democracy under attack
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No Right Turn: The coming US shitshow
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 28th, 2020 - 39 comments
President Trump once again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the US election.
Assange’s torture and the death of journalism
Written By: - Date published: 9:28 pm, September 6th, 2020 - 60 comments
On the eve of Assange’s extradition hearing in London, award-winning freelancer Jonathan Cook has written a scathing indictment of corporate journalism’s collusion in ignoring his official torture. I posted an example of that here last year, where Richard Harman denied Assange was a journalist at a panel convened at Parliament by the British High Commissioner.
Winston Peters Names Alleged Super Leaker
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, July 22nd, 2020 - 87 comments
Winston Peters has named the person he says leaked his super details. Has ACT joined National in doing Dirty Politics?
Walkergate: MP Quits
Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, July 8th, 2020 - 65 comments
Privacy breaching MP Hamish Walker has announced he will step down at the next election. But who else should go?
Update: Muller tries to divert attention by announcing that National still want a 4 lane highway from Chch to Ashburton. Problem solved!
The four horsemen of the apocalypse
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, June 4th, 2020 - 16 comments
Ok so this is the worst year I can think of in my lifetime. But apocalyptopia it ain’t.
Covid-19 and a digital democracy
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 pm, March 15th, 2020 - 20 comments
Government has for the last decade been pushing for as many government services as possible to be primarily accessed digitally rather than face-to face. Funnily enough, the one public service they forgot to push to digital is themselves. Now’s the time Trevor.
Corrupt US
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 pm, March 10th, 2020 - 60 comments
That’s not a request by the way. This post is a kind of “confessions of a cynic who allowed optimism to creep up and have a hand in thought processes” post.
Buttigeig 2020?
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, March 5th, 2020 - 33 comments
Allowing for a Biden victory in the Democratic Party primary process, then come November, voters in the US will be voting on whether Buttiegieg or Trump will be the next President of the USA. That’s what I’m picking, and here’s why…
To Kill Democracy…
Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, February 22nd, 2020 - 12 comments
If major Democratic Party donors and ‘big business’ lobbyists wanted to monkeywrench democracy in the US, then here’s how they could go about it.
A Handy Clusterfuck?
Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, February 5th, 2020 - 46 comments
A party that detests one of its Presidential nominees. A media establishment that’s largely a propaganda arm of that party. And games…stupid games.
Democratisation by Social Media and the Internet Is Just Meaningless Waffle
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, December 24th, 2019 - 22 comments
Social Media and the Internet are literally in our faces 24/7 but our political engagement is diminishing.
The Missing Millions
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 12th, 2019 - 18 comments
Millions of people and an entire region of the UK left out of polling calculations….
‘Donations’ or bribes
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 pm, November 19th, 2019 - 95 comments
It has been ironic at our media frenzy on political ‘donations’. I suspect that our legal structure has been setup for bribing politicians with ‘donations’. Let us just make all politicians and donors guilty until proven innocent of false reporting of ‘donations’. It’d be more interesting than the current farce. Start with Simon Bridges – currently still under investigation by the SFO.
Police London-wide ban on Extinction Rebellion actions ruled unlawful
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 7th, 2019 - 5 comments
“The landmark judgment upholds the peoples’ fundamental right to peaceful protest and prohibits the Police from any such future ban”
Brittle cities
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 29th, 2019 - 10 comments
It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.
British Justice tortures Assange
Written By: - Date published: 4:14 am, October 26th, 2019 - 36 comments
Craig Murray reports on the horror of Julian Assange’s treatment by British so-called “justice.” Read it and don’t weep. You can see why Murray resigned from the UK foreign service; their diplomacy is just as bad.
Elizabeth Warren on Facebook and the US presidential election
Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, October 10th, 2019 - 72 comments
“They’re allowing Trump to spend over $1 million a week right now for ads on their platform—including ones that air the same lies that TV stations won’t.”
BoJo cornered
Written By: - Date published: 1:03 am, September 25th, 2019 - 75 comments
Lady Hale and the UK Supreme Court have torpedoed Boris Johnson’s cunning plan to prorogue Parliament. His request to the Queen was “unlawful, void, and of no effect.” Her Maj will not be pleased. Johnson is now boxed in – ask for an extension to Brexit, or resign.
China Becomes Fascist
Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, August 26th, 2019 - 42 comments
Those who see fascism emerging under Trump can observe the full modern version in action now in Hong Kong’s contest of protesters with the Chinese government.
Don’t mention the fascism
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 10th, 2019 - 103 comments
We are frogs in the pot.
Trump’s social media summit
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 13th, 2019 - 36 comments
Donald Trump’s social media summit, a white house gathering of right wing extremists and media trolls, is the complete antithesis of the post Christchurch massacre gathering organised by Jacinda Ardern to address the damage that social media can cause.
Guest post – Bucking the trend at ECAN
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, July 10th, 2019 - 26 comments
A guest post from Anthony Rimell about a very disturbing attempt by ECAN to allow the levels of nitrate leach into Christchurch’s water supply to increase.
The strange case of the missing Oregon Republican State senators
Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, June 24th, 2019 - 67 comments
Republican State Senators in the state of Oregon have headed for the hills and are being protected by a local nut job militia in an effort to thwart the democratically elected majority from doing passing a law to address climate change.
Government under FiveEyes
Written By: - Date published: 9:48 pm, June 7th, 2019 - 11 comments
Australian Federal Police chief Neil Gaughan told media after raiding the ABC that “if police did not investigate the leaking of classified information, Australia would no longer be entrusted by FiveEyes partners with intelligence that saves lives.” FiveEyes didn’t save Muslim lives in Christchurch.
Tiananmen Square’s Failed Revolution
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 4th, 2019 - 70 comments
Right now we could be dealing with a China with a similar mixed model to Vietnam, or a re-unified country like Germany. What happened to change this?
Same old dirty National
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 30th, 2019 - 179 comments
National is still embedded in Dirty Politics.
Run Brian Run
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, May 23rd, 2019 - 103 comments
Brian Tamaki is set to announce the launch of a new political party today.
Death tax fake news
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, May 21st, 2019 - 62 comments
Social media was responsible for the repeated broadcasting of the claim that Labor in Australia intended to bring in a death tax. What should happen when claims that are clearly wrong are made?
Will the Christian Conservatives rise again?
Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, May 20th, 2019 - 78 comments
Simon Bridges has conceded that his claim that talk about Alfred Ngaro setting up a conservative party was “rumour and speculation” was not actually true. And Ngaro has gone on the offensive describing abortion as an unholy holocaust.
Is National thinking of a conservative puppet party?
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, May 17th, 2019 - 251 comments
The Herald has reported that National is considering allowing Alfred Ngaro to form another break away party this time with a definite christian conservative bent and also to take over the Botany electorate.
Should white supremacists be preferred over ISIS?
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, April 27th, 2019 - 117 comments
According to media sources in the United States Twitter won’t autoban white supremacists because too many GOP Politicians would be banned.
