poverty
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Time’s up Labour
Written By: - Date published: 4:50 pm, November 20th, 2020 - 114 comments
It’s not possible to resolve New Zealand’s housing and poverty crises from within a neoliberal frame. Change is going to have to be driven from outside of parliament.
They Are Not Morons
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 17th, 2020 - 76 comments
Donald Trump will be back for another go at the Presidency in 2024. Progressives should underestimate the possibility of his winning. Unless the remaining centre-left generates strategies that are executed so well that people feel the difference good politics makes, the elements of populism arising again will stay ready like the elements of a bomb.
Capitalism’s end game
Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, November 13th, 2020 - 145 comments
In Aotearoa New Zealand we are facing a new crisis. Not Covid, although the recent case of community spread is deeply concerning. The crisis is the value of houses.
COVID19 Vaccine and New Zealand’s K-Shaped Recovery
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 11th, 2020 - 36 comments
IF the discovery of a potential Covid vaccine looks like a new dawn, let’s not forget that this is the accelerating point of the K-shaped recovery New Zealand have been dreading. Our already rich are on the line heading upwards. They are getting richer because of a range of our Government policies.
Could the real Labour Party please stand up
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, October 29th, 2020 - 35 comments
We need to get the Labour government to focus on decreasing inequality and poverty in all its forms and effects. The new government needs to show that Labour has changed the country for good. Otherwise there’s no reason to vote for them in 2023.
Show us the plan Labour
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, October 22nd, 2020 - 154 comments
Labour want to govern based in stability for all New Zealanders, but how does that work when your grand narrative has massive plot holes around ending poverty?
About that wealth tax
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, October 10th, 2020 - 301 comments
There are some issues to be ironed out, but this is the only thing I am seeing that attempts to resolve poverty in New Zealand rather than tinkering around the edges.
Landlord lobby group hopes National Government will ditch warm flat requirement
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, September 7th, 2020 - 56 comments
The NZ Property Investors Federation has proposed to its members they should hold off on making flats warmer and drier just in case there is a change of government.
Labour’s two tier welfare plans
Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, September 5th, 2020 - 74 comments
As the covid crisis deepens Labour appear to be committed to entrenching the underclass and giving a helping hand to the middle class.
Will Jacinda Ardern meet her promise to transform?
Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, September 4th, 2020 - 62 comments
Neoliberalism has run its course and displayed its profound inability to address inequality issues. It makes the poor get ever poorer while the affluent top 10% ticks of society get bloated and increasingly insufferable on untaxed capital gains. In 2017 Jacinda Ardern set a goal of bringing all children out of poverty within six years. So how is that going? And what are the next steps?
Fixing Unemployment – Zoom meetup Saturday 10am
Written By: - Date published: 3:11 pm, June 19th, 2020 - 8 comments
Is it time to completely rethink how we deal with unemployment? We face a tsunami of job losses not seen in generations. Two ideas — social insurance and a job guarantee — are gaining prominence as ways to change how we deal with the problem. One provides income protection for those who lose employment, the other aims for something bolder: the elimination of unemployment. All welcome; register here.
Labour and the Greens on welfare
Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, May 27th, 2020 - 79 comments
While Labour remain wedded to a neoliberal view of welfare as a necessary evil with deserving and undeserving poor, the Greens are standing up for the rights of all of us to live with dignity and have a meaningful standard of living.
Two Tier. Bull. Shit.
Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, May 25th, 2020 - 217 comments
I thought we were “in this together” or some such?
Top ten things we have learned already
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, May 6th, 2020 - 53 comments
The top ten things that the Covid pandemic has taught us as a country.
The “Others”.
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, April 25th, 2020 - 20 comments
“Othering” has long been a staple of Governments that want to remain in power for the benefit of an Oligarchy, an “Elite”, a small ruling class, or the ones with, “the money”. Deflecting blame for economic and social issues on, an ethnicity, a class, the elderly, the poor, the young, the unemployed, young solo mothers, the disabled, immigrants, or any other convenient group that can be demonised. Very soon more of us may become the “others” we didn’t care about.
Running for cover
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 pm, April 21st, 2020 - 41 comments
More 1% Americans are heading our way, according to Bloomberg. The Texas company building underground bunkers is getting more enquiries. They’re not running from the virus but fear the aftermath when the breadlines turn.
$1000 per person (recurring) NOW!
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, March 20th, 2020 - 71 comments
There’s a world where, apparently, people shake hands with other people all day. I don’t know that world. I couldn’t tell you the last time I shook some-one’s hand. And I suspect those who inhabit a world of hand-shakers have as little insight to my world as I do theirs. But in “one world”…
What the Government has done for beneficiaries
Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, March 7th, 2020 - 43 comments
In Parliament this week Carmel Sepuloni outlined action being taken by the Government to implement the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group designed to improve the plight of beneficiaries.
