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Life Without Mainstreet
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, February 15th, 2021 - 36 comments
Are our main cities becoming too big for a single civic promenade, and is the multicellular world of mall dominance just the way things are developing?
Ending discrimination against Māori wards
Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, February 14th, 2021 - 27 comments
The Government has introduced under urgency a bill that will change current law that allows for discriminatory attacks on the creation of Māori Wards.
Ihumātao deal imminent
Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, December 14th, 2020 - 25 comments
Radio New Zealand is reporting that a deal on Ihumātao is imminent and that Cabinet is expected to sign off on the deal today.
The Mayor’s budget proposal and Auckland’s climate change response
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, December 11th, 2020 - 10 comments
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s recently released budget proposal for Auckland Council contains some welcome proposals to address climate change. But of itself this budget will not go near to achieving Auckland’s goal of halving emissions by 50% in 2030.
National leaks again
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, October 6th, 2020 - 62 comments
A highly critical email about Judith Collins written by National Maungakiekie MP Denise Lee has been leaked and indicates that National’s Auckland policy was made on the hoof and without reference to the person in caucus with actual responsibility for the subject.
Labour’s Hefty Carrot-And-Stick For Water
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 31st, 2020 - 16 comments
New Zealand’s local and regional councils have been given until August 31 2020 to sign up to a ginormous fund that would help them improve their water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. The implications for them doing this are significant and could see the end of Council control of the supply of water.
What Now Phil Goff?
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, August 17th, 2020 - 36 comments
The Chief Executive of Watercare Raveen Jaduram has resigned. With Auckland Council’s recent Council Controlled Organisation review having been concluded and the recommendations released is this the opportunity to require meaningful change of Watercare?
How to kill the car
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, April 29th, 2020 - 45 comments
What would you do so that instead of wandering endlessly through tilt-slab monstrosities soaked in 80s music and fluorescent lighting, surrounded by oppressed minimum-wage slaves who hate being there and you hating being there worried about your wheeled asset damaged in their carpark instead you get freedom?
How Covid-19 is smashing councils
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, April 26th, 2020 - 69 comments
Just as most industries in New Zealand are firing thousands of people to cut costs, local government is getting ready to do the same.
Pure clear water
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, February 21st, 2020 - 44 comments
It’s probably time to notice why Jones’ Provincial Growth Fund had to step in and provide several million of funding to patch up the water supply emergency in Northland.
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.
The Government-Auckland relationship
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 26 comments
The Sky City National Convention Centre fire brings the Government Auckland relationship to a very sharp edge. It was tense before. It’s worse now.
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?
C&R candidate says something really offensive and stupid
Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, October 3rd, 2019 - 21 comments
A Whau Community and Resident Local Board candidate has apologised for using racist slurs against a minority group and accusing them of engaging in widespread fraud. But despite his apology an C&R spokesperson has doubled down on his original statements.
Monorail!
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, September 16th, 2019 - 26 comments
Auckland mayoral candidate Craig Lord has announced a policy that may turn the campaign on its head. Or may not.
The Free Speech Coalition goes to court
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, September 5th, 2019 - 70 comments
Jordan Williams and the Free Speech Coalition are in the High Court protecting the rights of Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux to express views the details of which Mr Williams does not know.
Bye bye Banks
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, July 26th, 2019 - 8 comments
John Banks has announced that he will not be standing for Auckland’s mayoralty.
The return of Banks?
Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, July 14th, 2019 - 28 comments
John Banks is reported to be considering another run at the Auckland mayoralty.
Tamihere has some strange friends
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, February 26th, 2019 - 20 comments
John Tamihere has been endorsed by Jordan Williams for Auckland’s mayoralty. And his campaign has commissioned the Taxpayers Union to do a cost cutting exercise.
Roastbusters redux
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, January 27th, 2019 - 92 comments
One of the Roastbusters this week has talked publicly about what happened in an apparent attempt to start a music career. And John Tamihere has started his Mayoral campaign having to answer questions about his attitude to what happened.
Simon who?
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, November 22nd, 2018 - 43 comments
National MP Simon O’Connor is thinking of a tilt at Auckland’s mayoralty.
RIP Penny Bright
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 5th, 2018 - 33 comments
Veteran Auckland political activist Penny Bright has died.
National wants to add to Auckland’s gridlock
Written By: - Date published: 4:11 pm, May 2nd, 2018 - 16 comments
National has promised to overturn Auckland’s Regional Fuel Tax. But has no proposal for how the funding will be replaced.
The Big Auckland Transport announcement
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, April 26th, 2018 - 39 comments
Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced the ATAP, the transport programme for Auckland for the next ten years. At $28 billion it is the largest civil infrastructure programme since World War II.
A storm is coming
Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, February 12th, 2018 - 65 comments
A big storm is set to hit Auckland next week. And it won’t be the last.
Auckland Council by election hypocrisy alert
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, January 22nd, 2018 - 13 comments
The National candidate for the Maungakiekie Tamaki Auckland Council by election is complaining that if the Labour candidate wins it will trigger a costly by election. But he is ignoring the fact that the three current by elections have all been caused by National endorsed local government representatives resigning.
Is it time to Nationalise Auckland?
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 13th, 2018 - 52 comments
It has been a decade now since Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide proposed amalgamating all of Auckland’s city councils into one enormous entity by dumping much of the Royal Commission’s proposals. Well it’s time to hold its results to account.
Just vote – Auckland Council version
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 18th, 2016 - 31 comments
It is local government election time. If you want to vote for progressive candidates these are some suggestions.
The Mayoral candidates and the living wage proposal
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 4th, 2016 - 29 comments
I attended the Living Wage People’s assembly this week in St Matthews in the City. The idea behind the meeting was to get Mayoral and Waitemata ward candidates to express their views on the living wage proposal as well as improved public transport services and rental accommodation standards. The organiser was Living Wage Aotearoa who have been […]
Auckland Unitary Plan
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, July 27th, 2016 - 19 comments
Auckland’s Unitary Plan will be available on the web at 1:30pm today, with a tool for checking the impact on any Auckland address.
How to wreck a busway
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, July 19th, 2016 - 20 comments
The Government’s proposal to allow hybrid vehicles to use bus lanes is not only crazy but they did not talk to local authorities before doing so.
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 March 2021
Covid: Govt messaging, blame, compliance Branko Marcetic (Democracy Project): We’ve cut the Govt slack for its own Covid missteps, so let’s do the same for workers Josie Pagani (Stuff): Let’s stop this lockdown blame game, finger-wagging won’t get you anywhere Josh Van Veen (Democracy Project): Bloomfieldian Optimism – The Tragedy of Case M Chris Trotter (Interest): Sunday services Alex ...1 hour ago - Branko Marcetic: We’ve cut the Govt slack for its own Covid missteps, so let’s do the same for w...The Government has made a litany of mistakes over Covid, and we have been more than willing to forgive Labour these missteps and give them some leeway. Branko Marcetic says that when members of the public also make mistakes, we should be focusing on designing a wider system that insulates ...14 hours ago
- Josh Van Veen: Bloomfieldian Optimism – The Tragedy of Case MNaïve optimism has been blinding everyone from Ashley Bloomfield to Case M. Josh Van Veen argues we need to be more aware of our biases in dealing with Covid – but especially the authorities. In the United States, naive optimism was at the heart of the Trump Administration’s failed ...14 hours ago
- Border Costs
Cecile Meier walks us through some of the costs of a border system that has neither been able to safely scale up to meet need, nor able to find any reasonable way of prioritising entry into those scarce MIQ spaces. When Zane Gillbee hugged his family goodbye in South Africa ...17 hours ago - Technology listicles, deep tech, and social systemsTechnology lists, what’s this thing called “Deep Tech”, and thinking beyond the tech. Top “x” lists of technology developments, breakthroughs and trends aren’t hard to find. But how useful are they? MIT’s “Breakthrough Technologies” This time every year MIT’s Technology Review magazine produces a “10 breakthrough technologies” list. This ...17 hours ago
- US capitalists as political saviours.
