climate change
Categories under climate change
- COP26 (1)
- ETS (119)
- polycrisis (1)
National’s complete indifference to climate change
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 pm, December 18th, 2023 - 18 comments
This is the only possible explanation. As well as celebrating all things car National has a pathological hatred of cycleways and walkways and public transport.
The week of going backward
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, December 15th, 2023 - 30 comments
National has this week chosen to smash through under urgency legislation that will increase unemployment and interest rates, reduce workers wages and increase the country’s emissions of greenhouse gasses.
Shame Jones
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, December 13th, 2023 - 24 comments
In one speech Shane Jones has talked about the “hysteria surrounding climate change”, promised to disregard targets agreed to under the Paris Agreement, ordered the halting of work at the Ministry for the Environment, promised the lifting the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration at pace, and said that Mining on Department of Conservation (DoC) and Stewardship land is also in the pipeline.
About that Speech from the Throne
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, December 6th, 2023 - 45 comments
The new Government blows the dog-whistle like the pied piper.
Greenpeace event: What will the new Government mean for the environment?
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, December 5th, 2023 - 10 comments
In a special live stream event [Weds 6th December], the Greenpeace crew will respond to the makeup of the new coalition government and what it will mean for the environment.
100 days of chaos
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, December 1st, 2023 - 18 comments
National’s 100 days of action is to address the rhetoric of economic difficulties but the announced policies will do nothing to help the pressure that ordinary people are feeling.
Aotearoa the way you want it?
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 26th, 2023 - 47 comments
The new Government’s policies give the impression they were formulated by members of a Workingman’s club in the 1970s and negotiated over a few beers.
Green growth or degrowth?
Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, November 22nd, 2023 - 21 comments
There is growing scepticism among climate policy researchers about green growth, as concepts of degrowth go mainstream.
Australia just made a high impact treaty with a Pacific Island state that puts a question on New Zealand about climate change
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, November 11th, 2023 - 9 comments
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano have announced a deal whereby Australia is offering permanent residency to Tuvaluans affected by climate change, and a security guarantee that will bind both countries close together.
Greenpeace: Luxon’s threat to roll back climate action at odds with emissions targets
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, November 4th, 2023 - 32 comments
Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon to commit to real climate action, as reports reveal New Zealand is now at risk of not meeting its Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets.
New Zealand’s climate obligations and National’s climate policy
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, October 7th, 2023 - 18 comments
National plans to renege on our Paris Agreement pledge
National set to renege on Paris Agreement
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, October 5th, 2023 - 16 comments
National says it is not interested in meeting its financial obligations under the international Paris Agreement on climate change, signed by the previous National government. Reneging on the accord will have huge trade, diplomatic and reputational damage implications.
Greens: Climate future of communities on the line this election
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, September 25th, 2023 - 2 comments
“The extreme weather events that Aotearoa has seen this year have been supercharged by climate change. How we go about building resilient and affordable communities that meet everyone’s needs despite the challenges of climate change will be a critical question for the next government. For the Greens, the answer is clear: we must slash our emissions, and take action to protect our homes and communities from extreme weather”
Predatory delay on climate action by Fonterra, Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, September 13th, 2023 - 2 comments
A damning report from Russel Norman on how the agricultural industry blocked climate action for the past two decades.
The Greens In Real Government in October 2023
Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, September 11th, 2023 - 21 comments
What happens if the Green Party gets 10% of the vote and the top 9 get in. And say they get to form a government. What would Greens in Cabinet look like?
Breathable air in Walthamstow
Written By: - Date published: 2:40 am, September 9th, 2023 - 5 comments
Back with family in London after Covid’s four years, much has changed. Most notably, the air in Walthamstow is breathable. Thanks to Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s emission zone tax, the change is remarkable.
Can’t we have more charging stations AND the clean car discount?
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, September 7th, 2023 - 18 comments
National’s proposal to increase the number of electric car charging stations is something that should be considered but not at the expense of the extraordinarily successful clean car discount.
CHL’s Tarras Airport Idea is Unbelievably Stupid
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, September 1st, 2023 - 21 comments
Queenstown Airport has over three decades generated a radial wealth local effect. The economic and social uplift has been massive. That doesn’t mean there will be similar economic benefits by building another one within just over an hours’ drive of the first one.
Four new taxes and a climate funeral
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, September 1st, 2023 - 30 comments
National’s announcement of four new taxes to fund tax cuts rely on herculean assumptions that will never be met. And their proposal for climate change will undermine the slow but steady progress the country has been making to meeting its emission reduction goals.