Having us squabble over the welfare pie
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, December 18th, 2019 - 34 comments
When we hear a supposedly progressive economist talking about elderly people as decrepit, or rendering the elderly poor invisible, it’s time to revisit our moral compass.
Labour Conference
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 30th, 2019 - 97 comments
It’s a weird moment for the Labour Party at Conference this weekend.
Austerity – who should pay for the financial crisis?
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, November 17th, 2019 - 30 comments
Nick Kelly on UK austerity and who should have paid for the financial crisis.
Dog whistling Housing Corp tenants
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 29 comments
National has announced that it will put an end to a “state house for life” if it gets into power next year. But its rationale is not only cruel but based on a faulty understanding of the local reality.
National’s plans to torment poor people leaked
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 4th, 2019 - 110 comments
National’s plans to torment poor people for political gain have been leaked.
Institutional poverty
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, August 3rd, 2019 - 32 comments
Christchurch City Council have provided hundreds of social housing tenants with bubble wrap and a mop instead of insulating their houses.
National offers to help with housing crisis
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, June 28th, 2019 - 105 comments
On behalf of the National Party Judith Collins has offered to help Labour deal with the housing crisis, the one that National is responsible for.
New Child Poverty statistics will provide a sound baseline for reduction targets
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 4th, 2019 - 6 comments
Child Poverty Action Goup has provided comments about new child poverty measurements.
CGT as a Charitable Donation
Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, March 2nd, 2019 - 31 comments
Treat CGT like a semi-voluntary donation and give people a say in how it is spent.
Fair Pay Agreements
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, January 31st, 2019 - 36 comments
The Working Group on Wage Bargaining reform has reported back. Good news for the working poor, bad news for the filthy rich.
How To Get There 30/12/18
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, December 30th, 2018 - 139 comments
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
Matt King goes full nut job
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 29th, 2018 - 77 comments
National MP Matt King has claimed that Stuff has been censoring comments that are critical of the Government and that an article expressing concerns about the run down of health infrastructure, the increase in child poverty, the use of private contractors to spy on us and the inability of NZTA to properly regulate WOF inspections is “left wing claptrap”.
Let it Be
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 12th, 2018 - 56 comments
Letting fees are a thing of the past. Labour’s Phil Twyford has outlawed the practice of charging tenants an upfront fee for a non existent service. It’s about fairness and it’s about time.
- Wee Chris did a boo-boo
New Zealand politician and Cabinet Minister, Chris Bishop, talks about his feelings. ...2 weeks ago - Filthy riches
On the occasion of the publication of another Rich List, let us bow our heads, brothers and sisters, and remind ourselves of the saying: The only thing money proves is that you have money.It may also be proof of luck, or timing, or inheritance, or connections; but confusing wealth with ...2 weeks ago - The rich-list is a social failure
RNZ has a piece this morning on the latest NBR rich list, reporting that the ultra-rich are doing great (despite the government-induced recession). The 119 individuals and families listed are now collectively worth more than $100 billion - 40% of Aotearoa's annual GDP. Meanwhile, while they're revelling in their wealth, ...2 weeks ago - Tear Gas & Rubber Bullets: The National Guard Has Moved In
Hi,Getting tear gassed by the National Guard fucking sucks. Everything stings, you can’t breathe, and you can’t see. You can hear just fine — the almost comical pop-pop-pop as more tear gas canisters are sent arcing over the crowd. It strikes you how everyone has their own unique cough; their ...2 weeks ago - Civil War
Opinion and analysisThere’s a lot to cover, as usual, but I’d like to focus mostly on the risks to our democracy today.First -In New Zealand, ACT and National supporter Nick Mowbray1 wins in NZ’s richest stakes.Another ACT/National donor, Graeme Hart, comes second, $8b behind the Mowbrays — landing at $12b. ...2 weeks ago - These Sordid Scandals Should Have Sunk The Government
The stench of cover-ups from the current coalition Government reveals a grim truth: the right-wing establishment is more invested in protecting its own and saving face than upholding justice. The latest revelations about National MP Hamish Campbell’s deep ties to the Two by Twos cult, Chris Luxon’s disgraced press secretary ...2 weeks ago - Monday 9 June
Parents of New Zealand citizens and residents will be able to access visas, with the government announcing a programme it says will bring families together. Simeon Brown has announced more investment to strengthen critical infrastructure at Auckland City Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre. A Māori business leader says urgent reform ...2 weeks ago - LA Live #8 – town hall
Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.Get more from David Farrier in the Substack appAvailable for iOS and AndroidGet the app ...2 weeks ago