Having watched and read about the Conference of the Paranoid, Angry and just plain Crazy (CPAC), including the Orange Merkin’s return to the political centre stage, I am more convinced then ever that if US conservatism, and indeed the US itself, is to find its way back to some semblance ...18 hours ago - A toxic organisation
Back in 2019, following media revelations that bullying was widespread within the police, the Independent Police Conduct Authority announced that it would be investigating the issue. Today, they reported back, and found the police to be a completely toxic organisation: An independent report into police culture has described a ...20 hours ago - How to best prioritise Covid-19 Vaccination in Aotearoa/New ZealandDr Ben Gray* New Zealand has begun to roll out its Covid-19 vaccination programme, starting with those working at the border, including in the Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facilities. There have been calls for prioritising other groups such as those in South Auckland [1] and meat industry workers ...21 hours ago
- Blessed are they that have not seen the model, and yet have believedThe Climate Change Commission’s recommendations span the breadth of the economy. They are required to come up with sector-by-sector climate budgets consistent with getting New Zealand with net zero emissions under the Zero Carbon Act. The sector-by-sector budgets rest on underlying models. The models build predictions about what will happen ...22 hours ago
- How best to get COVID-19 contacts to do the right thing?
The revelation that Auckland’s new level three lockdown was triggered by infectious individuals failing to properly self-isolate has awakened some people’s vengeful angels. The rules must be tightened, it’s claimed. The police must prosecute, it’s argued. Even Jacinda Ardern came as close to leading out a torches-and-pitchfork mob as we’re ever likely to see from her: “No one ...23 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 2 March 2021Covid: Auckland community outbreak Crystal Wu (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern refuses to apologise to KFC worker, says family was told to self-isolate 1News: Auckland KFC worker with Covid-19 says she was never told to isolate, wants apology from PM Mandy Te (Stuff): Questions raised over whether people are being told they must self-isolate following Covid-19 tests ...1 day ago
- The Long March From The Bottom To The Top.
Revolution From Below: The original “Long March” was, of course, undertaken by Mao Zedong and what was left of his communist military forces. They did not, however, head off for the nearest school or university, government office or medical clinic. Their goal was not to infiltrate the institutions of capitalism, but ...1 day ago - Yelling at the Clouds: Philip Pullman on Tolkien and Lewis
There are some genre authors who like to demonstrate their edgy, iconoclastic credentials by sticking the boot into J.R.R. Tolkien. Michael Moorcock springs to mind, with the much-beaten dead horse that is the Epic Pooh essay. Each to their own, I suppose, though seeing as Epic Pooh really boils ...1 day ago - Book Review: The Unintended Consequences of Taming NatureJohn Schwartz Elizabeth Kolbert lives her stories. In the course of reporting her new book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future,” she got hit by a leaping carp near Ottawa, Illinois (“It felt like someone had slammed me in the shin with a Wiffle-ball bat”) and visited ...2 days ago
- For a bigger carbon dividendNew Zealand has an excellent Emissions Trading Scheme covering everything except agriculture – a non-trivial exclusion, but we can come back to that later. The ETS has a cap. Net emissions from the covered sector cannot exceed the cap. So any other regulations that affect sectors covered by the cap ...2 days ago
- Can Cult Studies Offer Help With QAnon? The Science Is ThinMichael Schulson Days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, at a time when some Americans were animated by the false conviction that former President Donald J. Trump had actually won the November election, a man in Colorado began texting warnings to his family. The coming days, he wrote, would ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: Even dodgier accountingLast year, Beef and Lamb New Zealand produced a bought-and-paid-for report claiming that their industry was already carbon neutral, so didn't need to do anything to reduce emissions. The report was full of obviously dodgy accounting - basicly, it didn't bother to follow international carbon accounting rules, because they would ...2 days ago
- Why are we paying for MPI again?Last year, the government chickened out on clean rivers, setting "water standards" that failed to properly control poisonous nitrates. So who was to blame? MPI: The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) opposed introducing a tough bottom line for nitrogen levels in rivers over concerns the economic impact would outweigh ...2 days ago
- How did NASA’s Martian rover come to land in a crater named after a tiny Balkan village?Robert Greenberg, University of Auckland The world was excited by the news last week that NASA’s Perseverance rover had successfully landed in a Martian crater. The rover will now set about collecting samples from what scientists say was an ancient lake fed by a river. The name of this exotic ...2 days ago
- Sunday Services.Faith In The Essentials: Fenced-in, almost literally, by motorways. Located, seemingly permanently, at the bottom of politicians’ priority-lists. Heaped with praise for their cultural vibrancy, but not rewarded for it by the presence of white pupils in their public schools, South Aucklanders (like people of colour everywhere) provide their paler ...2 days ago
- February ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
2 days ago - More tyranny in the UKSince the pandemic began, the UK government has restricted protests in an effort to contain the plague. But of course, they're plotting to make these restrictions permanent: Concern over the government’s limitation of the right to protest during lockdown continues to mount after it emerged that the home secretary, ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 1 March 2021Covid: Auckland community outbreak Richard Harman: Ardern’s new tough talk Claire Trevett (Herald): When will Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s patience with rule-breakers wear thin?(paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Blame and fear for the team of five million, as PM pleads for compliance Michael Baker (Herald): Why government is right to yo-yo between alert levels Joel Maxwell and Thomas Manch ...2 days ago
- 2021 Reading Log: February (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for February: The Dream of Scipio, by CiceroThe Dragon Masters, by Jack Vance The Dream of Scipio is Pearman’s translation. A very quiet month in the reading department… but a truly excellent one in the writing department. Better yet, this was not merely short stories, but solid ...2 days ago - Colombia: The ELN and what the release of two captured soldiers has shown
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh (Colombia, 18 February 2020) Two soldiers, Jhony Andrés Castillo Ospino and Jesús Alberto Muñoz Segovia, fell into the hands of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN; National Liberation Army). Their capture produced the usual reactions that they had been kidnapped when in fact they were prisoners ...3 days ago - Lockdowns: Sweden was the ‘control group’
As much of the world is still implementing lockdowns, including New Zealand, it is a good time to see how Sweden has fared. After being demonised for a year for having relatively moderate restrictions the Swedish death toll is rather much in line with other years. Sweden followed the standard ...3 days ago - Suffer The Little Children: Neoliberalism’s Attack On Local Democracy Intensifies.Under The Influence Of The "Governance" Kool-Aid: The furore surrounding Mayor Andy Foster's "review" of the Wellington City Council's "governance" is but the latest example of the quite conscious delegitimization, and sinister re-framing, of spirited political opposition and debate as irresponsible, immature and “dysfunctional”. It shows how very far from ...3 days ago
- David Seymour speaks about stuff
Hello there everybody. I’ve been asked by Mr Thinks to come on his blog today and speak my mind about stuff. The government has a lot to answer for. I was sitting there last week as Auckland came out of it’s latest lockdown and I knew the government was making ...3 days ago - We Must Avoid Treating Māori As Living Fossils.