Labour should not cut spending on climate change
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 30th, 2023 - 22 comments
At a time when the effects of Climate Change are becoming pronounced now is not the time to cut spending on carbon reduction projects.
Critics of ‘degrowth’ economics say it’s unworkable – but from an ecologist’s perspective, it’s inevitable
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 20th, 2023 - 22 comments
Dr Mike Joy on the ecological imperative of degrowth
The other cost of living crisis
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 18th, 2023 - 7 comments
Our descendants will curse us
We Need to Talk About Blackrock
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 9th, 2023 - 29 comments
How come New Zealand got to build an entire electricity generating system that lasted for 70 years without much private capital from one massive dam to geothermal and all those pylons and substations and network systems without Blackrock?
The difference between Blackrock and China
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, August 9th, 2023 - 4 comments
Some big news yesterday as the Government announced a deal with US Investment Firm Blackrock for a $2 billion fund for renewable electricity projects.
Climate NGOs on the BlackRock deal
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 9th, 2023 - 2 comments
NGO responses to the government’s announcement yesterday of the deal with global investment management firm BlackRock, to fund 100% renewable electricity generation in New Zealand.
National is no nation builder
Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, August 8th, 2023 - 16 comments
Nation building projects always take multiple terms, and the risk of Labour losing puts at risk some of the largest and most important we’ve seen in generations.
Climate weirding: the climate wild cards
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 8th, 2023 - 5 comments
“Unpredictable change is the new status quo”
Climate extremes make NZ’s supply chains highly vulnerable – it’s time to rethink how we grow and ship food
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, August 5th, 2023 - 32 comments
“It’s clear domestic food supply chains have been increasingly challenged by natural disasters and the ongoing impact of climate change.”
National’s latest policy: MOAR ROADS
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, July 31st, 2023 - 51 comments
National’s latest policy announcement shows that it has an unmistakable fetish for tar seal.
A letter to Chris Hipkins
Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, July 30th, 2023 - 31 comments
My 2c on what I think Chris Hipkins needs to do to win this year’s election.
The very strange election campaign
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, July 8th, 2023 - 86 comments
With 98 days to go despite large parts of the electorate being very grumpy the polls are neck and neck and Labour can still win. This is what they have to do.
- Weekly Roundup 14-March-2025
Midway through March already? The years flying by. Here’s some things we saw this week that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at AT’s Upper Harbour Bus changes. For Wednesday we had a guest post by Malcolm McCracken exploring what ...2 weeks ago - Bookshelf: technology, globalisation and civilisational decline
Robert Kaplan’s book Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis paints a portrait of civilisation in flux. Drawing insights from history, literature and art, he examines the effect of modern technology, globalisation and urbanisation on ...2 weeks ago - Birds and Bees Grounded
Sexuality - Strong and warm and wild and freeSexuality - Your laws do not apply to meSexuality - Don't threaten me with miserySexuality - I demand equalitySong: Billy Bragg.First, thank you to everyone who took part in yesterday’s survey. Some questions worked better than others, but I found them interesting, ...2 weeks ago - Shit Yourself Happy
Hi,I just got back from a week in Japan thanks to the power of cheap flights and years of accumulated credit card points.The last time I was in Japan the government held a press conference saying they might take legal action against me and Netflix, so there was a little ...2 weeks ago - The Hoon around the week to March 14
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s wrecking of the post-WW II political landscape; andHealth Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Lisa ...2 weeks ago - Bernard’s pick n’ mix at 6am for Friday, March 14
Here’s my selection of the top scoops, news, analysis, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$$$, The Press-$$$, Newsroom & NZ Herald on Friday, March 14.Top Six at 6amExclusive: 'Shake-up is necessary' - NZME's biggest shareholder backs board cleanout NZ Herald-$$$’s Shayne CurrieGovt considers gett… ...2 weeks ago - Snapshots from Tokyo
Hi,I just got back from a short trip to Japan, mostly spending time in Tokyo.I haven’t been there since we shot Dark Tourist back in 2017 — and that landed us in a bit of hot water with the Japanese government.I am glad to report I was not thrown into ...2 weeks ago - Why I Regret Going Paid On Substack