- Racism loses in Switzerland
Over in Switzerland, the racist "People's Party" tried to have a Brexit-style referendum on ending freedom of movement with the EU, so they could stop the "flood" of foreigners. But the Swiss people said No: Swiss voters have resoundingly rejected an attempt to tear up the country’s agreement with ...8 hours ago - International Right To Know DayToday, 28 September, is International Right To Know Day (or, as the UN puts it, the "International Day for Universal Access to Information"). The Ombudsman is celebrating with a poll showing that while most people don't know about their freedom of information rights, those that use them mostly get what ...8 hours ago
- One way or another, we’re paying for thisBack in July, when foreign polluters (and archaeological criminals) Rio Tinto announced they planned to close Tiwai Point, I was dancing on its grave. Why? Because the carbon subsidies alone were more than enough to fund alternative jobs - or even just to pay everyone dependent on it a reasonable ...12 hours ago
- End of life – it isn’t so easy
In a few weeks, New Zealanders will make a choice whether we implement into law the End of Life Choice Act 2019. My scientific expertise includes developing and validating methods to predict future events of ill people including death. There is one section of the Act that concerns me deeply. Section ...12 hours ago - Democracy Under Threat
My wife and I are at an age when we have begun to think (and worry) about the kind of world we will leave behind for our children and, particularly, our grandchildren. We have experienced during our own lives, like others of our generation, our fair share of hard times ...16 hours ago - Liam Hehir: Why it’s important to be open to relationships with people who vote differently
There are few things written more deeply on the human heart than religion. Differences between us on the purpose and ultimate destiny of human existence have sometimes inspired great intolerance and even wars. But what would we make today of a Catholic who refused to countenance a meaningful relationship ...17 hours ago - 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #39
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... The Warming Climates of the Arctic and the Tropics Squeeze the Mid-latitudes, Where Most People Live Melting Arctic ice sends ...17 hours ago - Where in the world will the next epidemic start?Naomi Forrester-Soto, Keele University Viruses jumping from animals to humans have been the starting point of numerous outbreaks, from Ebola to Zika. Given the similarity of SARS-CoV-2 to coronaviruses found in bats, this probably marked the beginning of COVID-19 too. We know that viruses have passed from animals to humans ...1 day ago
- Fiscal Maths with Paul “Goldie” Goldsmith
Mr Thinks has asked me to come onto the blog today to outline a few concepts in fiscal mathematics. ...2 days ago - 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 20, 2020 through Sat, Sep 26, 2020 Editor's Choice Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In. The Next Moves Will Be Crucial A crack on the Amery Ice Shelf in ...2 days ago
- National behind the times
When Todd Muller resigned as leader of the National Party and allowed for Judith Collins to assume command, you could tell the blue “team” was desperate and in search of past glories. After all, Crusher is towards the end of her political career and from a bygone era where dirty ...3 days ago - Coronavirus: the road to vaccine roll-out is always bumpy, as 20th-century pandemics showSamantha Vanderslott, University of Oxford If you have been following the media coverage of the new vaccines in development for COVID-19, it will be clear that the stakes are high. Very few vaccine trials in history have attracted so much attention, perhaps since polio in the mid-20th century. A now ...3 days ago
- PREFU: The State of Government Accounts
‘The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update’ (PREFU) tells us something about the future of the Public Sector but it requires careful analysis to assess how it is going. The 2020 PREFU is the most important economic statement during any election campaign. Unfortunately the commentariat tends to treat it briefly ...3 days ago - Predatory delayFarmers are whining again about being expected to clean up their act: Canterbury farmers want politicians to stop painting them as climate change villains, listen to their needs and allow them more time to boost environmental standards. [...] “The targets are necessary for the environment, but do we ...3 days ago
- Flight to nowhere sends the wrong message in climate crisisQantas Airlines’ 7-hour “flight to nowhere”, that sold out in 10 minutes with prices from A$787 to A$3787, seemed like a sick joke to climate advocates. Apart from the waste of fuel and the pointless emissions, passengers would be able to see first-hand, from a plane just like those that ...4 days ago
- Speaker: The cannabis referendum – a doctor’s perspective
Cannabis is part of our culture: 80% of adults have tried it sometime. Intuition tells us that legalising cannabis will increase use – science suggests that is not likely. Our Dunedin and Christchurch studies show that cannabis use peaks in our 20s. Older people are less frequent users whether it ...4 days ago - First steps: Jerry DeSilva on the evolution of bipedalismYesterday morning I got up (at the rather early and unaccustomed hour of 3.30am) to listen to a webinar by paleoanthropologist Dr Jeremy DeSilva¹. Titled “First Steps”, his presentation was about the origins of bipedalism in the human lineage. It was a fascinating session & I thought I’d turn my ...4 days ago
- True Believers In A False God.
Down The Rabbit Hole: "Social psychologists have found that when fearful people contemplate potential misfortunes, they tend to feel helpless and pessimistic, but when angry people contemplate the same, they feel a sense of optimism and control. And one simple way to transmute fear into anger is to perceive an evil ...4 days ago - Majority Rule Requires Majorities That Are Real.Fifty Percent Plus One: New Zealand’s genuine-majority-delivering two-party system endured for five elections only (1938, 1943, 1946, 1949, 1951) a period of just 16 years. Very few New Zealanders alive today can boast of participating in an election which delivered a true majority to either Labour or National. Someone who ...4 days ago
- Labour super exploitation
This is the second in the lecture series by Andy Higginbottom on superexploitation. Here he looks at Marini’s theory of labour super-exploitation and Capital ...4 days ago - Small asteroid to make near-miss of Earth in NZ skies tonightSorry for the late notice on this one, but I only just heard myself, in common with most of the human race. A small asteroid, somewhere between the size of a truck and the size of a house in dimensions, will hurtle past the Earth tonight, dipping closer to ...4 days ago
- This is not what accountability looks likeWhen someone commits trespass, assault with a weapon, and kidnapping, you'd expect them to be prosecuted, right? But apparently the rules are different if you wear a blue uniform: A police investigation has found officers in Northland trespassed on a man's property, then unlawfully pepper sprayed him and arrested ...4 days ago
- Cycling: head injuries ignored because of entrenched macho cultureHoward Hurst, University of Central Lancashire and Jack Hardwicke, University of Winchester Competitive road cycling is a demanding and unique sport. One where crashing is inevitable – especially at the professional level. While the risk of head injury is relatively low in cycling – approximately 5-13% – compared to contact ...4 days ago
- The coming US shitshowToday President Trump once again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the US election. Coincidentally, The Atlantic has a long article on exactly what that means, from voter suppression by armed thugs in the name of "ballot security", to refusing to allow the vote ...4 days ago
- A moral voidThat's the only way to describe the SIS, who - like their British counterparts - decided to look the other way on child abuse: The SIS knew a young woman was being sexually abused by her father but failed to lodge a complaint with the police, effectively allowing the ...4 days ago
- When will Goldsmith resign?The National Party’s campaign has gone from bad to worse with a further two large miscalculations being uncovered in their alternative fiscal plan. Firstly, National’s economic spokesperson and list MP, Paul Goldsmith, used May's Budget figures instead of last week's PREFU numbers, and came up with a whopping $4.3 billion ...4 days ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Part IX
The initial session was a struggle. Annalax and Magni tried sorting out the details with the Isaac twins (the people pursuing the mountain trip). Annalax happened to mention his devotion to Lolth… whom the Isaacs, being ... 4 days ago - This is bullshitOn March 13, three plainclothes police officers kicked in Breonna Taylor's door under a no-knock warrant targeting another person. When a person inside reasonably assumed they were home invaders and (this being America) started shooting, they shot up the place and everyone around them - killing Taylor. Today, one of ...4 days ago
- Arctic sea ice is being increasingly melted from below by warming Atlantic waterTom Rippeth, Bangor University Arctic sea ice today (white) is covering a much smaller area than in 1980-2010 (orange line). National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CC BY-SA Each September, scientists like me look out for the point when the Arctic’s meagre summer fizzles out and ...5 days ago
- The long-term health burden of COVID-19: further justification for NZ’s elimination strategyProf John D. Potter* This blog briefly surveys the emerging scientific evidence on the longer-term burden of symptoms and disease in survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these symptoms point to damage in the brain and heart. These long-term harms add to the wide range of other reasons for ...5 days ago
- Going High, Going Low: An Assessment Of The First Leaders’ Debate.Uncrushed: Jacinda Ardern knew exactly what was expected of her in the first Leaders' Debate. Labour’s dominant position, three weeks out from the general election, is constructed out of the admiration and gratitude of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who, more often than not, vote National. Nothing she said ...5 days ago
- The smokefree policies of political parties: Do they care about people who smoke?George Thomson*, Nick Wilson, Janet Hoek, Andrew Waa, Richard Edwards In this time of Covid-19, helping people who smoke to quit their addiction has an even greater importance. Smokers are more vulnerable to many harmful health effects, including severe effects from the virus. Policies that support people who smoke to ...5 days ago
- The Fog Of Economic Policy Is Starting To Clear…
Bryan Bruce, https://www.facebook.com/www.redsky.tv, 19 September 2020 National’s economic policy of temporary tax cuts yesterday proved, if proof be needed, that they are unapologetic neoliberals. While their claim that with more money in their pockets people will spend more might sound attractive, the reality is that tax cuts always benefit the ...5 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38, 2020Highlighted article: Carbon pricing and planetary boundaries Engström et al take what might be called a systems approach to evaluating carbon pricing, taking into a account various economic sectors affected by and affecting paying for emissions. The conclusions are overall a rare pleasant surprise— a feature predicated on cooperation. Abstract: ...5 days ago
- Humans ignite almost every wildfire that threatens homesNathan Mietkiewicz, National Ecological Observatory Network and Jennifer Balch, University of Colorado Boulder CC BY-ND Summer and fall are wildfire season across the western U.S. In recent years, wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes, forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and exposed tens of millions to harmful ...5 days ago
- Climate Change: China steps upChina has increased its climate change ambition, and set a target to be carbon-neutral by 2060: China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060 and ensure its greenhouse gas emissions peak in the next decade, Xi Jinping has told the UN general assembly. “China will scale up its intended nationally ...5 days ago
- Humans have dealt with plenty of climate variabilityClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz How much climate variability have humans dealt with since we ...5 days ago
- Indigenous perspectives on unrestricted access to genomic dataBy Genomics Aotearoa researcher Maui Hudson, University of Waikato It is vital that genomics research respects genomic data and genetic heritage from indigenous communities. Genomics research is a rapidly growing field of study, and there is a strong push to make the huge amount of data being produced open ...6 days ago
- Terrible luck: lockdowns on learning and youth job prospectsWhat is bad luck? Bad luck is spilling spaghetti sauce down your shirt right before an important meeting. When the person in front of you gets the last seat on the bus, that’s bad luck. Bad luck is when it’s sunny outside, so you leave the house without a coat, ...6 days ago
- Ian Powell: Does private healthcare threaten public healthcare in New Zealand?Is the private health system impacting negatively on the public health system? Health commentator Ian Powell evaluates a recent NZ Herald article by Natalie Akoorie (“Public v private healthcare: Moonlighting, skimming, duplication – should NZ do better”), and looks at how the dual system works, and concludes that the answer ...6 days ago
- A rabbit-hole election debate: So do you want more avocado orchards?