- Live in LA #7
Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.Get more from David Farrier in the Substack appAvailable for iOS and AndroidGet the app ...2 weeks ago
- LA Live #6
Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.Get more from David Farrier in the Substack appAvailable for iOS and AndroidGet the app ...2 weeks ago
- LA Live #3
Join me for my next live video in the app.Get more from David Farrier in the Substack appAvailable for iOS and AndroidGet the app ...2 weeks ago
- Strategist coverage of ASPI’s The Cost of Defence
On 29 May, ASPI released its annual defence budget briefing, The Cost of Defence. Introducing the report, ASPI executive director Justin Bassi reflected on its aim of ‘strengthening Australia’s long-term security, prosperity and sovereignty’ and its ...2 weeks ago - The National Guard is in LA
Hi, Tear gas in the air, a lot of coughing. A lot of guns. And anger.But so far, peace.I’ll be going live throughout the day here on Webworm.Thanks to anyone who backs my work. Really. Not here without you.Subscribe nowDavid. ...2 weeks ago
- A note to subscribers: I’ll be back on June 23
FYI and briefly to all subscribers, I’m going to take a break from daily news updates for a couple of weeks while Lynn and I have a proper holiday.I’ll keep writing, but not so much about the news and I’ll look to publish those pieces from June 23.Sometimes, it’s useful ...2 weeks ago - Deluded Damien Grant versus Phil Goff Over Gaza
2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on free speech and anti-Semitism
According to Workplace Health and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden, employers are having to endure a “culture of fear” created by Worksafe, which has the power to prosecute them if if they are operating unsafe workplaces. There seems to be only anecdotal evidence – from employers at a government roadshow ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #23
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 1, 2025 thru Sat, June 7, 2025. Stories we promoted this week, by category: Climate Policy and Politics (5 articles) Inside EPA`s backdoor bid to stop regulating ...2 weeks ago - Senior Quam Papa Est: When Presidents and Prime Ministers are older than the Pope
On a dreary Dunedin winter’s day, one’s mind turns to odd things. It happens. Today, it occurred to me that with the election of Pope Leo XIV in May, and with Donald Trump ... 2 weeks ago - The Regulatory Standards Bill: ACT’s Backdoor to Power
The number one biggest gameIt's when they gain the most fameIt's like a race to the topBecause they wanna be bossThey don't care who they step onAs long as they get alongPoliticians in my eyesSongwriter: Bobby Hackney.Today, I’m very pleased to bring to you this guest newsletter on the Regulatory ...2 weeks ago - Seymour’s privatisation push
Open to all readersSeymour's privatisation push David Seymour believes privatisation is a good thing. Let me refresh his memory. The BNZ had to be bailed out...twice, and is now in foreign ownership. The railways had to be bought back, having been run into the ground by foreign private ownership. Air ...2 weeks ago - Can Peaceful Protest Still Shift NZ’s Stubborn Government?
There have been numerous protests in New Zealand, with thousands taking to the streets over policies that undermine Māori rights, dodge climate action, cut wages, fail the people in Gaza and deepen social inequality. From the massive hīkoi against the Treaty Principles Bill to rallies slamming environmental deregulation, Kiwis are ...2 weeks ago
- Speak Plainly
Speak plainly to meGo with the flowThat's how you show your loveSpeak plainlySpeak plainlyWords by Marlon Williams and Kommi Tamati-Elliffe.Morena all,This morning, I thought we’d have a bit of a kōrero about whatever you like. I’ve skimmed through the headlines, and there wasn’t much I wanted to cover.I did contemplate ...2 weeks ago - Fact brief – Are CO2 measurements reliable?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are CO2 measurements reliable? Measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are consistent, reliable, and globally verified across multiple independent ...2 weeks ago
- Germany’s chance in frigate deal rises—potentially at cost to Australia-Japan relationship
German shipbuilder TKMS has significantly increased its chances in Canberra’s frigate competition by partnering with Saab, an entrenched supplier of crucial equipment for Australian warships. This challenges widespread assumptions that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is ...2 weeks ago
- Government Damaging New Zealand’s International Standing
New Zealand, once a shining example of progressive governance, is faltering under a right-wing Coalition Government determined to drag us back to the colonial dark ages. The “Coalition of Chaos,” as it’s been correctly named, is making Aotearoa an international laughing stock, with Prime Minister Chris Luxon, NZ First leader ...2 weeks ago
- Homelessness up by 58%
It’s hard to tell what’s worse: the National government persisting in prioritising money and non-existent1 “growth” over lives and well-being, or the many people that believe this is the way to succeed.Homelessness spiked up 53% over a few short months in NZ’s major metropolitan city, Auckland in March. Now it’s ...2 weeks ago
- Totally Normal #35: This Turned My Brain Into AI
Hi,It occurred to me recently that we don’t feature nearly enough worms here on Webworm, so today I am setting that right: I don’t really know what else to say about this story from two years ago, except that I hope the worms had a good (second) life. As much ...2 weeks ago - Taking Economics