I’ve been on Substack for almost 8 months now.It’s been good in terms of the many great individuals that populate its space. So much variety and intelligence and humour and depth.I joined because someone suggested I should ‘start a Substack,’ whatever that meant.So I did.Turning on payments seemed like the ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2025
Open access notables Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter?, McCarthy et al., AGU Advances: The extraordinary fossil fuel-driven outburst of consumption and production since the mid-twentieth century has fundamentally altered the way the Earth System works. Although humans have impacted their environment for millennia, justification for ...2 weeks ago - For a waterbombing reserve, adapt ADF aircraft
Australia should buy equipment to cheaply and temporarily convert military transport aircraft into waterbombers. On current planning, the Australian Defence Force will have a total of 34 Chinook helicopters and Hercules airlifters. They should be ...2 weeks ago
- Join us at 5pm for this week’s Hoon
Photo by Gareth Davies on UnsplashKia 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 about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest , and special ...2 weeks ago - Indonesia has cut funding for counterterrorism programs. Australia should step in
Indonesia’s government has slashed its counterterrorism (CT) budgets, despite the persistent and evolving threat of violent extremism. Australia can support regional CT efforts by filling this funding void. Reducing funding to the National Counterterrorism Agency ...2 weeks ago
- Drawn
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Resource Management (Prohibition on Extraction of Freshwater for On-selling) Amendment Bill (Debbie Ngarewa-Packer) The bill does exactly what it says on the label, and would effectively end the rapacious water-bottling industry ...2 weeks ago - Fabian Fundraiser – Twilight Time
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...2 weeks ago - It’s time to rethink foreign aid
Foreign aid is being slashed across the Global North, nowhere more so than in the United States. Within his first month back in the White House, President Donald Trump dismantled the US Agency for International ...2 weeks ago
- Thursday 13 March
Nicola Willis has proposed new procurement rules that unions say will lead to pay cuts for already low-paid workers in cleaning, catering and security services that are contracted by government. The Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill passed its third reading with support from all the opposition parties and NZ ...2 weeks ago - Personal Link: The Cool One is Gone.
Most KP readers will not know that I was a jazz DJ in Chicago and Washington DC while in grad school in the early and mid 1980s. In DC I joined WPFW as a grave shift host, then a morning drive show host (a show called Sui Generis, both for ...2 weeks ago - Who Are You?
Who are you?Who, who, who, who?Who are you?Songwriter: Peter Townshend. Read more ...2 weeks ago - IMF calls for Capital Gains Tax or land tax
Long stories shortest: The IMF says a capital gains tax or land tax would improve real economic growth and fix the budget. GDP is set to be smaller by 2026 than it was in 2023. Compass is flying in school lunches from Australia. 53% of National voters say the new ...2 weeks ago - 5 Reasons Labour Are Doing Well
Last year in October I wrote “Where’s The Opposition?”. I was exasperated at the relative quiet of the Green Party, Labour and Te Pati Māori (TPM), as the National led Coalition ticked off a full bingo card of the Atlas Network playbook.1To be fair, TPM helped to energise one of ...2 weeks ago
- Visualizing daily global temperatures
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink Good data visualizations can help make climate change more visceral and understandable. Back in 2016 Ed Hawkins published a “climate spiral” graph that ended up being pretty iconic – it was shown at the opening ceremony of the Olympics that year – and ...2 weeks ago
- How Russia will reassess its ties with North Korea after Ukraine
An agreement to end the war in Ukraine could transform Russia’s relations with North Korea. Moscow is unlikely to reduce its cooperation with Pyongyang to pre-2022 levels, but it may become more selective about areas ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s Investment Summit
This week, the Government is hosting a grand event aimed at trying to interest big foreign capital players in financing capital works in New Zealand, particularly its big rural motorway programme. Financing vs funding: a quick explainer The key word in the sentence above is financing. It is important ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell On Winston Peters’ Battle Against The Phantom Legions Of The Woke
In a month’s time, the Right Honourable Winston Peters will be celebrating his 80th birthday. Good for him. On the evidence though, his current war on “wokeness” looks like an old man’s cranky complaint that the ancient virtues of grit and know-how are sadly lacking in the youth of today. ...2 weeks ago - Haul from the 2025 Regent Booksale
As noted, early March has been about moving house, and I have had little chance to partake in all things internet. But now that everything is more or less sorted, I can finally give a belated report on my visit to the annual Regent Booksale (28th February and 1st March). ...2 weeks ago - The threat spectrum