We live in strange and unusual times. It’s been a century since we’ve endured a global pandemic like this, more than half a century since we’ve had economic woes like this. So maybe we got an opening election debate for the times - because that was a strange and unusual ...6 days ago - LIVE: Jacinda Ardern vs. Judith Collins, First Debate
Tonight, The Civilian will be live-blogging the first of too many debates between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and National Party leader Judith Collins, and also the last fifteen minutes of the news. Be sure to tune in from 6:45pm for regular updates, which can be accessed by refreshing this page ...6 days ago - Hundreds of Aucklanders arrested after illegal mass gathering on Harbour BridgeAn enormous drive-in party, shown here, was held this morning on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, where police were forced to intervene. Hundreds of Aucklanders were arrested this morning on public health grounds, after an apparent illegal mass gathering on the city’s Harbour Bridge. Police say hundreds of Aucklanders gathered in their ...6 days ago
- The Looming Fight.Social Distancing Be Damned - It's Jacinda! Shortly after ascending to Labour’s leadership, Jacinda described herself as a “pragmatic idealist”. It was an inspired oxymoron – packing into just two words the essence of the social-democrat’s dilemma. It was good to know that she knew what lay ahead of her. ...6 days ago
- Climate Change: Moving fasterBack in 2017, the UK announced that it would ban the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2040. Its a basic climate change measure, aimed at reducing emissions by shifting the vehicle fleet to cleaner technologies. Now, in the wake of the pandemic, they're planning to bring it forward ...6 days ago
- The Australian courts have had enough of refugee detentionFor the past decade, Australia has had a racist, anti-refugee policy. Those claiming refugee status are imprisoned without trial and left to rot in the hope they would "voluntarily" return to be tortured and murdered. When the courts have granted them visas, the government has immediately revoked them on racial ...6 days ago
- Friction and the Anti-lock Braking SystemYesterday afternoon I had to call on my car’s anti-lock braking system (ABS). For reasons best known to its driver, a car pulled out of a side road right in front of me while I was driving home after work, and I needed to stop in a hurry. I rather ...6 days ago
- The Inside Word: New Zealand Quarantine
There are a fair few misconceptions about conditions within New Zealand’s Quarantine Hotels. Madeline Grant’s misplaced accusations being one prominent example, though she is not alone. Today, I thought I’d share the inside word, so to speak. A friend of mine has recently returned to New Zealand from overseas, and ...6 days ago - Hard News: ASA: Let’s not talk about thisLast week, major newspapers carried a full-page ad as part of the campaign for a "No" vote to the referendum question about supporting the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill. The ad was authorised by the SAM NZ Coalition, which takes its name from a controversial American anti-cannabis group and includes ...7 days ago
- This is not kindNew Zealand has a serious homelessness problem, due to skyrocketing rents and a lack of state houses. One of the ways we stick a band-aid on it is to put people up in motels. Previously, they were charged full commercial rates, saddled with odious debt due to the government's failure ...7 days ago
- Wokies are the establishment
by Ani O’Brien In the absence of a better word with which to refer to the rabid activists who claim progressivism while demanding adherence to an increasingly prescriptive set of political beliefs, I call them “woke”. With its roots in Black American slang, the term originally denoted a person or ...1 week ago - How to strengthen the post-isolation Covid rulesOver the weekend, the Ministry of Health reported a case of Covid-19 in Auckland that is not related to the current Auckland cluster. Before we start to panic, here’s how I think the case happened and how we can strengthen our current border controls. The new Covid-19 case is someone ...1 week ago
- Neuralink and You: A Human-AI SymbiosisBecky Casale Elon Musk reckons his Neuralink brain implant is much more than a medical device–that one day it will drive a symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence. “Good morning! I’m Dr Benedict Egg and I’ll be supervising your Neuralink insertion today. Do you have any questions?” “Yes, Doc. ...1 week ago
- Liam Hehir: Our obsession with American politicsMany New Zealanders take a strong interest in US politics, with the death of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg being the latest example. Liam Hehir wonders if it very wise for New Zealanders to get so worked about it. Many politically engaged New Zealanders are now furiously ...1 week ago
- COVID: Back to Level 1
After stamping the Coronavirus out via strict lockdown between March and May, New Zealand went through a good three months without any community cases. Then a local outbreak in Auckland rather buggered things up last month. Auckland’s been in level 3 and level 2.5 for the past six weeks. ...1 week ago - Climate Change: Climate injusticeWho's causing our skyrocketing emissions? As with most of our other problems, It's the rich: The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new ...1 week ago
- Good riddanceThe border closure and resulting lack of foreign slave-workers is driving the fishing industry out of business: One fishing company is effectively out of business while others are bracing for large financial hits as the deepwater New Zealand industry, unable to get skilled foreign workers into the country, have ...1 week ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... The tipping points at the heart of the climate crisis Many parts of the Earth’s climate system have been destabilised by ...1 week ago
- Anyone for Collins?In the absence of national public opinion polls, we have had to make do in recent weeks with other guides to voter intentions. Those guides, such as the Auckland Central poll, the incidence of google enquiries and the responses to Vote Compass questions, have suggested, not unexpectedly, that Labour is ...1 week ago
- Crusher’s fiscal malfunctionCrusher Collins - National Party leaderWe all know that the National Party is desperate to gain some traction during this election campaign and have been throwing pretty much everything at the Labour Party in order to try and undermine Jacinda Ardern and what the Coalition Government has achieved. But unfortunately ...1 week ago
Much of the commentariat’s reporting of the most recent GDP figure was misleading and unhelpful. The prize for the stupidest remark about the GDP figure for second quarter 2020 (2020Q2) released on Thursday (17 Sept) goes to Judith Collins, whose response to Grant Robertson’s comments indicated she did not ...1 week ago- Love and Hate as Complementary Revolutionary Actsby Gearóid Ó Loingsigh goloing@gmail.com (19/09/2020) Che Guevara said that a true revolutionary is motivated by love i.e. love of the oppressed, the poor, the children dying from preventable illnesses. This phrase of his is true but has been used by reformists and their more hippy wing have taken advantage ...1 week ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 13, 2020 through Sat, Sep 19, 2020 Editor's Choice Get to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be Done A report by a ...1 week ago
- Tax cuts for all!!! (except you, you, and you)With the National Party this week announcing a new policy of tax cuts to spice up the election campagin. MyThinks went along to the launch and afterwards we spoke to the party’s finance spokesperson Paul “Golden Touch” Goldsmith. MT: Thanks for speaking to us Mr Goldsmith. PG: No. Thank you. ...1 week ago
- Great Waves Washing Over New Zealand
Always to islanders danger Is what comes over the seas ‘Landfall in Unknown Seas’ (Allen Curnow)Six economic issues external to New Zealand, which will greatly impact upon us. 1. The Diminishing Global Dominance of the US. Since 1941 America has dominated the world economically and politically. Probably it could ...1 week ago - New Zealand has role to play in resolving crisis on ‘geopolitical fault line’, Helen Clark saysBy Geoffrey Miller New Zealand should continue to champion human rights in Belarus amidst an ongoing crackdown on protests by the country’s regime, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says. Protests in the country often referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’ erupted after the country’s disputed presidential elections on August 9 ...1 week ago
- Euthanasia referendum: How to cut through the emotionsJacqui Maguire, registered clinical psychologist This podcast episode highlights how difficult it is to have effective conversations about euthanasia due to how polarised people’s views are. I’m a clinical psychologist, with a passion for science communication. In early 2020 I founded the podcast Mind Brew, with an aim to make psychological ...1 week ago
- Why we need cameras on boatsIn case anyone needed further convincing, there's another example today of why we need cameras on fishing boats: reported seabird bycatch doubled during a camera trial: Commercial fishers operating off Auckland's coast around vulnerable seabirds are twice as likely to report accidentally capturing them when cameras are on ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: The religious right’s campaign to spike the euthanasia referendumIn the leadup to the euthanasia referendum, an array of conservative Christian political organisations is running an expensive campaign to sow doubt about the safety of assisted dying. Graham Adams argues that these religious forces know that Christian arguments aren’t convincing the public, but that it is in the public ...1 week ago