ACT ‘s neoliberals are still trying to sneak in a change to the constitution.When ACT – the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers – was formed, its then party leader, Roger Douglas, with an optimistic exaggeration which marked his time as Minister of Finance, announced that he was sure it would ...2 weeks ago - Ukraine’s drone attack offers fearful lesson for a Chinese invasion force
Ukraine’s massive drone strike against Russian air bases on 1 June should reverberate across all theaters of conflict. But there is one Western Pacific scenario where it could be very relevant indeed: a Chinese invasion ...2 weeks ago
- Just one word, that’s all it takes
1. There is a single word you can utter in New Zealand that will elicit everything from snide putdowns to snarling hatred. What is that word?a. Feijoab. MMPc. Thingy d. Jacinda2. What punishment did TPM get?a. Made to write 1000 times: We must learn to be more like Parmjeet Parmar ...2 weeks ago - Overshadowed by border dispute, India-Pakistan water security risks grow
A disputed India-Pakistan border in Kashmir isn’t the only threat to stability on the subcontinent. One that’s often overlooked is water security. India and Pakistan should incorporate transboundary watery cooperation into broader security dialogues to ...2 weeks ago
- Friday 6 June
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi have been suspended from Parliament for 21 days for the Treaty Principles haka. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has been suspended for seven days. A high-powered group of former political leaders have publicly urged Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to restate New Zealand’s commitment to ...2 weeks ago
- Shared custodianship: Indigenous voices in critical infrastructure
The six-year delay in approving Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf extension reflects a failure to integrate Indigenous Australians as strategic partners in the nation’s development agenda. Policymakers and project proponents should recognise the impasse is ...2 weeks ago
- Police Failed to Properly Investigate Michael Forbes
The recent revelations about the right-wing sicko Michael Forbes, former press secretary to Chris Luxon, expose a troubling failure by the New Zealand Police to properly investigate allegations of predatory behaviour. Reports confirm that police seized Forbes’ work and personal phones while probing complaints, including allegations of non-consensual audio recordings ...2 weeks ago
- Suspending Shame
Mighty riverHear that rushin' soundOh, oh, yeahCool, clear waterLay my burden downAwa reareae kuhī anaWai arohaTurakina ki raro rāSongwriter: Don McGlashan.Suppose a group of indigenous politicians in the US or Australia stood in their place of representatives and performed a traditional challenge in the face of present-day injustice being piled ...2 weeks ago - Runways, fuel, ports and rail: the case for an ADF repair organisation
Without sufficient resilience the Australian Defence Force risks being knocked out of the fight—defanged and disabled—in the opening hours of a future high-intensity war. The ADF must be able to repair damage to mission-critical combat ...2 weeks ago
- Peter Bale, Cathrine Dyer, Robert Patman, Jamie Shea & Treasa Dunworth ‘Hoon’ around the new...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-host talking with regular guests and about the week’s news in geopolitics and climate. Bernard couldn’t get on because of technical issues.This week’s Hoon featured special guests Jamie Shea from Chatham House ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #23 2025
Open access notables Land-based sensors reveal high frequency of coastal flooding, Hino et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Coastal flooding is occurring more frequently due to global sea-level rise, among other factors. However, current understanding of coastal flood frequency and sea-level rise impacts is predominantly based on tide gauges, which ...2 weeks ago
- A parliamentary lynching
I have spent the afternoon watching the debate on the outrageous and anti-democratic privileges committee report on Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Rawiri Waititi. And after three hours, Waititi moved closure to get it over with. The government, which used its majority on the privileges committee to recommend an unprecedented ...2 weeks ago
- Chief of defence: budget under pressure, choices must be made
The Australian Defence Organisation’s budget is under pressure, and Defence must make choices, Admiral David Johnston, the chief of the defence force, said on 4 June when asked whether more money was needed. In preparation ...2 weeks ago
- Australia still lacks missile defence. Golden Dome can be part of the answer
Australia should support the Trump Administration’s proposed Golden Dome missile defence system. By participating in development, deployment and operation of Golden Dome, Australia could rely on it partly for defence against attack by long-range missiles. ...2 weeks ago
- David Seymour’s Bill Tramples Democratic Process
With jaw-dropping cynicism, Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour and his ACT Party have plumbed new depths, trampling democratic values in their rush to ram through the Regulatory Standards Bill.The right-wing government’s rush to force this contentious bill through under urgency, using AI to sift through 23,000 public submissions, isn’t just ...2 weeks ago
- Join us at 5pm for this week’s Hoon
Photo by Alexas_Fotos on UnsplashKia oraKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat with myself, and regular guests and , plus special guests Jamie ...2 weeks ago - The audacity
