māori nationalism from below, by inserting a layer of elite Māori business-people between the Crown and the economically and culturally impoverished Māori ...2 days ago
- Cancelling The Cancellers.Defender Of The Faiths: Pope Francis sees cancel culture as a threat to the open, compassionate and forgiving human society he has always championed.WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE of Pope Francis’ condemnation of “cancel culture”? There will be some who argue that the opinions of an ageing male celibate who somehow ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on sending an Orion P-3 to TongaBecause the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga cut communications with the more remote parts of the country, it wasn’t at all surprising that as a good Pacific neighbour, New Zealand sent a reconnaissance aircraft up there to gather information about the extent and location of the damage. The more interesting ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 18 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Michael Baker, Jennifer Summers, Amanda Kvalsvig, Matire Harwood, Nick Wilson (Public Health Expert):Preparing for Omicron: A proactive Government response is urgently needed to minimise harms RNZ: Experts list steps New Zealand government needs to take to fight Omicron RNZ: Traffic light system may need strengthening or adjusting in face of ...2 days ago
- FSU defend Public Service Advisor censored for using term ‘male-bodied’The Free Speech Union newsletter reports on a case where it defended a worker who was called to a meeting after using accurate language. In something you would almost think is out of George Orwell’s 1984, a member of the Free Speech Union received a scathing and bullying letter from a very senior ...2 days ago
- The top 10 global weather and climate change events of 2021This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The year 2021 made an indelible mark in the annals of weather history. Not only did it feature the most extreme heat wave in history – the late June heat wave over western North America that smashed all-time records by ...2 days ago
- Heather Brunskell-Evans Transgender Body Politics :”a multibillion dollar industry disguised as ...Book review by Don Franks “Emily adopted many roles in my home – he came to parties presenting as a tall glamorous woman, but when brawn was needed, he jumped the ‘gender ship’ as it were…at a house move, he whipped off his long blonde wig, revealing male pattern baldness, put ...3 days ago
- Climate Change: Still making the same mistakeLast year it became clear that the government's ETS price control policy was a mistake, resulting in huge public costs for tiny, tiny benefits. The problem was clear well in advance, and while it couldn't be avoided in 2021 without urgent legislation, James Shaw could have used the opportunity of ...3 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 17 January 2022Parliament, MPs, Parties Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Which MPs could lose their jobs in 2022? (paywalled) Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Neck, meet block. Predictions for 2022 (paywalled) David Fisher (Herald): Profile: Harete Hipango and how she upset National colleagues (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Greens satisfied after first year of pact with Labour Ian Powell (Daily Blog): What do you know about ...3 days ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 9, 2022 through Sat, January 15, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Climate Scientists on “Don’t Look Up:” It’s Infuriating, Soul-Sucking and On-the-Nose, New NASA chief scientist to ...4 days ago
- Why I spoke out against lockdownProfessor Carl James Heneghan is a British general practitioner physician, a clinical epidemiologist and a Fellow of Kellogg College. He is the director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and former Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. In this interview with Brendon O’Neill he discusses the impact of ...5 days ago
- Big numbers – dollars and institutions – behind divestments from fossil fuelsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope About $39 trillion – that’s trillion, with a T – is the total some 1,500 institutions are planning to divest from funds in fossil fuels. And those numbers are growing. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database, maintained by two nonprofit ...5 days ago
- Beware of Bearing Gifts for Greece: The National Library of New Zealand and the Fate of 1% of the Ov...
So things are supposedly on hold, so far as the National Library of New Zealand’s idiotic plans to purge its Overseas Published Collection. Supposedly. There is currently a lot of uncertainty floating around right now, and there is absolutely no reason to trust the National Library of New ...6 days ago - When Will Evergrande Collapse?
If China’s second largest property developer implodes, the Chinese financial system may be compromised, while the booming property market is so central to the Chinese economy, its staggering would impact internationally, including on New Zealand.For some time I have had on my 2-write list the giant Chinese property company, Evergrande. ...6 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 14 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Matthew Hooton (Herald): Govt’s sanguine stance on Omicron should have NZ worried (paywalled) Adam Pearse (Herald): Officials predict when Auckland Omicron outbreak will happen Herald: Omicron likely to enter Auckland community in weeks, warns top doctor ODT Editorial: Be as prepared as possible for Covid’s return John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand scientists express alarm over ...6 days ago
- The Ships From The North: Why Autarky cannot be New Zealand’s answer to Climate Change.Lifelines: New Zealand, as we know it, would be impossible without the existence of a global transportation and trading system. Should Climate Change fundamentally weaken the industrial societies of the Northern Hemisphere, the supply-chains upon which New Zealanders depend would become increasingly disrupted. How long could our society endure if ...6 days ago
- What’s Sauce For Monroe’s Goose, Is Sauce For Putin’s Gander.Not In My Back Yard! If the American President, Joe Biden, has forgotten the lessons of 60 years ago, then the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, has not. Unacceptable in 1962, the stationing of military resources (including tactical nuclear weapons) along Russia’s borders remains unacceptable in 2022.IT WAS BURIED DEEP ...6 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2 2022150 articles in 55 journals by 808 contributing authors Observations of climate change, effects Another Record: Ocean Warming Continues through 2021 despite La Niña Conditions Cheng et al. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00376-022-1461-3 Sea-ice retreat suggests re-organization of water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas ...7 days ago
- Amateur hour with Christopher Luxon
You’ve got to wonder why the National Party, in the face of a worldwide pandemic that has killed approximately 6 million people, is continuing to be so terribly dysfunctional? Perhaps it’s a symptom of their upper management, who despite numerous party leaders coming and going, never actually changed.Unfortunately for the ...1 week ago - Climate Change: Here we go againLast year the government turned the ETS into a farce, flooding the market with 7 million tons of extra pollution in a failed and counterproductive effort to keep carbon prices low. Using the government's internal carbon price of $150/ton, the social cost of this was just over a billion dollars ...1 week ago
- One country at a timePapua New Guinea's Prime Minister has announced that he intends to abolish the death penalty: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says his government is doing away with the death penalty and those now on death row will instead serve life sentences without parole. Marape told members of ...1 week ago
- The consequences of Covid & why anti-vaxxers aren't free to cross a one-lane bridge wheneve...