- Opportunistic lootingThe National Party has spent the last six months acting horrified at the cost of supporting people through the pandemic and banging on about how the debt must be repaid. So what was their economic policy released today? Massive tax-cuts for the rich, of course! National has walked back ...1 week ago
- Uncomfortable Choices.Dangerous Times: This will be the choice confronting those coming of age in the 2020s. Embrace Neoliberalism’s belief in racial and sexual equality; adopt its secular and scientific world view; and cultivate the technocratic, multicultural, global outlook required of those who keep the machinery of hyper-capitalism humming. Or, throw your ...2 weeks ago
- Tony Burton: Covid and benefit paymentsIt would be a great time to reform the benefit system, according to former Deputy Chief Economic Advisor at the Treasury, Tony Burton. He argues the complexity of benefit system means that it’s failing to achieve its difficult three core objectives, which form an “iron triangle”. New Zealand’s benefit ...2 weeks ago
- Talking tax: How to win support for taxing wealthTax Justice UK, September 2020 Serious tax reform is on the political agenda for the first time in decades due to the coronavirus crisis. As this debate hots up it is important to understand what people think about public spending, wealth and tax. Tax Justice UK, along with Survation and ...2 weeks ago
- Getting Tough.Not Mucking Around: With upwards of 800 dead from the virus’s resurgence in the Australian state of Victoria, leniency is not on Premier Daniel Andrews’ agenda. The Victorian Police are cracking down hard on the protesters the Australian press has labelled "Covidiots".IMAGES OF POLICE, some in riot gear, others on ...2 weeks ago
- Media Link: Nuclear strategy, then and now.
Although I had the fortune of being a graduate student of some of the foremost US nuclear strategists of the day (1970s) and later rubbed shoulders with Air Force and Naval officers who were entrusted with parts of the US nuclear arsenal, I seldom get to write or speak about ...2 weeks ago
- Reports of great whites finned alive cement case for cameras on boats
Claims of illegal fishing and live finning of great whites in New Zealand waters show once again that cameras on fishing boats are long overdue, and must be urgently rolled out. ...11 hours ago - We must investigate COVID-19 retraining support that skews towards men: GreensThe Green Party is calling for a review into the gender split of training programmes offered by government to help New Zealanders retrain following COVID-19 job losses. ...1 day ago
- Labour’s plan for plastic and waste
As part of our plan to build back better, we’re taking action on waste and improving recycling to protect our environment, create jobs and future proof our economy. ...1 day ago - Labour’s plan for plastic and wasteAs part of our plan to build back better, we’re taking action on waste and improving recycling to protect our environment, create jobs and future proof our economy. ...1 day ago
- Week that was: Three weeks to go!Today marks three weeks until the election, and the campaign is ramping up. This week, we’ve continued to focus on our economic recovery, announcing our plan to reduce costs for farmers and growers. We also set out our commitment to continuing our partnership with Māori as we rebuild together. ...2 days ago
- Labour’s Māori Manifesto: Working together in partnershipTogether, Māori and Labour have walked a new path in our first term of Government. Based on the articles of the Treaty and the promise of equality, this path has been one of partnership and collaboration. Our Māori Manifesto builds on the work we’ve undertaken with Māori during our first ...2 days ago
- Healthy, affordable homes a Green Party priority for WellingtonThe Green Party would push to ensure everyone in Wellington has a warm, safe and affordable place to live as part of the next Government. ...3 days ago
- Environment and climate will be decimated by National’s dangerous agriculture policyThe Green Party is slamming National’s agriculture policy as a huge step backwards which puts future generations at risk. ...4 days ago
- Reducing costs for Kiwi farmersNew Zealand’s farmers and growers play a key role in our economy and in our communities. Labour has set out a clear vision to transition to a carbon-neutral economy and today we committed to supporting our farmers and growers to achieve this goal. ...5 days ago
- Jacinda Ardern sets out Labour’s plan in first TV debateTonight was the first Leaders’ Debate, broadcast live on TVNZ 1. It was the first time New Zealanders have seen Jacinda Ardern side-by-side Opposition Leader Judith Collins this campaign. ...6 days ago
- Our plan to keep New Zealand movingLast updated 30 July 2020. The whole world is battling with COVID-19, and no country is immune. In New Zealand, our focus is getting the latest resurgence under control and making sure we put in place immediate financial supports to cushion the economic blow. As before, the best economic response is ...6 days ago
- Our AchievementsLed by Jacinda Ardern, our strong, stable government has delivered results and put people first every step of the way. In health, housing, education and more, we've got a strong track record of delivering for New Zealanders. Now, we’re continuing to put people first with our decisive response to COVID-19. ...6 days ago
- Why should I vote for Labour?Labour has a strong track record of making progress on the big issues facing our country. Now, as we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, we’re rolling out our plan to grow our economy, support businesses and communities, and keep New Zealand moving. If you’re still undecided ahead of this year’s ...6 days ago
- Greens call for a bus lane to bypass congestion on Harbour BridgeThe Green Party is calling for Waka Kotahi the NZ Transport Agency to convert a lane over the Auckland Harbour Bridge to bus-only and make buses free to use across the bridge until all lanes are back in operation. ...1 week ago
- Greens to protect Aotearoa’s oceans with marine sanctuaries, bottom trawling and set-netting restr...The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas and ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...1 week ago
- Week that was: Jobs, trades training and supporting Kiwi workersIt was another busy week out on the campaign trail, with Labour focused on jobs, training, and supporting Kiwi workers. As we continue to roll out our five-point plan for recovery, we’re investing in our people, businesses, communities and vital services, so we can keep our economy moving as we ...1 week ago
- Labour is backing our regions for recoveryOur regions are a vital part of our economic recovery plan. They’re home to innovative and creative businesses, and the backbone of our export economy - which is why Labour will continue to support our regions to grow as together, we rebuild better. ...1 week ago
- Green Party will work next term with Labour to quickly implement Fair Pay Agreements and extended si...The Green Party welcome Labour committing to implement fair pay agreements and extended sick leave for workers in the next term of Government. ...1 week ago
- No surprise in National’s latest attempt to slash public servicesNational’s ‘alternative budget’ that includes huge cuts to the government’s operating allowance would risk gutting critical public services, and put health, education and nature at dire risk. ...1 week ago
- Latest figures show stronger economic recoveryData released this week shows that, while New Zealand is not immune to the economic impacts of the global pandemic, our strong health response has meant we’ve been able to get our economy going faster than many other countries. ...2 weeks ago
- 17 ways to get involved with the 2020 electionThis year’s election is on 17 October - and it’s coming up fast! With one month to go until Election Day, we’ve come up with 17 ways you, your friends and family can get involved in our campaign and help Labour keep New Zealand moving. ...2 weeks ago
- PREFU shows efforts to keep us all healthy, now we need to revenue raisePREFU has given a good insight into what was required to ensure New Zealanders were largely supported to continue work and remain healthy during COVID-19, but it is clear we need additional revenue raising measures ongoing, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens now the only political party sticking up for studentsThe Green Party is disappointed with the Labour Party’s decision to reverse their three free years education policy and back down on their commitment to postgraduate student allowances. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour are backing teachers and building a stronger, fairer education systemIn the first two years of our term in Government, we gave teachers record pay rises as a way of recognising the lack of adequate adjustments over the previous decade and the significant role they play in the lives of children and young people. We also increased the number of ...2 weeks ago
- Carmel Sepuloni: Backing families to get aheadInvesting in people has never been so important - and it’s a key part of Labour’s five point economic plan. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour supports working New ZealandersLabour has a proud history of supporting working New Zealanders, whether through the implementation of the 40hr work week or the introduction of the Working for Families package. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens will push next term for Government to expand dignified income beyond public service with Fair...The Green Party welcome Labour’s commitment to extend the living wage to Government contractors, but will push for Fair Pay Agreements across industries in the next Government so more New Zealanders can earn a dignified income. ...2 weeks ago
- Government must walk the talk on commitment to te reo MāoriThe Green Party is urging the Government to act on its commitment to te reo Māori, by making it a core subject up to year 10, and including te reo courses in the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships scheme. ...2 weeks ago