There are times when tikanga needs to be broken for tikanga to survive.I recently gave a presentation on Māori economic history based on my Not in Narrow Seas. Its most important message was that Māori proved to be a very adaptable people continually evolving as new opportunities arose. The European ...5 days ago - Teaming up with Facebook to fight misinformation
Some of you may remember our blog post "A conundrum: our continued presence on Facebook" in which we detailed our misgivings about and decision to stick with Facebook for the time being. So these latest developments - reposted from the Cranky Uncle homepage - might come as a bit of surprise! ...5 days ago - Data dredging, p-hacking and motivated discussion in anti-fluoride paperImage credit: Quick Data Lessons: Data Dredging Oh dear – another scientific paper claiming evidence of toxic effects from fluoridation. But a critical look at the paper shows evidence of p-hacking, data dredging and motivated reasoning to derive their conclusions. And it was published in a journal shown to be ...5 days ago
- The central problem with housing policyWe've had a housing crisis for the past decade, and successive governments have done nothing to solve it. Why not? Bernard Hickey gets it right when he says its all about protecting the rich: The Government is reluctant to push down house prices fearing they'll loses the support of ...5 days ago
- The Obama legacy contd.There’s more of the Obama legacy here and Deporter in Chief: Obama chucks out 2,000,000 and Can Trump really deport more people than Obama? and Obama, gay rights and the killing drones ...5 days ago
- NZ’s smoking rates dropped dramatically thanks to a hard-hitting campaign. Could we do the same to...Caroline Shaw, University of Otago New Zealand has the highest per capita car ownership in the OECD, and reducing emissions from the transport sector is seen as a wicked problem. As part of its recently released advice for the government’s first emissions reduction plan, the Climate Change Commission is calling ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 26 February 2021Housing Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government’s slow crawl on housing continues Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Kiwis can’t outbid Kāinga Ora:’ Government grilled over $750 million house-buying bill Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Auditor-General investigates MSD scheme which paid landlords $3k per week for ‘uninhabitable’ houses Stuff Editorial: A clue from the Aussies for Ardern Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr warns against ‘the ...5 days ago
- Correcting Corrections – And Its Minister.My Department Right Or Wrong: Far from “politicians involving themselves in some Corrections matters” being a bad thing, their involvement – along with that of the Ombudsman – constitutes a necessary check upon the unreasonable and unlawful exercise of authority over prison inmates by prison staff. A Corrections Minister who ...6 days ago
- A failure of enforcementYesterday, Silver Fern Farms was fined $337,000 over a potentially lethal ammonia leak. Today RNZ reports that they've subcontracted some of their waste business to Whanganui's Tasman Tanning, which has an appalling environmental record: Tasman Tanning's plant in Whanganui was already the country's leader in breaching trade wastewater consents ...6 days ago
- Give the Rangitata backBack in 2018, National's unelected Canterbury dictatorship issued a resource consent to take water from the Rangitata river for irrigation, in violation of its Water Conservation Order. Now, after two years of legal battles, the company has "voluntarily" surrendered it: An irrigation company's decision to relinquish its consent to ...6 days ago
- The rich should pay their fair shareNew Zealand is supposed to have a progressive tax system, which taxes people according to their ability to pay. But it turns out that the rich are cheating: The wealthiest New Zealanders pay just 12 per cent of their total income in tax on average, according to research from ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 25 February 2021Housing Richard Harman: Government has little to say about housing crisis Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt set to bring out big tools to manage housing pressure Miriam Bell (Stuff): Housing affordability at worst point in ‘at least 17 years’ Adam Jacobson (RNZ): New Zealand housing affordability plummets to historically low levels Zane Small (Newshub): National’s Nicola Willis in disbelief as Megan ...6 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #8, 2021Ground truths on warming When we think about rapid climate change of the kind we've accidentally unleashed and the warming of Earth systems inherent in the process, we tend to focus on phenomena in order of their immediate tangibility, their drama. Sea ice loss in the Arctic, atmospheric and ocean ...6 days ago
- Government threatening free speech rights over prison protest leafletby Daphna Whitmore The Department of Corrections has called in the police over a pamphlet that supports protests at Waikeria Prison, saying the material might incite another riot. The group People Against Prisons Aotearoa denies it advocates for riots and has said it “encourages persistent, peaceful protest action such as striking from ...7 days ago
- The tyranny of the dishonest and stupid.One theme in the literature dedicated to democratic theory is the notion of a “tyranny of the minority.” This is where the desire to protect the interests of and give voice to electoral minorities leads to a tail wagging the dog syndrome whereby minorities wind up having disproportionate influence in ...7 days ago
- One way of fixing the OIAI've just lodged my fourth complaint to the Ombudsman for deemed refusal of an OIA request by police this year. That brings their total to four for four - every request I have sent them has not been answered within the legal timeframe, even when they extend it to give ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 24 February 2021Child poverty report and inequality Janet McAllister (Spinoff): What the new child poverty stats tells us – and what they don’t Claire Trevett (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s do-or-die child poverty promise (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Poverty figures a sigh of relief for PM – but will it last? Branko Marcetic (Democracy Project): NZ’s economic “bounce-back” is a myth – ...1 week ago
- Ian Powell: Rescuing Simpson from SimpsonWill the health reforms proposed for the Labour Government make the system better or worse? Health commentator Ian Powell (formerly the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists) gives his analysis of what change is most necessary, and what should be avoided. The review of the Health ...1 week ago
- Climate lessons from Texas' frozen power outagesThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections An off-course polar vortex meandered toward the Mexican border, bringing with it frigid Arctic air rarely seen as far south as Texas. Frozen equipment rendered power generation systems in the state inoperable, forcing grid operators to begin rolling blackouts to customers then left to fend ...1 week ago
- Branko Marcetic: NZ’s economic “bounce-back” is a myth – but lifting benefits would bring it...Just as National once produced a “rock star economy” that Grant Robertson rejected as being only for the rich, the Labour Government has produced an economic “bounce back” that leaves out the poor. Branko Marcetic argues for a rise in benefit levels to give the poor a real bounce back. ...1 week ago
- One state at a timeVirginia has voted to abolish the death penalty: State lawmakers gave final approval on Monday to a bill that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people than any other. The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to the ...1 week ago
- A captive MinisterYesterday a New Zealand Judge issued a formal finding that the Department of Corrections had treated prisoners in a cruel, degrading and inhumane manner, illegally detaining them, using excessive force, denying them basic necessities unless they performed degrading rituals of submission first. Some of the conduct appears to be criminal: ...1 week ago
- Climate sea-lioningThe Herald reports that there is a "storm brewing for the Climate Change Commission". The "problem"? Polluters are unhappy with its economic projections saying that action will not be as costly as they have previously claimed: Last week a coalition of over a dozen New Zealand business and industry ...1 week ago
- How Powerful Is Labour's Maori Caucus?You're Move: What would a genuinely powerful Maori Caucus do? What policies would it insist upon? More to the point, since the single most important question in politics is always “Or you’ll what?”, does the Maori Caucus possess the wherewithal to enforce its demands?THAT LABOUR’S MAORI CAUCUS is potentially powerful ...1 week ago