Information operations Australia has banned cybersecurity software Kaspersky from government use because of risks of espionage, foreign interference and sabotage. The Department of Home Affairs said use of Kaspersky products posed an unacceptable security ...2 weeks ago
- My life as a dog
2 weeks ago - Understanding ’ndrangheta operations in Australia
The ’ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, plays a significant role in the global cocaine trade and is deeply entrenched in Australia, influencing the cocaine trade and engaging in a variety of illicit activities. A range of ...2 weeks ago
- How to fight back against Trump’s tariffs
In the US, the Trump regime is busy imposing tariffs on its neighbours and allies, then revoking them, then reimposing them, permanently poisoning relations with Canada and Mexico. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on agricultural goods, which will affect Aotearoa's exports. National's response? To grovel for an exemption, ...2 weeks ago
- Global & Corporate Takeover of New Zealand Continues In Plain Sight
Troy Bowker’s Caniwi Capital’s Desmond Gittings, former TradeMe and Warehouse executive Simon West, former anonymous right wing blogger / Labour attacker & now NZ On Air Board member / Waitangi Tribunal member Philip Crump, Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon who used to run vaccine critical, Treaty of Waitangi critical, and trans-rights ...2 weeks ago - Fixing school lunches
The free school lunch program was one of Labour's few actual achievements in government. Decent food, made locally, providing local employment. So naturally, National had to get rid of it. Their replacement - run by Compass, a multinational which had already been thrown out of our hospitals for producing inedible ...2 weeks ago
- New procurement rules hurt low-income workers
New draft government procurement guidelines will remove living wage protections for thousands of low-paid workers in Aotearoa New Zealand, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “The Minister of Finance Nicola Willis has proposed a new rule saying that the Living Wage no longer needs to be paid in ...2 weeks ago
- Member’s Day
Today is a Member's Day. First up is the Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Act Amendment Bill, a local bill to alter the purposes for which some land in Auckland can be used. Following that is the third reading of Camilla Belich's Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment ...2 weeks ago
- The US dividing Russia from China? Forget about it
The Trump administration’s effort to divide Russia from China is doomed to fail. This means that the United States is destroying security relationships based on a delusion. To succeed, Russia would need to overcome more ...2 weeks ago
- Wednesday 12 March
Māori workers now hold more high-skilled jobs than low-skilled jobs with 46 percent in high-skilled jobs, 14 percent in skilled jobs, and 40 percent in low-skilled jobs. Resource teachers of literacy and Te Reo Māori are “devastated” by a proposal from the Education Minister to stop funding 174 roles from ...2 weeks ago
- Power of persistence: Australian technology addresses challenge of space monitoring
Knowing what is going on in orbit is getting harder—yet hardly less necessary. But new technologies are emerging to cope with the challenge, including some that have come from Australian civilian research. One example is ...2 weeks ago
- Maximising the value from our investment in the City Rail link
This is a guest post by Malcolm McCracken. It previously appeared on his blog Better Things Are Possible and is shared by kind permission. New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project, the City Rail Link (CRL), is expected to open in 2026. This will be an exciting step forward for Auckland, delivering better ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon wants media to celebrate National’s homelessness achievements more
“The reality is I'm just saying to you I'm proud of the work we're doing. We're doing a great job”, said Luxon, pushing back at Auckland Council’s reports of rising homelessness and pleas for help. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest: Christopher Luxon denies his Government caused a ...2 weeks ago - Travel Advisory
Should I stay, or should I go now?Should I stay, or should I go now?If I go, there will be troubleAnd if I stay, it will be doubleSo come on and let me knowSongwriters: Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer.Christopher,Tomorrow marks seventeen months since the last election. We’re ...2 weeks ago - Auckland homelessness up 53% in 4 months, Wellington up 40% year on year
Homelessness in Auckland has risen by 53% in 4 months - that’s 653 people living in cars, on streets and in parks.The city’s emergency housing numbers have fallen by about 650 under National too - now at record lows.Housing First Auckland is on the frontlines: There is “more and more ...2 weeks ago
- More than ever, airpower will depend on sharing data. Watch Sweden
A growing consensus holds that the future of airpower, and of defense technology in general, involves the interplay of crewed and uncrewed vehicles. Such teaming means that more-numerous, less-costly, even expendable uncrewed vehicles can bring ...2 weeks ago
- All in all another brick in the wall of money
