democratic participation
Categories under democratic participation
- petition (23)
- political education (59)
- referendum (84)
- vote smart (30)
NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 - 47 comments
The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.
Legalise it! The Socialist case for Cannabis reform
Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, October 15th, 2020 - 18 comments
Maria Hoyle of Socialist Aotearoa argues that from a socialist perspective the legalisation of the possession of cannabis should occur.
The Votesafe campaign
Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, October 2nd, 2020 - 35 comments
A well funded organisation has emerged from nowhere and is potentially having a significant effect on one of the referendum topics this year.
No Right Turn: The coming US shitshow
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 28th, 2020 - 44 comments
President Trump once again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the US election.
Should 16 year olds have the vote?
Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, August 25th, 2020 - 54 comments
A current case before the High Court is asking the question should 16 year olds be permitted to vote.
What is wrong with postal voting?
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, August 16th, 2020 - 73 comments
Judith Collins’s and National’s ridiculing the proposition that New Zealand could safely hold an election using postal voting has some disturbing similarities with Donald Trump’s approach in America.
Vote No to Cannabis Reform
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, August 10th, 2020 - 118 comments
Ten reasons to vote against cannabis law reform this election.
July 2020 Roy Morgan Poll
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 8th, 2020 - 45 comments
The latest Roy Morgan poll is out.
Crusher?
Crushed!
Hong Kong principles
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, July 28th, 2020 - 38 comments
According to our Prime Minister, today’s announcement that New Zealand is suspending extradition arrangements with Hong Kong is because of our principles. But it is not immediately clear what these principles are, other than falling into line with our Five Eyes spying partners. Some history is important.
Another Nat MP Quits
Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, July 20th, 2020 - 205 comments
Another Tory MP has quit. This time it’s first term MP Andrew Falloon.
UPDATE: The PM was informed on Friday, but chose to be discreet.
UPDATE: NewsHub are claiming that Falloon sent porn to a schoolgirl.
UPDATE: The victim was a uni student and her age means no offence was committed. Further, Falloon claims it was not him that sent the pic.
Wellington Central: Should Grant Robertson Stand Aside?
Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, July 19th, 2020 - 47 comments
Should Labour’s Grant Robertson stand aside in Wellington Central to guarantee the Greens are available to be a coalition partner?
White Riot
Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 11 comments
Love Music, Hate Racism? Here’s the film for you!
Constitutions that build citizen power and joy
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, May 23rd, 2020 - 34 comments
Emerging from the current crisis, what kind of state can be envisaged that could do the opposite of this consciousness deflation, by enabling and encouraging an empowered citizenry, and harnessing public intelligence, creativity and ingenuity for the common good?
Nat Vote: And the Loser Is ….
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, May 22nd, 2020 - 197 comments
The Nation holds its breath as the dullest political leadership race in a generation snores to a close. Who will win by losing? Who will lose by winning? Who cares?
UPDATE: It’s Mullertime!
UPDATE: Bennett dumped!
National’s Petition is Cynical Populism
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, April 9th, 2020 - 124 comments
National is trying to steal show political leadership and relevance by launching a petition.
Addendum added
Two Bubbles Bridges’ Big Day Out
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 pm, April 6th, 2020 - 67 comments
Simon ‘Two Bubbles’ Bridges feels he’s entitled to flaunt the rules because he’s, ahem, essential.
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.
Green Party call for national discussion on political party funding and donations reform
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, February 19th, 2020 - 61 comments
It’s clear that Parliament is incapable of meaningful reforms to itself, as some political parties have a vested interest in the status quo, a citizens’ assembly would remove bias around these important decisions.
– NZ Green Party
Bridges’ biggest gamble
Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, February 2nd, 2020 - 103 comments
Simon Bridges has mimicked John Key and ruled out National working with NZ First after the election. The difference is however that back then Key ruled out working with NZ First because NZ First was involved in a SFO investigation about the hiding of a $100,000 donation. This time it is National.
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 British Election result 2019
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, December 20th, 2019 - 21 comments
Democracy is a precious thing, and not something that can be taken for granted. Having an electoral system where every vote matters is crucial to creating a decent society. It is time that the UK started seriously debating electoral reform and how to improve its democratic systems.
How to counter angry boomer campaigns
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments
The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads. What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?
Listening to left wing dissent
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 16th, 2019 - 178 comments
What stands out for me are the voices of the people who are saying actually, there were solid reasons for abandoning Labour, this is why I did. There’s something important here about really listening to dissent and being willing to engage with views that don’t make sense in the context of our own personal ideologies.
Bouganville and Brexit
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 12th, 2019 - 2 comments
The island of Bouganville has just had a vote towards independence from Papua New Guinea. The result has interesting similarities with the Brexit vote.
Protecting democracy
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 4th, 2019 - 40 comments
We need to normalise a political culture based on real relationships, where people can work through their beliefs and thinking about how they want society to be without being constantly bombarded with information and processes that are deeply anti-human.
Government to ban foreign donations to political parties
Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 3rd, 2019 - 66 comments
The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.
Two Referendums Too Many
Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, November 16th, 2019 - 50 comments
The referendums on two contentious issues could cloud and crowd out the General Election.
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.
NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments
At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.
2019 local body election results
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, October 12th, 2019 - 79 comments
Discussion post for live election results and turnout stats.
Will online voting solve the turnout problem
Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, October 8th, 2019 - 38 comments
Auckland Council voting returns are very low. But is the problem voter apathy or is our postal system not up to scratch? And will digital voting be a panacea?
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #43, 2020
Hint from the past: "you're getting warmer" Even though we're accidentally experimenting with our climate we really oughtn't take that risk. Still, it would be nice to safely run global-scale manipulations of climate. We could further confirm our grasp on extending some fairly simple physical principles from theory to prediction and observation. ...12 hours ago - Where Does the Media Stand on the Political Spectrum?
A recent study suggests most are near the centre. It is a standard trope of the American Right that the US media has a leftwing bias. This of course, depends on where the centre is located. I have heard, for instance, the New Zealand left arguing that the New ...12 hours ago - The Labour Party is still rorting us
Back in September, we learned that the Labour Party was rorting its Parliamentary expenses to steal from the public again, renting office space at a below-market rate from a union for $1500 a year, then subletting it to Parliamentary Services as an electorate office at a (significantly higher) below-market rate ...14 hours ago - A new study suggests coronavirus antibodies fade over time – but how concerned should we be?