- Trends and developments – FebruaryThis post is a mix of a few recent reports on trends, recent discoveries or developments. Topics covered are the future of work, the geopolitical shift from oil to semiconductors, transition to low carbon futures, disappearing Artic sea ice, and AI in health care. Yesterday’s Gone A Canadian report ...1 week ago
- Hurricanes, wildfires, and heat dominated U.S. weather in 2020This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson One of the hottest years in U.S. history, 2020 was besieged by a record number of billion-dollar disasters, led by two of the most dangerous phenomena with links to climate change: wildfires and hurricanes. In its initial U.S. climate summary for 2020, ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 23 February 2021Covid: General Tim Watkin (Pundit): The Law Of Diminishing Covid Returns: The Government’s Mood Management Task Liam Dann (Herald): Riding Dr Ashley Bloomfield’s Covid roller coaster (paywalled) Jamie Morton (Herald): Auckland lockdown was ‘frustrating’ but justified, says expert Josephine Franks (Stuff): Experts call for seven-tier alert level system as Auckland moves to level 1 Stuff Editorial: MIQ facility suggestion is poor ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: Greens stir the pot on banning conversation therapyJust because something is bad, doesn’t mean it’s easy to criminalise. Graham Adams argues that the proposed ban on gay conversion therapy is messier than many realise, and he delves into some of the difficulties facing the Government in their promise to legislate. A highly successful petition has inadvertently ...1 week ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8Story of the Week... Editorial 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... ‘Absolutely ridiculous’: top scientist slams UK government over coalmine Exclusive: Prof Sir Robert Watson says backing of ...1 week ago
- The end of offshore exploration?The Otago Daily Times reports that following Beech Energy's surrender of its South Island exploration permits, the end of offshore oil exploration in the South Island may be on the horizon: The end of offshore exploration for gas and oil in the South Island is on the horizon. A ...1 week ago
- The first test of control ordersOver the weekend we learned that Turkey plans to deport a New Zealand woman and her children who had fled Syria after previously joing the Islamic State. Which means that Andrew Little's tyrannical Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Act 2019 - rammed through under all-stages urgency on the basis of an ...1 week ago
- An open door waiting to be pushed onWhile it has made a lot of noise about inequality, Labour has resolutely avoided reversing the 1990 benefit cuts and improving living standards for the poorest in our society. Meanwhile, 70% of kiwis think they should: A survey has found seven out of 10 New Zealanders believe the government ...1 week ago
- The French Connection.Anti-Philosopher President? Emmanuel Macron and his party’s reaction to the terrorist atrocities committed on French soil targets the very same philosophical movements excited and emboldened by New Zealand’s own terrifying tragedy.IT IS NOT the sort of thought experiment New Zealanders are encouraged to conduct in these culturally sensitive times. Even ...1 week ago
- The law of diminishing Covid returns: The government's mood management task
If Jacinda Ardern or ay of her Auckland-based cabinet ministers stepped outside this weekend, they would have realised that this afternoon’s cabinet decision on whether to move Auckland back to Level 1 has already been made. The residents of our biggest city have voted with their feet.While some places where ...1 week ago - NZ Politics Daily: 22 February 2021Housing Damien Grant (Stuff): Who’s to blame for housing unaffordability? Bernard Hickey (Stuff): Should Reserve Bank overheat economy to blast free of low interest rate trap? Gareth Vaughan (Interest): You can’t lose with property mate Zane Small (Newshub): Housing Minister Megan Woods fires up when quizzed on lack of property shortage figures Gill South (Stuff): Single buyers get it rough when it ...1 week ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Queen’s GambitAccording to epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker, the decision to end the second Auckland lockdown after just three days was a ‘calculated risk’. The possibility of undetected community transmission cannot be ruled out. In the United States, modelling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the ...1 week ago
- Party Games
As I rose for the first time to speak from the Despatch Box in the House of Commons, I had the comfort of seeing that the Despatch Box had on it the inscription “A Gift from the People of New Zealand”. But I was also a little daunted, like so ...1 week ago - Prostitution or sex work? Language mattersThis article is by Laura Biggs, from the Marxist-Feminist blog On the Woman Question. The term ‘sex work’ has come to replace the word ‘prostitution’ in contemporary discussions on the subject. This is not accidental. The phrase ‘sex work’ has been adopted by liberal feminists and powerful lobbyists in a ...1 week ago
- B.1.1.7 variant – early result suggests longer infections, management questionsSometimes it’s smaller, intensive studies that shed light on issues. Just reported results of daily sampling of COVID-19 patients indicate patients with the B.1.1.7 variant first observed in Kent, UK may have a longer infection compared to patients infected with non-B.1.1.7 variants. This is the variant seen in NZ’s most ...1 week ago
- Redline passes one million viewsRedline has just passed one million views – as I start writing this we have reached 1,000,015 views. It took us nearly seven years to reach our first 500,000 and just three months short of three years to reach our second 500,000, with 2019 being our best year, with over ...1 week ago
- 2020: The History That Was – Part 4
. . As the rest of the world was perceived to be “going to hell in a handbasket with an out-of-control pandemic; ructions in Europe as Britain copes with “Brexit” chaos; Trumpism in the United States climaxing with the 6 January mob-led coup attempt in Washington’s Capitol; a deadly ...1 week ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #8A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Feb 14, 2021 through Sat, Feb 20, 2021 Editor's Choice Q&A: Is Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Book a Hopeful Look at the Promise of Technology, or a Cautionary Tale? The Pulitzer Prize-winning ...1 week ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XVII
Session Thirty-Five. We have had some in-game and out-of-game indication that we are drawing to the end of the Dreamland adventure… which has lasted since the fourth session. Getting back to the Waking World will require some mental adjustment, especially considering that Annalax has spent thirty-odd sessions not ...2 weeks ago - The Strange (And Sad) Demise of Radio New Zealand.A Friend In Need: I have grown up, and grown old, within earshot of New Zealand’s public broadcaster. Through times of peace and plenty, through days of tumult and recrimination, it has been a constant and reliable presence. The calm and authoritative voices of Radio New Zealand kept their fellow ...2 weeks ago
- Guest post: Why avoiding climate change ‘maladaptation’ is vitalThis article, authored by Dr Lisa Schipper, Dr Morgan Scoville-Simonds, Dr Katharine Vincent and Prof Siri Eriksen, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Feb 10, 2021. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments posted on Carbon Brief. Photo by ...2 weeks ago
- 2020: The History That Was – Part 3. . As the rest of the world was perceived to be “going to hell in a handbasket with an out-of-control pandemic; ructions in Europe as Britain copes with “Brexit” chaos; Trumpism in the United States climaxing with the 6 January mob-led coup attempt in Washington’s Capitol; a deadly resurgent ...2 weeks ago
- Please don’t sign this petitionby Georgina Blackmore Instead ask the government to separate the two issues caught under the heading of “Conversion Therapy”. 1) Gay Conversion Therapy which is what 99.9% of people believe this petition is about. It is a ban I personally support. 2) Gender Identity Conversion Therapy which doesn’t have any ...2 weeks ago
- A push to remove the Pasifika poverty status quo
The Green Party will push for better wages and fair pay agreements to help tackle poverty within our Pasifika Communities. ...18 hours ago - Government must keep improving COVID-19 support scheme so New Zealanders can self-isolate: GreensThe Green Party are calling on the Government to assess how the COVID-19 leave support scheme can be better improved, distributed and enforced so that workers can properly take leave when self-isolating. ...19 hours ago
- What’s Labour doing for rural New Zealand?