Only two more sleeps to the Government’s Jamboree Investor Extravaganza! As a proud New Zealander I’m very much hoping for the best: Off-shore wind farms! Solar power! Sustainable industry powered by the abundant energy we could be producing!I wonder, will they have a deal already lined up, something to announce ...2 weeks ago - Australia needs to manufacture change to ensure national security
After decades of gradual decline, Australia’s manufacturing capability is no longer mission-fit to meet national security needs. Any whole-of-nation effort to arrest this trend needs to start by making the industrial operating environment more conducive ...2 weeks ago
- This is why we have juries
Back in October 2022, Restore Passenger Rail hung banners across roads in Wellington to protest against the then-Labour government's weak climate change policy. The police responded by charging them not with the usual public order offences, but with "endangering transport", a crime with a maximum sentence of 14 years in ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon’s economy focus at odds with voters
Luxon’s popularity continues to fall, and a new survey shows voters rank fixing the health system as the top priority. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesLong stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: National’s pollster finds Christopher Luxon has fallen behind Chris Hipkins as preferred PM for the first ...2 weeks ago - Tuesday 11 March
The CTU is calling for an apology from Nicola Willis after her office made a false characterisation of CTU statements, which ultimately saw him blocked from future Treasury briefings. New data shows that Māori make up 83% of those charged under new gang laws. Financial incentives are being offered to ...2 weeks ago
- Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources
This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources appeared first on NZCTU. ...2 weeks ago
- Australia needs to prevent cybercrime, not just react to it
Australia’s cyber capabilities have evolved rapidly, but they are still largely reactive, not preventative. Rather than responding to cyber incidents, Australian law enforcement agencies should focus on dismantling underlying criminal networks. On 11 December, Europol ...2 weeks ago
- The National Hurricane Center set an all-time record for forecast accuracy in 2024
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Finally, there’s some good news to report from NOAA, the parent organization of the National Hurricane Center, or NHC: During the highly active 2o24 Atlantic hurricane season, the NHC made record-accurate track forecasts at every time interval (12-, ...2 weeks ago
- Societal resilience is the best answer to Chinese warships
The Australian government has prioritised enhancing Australia’s national resilience for many years now, whether against natural disasters, economic coercion or hostile armed forces. However, the public and media response to the presence of Chinese naval ...2 weeks ago
- Upper Habour Bus change a step towards rapid transit
It appears that Auckland Transport is finally set to improve Auckland’s busiest non-frequent bus route, the 120. As highlighted in my post a month ago on Auckland’s busiest bus routes, the 120 is the busiest route that doesn’t already run frequently all day/week and carries more passengers than many other ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Stubborn Refusal To Invest For Growth
Economists have earned their reputation for jargon and tunnel vision, but sometimes, it takes an someone as perceptive as Simplicity economist Shamubeel Eaqub to identify something simple and devastating. As he pointed out recently, the coalition government is trying to attract foreign investment here to generate economic growth, while – ...2 weeks ago
- 5 Extraordinary Revelations From Deloitte’s Health NZ Review
Opinion & AnalysisSimeon Brown, left, and Deloitte partner David LovattIn September 2024, Deloitte Partner David Lovatt, was contracted by the National Government to help National ostensibly understand “the drivers behind HNZ’s worsening financial performance”.1 i.e. deficit.The report shows the last version was dated December 2024.It was formally released this week ...2 weeks ago - All the Toey Horses
This cobbled-together government was altogether more the beneficiary of Labour getting turfed out than anything it managed to do itself. Even the worthless cheques they were writing didn't buy all that much favour.How’s it all looking now?Shall we take a look at a Horizon poll?The Government’s performance is making only ...2 weeks ago - Aotearoa should sign the Disappearance Convention
There's horrible news from the US today, with the Trump regime disappearing Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, for protesting against genocide in Gaza. Its another significant decline in US human rights, and puts them in the same class as the authoritarian dictatorships they used to sponsor in South ...2 weeks ago
- Judging their own case
Yesterday National announced plans to amend the Public Works Act to "speed up" land acquisition for public works. Which sounds boring and bureaucratic - except its not. Because what "land acquisition" means is people's homes being compulsorily acquired by the state - which is inherently controversial, and fairly high up ...2 weeks ago
- Leadership Problems.