It’s so damn good to have something to fist pump, isn’t it?I mean, that Ukraine drone attack was something else wasn’t it? The future of warfare, delivered by Amazon parts, assembled in garages, guided by Google Maps, hidden in plain sight among pizza drones.You just had to marvel at the ...2 weeks ago - Thursday 5 June
NZNO members are holding stop work meetings to consider industrial action for better pay and higher staff-to-patient ratios. More than 1000 former international rugby players are taking legal action against sports governing bodies on claims they suffered brain injuries during their careers. After spending $23m but failing to modernise the ...2 weeks ago
- On climate, new administration must go beyond South Korea’s borders
Lee Jae-myung’s victory in South Korea’s snap presidential elections have ended six months of political turmoil. The time is ripe for the country to lift its engagement on regional issues, including climate change. Lee’s ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Government’s Deputy Press Secretary A “Peeping Tom”
Michael Forbes with right wing NZ PM Christopher Luxon (right)For paid subscribers One of the news pieces that frustrates me is National Party Deputy Chief Secretary Michael Forbes illicitly recording sex workers, and women in every day scenarios - at the gym, in their bedrooms at home, at a supermarket, ...2 weeks ago - Coalition’s Climate Cop-Out Risks $2 Billion Export Hit
New Zealand’s National-led coalition of chaos government has once again proven its inability to tackle the climate crisis with even a shred of competence. The world is watching, and the verdict is damning: Aotearoa is failing to curb CO2 emissions by any meaningful measure and the National-led government's 2025 Budget ...2 weeks ago
- In a world of entangled threats, the Indo-Pacific turns to resilience
This year’s Shangri-La Dialogue made one thing clear: we are living in a more dangerous decade. From cyberattacks to grey-zone coercion, climate shocks to supply chain sabotage, the global security landscape is more complex and ...2 weeks ago
- Productivity growth languishing
I hadn’t had a look for a while at the OECD labour productivity (real GDP per hour worked) data, but the release of the latest OECD Economic Outlook the other day prompted me to spend some time in the (less user-friendly than it was) OECD database. It takes a while ...2 weeks ago - Tell us about it, Janet.
Writing in The Post today was Janet Wilson, Todd Muller’s Press Secretary for the five minutes between Simon Bridges and Judith Collins when the National Party considered a return to being the party of conservative gentlemen farmers, it had long been. As we know, Muller froze in the headlights, and ...2 weeks ago - One big, beautiful, climate-killing bill
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington. Dana will do a Livestream with Yale Climate Connections on the subject today, Wednesday 6/4 at 5–6pm ET as well. Tune in here. House Republicans worked to eliminate clean energy tax credits in a massive tax bill that they passed in ...2 weeks ago
- Looming in the background: Indian Navy’s role in confrontation with Pakistan
Don’t overlook the role of the Indian Navy in Operation Sindoor, New Delhi’s response last month for a terrorist attack from Pakistani territory. Yes, the Indian air force and army undertook all the kinetic action. ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Thursday, June 5
Briefly, here’s my ‘Picks ‘n’ Mixes’ of news and other links1 from Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 5, including:RNZ/Reid Research’s poll taken straight after the Budget showed the Labour/Green/Te Pāti Māori bloc jumping ahead of National/NZ First/ACT, with PM Christopher Luxon’s personal popularity falling ...2 weeks ago - Michael Forbes’ Sex Worker Exploitation Shames Government
In a shocking revelation, the National Party's deputy chief press secretary to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has resigned amidst allegations of recording sex workers without their consent. According to numerous reports, Michael Forbes allegedly amassed a large number of audio recordings and photographs of women in compromising situations, including sex ...2 weeks ago
- Five important ideas from Britain’s defence review
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- Craig Renney – Locked out – Budget 2025 and the choices of the Coalition Government
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After watching videos of flaming Russian bombers on Sunday, Canberra decision makers have no excuse for foot-dragging in fielding counters to small, cheap drones. A similar attack could happen in Australia at any moment and ...3 weeks ago
- A Roundup Of Right-Wing Propagandists
New Zealand’s political landscape is often full of noise from conservative commentators preaching free speech, family values, and fiscal restraint. Their propaganda criticises progressive policies, while dodging coalition of chaos failures, campaigning that reeks of double standards. This post cuts through their hypocrisy, exposing the cracks in their so-called principles. Ani ...3 weeks ago
- Giving the finger to democracy
So, the same day Rimmer is insulting the public by claiming everyone who disagrees with him is a bot, the Finance and Expenditure Committee is is insulting by voting - on party lines, of course - to refuse to read submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill. Instead they will be ...3 weeks ago
- You’re a winner! You’re a grinner! You’re a negotiating genius!
People may have seen David Seymour tossing away about his Treaty bullshit and thought to themselves: Well maybe he really cares about it, even if he couldn’t be more wrong.Others may have seen David Seymour tossing away about his Treaty bullshit and thought: Have you ever seen anything more cynical ...3 weeks ago - Making Deserts.