New Year’s day, 2022. I’m sitting at a one-lane bridge on the east coast of the Coromandel, watching and waiting as a stream of cars drive over the bridge towards me, reminded once again of the big lessons of 2021 – consequences and the limits of freedom.While so much of ...1 week ago - What Omicron will be like …
I might not be very good at maths but I never bought into the developing "Omicron is the Covid we can live with" narrative. I remember reading that Omicron was about half as likely to end you in hospital as delta was ... but, I thought, given it is several ...1 week ago - NZ Politics Daily: 13 January 2022Clarke Gayford testing controversy Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Clarke Gayford needs to clean up bad look (paywalled) Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘Deeply inappropriate’: Clarke Gayford sorry for ‘confusion’ after claim he tried to get mate rapid Covid test Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Chris Bishop hits out at Clarke Gayford’s ‘deeply inappropriate’ alleged bid to get rapid antigen tests for ...1 week ago
- Disenchanted.Another World: Oamaru’s whitestone Victorian Precinct is an enclave for aging alternative life-stylers. The air is filled with the scent of patchouli and hand-crafted leather. There are troll figurines and fairies for sale, alongside crystals and dream-catchers.OAMARU likes to think of itself as the “steam-punk” capital of the world. It ...1 week ago
- Cranky Uncle – Resources for EducatorsThis is an adapted repost of the educators' resource page on CrankyUncle.com. Cranky Uncle uses cartoons, humor, and logic-based inoculation to build resilience against misinformation – an ideal tool for teaching critical thinking to students. This page features resources for educators interested in using Cranky Uncle (the game or the book) ...1 week ago
- New Zealand summers are getting hotter – and humans aren’t the only ones feeling the effects
Cate Macinnis-Ng, University of Auckland It’s not a mirage, our summers are getting hotter on average and we are experiencing more extremely hot days. News from NIWA that 2021 was New Zealand’s hottest year on record fits with the long term trend. Analysis of 70 years of data has ...1 week ago - Guantanamo: Twenty years of shameToday (US time) is the 20th anniversary of the opening of America's gulag at Guantanamo Bay. The US has kept people imprisoned without trial - sometimes without even charges - for twenty years now. Most of those kidnapped by the US have since died or been released, but 39 remain ...1 week ago
- Undermining the offshore exploration banBack in 2018, in what they trumpeted as a victory for the environment, the government banned new offshore oil exploration permits. But the victory was short-lived: two-faced Labour immediately started to undermine it, extending permits and changing conditions to try and keep the industry they had "banned" alive. And there's ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on the global war against plasticsCompared to Covid and climate change, the threat from plastics seems like a low rent version of planetary disaster. Can that plastic bottle, this fast food plastic knife and fork, and the plastic packaging wrapped around everything from supermarket fruit to toys to consumer durables really be omens of the ...1 week ago
- The 1.5 degrees goal: Beware of unintended consequencesThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by , , and “Keep 1.5 alive” emerged as the haunting refrain of the recent United Nations climate conference in Glasgow. Although a well-intentioned rallying cry, it raises important questions about how the chant is to be interpreted. Unfortunately, 1.5° centigrade is often ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 12 January 2022Covid Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The key Covid-19 questions for 2022 Peter Davis (Stuff): There’s no time to waste if we’re to keep Omicron out of NZ Keith Lynch (Stuff): Could New Zealand actually eliminate Delta? Jane Nixon (RNZ): Mixed views over school start date amid Omicron fears Anneke Smith (RNZ): Epidemiologist suggests delay to school ...1 week ago
- News From Nowhere: If the Greens are to have a future, then they must listen to their past.1 week ago
- Paradise Postponed.The Future That Got Away: Rob Sitch's ineffectual idealist, Tony Woodfood (played by himself) attempts to convince a fellow "nation-builder" that Australia's utopian future will be somewhere around here, and about this big, if the planning application is successful, and Canberra doesn't change its mind. As his eponymous TV series ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Famers finally paying the priceIt's official: 2021 was Aotearoa's hottest year on record. And the climate chaos is now affecting milk production: Challenging pasture growing conditions have prompted Fonterra to revise its forecast milk collections to 1.5 billion kilograms of milk solids for the year to May 31, a reduction of 25 million ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 11 January 2022Omicron, border Pete McKenzie (Guardian): New Zealand not prepared for Omicron outbreak expected in ‘matter of weeks’, experts warn Jean Bell (RNZ): Covid-19 experts fear Omicron could soon be in community as border cases increase Hamish MacLean (ODT): Fears school year start could bring surge Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Epidemiologist calls for delay in school ...1 week ago
- Reviewing The Nature of Middle-earth, with ReadingTolkienPod
Just before Christmas, I had an interview with ReadingTolkienPod (https://readingtolkienpod.libsyn.com/) about our joint impressions of The Nature of Middle-earth (2021). As of today that interview has now been released: https://readingtolkienpod.libsyn.com/the-nature-of-middle-earth-with-daniel-stride?tdest_id=2456000 As noted previously, this basically functions as my review of the volume. A bit belated perhaps, but ...1 week ago - Climate Change: A decision with no integrityBack in November, the government introduced a new, "more ambitious" 2030 climate change target, which turned out to not be very ambitious at all. Quite apart from the funny accounting, the target will be met primarily through "international mitigation" (rather than, say, cuts to agricultural emissions). back in November, the ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 10 January 2022Parliament, government, 2021, 2022 Michael Hall (RNZ): Green Party discontent: Members walk, ex-MPs criticise leadership Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Green Party implosion in 5…4…3…2… Morgan Godfery (Guardian): New Zealand’s successful Covid policies hid inequality – the government can’t ignore it this year Spinoff: NZ politics in 2022: The big issues on which the year ...1 week ago