Contenders: The next question after “Will Luxon really go?” is, of course, “Will that work?” The answer to that question lies not so much in the efficacy of Luxon’s successor as it does in the perceived strength of the Centre-Left alternative.AT LEAST TWO prominent political commentators are alluding publicly to the ...2 weeks ago - It’s Only Natural
Ice will melt, water will boilYou and I can shake off this mortal coilIt's bigger than usYou don't have to worry about itIt's circumstantialIt's nothing written in the skyAnd we don't even have to trySongwriters: Neil Finn / Tim Finn.Preparing for the future.Many of you will be familiar with the ...2 weeks ago - On the way ahead
In my post last Thursday I offered some thoughts on changes that should be initiated by the government in the wake of the Governor’s surprise resignation. (Days on we still have no real explanation as to why he just resigned with no notice, disappearing out the door and (eg) leaving ...2 weeks ago - Chinese navy transit: opinions in The Strategist
In late February a Chinese navy flotilla including a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment ship began to circle Australia, conducting a live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea along the way. The Strategist featured ...2 weeks ago
- China’s navy sends a steady drumbeat of ships around Australia
China’s deployment of a potent surface action group around Australia over the past two weeks is unprecedented but not unique. Over the past few years, China’s navy has deployed a range of vessels in Australia’s ...2 weeks ago
- Owners of compulsorily acquired non-iwi land to be stripped of appeal rights
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Within months and before Parliamentary approval is obtained, the Government plans to strip non-Maori landowners of the right to use the Environment Court to stop compulsory acquisition for fast-track projects and big new motorways.The Government also wants to buy off landowners ...2 weeks ago - The Last Video Shop
Hi,When I was 16 (pimples, braces, painfully awkward) — I applied for a job at Video Ezy.It’s difficult to describe how much I wanted this job. Video Ezy was my local video shop in Tauranga, and I’d spend hours of my teenage life stalking through those aisles, looking at the ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 2, 2025 thru Sat, March 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...3 weeks ago
- Thinking about life in a nuclear armed crowd.
The title of this post comes from Albert Wohlstetter’s 1976 seminal essay Moving Towards Life in a Nuclear Armed Crowd. In that essay he contemplated a world in which several nations had nuclear weapons, and also the strategic logics governing their proliferation, deployment and use (mainly as a deterrent). For ...3 weeks ago
- A soliloquy for the week to March 9
Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly and immediately on Wednesday, giving no explanation for departing three years before the end of his second term. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: David Seymour’s lunch programme came under increasing scrutiny;Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly after clashing with Nicola Willis ...3 weeks ago - On Sunday
You've got to live, lady liveDo the tongue rollGive me joyBut don't kiss me too fastSong: Th’ Dudes.Good morning, all. After another heavy week of less-than-positive news, it’s time for something silly: the old standby of memories and questions.I can’t face writing about any more terrible people this week. I usually ...3 weeks ago - Fact brief – Is Greenland losing land ice?
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. Is Greenland losing land ice? Data from satellites and expeditions confirm Greenland has been losing land ice at an accelerating rate for decades. ...3 weeks ago
- A letter
After the Reserve Bank’s appearance on 20 February at the Finance and Expenditure Committee (the Governor, his macro deputy Karen Silk, and his chief economist Paul Conway) on the previous day’s Monetary Policy Statement, I wrote a post here about it, focused on a number of areas in which Orr, ...3 weeks ago
- Australia’s defences must be ready in two years. Here’s what to do
Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is ...3 weeks ago
- True Faith
That's the price that we all payAnd the value of destiny comes to nothingI can't tell you where we're goingI guess there was just no way of knowingSongwriters: Bernard Sumner / Gillian Lesley Gilbert / Peter Hook / Stephen Eric Hague / Stephen Paul David Morris.What an eventful week it’s ...3 weeks ago - Trump’s speech to Congress: America First in trade and alliances
In what might have been the longest presidential address to Congress in American history—an hour and forty minutes without intermission—President Donald Trump delivered a performance on Tuesday night that was simultaneously grandiose, confrontational, optimistic and ...3 weeks ago
- Can We Ignore the Environment?
Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed: An Untold History is a compelling account of the interaction between humans and the environment. We would be unwise to ignore it. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Oxford professor of history Peter Frankopan was initially widely admired. But critics point ...3 weeks ago - International Women’s Day 2025: progress and possibilities
International Women’s Day (IWD) serves as both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the ongoing challenges women face worldwide. Across national security, diplomacy, human rights and digital spaces, women continue to break barriers. ...3 weeks ago
- Bernanke on inflation targeting
Former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (and FOMC), Ben Bernanke, was yesterday the first of two keynote speakers at the Reserve Bank’s conference to mark 35 years of inflation targeting, which first became a formalised thing here in New Zealand. He indicated that he’d be speaking about ...3 weeks ago
- The city that could be cut in half by proposed electorate changes
The Representation Commission has proposed changes to New Zealand’s parliamentary electorates ahead of the 2026 election, writes Madeleine Chapman in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Wellington loses a seat In a suite of proposed changes, the Representation Commission has outlined ...1 day ago - ‘Nightmare fuel’ – Kiwi soldier in Ukraine on the reality of drone warfare
Jordan O'Brien is on the frontlines: 'There's no sugar-coating it.' ...1 day ago - INZ introducing automated decision-making in $336m overhaul
Machines will take over more jobs at Immigration New Zealand under a multi-million dollar upgrade. ...1 day ago
- Just how much influence does Ngāi Tahu have?