Sheena Cruickshank, University of Manchester Newly released research suggests that levels of antibodies against the coronavirus have declined across the UK population since testing began. Having randomly sampled 365,000 people across the country, the React2 study – which is yet to be peer-reviewed – estimates that 6% of the ...17 hours ago - How to Systematically Reduce the Border Failure Risk for COVID-19 in Aotearoa/NZProf Nick Wilson*, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker With the 2020 election over and with a newly elected government, it is an excellent time for a systematic review by NZ health authorities to identify optimal methods for reducing the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks in Aotearoa/NZ. ...19 hours ago
- Did atomic bomb tests damage our upper atmosphere?Climate 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 I recently read an article stating the atomic bomb ...19 hours ago
- Building a norm against nuclear weaponsBack in 2017, the UN General Assembly approved the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and New Zealand was one of the first countries to sign. Now, a 50th ratification is finally going to bring it into force: Campaigners have hailed a "new chapter" after a key step ...2 days ago
- Change wins in ChileThis time last year, Chile was in rebellion against its government. Protests against a train fare increase turned into protests against inequality, and then, when the right-wing government deployed the military to crush them, into protests against the government and the dictator-imposed constitution. And the protestors won: half the cabinet ...2 days ago
- Speaker: Rewarding competence
If you were listening to New Zealand’s punditocracy in the days since Labour won the general election with a record-setting outright majority, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Labour had actually lost.Last time around pundits could barely deal with the fact that the National government had lost its majority, and ...2 days ago - NZ Politics Daily – 27 October 2020
Today’s content Labour Party and new Labour Government Andrea Vance (Stuff): ‘Labour Connect’ the data analysis tool that boosted Jacinda Ardern’s campaign Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Time for Govt to take some risks (paywalled) Audrey Young (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on her big win and big plans (paywalled) Audrey Young: What Kelvin Davis wants for Māori from ...2 days ago - Thirty Years Ago Today: Musings on the Fourth Labour Government
The New Zealand media and the New Zealand public are still chattering about what Jacinda Ardern will do with her brand-spanking-new single party majority Government. The consensus – apart from a few wishful-thinkers – is “probably not much.” This is the era of “incrementalism”, which during the Helen Clark ...2 days ago - Water on the Moon?The space news this week is largely focused on an announcement from NASA regarding the discovery of water on the Moon. Not liquid water – the lunar surface is far too cold for that – but apparently ice deposits in the surface layers in near-polar regions, and perhaps deeper ...2 days ago
- Yes Minister.
What it is like to be a new Minister Good morning Minister? Congratulations, you are minister for the very important department of state which I run as Chief Excutive. Have they fixed you up with all the accoutrements of office: the chauffeured limousine, your own car, state supplied accommodation ...2 days ago - The Debunking Handbook 2020: Debunk often and properlyThis blog post is part 4 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020 which can be downloaded here. The list of references is available here. Debunk often and properly If you cannot preempt, you must debunk. For debunking to be effective, it is important to provide detailed ...3 days ago
- The Debunking Handbook 2020: ReferencesThis is the list of references for The Debunking Handbook 2020Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Ecker, U. K. H., Albarracín, D., Amazeen, M. A., Kendeou, P., Lombardi, D., Newman, E. J., Pennycook, G., Porter, E. Rand, D. G., Rapp, D. N., Reifler, J., Roozenbeek, J., Schmid, P., Seifert, C. M., Sinatra, ...3 days ago
- When the dictator wears capes.
Today Chileans voted overwhelmingly to elect a constitutional assembly and redraft the 1980 Constitution promulgated by the dictatorship of Agusto Pinochet. I regret that my old friend Bob Barros, whose death I wrote about a while ago, is not around to see this moment because he was the first person ...3 days ago - Everyone I don’t like is Hitler, or, how i got banned by Facebook
I do not really use Facebook anymore. I used to. For several years now, however, my drug of choice has been Twitter. It is equally pointless but is more agreeable better than Zuckerberg's monster is for me.I haven't deactivated my account because I still use FB as a means of ...3 days ago - Gal Gadot, The Orient and Identity Politics
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh (14/10/2020) A row has recently erupted over the casting of the Israeli actress Gal Gadot as Cleopatra in an upcoming film. Part of the objections to her playing the role are based on the fact that she is not only Israeli, but a Zionist to boot, ...3 days ago - Getting Our Priorities Right
Much of the political debate over the past few months – as we have grappled with the coronavirus pandemic – has centred on the question of whether it is the interests of business or the health of the community that should take priority in policy terms. Much has been made ...3 days ago - 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #43Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review Story of the Week... Alarm as Arctic sea ice not yet freezing at latest date on record Delayed freeze in Laptev Sea could have ...3 days ago
- 2020 – Post mortem or Prologue?
. . A narcissistic, third-rate, Bond-villain code-named “Trump” takes control of the United States; a global pandemic brings human civilisation to a near stand-still; Whakaari/White Island erupts creating a hellish tragedy; Level 4 and 3 Lockdowns result in deserted streets straight out of The Quiet Earth; a new “Fortress ...3 days ago - Media Link: Some Bolivian and NZ post-election analysis on “A View from Afar.”This last week’s podcast featuring Selwyn Manning and I focused on post-election analysis in two small states, one land locked and the other surrounded by water. Check it out here. ...4 days ago
- Analysis of an Election – Aaaarghghgh! What happened????
With a week or so gone since the catastrophic election result for the National Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, MyThinks have set the team to work to come up with their hot takes on what has caused the previous all powerful party of government to collapse under the weight of ...4 days ago - A response to Judith ButlerFeminist Ani O’Brien takes a critical look at Judith Butler and the Kim Hill interview (17/10/20): It has been a while since I have done a bit-by-bit response piece, but this weekend Radio New Zealand journalist Kim Hill interviewed Professor Judith Butler on the conflict between trans activists and “TERFs” and I have ...4 days ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #43A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Oct 18, 2020 through Sat, Oct 24, 2020 Editor's Choice A second Trump term would mean severe and irreversible changes in the climate No joke: It would be disastrous on the ...4 days ago
- National’s electoral slaughter
5 days ago - The Ideal and the Reality for a New MP
Being an MP is not quite what you think. Hello Mr Orange Man, I’ve really depended on you during the election over the last few weeks. Thankyou for helping me to get elected to parliament. So what are you doing here, meeting me in parliament, now I have ...6 days ago - COVID-19: backing our front rowNew Zealand has been called out as an outstanding player in managing COVID-19. We’ve done well,[1] but we’re far from perfect. We could do a lot better at backing our front row. Epidemiologists advise nations not to play “wait and see”. If By the time they do see, it’s all ...6 days ago
- Fleeing to the Dawn – accepted
Good bit of news on the short story front: my 1700 word fantasy piece, Fleeing to the Dawn, has been accepted for the Autumn 2020 edition of Shorts Magazine: http://shortsmagazine.com/ This one was a case of a previously unsuccessful story being dusted off and polished up. It is ...6 days ago - The Debunking Handbook 2020: The elusive backfire effectsThis blog post is part 3 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020 which can be downloaded here. The list of references is available here. The elusive backfire effects Ten years ago, scholars and practitioners were concerned that corrections may “backfire”; that is, ironically strengthen misconceptions rather ...6 days ago
- Prosecute ICEWe knew that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was a moral void: they run concentration camps, and forcibly separate children from their parents. And now they're outright torturing people: US immigration officers allegedly tortured Cameroonian asylum seekers to force them to sign their own deportation orders, in what lawyers ...6 days ago
- Fly on the wall of the first National caucus since electionOver the past several months, the team at MyThinks have been involved in a vast insect training programme. We have been working to teach our six-legged friends to become the finest of political reporters. This week we sent our deputy political diptera into the National Party caucus room for their ...6 days ago
- The Twilight Of Boomer Power.
