Deep stuff
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Was This The Change We Needed?
Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, August 9th, 2022 - 11 comments
Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?
Rage and the Woke
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 14th, 2022 - 69 comments
The past couple of years has seen a significant increase in far right activity and rapidly increasing racism.
Gang Control Policy Is Back Big Time
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, June 12th, 2022 - 16 comments
We are about to have a proper gang control policy contest. It’s about time.
Ukraine as a Multi-Year war
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, June 12th, 2022 - 20 comments
The Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine is now three months old. Prepare for a very long grind.
Truthiness or Ignorance*
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, June 10th, 2022 - 53 comments
The world is too complex and hostile, so why bother trying to learn and understand.
Who Will Protect Us From Media Power Now?
Written By: - Date published: 6:28 pm, April 26th, 2022 - 9 comments
With RNZ and TVNZ now in full merger mode, we have yet another untested state megalith upon us. But where is the power that will hold it to account?
RNZ’s weird take on MIQ
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 20th, 2022 - 93 comments
RNZ’s recent shock horror reporting on a memo from November 2021 proposing a wind back of MIQ is severely deficient. The framing is one sided and ignores the subsequent emergence of Omicron as a variant of concern.
Why trust in the media is declining
Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, April 10th, 2022 - 47 comments
A recent study into New Zealand’s media suggests that trust in what the media says is declining and that views of what is good and bad media is more and more dependent on the participant’s world view.
Water and Money
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, April 7th, 2022 - 20 comments
If the 3 Waters reforms can survive its attacks and be implemented, a consequence will be that we are going to have a most enormous nationwide economic argument about the price of water and who pays for it all.
Should We Just Settle?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 29th, 2022 - 60 comments
New Zealand does not have to settle for being small, quiet, and weak.
The right to protest Christchurch version
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 22nd, 2022 - 31 comments
Christchurch Council has billed Destiny Church for traffic management fees relating to recent protests. For once I am firmly if reluctantly on the side of Destiny Church. Exercising the right to protest should not attract Council bills.
Pick a side
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 17th, 2022 - 351 comments
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelinsky has made a direct appeal broadcast to the United States Congress. That will sort out the Putin supporters from the rest. And with climate change beckoning it is time to pick a side.
The world in 6 months
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 15th, 2022 - 117 comments
In six months time the world could be in a very precarious position.
Remarkably Hopeful
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, March 1st, 2022 - 18 comments
We will probably never get over the feeling that somehow, if enough people just banded together, it would all get better again, like we did when the United Nations charter was struck.
Why the Wellington protestors are wrong
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2022 - 72 comments
The Wellington protest has exceeded any moral mandate to protest.
They Are Us
Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, February 20th, 2022 - 129 comments
The people camping outside Parliament are also us.
We are better than this
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, February 20th, 2022 - 40 comments
Trying to remember the numbers of protestors in Wellington are small in number compared to the rest of us
100 Things We’ve Lost
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, February 16th, 2022 - 25 comments
Over the past two years we have lost so many things that are not coming back.
The right to protest
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, February 13th, 2022 - 131 comments
Complaints that the police are unnecessarily interfering with the Wellington Convoy’s right to protest appear to be vastly overstated.
Chloe Swarbrick Needs A Reset
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, February 10th, 2022 - 42 comments
Chloe Swarbrick has requested that the government help Auckland central’s restaurants. But in a post Covid pre climate change world this is not going to help.
What Do We Keep?
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, February 7th, 2022 - 37 comments
The things we don’t regret keeping are a strong measure of what we don’t value. COVID’s 2 year anniversary asks us this simply through what events we commemorate.
Going cold turkey on Spotify
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, January 29th, 2022 - 166 comments
Neil Young’s decision to withdraw his music from Spotify because of its insistence on highlighting self declared idiot Joe Rogan has seen a number of people either cancelling their subscriptions or considering alternatives.
Weird stuff Jacinda Ardern has been accused of
Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, January 25th, 2022 - 212 comments
It appears that social media allegations against Jacinda Ardern are becoming more and more extreme.
The problem with middle of the road politicians
Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, January 23rd, 2022 - 21 comments
Joe Biden is struggling to get his agenda passed by the American Legislature. Because of two Senators, one with significant coal interests and the other Senator more willing to protect the rights of a minority of Senators to hold up legislation than the rights of a minority of Americans to vote.
Let’s help Tonga
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, January 19th, 2022 - 12 comments
In 2010 the poor but proud Island Nation raised $705,000 to donate to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Fund. If New Zealanders were to reciprocate their generosity we would donate over $30 million. It is time for us to return the favour.
The Department of Earthly Gifts
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, January 16th, 2022 - 151 comments
Where western minds are busy arguing if indigenous knowledge is science, botanist and first nations woman Robin Wall Kimmerer exemplifies how to do both at the same time.
Unwanted guests?
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 pm, January 8th, 2022 - 22 comments
When I heard US Secretary of State Blinken’s take-away line from his D.C. press conference on RNZ’s news bulletin today on events in Kazakhstan ‘I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave’ I wondered what the Iraqis would think.
Book Review Helen Kelly: her life
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 pm, January 8th, 2022 - 12 comments
The Helen Kelly biography by Rebacca Macfie provides a clear and intense overview of what has happened to New Zealand society over the past 40 years from a time of high union membership and equality to now where unions struggle and inequality is significant.
On the death of Joan Didion
Written By: - Date published: 6:58 am, December 29th, 2021 - 5 comments
We need to remember Joan Didion, who died December 23rd, as perhaps the best defensive pessimist we’ve ever had. She nailed the feet of her times down to the floor to make sure it talked and wept all its pain out. It’s not enough to call Joan Didion just a pessimist, because she wrote hard […]
Die Hard is a Christmas movie
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 25th, 2021 - 33 comments
Here at the Standard we choose to debate the important issues of the day. What needs to be done about climate change, how the Country’s covid response is going (remarkably well and don’t believe the naysayers), and which National faction is leaking and undermining which leader. But there is one debate that is currently raging that has until now not been addressed …
No One Cares
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, December 18th, 2021 - 71 comments
I had reason to visit Waitara in Taranaki recently, and I don’t want to sound like there’s a different world still operating … … but the fish and chip shop people weren’t wearing masks, I passed three guys burning the street with dirt-bikes and no helmets and famously lank and long hair, random fireworks lit up […]
- IPCC Explainer: The Science of Climate Change – Mitigation
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a 750,000 word IPCC report is logically worth 750 pictures. John Lang, Net Zero Tracker lead with the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and science communicator, is trying out a new way of seeing climate change, one picture at a time. The length of ...4 hours ago - Time to freeze rents
For the past few years Renters United has been calling for rent controls to stop gouging landlords. Now, that call has been taken up by the Human Rights Commission: The Human Rights Commission/Te Kāhui Tika Tangata is calling for an immediate rent freeze and an increase to the accommodation ...8 hours ago - Stop bullying me
Papakura lawyer Harry Hindenberg knows all about being bullied. ...9 hours ago - Facebook is a scourge. Convince me otherwise.
Totally worth watching: Robbie Nicol (of White Man Behind A Desk) explains …”After the protests [at Parliament Buildings, Wellington] in February, I tried to write a monologue about Facebook and radicalisation — and it ended up being 17 minutes long lol.” Surely Facebook’s twisted, evil, money-at-all-costs approach – radicalising users ...9 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on the case for nationalising our urban bus services
When it comes to funding and managing public transport, should local government or central government bear most of the responsibility for delivering a quality service? Ratepayers or taxpayers? Those basic questions re-surfaced yesterday, after the government announced its intention to scrap the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) imposed by the ...11 hours ago - Geoffrey Miller: Aukus door held ajar for New Zealand
15 hours ago - Geothermal heating and cooling: Renewable energy’s hidden gemThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Philip Warburg Often described as a giant tower of Jenga blocks, Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences shows no outward signs of leading the race to sustainable energy design. No rooftop wind turbines grace its heights; no solar panels are ...21 hours ago
- Rushdie, J.K Rowling and Death Threats
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh 13 August 2022 On Friday 12th, an assailant attacked Salman Rushdie on stage in New York, stabbing him some 15 times. The author was whisked away by helicopter to a hospital and at the time of writing the prognosis is that he will survive though with ...1 day ago - Kelvyn Alp – Arsehole of the Week
Even if you only have a cursory interest in politics, it’s likely you’ve heard of an outfit called Counterspin, which is a streaming media outlet that propagates fake news and encourages severe acts of violence. Based along similar lines as Infowars, Counterspin is run by a trumped-up little fascist named ...1 day ago - Too Many Angels And Devils.