- MIQ and the New Zealand ConstitutionOverseas readers might be curious to learn that Omicron has still not arrived in the New Zealand community, so our supermarket shelves are still functioning. And indeed that the August Delta outbreak is well on its way to dying out within the next month or so. The reasons for ...2 weeks ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 2, 2022 through Sat, January 8, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: ‘Don’t Look Up’: Hollywood’s primer on climate denial illustrates 5 myths that fuel rejection of science, ...2 weeks ago
- Put Another Record On
Help! Mercy! I had thought (or hoped) that, as we turned into the New Year, the Herald would give us a break or put another record on. But, presumably because they have nothing new to say, the Herald has begun 2022 by re-publishing the columns written last year by their ...2 weeks ago - Legal Beagle: A submission on the repeal of the three strikes sentencing law
Just sent the following submission in on the law repealing the three strikes sentencing regime.You have until midnight tonight if you want your say.==The Justice CommitteeThree Strikes Legislation Repeal BillSubmission of Graeme EdgelerIntroductionThis submission is made by Graeme Edgeler. I am a barrister with an interest in criminal law issues.I ...2 weeks ago - How the US Failed the Covid Challenge
Michael Lewis The Premonition: A Pandemic Story is another cracker to add to his other books such as ‘Liar's Poker’, ‘The Big Short’ and ‘The Undoing Project’.In October 2019 a report which cost millions of dollars ranked the US first (and Britain second) on the Global Health Security Index. Months ...2 weeks ago - Indigenous socialism with a Chilean face.Happy New Year everyone. I am, by personal and professional inclination, loathe to speculate on uncertain future events. On the other hand, I have an abiding interest in distant political processes even though I cannot claim particular analytic expertise when considering them. Thus, when watching the recent Chilean presidential election ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on Australia’s failed model of Covid best practiceIn decades gone by, New Zealanders tended to diss this country by comparing it to how much better things were in the States, or in Australia, or almost anywhere else except the godforsaken town in which we’d had the misfortune to be born and raised. Of late, ACT and National ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #1 2022Incidental rainmaking with utility-scale PV? Ths week's geoengineering section includes an article that focuses not on planetary cooling but instead a surprising possible feature of decarbonization, for certain circumstances. The analysis treats a particular geographic context and so it's not possible to say how widely it could be replicated. Even ...2 weeks ago
- Majority Overruled.The All-Too-Visible Hand: Most people are surprised to learn how recently this idea: that the greatest say rightly belongs to the greatest number; took root in human societies. While it is most unlikely that nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers would’ve followed a course of action to which most of its members ...2 weeks ago
- Sinda’s Advocate: Defending Eöl
Today, as an interesting exercise, I’m taking the Tolkien Elf I personally consider the most morally reprehensible, and giving him his day in court, so to speak. That Elf is Eöl of Nan Elmoth – Sinda, smith, friend of Dwarves, and hater of all things Noldorin. Others might ...2 weeks ago - NZ Politics Daily: 6 January 2022Parliament, government, 2021 Graham Adams (Democracy Project): 2022: Ardern’s plans for co-governance with iwi face rough seas Peter Wilson (RNZ): Politics and the pandemic – another year of Covid-19 Russell Palmer (RNZ): NZ politics in 2021: Rabbles, restrictions and recriminations Martin Bradbury (Daily Blog): TDB 2021 predictions vs 2021 reality RNZ: David Shearer: from South ...2 weeks ago
- Bring back traffic copsStuff has a story about the holiday road toll, and police saying they are "disappointed" and "frustrated" that it is so high. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Herald pointed out why it is so high: because police haven't been doing their job: [F]or a couple of years now, police enforcement ...2 weeks ago
- Graham Adams: 2022: Ardern’s plans for co-governance with iwi face rough seasAs voters become more aware of the stealthy implementation of a Māori separatist agenda, the political risks for the government will rise sharply. Graham Adams reports. When the Prime Minister claimed in her first term that her government was going to be “transformational” many voters took her seriously — ...2 weeks ago
- How to make climate action your New Year’s resolutionThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Lots of people embrace New Year’s as a time to commit to exercising, getting organized, or saving money. “It’s a very strong symbolic moment where people resolve to make changes in their lives,” says Daniela Tejada of the “Count Us In” ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 5 January 20222022 political forecasts Stuff: The year that might be: Stuff’s political predictions for 2022 Spinoff: Thirteen wild predictions for the political year 2022 AD David Farrar: Kiwiblog’s 2022 Predictions Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): TDB Domestic Political Predictions 2022 Steve Braunias (Herald): Five things to look forward to in 2022 (paywalled) Steve Braunias (Herald): The Secret Diary of New Year’s resolutions (paywalled) Greg Presland (The ...2 weeks ago
- NZ protesters slam arrest of Lumad cultural speaker and other Filipino political prisoners
An Asia Pacific Newsdesk report on the detention of Philippines indigenous educator Lorena Sigua who toured NZ in 2018 Justice and peace advocates in New Zealand have strongly criticised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “horrific crackdown” on community leaders, activists, and educators. They have condemned in a statement published in Manila ...2 weeks ago - A Two Towers Jigsaw Diversion
It may interest you to know that the only piece of Peter Jackson movie-related paraphernalia I actually own is a jigsaw puzzle. Specifically, a thousand-piece Two Towers-themed one. I received it as a Birthday/Christmas present around 2003 or so, and for old time’s sake I decided to dust it ...2 weeks ago - How weather forecasts can spark a new kind of extreme-event attributionThis is a re-post from Carbon Brief Extreme weather events across the world this year have been hitting the headlines at an alarming rate. To name a few, 2021 has seen flooding in central Europe, China and New York, a record temperature of 49.6C in Canada and wildfires in Siberia, North America and the Mediterranean. With each tragic event comes the question of whether human-caused ...2 weeks ago
