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National’s housing policy
Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, April 16th, 2021 - 30 comments
National has released its housing policy and the proposals are predictable. Free up more land, loosen up the RMA, and require Councils in high growth areas to urgently review their district plans.
Well done John Edgar
Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, April 10th, 2021 - 11 comments
I’d thought I’d take a moment to celebrate the life of John Edgar, who passed away a few days ago.
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 […]
- Graham Adams: Will He Puapua propel Winston Peters back into politics?
The NZ First leader once described the UN Declaration as the “road to Zimbabwe”. Graham Adams asks how long he will sit on the sidelines as the debate over Maori sovereignty rages. The controversial report He Puapua has been seized upon by National and Act as evidence of a covert ...5 hours ago - The same question again and again
The Independent Police Conduct authority has found police were unjustified in using an attack dog against a fleeing child: Police were not justified in using a police dog to bite a young offender following a pursuit, according to an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report. The 14-year-old was bitten ...11 hours ago - Samoa tries to gag its peopleSamoa's dodgy dissolution will be challenged in court this Thursday, which should provide some certainty over whether they are having an election next week. Meanwhile samoa's caretaker government is reportedly planning to ban Facebook for the election. Their reason? “The disrespectful, repulsive and obscene language towards our leaders; not ...14 hours ago
- Labour’s divide and rule pay freeze
by Don Franks Last week, on the anniversary of Karl Marx’s birthday,Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins had good and bad news for workers. His good news – twenty-five per cent of public servants can expect pay rises. His bad news – for the next three years, public servants earning more than $60,000 will only get rises under ...15 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 11 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze is ‘misreporting’. But is it? Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Grant Robertson schedules union crisis meetings after failing to communicate public pay freeze properly Chris Trotter (Interest): Playing by a new set of rules RNZ: Government urged to rethink public sector pay freeze decision Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government in ...18 hours ago
- Overshooting 2C risks rapid and unstoppable sea level rise from Antarctica
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by: Dr Robert M. DeConto, professor of geosciences and co-director of the School of Earth and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, lead author on IPCC’s special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate, and a recipient of the Tinker-Muse Prize for Science and ...1 day ago - On the Parnassus Plays and Shakespeare Authorship
Yesterday, I read the Parnassus Plays (1598-1602): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parnassus_plays These are three late Elizabethan university plays, put on by Cambridge students, for Cambridge students. They’re primarily known because of their extensive references to contemporary English writers, including William Shakespeare. And, certainly, we’ll get to that – there are interesting implications ...1 day ago - Climate Change: “Least cost” means “do nothing”The National Party is trying to sabotage the struggle against climate change again, with a bill in the member's ballot to force the Climate Change Commission to allow our domestic targets and international commitments to be met with "offshore mitigation". What does "offshore mitigation" mean? From past experience, it means ...1 day ago
- Incoherent 2Last week, the government froze public service pay for three years in a return to the economy-strangling austerity politics of the National era. But today, suddenly they're rolling in money: There’ll be more spending and lower debt levels in the 2021 Budget than expected, the Finance Minister, Grant Robertson ...1 day ago
- The Scots deserve their referendumScotland went to the polls on Friday in national elections, and delivered another thumping victory for the Scottish National Party. Once again, it fell just short of an absolute majority, but has an easy majority with the Scottish Greens. Both parties campaigned explicitly for Scottish independence, and in a democratic ...2 days ago
- Playing By A New Set Of Rules
Meet The New Rules, Not Like The Old Rules: The old book was written on the assumption that political principles are important, and that, accordingly, political consistency from political parties must also be important. At its core, the old rule book accepted that the game it was regulating was the ...2 days ago - Reducing tobacco retail availability: counterarguments to industry claims
Lindsay Robertson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, George Thomson, Louise Marsh (*Author details) The NZ Government’s Discussion Document outlines an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal and proposes substantially reducing the number of retailers selling tobacco. In this blog, we examine arguments that interest groups have advanced to ...2 days ago - National’s latest default Go-To Distraction