We know that when our rural communities do well, all of New Zealand benefits. Labour is committed to supporting our regions so that, together, we can achieve even more. Here are just some of the ways we’re backing rural communities. ...5 days ago - A win for Pasifika Communities to have a stable homeThe Green Party welcome the Government announcement to support Pasifika peoples to become Community Housing Providers. ...5 days ago
- Tax data exposes gross inequity between the wealthiest and poorest New ZealandersGovernment data today shows that the wealthiest New Zealanders aren’t paying their fair share of tax, whilst everyone else chips in, Green Party spokesperson on Finance Julie Anne Genter said today. ...6 days ago
- Government action to cool house prices still needed despite Reserve Bank changeThe Green Party welcomes the change in the Reserve Bank’s remit to consider the impacts on housing when making financial decisions, but housing affordability shouldn’t be left to the Reserve Bank, Green Party Co-leader and Housing spokesperson Marama Davidson said today. ...6 days ago
- Māori now have a seat at the local government tableThe Green Party welcomes the passing of the Local Electorate Act Māori Wards Amendment Bill which ensures Māori have a say on local issues across Aotearoa New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Child poverty data shows disabled children, Māori and Pasifika being left behindThe Green Party is disappointed that disabled children and Māori and Pasifika children are still more likely to be living in poverty. ...1 week ago
- Research shows New Zealanders want income support increasedNew UMR research reveals that 69 percent of New Zealanders agree that the government should increase the amount if income support paid to those on low incomes or not in paid work. ...1 week ago
- Green Party celebrate fast tracked timeline for banning conversion therapy, will push for best bill ...The Green Party are celebrating the Labour Government bringing forward the timeline to ban conversion therapy, and will push to ensure any draft bill properly protects all of our Rainbow communities. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes PCE report that calls for more sustainable tourismThe Green Party welcomes the report that calls for more sustainable tourism by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party echoes calls for ‘brave’ action on rising inequalityThe Green Party is joining the call for ‘brave policy action’ to address rapidly increasing inequality in New Zealand, which is likely to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago
- Petition calling for ban on conversion therapy gains huge momentumAotearoa New Zealand is getting on board in record numbers to call for an urgent ban on conversion therapy. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party to take precautions with COVID-19 responseGreen MPs currently in Auckland, Marama Davidson, Chlöe Swarbrick and Golriz Ghahraman, will remain in Auckland for the next 72 hours. Those in Auckland today for Big Gay Out who have flown home will self-isolate for 72 hours. These decisions will be subject to any new information that may arise ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party calls to end conversion therapy nowThe Green Party is calling on the Labour Government to urgently prioritise banning conversion therapy. ...2 weeks ago
- Supporting our Rainbow whānauIt’s Pride month, and as we celebrate our LGBTIA+ community, we’re taking the next steps towards a more inclusive Aotearoa. From investing in mental health services to banning harmful conversion therapy, we’re building a New Zealand where everyone can be safe, healthy and happy. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt committed to hosting Rugby World Cup
The Government remains committed to hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022 should a decision be made by World Rugby this weekend to postpone this year’s tournament. World Rugby is recommending the event be postponed until next year due to COVID-19, with a final decision to ...1 hour ago - Support Available for Communities affected by COVID-19Community and social service support providers have again swung into action to help people and families affected by the current COVID-19 alert levels. “The Government recognises that in many instances social service, community, iwi and Whānau Ora organisations are best placed to provide vital support to the communities impacted by ...20 hours ago
- Govt announces review into PHARMACThe Government is following through on an election promise to conduct an independent review into PHARMAC, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. The Review will focus on two areas: How well PHARMAC performs against its current objectives and whether and how its performance against these ...23 hours ago
- Impressive response to DOC scholarship programmeSome of the country’s most forward-thinking early-career conservationists are among recipients of a new scholarship aimed at supporting a new generation of biodiversity champions, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has awarded one-year postgraduate research scholarships of $15,000 to ten Masters students in the natural ...1 day ago
- Speech to ANZLF Virtual Indigenous Business Trade and Connections EventI acknowledge our whānau overseas, joining us from Te Whenua Moemoeā, and I wish to pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all today. I am very pleased to be part of the conversation on Indigenous business, and part ...2 days ago
- Main benefits to increase in line with wagesSocial Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today that main benefits will increase by 3.1 percent on 1 April, in line with the rise in the average wage. The Government announced changes to the annual adjustment of main benefits in Budget 2019, indexing main benefit increases to the average ...3 days ago
- Deed of Settlement signed with Ngāti Maru (Taranaki)A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Ngāti Maru and the Crown settling the iwi’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The Ngāti Maru rohe is centred on the inland Waitara River valley, east to the Whanganui River and its ...4 days ago
- Support in place for people connected to Auckland COVID-19 casesWith a suite of Government income support packages available, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni is encouraging people, and businesses, connected to the recent Auckland COVID-19 cases to check the Work and Income website if they’ve been impacted by the need to self-isolate. “If you are required to ...4 days ago
- Statement on passing of former PNG PM Sir Michael SomarePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences at the passing of long-serving former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare. “Our thoughts are with Lady Veronica Somare and family, Prime Minister James Marape and the people of Papua New Guinea during this time of great ...5 days ago
- Speech to the National Māori Housing Conference 2021E te tī, e te tā Tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou Ki te whenua e takoto nei Ki te rangi e tū iho nei Ki a tātou e tau nei Tēnā tātou. It’s great to be with you today, along with some of the ministerial housing team; Hon Peeni Henare, the ...5 days ago
- Drone project to aid protection of Māui dolphinThe Government is backing a new project to use drone technology to transform our understanding and protection of the Māui dolphin, Aotearoa’s most endangered dolphin. “The project is just one part of the Government’s plan to save the Māui dolphin. We are committed to protecting this treasure,” Oceans and Fisheries ...5 days ago
- New water regulator board announced as major Government reform moves forwardMajor water reform has taken a step closer with the appointment of the inaugural board of the Taumata Arowai water services regulator, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. Former Director General of Health and respected public health specialist Dame Karen Poutasi will chair the inaugural board of Crown agency Taumata Arowai. “Dame ...5 days ago
- North Auckland gets public transport upgradeThe newly completed Hibiscus Coast Bus Station will help people make better transport choices to help ease congestion and benefit the environment, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said today. Michael Wood and Phil Goff officially opened the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station which sits just off the ...5 days ago
- Supporting work to protect Northland reserveNew funding announced by Conservation Minister Kiri Allan today will provide work and help protect the unique values of Northland’s Te Ārai Nature Reserve for future generations. Te Ārai is culturally important to Te Aupōuri as the last resting place of the spirits before they depart to Te Rerenga Wairua. ...5 days ago
- Critical step to new housing deal for Pacific communitiesToday the Government has taken a key step to support Pacific people to becoming Community Housing providers, says the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This will be great news for Pacific communities with the decision to provide Pacific Financial Capability Grant funding and a tender process to ...5 days ago
- Consultation opens on proposed Bay of Islands marine mammal sanctuaryConservation Minister Kiri Allan is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on a proposed marine mammal sanctuary to address the rapid decline of bottlenose dolphins in Te Pēwhairangi, the Bay of Islands. The proposal, developed jointly with Ngā Hapū o te Pēwhairangi, would protect all marine mammals of the ...6 days ago
- Three District Court Judges appointedAttorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges. Two of the appointees will take up their roles on 1 April, replacing sitting Judges who have reached retirement age. Kirsten Lummis, lawyer of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to ...6 days ago
- Government announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver accessGovernment announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver access The Government changed the KiwiSaver rules in 2019 so people with life-shortening congenital conditions can withdraw their savings early The four conditions guaranteed early access are – down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s disease and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder An alternative ...6 days ago
- Reserve Bank to take account of housing in decision makingThe Reserve Bank is now required to consider the impact on housing when making monetary and financial policy decisions, Grant Robertson announced today. Changes have been made to the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s remit requiring it to take into account government policy relating to more sustainable house prices, while working ...6 days ago
- Investment to reduce cochlear implant waitlistThe Labour Government will invest $6 million for 70 additional adult cochlear implants this year to significantly reduce the historical waitlist, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Cochlear implants are life changing for kiwis who suffer from severe hearing loss. As well as improving an individual’s hearing, they open doors to ...6 days ago
- Māori wards Bill passes third readingThe Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed its third reading today and will become law, Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. “This is a significant step forward for Māori representation in local government. We know how important it is to have diversity around ...6 days ago
- Government delivers 1,000 more transitional housing placesThe Government has added 1,000 more transitional housing places as promised under the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), launched one year ago. Minister of Housing Megan Woods says the milestone supports the Government’s priority to ensure every New Zealander has warm, dry, secure housing. “Transitional housing provides people ...7 days ago