- Picking It Wrong: Isildur’s Social Circle and Another Amazon LeakWell, well. Looks like I owe a nameless someone an apology. Back in November, I speculated that a leaked Numenorean character list ‘felt wrong’, and that it was probably a fake: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2021/11/26/rumour-has-it-a-numenorean-character-list/ Today, we have a fresh leak out of Amazon (courtesy of Fellowship of Fans), and it essentially ...2 weeks ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #53Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, December 26, 2021 through Sat, January 1, 2021. This being the final installment for 2021, I'd be interested to know how helpful this summary blog post is, so please leave a comment if you check ...3 weeks ago
- In Defence of the New York Times: The Origins of Science-FictionI’m rather late to the party here, but I thought I would offer my proverbial twenty cents worth anyway. Back in November 2021, the New York Times got a fair bit of blow-back, after putting out a tweet about H.G. Wells inventing the genre of science-fiction: With Jules Verne ...3 weeks ago
- A real focus on “the Public Good” is what 2022 must bring if Covid is to “teach us” anything
Well done and goodbye to the back of 2021. 2022 seemed to start predictably stupid enough in some ways. A certain “Reformed Blogger” of Aotearoa’s “Dirty Politics era” responded to a whine from the Opposition former-Iraq-mercenary-for-hire and current Spokesperson for Police, Mark “Rambo” Mitchell, who had seeded a predictable ...3 weeks ago - 2021 Reading Log: The List
Completed reads for 2021: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe City of God (2 vols), by Saint Augustine of HippoOn the Nature of Things, by LucretiusOn the Cave of the Nymphs, by PorphyryKim, by Rudyard ...3 weeks ago - 2021 – Blog views by countryAs per my blog tradition, here is where my blog viewers came from in 2021: United StatesUnited KingdomCanadaNew ZealandAustraliaGermanySwedenBrazilIndiaThe Netherlands The top three remains the same as 2020. New Zealand and Australia have swapped places from 2020, Germany has gained a place, Sweden has gained two places, India has ...3 weeks ago
- How we’re preparing for Omicron
As countries around the world experience Omicron outbreaks, we’re taking steps now to ensure we’re as prepared as possible and our communities are protected. ...3 hours ago - What’s Labour achieved so far?Quite a bit! This Government was elected to take on the toughest issues facing Aotearoa – and that’s what we’re doing. Since the start of the pandemic, protecting lives and livelihoods has been a priority, but we’ve also made progress on long-term challenges, to deliver a future the next generation ...6 days ago
- Tackling the big issues in 2022This year, keeping Kiwis safe from COVID will remain a key priority of the Government – but we’re also pushing ahead on some of New Zealand’s biggest long-term challenges. In 2022, we’re working to get more Kiwis into homes, reduce emissions, lift children out of poverty, and ensure people get ...1 week ago
- Happy new year, Aotearoa!Welcome to 2022! As we look ahead to another year of progress on the big issues facing our country, we’re taking a look back at the year that’s been and everything the team of five million achieved together in 2021. ...3 weeks ago
- Quarterly benefit numbers show highest number of exits into work
The Government’s strong focus on supporting more people into work is reflected in benefit figures released today which show a year-on-year fall of around 21,300 people receiving a main benefit in the December 2021 quarter, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. “Our response to COVID has helped ...4 hours ago - Northland to move to Orange, NZ prepared for Omicron Northland to move to Orange Rest of New Zealand stays at Orange in preparedness for Omicron All of New Zealand to move into Red in the event of Omicron community outbreak – no use of lockdowns Govt planning well advanced – new case management, close contact definition and testing rules ...5 hours ago
- RNZAF C-130 Hercules flight departs for Tonga as Navy vessels draw nearer to TongatapuA Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules has departed Base Auckland Whenuapai for Tonga carrying aid supplies, as the New Zealand aid effort ramps up, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “The aircraft is carrying humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies, including water ...7 hours ago
- New Zealand prepared to send support to TongaNew Zealand is ready to assist Tonga in its recovery from Saturday night’s undersea eruption and tsunami, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “Following the successful surveillance and reconnaissance flight of a New Zealand P-3K2 Orion on Monday, imagery and details have been sent ...2 days ago
- Aotearoa New Zealand stands ready to assist people of TongaThe thoughts of New Zealanders are with the people of Tonga following yesterday’s undersea volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami waves, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta says. “Damage assessments are under way and New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga,” said Nanaia Mahuta. New Zealand has made an ...4 days ago
- Record high of new homes consented continuesIn the year ended November 2021, 48,522 new homes were consented, up 26 per cent from the November 2020 year. In November 2021, 4,688 new dwellings were consented. Auckland’s new homes consented numbers rose 25 per cent in the last year. Annual figures for the last nine months show more ...1 week ago
- Report trumpets scope for ice cream exportsLatest research into our premium ice cream industry suggests exporters could find new buyers in valuable overseas markets as consumers increasingly look for tip top quality in food. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash has released a new report for the Food and Beverage Information Project. The project is run by ...1 week ago
- Honouring the legacy of legendary kaumātua Muriwai IhakaraAssociate Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage Kiri Allan expressed her great sadness and deepest condolences at the passing of esteemed kaumātua, Muriwai Ihakara. “Muriwai’s passing is not only a loss for the wider creative sector but for all of Aotearoa New Zealand. The country has lost a much beloved ...1 week ago
- Have your say on proposed changes to make drinking water saferAssociate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan is urging all New Zealanders to give feedback on proposed changes aimed at making drinking water safer. “The current regulations are not fit for purpose and don’t offer enough protection, particularly for those whose water comes from smaller supplies,” Kiri Allan said. “This ...1 week ago
- Planting the seeds for rewarding careersA boost in funding for a number of Jobs for Nature initiatives across Canterbury will provide sustainable employment opportunities for more than 70 people, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The six projects are diverse, ranging from establishing coastline trapping in Kaikōura, to setting up a native plant nursery, restoration planting ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand congratulates Tonga's new Prime Minister on appointmentMinister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta today congratulated Hon Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni on being appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga. “Aotearoa New Zealand and Tonga have an enduring bond and the Kingdom is one of our closest neighbours in the Pacific. We look forward to working with Prime ...2 weeks ago