6 days ago - NZ Politics Daily – 23 October 2020Today’s content Labour government Peter Dunne (Newsroom): At the highwater mark with little wriggle room RNZ: Caucus: Explaining The Red Tide: Kiwis hug Jacinda back as Labour breaks records Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): It’s Time For Some “Earnest Struggle” Chris Trotter: “Change That Sticks.” Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): The Twilight Of Boomer Power Brent Edwards ...6 days ago
- “Change That Sticks.”Implementing Change With Us - Not Imposing It On Us: Jacinda Ardern, like Mickey Savage before her, understands what her more revolutionary critics do not: that the only sort of socialism that endures is democratic socialism – socialism by popular demand and with popular consent.AFTER THE BIGGEST WIN in nearly ...6 days ago
- Science at the movies: The new comet impact filmDisaster movies forever capture the public attention… but did you ever stop to think that the word disaster actually means bad star? That is, ‘dis’ implies a pejorative (as in disease, or disgust, or disrespect), while ‘aster’ comes from the Latin astrum, similarly the Greek astron. Asteroids are called that ...6 days ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XI
Yes, dinosaurs. Annalax would think of them as giant horned lizards. They were also terrified of us, what with Magni still being covered in spider goo, and hence smelling like a Leng Spider. The ... 7 days ago - PrioritiesMuch of the political debate over the past few months – as we have grappled with the coronavirus pandemic – has centred on the question of whether it is the interests of business or the health of the community that should take priority in policy terms. Much has been made ...7 days ago
- Farmers earning their reputation againNew Zealand farmers routinely complain about the public viewing them as environmental vandals. At the same time, they're opposing basic environmental regulation: Federated Farmers has asked that a wide-ranging plan change setting water use rules for South Canterbury remove all references to the protection of “indigenous fish”. [...] ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 22 October 2020Labour-Greens talks, Labour govt Henry Cooke (Stuff): There is no evidence National voters backed Labour to keep the Greens out Audrey Young (Herald): Labour holds all the cards as Ardern’s talks with Greens get underway RNZ: Greens better off independent – Former Green MP Catherine Delahunty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Greens would be ...7 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Stardust across the Middle East: How Arab media reported on NZ’s electionNews is not in short supply in the Middle East, and on Saturday, Arab media remained focused heavily on the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Nevertheless, the New Zealand election – and especially Jacinda Ardern’s personal success – received significant attention from Arabic-language TV news channels, newspapers and ...7 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Stardust across the Middle East – how Arab media covered the New Zealand electionNews is not in short supply in the Middle East, and at the weekend, Arabic-language media remained firmly focused on the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Nevertheless, the New Zealand election – and above all Jacinda Ardern’s personal success – still received significant attention from Arabic-language TV news ...7 days ago
- It's Time For Some “Earnest Struggle”.7 days ago
- Party Like It’s 1936: Songs for the Philologists
It’s the most obscure Tolkien book of all… so obscure that only fourteen copies exist: Songs for the Philologists, a 1936 collection of thirty humorous verses, by Tolkien (who wrote thirteen), E.V. Gordon, and ... 1 week ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – National’s catastrophic collapse and fraught rebuildThe National Party’s defeat has been so comprehensive that few in the party seem optimistic they will recover anytime soon. Falling from 47% in 2017 to just 27% (which might drop as low as 25% once special votes are counted), is one of the most severe collapses in New Zealand’s ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #42, 2020Dust-up at the Denial Corral, in "journal time" Way back in 2017 the Institute of Physics publication Environmental Research Letters (ERL) published a featured article, Assessing ExxonMobil's climate change communications (1977–2014), by Supran & Oreskes. The article reverberated widely as it exposed a documented a pattern of behavior arguably described as perfidious. The authors ...1 week ago
- Now’s the time – expand ACC
Having ruled out Capital Gains Tax and Wealth Tax, the incoming Labour government must be looking for some significant progressive policies that they haven’t already ruled out. Expanding the ACC scheme fits that brief, and the Green Party have conveniently already proposed doing so. But, how to fund it? The accident/illness ...1 week ago - Managing to the targetNew Zealand's health system is chronicly underfunded, and so almost all DHBs run deficits. Last month, just before he bailed out Canterbury DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins was repeating the mantra that DHBs must live within their means and "have a credible plan to return to financial sustainability". But yesterday, ...1 week ago
- Solarise all the things!If we are to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, we need to decarbonise the economy and shift our energy supply completely to renewables. The good news is that the International Energy Agency thinks that that is going to happen. The reason? Interest rates have dropped. And this means that ...1 week ago
- New Zealand weighs up a nation-sized batteryIan Mason and Robert McLachlan Climate change was a small but perceptible part of the recent election. On climate change, Labour pointed proudly to their record of legislating for net zero emissions by 2050 (nicknamed the ‘Zero Carbon Act’), establishing a Climate Change Commission to set carbon budgets and advise ...1 week ago
- WHO reform: a call for an early-warning protocol for infectious diseasesPeter Gluckman and Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato The World Health Organization (WHO) has come in for its share of criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some faults are the responsibility of the WHO, others were caused by member states, which did not always act as quickly ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 21 October 2020Today’s content Election Jack Vowles (The Conversation): The 2020 NZ election saw record vote volatility — what does that mean for the next Labour government? Jason Walls and Chris Knox (Herald): 20 fascinating facts about the 2020 election you might have missed Stuff: Labour Day: A vote-by-vote analysis of New Zealand’s historic shift ...1 week ago
- Do Landslides Change the Landscape in the Long Run?