1 day ago - Re-nationalising public transportBack in 2013, the then-National government imposed the public transport operating model, requiring local authorities to contract out their bus services to the lowest bidder. Now, its being reversed: The system that bus drivers and their union say has created the “race to the bottom” is on the out, ...1 day ago
- Absurd and offensiveRNZ had a piece this morning about Waka Kotahi's plans for smart speed cameras allowing things like point-to-point average speed tickets and so on. There are obvious privacy issues here, which waka Kotahi seems to have completely ignored, having signed a contract before they were even investigated, let alone addressed. ...1 day ago
- Gordon Campbell on the Sharma chameleonGather round the camp-fire, folks. Let me tell you about the Ice Age era of the fourth Labour government, when mean, sabre-toothed tigers like Richard Prebble ranged at large within the Labour caucus. A being so mean and fierce that – legend has it – he once made Michael Cullen ...1 day ago
- New Zealand, we have a problemDear Aotearoa, we have a major problem that is inhibiting our success, namely racism. Destroying old and young alike, racism in New Zealand is the silent assassin, a killer that permeates through every facet of our society.On Thursday, the NZ Herald reported:Cricket: Black Caps great Ross Taylor's racism claim outlined ...2 days ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, August 7, 2022 through Sat, August 13, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week (bolded articles are from SkS authors): Electrifying transportation reduces emissions AND saves massive amounts of energy, ...2 days ago
- tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612441315352179822.post-632081873111245712CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATE IN IMAGES 2022I am just wondering how hot is too hot before we commit to real global action to reduce our emissions and save our climate and natural environment. The images below are what has occurred in the northern hemisphere summer and it is likely we will ...3 days ago
- Let’s read some Rushdie today
Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while on stage in New York where he was about to give a talk. He is now undergoing surgery. The British novelist has lived under death threats since the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him in 1989 and put a $3 ...3 days ago - How Should We Run the Public Health System?
Two-and-a-half years on, the Government’s merged mega-polytechnic, the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology – Te Pūkenga, is facing a deficit which is double the planned one. Will Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) be facing similar troubles in December 2024?Why did the Government centralise the 20 ...4 days ago - Asleep at the wheelA couple of months ago, in response to a Newsroom piece about what endemic covid means for Aotearoa, I asked Treasury and the Ministry of Health what advice they'd produced on the impacts of "long covid" on the economy and health system. Treasury responded quickly, admitting that they hadn't been ...4 days ago
- Parting Shots.4 days ago
- The Flashman Factor.The Empire Within Which Bullying Never Ceased: The bitter truth about Great Britain’s “public” schools (and their many imitators in the Empire’s far-flung dominions) is that they were consciously designed to produce a very particular kind of imperial administrator. These men needed to be courageous, but not compassionate; clever, but ...4 days ago
- Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing! ...5 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #32 2022A most amazingly air-tight conspiracy Not research, but research-related. Skeptical Science reader John G. writes to point out an omission in our collection of rebuttals: "You are failing to rebut a prevailing narrative which blames a Globalist Elite for promoting CC as part of The Great Reset." Thank you John, ...5 days ago
- Climate Change: Treasury’s sabotage(Cartoon by Jon Kudelka) There's a (paywalled) story on BusinessDesk about today's budget document drop - and in particular the climate change documents - about how Treasury resisted Ministerial demands for more spending on climate change, forcing cuts to a level deemed insufficient to meet the requirements of the ...5 days ago
- National’s Bad News
The travails of National MP Sam Uffindell are bad news for the National party in more ways than one. The obvious question is as to how an applicant with such a disreputable history could have secured the nomination as the National candidate in the Tauranga by-election. National’s vetting procedures seem ...5 days ago - Media Link: “A View from Afar” on China, Taiwan and future implications.
The “A View from Afar” podcast with Selwyn Manning and I resumed after a months hiatus. We discussed the PRC-Taiwan tensions in the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s visit and what pathways, good and bad, may emerge from the escalation of hostilities between the mainland and island. You can find it ...5 days ago - Eugenie Sage’s mining ban billA ballot for one member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill (Eugenie Sage) The bill is pitched as protecting conservation land, and it does immediately do that. But it also goes further, doing exactly what it ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on how National’s ”new” welfare plan resurrects a past failureSam Uffindell’s defenders keep reminding us that he was only 16 at the time of the King’s College incident, and haven’t we all done things in our teens that, as adults, we look back on with shame and embarrassment? True. Let’s be honest. Haven’t we all at one time or ...5 days ago
- You can’t understand Ukraine without acknowledging its deep divisions
Our media insists on telling us that Ukraine is a unified country suffering aggression from its neighbour the Russian Federation. But it is hardly unified. A violent civil war has raged there since the overthrow of the democratically elected government in February 2014. This civil war arose from deep ...6 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Is Tauranga headed towards yet another by-election?If National causes yet another by-election to be held in Tauranga, not only will it cost the taxpayers another unnecessary $1m for the taxpayers after Simon Bridges called it quits earlier in the year, but National will also pay a big price in terms of its reputation and integrity. A ...6 days ago
- The Way We Used To Want It – And, Maybe, Still Do.Representing Pakeha Racism: The important thing to remember about Rob Muldoon, and the racist policies with which his name is associated, is that he drew his power from the hundreds-of-thousands of anxious, angry, and yes – racist – Pakeha who voted for him, and that his most effective campaign slogan was: “New Zealand the ...6 days ago
- Experts: Senate-passed bill will yield myriad climate benefitsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act by a single vote on Sunday, August 7. The bill, headed to the House of Representatives within days, includes by far the largest and most consequential measures to reduce domestic climate pollution in the nation’s ...7 days ago
- Bullying's long shadow is cast across Sam Uffindell and the National Party
I remember feeling anxious before making the phone call, although not at anxious I might have expected. But what sticks most in my mind is how the phone call ended. It was the late 1990s. I was deputy editor of the NZ Listener and I had to ring a guy ...7 days ago - Another starving watchdogWorkSafe is supposed to make sure that every Kiwi is safe at work. Except they can't any more, because they're not funded to do the job properly: A lack of funding is forcing WorkSafe to reduce its focus on adventure activities, and it is unable to hold some companies ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: The Uffindell scandal raises big questions about integrity in NationalNational is dripping “blue blood” again. The revelations over Sam Uffindell’s violent assault indicate that the National Party under Christopher Luxon hasn’t quite shed the toxicity and internal damage of the last few years. The crises besetting the party have recently been well documented in journalist Andrea Vance’s new book ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on Sam Uffindell’s sorry excuse for an apologyMost of us believe in redemption and atonement… But the timing, the nature and the semantics of Sam Uffindell‘s apology for his role in a gang that beat a younger kid (reportedly) with wooden bed legs, has left much to be desired. The victim seems pretty clear about the motivation ...1 week ago
- Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Personal integrity in politicsYesterday the news broke that newly elected National MP Sam Uffindell was asked to leave private Auckland school King’s College at the end of his fifth form year after being part of a group that viciously beat a younger student one night. There are many elements to this latest political ...1 week ago
- Sam Uffindell must resignYou’ve got to wonder why the National Party knowingly hid information from the public about their newest MP, Sam Uffindell. Surely they must’ve realised that their secret would eventually leak into the public domain. New Zealand is far too small for cover-ups of this kind to be effective.Despite his violent ...1 week ago
- Electrifying transportation reduces emissions AND saves massive amounts of energyThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk With high energy prices and increasing urgency to reduce fossil fuel burning, it makes sense to get the most out of every gallon of gasoline or kilowatt-hour of electricity. A previous post showed that charging an EV costs around $1.41 per gallon ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Luxon’s “New National”Back in the 1990s, Tony Blair rebranded The British Labour Party as “New Labour”, to try and draw a line under past failures. It’s as if Christopher Luxon is attempting to follow suit, and launch “New National” at the moment – a party that’s fresh-looking, has made some big breaks ...1 week ago