- Week That Was: Back on the campaign trailWe're officially back to the campaign for the 2020 General Election. The campaign may look a little different this year, but our candidates are still getting out and about in their communities and spreading the word about how another term of Labour will keep New Zealand moving in the right ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s plan to bring down debt: Your questions answeredYou might have heard a bit of discussion about Government debt lately, as experts weigh in on the COVID-19 economic recovery. If you’re wondering why it’s such a contested topic, or even if you’re unsure of what Government debt actually is, then read on - we’ve got you covered! ...2 weeks ago
- Greens unveil $297m fund to support sustainable food and farmingThe Green Party has released its Farming for the Future Plan, including a $297m fund to support farmers and growers to transition to climate-friendly practices. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s plan for tax: Your questions answeredWe believe every New Zealander deserves the chance to make an informed decision on Election Day. We’ve answered some of the most common questions on our 2020 tax policy, including how much money will be raised from our new top tax rate, and how this will be used to control ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s energy policy shows progress, but more action needed to protect the planetThe Green Party says Labour’s energy policy is a step in the right direction, but the Greens would go further and faster to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. ...3 weeks ago
- How does tax work?All this tax talk leaving you a bit dazed and confused? Read below to find out more about our progressive tax system and what Labour's policy means for you. ...3 weeks ago
- Grant Robertson: A balanced plan for managing debtThe world is facing its most challenging battle in generations with an insidious and new virus as the enemy. ...3 weeks ago
- Debt: What’s Labour’s plan?We’re committed to managing the Government’s books responsibly and keeping debt under control while supporting our people and our economy through the 1-in-100 year shock caused by COVID-19. ...3 weeks ago
- Tax should close the inequality gap between people who own and people who earn: GreensThe Labour Party has moved towards more progressive income tax, but is not addressing the growing wealth gap and inequality in Aotearoa. Labour’s new revenue policy also doesn’t help pay for the necessary response to the COVID-19 crisis, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...3 weeks ago
- Tax: What’s Labour’s plan?For 98% of New Zealanders, there will be no changes to income tax. Earn less than $180,000? No changes to your income tax. ...3 weeks ago
- Job numbers up in August
New data from Stats NZ today shows a rise of more than 9,000 filled jobs from July – driven mostly by the education and training sector, Grant Robertson says. Filled jobs were up 9,147 to 2.2 million in August 2020 compared with July – with 7,409 of those in education ...9 hours ago - Māori development receives fundingMāori development projects across the country will receive a total of $18.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund that will create infrastructure and permanent jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “These projects will support economic development in Northland, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti, Manawatū-Whanganui, Waikato and Southland to ...12 hours ago
- Hand-up for owners of earthquake-prone unitsFrom today, owner-occupiers of unit and apartments living in earthquake-prone buildings can apply for financial support to fix their homes, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. The Residential Earthquake-Prone Building Financial Assistance Scheme will help unit owners facing financial hardship over earthquake strengthening costs. “We understand how complicated ...15 hours ago
- PGF backing successful Māori enterpriseWhanganui will benefit from a Provincial Growth Fund investment in a local food-processing company which will help the company increase production and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. Kii Tahi Ltd, which is owned by South Taranaki iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, will receive a Provincial Growth Fund ...19 hours ago
- Hokitika Landmark earmarked for $22m restorationSeddon House in Hokitika, once a hub for government on the West Coast, has been earmarked for government use once again. “Today we’re announcing a $22 million investment from the Government’s $3 billion infrastructure fund for shovel ready projects for the purchase and restoration of Seddon House in the heart of ...2 days ago
- Town halls and war memorials in PGF renovation programmeTown halls, war memorials and other community landmarks across the country will be renovated thanks to grants totalling just under $12.4 million from the Provincial Growth Fund. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says more than 1000 jobs are expected to be created during the renovation programme. “Town halls, other ...3 days ago
- Minister of Foreign Affairs makes two diplomatic appointmentsForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced two new diplomatic appointments: • Michael Appleton as New Zealand’s first resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. • Tredene Dobson as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Viet Nam. Sri Lanka “New Zealand is opening a post in Colombo in 2021 because we are ready ...3 days ago
- NZ’s most prestigious conservation award – Loder Cup presented to Graeme AtkinsThe Minister of Conservation Minister, Eugenie Sage, today presented Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious conservation award, the Loder Cup, to the 2020 winner Graeme Atkins while in Gisborne/Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. “Graeme Atkins of Ngāti Porou is a Department of Conservation ranger whose contribution to conservation goes well above and beyond his employment,” ...3 days ago
- Early help for whānau who need extra supportThe Government is investing in a new, whānau-centred early intervention prototype designed to strengthen families and improve the safety and wellbeing of children. The new programme, Ngā Tini Whetū, is a collaboration between Oranga Tamariki, Te Puni Kōkiri, ACC and the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) and was announced today ...3 days ago
- Parliament to install solar and cut carbonParliament is leading by example by taking action to cut its carbon footprint by installing solar and improving energy efficiency, the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw said today. The Minister confirmed that Parliamentary Services will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to install solar PV and LED ...3 days ago
- Tuvalu Language Week theme promotes community resilience in the face of COVID-19The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says the 2020 Tuvalu Language Week theme of “Fakatili Te Kiloga Fou” which means “Navigating the changing environment” is a call on all Pacific peoples to be strong and resilient in the face of COVID-19. “This theme is a reminder to us ...3 days ago
- International sport back up and running in New ZealandThe Government is welcoming today’s announcement that the West Indies and Pakistan cricket teams will tour New Zealand this summer. “A lot of hard work has been undertaken by sports officials including New Zealand Cricket, Netball New Zealand and government officials to ensure that international sport can return safely to ...3 days ago
- 1BT funds for Northland forest taongaNorthland’s indigenous tree canopy is set to grow for the benefit of mana whenua and the wider community thanks to nearly $2 million in One Billion Trees funding, Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Komanga Marae Trust has received more than $1.54 million to restore and enhance the native ...4 days ago
- Better health care for West Coasters as Te Nikau Hospital officially openedThe Government has delivered a new hospital for Greymouth and is starting work on a much needed new health centre in Westport, ensuring local communities will benefit from better access to high quality integrated health services. Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare officially open Te ...4 days ago
- Government backing local with PGF loanA West Coast distillery will benefit from a Provincial Growth Fund investment that will enable it to expand its operations and create jobs in the town of Reefton, Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Reefton Distilling Co will receive a $928,000 ...4 days ago
- Primary sector exports and jobs up againPrimary sector exports and jobs are up again, demonstrating the sector’s underlying strength amid the COVID-19 global pandemic and US-China trade war, and supporting New Zealand’s economic recovery. Stats NZ today reported New Zealand’s merchandise exports in August were up 8.6% on a year ago, driven by an increase in ...4 days ago
- Clean energy future for more schoolsSchools across Aotearoa New Zealand will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. The Minister has allocated $50 million from the Clean Powered Public Service Fund to replace, or convert, coal boilers in schools with clean ...5 days ago
- New pest lures to protect natureThe Department of Conservation (DOC) is investing $1.4 million to develop new predator lures that would be game-changers for trapping and surveillance towards a predator-free Aotearoa, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage, announced in Christchurch today. The proposal is to develop long-life lures attractive to a range of predators—rats, mustelids ...5 days ago
- Building business strength with digital toolsNew training and tools for digital commerce will give small businesses, especially in the tourism sector, the support they need to adapt and innovate in a COVID world. Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash have announced details of how $20 million digital capability funding set aside ...5 days ago