- Second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech doses arrives safely – as the first vaccinations take place in the...A second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived safely yesterday at Auckland International Airport, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “This shipment contained about 76,000 doses, and follows our first shipment of 60,000 doses that arrived last week. We expect further shipments of vaccine over the coming weeks,” Chris Hipkins said. ...7 days ago
- $18 million for creative spaces to make arts more accessibleThe Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni has today announced $18 million to support creative spaces. Creative spaces are places in the community where people with mental health needs, disabled people, and those looking for social connection, are welcomed and supported to practice and participate in the arts ...7 days ago
- Moriori Claims Settlement Bill passes first readingTreaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little today welcomed Moriori to Parliament to witness the first reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. “This bill is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from all the parties involved. “I am delighted to reach this significant milestone today,” Andrew ...1 week ago
- Government action reduces child poverty22,400 fewer children experiencing material hardship 45,400 fewer children in low income households on after-housing costs measure After-housing costs target achieved a year ahead of schedule Government action has seen child poverty reduce against all nine official measures compared to the baseline year, Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty ...1 week ago
- Entries open for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence AwardsIt’s time to recognise the outstanding work early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura do to support children and young people to succeed, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins says. The 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards are now open through until April 16. “The past year has reminded us ...1 week ago
- Jobs for Nature benefits three projectsThree new Jobs for Nature projects will help nature thrive in the Bay of Plenty and keep local people in work says Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. “Up to 30 people will be employed in the projects, which are aimed at boosting local conservation efforts, enhancing some of the region’s most ...1 week ago
- Improvements to the Holidays Act on the wayThe Government has accepted all of the Holidays Act Taskforce’s recommended changes, which will provide certainty to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to help address challenges with the ...1 week ago
- NZ’s credit rating lifted as economy recoversThe Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and faster than expected economic recovery has been acknowledged in today’s credit rating upgrade. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today raised New Zealand’s local currency credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. This follows Fitch reaffirming its AA+ rating last ...1 week ago
- Speech to National Remembrance Service on the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquakeTena koutou e nga Maata Waka Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu whanui, Tena koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tenei ra maumahara i te Ru Whenua Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora Tena koutou, Tena ...1 week ago
- Government reaffirms urgent commitment to ban harmful conversion practicesThe Minister of Justice has reaffirmed the Government’s urgent commitment, as stated in its 2020 Election Manifesto, to ban conversion practices in New Zealand by this time next year. “The Government has work underway to develop policy which will bring legislation to Parliament by the middle of this year and ...1 week ago
- New creative service aims to benefit 1,000 peoples’ careersMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni today launched a new Creative Careers Service, which is expected to support up to 1,000 creatives, across three regions over the next two years. The new service builds on the most successful aspects of the former Pathways to ...1 week ago
- Honey exporters busy meeting surging demandOverseas consumers eager for natural products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped boost honey export revenue by 20 percent to $425 million in the year to June 30, 2020, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. “The results from the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ 2020 Apiculture Monitoring ...2 weeks ago
- Government delivers more wellbeing support for young peopleThanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community. Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten ...2 weeks ago
- Government eases visa restrictions for visitors in New ZealandTwo month automatic visitor visa extension for most visitor visa holders Temporary waiver of time spent in New Zealand rule for visitor stays Visitor visa holders will be able to stay in New Zealand a little longer as the Government eases restrictions for those still here, the Minister of Immigration ...2 weeks ago
- Push for sustainable tourism gathers paceThe Tourism and Conservation Ministers say today’s report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) adds to calls to overhaul the tourism model that existed prior to COVID19. “The PCE tourism report joins a chorus of analysis which has established that previous settings, which prioritised volume over value, are ...2 weeks ago
- Government extends dietary supplements regulationsThe Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said. Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand to join the Council of Europe Convention on CybercrimeThe Government is joining the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention), Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark announced today. The decision progresses a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack to accede to ...2 weeks ago
- Appointment round in 2021 for Queen's CounselAttorney-General David Parker announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2021. Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in ...2 weeks ago
- The Liberals face electoral wipeout in WA, but have 3 good reasons to keep campaigning
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Drum, Lecturer Politics and International Relations, University of Notre Dame Australia Time is running out for the Western Australian Liberal Party. Polling points to a massive Labor landslide at the upcoming state election on March 13. Following last month’s Newspoll, which ...46 mins ago - Chinese-Australians have a sense of dual ‘belonging’: Lowy pollSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A substantial minority of Chinese-Australians have experienced a backlash from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 deterioration in bilateral relations, according to a survey from the Lowy Institute. In the poll, 37% said they had ...46 mins ago
- I’m a sexual assault counsellor. Here’s why it’s so hard for survivors to come forward, and wh...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neeraja Sanmuhanathan, Senior Sexual Assault Counsellor, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Lecturer in Counselling, University of Notre Dame Australia As a senior sexual assault counsellor working with Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, I often sit across from people on the worst day of ...46 mins ago
- Think all your plastic is being recycled? New research shows it can end up in the oceanSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monique Retamal, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney We all know it’s wrong to toss your rubbish into the ocean or another natural place. But it might surprise you to learn some plastic waste ends up in the ...46 mins ago
- We can see the gender bias of all-boys’ schools by the books they study in EnglishSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cody Reynolds, Researcher & Educator, University of Newcastle “She’s more crazy than she is female.” So declared a senior student in a furious critique of Sylvia Plath’s poetry. The classroom was entirely male, myself included. As the teacher, I mediated discussion but ...46 mins ago
- Prepare, connect, care: essential steps for new students to manage and enjoy uni lifeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stokes, Senior Lecturer in Digital and Information Literacy (Education Futures), University of South Australia Starting university is usually a time of hope focused on bright futures. This year feels different. As cities move in and out of lockdown, new students are ...46 mins ago
- NZ’s Climate Change Commission needs to account for the huge potential health benefits of reducing...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Wilson, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago The Climate Change Commission’s recent draft report and recommendations has helped to kick-start an extremely important process. But, as others have argued, there remain serious questions about its narrow view and lack of ...1 hour ago
- Live updates, March 3: ‘An encouraging sign’ – no new Covid-19 cases overnight
Live coverage of the snap lockdown and the search for a source of the latest infection. Auckland is now at alert level three, NZ at level two. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.45am: ‘An encouraging sign’ – no new Covid-19 cases overnightThere are no new community cases of Covid-19 this morning, ...1 hour ago - The Bulletin: Pharmac review unlikely to give patient advocates what they wantGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Pharmac review unlikely to give patient advocates what they want, feedback shows confusion on managed isolation communication, and National wants more generous Covid leave scheme.An independent review into Pharmac has been announced, and will focus on how and how quickly ...2 hours ago
- National wants government to pay wages of those self-isolating
The National Party wants the government to pay 100 percent of a person's wages for two weeks if they have been told to self-isolate. ...2 hours ago - Less 'kind talk', more rigour needed in post-Covid economy
Ahead of the Finance Minister's speech to the National Economic Forum, Otago University's Dr Dennis Wesselbaum says the Government's focus on wellbeing has undermined the ability of economic research to inform policy-making, just when we need rigorous research the most Since the end of the Second World War, the New ...2 hours ago - Govt investigates phone app that detects Covid-19 before onset of symptomsThe government has been quietly investigating if returnees and border workers should use a phone app that can detect Covid-19 two or three days before symptoms set in. ...2 hours ago
- Rocket Lab set to become the country’s newest moon-shot
Business & Investing: What is Peter Beck's high school careers advisor thinking now? Plus international freight charges rise steeply ...3 hours ago - Please Explain, PM
“The Prime Minister has some serious explaining to do after her Government's Official COVID-19 Facebook Page contradicted her claim that Case J (Kmart worker) and Case L (KFC worker) were told to isolate. The Page replied to a member of the public saying ...3 hours ago - Crunchtime for homeowners who deferred mortgage payments in downturn
The Finance Minister is worried about the risk interest-only home loans pose to the country's financial stability. ...3 hours ago - Big spend-up on Auckland recycling
With China shutting its doors to New Zealand’s waste, Auckland Council is pinning its hopes on community-run recycling centres. Auckland Council has approved a plan to more than double the number of recycling facilities across the region by 2031. The updated Resource Recovery Network Strategy calls for a dramatic expansion ...4 hours ago - Passport revenues plummet in Covid-19 world
As Kiwis sit on expired passports, tens of millions in lost fees mount up. ...4 hours ago - Liftoff for Rocket Lab – but will investors get burnt?