- Party of bulliesBack in June Sam Uffindell was elected to parliament in the Tauranga by-election. Turns out he's a bully who beat a kid with a bed-leg at school: The National Party’s newest MP, Sam Uffindell, was asked to leave his exclusive boarding school after viciously beating a younger student late ...1 week ago
- Submit!The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Electoral Amendment Bill. Submissions are due by Wednesday, 31 August 2022, and can be made at the link above. The bill improves disclosure of party finances, lowering the declaration threshold to $5,000 and requiring parties to disclose their annual financial statements. ...1 week ago
- Government-sponsored debt-slaveryStuff this morning has an appalling story about the exploitation of RSE workers in Blenheim, with workers being overcharged for substandard accommodation, denied sick-leave, and held in what is effectively debt-slavery: Migrant horticulture workers are being housed six men to a room, charged $150 a week to sleep in ...1 week ago
- Work, Work, Work!1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on National’s plan to privatise welfare deliveryOn the rare occasions when it ever gets asked, the public keeps rejecting tax cuts as such, as a policy priority. It keeps saying it wants tax levels to either stay the same or be increased, so that public services can be maintained, or even (perish the thought) improved. In ...1 week ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #31Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 31, 2022 through Sat, August 6, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week (bolded articles are from SkS authors): ‘Reality is scary’: climate culture war heats up for UK ...1 week ago
- Dunedin Winter Gloom: August 2022
Europe has been baking in a heatwave, of course. Not so much this part of the world, which benefits by still being in Winter (though let’s just say I am not looking forward to January 2023). Not that it’s been a particularly cold Winter – we haven’t had one ...1 week ago - Once again, those Russian neo-Nazis – the Wagner groupThe Wagner Group is a private military company – effectively mercenaries. It has been used for the military activity of the Russian Federation in various parts of the world. Currently, it is operating in Ukraine and apparently has a reputation as a very brave and effective force in the ...1 week ago
- Considering Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.I have said this in other forums, but here is the deal: PRC military exercises after Pelosi’s visit are akin to male gorillas who run around thrashing branches and beating their chests when annoyed, disturbed or seeking to show dominance. They are certainly dangerous and not to be ignored, but ...1 week ago
- A Cranky Uncle Cartoon a day, keeps misinformation at bay!From July 7 to 26 we tried something new on our Facebook page by sharing one Cranky Uncle cartoon each day for 20 days in a row. There were two reasons for doing this: firstly, we wanted to ensure that at least one post would get published each day while I was ...2 weeks ago
- Fighting Past Inflation Battles
Too many commentators on current price pressures have not understood that this time it is very different from the 1970s. Their prescriptions may accelerate inflation.The New Zealand economy is experiencing an external price shock arising from the Covid pandemic and the Ukrainian invasion compounded by related supply chain difficulties. It ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell on National’s incredible disappearing tax policyDuring the years of the Key government one hardy perennial of political journalism was that whenever the Labour Opposition would suggest a policy alternative to the status quo, the hard bitten response from the Gallery realists would be “But how’re you gonna pay for it?” National in Opposition has been ...2 weeks ago
- In A Wizard's Garden.In The Wizard’s Garden: George Dunlop Leslie, 1904IT ALL SEEMS so long ago now, and, to be fair, in human terms, 48 years is a long time. New Zealand was a different country in 1974. Someone unafraid of courting controversy might say it had achieved “Peak Pakeha”. Although the Labour Government of ...2 weeks ago
- Seating ArrangementsProximate Cause: Tellingly, it was Helen Clark who was seated close by when, earlier this week, Jacinda Ardern delivered a speech carefully crafted to keep New Zealand’s dairy exports heading China’s way. Photo by PolitikPURISTS WOULD ARGUE that New Zealand’s foreign policy should not be determined by who its Prime Minister ...2 weeks ago
- Iambic Galadriel, Trochaic Gigwit, and Metrical Dialogue
We have a new clip out of The Rings of Power. It sees Galadriel and the affectionately nicknamed Gigwit* venturing into dark places in search of evil. At fifty-odd seconds, it also constitutes the longest single piece of show dialogue we have seen thus far. *An acronym. “Galadriel Is ...2 weeks ago - Crossing the Line: What Lies Behind the Surge To Te Pāti Māori?2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #31 2022"CAGW." A thing? With its provocative title and remarks grounded in respected published research, the perspective Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has caused a few ripples reaching into popular media. "Endgame" and "catastrophic" lean hard in the direction of "pay ...2 weeks ago
- Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?In the past there's been a few interesting data points about the New Zealand Intelligence Community's desire to covertly manipulate public opinion through media and academic mouthpieces. In 2015 the Council for Civil Liberties revealed the existence of an NZIC "Strategic Communications Group" tasked with persuading the public that spying ...2 weeks ago
- Windfall tax now!Inflation is through the roof, and "coincidentally" so is oil company profiteering. UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls it what it is: grotesque: The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has described the record profits of oil and gas companies as immoral and urged governments to introduce a windfall tax, using ...2 weeks ago
- Undoing Muldoon’s crimeA little over 40 years ago, Falema'i Lesa won her appeal before the Privy Council, which ruled that she - and every other Samoan born under New Zealand colonial rule - was a New Zealand citizen. Then-Prime Minister Rob Muldoon didn't like that, so he had an urgent law passed ...2 weeks ago
- The opposition is in disarrayWhat on earth is going on with the main opposition parties at the moment? Both National and ACT have been making numerous flip-flops and miscommunications, clearly indicating that they aren’t a viable alternative to the current Labour led Government.Of particular note is the duplicitous reasoning given for why they support ...2 weeks ago
- DrawnA ballot for two member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Housing Infrastructure (GST-sharing) Bill (Brooke van Velden) Prohibition on Seabed Mining Legislation Amendment Bill (Debbie Ngarewa-Packer) Ngarewa-Packer's bill looks likely to start a shitfight with Labour, and not just because the ...2 weeks ago
- How not to solve the climate change problemKevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliated Faculty, University of Auckland. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. When politicians talk about reaching “net zero” emissions, they’re often counting on trees or technology that can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. What ...2 weeks ago
- Misery and Fear of Misery: Musings on Malthus and Henry George
As you might have noticed, I have an on-going interest in working my way through old and intellectually influential reading material. Occasionally I even share my thoughts on it, which allows me to take a break from my generally-dominant Tolkien analysis. Well, today I thought I would take a ...2 weeks ago - Blowback on abortionAt the end of June, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, putting abortion rights in America under threat. The move was unpopular - abortion rights have had clear majority support for decades and only a tiny minority of religious bigots think it should be illegal in all circumstances ...2 weeks ago
- A new standard for BORA consistency?Golriz Ghahraman's Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill will probably face its first reading today. And three months after it was introduced - pissing on the "as soon as practicable" requirement of Standing Order 269 - it has received a section 7 report from Attorney-General David Parker stating that its proposed ...2 weeks ago
- The IPCA wants teethThere's an interesting select committee report out today, from the Petitions Committee on the Petition of Conrad Petersen: The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). The petitioner raises some concerns about the slowness of the IPCA process and its lack of oversight, and suggests some solutions. The committee doesn't seem keen ...2 weeks ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day, but likely to be a boring one. There's no general debate today, and instead the House will move right into the third reading of the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Bill, which will add unelected, inherently conflicted Ngai Tahu representatives to ECan. Then there's ...2 weeks ago
- 27,000 employed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing unemployment has risen slightly to 3.3%. There are now 96,000 unemployed - 27,000 fewer than when Labour took office. The media narrative around this release has been... interesting. Unemployment was predicted to be as low as 2.8%, causing panic from ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on the “one person, many votes” principleThat gormlessly glum picture of Christopher Luxon in Samoa graphically tells us what kind of image New Zealand would be projecting abroad if there’s a change of government next year. The glumness is understandable. For months, National and ACT had been dog whistling to the bigots who oppose the creation ...2 weeks ago