- Support for innovative Pacific education responses to COVID-19 needsSupporting new and creative Pacific education practices as part of our COVID-19 response and recovery is the focus of a new $28.5 million Pacific Education Innovation Fund announced today by Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa. “There is already an incredible amount of innovative and creative work going on in ...5 days ago
- Eligibility expanded for COVID-19 leave supportThe expanded scheme will cover: People who have COVID-19 like symptoms and meet the Ministry of Health’s criteria, and need to self-isolate while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. People who are directed to self-isolate by a Medical Officer of Health or their delegate or on advice of their ...6 days ago
- Seasonal work visa available to more peopleThe Government is putting in place a range of immigration policy changes to help fill labour shortages in key industries while ensuring New Zealanders, who have lost jobs due to COVID-19, have the chance to find new employment. “Two key sectors we are moving to help are horticulture and wine ...6 days ago
- More border exceptions for critical rolesThe Government has established class exceptions for border entry for a limited number of veterinarians, deep sea fishing crew, as well as agricultural and horticultural machinery operators. “Tight border restrictions remain the backbone of the Government’s border strategy to protect New Zealand against COVID-19 and ensure New Zealand citizens and ...6 days ago
- Crown will not appeal Dodds v Southern Response decisionThe Crown will not appeal the Court of Appeal decision in the Dodds v Southern Response case, Grant Robertson announced today. “Southern Response will be paying the damages awarded by the Court to Mr and Mrs Dodds shortly. The Crown was already meeting their legal costs for this appeal. “The ...6 days ago
- Crucial PGF investments for NorthlandThe Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $30 million in a diverse range of projects that will create immediate and long-term jobs and lift economic and social outcomes for Northland and its people. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones made the announcement today in ...7 days ago
- $27million investment in global vaccine facilityThe Coalition Government has committed to invest $27 million in COVID-19 vaccine development through the global COVAX Facility, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. “The COVAX Facility is a key part of our COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy to obtain safe and effective vaccines. It allows us to invest in a high-quality, ...1 week ago
- Government backing Māori landownersThe Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners to make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced. “Around 1.5 million ha of land ...1 week ago
- New tools to make nature more accessiblePeople planning to head outdoors now have a resource that lets them know how accessible an area is for people with varying levels of mobility, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The Halberg Foundation, Sensibel, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have launched Accessibel, a new tool which helps ...1 week ago
- PGF makes Māori history more accessibleOne of the most significant battle sites of the 1860s Land Wars will receive $2.96 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to improve the site and help tell the New Zealand story to visitors, Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. Nanaia Mahuta ...2 weeks ago
- Making it official: The journey of te reo Māori | Kia whakapūmautia: Ngā piki me ngā heke o te r...The journey towards recognising Māori as an official language and taonga has been captured as a web series and launched today during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “Te reo Māori is a living language, and understanding its significance, and pathways to ...2 weeks ago
- Better-than-forecast GDP reflects decision to protect New ZealandToday’s better-than-forecast GDP figures show the expected impact of the decision to act quickly to protect New Zealanders from the global COVID-19 pandemic. GDP fell 12.2% in the June quarter from March, reflecting decisions to close New Zealand’s borders and enter Alert Level 4. “This result was better than the ...2 weeks ago
- Boost for COVID-19 related Pacific education needsThe Government is investing $39.7 Million over four years to support the educational needs of Pacific learners and families in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, with Auckland getting an immediate boost, Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa says. “Like all New Zealanders Pacific families want learners to do well ...2 weeks ago
- More resources for kiwi conservationNew Zealand’s goal of 100,000 kiwi by 2030 is being helped by an extra $19.7 million in funding to accelerate iwi and community efforts to protect kiwi, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced. “$19.7 million of Jobs for Nature funding is being invested in kiwi conservation activities including increased predator ...2 weeks ago
- Improving access to affordable electricityEnsuring New Zealanders can get the best deal on their electricity takes a step in the right direction today with the South Island launch of the EnergyMate pilot run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association, says Minister of Energy and Resources, Dr Megan Woods. EnergyMate is an industry-led programme providing coaching ...2 weeks ago
- Government achieves 50 percent women on state boardsMinister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today that the Government has reached its target of 50 percent on women on state sector board and committees – setting a new record level of women on state sector boards. “This Government is committed to having more women in leadership roles - ...2 weeks ago
- Record transport investment to help economic recovery and save livesTransport Minister Phil Twyford released today the final Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2021 which outlines the planned $48 billion investment in services and infrastructure over the next decade. “The final GPS supports our Government’s five-point plan for economic recovery by confirming our record investments in transport infrastructure ...2 weeks ago
- Advancing clean energy technologyThree ambitious and cutting-edge research programmes that will lift New Zealand’s advanced energy technology research capability over seven years, have been supported by Government today, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The projects will each receive a share of $40.7 million investment from the Strategic Science Investment Fund. ...2 weeks ago
- Major milestone reached in Pike River Re-entryThe critical area for forensic examination known as Pit Bottom in Stone has been reached in what is a major milestone for the Pike River re-entry project, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little announced. “The infrastructure located in Pit Bottom in Stone is of very significant interest in ...2 weeks ago
- Economic recovery guides Govt response to retirement income policy reviewThe Government is working on how New Zealand’s retirement income policies and settings can best support Kiwis in light of the COVID-19 economic recovery, with the help of the Retirement Commissioner’s latest review, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said. “The Retirement Commissioner’s three-yearly review into New Zealand’s retirement ...2 weeks ago
- Iwi community hub opens in MuruparaA new digital hub and development centre in Murupara will be instrumental in growing the region’s productivity, said Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau at the official opening of two community initiatives today. “I’m pleased to be here celebrating a significant milestone for two projects set to make a ...2 weeks ago
- A third of Te Tai Hauāuru voters yet to decide what MP to vote for
Almost a third of voters in Te Tai Hauāuru are yet to decide who they want as their electorate MP. ...59 mins ago - Armed Indonesian police break up Papuan protest at university
Heavily armed Indonesian security forces move in to break up student protest at Cenderawasih University, Jayapura. Video: TV WestPapua By RNZ Pacific Indonesian police have forcibly dispersed hundreds of West Papuan university students holding a demonstration in the provincial capital of Jayapura. The students were peacefully protesting against the extension ...1 hour ago - Behind Victoria’s decision to open primary schools to all students: report shows COVID transmissio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen Ryan, Research Fellow, Asia-Pacific Health, Infection and Immunity Theme, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute At the weekend, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced all the state’s primary school kids would return to school for Term 4. This is an update from the previously ...5 hours ago
- Judith Collins asked to embrace ‘Crusher’ personaNational leader Judith Collins has gone on the offensive in Nelson, encouraged by a GreyPower crowd urging her to embrace her "Crusher" persona. ...5 hours ago
- As universities face losing 1 in 10 staff, COVID-driven cuts create 4 key risksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Marshman, Honorary Principal Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden and very big decline in Australian universities’ revenue as a result of the loss of international student enrolments. Being excluded ...6 hours ago
- Latest TVNZ political poll shows Labour down, National upTVNZ's latest Colmar Brunton poll has Labour on 47 percent, National on 33 percent - with Labour unable to govern alone. ...6 hours ago
- Let the record show Seddon House was bought for $400,000 – and then let’s wonder if it will be r...