Planning consultants have told the High Court that tangata whenua in general, and Ngāi Tahu in particular, have substantial influence over freshwater policy and decisions.Tim Ensor, principal planner at Tonkin & Taylor, and Gerard Willis, a director of the firm Enfocus, appeared as Crown witnesses in the weeks-long case taken ...1 day ago - Covid-19: Politicians’ mixed feelings five years on from first lockdown
Politicians have mixed reflections on the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, five years on from the first lockdown. ...1 day ago
- Watch: The moment NZ went into its first Covid lockdown
"These decisions will place the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders movements in modern history," then-PM Jacinda Ardern said in announcing our first Covid lockdown. ...1 day ago
- How new electorate boundaries could affect key races in the 2026 election
On Tuesday, the Electoral Commission released its proposed changes to electorate boundaries. Joel MacManus takes a closer look at a few electorates where new maps could mean big political changes. Rongotai Shifts left Julie Anne Genter was a surprise winner on election night when she became Rongotai’s first Green MP ...1 day ago
- Inside the dying industry of cargo ship travel
Until 2020, it was possible to book a voyage on a cargo ship. Today, it’s virtually impossible, despite being a greener, languid alternative to air travel. Before the time of te Tiriti, there were few passenger ships. Crossing the Pacific in 1830? Usually, only a merchant could take you – ...1 day ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 26 March
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 26 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Heathrow closure a timely wake-up call for NZ
Comment: Collaborative planning is the only way we can prepare for rare events but which are not unforeseen The post Heathrow closure a timely wake-up call for NZ appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Which promises is Mayor Brown really keeping?
Brown was able to make grand promises in his 2022 campaign, unconstrained by any real understanding of how the council and its agencies worked The post Which promises is Mayor Brown really keeping? appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Billionaire or belligerent, Herald board raider is relentless
The man who wants to run leading media firm NZME and shake up the NZ Herald is someone who won’t take no for an answer The post Billionaire or belligerent, Herald board raider is relentless appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Good riddance to bad rubbish at a north Auckland tip
Lawrence Smith hates to even say ‘rubbish dump’, even though he works at a place where more than half of Auckland’s waste is tipped.“It is a modern-day engineered landfill,” the chief engineer of Waste Management tells The Detail.Standing next to a noisy canon spraying an odour-killing bleach over the waste ...1 day ago
- The new IOC boss and her Kiwi connections
The surprise election of Kirsty Coventry as president of the most powerful sports body in the world gives Barbara Kendall goosebumps.“It’s one of the most monumental events in the history of women’s leadership in sport,” she says. “I’m shocked and I don’t think the magnitude of it all will hit ...1 day ago
- Govt doubles smelter’s carbon subsidy to $75m, overriding officials
Anti-pollution campaigners say the Government’s new $37-million-a-year subsidy for Tiwai Point is a ‘handout with no real justification’ The post Govt doubles smelter’s carbon subsidy to $75m, overriding officials appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- New Watercare boss to borrow $10b for ageing pipes and plants
The country’s biggest utility is to go it alone, separate from Auckland Council – a decision that will require generations of water users to service an eyewatering debt The post New Watercare boss to borrow $10b for ageing pipes and plants appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 26 March
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 26 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- School sex education changes more than a backwards step
Opinion: As I sat down to write this, I was struck by a perplexing realisation: there were two very different ways I could frame this same message. I could choose an approach that completely avoided terms such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, an approach that reflects the imposed framework increasingly ...1 day ago
- Dear Brooke van Velden, please pick up
Riley Chance claims in his angry story in ReadingRoom about the failures of the Public Lending Right (PLR) that the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and its members are happy with and doing nicely from the current PLR system. Au contraire. The lack of any progress to the PLR ...1 day ago
- Albanese government bids for votes with ‘top-up’ tax cuts for all
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tax cuts are the centrepiece of the Albanese government’s cost-of-living budget bid for re-election in May. The surprise tax measures mean taxpayers will receive an extra tax cut of up to A$268 from July 1 ...2 days ago - At a glance: the 2025 federal budget
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation, The Conversation What’s the theme? Many budget measures are aimed at easing cost of living. The headline announcement is tax cuts: everyone will get one, but not until July 1 2026. Other major spends are on ...2 days ago