- Bryce Edwards: Time to take political donations law seriouslyThere is no corruption in New Zealand. At least that’s what authorities want the public to believe. For decades now our system of political finance regulation has been portrayed as highly rigorous, ensuring our politicians cannot be bought. Unfortunately, that’s just not true. Although politicians and officials have claimed tight ...2 weeks ago
- Branko Marcetic: Who knew James Shaw had so many fans in the media?Pundits have come out of the woodwork to defend the Greens co-leader, after he was stripped of his leadership last week by unhappy party members. The defences have all stuck to basically the same script: Shaw is a successful leader and minister who’s handed the party big victories in politics ...2 weeks ago
- How likely would Britain’s 40°C heatwave have been without climate change?By Ben Clarke, DPhil Candidate in Environmental Research, University of Oxford; Friederike Otto, Associate Director, Environmental Change Institute, Imperial College London, and Luke Harrington, Senior Lecturer in Climate Change, University of Waikato. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Every heatwave occurring today ...2 weeks ago
- Meghan Murphy and Batya Ungar-Sargon on how journalism went wokeMeghan Murphy talks with Batya Ungar-Sargon the author of Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy. The book charts the trajectory of journalism in the US as it shifted from being a blue collar occupation producing the penny press for the masses, to a profession for Ivy League university ...2 weeks ago
- A Grand Coalition For Peace, Unity and Democracy.Co-Leaders? The uncomfortable truth is: not the Army, not the Police, not the Spooks, and not even a combination of all three, could defeat the scale and violence of White Supremacist and Māori Nationalist resistance which the imposition of radical decolonisation – or its racism-inspired defeat – would unleash upon ...2 weeks ago
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- Pay parity for early childhood teachers, now
A recent decision by the Minister of Education to hold back pay parity for ECE teachers needs changing urgently, the Green Party says. ...10 hours ago - Green Party legislation to protect migrant victims of family violenceA Green Party member’s bill would provide stronger protections for people in migrant communities who experience family violence. ...12 hours ago
- Greens back HRC call for immediate rent freezeThe Green Party backs the Human Rights Commission’s call for an immediate rent freeze followed by reform of the rental system to guarantee that everyone has a warm, dry, affordable place to live. ...15 hours ago
- New public transport model must be backed with investmentThe Green Party has once again shown that bringing people together to demand change works, with the announcement today that the Government will give communities a greater say over how their local transport services are run. ...2 days ago
- Exclusive view of the very real threat of losing St James Theatre, AucklandGreen Party MP for Auckland Central, Chlöe Swarbrick has released an exclusive video showing for the first time the extent of the damage done to St. James Theatre during a recent break-in. ...2 days ago
- Food prices demand urgent actionThe Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure that as a nation which produces enough food to feed 40 million people, everyone in New Zealand can put an abundance of nourishing, nutritious kai on the table. ...4 days ago
- Monkeypox elimination plan is essentialThe Green Party is calling on the Government to listen to public health experts and commit to an elimination strategy for monkeypox. ...5 days ago
- Bill to ban mining on conservation land pulled from biscuit tinFollowing months of work by the Green Party and community and environmental organisations, Parliament will have the opportunity to pass legislation to protect public conservation land and waters from mining. ...5 days ago
- Grassroots sports no longer excuse for alcohol harm inactionNew evidence released today by Alcohol Healthwatch shows there’s never been a better time for Parliament to pass Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick’s Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill. ...5 days ago
- Supporting more Kiwis into jobs
We’re helping more Kiwis into work, to help support whānau, grow our skilled workforce and secure our economy for future generations. During our time in Government, we’ve delivered record low unemployment rates, as well as a steady fall in the number of New Zealanders receiving a main benefit, and we’re ...6 days ago - Bottom trawling on all seamounts must stopThe Green Party once again calls on the Government to ban bottom trawling on all seamounts following the release of an industry white paper on so-called ‘sustainable’ trawling. ...6 days ago
- Time to transform care and support for disabled peopleUrgent reform is essential to ensure disabled people have equal access to the care and support they need, the Green Party says in response to a new report that challenges politicians to fix the current system. ...7 days ago
- Green Candidates confirmed for Palmerston North City Council 2022Emerging from an energetic selection meeting, we’re pleased to announce that Kaydee Zabelin and Brent Barrett are your Green Party candidates for Palmerston North City Council. ...1 week ago
- Kaydee Zabelin selected as Green candidate for Palmerston North City CouncilKaydee Zabelin has today been selected as a Green Party candidate for Palmerston North City Council in the 2022 election. ...1 week ago
- Three strikes law gone but not forgotten for manyThe repeal of the archaic three strikes law is welcome but it doesn’t go far enough, the Green Party says. ...1 week ago
- Better long-term planning needed for COVIDCOVID-19 is here to stay and so the Government needs to put in place long-term protection measures, including mandatory ventilation standards, the Green Party says. ...1 week ago
- Abuse revelations leave no choice but to overhaul RSE schemeThe Green Party is calling on the Government to overhaul the Recognised Seasonal Employers scheme in the wake of revelations of shocking human rights violations. ...1 week ago
- Decent work, not sanctionsThe Green Party is calling for a cross-party commitment to guaranteeing at least a living wage and safe working conditions to people seeking employment, instead of continuing benefit sanctions. ...1 week ago
- Member’s bill adds to growing demands on Govt to stop deep sea miningThe Green Party is once again calling on the Government to announce its support for a moratorium on deep sea mining, and to support a member’s bill going to select committee. ...2 weeks ago
- Let’s build better, warmer, and climate-friendlyThe Government must take steps to ensure that the way we build our homes is helping to meet New Zealand’s climate change targets, the Green Party said. ...2 weeks ago
- Mana in Mahi must guarantee liveable incomesThe Government’s employment initiatives led by the Ministry of Social Development must guarantee liveable incomes and fair working conditions, the Green Party says. ...2 weeks ago
- Time to strike anti-Pacific racism from New Zealand lawA Green Party member’s bill launched today would strike an anti-Pacific racist law from the country’s books and help heal the wrongs of the past. ...2 weeks ago
- More nurses, doctors and health workersNew Zealanders deserve a health system that works for everyone, no matter who you are or where you live. Our Government has a plan to make this a reality, and we’re taking the next steps. We now have thousands more health professionals, such as doctors and nurses, working in New ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party welcomes new report critiquing OT Oversight billThe Green Party once again calls on the Government to withdraw its Oversight of Oranga Tamariki Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- 15 times Jacinda Ardern has shown she’s a true leaderDuring her time as Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has navigated New Zealand through unprecedented times. Through it all, she’s become known as someone who leads with kindness, compassion and strength, while keeping the wellbeing of Kiwis at the heart of her approach. To celebrate five years of Jacinda leading the ...2 weeks ago
- Govt must wipe debt to MSD as part of ‘cost of living’ responseThe Government needs to clear the debt that MSD has forced hundreds of thousands of low income people to take on, says the Green Party. ...2 weeks ago
- Easing the pressure on New ZealandersSince taking office in 2017, our Government has worked hard to lift wages and make life more affordable for New Zealanders, as we move forward with our plan to grow a secure economy for all. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Foundation loophole must be closed at select committeeThe Government must use the opportunity of the Electoral Amendment Bill in Parliament to close the loophole in the political donations regime, the Green Party says. ...3 weeks ago
- Government partners with Germany to invest in green hydrogen research
$6million investment in research into three green hydrogen projects New Zealand research teams now able to access European green hydrogen research facilities and expertise A green hydrogen research programme has been established with Germany will support Aotearoa New Zealand’s move towards a more sustainable, low-emissions economy, Research, Science and Innovation ...7 hours ago - $14.9m allocated to Māori boarding school upgradesMinister for Māori Development Willie Jackson today announced the allocation of the remaining $14.9 million of the $20 million Budget 2021 investment into the Māori Boarding Schools initiative. The four Māori boarding schools play a significant role in the development of future Māori leaders. They have been long-standing, staunch advocates ...10 hours ago