It was easy for election night commentators to use the ‘landslide’ trope to describe Labour’s winning of the 2020 election. But the historical record suggests that such landslides may not last long. In 1935, the First (Savage-Fraser) Labour Government won 53 seats in a parliament of 80; National ...1 week ago - The Debunking Handbook 2020: Prevent misinformation from sticking if you canThis blog post is part 2 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020 which can be downloaded here. The list of references is available here. Prevent misinformation from sticking if you can Because misinformation is sticky, it’s best preempted. This can be achieved by explaining misleading or ...1 week ago
- Graeme Edgeler: Mandates are not mandatory, but they are also not meaninglessThere’s a lot of talk about what the Labour Government’s new mandate is. For a discussion of exactly what that might mean, Graeme Edgeler explores the murky logic of what they can and can’t do, pointing out that ultimately voters decide if this mandate was properly used in three years. ...1 week ago
- Hyping it up over fluoridation
In my time as a scientific researcher, honest scientists used to condemn colleagues who over-hyped their science. To our mind there should have been a special place in hell for scientists who misrepresented their ... 1 week ago - Don’t fall for the Covid contrariansAs life in Aotearoa gets back to some kind of normal after our latest Covid-19 outbreak, cases in the northern hemisphere are on the rise again and that puts us all at risk. Because no one is safe until we are all safe. This is a tricky virus. We now ...1 week ago
- Liam Hehir: Online abuse and the standard you walk byThere’s a lot of nastiness in the online public sphere, much of it tribal, petty and personal. Political commentator and Twitter enthusiast Liam Hehir has seen too much of it, and explains why he’s going to actively stand up against it. I did a radio interview a little while ...1 week ago
- Tanzania: elections, neoliberalism and economic diplomacyPolitics in New Zealand is the main focus of Redline, along with supporting liberation movements and anti-imperialist struggles. We have had little material from the African continent, so are pleased to print this submission from a Tanzanian writer on their pending elections. Tanzania will be going to the polls on ...1 week ago
- Governing For All Of Us.1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 20 October 2020Today’s content Coalition negotiations, shape of government Gordon Campbell: On why the Greens shouldn’t join the government Andrew Geddis (Pundit): What Sort Of Relationship Might Labour And The Greens Agree On? Audrey Young (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds preparatory talks with Greens but coalition looking unlikely Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Jacinda Ardern tight-lipped after ...1 week ago
- What sort of relationship might Labour and the Greens agree on?
Even without knowing the final election result (because, don’t forget there’s about 500,000 special votes still to count and they very likely will change Saturday’s results), we can say two things for certain about the next government. Jacinda Ardern will be its Prime Minister. And Labour will be at its core. But ...1 week ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Leftwing euphoria meets realityThe political left has been euphoric since Saturday’s night historic landslide victory for Labour. But political commentators from across the spectrum are united in warning that the new Government isn’t about to be transformative. Instead, we will see more of a status quo administration grappling with a crisis, with very ...1 week ago
- Yes, a mandate for sure… but issues for NZ will be far, far more difficult now
With the NZ General Election and Referendums over for 2020, Jacinda Ardern is to form a Government over the next few weeks, “there are some areas we do want to crack on with, that we will need to expedite”, and talks will begin to form around what the voters ...1 week ago - Labour Party landslide – 2020 Election in reviewJacinda Ardern - Prime Minister of New ZealandThe 2020 General Election has been one of the most interesting in New Zealand’s political history. Not only did we have voters provide the Labour Party with a stratospheric 49.1% mandate to govern, the results also delivered National with a crushing 26.8% defeat ...1 week ago
- Be careful what you wish for: Labour's difficult triumph
Labour’s overwhelming victory at the election has been greeted with rousing cheers on the left of New Zealand politics and the start of transformational demands. It’s a multi-generational win for Labour, out-polling the Kirk, Lange and Clark victories. You have to go back to 1938 for a bigger percentage (55.8%) ...1 week ago - A Skeptical Science member's path to an experiment on carbon sequestrationDuring what now seems like another era entirely- back in February of this long year- Skeptical Science regular RedBaron (aka Scott Strough) mentioned in a discussion thread here that he'd been working on an idea for no-till cultivation of vegetables, was seeking to quantify what appeared to be promising results. Scott ...1 week ago
- Jacinda Will Keep Us Moving – To The Same Place.Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes? Not Likely: Though few New Zealanders would express it in such a fashion: Jacinda’s and Labour’s general handling of the Covid-19 crisis proved both to be highly effective defenders of the capitalist status quo. She, and they, kept the lights on. And that, in the absence of an alternative ...1 week ago
- The Greens and LabourWith an absolute majority, Labour can govern in its own right, and doesn't need partners. But while unnecessary, they're a nice-to-have, both as backup and for PR reasons. Ardern has talked about "consensus", and there are obvious benefits for her of having government policy endorsed by as many parties as ...1 week ago
- 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #42Story 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... Earth has warmest September on record, and 2020 may clinch hottest year Record warmth in Europe and Asia overwhelms a ...1 week ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Vindication of Winston PetersAn egalitarian spirit is currently being revived in New Zealand, and we should thank Winston Peters for keeping alive that spirit. Josh Van Veen, who once worked with the NZ First leader, pays his tribute. With New Zealand First receiving less than 3% of the vote, critics are happily ...1 week ago
- The Hunt for Red October: Musings on Taieri
So New Zealand has had its general election. Jacinda Ardern has managed a single-party majority government, New Zealand’s first in twenty-six years, and its first since the adoption of proportional representation. I intend to do a comment on that further down the line – my feelings on the Sunday ...1 week ago - Lessons from the ElectionThis year’s general election has broken new ground – and not just in terms of its outcome, the seats won and votes cast, and – in an MMP environment – the margin of victory. It also suggests that something quite fundamental has changed in New Zealand politics. The outcome is ...2 weeks ago
- The unexpected resultThe people have spoken, and its a Labour majority government. This wasn't meant to happen under MMP, and in fact its exactly what the system was designed to prevent: no majority governments, no elected dictatorships, unless we really, really want it (which at the time seemed unlikely on 40 years ...2 weeks ago
- Schadenfreude is a dish best served blueWhat started out as the largest party in parliament has ended election night scratching the back door of the house of irrelevance. ...2 weeks ago
- WATCH LIVE: Election Night 2020
...2 weeks ago - Election Night Speech – Marama Davidson
Kia ora tātou kātoa. Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou Te Roopu Kakariki, ngā kaitautoko, e aroha ana I te kaupapa mo te taiao me te mokopuna. No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. I am so proud to be standing here tonight, at the end of an ...2 weeks ago - Election Night Speech – James ShawOn Election Night three years ago I stood up in front of you to say, “We are still here!” Well, tonight, not only are we still here, we are the first support party in MMP history to have started and finished a term in government above the 5% threshold. We ...2 weeks ago
- Greens only party with plan to meet scale of climate challengeA new report showing that the effects of climate change are already being felt in Aotearoa New Zealand shows the importance of the Green Party pushing for urgent action in the next Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party commits to stronger urban tree protection and no new mines on public conservation landThe Green Party is the only party in Parliament which is explicitly committing to protecting public conservation land and the indigenous plants and wildlife which live there, from destructive mining. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens close campaign with COVID-19 recovery pitchThe Green Party says a Green-Labour partnership next term is the only way to ensure that we build back better than before, whilst addressing the other crises of biodiversity, climate change and poverty. ...2 weeks ago
- Vote still undecided? Watch this.As of today, over 1.4 million New Zealanders have already cast their votes in this year’s election. While this shows that a huge number of people have already made up their minds about who they want to lead our country, there are many who are still undecided. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour's 2020 Election ManifestoThe Labour Party understands how important continuity, stability and clarity are for New Zealanders in these uncertain times. That’s why, in our 2020 Election Manifesto, we’re setting out how we will continue to invest in people, jobs, small businesses, infrastructure, and global trade, to set New Zealand up for the ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party releases tourism policyToday the Green Party’s conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage went kayaking on Akaroa Harbour to highlight the greater protection achieved for Hector’s and Maui dolphins this term and the Greens’ election commitment to supporting sustainable tourism. ...2 weeks ago