Berlin 1945/Gaza 2025“They make a desert, and they call it peace.” - Tacitus 56-117CEUNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER doesn’t leave those demanding it very much in the way of wiggle-room. When President Franklin Roosevelt announced to the world that the Allied Powers would accept nothing less than the Axis Powers’ (Germany, Italy, Japan) unconditional ...3 weeks ago - As US resists China, some leaders resist making a choice
The struggle between China and the US defines this century. Even close US allies are torn by a choice—not between the two great powers but in choosing whether to back the US against China or ...3 weeks ago
- Retreating into his far-right bubble
When Rimmer proposed his weirdo libertarian Regulatory Standards Bill, the public reaction was clear and unequivocal. 88% of the 23,000 submissions on the initial consultation rejected it completely. Only 0.3% thought it was a good idea. Faced with this level of public opposition, a sensible, reality-based politician - or at ...3 weeks ago
- Ruth Richardson rewarded for destroying welfare state
For Ruth Richardson to receive the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a Member of Parliament and to governance should not sit well with millions of New Zealanders who have been negatively impacted by her 1991 Mother of All Budgets. Richardson slashed benefits by 12.7% and ...3 weeks ago
- The big question over fighter-like drones: expendability may be preferable
We’re still feeling our way with this. The concept of fighter-like drones, called collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), holds much promise to air forces, notably to the US Air Force as it contemplates war with China. ...3 weeks ago
- Picture Day: James Grenon Succeeds In NZME Takeover, Jacinda Ardern’s Barrage of Hate, RSB Hop...
RNZ Poll shows left bloc leading by 3 seats1News Poll shows Coalition leading by 5 seatsThe only outliers in these trends appear to be NZ First reaching a record high in both polls.Trends are relatively consistently, with Labour taking a slight dip.What’s worth noting is the 6.5%-11% of undecided voters. ...3 weeks ago - Majority of Voters Think Budget 2025 is Terrible
3 weeks ago
- Central banks expressing uncertainty
3 weeks ago
- Glory Days!
Glory daysWell, they'll pass you by, glory daysIn the wink of a young girl's eye, glory daysGlory daysSong: Bruce Springsteen.Two news stories this morning, and I’m afraid we’re going to start with the less pleasant one before we gorge ourselves on the most delicious of news. Nom Nom Nom. You ...3 weeks ago - UN Resolution 2758 was never about Taiwan. Beijing just pretends it was
Beijing’s campaign to erase Taiwan from the international system is built on a lie. Beijing routinely claims that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, settled the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty and confirmed ...3 weeks ago
- One way housing supply growth is strangled
This ongoing and increasing use of development contributions is an essential tool in a multi-decade exercise in magical thinking by both central Government and councils, in which they both believe enough infrastructure can be funded by private borrowers to sustain 1.5% per annum population growth. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...3 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Wednesday, June 4
Briefly, here’s my ‘Picks ‘n’ Mixes’ of news and other links1 from Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 4 includes:The gap widening in wages, unemployment rates, pension benefits and growth prospects was emphasised yesterday when Australia hiked its minimum wage by 1.5% more than inflation, ...3 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell On Why The Regulatory Standards Bill Should Be Dumped
If you blinked on a recent Friday afternoon, you might have missed the passing under urgency of the first reading of the Regulatory Standards Bill. The Bill purports to be a kind of legislative WOF test that all of us should welcome, right? Not really. Instead, shouldn’t we all be ...3 weeks ago
- AUKUS is where Australia can work out where it stands on nuclear deterrence
On one hand, Australia strongly opposes acquiring nuclear weapons and backs non-proliferation. On the other hand, it increasingly depends on the US for extended nuclear deterrence. The contradiction is implicit in the AUKUS program, just ...3 weeks ago
- Ministers quizzed over bottom trawling, freshwater, axing Predator Free 2050
Environment and conservation funding cuts the balancing act in the management of the economy and growing jobs, opposition MPs told. ...3 days ago - Winston Peters tells MPs New Zealand ‘not doing enough’ on foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs is a portfolio that often receives bi-partisan respect. In an otherwise adversarial Scrutiny Week, Winston Peters' Foreign Affairs hearing was positively amiable. ...3 days ago
- Nationwide Census Scrapped – Expert Reaction
A robust, person-centred statistical foundation is essential to restore trust and achieve fairer outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa: Public Health Communication Centre Briefing ...3 days ago - Scrapping the national census raises data sovereignty and surveillance fears for Māori
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lara Greaves, Associate Professor of Politics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images Yesterday’s announcement that the five-yearly national census would be scrapped has raised difficult questions about the effectiveness, ethics and resourcing of the new “administrative” system ...3 days ago - As the federal government fumbles on nature law reform, the states are forging ahead
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillipa C. McCormack, Future Making Fellow, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide Jakub Maculewicz, Shutterstock The South Australian parliament today passed a new law to conserve, restore and enhance biodiversity. It brings together native vegetation management, protection for native species and habitat, ...3 days ago
- Overhead power lines kill millions of birds a year. Scientists found a way to help cut the devastati...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Pay, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania Wolfram Steinberg/picture alliance via Getty Images Millions of birds are killed by power lines each year. Sometimes they collide with the lines when flying and are either electrocuted or ...3 days ago