- New High Commissioner to Kiribati appointedForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of Andre Van Der Walt as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to Kiribati. “As a Pacific nation we value our strong and enduring relationships throughout the region, especially with Kiribati,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “Our two nations share a strong partnership based on ...12 hours ago
- 85,000 new Kiwis provide certainty for New Zealand businessesMore than a third of eligible migrants are now New Zealand residents thanks to the Government’s one-off, simplified path to residence, providing a way forward for migrant families and certainty for New Zealand businesses, Minister of Immigration Michael Wood has announced. “This is great news for our migrant families and ...13 hours ago
- NZ sends further significant deployment to support UkraineNew Zealand is making a further significant deployment of 120 New Zealand Defence Force personnel to the United Kingdom to help train Ukraine soldiers, as part of an international effort to help Ukraine continue to defend itself against Russia’s illegal war. It follows a completed deployment of 30 NZDF personnel ...1 day ago
- Foreign Minister visit to Niue and TongaForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will visit Niue and Tonga this week to engage kanohi ki te kanohi with counterparts, and progress work on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific Resilience and climate action priorities. “After the disruption caused by COVID-19 border closures, this is another opportunity to connect in-person with our ...1 day ago
- Creating sustainable public transport for allOur new approach to public transport will: Support ‘on-demand’ public transport services Allow councils to own and operate services in house Improve pay and working conditions Deliver routes and services that reflect community needs Incentivise the decarbonisation of the fleet Workers and public transport users are at the heart of ...2 days ago
- Welcome for Afghan human rights defenders, Government House AucklandAs-salamu alaykum, Tena tatou katoa, Thank you all for being here today. To the Afghan human rights defenders and your family members, welcome to Aotearoa. And thank you Your Excellency for hosting us all here at Government House. We have with us today from Afghanistan, human rights advocates, journalists, judges, ...4 days ago
- Speech on tax changes for Build-to-Rent sectorIt’s my great pleasure to be able to speak with you about a really positive move for the Build-to-Rent sector. As you know, we announced changes last year to help steer property investors way from the existing pool of housing and toward solving New Zealand’s grave housing shortage - by ...4 days ago
- Tax incentives to boost long-term rental supply· Tax changes aimed at growing quality, secure rental supply · New and existing build-to-rent developments exempt from interest limitation rules in perpetuity, when offering ten-year tenancies · Exemption to apply from 1 October 2021. The Government is encouraging more long-term rental options by giving developers tax incentives for as ...4 days ago
- Govt marks 350th tower in push for improved rural connectivityThe Government has marked another milestone in its push for better rural connectivity, welcoming the delivery of Rural Connectivity Group’s (RCG) 350th tower. Waikato’s Te Ākau, which sits roughly 50 kilometres out of Hamilton is home to the new tower. “The COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted the ever-increasing importance of ...4 days ago
- Joint Press Release: Trans-Tasman agriculture ministers discuss biosecurity co-operationBiosecurity co-operation topped the agenda when Australia and New Zealand’s agriculture ministers met yesterday. Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Murray Watt met with his New Zealand counterpart, Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, and Rural Communities in a conference call, which had particular focus on foot and ...4 days ago
- Remote monitoring could give patients better care at homePeople could spend less time in hospital, thanks to a smart new remote device that lets patients be monitored at home, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Technology has the potential to really change the way we do things – to do things that are better for patients and at the ...4 days ago
- Government supporting kids’ learning successConcrete steps to clarify inclusive, evidence-informed teaching practices Strengthen capability supports along the professional pathway Enhance partnerships between the education system and whānau, iwi, communities Embed equitable additional learning supports and assessment tools that help teachers effectively notice and respond to the needs of students Improved student achievement is a ...5 days ago
- Supporting prevention, preparedness and response to global pandemicsAotearoa New Zealand has committed to strengthen global prevention, preparedness and responses to future pandemics with seed funding for a new World Bank initiative, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We cannot afford to wait until the next pandemic. We must all play our part to support developing countries ...5 days ago
- Overseas investors converting farms to forests must show benefit to New ZealandA law change to ensure that forestry conversions by overseas investors benefit New Zealand has passed its final reading in Parliament. Previously, overseas investors wishing to convert land, such as farm land, into forestry only needed to meet the “special forestry test”. This is a streamlined test, designed to encourage ...5 days ago
- International visitors boosting economic recoveryInternational tourism recovery well underway with higher level of overseas visitor arrivals than previously expected UK and US card spend already back at pre-COVID levels Visitors staying in New Zealand longer and spending more compared to 2019 Govt support throughout pandemic helped tourism sector prepare for return of international ...5 days ago
- Ministry’s inaugural Strategy paves way for ethnic communitiesThe Ministry for Ethnic Communities has released its first strategy, setting out the actions it will take over the next few years to achieve better wellbeing outcomes for ethnic communities Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. “The Strategy that has been released today sets out ...5 days ago
- World class aquatic centre opened in Hawke’s BayThe Prime Minister has officially opened the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre today saying it is a huge asset to the region and to the country. “This is a world class facility which will be able to host national and international events including the world championships. With a 10-lane Olympic ...5 days ago
- Tulī Takes Flight winners take to the wingThe Associate Minister of Education, Aupito William Sio, has today announced the recipients of the Tulī Takes Flight scholarships which were a key part of last year’s Dawn Raids apology. The scholarships are a part of the goodwill gesture of reconciliation to mark the apology by the New Zealand Government ...6 days ago
- Govt supports free period products in over 2000 schools within one year96% of estimated menstruating students receive free period products 2085 schools involved 1200 dispensers installed Supports cost of living, combats child poverty, helps increase attendance Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti today hailed the free period products in schools, Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata, a huge success, acknowledging ...6 days ago
- Govt boosts tourism transformation to strengthen workforce and improve outcomesThe Tourism Industry Transformation Plan outlines key actions to improve the sector This includes a Tourism and Hospitality Accord to set employment standards Developing cultural competency within the workforce Improving the education and training system for tourism Equipping business owners and operators with better tools and enabling better work ...6 days ago
- NZ earns another major digital investmentMinister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark welcomes Google Cloud’s decision to make New Zealand a cloud region. “This is another major vote of confidence for New Zealand’s growing digital sector, and our economic recovery from COVID 19,” David Clark said. “Becoming a cloud region will mean ...6 days ago
- Changes to NCEA & University Entrance in response to COVID-19 disruptionsA package of changes to NCEA and University Entrance announced today recognise the impact COVID-19 has had on senior secondary students’ assessment towards NCEA in 2022, says Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti. “We have heard from schools how significant absences of students and teachers, as a result of COVID-19, ...7 days ago
- 60th Anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa- “Lifelong Fri...Te Reo Māori tauparapara… Tapatapa tū ki te Rangi! Ki te Whei-ao! Ki te Ao-mārama Tihei mauri ora! Stand at the edge of the universe! of the spiritual world! of the physical world! It is the breath of creation Formal acknowledgments… [Your Highness Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and Masiofo] ...7 days ago
- New law passed to reduce gun harmThe Government’s commitment to combatting firearms violence has reached another significant milestone today with the passage of the Firearms Prohibition Order Legislation Bill, Police Minister Chris Hipkins says. The new law helps to reduce firearm-related crime by targeting possession, use, or carriage of firearms by people whose actions and behaviours ...1 week ago
- Minister sends condolences as last Battle for Crete veteran passes awayMinister for Veterans, Hon Meka Whaitiri sends her condolences to the last Battle for Crete veteran. “I am saddened today to learn of the passing of Cyril Henry Robinson known as Brant Robinson, who is believed to be the last surviving New Zealand veteran of the Battle for Crete, Meka ...1 week ago
- Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill passes third readingLegislation to repeal the ‘Three Strikes’ law has passed its third reading in Parliament. “The Three Strikes Legislation Repeal Bill ends an anomaly in New Zealand’s justice system that dictates what sentence judges must hand down irrespective of relevant factors,” Justice Minister Kiri Allan said. “The three strikes law was ...1 week ago
- Government working on preliminary steps to improve support for abuse survivorsWork is under way on preliminary steps to improve the Government’s support for survivors of abuse in care while a new, independent redress system is designed, Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins says. These steps – recommended by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry – include rapid payments for ...1 week ago
- Remarks upon 77th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and NagasakiRemembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki Online Forum 77 years ago today, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Three days earlier, on the 6th of August 1945, the same fate had befallen the people of Hiroshima. Tens of thousands died instantly. In the years that followed 340,000 ...1 week ago
- Govt signs NZ–USA agreement launching new opportunities for space sectorAn agreement signed today between the New Zealand and United States governments will provide new opportunities for our space sector and closer collaboration with NASA, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash said. Stuart Nash signed the Framework Agreement with United States Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman. The signing ...1 week ago
- Govt strengthens emergency management cooperation between NZ and the USAn agreement signed today between New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will strengthen global emergency management capability, says Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty. “The Government is committed to continually strengthening our emergency management system, and this Memorandum of Cooperation ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to stay at Orange as winter continuesNew Zealand will remain at the Orange traffic light setting, while hospitalisations remain elevated and pressure on the health system continues through winter. “There’s still significant pressure on hospitals from winter illnesses, so our current measures have an ongoing role to play in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases and ...1 week ago
- Path paved for communities to reshape streetsStreets will soon be able to be transformed from unsafe and inaccessible corridors to vibrant places for all transport modes thanks to new legislation proposed today, announced Transport Minister Michael Wood. “We need to make it safe, quicker and more attractive for people to walk, ride and take public transport ...1 week ago
- Boost for agricultural and horticultural science in schoolsMore young minds eyeing food and fibre careers is the aim of new Government support for agricultural and horticultural science teachers in secondary schools, Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The Government is committing $1.6 million over five years to the initiative through the Ministry for Primary ...1 week ago
- Bumper breeding season boosts Kākāpō populationKākāpō numbers have increased from 197 to 252 in the 2022 breeding season, and there are now more of the endangered parrots than there have been for almost 50 years, Conservation Minister Poto Williams announced today. The flightless, nocturnal parrot is a taonga of Ngāi Tahu and a species unique ...1 week ago
- Relationship with Malaysia to be elevated to Strategic PartnershipThe relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Malaysia is to be elevated to the status of a Strategic Partnership, to open up opportunities for greater co-operation and connections in areas like regional security and economic development. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta met her Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah today during a ...1 week ago
- Call for New Zealanders to get on-board with rail safetyWith additional trains operating across the network, powered by the Government’s investment in rail, there is need for a renewed focus on rail safety, Transport Minister Michael Wood emphasised at the launch of Rail Safety Week 2022. “Over the last five years the Government has invested significantly to improve level ...1 week ago
- Regional approach the focus at ASEAN and East Asia Summit talksThe Foreign Minister has wrapped up a series of meetings with Indo-Pacific partners in Cambodia which reinforced the need for the region to work collectively to deal with security and economic challenges. Nanaia Mahuta travelled to Phnom Penh for a bilateral meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and Aotearoa New Zealand, ...1 week ago
- Speech to the Criminal Bar AssociationKia ora koutou Firstly, thank you to the President of the Criminal Bar Association, Fiona Guy Kidd QC, for her invitation to attend the annual conference this weekend albeit unfortunately she is unable to attend, I’m grateful to the warm welcome both Chris Wilkinson-Smith (Vice-President, Whanganui) and Adam Simperingham (Vice-President, Gisborne) ...1 week ago
- Watch: Labour's caucus unanimously agrees to suspend MP Gaurav Sharma – PM Jacinda Ardern
Labour's caucus has unanimously decided to suspend Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma effective immediately, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. ...5 hours ago - Ousted Waikato Regional Council chairperson withdraws legal actionThe former chairperson of Waikato Regional Council, who was ousted after being accused of making racist comments, has withdrawn legal action. ...5 hours ago
- Watch live: Labour's caucus unanimously agrees to suspend MP Gaurav Sharma – PM Jacinda A...Labour's caucus has unanimously decided to suspend Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma effective immediately, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. ...6 hours ago
- Increasing Accessibility For Disabled People—tāngata Whaikaha
The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill is aimed at addressing the accessibility barriers faced by disabled people, tāngata whaikaha, and others, so they can live independently and participate fully in all areas of life. The bill also aims to ensure ...6 hours ago - Labour caucus is not alone in asking for an explanation from the MP for Hamilton West
Labour MPs may well be determining the fate of Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma at a special caucus meeting, as this post is being written. According to Stuff, the party’s MPs will enter a virtual meeting at 2.30pm on Tuesday and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was expected to speak to ...8 hours ago - RBNZ governor must curb inflationary pressures while keeping an eye on employment trendsReserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has a lot on his plate at present. He is battling to hose down prices which have been rising faster than they have done for 30 years, while at the same time “maximising” sustainable employment. It’s a task none of his predecessors had to undertake. ...9 hours ago
- Business backs ACT's plan for instant penalties for young offendersACT's new crime policy, which would issue burglars with swift penalties, is being welcomed by Auckland business groups. ...9 hours ago
- Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust Funding Round Now OpenTe Tari Taiwhenua is inviting members of the public to apply to the current funding round of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust. The Trust chairman, Mr Paul Chin, encourages people to make applications for proposals that support the aims of the Trust. The ...9 hours ago
- Lack Of Cross-government Ownership A Major Barrier, Warns Disability Rights ReportThe Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) says that disabled people’s human rights will not be fully realised in Aotearoa unless there is a jointly owned and implemented cross government agency approach. The IMM today released its third general update ...9 hours ago
- NZ deploys troops to the UK and despatches Mahuta to the Pacific (but non-Maori speakers may be puzz...Buzz from the Beehive Comings and goings were the common factor in the latest Beehive announcements. Immigration Minister Michael Wood handled the “inward” movements by regurgitating migrant statistics he presumably wanted to crow about. The “outward” movements are recorded in three statements – a further deployment of 120 New Zealand ...10 hours ago
- Back Strongest Global Ocean Treaty: Greenpeace Urges NZ GovernmentGreenpeace Aotearoa is urging the New Zealand government to back the strongest possible Global Oceans Treaty as the latest round of negotiations for the long-awaited treaty kick off in New York. UN member states are meeting this week to hammer out the details ...10 hours ago
- PNG elections show that there is still a long way to go to stamp out violence and ensure proper repr...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ron May, Emertius Fellow, attached to the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program, Australian National University Paramilitary police and soldiers patrol ballot boxes at Tari airport, Southern Highlands, PNG AAP Image Despite Australia “stepping up” its relations with the Pacific since ...11 hours ago - Broadcasting Minister open to discussing independence of new public media entityWith less than a year until its launch, Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson says he is willing to address opposition concerns over the independence of the new government funded public media entity. ...11 hours ago
- Births And Deaths: Year Ended June 2022Births and deaths releases provide statistics on the number of births and deaths of people resident in New Zealand that are registered during a given period, along with selected fertility and mortality rates. They may differ from statistics presented ...11 hours ago