. . As National Party’s current Leader, Judith Collins, channeled former National Party Leader, Don Brash by playing the Race Card, I was reminded of a blogpost I wrote in March 2017; …//… Faced with increasingly negative indicators from high immigration, English was forced to explain why we were seeing ...2 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 10 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup: The Public sector worker backlash against Labour Andrea Vance (Stuff): Why Jacinda Ardern needs to make a John Key-style u-turn on pay sector freeze Alexia Russell (RNZ): Pay freezing out your traditional voter base Liam Dann (Herald): Muldoon or Richardson? Robertson cops it from all sides (paywalled) Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour ...2 days ago
- Hiding He Puapua From Winston May Cost Labour Dearly.2 days ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 2, 2021 through Sat, May 8, 2021 In no particular order the following articles lead to the most interactions during the last seven days: Shifting Distribution of Land Temperature Anomalies, 1951-2020, Dare we hope? ...2 days ago
- A plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel
This week the Labour government, in its infinite wisdom, decided we’d all had enough of them spending billions of dollars helping out large multi-nationals pay their wage bill during Covid, they decided on a completely new course of action. This week Labour announced an austerity plan. And what a plan ...3 days ago - Mother’s Day
(Content note: infertility, mental health, motherhood) My first post about our ~parenting journey~ is here. Mother’s Day has never been the most problematic artificially-hyped-to-sell-stuff-parental-celebration holiday for me. I grew up ~without a father~ (he bailed; his loss) so it was always the unthinking way we/marketing departments assume that everyone has ...3 days ago - Types of futures reportsThe web comic xkcd created a great (satirical) overview of the types of scientific papers. That got me thinking about the types of futures reports I commonly see. There are very good reports out there. You just need to read with a critical eye. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash ...3 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Public sector worker backlash against LabourIs Labour supposed to be the party of labour or of capital? It’s often hard to tell these days, and many in the labour movement and the political left are feeling betrayed this week by the Government’s announcement of a pay freeze for public sector workers. The Government has essentially ...3 days ago
- Fast times and a fast mouth with Boy Racer MP, David Seymour?
You’ve got to give the man credit: he quite honestly built his own car, a Lotus replica, and clearly had personal skills and a driving interest here – ha – that served him well even at a young age, which no doubt were enhanced further when he went on ...4 days ago - Why Are We Moving to Auckland?
Might the drift to the north be resisted?The regional population projections of Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) have only the Auckland and Waikato regions growing faster than the national average through to 2048. The other fourteen grow slower than average. The next three are Bay of Plenty, Canterbury and Northland, so ...4 days ago - The Free Speech Union NZ branch
by Daphna Whitmore Across the English speaking world free speech is threatened. Wokeness and cancel culture, which emerged from the universities in the past decade, has spread. Its ideology is postmodernism, an obscure and impenetrable outlook. Now the university graduates have taken their piousness into government departments and NGOs where ...4 days ago - IncoherentOn Wednesday, the government froze public service pay for three years in a vicious attack on the very workers who have kept the country alive during the pandemic for the last year. Meanwhile, today they've re-announced their new system of "Fair pay Agreements", allowing unions to negotiate basic terms and ...4 days ago
- Branko Marcetic: Labour’s public sector pay freeze isn’t just a betrayal of frontline workers ...All around the world, governments, economists, and even neoliberal bastions like the World Bank are urging a change in the direction of economic policy away from the mistakes of a decade ago – all except here in New Zealand, where the government appears determined to repeat them. Branko Marcetic examines ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 7 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Stuff: Editorial – Pay freeze stretches public sector loyalty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Pay freeze shows Government can’t manage the books Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Pay freeze controversy enters second day, with Greens and National pressing Labour Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Do people really earn more in the public sector? David Farrar: Robertson and Hipkins become honorary members of ...5 days ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Muller TrapA speech by Todd Muller at the Te Puna Rugby Club last June told voters everything they need to know about the New Zealand National Party. It was, arguably, the most coherent statement on political philosophy by a National leader in the MMP era. Interwoven with the usual platitudes ...5 days ago
- With Friends Like These …He's On Our Side? When Australia’s very own Minister of Defence, Peter Dutton, is telling anyone who will listen that "a war over Taiwan cannot be discounted" and that Australia was "already under attack" from Chinese cyber-warriors, it is probably time to think again about who New Zealand's "friends" and ...5 days ago
- Developing Separately – Or Together?'He iwi tahi tātou'? Should Maori poverty be addressed as a manifestation of the economic and social injustices inherent in free-market capitalism; or, is it the inevitable consequence of colonial oppression, white privilege and institutional racism? If it’s the former, then Maori and Pakeha can tackle the problem together. If ...5 days ago
- “A Rare Misstep from Simeon Brown”: Once more playing the Useful Idiot of the National Party?