- What to watch over the long Matariki weekend
The Spinoff writers on what you should pop on your watchlist ahead of the long weekend. Matariki mā Puanga 2025 (Whakaata Māori, TVNZ+) Stacey Morrison and Mātai Smith. Cosy up with a cuppa and a warm blanket to watch the Matariki celebrations beamed straight into your living room from 5.45am ...3 days ago - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks to media after Cook Islands funding pause
Foreign Affairs minister informed the Cook Islands government of the pause in early June, but the information only just became public. ...3 days ago
- Horse whipping is painful and cruel. The latest incident shows why it should be banned
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Quain, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Last week, the peak body for equestrian sport in Australia suspended a prominent member after footage allegedly depicted Australian Olympic dressage rider Heath Ryan whipping a ...3 days ago
- Greenpeace Submits Against The Regulatory Standards Bill And Its Far-right Fringe Ideas
"At its core, this Bill is an attempt by a far-right politician to create a bill of rights for corporations, at the expense of the rights of New Zealanders, the rights of nature, and the rights of Māori guaranteed to them under Te Tiriti o Waitangi." ...3 days ago
- Star Wars jokes and surgeries, not strategies: Inside scrutiny week, part two
The vibes were tense as ministers and officials got a grilling in the final two days of scrutiny week, where government spending is put under the microscope. Read our recap of the first two days of scrutiny week here. Health The energy was testy, to say the least, when health ...3 days ago
- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 19, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 19, 2025. Australian citizens in Iran and Israel are desperate to leave. Is the government required to help?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for ...3 days ago
- Australian citizens in Iran and Israel are desperate to leave. Is the government required to help?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney As thousands of Australian citizens and permanent residents stuck in Iran and Israel continue to register for repatriation flights, the government is scrambling to find safe ...3 days ago
- Event noticeboard: Matariki everywhere
The Spinoff’s top picks of Matariki events from around the motu. “Cbk to get up nice and early for this !!” It was Tuesday evening when the wheels of organisation in my friend’s brain started turning. It was chilly, but I was sweating from a particularly hard gym class, fatigued, ...3 days ago
- Transport Rules Reform Welcome, But Don’t Forget Safety – MTA
MTA Head of Advocacy James McDowall says MTA has been actively involved as part of the core group of industry stakeholders engaging with the Minister and the Ministry of Transport on the work programme. ...3 days ago
- Labour moves ahead of National on controlling cost of living, Ipsos poll finds
It's the first time since 2021 that Labour has been considered more able to handle the cost of living. ...3 days ago
- Popular period-tracking apps can hold years of personal data – new NZ research finds mixed awarene...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Friedlander, PhD Candidate in Sociology, University of Waikato Shutterstock/Krotnakro Period-tracking apps are popular digital tools for a range of menstrual, reproductive and general health purposes. But the way these apps collect and use data involves risk. Many apps encourage ...3 days ago
- Winston Peters announces more Russian sanctions
Since 2022, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on more than 1800 individuals and entities. ...3 days ago
- Local Authority Elections Coming – Strong Candidates Needed
“Given the importance of local government to New Zealand, it is essential that councils are well-governed”, said Matt Cowley, Chairperson of the Forum. ...3 days ago
- Migrating bogong moths use the stars and Earth’s magnetic field to find ancestral summer caves eac...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Warrant, Professor of Zoology at the University of Lund, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, University of South Australia Vik Dunis/iNaturalist, CC BY-NC It’s a warm January summer afternoon, and as I traverse the flower-strewn western ...3 days ago
- How Kōkā put a Matariki twist on the classic road movie
Alex Casey talks to Kōkā director Kath Akuhata-Brown about crafting an intergenerational road movie like no other. On a frantic search for a last minute location on the East Cape, Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou) was driving around aimlessly until a silhouette stopped her dead in their tracks – a single ...3 days ago
- The pick of the Matariki picture books
An updated selection of beautiful books to relax and reflect with this Matariki. Once upon a time it was rare to find books about Matariki made for young readers. Now it’s a different story. Our bookshelves are abundant with beautiful books to share and to cherish. Here’s an updated a ...3 days ago
- $18m cut to Cooks aid is ‘not about China’? I call BS
Analysis: Winston Peters has taken a leaf from Donald Trump’s playbook, with news he’s paused government-to-government development aid to our closest whānau in the Pacific. “We want an assurance that our special relationship remains special,” he tells Newsroom. It’s a response to the Cooks Islands’ clumsy handling of a strategic deal ...3 days ago - Kāinga Ora halts hundreds of housing developments, sells vacant land
The chief executive said its "critical step" in its reset plan would see it write down up to $220 million. ...3 days ago
- Compulsion vs building trust: The challenges of treating disordered eating
Most clinicians agree that hospitalisation can save a life, but it doesn’t fix the problem. That work takes place outside the hospital, and it’s a slow process, writes mental health nurse Duncan Milne. Content warning: This piece discusses disordered eating and its treatment. Please take care. The recent publicity around ...3 days ago
- Why Homo sapiens are Auckland Zoo’s priority species
Auckland Zoo is involved in dozens of conservation projects, but one species is paramount – us. Naomii Seah visits the Zoo to find out why. On a mild winter’s night, by the light of the full moon, a group of Auckland Zoo staff and mana whenua pick their way carefully ...3 days ago
- Help Me Hera: How do I repair my relationship with a politically aggressive cousin?