- Population Growth Lowest Since 1986New Zealand's resident population provisionally grew by 12,700 or 0.2 percent over the year, to reach 5.12 million at 30 June 2022, Stats NZ said today. This is the lowest annual growth rate since June 1986 when the population barely changed (0.0 ...11 hours ago
- Retail NZ Welcomes Practical Policies For Retail CrimeRetail NZ welcomes two policy initiatives from the ACT Party Law and Order policy document to combat retail crime – infringement notices and three strikes for burglary. “The announcement today from the ACT Party of two specific policies that will help ...12 hours ago
- Human Rights Commission Sacrifice Renters In Favour Of IdeologyThe departure of the Human Right’s Commission from its core role to defend classical human rights into left wing ideological advocacy would be comical if the policies it is pushing weren’t so dangerous, says the Taxpayers’ Union. “This was always ...12 hours ago
- Labour caucus to meet this afternoon over Sharma allegationsLabour's MPs will meet in an urgent full caucus meeting via teleconferencing early this afternoon. ...12 hours ago
- Efeso Collins Pledges To Form Coalition Of Mayors For Climate ActionGiven climate change not only poses a serious challenge to Auckland but New Zealand as a whole, mayoral candidate Efeso Collins is pledging to form a Coalition of Mayors For Climate Action. Collins says it’s vital local councils work closely together ...13 hours ago
- Power Play: Rogue MP Gaurav Sharma's social media missile propels Labour into damage controlPower Play - Labour MPs will be meeting for an urgent caucus early this afternoon, as the party tries to manage the snowballing damage from the serious allegations being made by one of its own, Gaurav Sharma. ...13 hours ago
- Even a ‘limited’ nuclear war would starve millions of people, new study revealsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ryan Heneghan, Lecturer in Mathematical Ecology, Queensland University of Technology US Department of Energy Even a relatively small nuclear war would create a worldwide food crisis lasting at least a decade in which hundreds of millions would starve, according to ...14 hours ago
- Is fake meat healthy? And what’s actually in it?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Livingstone, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University Shutterstock The popularity of plant-based proteins, or “fake meat”, has increased in recent years as consumers look to eat fewer ...14 hours ago
- One Health: why we need to combine disease surveillance and climate modelling to preempt future pand...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arindam Basu, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University of Canterbury Yang Jianzheng/VCG via Getty Images Within less than three years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared two public health emergencies of international concern: COVID-19 in February 2020 and ...14 hours ago
- In a year of sporting mega-events, the Brisbane Olympics can learn a lot from the ones that fail the...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Halog, Lecturer/Research Group Leader in Industrial Ecology and Circular Economy, The University of Queensland The Brisbane 2032 Olympic organising committee board Darren England/AAP In a year of major sporting events – the Commonwealth Games, the FIFA World Cup, cricket’s T20 World ...14 hours ago
- How to help your child write a speech (without doing it for them)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne O’Mara, Associate Professor in Education, Deakin University Shutterstock It’s hard for parents to help kids with homework without doing it for them. It can be especially difficult to work out where to start when your child is preparing a ...14 hours ago
- Costs of Sydney’s driverless train conversion outweigh the benefitsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Day, PhD Student, Economic and Industrial Policy, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Sydney Shutterstock The NSW government’s industrial dispute with rail unions over the new intercity trains is tipped to add hundreds of millions of dollars ...14 hours ago
- Better Call Saul’s final episode is the end of the golden age of TV as we know itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan Lyons, Scholar in Media and Cultural Studies, Macquarie University IMDB When it was announced that the creators of Breaking Bad would be filming a prequel spin-off to their iconic series, few could have imagined the critical acclaim it would ...14 hours ago
- Auckland mayoralty race becoming 'a cult of personality', minor candidates sayAuckland's minor mayoralty candidates are arguing they are not being given a fair shake in comparison to their high profile counterparts. ...15 hours ago
- Party presidents: The power behind the politicsThe Detail - Political party presidents tend to stay out of the spotlight, so just how influential is their role? ...17 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Morrison’s passion for control trashed conventions and accountabilitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The only credible explanation for Scott Morrison personally installing himself, as an undisclosed ministerial partner, in several portfolios is the former prime minister’s passion for control. The fact he didn’t tell senior colleagues, let ...1 day ago
- For 110 years, climate change has been in the news. Are we finally ready to listen?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linden Ashcroft, Lecturer in climate science and science communication, The University of Melbourne Mike Marrah/Unsplash, CC BY-SA On August 14 1912, a small New Zealand newspaper published a short article announcing global coal usage was affecting our planet’s temperature. ...1 day ago
- Yes, there is good news for a Covid-weary NZ – and it has started to flow from our energy companie...
In the wake of the emotionally draining sagas that have dominated the mainstream media for the past week or so — -first the allegations of bullying within Parliament and by parliamentarians, and then the All Blacks’ triumph and turmoil over the coach’s future employment — can any relief be found? ...1 day ago - Auckland mayoralty race: Viv Beck should stand down to increase Wayne Brown's chances – J...Auckland mayoral hopeful Viv Beck should throw in the towel to give rival and former Far North mayor Wayne Brown a better go, says former Auckland mayor and National MP John Banks. ...1 day ago
- Govt cut pay parity funding for ECE teachers to balance books, documents revealThe government reduced pay parity funding for early childhood teachers in its May Budget to keep its education spending within agreed limits, briefing documents show. ...1 day ago
- Explainer: Scott Morrison was sworn in to several portfolios other than prime minister during the pa...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney Lukas Coch/AAP It has been reported that, during the pandemic, the then prime minister, Scott Morrison, swore himself in as a minister to several portfolios, including health, finance and resources. ...1 day ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Labour caucus to meet over Gaurav Sharma situationPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Labour caucus will meet this week to deal with the Gaurav Sharma situation. ...1 day ago
- Southern polytech gears up for tutoring more students by translating automotive engineering material...The polytechnic sector has been getting a bad press in recent times. Former Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker has demanded an apology from Education Minister Chris Hipkins for turning the country’s polytechnic education system into “a national disgrace”. The Otago Daily Times has described the centralising of New Zealand’s ...1 day ago
- Instagram and Facebook are stalking you on websites accessed through their apps. What can you do abo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University Glen Carrie/Unsplash Social media platforms have had some bad press in recent times, largely prompted by the vast extent of their data collection. Now Meta, the parent company of ...1 day ago
- Why do my kids keep getting worms? And is that what is making them so cranky?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Sandeman, Honorary Professor, Federation University Australia Shutterstock As a parent, it might feel like you are constantly giving your children worm treatments – usually in the form of chocolate or sweetened chewable tablets. In fact, most kids in ...1 day ago
- Ukraine training programme: New Zealand to send another 120 Defence staffNew Zealand will send another 120 Defence staff to the UK to help train Ukraine soldiers to defend against Russia after the completion of the previous 30-strong deployment. ...1 day ago
- It’s time to give the ACT and NT stronger voices in parliamentSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Rubenstein, Professor, Academic Director, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, University of Canberra With more independents, women, Indigenous Australians and MPs from a multicultural background than ever before, federal parliament seems ready to deal with issues that have been lying dormant for years. ...1 day ago
- Local Councils Welcome New Public Transport ModelLGNZ welcomes the Government’s move to allow councils to own bus services. The Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) has been replaced with the new Sustainable Public Transport Framework. The new framework gives councils the ability to own and ...1 day ago
- Why do I wake up thirsty?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South Australia Shutterstock If you wake up in the morning feeling thirsty, you might be dehydrated. There are a few things which might be at play ...1 day ago
- New Rules Letting Councils Nationalise Bus And Ferry Networks...1 day ago