- National’s false ‘wealth tax’ claims: The “last roll of the misinformation dice”“Collins has warned voters to expect a wealth tax. This is despite the fact Labour has ruled this out a number of times.” – Jason Walls, NZ Herald. “The Labour Party has ruled out implementing the Green Party's wealth tax.” – Henry Cooke, Stuff. “Labour has time and time again ...2 weeks ago
- Week that was: Counting down to Election DayIt’s getting incredibly close to Election Day now – and over a million people have already cast their vote! ...3 weeks ago
- Jacinda Ardern's Wellington Rally SpeechJacinda Ardern delivers a rally speech at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. ...3 weeks ago
- Grant Robertson's Wellington Rally SpeechGrant Robertson delivers a rally speech at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. ...3 weeks ago
- Building a vibrant creative sector The Green Party will push for better conditions, more certainty, and greater opportunities for New Zealand’s artists and creatives as part of the next Government, Co-leader of the Green Party, James Shaw said today. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens promise continued action to reduce mental health waiting timesThe Green Party is committed to reduce the waiting times people in mental distress have to put up with before they receive attention and get treatment. ...3 weeks ago
- Early voting is openDid you know that early voting is open? That means you can go out and cast your vote right now - whether you've already enrolled or not. Almost 600,000 Kiwis have already voted, and you can join them! ...3 weeks ago
- Greens would go further and faster for kauri protectionThe Green Party says Labour’s commitment to protecting kauri is a good start, but the Greens would go further and faster to keep our kauri standing. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens would bring urban food farms to Auckland CityThe Green Party will invest funding in community agriculture and urban food gardens in places like Auckland city centre. ...3 weeks ago
- Fast-tracked Northland water project will accelerate economic recovery
The Government has welcomed the decision to approve a new water storage reservoir in Northland, the first of a number of infrastructure projects earmarked for a speedy consenting process that aims to accelerate New Zealand’s economic recovery from Covid-19. The Matawii Water Storage Reservoir will provide drinking water for Kaikohe, ...18 hours ago - Tokelau Language Week reminds us to stay united and strongStaying strong in the face of challenges and being true to our heritage and languages are key to preserving our cultural identity and wellbeing, is the focus of the 2020 Tokelau Language Week. Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, says this year’s theme, ‘Apoapo tau foe, i nā tāfea ...6 days ago
- NZ announces a third P-3 deployment in support of UN sanctionsThe Government has deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea, announced Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “New Zealand has long supported ...1 week ago
- Pacific trade and development agreement a realityPacific regional trade and development agreement PACER Plus will enter into force in 60 days now that the required eight countries have ratified it. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the announcement that the Cook Islands is the eighth nation to ratify this landmark agreement. “The agreement represents ...2 weeks ago
- Securing a pipeline of teachersThe Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching. “When we came into Government, we were faced with a teacher supply crisis,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “Over the past three years, we ...2 weeks ago
- Border exceptions for a small number of international students with visasThe Government has established a new category that will allow 250 international PhD and postgraduate students to enter New Zealand and continue their studies, in the latest set of border exceptions. “The health, safety and wellbeing of people in New Zealand remains the Government’s top priority. Tight border restrictions remain ...2 weeks ago
- First COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreement signedThe Government has signed an agreement to purchase 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines – enough for 750,000 people – from Pfizer and BioNTech, subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, say Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Minister Chris Hipkins. ...2 weeks ago
- International statement – End-to-end encryption and public safetyWe, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the ...2 weeks ago
- Ministry of Defence Biodefence Assessment releasedThe Ministry of Defence has today released a Defence Assessment examining Defence’s role across the spectrum of biological hazards and threats facing New Zealand. Biodefence: Preparing for a New Era of Biological Hazards and Threats looks at how the NZDF supports other agencies’ biodefence activities, and considers the context of ...2 weeks ago
- New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020 Hon David Parker’s response following Thomas Piketty and Esther Duflo. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever in the world you might be. I first acknowledge the excellent thought provoking speeches of Thomas Piketty and Esther ...3 weeks ago
- Kaipara Moana restoration takes next stepA Memorandum of Understanding has been signed today at Waihāua Marae between the Crown, local iwi and councils to protect, restore and enhance the mauri of Kaipara Moana in Northland. Environment Minister David Parker signed the document on behalf of the Crown along with representatives from Ngā Maunga Whakahī, Ngāti ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand and Uruguay unite on reducing livestock production emissionsAgriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Uruguayan Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Carlos María Uriarte have welcomed the launch of a three-year project that will underpin sustainable livestock production in Uruguay, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The project called ‘Innovation for pasture management’ is led by Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural ...3 weeks ago
- 3100 jobs created through marae upgradesHundreds of marae throughout the country will be upgraded through investments from the Provincial Growth Fund’s refocused post COVID-19 funding to create jobs and put money into the pockets of local tradespeople and businesses, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced. “A total ...3 weeks ago
- Health volunteers recognised in annual awardsHealth Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 9 teams and 14 individuals are the recipients of this year’s Minister of Health Volunteer Awards. “The health volunteer awards celebrate and recognise the thousands of dedicated health sector volunteers who give many hours of their time to help other New Zealanders,” Mr Hipkins ...3 weeks ago
- Community COVID-19 Fund supports Pacific recoveryThe Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says a total of 264 groups and individuals have successfully applied for the Pacific Aotearoa Community COVID-19 Recovery Fund, that will support Pacific communities drive their own COVID-19 recovery strategies, initiatives, and actions. “I am keen to see this Fund support Pacific ...3 weeks ago
- DoC reviews ‘nonsense’ media permits
The department demands the news media gets approval to film on public conservation land, if unaccompanied. David Williams reports A third of the country might be off-limits to camera-wielding media who don’t have an official escort or permission, if a Department of Conservation policy is rigorously enforced. DoC introduced a ...32 mins ago - Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi to replace John Tamihere as co-leader
The Māori Party has confirmed Rawiri Waititi as its new co-leader, pending special votes confirming his win in the Waiariki electorate seat. ...37 mins ago - The device that virtually transports you
Jacob Young has created a prototype device which transports callers to another user's location virtually - with a cell phone 2020 has been a boom year for online video communication platforms such as Zoom, Skype or Houseparty. But as these platforms became regular fixtures in our lives this year, a ...1 hour ago - Books of the Week: The colonisers and the colonised
Lydia Wevers reviews two best-selling historical novels History is supposed to make you uncomfortable. What is colonisation but a Trumpian property grab, awash with speculators whose scruples are pretty much still-born? Cristina Sanders's novel Jerningham is set in the earliest years of Wellington. She focuses on an imaginary colonist, ...1 hour ago - The foreign policy challenges for Ardern’s second term
Foreign affairs never features heavily in elections - but it will come to the fore over the next three years. ...1 hour ago - Women aren't little men: developing female athletes
In the first of a series on the development of female athletes in New Zealand, Ashley Stanley looks at our two biggest codes and their plans to nurture sportswomen from the grassroots to elite. The Silver Ferns' turnaround in 11 months has to be one of the great success tales ...1 hour ago - Inquiry into local china expert divides colleagues
A fight has broken out among local and overseas academics over an internal review into the work of University of Canterbury Professor Anne-Marie Brady. Brady is being investigated for her paper that claims New Zealand universities and businesses maybe helping China’s military ambitions. Academics named in the paper have complained ...1 hour ago - Just Fix the F***ing Housing Problem. Please!