- High-tech investment extends drought forecasting for farmers and growersThe Government is investing in the development of a new forecasting tool that makes full use of innovative climate modelling to help farmers and growers prepare for dry conditions, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said. The new approach, which will cost $200,000 and is being jointly funded through the Ministry for ...2 weeks ago
- Support for fire-hit Waiharara communityThe government will contribute $20,000 towards a Mayoral Relief Fund to support those most affected by the fires in Waiharara in the Far North, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “I have spoken to Far North Mayor John Carter about the effect the fires continue to have, on residents ...2 weeks ago
- Manawatū’s ‘oases of nature’ receive conservation boostThe Government is throwing its support behind projects aimed at restoring a cluster of eco-islands and habitats in the Manawatū which were once home to kiwi and whio. “The projects, which stretch from the Ruahine Ranges to the Horowhenua coastline, will build on conservation efforts already underway and contribute ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand to continue Solomon Islands supportA New Zealand Defence Force and Police deployment to help restore peace and stability to Solomon Islands is being scaled down and extended. The initial deployment followed a request for support from Solomon Islands Government after riots and looting in capital Honiara late last month. They joined personnel from Australia, ...2 weeks ago
- Boris Johnson and ‘Partygate’: he who lives by the Brexit sword, dies by the Brexit sword
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Wellings, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Monash University Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Boris Johnson’s time as the United Kingdom’s prime minister is under immediate threat. Johnson, who likes a classical analogy, will know that civil servant Sue Grey’s imminent ...2 hours ago - Schools can expect a year of disruption. Here are 7 ways they can help support the well-being of stu...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth J Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Education, The University of Queensland Shutterstock There’s just over a week to go before term one starts across the country – except in Queensland which has pushed back the start of the school year. ...2 hours ago
- Omicron Outbreak Would Move The Country To Red – Expert Reaction
The Prime Minister has announced if Omicron cases spread into the community, the country will move to the traffic light system's Red setting within 48 hours. Jacinda Ardern also mentioned there will be changes to the country's testing regime, ...2 hours ago - Omicron is overwhelming Australia’s hospital system. 3 emergency measures aim to ease the burdenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Leeder, Emeritus Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney Public hospitals – never with much spare capacity – have been severely stressed by the latest COVID wave. The current Omicron outbreak has loaded even heavier demands on hospital beds, ...2 hours ago
- Government 'scrambling' over Omicron – National Party leader Christopher Luxon
National's leader Chris Luxon says the government has no plan for tackling Omicron, and decisions today show Labour "took a month off". ...3 hours ago - Revealed: Government's Media Pay-off For APEC Puff PiecesThe New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is condemning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's decision to pay media outlets $93,578 for 'sponsored content' about APEC 2021. The spending information was made available in a response provided under the ...4 hours ago
- Response To David SeymourDavid Seymour MP wrote to us asking us to inquire into the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s decision to spend money on analysis of the Prime Minister’s Facebook Live sessions. We have decided that the matter raised by Mr Seymour does ...5 hours ago
- PM Jacinda Ardern announces changes to traffic light system, provides Omicron updateJacinda Ardern has announced Northland will join the rest of the country in the orange setting from 11.59pm tonight, and signalled plans for Omicron. ...5 hours ago
- More Job Opportunities, But Growth In Workers’ Earnings Remains SubduedWestpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence, December quarter 2021 The Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index rose 1.2 points in the December quarter, to a level of 106.9. This was the sixth straight rise in the index since the Covid-19 ...5 hours ago
- Voice to Parliament design report still doesn’t meet international human rights standardsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University Last month, the Australian government published the Indigenous Voice co-design final report. It’s the latest step in the debate about ...5 hours ago
- Covid-19: PM lays out Omicron plan
*This story was first published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced Northland will join the rest of the country in the orange setting from 11.59pm tonight, and signalled plans for Omicron. Watch the PM speaking here: Cabinet ministers met yesterday to assess ...6 hours ago - 2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Well, it’s official: 2021 was one of the planet’s seven hottest years since records began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared this week. The year was about 1.11℃ above pre-industrial levels ...6 hours ago
- Watch live: PM Jacinda Ardern announces changes to traffic light system, provides Omicron updateNorthland will learn whether it is moving out of the red setting of the traffic light system, while the rest of the country awaits news of when a shift to green would be possible. ...6 hours ago
- Indonesia will take a big step on the global stage this year – are Australians paying enough atten...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Former Ambassador and Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland Tracey Nearmy/AP Many Australians are probably unaware that neighbouring Indonesia has assumed the G20 presidency and will host the crucial meeting of the ...6 hours ago
- André Leon Talley dreamed of a life ‘in the pages of Vogue, where bad things never happened’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McNeil, Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images Every time we see a “fashion moment”, we use the words of André Leon Talley, from his description of Galliano’s 1994 Japonisme show. ...6 hours ago