We used to be so close, but their blunt communication style keeps hurting my feelings. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, I have a cousin I was very close to as a kid through our mid-20s, but recently we have drifted apart and it has become ...3 days ago
- Betrayal Of Women Over Pay Equity Laid Bare In Budget Poll – Time To Reverse Decision
"The Government decided to scrap pay equity for women to pay for tax cuts for business in this year’s budget - New Zealanders are seeing that plain and simple and they don’t like it," said Fleur Fitzsimons National Secretary Public Service Association ...3 days ago
- Jaws at 50: how a single movie changed our perception of white sharks forever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University Shane Myers Photography/Shutterstock It’s been 50 years since Steven Spielberg’s movie Jaws first cast a terrifying shadow across our screens. At a low point during production, Spielberg worried he’d only ever be ...3 days ago
- Robot eyes are power hungry. What if we gave them tools inspired by the human brain?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam D Hines, Research Fellow, Centre for Robotics, Queensland University of Technology A hexapod robot navigating outdoors. Adam Hines Robots are increasingly becoming a part of our lives – from warehouse automation to robotic vacuum cleaners. And just like humans, robots need ...3 days ago
- Winter viruses can trigger a heart attack or stroke, our study shows. It’s another good reason to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tu Nguyen, PhD Candidate, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Irina Shatilova/Shutterstock Winter is here, along with cold days and the inevitable seasonal surge in respiratory viruses. But it’s not only the sniffles we need to ...3 days ago
- School playgrounds are one of the main locations for bullying. How can they be set up to stop it?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University Dan Kenyon/ Getty Images Children spend thousands of hours in playgrounds at school. A lot of this time does not have the same levels of teacher preparation ...3 days ago
- Would you cheat on your tax? It’s a risky move, the tax office knows a lot about you
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert B Whait, Senior Lecturer in Taxation Law, University of South Australia Soon, more than 15 million Australians should be lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office in the hope of receiving at least a small refund. About 60% of ...3 days ago
- Companies are betting on AI to help lift productivity. Workers need to be part of the process
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Llewellyn Spink, AI Corporate Governance Lead, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney The Conversation, CC BY-NC Australia’s productivity is flatlining, posting the worst vitals we’ve seen in 60 years. Politicians and chief executives are prescribing artificial intelligence (AI) like it’s ...3 days ago
- Is Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover satire or self-degradation? A psychology ex...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Muller-Townsend, Lecturer in Psychology, Edith Cowan University Island Records Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover has fans divided. Carpenter poses on all fours, her glossy blond hair grasped by a male figure cropped from the frame. Her wide-eyed ...3 days ago
- New Zealand halts Cook Islands funding in stoush over China
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visits China and prepares to meet Xi Jinping. ...3 days ago
- Government looking at making lifejackets compulsory
It comes after findings a mother and her young son would have had better chances of surviving a capsizing, if they been wearing them. ...3 days ago
- Media attention, political pressure credited with solving cardiac surgery waitlist at Waikato Hospit...
Cardiac Society of New Zealand chairperson says the waitlist had reduced from 110 to 10 patients. ...3 days ago
- Kicked out for coming out: more than half of LGBTIQ+ flatmates face discrimination for their identit...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brodie Fraser, Senior Research Fellow, He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Sangar Akreyi/Getty Images People who belong to the LGBTIQ+ community say flatting is fraught with difficulties that go well beyond learning new routines and sharing ...3 days ago
- Tracing the Drax family’s millions – a story of British landed gentry, slavery and sugar plantat...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Lashmar, Reader in Journalism, City St George’s, University of London ‘Planting the sugar-cane’: vast fortunes were made from the trades in both sugar and human slaves in the Americas. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The ...3 days ago
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