It is far, far, past time for politicians to mandate the changes that will help Kiwis live in secure, affordable homes. Just do it, pleads Jess Berentson-Shaw. Imagine that all of us had a home in New Zealand. A home where the pictures on the walls were yours to put ...1 hour ago - I used to think all landlords were rich – until I became one by accident
Landlords are often denounced as wealthy, cost-cutting investors by the tenants who rent their houses. However, as Ayla Miller writes, it’s not as simple when you’re suddenly handed the keys as an owner.Inheriting a house at 27, when I never dreamt of home ownership, almost seemed like a waste. There ...1 hour ago - Complicity with Trump’s inhumanity should be disqualifying, even if you’re from MatamataIf New Zealand has any moral fibre it should oppose Chris Liddell’s nomination for the top job at the OECD, argues Natasha Lampard.He is one the most trusted and longest-serving lieutenants in the Trump administration. As assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination, he has ...2 hours ago
- Climate change will shape Jacinda Ardern's legacy
In the decades to come, will New Zealanders will look back on Jacinda Ardern as someone who seized the chance to act on climate or frittered away the opportunity before it was too late? ...2 hours ago - The downfall of Eric Watson
New Zealand businessman Eric Watson is currently in a London jail, felled by a man with deeper pockets and a big score to settle. How did it come to this? “It’s hard to think of anyone in New Zealand who’s had a worse year than him.” Herald investigative reporter ...2 hours ago - Reaching wahine where they are: The push to improve Māori breast cancer careEmma Espiner talks to Dr Maxine Ronald, the only wahine Māori consultant breast cancer surgeon in the world, about inequities in breast cancer outcomes for Māori.We were sitting in the clinic room, waiting for the last patient of the day. When she came in I recognised the Māori woman who ...10 hours ago
- Meet Australia’s new High Court judges: a legal scholar’s take on the Morrison government’s ap...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kcasey McLoughlin, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Newcastle The Morrison government has made its first appointments to the High Court. In doing so it has gone for continuity, both in terms of geography and gender. The news Justices Jacqueline Gleeson and ...11 hours ago - Borat’s wet firecracker of an October surprise won’t hurt Trump but succeeds as feminist satireSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Cothren, PhD Candidate, Flinders University It’s January 20th, 2021. Inauguration day. A triumphant Joe Biden salutes the National Mall crowd (way bigger than the last guy’s) and dedicates his victory to Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Borat, the satirical mastermind who delivered ...11 hours ago
- ULMWP accuses Jakarta over ‘martial law’ after police fire on studentsPacific Media Watch Newsdesk The United Liberation Movement if West Papua (ULMWP) has accused the Indonesian government of imposing martial law on the Melanesian region of West Papua and brutally supressing protests in a crackdown. “Students have been shot with live rounds, tear gassed and beaten with bamboo sticks by ...11 hours ago
- Man pleads not guilty in NZ First Foundation caseOne of the people charged over the investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial. ...12 hours ago
- Heading back to the playground? 10 tips to keep your family and others COVID-safeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thea van de Mortel, Professor, Nursing and Deputy Head (Learning & Teaching), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University In some Australian states, kids have been back on slides, swings and monkey bars for months. But in Victoria, many families are only ...13 hours ago
- Labour and Greens still on track to take deal to membership by FridayThe Green Party co-leaders say talks with Labour are in the closing stages and they expect to take a deal to their membership by Friday. ...13 hours ago
- Waitomo District Council's Media Policy Damages Democracy
The Free Speech Coalition says that attempts to prevent open dialogue between elected officials and the media and public amount to a gagging on local democracy and accountability. Responding to the report by Stuff on Waitomo District Council adopting a new code ...14 hours ago - The steep and narrow path to Parliament
It has always been difficult for small parties to win seats in Parliament, but the efforts of both Labour and National have made it even harder over time. ...14 hours ago - Drax Project are set be the sound of the Kiwi summer, againDrax Project are back from LA, and finalists in next month’s Aotearoa Music Awards for single of the year. Sherry Zhang catches up with the band as they get ready to release their new single ‘Firefly’. In a corner of the lounge at Universal Music’s Auckland offices sits an oversized ...14 hours ago
- Gene Editing A Hot DebateIndustry lobbying for deregulation of gene editing (GE) is reigniting the public concern for protecting New Zealand's agricultural export reputation and environment. Dr. Jon Hickford recently chaired a forum with speakers from industry and Crown Research ...14 hours ago
- Kumanjayi Walker murder trial will be a first in NT for an Indigenous death in custody. Why has it t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. The Northern Territory court decision this week to commit Police Constable Zachary Rolfe to stand ...15 hours ago
- What Kind Of People Voted For The Different Political Parties?AUT Emeritus Professor of Sociology Charles Crothers has put together a document that looks at what types of people voted for different political parties. It compares the social characteristics of electorates from the census data, as well as providing ...15 hours ago
- Two-day Old Puppies' Tails Illegally Docked With No Pain ReliefA Christchurch man who docked the tails of six Jack Russell cross puppies has been prosecuted by SPCA and was today sentenced in the Christchurch District Court to pay a fine of $900 to SPCA, and ordered to pay $150 towards legal costs and $130 ...15 hours ago
- PETA Urges Government To Ban Sale Of FireworksWellington – Ahead of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written a letter to Minister for the Environment David Parker asking that he heed the concerns of the thousands of Kiwis who have long been demanding ...15 hours ago
- Deal-bakers: the very best biscuits for a winning negotiation, revealedYesterday Marama Davidson said that the Greens-Labour negotiations had been lubricated by the introduction of Mallowpuffs in place of Krispies. Today the Green leaders emerged from negotiations with a tray of assorted biscuits, which may or may not be a concession granted to them in return for parliamentary confidence and ...15 hours ago
- The greatest Silver Scrolls performances of the past decadeEach year, the highlight of the annual Silver Scrolls aren’t the speeches, but the covers. In advance of tonight’s ceremony, Sam Brooks runs down his favourite performances since 2010. Tonight is the 2020 APRA Silver Scroll Awards, New Zealand’s most prestigious prize for songwriting (and you can stream them right ...16 hours ago
- Māori roll voters double since 2017A political commentator says a doubling of Māori voter enrolments since 2017 reflects a resurgent Māori Party. ...16 hours ago
- Māori roll enrolments double since 2017A political commentator says a doubling of Māori voter enrolments since 2017 reflects a resurgent Māori Party. ...16 hours ago
- Violent Gang Member Gets Rewarded At Sentencing For Difficult UpbringingSensible Sentencing Trust urges the Government to review sentencing discounts and sentence reductions for serious violent crime, saying the overuse of discounts will not reduce the risk of repeat offending. SST National spokesperson Jess McVicar said ...16 hours ago
- Questions hang over National MPs still teetering in the balanceA major question mark remains over the future of National's deputy leader Gerry Brownlee, following the party's devastating election loss. ...16 hours ago
- NZ First might seem washed up but Kaikohe’s water storage project (helped by the PGF) wins fast-fl...