Rocket Lab is promising the sky with its NZ$5.7 billion Nasdaq listing, but potential investors should go in with their feet firmly on the ground. There’s something crazy exciting and deeply scary about Rocket Lab’s announcement it will soon be listing on the US’s Nasdaq stock market, with a valuation of US$4.1 ...4 hours ago - A ward by any other name just as democratic
Councils use wards to recognise communities of interest, so why are Māori wards singled out for this criticism when other wards are not? The Government recently removed the provision in the Local Electoral Act that allowed a public poll to overturn a council’s decision to establish a Māori ward. This has reignited ...4 hours ago - Let's see your working please, Climate Commission
The Climate Commission has an urgent task, but not so urgent that the work should forgo basic scrutiny, says Eric Crampton Academic debates are rarely high stakes. Compared with the kind of work the Climate Change Commission is doing, debates among academics are of almost no consequence at all. But ...4 hours ago - Willie Jackson unleashes on Māori MPs
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson has taken a swing at National’s Simon Bridges and ACT’s David Seymour, saying they’re a “total waste of bloody time’’ when it comes to advocating for their own Māori people, writes political editor Jo Moir Willie Jackson is offended, hacked off, but not surprised there ...4 hours ago - DoC dobs itself in for errant spraying
How did two weed control operations on public conservation land go so wrong? David Williams reports The effects of the herbicide spraying becomes obvious just past the old, corrugated-iron musterers’ hut, with its tack shed and veranda. Scattered among grasses at the southern edge of Lake Emma in Canterbury’s Hakatere ...4 hours ago - The woman keeping close tabs on Team NZ's race boat
A sailing rookie hailing from the mountains of Colorado, Kelly Hartzell plays a crucial part in Team New Zealand's defence of the America's Cup. She explains her role as a mechatronics engineer to Suzanne McFadden. Kelly Hartzell may have one of the coolest offices in New Zealand right now. Most ...4 hours ago - If we’re serious about public health, the government must keep a critical promiseAt the heart of our Covid-19 response has been the recognition that health and economic goals are intertwined. We can cement those values in an independent Public Health Agency, writes Robert Beaglehole, a public health expert who is professor emeritus of the University of Auckland and formerly based at the World ...4 hours ago
- Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlist, 2021: the brutal cull, revealed – plus, our pick for the winMōrena! A minute ago the embargo lifted on the shortlist for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Quick stats: 179 entered; 40 made the longlist; 24 of those just bit the award dust. Here are the 16 that remain, followed by analysis from our books editor Catherine Woulfe. JANN MEDLICOTT ...4 hours ago
- All the stars in the sky, and a lot of other stuff too
Elon Musk's Starlink satellites are a wondrous sight - and also a slightly disturbing one. How many foreign objects can we fit into the night sky before they start crashing into each other? A dark, clear night, and a milky way of glorious stars. Amateur stargazer Jeremy Rees was ...4 hours ago - Book awards go fully woke
ReadingRoom Steve Braunias comments on the Ockham New Zealand book awards shortlist New Zealand literature has long tried to be woke, made various woke noises, and had very woke intentions but really it's operated as a safe enclave for good old whitey to enjoy the awards, the grants, the cash ...4 hours ago - Minister at centre of historical rape allegation ready to name himselfSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The minister accused of historical rape is set to identify himself on Wednesday, after NSW police on Tuesday declared their examination of the claim “closed”. The push by the friends of the alleged victim – ...9 hours ago
- Myanmar’s Bloody Sunday – security forces ‘live tracking’ media, protestersThe Myanmar army, police and militia’s use of violence against peaceful protestors reached another level on Sunday, February 28. By 5pm, local media reported at least 19 confirmed killings and another 10 unconfirmed. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) spoke to journalists covering the nationwide protests. Toe Zaw Latt, a video ...12 hours ago
- Kanaky New Caledonia ministers again deadlocked over president electionBy RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s 11 newly elected ministers have again failed to elect a new president. Like two weeks ago, none of the three candidates managed to secure the support of at least six ministers. At today’s meeting called by the French High Commissioner Laurent Prévost, the anti-independence Future ...13 hours ago
- Tongan missionaries ‘in hiding’ in PNG as angry looters target Asian shopsBy Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva Tonga A group of Tongan missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Papua New Guinea has gone into hiding in a church in Lae as unrest and violence erupted in the country yesterday. The chaos came after days ...13 hours ago
- Michael Gudinski: how a titan of the industry shaped Australian music for five decadesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney In the book 25 years of Mushroom Records, published in 1998, Michael Gudinski described himself as “Chairman, Mushroom Group of Companies and music fan”. There could be no better description of Gudinski, ...15 hours ago
- Bad vibes for spirituality festival as ticket holders refused refunds due to CovidCovid-19 restrictions have forced a postponement for the NZ Spirit Festival, an alternative lifestyle event due to begin this week. Now some ticket-holders are angry that organisers are refusing to refund if they can’t make the new date – even for those who’d bought Covid ‘refundable’ tickets. Jihee Junn reports.Set ...15 hours ago
- People are confused. So what are the rules on testing and self-isolation?Amid reports of confusing information being given to people after Covid tests, we asked our readers what they’d been told – and sought to clarify what the rules really are.When one of the people who has now been confirmed as having Covid-19 went to work at KFC, it represented an ...16 hours ago
- Josh Frydenberg has the opportunity to transform Australia, permanently lowering unemploymentSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Josh Frydenberg has the opportunity to become a transformational Australian treasurer. He has been bequeathed a set of circumstances that comes along rarely. He has already shown himself able to ...17 hours ago
- Government's Planned Pharmac Review A SideshowThe Government’s announcement of a review into Pharmac declares that its budget, and the total amount allocated to pharmaceuticals, will be out of scope. This ignores the most serious weakness with current arrangements: that no one really knows whether ...18 hours ago
- Australian media is failing to cover domestic violence in the right way: new researchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Effie Karageorgos, Lecturer, University of Newcastle Last year, 56 women were allegedly killed by their partner or ex-partner in Australia. Domestic violence against women is a national issue, and the media plays a key role in setting the public agenda on the ...18 hours ago
- Tauranga Super City? Be Careful What You Wish ForThe Taxpayers’ Union is calling for calmer heads to prevail after former Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell’s calls for an amalgamation of the district’s councils into a mini ‘super city’. “Intellectually, bigger might sound better or more efficient, ...18 hours ago
- Birds on beaches are under attack from dogs, photographers and four-wheel drives. Here’s how you c...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Greenwell, PhD Candidate, Murdoch University Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this new series, we’ve invited them to share their unique photos from the field. Each year, oystercatchers, plovers and terns flock ...18 hours ago
- Pharmac looks likely to get a pick-me-up after review team reports on its state of health
Our Beehive Bulletin … The Beehive has drawn attention today to the help being dispensed by the kindly Ardern government and other agencies for Covid-affected communities after alert levels (and levels of social inconvenience) were raised. But Pharmac, the state’s controversial drug-purchasing agency, is to undergo a rigorous examination before ...18 hours ago - Call For Ministers To Deliver Pollution ReviewGovernment Ministers need to review their decision to leave out nitrogen pollution limits from last year's freshwater law reform. Yesterday, Radio New Zealand revealed the Government ignored advice from the Freshwater Leaders' Group, Kaahui Wai Māori, ...18 hours ago
- Holy Moses! Who are the women looking for love on The Bachelor NZ?Hot on the heels of the Bachelorette finale, a new season of The Bachelor NZ begins tonight. Tara Ward introduces the women competing for Moses Mackay’s heart.Last night’s dramatic finale of The Bachelorette NZ may still be ringing in our ears and beating in our hearts, but it’s time to ...19 hours ago
- Do I need to register for a COVID vaccine? How will I know when it’s my turn? Vaccine rollout ques...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Yates, Assistant Professor, General Practice, Bond University Australia is now more than a week into rolling out the Pfizer vaccine, while AstraZeneca shots are due to start from next week. But many of us may still have questions about when and ...19 hours ago
- Framing Britney Spears shows star power is shifting to the audienceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By P. David Marshall, Professor and Research Chair in New Media, Communication and Cultural Studies, Deakin University An intriguing documentary about Britney Spears, produced by the New York Times and airing in Australia tonight, marks a change in how we view and engage ...20 hours ago
- EMA Echoes Calls For More Input Into Future Management Of COVID-19Calls by senior business leaders for more openness and cooperation around the Government’s plan for the ongoing management of COVID-19 are strongly supported by the EMA. Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says business owners are being crippled by increasing pressure ...20 hours ago
- NZ Initiative Supports The Call For Greater Clarity At The BorderWellington (Tuesday, 2 March 2021) – The New Zealand Initiative welcomes today’s call from business leaders for greater clarity about the border. The Initiative also urges the government to further strengthen the testing regime at the border. Making ...20 hours ago