It’s great to get prompt feedback – and that’s what we got in response to our raising questions about the Government’s $22 million investment in a bit of real estate in Hokitika. A Beehive press officer contacted us to question our headline, which said: DOC staff in Hokitika could have ...7 hours ago - Today on Paakiwaha, An Exciting Weekly Current Affairs Programme From A Māori Perspective
Paakiwaha is an exciting weekly current affairs programme from a Māori perspective. Paakiwaha is hosted today by Dale Husband and broadcast by Radio Waatea with funding from New Zealand on Air. On today’s show, Regional Economic Development Minister ...7 hours ago - Tourism industry hopeful about pre-Christmas trans-Tasman bubbleThe tourism industry has reacted well to reports that a travel bubble between some Australian states and New Zealand could be established before Christmas, while National leader Judith Collins says the government isn't being clear. ...7 hours ago
- Nats official who allegedly goes by ‘Merv’ still in leadershipA senior National Party official accused of calling a talkback radio station to derail a candidate, is still holding on to a leadership role within the party. ...7 hours ago
- How a South Auckland playground will be a gateway to an iwi’s history
An Auckland iwi whose population and land holdings were decimated during the New Zealand Wars is partnering with the Auckland Council’s development arm to ensure its stories are being heard – and a new playground plays a starring role. Note: This article uses the iwi’s preferred spelling of Takaanini.A new ...8 hours ago - Plastics Policy Positive But What About Cigarette Butts?A leading New Zealand vaping company says Labour’s policy on plastics is a step in the right direction, but says cigarette butt pollution remains the worst offender with their manufacturers yet to be held accountable. “Good on Labour for taking ...8 hours ago
- Holding It All Together With KindnessTalking Cents is an ecumenical group charged by the Auckland Anglican Diocesan Council to promote an alternative to current economic and political thought and to encourage debate within the church. People are encouraged to distribute these articles widely. ...8 hours ago
- Coronavirus: An Unprecedented Crisis, Or Just A Blip In Our Progress?The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has had an unimaginable impact on the lives of billions of people across the globe. Through reflecting on what is happening in our lives, attempting to describe the movements and processes of our condition, we can learn ...8 hours ago
- Birthdays, holidays, Christmas without mum or dad: how to support kids with a parent away fighting f...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marg Rogers, Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, University of New England Among the sacrifices made by firefighters, and those who support fire-affected communities, is precious time spent with family. In California, thousands of firefighters and community support workers or volunteers have missed important ...8 hours ago
- Investigation: How old are the West family on Westside?While Westside has been on the air for just five years, it’s covered nearly two decades of New Zealand history. But how old are these Westies meant to be?When Outrageous Fortune began way back in 2005, nobody could have anticipated that it would develop into what is now essentially a ...9 hours ago
- Ombudsman Releases Access To Government Information SurveyThe Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says too many New Zealanders are still unaware of their rights to request information from Ministers, government agencies, and councils despite a growing thirst for information by the public. The release of the data coincides ...10 hours ago
- With polls showing Labour could govern alone, is New Zealand returning to the days of ‘elected dic...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University In the mid-1990s New Zealanders adopted electoral rules they hoped would end the tyranny of what Lord Hailsham once called the “elected dictatorship” of single-party majority government. And yet, a quarter century later, we are ...10 hours ago
- We’re facing an insolvency tsunami. With luck, these changes will avert the worst of itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anil Hargovan, Associate Professor, UNSW Ahead of the budget, the government has announced new rules that will allow small businesses at risk of collapse to continue to work out their problems instead of appointing an administrator. They are needed because of an ...10 hours ago
- Labour Should Release Their Fiscal PlanThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Labour Party to immediately release their fiscal plan, so it can be subjected to the same scrutiny as the National Party’s fiscal plan. Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke said: “The National ...10 hours ago
- DOC staff in Hokitika could have been housed for a song a few years ago – now it will cost us $22 ...“Going for a song” was how the former Hokitika government building known as Seddon House was advertised in 2014. According to an NBR report at that time, Barfoot & Thompson was listing Seddon House at $295,000, down from $1.2 million in 2008. It had a rateable value of $340,000 and ...11 hours ago
- 100 Year Forecast: How do we know the climate is changing?Watch all five episodes of 100 Year Forecast on our special interactive website HERE.Aotearoa is getting warmer. How do we know this, and what will happen over the next 100 years? Watch episode one here:100 Year Forecast explores what Aotearoa might look like in the next 100 years if we ...11 hours ago
- Despite online abuse, a joyful drag show for kids is set for sell-out successThe children’s theatre show that is making some conservatives furious opens in Wellington this week. Emily Writes spoke to creator George Fowler about the controversy, and the empowering message behind the play.When we talk over the weekend, George Fowler is on top of the world despite the challenging week he’s ...11 hours ago
- National would pay $4000 to retrain unemployed into work in reskilling policyThe National Party would pay tertiary providers $4000 for every unemployed person they retrain and get into full time work as part of its reskilling and retraining package announced today. ...12 hours ago
- Not much relief for parents, but new childcare measures will rescue providers (again)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Childcare will reopen to all Melbourne families this week, as the Australian government’s latest childcare support package comes into effect. Education Minister Dan Tehan has pledged: an additional A$305.6 million for families ...12 hours ago
- National promises Nelson hospital rebuild with work starting by 2024The National Party has pledged to prioritise the rebuild of Nelson Hospital on its current site, if elected, with construction to begin in 2024. ...12 hours ago
- PNG opposition’s Namah calls for end to ‘martial law-like’ restrictionsPacific Media Centre Newsdesk Papua New Guinea’s opposition has called on the government to explain the paralysing martial law type restrictions that has crippled the economy and will take years to return to normal, reports the PNG Post-Courier. Opposition Leader Belden Namah said blaming covid-19 was not good enough and ...12 hours ago
- How a Dunedin election debate became the hottest ticket in townSome election debates transcend simply putting candidates in front of potential voters, and become must-attend events in and of themselves. Alex Braae went along to the Opoho Presbyterian Church in Dunedin to see how one group does it.Most political junkies have probably heard of the Aro Valley Meet the Candidates ...12 hours ago
- Tiwai Deal Must Come With Strings Attached – GreenpeaceGreenpeace is disappointed that Jacinda Ardern is buckling under pressure from Rio Tinto to provide cheap power for its Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter. The environmental organisation says the deal needs to come with strings attached. The Labour Party ...12 hours ago
- Breastscreen Auckland Terminates Contract With MoHBreastScreen Auckland Ltd (BSAL) has made the difficult decision to terminate its contract with the Ministry of Health (MoH). For 21 years, BSAL has run a leading high-performing, safe and responsive breast screening programme in the Auckland area. ...13 hours ago
- Labour commits to Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter extension negotiationsLabour would negotiate to extend the life of the Tiwai Point Aluminium smelter by three to five years if elected, it says. ...13 hours ago
- National promises ‘zero suicides’ strategy, mental health ministerNational would bring in a zero suicides strategy and install New Zealand's first minister for mental health if elected. ...13 hours ago
- Overseas Voting Starts On WednesdayVoters who are overseas will be able to vote in the 2020 General Election and referendums from this Wednesday. About 67,000 New Zealand voters are enrolled at an overseas address. Overseas voters can vote from Wednesday 30 September until 7pm on election ...13 hours ago
- Are Labour voters turning Green?Despite recent hiccups, the Green Party still appears to be gaining votes. However, these may be coming from the Labour faithful, writes Pattrick Smellie for BusinessDesk.Three weeks out from polling day, and just five days before the start of early voting, Labour Party strategists might be expected to be feeling ...13 hours ago
- Tahiti’s Nuutania prison detects covid-19 outbreak with 20 casesBy RNZ Pacific The covid-19 outbreak in French Polynesia has reached Tahiti’s prison and infected 20 people. The French High Commission said that after two cases were detected among corrections staff, tests had revealed an initial tally of 13. A second round of testing then found another four cases among ...14 hours ago
- Climate Activists Block Canterbury Coal MineBathurst Resources' Canterbury coal mine was out of action today as a group of 33 climate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Ōtautahi, Te Waka Hourua (XR), XR Ōtepoti and XR Whakatū blocked the access road into the mine. Activists locked ...14 hours ago
- Election 2020: The Big Climate HoleHealth professionals have expressed surprise at the silence around this century’s biggest population health threat in the 2020 general election. “We have found that even some of our major parties have either no plans on what to do about climate change ...14 hours ago
- Fonterra Should Be Ashamed Of Causing Coal Mine Expansion: Support For ActivistsBathurst Resource’s planned extension of its Canterbury coal mine, shut down by protesters this morning, is proof that dairy companies like Fonterra are not moving out of coal fast enough, says Coal Action Network Aotearoa (CANA). Early this morning ...14 hours ago
- Business confidence at 19-year low – Mood of the BoardroomBusiness confidence is at its lowest on record according to the Mood of the Boardroom survey, and while National's tax policy rates higher than Labour's, Grant Robertson rates higher than Paul Goldsmith. ...14 hours ago
- Labour’s Jacinda Ardern defends track record on child welfare and povertyLabour Party leader Jacinda Ardern says she's proud of her track record on child welfare, despite falling short of a target the party had set in 2017. ...15 hours ago