Hurrah – someone in the Beehive is back in the business of braying about the approval of the spending of public money. Fair to say, it seems the Government did not actually make the decision to approve a new water storage reservoir in Northland, the first of several infrastructure projects ...17 hours ago - A litany of losses: a new project maps our abandoned arts events of 2020Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo Caust, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow (Hon), School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne There was a time when artists imagined and planned work for 2020. For some, years had gone into the planning. But, as we know, everything scheduled ...17 hours ago
- “Go Hard, Go Early For Migrant Rights ” Says Migrant Workers Association...17 hours ago
- EPA Taking An Active Role In Protecting New Zealand’s EnvironmentThe Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) latest Annual Report shows the organisation is looking ahead to have a proactive role, with a focus on compliance and engagement. Chief Executive Allan Freeth says over the past year the EPA has ...18 hours ago
- Book extract – The Palace Letters: the Queen, the governor-general, and the plot to dismiss Gough ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Hocking, Emeritus Professor, Monash University This is an edited extract from The Palace Letters: The Queen, the governor-general, and the plot to dismiss Gough Whitlam by Jenny Hocking. It was cold, mid-winter in Canberra, when I returned to the National ...18 hours ago
- One quarter of Australian 11-12 year olds don’t have the literacy and numeracy skills they needSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sergio Macklin, Deputy Lead of Education Policy, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, very remote areas, and Indigenous Australians are up to two times more likely to start school developmentally vulnerable than the national average. In 2018, 21.7% of Australian ...18 hours ago
- Aid Agencies Call On New Government To Fulfil 50-year Promise Of More AidMore than a dozen New Zealand aid agencies have signed an open letter to the incoming government, asking them to deliver on promises of increasing overseas aid levels. The letter marks the 50-year anniversary of New Zealand pledging to reach the target ...19 hours ago
- The polls point to a landslide for Biden but the popular vote is not what matters most in the US ele...Americans go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a president, senators for the upper house and representatives for the lower house. The presidential fight predominates but the other races are as important. If we think MMP can be complicated, try the US electoral system. All current polling suggests a ...19 hours ago
- Day trading has surged in popularity. Should we be worried?Many new investors in the US have started frantically buying and selling shares without considering the risks involved. Hatch GM Kristen Lunman explores the reasons for such behaviour and whether we’re seeing it happen in New Zealand. A share market rollercoaster, record low interest rates, and more free time on our ...19 hours ago
- All these new queer MPs are fantastic news. But where are their disabled peers?Our back-patting about electing the most inclusive parliament in history has one glaring omission, writes Henrietta Bollinger.In a sea of red votes, Aotearoa New Zealand looks to have elected the most rainbow parliament in the world. As a queer constituent, I have to believe this means something.It also has me ...19 hours ago
- Next Career Move Focus Of Workshop SeriesA series of workshops that will help people get their careers on track will kick off in November at the Tai Tokerau Skills Centre + Te Rua o Pūkenga, in Whangārei. ‘Your Next Job’ is a series of quickfire workshops spanning specific areas that ...19 hours ago
- Kiwi Based Tech-Company Puts Individuals In The Driver’s Seat For Climate ChangeView launch video here New research shows that the current Covid crisis is making people more aware of the impending effects of the climate crisis and are keen to leverage their purchasing power to support businesses that are supporting the fight ...20 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – October 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 Greens and coalition negotiations John Armstrong (1News): Don’t mistake Ardern’s talks with Green Party for kindness David Williams (Newsroom): A tale of two Green ministers Richard Harman (Politik): Greens’ high stakes game ...21 hours ago
- The New Zealand designer behind Rihanna’s lingerie has gone soloChloé Julian’s been supporting boobs for years under big names like Stella McCartney and Agent Provocateur. Now, home in New Zealand, she’s launched Videris, a lingerie line that focuses on comfort over everything.After 15 years working in the lingerie industry, Hamilton-raised Chloé Julian knows the ins and outs of bras ...22 hours ago
- Live updates, October 28: All arrivals into the country should be tested – health ministerWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 28. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.45am: All arrivals into the country should be tested – health ministerThe health minister Chris Hipkins has called for all arrivals into the country to be tested for ...23 hours ago
- Why this Queensland election is different — states are back at the forefront of political attentio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graeme Orr, Professor of Law, The University of Queensland On October 31, Queensland will become Australia’s first state to go to the polls during the pandemic. Normally, state elections pass amiably. They matter to the MPs, ministers and senior public servants concerned. ...23 hours ago
- New polling shows 79% of Aussies care about climate change. So why doesn’t the government listen?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Colvin, Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University We will remember 2020 as a year of crisis. COVID-19 hit Australia just as we were beginning to make sense of the horror bushfires and smoke of last summer, a sinister ...23 hours ago
- Industry cadetships: a good but small step to tap the talents of women in STEMSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University An overarching criticism of the recent federal budget is that it overlooked the workers hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, namely women. However, the budget includes one promising, albeit small, initiative that ...23 hours ago
- Will I or won’t I? Scientists still haven’t figured out free will, but they’re having fun tryi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stefan Bode, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Melbourne Social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, and our own genetics are among the factors influencing us beyond our awareness. This raises an ancient question: do we have control over our own lives? ...23 hours ago
- Cervical, breast, heart, bowel: here’s what women should be getting screened regularlySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Doust, Clinical Professorial Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many have felt anxious about going to the GP and other health facilities, believing these places have had a greater risk of transmission. A lot of us have ...23 hours ago