- Tonga update: Hercules takes off with aid supplies
No announcements had been posted on The Beehive website, when Point of Order checked just before noon on what our ministers have been doing (a) in response to Tonga’s need for humanitarian relief and (b) in response to anything else. But a fresh announcement has been posted since then in ...6 hours ago - Omicron will be a 'different' foe, PM Jacinda Ardern warnsPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is warning New Zealand's Covid-19 case numbers in 2022 will be unlike anything seen here before. ...6 hours ago
- Tonga eruption: Airport runway cleared of ash, says WHO officialRNZ Pacific A World Health Organisation representative in Tonga says the international airport has been cleared of volcanic ash which will allow humanitarian aid flights to arrive. Hundreds of volunteers, workers and Tongan Defence Force personnel have been clearing the debris from the runway by hand. WHO liaison officer in ...7 hours ago
- Solomon Islands imposes 60 hour Honiara lockdown over covid outbreakBy Robert Iroga in Honiara The Solomon islands government endorsed a 60 hour lockdown in the capital Honiara last night after an urgent special national address by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare confirming covid-19 community transmission. Honiara Emergency Zone will be in lockdown from 6pm last evening to 6am, Saturday, 22 ...7 hours ago
- National calls for better mental health services for AsiansThe government is being urged to make the mental health of Asian New Zealanders more of a priority, with suspected suicides among Asians more than doubling. ...8 hours ago
- Why Is New Zealand, A Rich Country, Facing A “food Crisis”?...8 hours ago
- Annual food price increase the highest in a decadeAnnual food prices were 4.5 percent higher in December 2021 than they were in December 2020, Stats NZ said today. This is the biggest annual increase since September 2011, when annual food prices increased 4.7 percent. The main contributor to this increase ...8 hours ago
- Annual Food Price Increase The Highest In A DecadeAnnual food prices were 4.5 percent higher in December 2021 than they were in December 2020, Stats NZ said today. This is the biggest annual increase since September 2011, when annual food prices increased 4.7 percent. The main contributor to this increase ...8 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 20 2022Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Covid, MIQ, border Will Trafford (Māori TV): Secret state ...8 hours ago
- Employment Indicators: Weekly As At 17 January 2022The experimental weekly series provides an early indicator of employment and labour market changes in a more timely manner than the monthly employment indicators series. Key facts The 6-day series includes jobs with a pay period equal to or less than ...8 hours ago
- First impressions count, and have an impact on the decisions we make later onSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Turner, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Picture yourself standing at the edge of a road, trying to decide if it’s safe to cross. It’s night time and rain is falling, making it difficult to see what’s ...11 hours ago
- ‘Welcome to our world’: families of children with cancer say the pandemic has helped them feel s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Davies, PhD researcher, Curtin University Shutterstock For billions of people across the world, life as we knew it stopped in 2020. Families and friends were separated. Masks mandated. Hand washing essential. Every trip outside became risky. As news ...11 hours ago
- How long to midnight? The Doomsday Clock measures more than nuclear risk – and it’s about to be ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Heinemann, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Canterbury In less than 24 hours the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will update the Doomsday Clock. It’s currently at 100 seconds from midnight – the metaphorical time when the human race ...11 hours ago
- Confusion, financial pressure, discomfort: older people can struggle with sustainable living, despit...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xin Hu, Lecturer, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University Shutterstock Improving the sustainability of Australia’s housing stock is crucial to meeting national emissions reduction goals. But for older adults, such changes can bring both benefits and challenges. My ...11 hours ago
- Border opening spurs rebound in demand from international studentsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Anderson. Palawa, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Student and University Experience, Australian National University Australia’s position in the international higher education market weakened significantly while our border was closed over the past two years. But recent demand and application data suggest our position may ...11 hours ago
- What a disaster: federal government slashes COVID payment when people need it mostSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Goldie, Adjunct Professor and UNSW Law Advisory Council Member, UNSW With Australia’s official COVID-19 infection numbers topping 100,000 a day, the federal government has slashed its last remaining pandemic support payment. The decision is ill-timed, irresponsible and heartless. It is ...11 hours ago
- From fear to connection, dynamic MENTAL exhibition explores a colourful spectrum of experiencesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Haslam, Professor of Psychology, The University of Melbourne Wheel by Hiromi Tango and Dr Emma Burrows (2021) Science Gallery/Alan Weedon Review: MENTAL: Head Inside, curated by Tilly Boleyn. After three false starts due to lockdown, the Science Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, MENTAL: ...11 hours ago
- Northland's traffic light setting future to be revealed after Cabinet makes Covid-19 settings d...Cabinet ministers met yesterday to decide whether it is tweaking settings that have all regions at orange except Te Tai Tokerau - it has remained in red over the summer break. ...12 hours ago
- Book of the Week: No sex, please, we're LGBTQIA+
Sexlessness and Wellington wokeness mark an otherwise substantial anthology of LGBTQIA+ writing Out Here: An Anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writers from Aotearoa is a substantial hardback in gay pinks and lesbian lavenders – the magenta/cyan combination known as “bisexual lighting” in YouTuber circles – in a motif of wet ...13 hours ago - Moment of truth for Waiheke marine reserve
A citizens’ group is pushing for expanded environmental protection in the Hauraki Gulf. Matthew Scott reports The submission period begins today for a proposed marine reserve in the Hauraki Gulf that would be the first new reserve in the area in 20 years. The Hākaimangaō-Matiatia (Northwest Waiheke) marine reserve ...13 hours ago - Screen time: How much is too much?