- The 2025 budget has few savings and surprises but it also ignores climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra By the standards of pre-election budgets, this one is surprisingly modest. There are only a handful of new revenue and spending initiatives. The Budget Paper 2 book, which contains new measures, is a slim ...2 days ago
- Tax cuts are coming, but not soon, in a cautious budget
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Today’s budget is a cautious and responsible response to the cost-of-living pressures facing voters. As noted ahead of budget night, many of the major spending initiatives had already ...2 days ago
- Fiji solidarity group condemns Rabuka plans for Israeli embassy in Jerusalem
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based Pacific solidarity group supporting the indigenous Palestine struggle for survival against the Israeli settler colonial state has today issued a statement condemning Fiji backing for Israel. In an open letter to the “people of Fiji”, the Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network (F4P) has warned “your ...2 days ago
- Why is the US group chat on Houthi attack plans so concerning? A military operations expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Fellow, Naval Studies at UNSW Canberra, and Expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University A report in The Atlantic today sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond: senior US officials shared military operations for a bombing campaign against Houthi ...2 days ago
- Iwi Says RMA Reforms Is ‘Open Attack On Māoridom’
Ngāti Ruanui’s Crown-mandated agency said the south Taranaki iwi wasn’t opposed to improving the resource management system. But Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui kaiwhakahaere Rachel Arnott said they totally rejected not carrying over Treaty obligations. ...2 days ago - Politics: Papua New Guinea PM and Christopher Luxon hold media conference after meeting
PNG PM James Marape and Christopher Luxon held a signing ceremony and media conference following a bilateral meeting ...2 days ago
- Petition launched against ‘horrible, disgusting and inedible’ school lunches
"We've just had enough," lawyer Tania Waikato told RNZ. ...2 days ago
- A budget splash to conserve 30% of Australia’s lands will save species – if we choose the right ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Watson, Professor in Conservation Science, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Hans Wismeijer/Shutterstock In 2022, Australia and many other nations agreed to protect 30% of their lands and waters by 2030 to arrest the rapid decline in biodiversity. ...2 days ago
- Politics live: Papua New Guinea PM and Christopher Luxon hold media conference after meeting
PNG PM James Marape and Christopher Luxon are holding a signing ceremony and media conference following a bilateral meeting ...2 days ago
- The House: Hunker down for a week of urgent plod sprinkled with chaos
MPs will spend the week debating bills under urgency. We outline the key legislation proposed. ...2 days ago
- Labour’s Greg O’Connor plans to stick around even if his Ōhāriu seat is carved up
Under proposals released by the Representation Commission, the electorates of Ōhāriu, Mana, and Ōtaki will be scrapped, and replaced by two new seats: Kenepuru, and Kāpiti. ...2 days ago
- Will RMA change mean cheaper houses?
Planned changes to the Resource Management Act should reduce house prices and improve supply - provided they are able to be enacted. ...2 days ago
- Primary health organisations taking up too much health spending at GPs’ expense – report
Top-heavy PHOs are siphoning off too much funding before it gets to frontline GPs, according to an independent report. ...2 days ago
- Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem Condemns Swarbrick’s Sanctions Bill Against Israel
"Swarbrick’s bill is antisemitic as it denies Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, the right to self defense, a right granted to all other sovereign states." ...2 days ago
- Victim Support ditching volunteers from July
Manaaki Tāngata Victim Suppport is phasing out its 37-year-old volunteer-based service in favour of a fully staff-based workforce. ...2 days ago
- Technology has shaped human knowledge for centuries. Generative AI is set to transform it yet again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Vivienne Bentley, Research Scientist, Responsible Innovation, Data61, CSIRO Cristóbal Ascencio & Archival Images of AI & AIxDESIGN/Better Images of AI, CC BY-SA Where would we be without knowledge? Everything from the building of spaceships to the development of new therapies ...2 days ago
- Māori Development Minister unaware government ruled out Treaty clause in RMA reform
The Minister of Māori Development didn't know Cabinet had agreed not to include the clause in the coalition's proposed legislation. ...2 days ago
- Wage theft is now a criminal offence in NZ – investigating it shouldn’t be left to the police
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Irene Nikoloudakis, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Adelaide Getty Images Being robbed is a horrible experience under any circumstances. But being robbed by your employer involves a unique betrayal of trust. So it was a sign of real progress when ...2 days ago
- Politics: Luxon lashes Health NZ over 11-year-old’s mistaken identity
The PM fielded questions in Parliament on a day where a case of mistaken identity has put the heat on police and Health NZ. ...2 days ago
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