- Blink and you’ll miss it: what the budget did for working mumsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Miranda Stewart, Professor, University of Melbourne Working mothers get something in the budget, but not much, and not for long. Before the budget the second earner in a couple with young children (usually the mother) lost almost all of the income she ...23 hours ago
- Total Recall at 30: why this brutal action film remains a classicSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia People often roll their eyes when they hear about a major Hollywood studio re-releasing a film from its back catalogue to cinemas. Director’s cuts, “reduxes” and remastered prints can seem ...23 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Should the government back Chris Liddell for OECD?Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Should the government back Chris Liddell for OECD, testing and app scan numbers jump over long weekend, and an update on talks between Labour and Greens.The government’s decision on whether to back New Zealander Chris Liddell for the top job ...24 hours ago
- Recognising Palestine Should Be The First Step For Our New Minister Of Foreign AffairsRecognising Palestine should be the first policy announcement of our new Foreign Minister after they are announced next week. Successive New Zealand governments have claimed to take an “even-handed” approach to the Middle East but this is untrue. ...24 hours ago
- Business & Investing: Sept trade surplus at six-year high
New Zealand records its second best trade result in 25 years, plus the big bid for Coca Cola here and in Australia. ...1 day ago - The rookie ACT MPs who might not be what you expectACT scored big on election night but it was a "bittersweet" victory - the party is still on the wrong side of power. So what will its nine new MPs do for the next three years? ...1 day ago
- The infrastructure Aotearoa has got right so far is digital
With the Covid-19 economic rebuild on everyone’s minds, Aotearoa should double down on its world-class digital infrastructure and focus even more on digital adoption to thrive, writes Vodafone NZ CEO Jason Paris Historically, governments have tended to focus most of their collective investment on 20th Century physical infrastructure. Yet we have digital ...1 day ago - National MPs need to avoid their own spin
Publicly, the National Party claims it did all that it could in the election campaign and is silent about the leader in the room. But it's time to put away the blue-tinted spectacles, writes Tim Murphy ...1 day ago - Is Tokelauan facing extinction?
What happens when a language outlives its homeland, when its speakers live here, in New Zealand? John Middleton on the challenge for Tokelauan. It is Tokelau Language Week and although a brief glance at the statistics paints a dire picture for its survival, the real picture for Tokelauan is much ...1 day ago - What next for the US Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court now has a clear conservative majority, but predicting how individual justices might decide cases can be a fool's game, writes Hayden Thorne Donald Trump’s nominee to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed by the US Senate ...1 day ago - NZ research sheds light on unexplained deaths
NZ-led research is guiding families through the tragedy of sudden unexplained death, addressing questions like: would a potential diagnosis of a genetic cardiac condition threaten employment prospects or eligibility for health insurance? A 25-year-old woman with a young infant collapses after an unexpected visitor rings the doorbell late one evening. Despite the ...1 day ago - Catherine Chidgey by Aimee Cronin & Jane Ussher
We continue our extraordinary series of portraits of New Zealand authors as Aimee Cronin (words) and Jane Ussher (pictures) profile novelist Catherine Chidgey From Catherine Chidgey’s doorstep you can see right into the colourful room of her young daughter Alice, pictures and photos all over the walls. Look out to ...1 day ago - The price of kindness
One promising area of policy came to a shuddering halt in the first term of the Labour government. Bob Kerridge argues now is the time to put animal rights and welfare back in the mix Three years ago, the Labour Party regained the Government benches and signalled a number of social ...1 day ago - A tale of two Green ministers
Green Party ministerial picks might be a good yardstick for the next Government’s ambition. David Williams reports Opinion: A downpour of predictions has spurted from political pundits on possible Labour-Greens cooperation in the next Government. Despite Labour being able to rule alone, we’re told there have been “fruitful discussions”. Former United ...1 day ago - Track and field women go hammer and tongs for Tokyo
Sarah Cowley Ross catches up with three Olympic track and field hopefuls - Camille Buscomb, lifted up by a flock of Kiwi runners, and hammer throwers Julia Ratcliffe and Lauren Bruce, pushing each other to reach Tokyo. It’s often a lonesome journey for an individual athlete. Gruelling solo training sessions ...1 day ago - Arrival of parliament’s new migrant MPs sparks rejoicing, and backlashWhile our newest migrant MPs are inspiring people across the world, their first week in parliament has not passed without controversy here in New Zealand. Not since the early 1900s, when recent immigrants flooded the colonial parliament’s benches, has the Beehive seen such an influx of foreign-born MPs – albeit ...1 day ago
- Me hoki whenua mai? Putting tāngata back on the whenuaTo mark the anniversary of the signing of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga, the Declaration of Independence, on this day in 1835, race relations commissioner Meng Foon has one message: land back.Whenua is fundamental to Māori identity and whakapapa. Whenua and housing are essential for wellbeing. Yet despite Māori resilience, ...1 day ago
- Crowded house – the newbie ACT MPs
Don't expect a bunch of neo-liberal automatons in the new intake of ACT MPs, says Newsroom Pro's Jonathan Milne. 2020’s extraordinary election sees 40 new MPs in Parliament. Labour alone has 22 fresh faces but in terms of rookie caucuses, ACT beats them all. David Seymour – the youngest party leader, ...1 day ago - Just Fix the F**king Housing Problem. Please!It is far, far, past time for politicians to mandate the changes that will help Kiwis live in secure, affordable homes. Just do it, pleads Jess Berentson-Shaw. ...1 day ago
- New MP Ibrahim Omer’s election highlights the challenges refugees from Africa face in New ZealandSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Judah Seomeng, Postgraduate student, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The election of Labour candidate Ibrahim Omer on October 17 makes him New Zealand’s first African MP and one of only two former refugees to sit in the New ...1 day ago
- Facebook is tilting the political playing field more than ever, and it’s no accidentSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Brand, Adjunct A/Prof of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Monash University As the US presidential election polling day draws close, it’s worth recapping what we know about how Facebook has been used to influence election results. The platform is optimised for ...1 day ago
- Momentum vs underdog status: this time the advantage is with Joe BidenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lionel Page, Professor in Economics, University of Technology Sydney Polls highly favour Joe Biden to win the US presidential election. These polls are not just abstract information. By telling prospective voters who is the most likely to win, can they influence the ...2 days ago
Recent Comments