A healthy digital diet is different for different people. We need to learn to listen for what our body and brain are telling us. How much screen time is too much? It's a question we all want the answer to. But it's like asking, how much sugar is too much? ...13 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 20 January14 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 20 January
...14 hours ago - Covid fades Waitangi’s spotlight on Māori inequities
Waitangi commemorations have marked the beginning of the political year for successive Parliaments – a place to shine a light on Māori inequities and put pressure on politicians to do more. This year there will be no spotlight in the Far North and one Cabinet Minister worries about what that means for Māori kaupapa. Peeni ...14 hours ago - Tonga eruption: Images appear to show most of Atatā island wiped outRNZ News New images appear to show the majority of structures on the Tongan island of Atatā have been wiped out after a volcanic eruption and tsunami last weekend. The Tongan government has so far confirmed three deaths from Saturday’s eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, and all houses on the ...18 hours ago
- Tongan community welcomes official word from Tongan governmentBy Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific journalist Tongan communities in New Zealand feel relieved to hear official information from the government of Tonga for the first time since Saturday’s eruption and resulting tsunami. The Office of Tonga’s Prime Minister was able to send initial detail of search and rescue efforts and ...18 hours ago
- Repairing Tonga cable no simple process – cable company
*This story was first published on RNZ and is republished with permission* The exact damage to the Tonga undersea cable won't be known until the cable repair ship, the Reliance, arrives in Tonga and pulls the cable up out of the sea. Tonga Cable Limited chairperson Samuiela Fonua said "There ...23 hours ago - Leaf oysters: the unsung heroes of estuaries are disappearing, and we know almost nothing about themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Benkendorff, Associate Professor in Marine Biology, Southern Cross University Charlotte Jenkins , Author provided Am I not pretty enough? This article is part of The Conversation’s series introducing you to Australia’s unloved animals that need our help. Camouflaged ...1 day ago
- Rino Tirikatane, Labour MP for the Maori seat of Te Tai Tonga, had the job – just before Christmas – of championing a retreat from democracy in his home patch by moving that the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Bill be read a first time in Parliament. He ...1 day ago
- Call For Political Donation Reform & Consider Fully Funding Elections To Avoid CorruptionThe chair of the National Maori Authority has told the Ministry of Justice that it is time to overhaul donations to political parties and to ensure that the New Zealand electoral system withstands the scrutiny of voters by ensuring they are protected ...1 day ago
- Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins defends MIQ hold announcementCovid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins fronted to media after a decision yesterday to delay the next MIQ release due to an increase in Omicron cases at the border. ...1 day ago
- Tongan Government approves arrival of two New Zealand navy vessels with suppliesTwo naval ships with supplies have been approved for arrival in Tonga, an updated statement from the New Zealand government, with more details on the situation, says. ...1 day ago
- Watch live: Chris Hipkins speaks after MIQ rooms release put on holdCovid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins is fronting to the media after a decision yesterday to delay the next MIQ release due to an increase in Omicron cases at the border. ...1 day ago
- Lessons To Be Learnt...1 day ago
- Open Letter To Government From Non-bank Lenders: The Path Forward On CCCFA ChangesResponsible lenders are not interested in telling the Government “I told you so” when it comes to unintended consequences of changes to lending laws that are now causing grief for everyday Kiwis seeking finance. The Financial Services Federation ...1 day ago
- Former Minister Of Finance Joins Taxpayers’ Union BoardThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Hon Ruth Richardson onto its Board of Directors. “The quantity and quality of public expenditure again rears its head – it’s time to reapply the discipline of fiscal responsibility.” -Hon Ruth ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 19 2022Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Covid, MIQ, border RNZ: Government postpones next MIQ lottery ...1 day ago
- A huge project is underway to sequence the genome of every complex species on EarthSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Graves, Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Shutterstock The Earth Biogenome Project, a global consortium that aims to sequence the genomes of all complex life on earth (some 1.8 million described species) in ten ...1 day ago
- Tongan government confirms all homes on Mango destroyed, fears death toll of 3 may riseRNZ News The Tongan government has confirmed that all houses on the island of Mango were wiped out in the tsunami that followed Saturday’s volcanic eruption. It confirmed that three people are now known to have died: a 65-year-old woman in Mango and a 49-year-old man in Nomuka, both in ...1 day ago
- How NZ is responding to Tonga’s call for help …Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta issued a press release on Sunday headed “Aotearoa New Zealand stands ready to assist people of Tonga”. Yesterday she and Defence Minister Peeni Henare issued fresh news headed “New Zealand prepared to send support to Tonga”. We shall report on the update today, as soon ...1 day ago
- Research confirms men with older brothers are more likely to be gay, suggesting same-sex attraction ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francisco Perales, Associate Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland Shutterstock New research shows having a greater number of older brothers increases the probability of a person entering a same-sex union at some point in their lives. ...1 day ago