- The PM was angry – but her halo is slipping and Aucklanders are riled, too, by roadblocks and clos...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has admitted to the NZ Herald’s Claire Trevett that ”Covid is constantly in my mind”. In an interview at the weekend, extending over two pages of the newspaper, Trevett observed: “Ardern is now very confident in her Prime Ministerial skin. There is nothing tentative about her ...20 hours ago - Petitioner Calls On Two Govt Doctors To Review Vape Flavour BanThe Ministry of Health has submitted a written submission to the Health Select Committee, dismissing a Parliamentary petition signed by 17,357 Kiwis supporting ongoing access to vape flavours. Petition organiser, Nancy Loucas, who is co-director of Aotearoa ...20 hours ago
- Police Association Says IPCA Bullying Report A Fair AssessmentThe New Zealand Police Association considers the IPCA report on bullying, culture and related issues within Police, to be a fair assessment of the current situation in that it identifies the key problem areas, the progress Police has recently been ...21 hours ago
- Te Rito Maioha Supports Renewed Calls For ECE Pay ParityTe Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand (ECNZ) supports renewed calls for pay parity for all early learning teachers. Chief Executive, Kathy Wolfe says, “teachers want better pay and working conditions, and the message is coming through strongly ...21 hours ago
- Scratched: Why Precious McKenzie wanted to lift for New ZealandFrom being barred from competing in apartheid-era South Africa to being embraced by his adopted home country, Precious McKenzie’s is a story of perseverance and the importance of knowing your value.Watch more episodes of Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends here.Every Olympic or Commonwealth Games has its cult heroes, athletes who ...21 hours ago
- Review Of Bullying And Culture Highlights Way Forward For Police...21 hours ago
- ‘You don’t know their lives’: A call for empathy from The Aunties’ Jackie ClarkToday Jackie Clark is at home in South Auckland, tired after a long morning of delivering care packages to the women she walks alongside as the founder of The Aunties, a support community for those living with the effects of family violence. She’s also exhausted by all the opinions being ...22 hours ago
- Maori Council Welcomes PHARMAC Review: Every New Zealander Should Have A Fighting Chance At LifeThe New Zealand Maori Council welcomes the review announced by the Prime Minister into PHARMAC. Executive Director, Matthew Tukaki, has called for such a review over the course of the last two years with a particular emphasis on the ways and means ...22 hours ago
- Water markets are not perfect, but vital to the future of the Murray-Darling BasinSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neal Hughes, Senior Economist, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Water markets have come in for some bad press lately, fuelled in part by the severe drought of 2019 and resulting high water prices. They have also been ...23 hours ago
- Urgent Solution To Kiwi Housing CrisisNew Zealand has the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world — and this could be the only way to fix this shocking crisis. Wealth Morning , an Auckland-based research house focused on global finance, has just announced a parliamentary housing ...23 hours ago
- How financial literacy spreads beyond the classroomWith sound knowledge of personal finance, debt, charity and social inequality, these students are learning a recipe for positive social change as early as possible.It’s well documented and well supported that children who learn financial literacy skills in school have better outcomes in later life. Even a basic concept like ...23 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – March 02 2021Editor’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 Covid: Auckland community outbreak Crystal Wu (Newshub): Jacinda Ardern refuses to apologise to KFC worker, says family was told to self-isolate 1News: Auckland KFC worker with Covid-19 says ...23 hours ago
- Pacific MP's Should Support Liveable Incomes For AllLast week the government released their latest data on child poverty statistics and 1 in 4 children living in poverty in NZ are Pacific. Carmel Sepuloni, our Minister of Social Development also admitted that current benefit levels aren’t enough to ...24 hours ago
- Tips to keep your children engaged while not destroying yourself during lockdownAcross about a third of the country, parents are staring, empty eyed, into the middle distance, while their beloved kids unleash a special hell around them. Emily Writes shares some timely advice.Aucklanders are once again stuck at home with their children with very little notice. If you have to work ...1 day ago
- New Information Suggests Far Higher Numbers Of Children, Adolescents Went Through Lake Alice Unit In...A Royal Commission investigation into the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit indicates a far higher number of patients were admitted than previously thought. The Abuse in Care Inquiry is investigating what happened at the Manawatu-based Unit, following ...1 day ago
- Life on the hidden doughnuts of the Great Barrier Reef is also threatened by climate changeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mardi McNeil, Postdoctoral researcher, Queensland University of Technology Mention the Great Barrier Reef, and most people think of the rich beauty and colour of corals, fish and other sea life that are increasingly threatened by climate change. But there is another part ...1 day ago
- Before we introduce vaccine passports we need to know how they’ll be usedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Dare, Professor of Philosophy, University of Auckland Air New Zealand is to trial digital “vaccine passports” on trans-Tasman routes in April. A media release says: “The goal is to enable customers to seamlessly manage their digital travel documentation throughout their travel ...1 day ago
- Delays in reporting alleged rapes are common — even years later. This isn’t a barrier to justiceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bri Lee, PhD student, University of Sydney On Friday, an anonymous letter was sent to the prime minister’s office alleging a current federal cabinet minister raped a woman in 1988. This was followed two days later by an email alleging another “historical” ...1 day ago
- We asked children around the world what they knew about COVID. This is what they saidSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Ford, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Tasmania During the pandemic, children have been separated from family and friends, schools have been closed and there have been limitations on important activities, such as play. We know a good deal ...1 day ago
- Photos from the field: beach-nesting birds are under attack from dogs, photographers and four-wheel ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Greenwell, PhD Candidate, Murdoch University Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this new series, we’ve invited them to share their unique photos from the field. Each year, oystercatchers, plovers and terns flock ...1 day ago
- A degree promises a better life but social mobility has a downside tooSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Coleman, E.G. Whitlam Research Fellow, Whitlam Institute, Western Sydney University Higher education has long been associated with the promise of a good life. Participation, however, has no guarantees. Former prime minister Gough Whitlam argued that Australia’s higher education system was not ...1 day ago
- Stuck in the past: why Australian heritage practice falls short of what the public expectsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Lesh, Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne Knowledge of local heritage protection measures and support for these are often lacking, according to a recent Heritage Council of Victoria report. The report suggests this points to a need ...1 day ago
- Water markets aren’t perfect, but they are vital to the future of the Murray-DarlingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neal Hughes, Senior Economist, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Water markets have come in for some bad press lately, fuelled in part by the severe drought of 2019 and resulting high water prices. They have also been ...1 day ago
- Street art in a white cube: Rone at Geelong Gallery marries ephemeral beauty with a proven formulaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Honig, Lecturer, The University of Melbourne Review: RONE in Geelong, Geelong Gallery In 2004, black-and-white posters of a woman staring into a distant horizon began appearing inexplicably throughout Melbourne. The images — of model Suzanne Brenchley, taken from a fashion magazine ...1 day ago
- Live updates, March 2: ‘We’ve been pretty consistent’ – Bloomfield defends ministry messagin...Live coverage of the snap lockdown and the search for a source of the latest infection. Auckland is now at alert level three, NZ at level two. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.50am: ‘We’ve been pretty consistent’ – Bloomfield defends ministry commsThe director general of health Ashley Bloomfield has admitted that ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: Self-isolation system under heavy scrutinyGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Self-isolation system under heavy scrutiny, first home deposit requirements rising rapidly, and should South Auckland get vaccine first?The government’s leave support scheme for those supposed to self-isolate has paid out only a small portion of the available budget to date, reports Stuff’s Henry ...1 day ago
- Review asks how Govt can get the new drugs it wants funded
The much-vaunted Pharmac inquiry will investigate how the drug-buying agency can fall into line with national health priorities. A review of Pharmac drug funding, being announced today, will investigate how the government drug-buying agency can better respond to specific government health priorities around emerging drugs and more. The review was a cornerstone of ...1 day ago - Rocket Lab merger speculation swirls after report
Business & Investing: Big moves tipped for Kiwi space company Rocket Lab, Plus first real estate agent warned over money laundering provisions ...1 day ago - Watercare seeks Govt help with $2.5b infrastructure hole
Auckland’s water authority thought it was doing the right thing to deal with decades of infrastructure underspending. Then Covid got in the way. ...1 day ago
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