- Small fortunes: Dunne’s tips on the pitfalls of party popularityThe election could see some parties welcoming far more MPs into Parliament. They may celebrate, but sudden party growth has its own pitfalls to avoid. ...15 hours ago
- White supremacists believe in genetic ‘purity’. Science shows no such thing existsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis McNevin, Professor of Forensic Genetics, University of Technology Sydney Far-right white supremacist ideology is on the rise in Europe, North America and Australia. It appeals to a racist notion whereby many white supremacists see themselves as members of a “pure” race ...15 hours ago
- Many anti-lockdown protesters believe the government is illegitimate. Their legal arguments don’t ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Lockdown has been particularly hard in Victoria and some dissent against restrictions is to be expected. While it might be easy to dismiss the anti-lockdown protesters by calling them ...15 hours ago
- Private health insurance premiums are going up this week. But the reasons why just don’t stack upSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, University of Melbourne Private health insurance premiums are set to rise on October 1, an increase companies have delayed for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But 2020 has been a year like no other. ...15 hours ago
- Australians recorded frog calls on their smartphones after the bushfires – and the results are rem...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Frogs are one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth. At least four of Australia’s 240 known frog species are extinct and 36 are nationally threatened. After last summer’s bushfires, ...15 hours ago
- Not much relief for parents, but new child-care measures will rescue providers (again)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Child care will reopen to all Melbourne families this week, as the Australian government’s latest child care support package comes into effect. Education Minister Dan Tehan has pledged: an additional A$305.6 million ...15 hours ago
- Close up: Inception’s mindbending Paris sceneSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Isaacs, Associate Professor, Film Studies, University of Sydney How do filmmakers communicate big ideas on screen? In this video series, film scholar Bruce Isaacs analyses pivotal film scenes in detail. [embedded content] Watching Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception, especially ...15 hours ago
- Election 2020: ACT Party relishing gain in pollsFrom a one man band to potentially bringing eight other MPs back to Parliament with him, ACT's David Seymour has been performing out of his skin. ...15 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – September 28 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Newshub-Reid Research poll Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National is in a classic opposition party death spiral Audrey Young (Herald): Latest poll is a shocker for National (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): Labour ...16 hours ago
- Election Live, September 28: Ardern not complacent after poll, rules out working with ActWelcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 28, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. I’m ...17 hours ago
- Covid news not bad; political and economic news not good
This far into the epidemic it’s interesting what we know and extraordinary what we don’t. Which is more significant: the knowledge or the ignorance? So what is happening: Daily cases in many European countries are rising sharply but recorded death and excess mortality rates are not – so far.In the ...17 hours ago - The Bulletin: Widely different outcomes loom for referendumsGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: One referendum looks set for easy win while the other flounders, Labour still enjoys huge polling lead, and farming exporters warned on animal welfare and environment.A new poll has set the scene for the likely outcomes of upcoming referendums on ...17 hours ago
- Reactions to Labour’s waste policies urge caution and full speedThe Green Party is promising to push further and faster on waste management if it is part of the next government. ...18 hours ago
- Labour keeps pressure on National’s fiscal holes: ‘They have a lot of explaining to do&#...Labour believes there could be up to $12 billion worth of errors in National's economic plan, released just over a week ago. ...18 hours ago
- Business & Investing: Air NZ dips into pubic loan
Air NZ dips into the Government loan bailout, while signalling a capital raise next year - plus Hallenstein Glasson pays shareholders a dividend after claiming the pubic wage subsidy ...18 hours ago - How Will The Parties Score On Measures To Reduce Inequality?The Equality Network, a group of New Zealand organisations united by the vision of a more equal Aotearoa New Zealand, will release their Party Scorecard later this week. Each election the network hopes their scores for the Parties support and inform ...19 hours ago
- Young Dutch trio forging a path in NZ rugby
Three young Dutch women who chose to stay in New Zealand when Covid-19 struck, are striving to make their mark in the Farah Palmer Cup before establishing professional rugby careers. Lisa Egberts and Lynn Koelman hadn’t met before becoming roommates last year in Tauranga, half a world away from their homes in the Netherlands. ...19 hours ago - A seemingly trivial threat to our Covid response
Dr Michael SW Lee explains the link between the concept of 'fear of missing out' and how effective we are in our response to Covid-19 Fear of missing out, or FOMO, could be the greatest threat to managing coronavirus outside of Level 3 and 4, particularly when the population has to deal ...19 hours ago - Election 2020 & climate action: Leaders answer your questions
You asked us to make the climate emergency, housing, health, and justice reform key election issues. Today, we share the first of the top five election questions, chosen by you - our readers - for the political leaders vying for your votes. Launching her party’s election campaign three years ago, Labour leader ...19 hours ago - In Taranaki, just transition fails to materialise
Business and political leaders say the Government's approach to the just transition to a low carbon economy in Taranaki is scattershot and uncertain. ...19 hours ago - Claim great whites finned alive in NZ waters
*Watch the full story in the video player below* Over the last year, an average of three protected great white sharks per month were caught in Aotearoa waters – and these are just the ones that were reported. In a Newsroom exclusive, we share a video of a juvenile ...19 hours ago - Trump’s dirty money
As the US heads to the election, Auckland law professor Timothy Kuhner follows the dirty money that leads back to Donald Trump By the end of 2018, the US federal government was holding nearly 15,000 migrant children in camps. In April of that year, the Trump regime announced its zero-tolerance approach ...19 hours ago - National’s bad news keeps rolling in
There is more bad news for National in the latest public poll, and little sense that the party can turn things around with less than a week until voting starts, Sam Sachdeva writes Momentum can be fickle in politics: so hard to gain, but so easily lost. Heading into a ...19 hours ago - The secret to ACT’s popularity
Many theories have been offered for the party's success - often the simplest explanation is likeliest. ...19 hours ago - Election 2020: The foreign policy cupboard is bare
Covid-19 may be a global problem, but Kiwi politicians are firmly focused on matters within our own borders. ...19 hours ago - Voters Should Know Which Parties Prioritise Young People’s Mental HealthFollowing a year of global pandemic outbreak, with DHBs across our country facing blow-out deficits, and young people reporting increasing levels of depression and anxiety, there is perhaps nothing more important for voters to scrutinise the Parties ...19 hours ago
- Emily Writes: It’s time to act on endometriosisHaving surgery was the best thing I ever did. Everybody deserves the option.I am 10 days post-surgery. Everyone seems surprised at how well I’m doing. There’s just one group who get it, who understand why I’m so happy. They’re those who haven’t yet been able to get the surgery that ...19 hours ago
- The first leaders’ debate was so awful because the old format no longer worksLaura O’Connell Rapira has some ideas for improving the standard of TV election debates in Aotearoa. Last week I hate-watched the TVNZ Leaders’ Debate.I knew I wasn’t going to like it. TV election debates are generally awful. Whoever decided fast-paced, adversarial soundbite clashes where folks speak over each other was ...19 hours ago
- Breaking down cannabis
As the cannabis referendum draws nearer, we have a look at the chemical make up of the substance there's been so much debate over The cannabis referendum is just around the corner, but how much do you actually know about the active ingredient in weed - the stuff that actually ...19 hours ago - View from The Hill: Morrison government’s message to Daniel Andrews: ‘open faster’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Andrews’ Sunday announcement of some modest steps out of lockdown will bring both relief and reassurance to many Victorians, but frustration to those who think he should move faster. Certainly the Morrison government wants ...1 day ago
- Vale Susan Ryan, pioneer Labor feminist who showed big, difficult policy changes can, and should, be...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Associate Professor, 50/50 By 2030 Foundation, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra The politician who achieved equal rights legislation for women in Australia, Hon Susan Ryan AO, died unexpectedly yesterday in Sydney aged 77, still fighting for ...1 day ago
- Labour support slips in new NZ poll, but could still govern aloneBy RNZ News With just under three weeks until the election, Newshub’s new political poll shows the gap is closing between Labour and National, but Labour could still govern alone. The Newshub Reid Research Poll had Labour at 50.1 percent – down 10 percent on the last poll – but ...1 day ago
- No time for a day off on the campaign trailIt might be a Sunday, but with less than three weeks until the election, the campaign trail is still in full swing with politicians out and about across the country. ...1 day ago
- Unions Release Grading Of Political PartiesThe Council of Trade Unions has today released its official assessment and grading of the major political parties’ industrial relations policies, to assist working people in their voting choices. This general election working people in union have ...1 day ago
- Curfew lifted and COVID-19 roadmap is ‘ahead of schedule’ as Melbourne inches towards end of loc...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced an end to the curfew and a COVID-safe return to work for 127,000 Melburnians, as restrictions ease at 11.59pm tonight. He has also flagged a provisional early lifting of ...1 day ago
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