- The republic debate is back (again) but we need more than a model to capture Australians’ imaginat...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Altman, VC Fellow LaTrobe University, La Trobe University Chris Jackson/AP/AAP The Australian Republic Movement has just released their preferred model for a republic. It would see Australia’s parliaments nominate candidates for head of state, who would be put ...1 day ago
- How to look after your mental health if you’re at home with COVIDSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Stone, General practitioner; Associate Professor, ANU Medical School, Australian National University Shutterstock For many of us, catching COVID and isolating at home can be a lonely, scary and distressing experience. For those with a pre-existing mental illness, it can ...1 day ago
- 4 ways to stop Australia’s surge in rooftop solar from destabilising electricity pricesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina Nikitopoulos, Associate professor, Finance Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock Last year saw Australians install rooftop solar like never before, with 40% more installed in 2021 than in 2020. Solar system installations now make up 7% of the ...1 day ago
- COVID and schools: Australia is about to feel the full brunt of its teacher shortageSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Wilson, Associate Professor in Education, University of Sydney Shutterstock The Omicron wave is likely to exacerbate Australia’s existing teacher shortages and demanding workloads. As school starts at the end of January and beginning of February across the country, many ...1 day ago
- 63.5% of Australia’s performing artists reported worsening mental health during COVIDSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Rusak, Senior Lecturer, Arts Management, Edith Cowan University Hailey Kean/Unsplash 92% of performing artists experienced significant changes to their work during early stages of the pandemic – and at least half experienced depression. These shocking figures comes from new ...1 day ago
- Concern raised over new Oranga Tamariki legislation: 'I don't trust the government to deli...As an advocacy group urges the government to pump the brakes on new Oranga Tamariki legislation, political parties raise concerns. ...1 day ago
- Cabinet ministers to assess Covid-19 traffic light settings, border reopening and testingAs well as the regional traffic light restrictions, ministers are likely to also discuss the traffic light system's broader parameters, the planned border reopening, and testing requirements. ...2 days ago
- Horizon Poll Reveals Nearly 80% Of NZers Want Bottom Trawling Banned On SeamountsGreenpeace Aotearoa is renewing its call for the New Zealand Government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts. A recent Horizon poll shows there is overwhelming majority support among the New Zealand public for our call to ban destructive bottom trawling ...2 days ago
- Protecting threatened species in a new era of fire
Some plants and animals love fire. Others do not. Science will help figure out which areas to burn, which to hose and how to create resilient ecosystems, write Luke Kelly, Tim Curran, and Sophie Wilkinson The giant sequoias of California are some of the largest, oldest trees on Earth. Stretching ...2 days ago - Portrait: Mum
"It’s been over ten years since she died, and still I often dream about my mother" Mum was first diagnosed with cancer in 2003 on my eleventh birthday. My brother Petar and I didn’t find out for a few months, until after I’d settled into Year 7 at my new ...2 days ago - Daily crossword, Wednesday 19 January
...2 days ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 19 January2 days ago
- Border clamps a double-edged sword for schools
Uncertainty at the border presents two possible scenarios for schools – either too many teachers or too few, writes Matthew Scott Analysis: Closed borders have posed dual problems for New Zealand schools, with a surplus of primary school teachers and a deficit for high schools. The impact of the vaccine mandate ...2 days ago - Winders sees silver lining in Ferns' thorny tour
It hasn't been the start to 2022 the Silver Ferns wanted, but star midcourter Sam Winders reckons her team will take plenty from the northern Quad Series - with the Commonwealth Games squarely on their horizon. The Silver Ferns won’t be using Covid as an excuse. Even with a limited ...2 days ago - Voting fix in sight for Covid-hit Kiwi expats
A solution seems on the way for Kiwi expats who may become ineligible to vote if pandemic restrictions keep them out of New Zealand, while an end to the de facto media blackout on election day could also be near Overseas Kiwis facing the threat of losing their voting rights due to ...2 days ago - Gallery: What the NZ air crew saw at Tonga’s Nomuka – a choking carpet of volcanic ashAsia Pacific Report newsdesk An RNZAF P-3K2 Orion aircraft flies over the small Tongan island of Nomuka showing the heavy ash fall from last Saturday’s volcanic eruption on Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai. Five Squadron crew worked on board while flying overhead to gather vital information to send back to New Zealand’s ...2 days ago
- Tonga eruption: New Zealand sends two navy ships with supplies, waterRNZ News Two New Zealand naval ships are being sent to Tonga to provide support, carrying fresh water, emergency provisions, and diving teams. It comes as ashfall on the Nuku’alofa airport runway means one of the aircraft readied yesterday — a C-130 Hercules, to supply aid — would be unable ...2 days ago
- Eruption renews debate on lack of backup for Tongan communicationsBy Kalino Latu and Philip Cass in Auckland Lack of backup satellite and cable links in the wake of Tonga’s volcanic eruption at the weekend reignites debate over the government’s plans to secure communications. Communication with Tonga remains intermittent after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and tsunami severed the kingdom’s ...2 days ago
- Fiji’s AG blames Tongan tsunami warning delay on ‘agency liaison’By Luke Nacei in Suva Fiji’s Department of Mineral Resources needs time to liaise with a number of agencies before emergency warnings or alerts are issued, says acting Prime Minister and Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. He made the comment after being quizzed on the delay in issuing a tsunami warning in ...2 days ago
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