- Free Speech Union Releases First Annual Universities Ranking ReportThe Free Speech Union has released the first Annual Universities Ranking Report , taking a critical look at the policies and practices of New Zealand’s universities with regards to free speech, and “grading” them on whether they suppress or encourage ...1 day ago
- Govt announces new transport and rental housing initiatives and enthuses about human rights (but wit...Buzz from the Beehive The big announcement from the Beehive so far today is that workers and public transport users are at the heart of a new approach to public transport branded the Sustainable Public Transport Framework. This is great news, although when you take workers and public transport users ...1 day ago
- 'Sustainable' public transport changes to allow councils ownershipThe government is touting its new policy as more sustainable, offering councils flexibility and control while improving worker pay and conditions. ...1 day ago
- End Private Healthcare Worker Covid Mandates NowThe New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA) is again calling for the government to end COVID-19 mandates for private primary healthcare practices, as the continuing restrictions are unjust and unsubstantiated now that the Omicron variant is at large ...1 day ago
- Public Input Sought To Inform Privacy Rules For BiometricsPrivacy Commissioner Michael Webster is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on the use of biometric information in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner today launched its consultation paper, Privacy Regulation of ...2 days ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says bullying issues not widespreadJacinda Ardern doesn't believe there are widespread issues of bullying across the party, but says employment matters will be raised from time-to-time in a large workplace. ...2 days ago
- ‘Life hates surprises’: can an ambitious theory unify biology, neuroscience and psychology?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ross Pain, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Philosophy, Australian National University Shutterstock In the early 1990s, British neuroscientist Karl Friston was poring over brain scans. The scans produced terabytes of digital output, and Friston had to find new techniques to sort and ...2 days ago
- Australia wasn’t always supportive of India becoming independent. But 75 years on, relations have ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amitabh Mattoo, Honorary Professor of International Relations, The University of Melbourne Mohandas Gandhi, who led India’s fight for independence, talks to a crowd in Ahmedabad, India in 1931. AP On this day 75 years ago, after a long battle for self-government, ...2 days ago
- The COVID lab leak theory is dead. Here’s how we know the virus came from a Wuhan marketSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward C Holmes, ARC Australian Laureate Fellow and Professor, University of Sydney My colleagues and I published the most detailed studies of the earliest events in the COVID-19 pandemic last month in the journal Science. Together, these papers paint a coherent evidence-based ...2 days ago
- Tall timber buildings are exciting, but to shrink construction’s carbon footprint we need to focus...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Ottenhaus, Lectuer in Structural Timber Engineering, The University of Queensland Developer Thrive Construct recently announced the world’s tallest steel-timber hotel to be built at Victoria Square, Adelaide. Australia has caught onto the trend of building taller in timber, with other plans ...2 days ago
- Nathan Fielder’s new comedy The Rehearsal will be familiar to anyone with autismSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamara May, Psychologist and Research Associate in the Department of Paediatrics, Monash University HBO While we all like to be prepared for what might happen in the future, like those difficult conversations and life choices, some go to extraordinary lengths ...2 days ago
- Bullying allegations: Labour MP Gaurav Sharma claims misspending 'hushed'Labour MP Gaurav Sharma is doubling down on his claim a colleague misused taxpayers' money despite the Parliamentary Service determining no spending rules were broken. ...2 days ago
- Business calls for ‘catch up’ migration, as participants position ahead of Albanese’s jobs sum...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Big business wants a “catch up boost” to permanent migration, with at least two thirds of the places going to skilled workers, In proposals for next month’s jobs and skills summit, the Business Council ...2 days ago
- ‘It’s important not to overreact’: Australia’s top economists on how to fix high inflationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s top economists are divided about how to tackle ballooning inflation of 6.1% that’s forecast to climb to a three-decade high of 7.75% by ...2 days ago
- Will Fiji’s 2022 hotly contested elections further cement democracy?ANALYSIS: By Shailendra Singh of the University of the South Pacific In Fiji’s politically charged context, national elections are historically a risky period. Since the 2022 campaign period was declared open on April 26, the intensity has been increasing. Moreover, with three governments toppled by coups after the 1987, 1999 ...3 days ago
- Mark Brown confirmed as Cook Islands PM with slim gripRNZ Pacific The Queen’s Representative in the Cook Islands, Sir Tom Marsters, has confirmed Mark Brown as the Prime Minister. In a statement issued from Mark Brown’s office, Sir Tom said he was “satisfied” that Mark Brown had the majority of the MPs elected to Parliament. Following the final count ...3 days ago
- Former list MP Aaron Gilmore says Sam Uffindell bullying is 'outrageous behaviour'Former list MP Aaron Gilmore, who resigned in 2013 after he used his position as a threat to a hotel employee, says there has been "outrageous behaviour" by those in Parliament. ...3 days ago
- It’s great education ministers agree the teacher shortage is a problem, but their new plan ignores...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education, Southern Cross University Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and his state colleagues met in Canberra on Friday. Lukas Coch/AAP Last Friday, Australia’s state and federal education ministers met with emotional teachers, who spoke of working on weekends ...3 days ago
- Government's measles campaign a 'failure' – NationalNational has branded the government's two-year $20 million measles catch-up campaign as a failure that can't solely be blamed on Covid-19. ...3 days ago
- Local body nominee numbers still low as elections approachDespite an 11th-hour rush of nominations for this year's local body elections, Local Government New Zealand says the numbers could still be too low. ...3 days ago
- Labour refuses to comment on bullying claimLabour is refusing to comment on a former staff member's claim that she was bullied by an MP. ...3 days ago
- National says government must revoke idea backpackers not welcome in New ZealandThe National Party is criticising the Tourism Minister's comments on backpackers as harmful to the sector. ...3 days ago
- Efeso Collins could scoop Molloy votes – analystA political analyst says people who would have voted for Leo Molloy in Auckland's mayoral election may now turn to Efeso Collins, because both candidates have working-class appeal. ...3 days ago
- Focus on Politics: Uffindell saga has parties grappling with bullying claimsPodcast - After one of the fastest political downfalls in New Zealand's history, Political Reporter Katie Scotcher examines how both major parties now face bullying accusations. ...4 days ago
- Government's new literacy plan met with some skepticismThe government has unveiled what it is calling a radical plan to overhaul reading, writing and maths teaching after two decades of sliding literacy rates. ...4 days ago
- Russel Norman: Don’t be fooled by NZ greenwashing, the lack of real climate action is dangerousANALYSIS: By Russel Norman, executive director of Greenpeace Aotearoa Only people power can ensure genuine enduring progress on climate and people need to know the truth if they are to act on it. For that reason greenwashing is the enemy of progress on climate and where you stand on ...4 days ago
- PNG elections chief Sinai seeks extra extension for Southern HighlandsPNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says he will seek a further extension from the Governor-General for the return of writ for Southern Highlands provincial seat which has faced protracted delays in counting. He said any discussions and talks of “failing” an election and calling for a ...4 days ago
- Historic new deal puts emissions reduction at the heart of Australia’s energy sectorSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Shutterstock Australia’s energy ministers on Friday voted to make emissions reduction a key national energy goal, in a major step forward in the clean energy transition. Federal, state and territory energy ministers agreed to ...4 days ago
- Labour MP Gaurav Sharma: 'I stand by my claims of ongoing bullying'Labour MP Gaurav Sharma has launched another broadside at his own party, posting a lengthy statement on social media that details his interactions with Parliamentary Service and the Labour whips. ...4 days ago
- Ron Mark throws hat in ring to be Carterton mayor againThe former NZ First MP didn't plan to run for Carterton's mayoralty - until residents suggested otherwise. ...4 days ago
- Royal commission delivers damning interim report on defence and veteran suicide. Here’s what happe...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Wadham, Director, Open Door: Understanding and Supporting Service Personnel and their Families, Flinders University The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has released its interim report after more than 1,900 submissions and 194 witnesses. It includes recommendations considered so urgent ...4 days ago
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