Overall, MP Simeon Brown is someone to poke fun at with his asinine takes, clearly. He can, like Collins, just not help himself to save himself. But never let yourself get seriously worked up and actually worn out over it. He’s simply not worth it, sad as it ...5 days ago - Selling a buffalo for a brain scan: India’s COVID-19 crisis reveals deep fractures in its health s...Kaaren Mathias, University of Canterbury As India’s COVID-19 crisis continues, the percentage of the population testing positive for the virus has grown from 4.2% to 18.4% in the past 30 days. With more than 300,000 new cases reported each day, hospitals and crematoria face collapse. Global media have been awash ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 6 May 2021Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard Henry Cooke (Stuff): National v Mallard: That atrocious late-night debate is the reason people hate politicians Barry Soper (Herald): Trevor Mallard’s outburst this week questions whether he understands what a serious sexual assault is Claire Trevett (Herald): The unedifying spectacle of the Speaker v National in Parliament (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Mallard using his power to attack ...6 days ago
- Reducing tobacco retail availability: how could this be achieved and what evidence supports the NZ G...Lindsay Robertson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Frederieke Petrović-van der Deen, George Thomson, Louise Marsh (*Author details) The NZ Government has published a Discussion Document outlining an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal. This blog is one of a series examining key aspects of the plan to help inform ...6 days ago
- Ardern says China differences ‘becoming harder to ignore’; promises to work harder on ignoring t...
Ardern has been crystal clear that New Zealand “must step up” its efforts if it is to successfully dodge questions about genocide in China. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the Auckland Business Chamber on Monday that differences between New Zealand and China on human rights were “becoming more difficult” to ...6 days ago - covid-19 infection and how the spike protein is involved in doing harmJust this morning a journalist sent me a link to a press release about a new paper looking at how SARS-Cov-2 affects the vascular system, & asked to comment on it for a article. If you’d like to read the actual paper you can find it here, but be ...6 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18, 2021Bringing more certainty to uncertainty communications For the armchair dilettante observer of scientific progress a solid literature review is something akin to going to Disneyland. It's almost too much stimulation. When a review covers a salient, hot topic, so much the better. This week we're pleased to feature a vast review ...6 days ago
- Is ‘Spot’ a good dog? Why we’re right to worry about unleashing robot quadrupedsJeremy Moses, University of Canterbury and Geoffrey Ford, University of Canterbury When it comes to dancing, pulling a sled, climbing stairs or doing tricks, “Spot” is definitely a good dog. It can navigate the built environment and perform a range of tasks, clearly demonstrating its flexibility as a software ...6 days ago
- Punishing our saviours againLast year public servants saved our lives, working overtime in the middle of a pandemic to stand up a response which kept out Covid and kept kiwis alive and employed. The government rewarded them with a pay freeze. And now they're extending that for another three years: Public servants ...6 days ago
- Hard News: A picture of official callousness and detachment
Last night, the New Zealand Herald posted a story from its political reporter Derek Cheng which bundles together a number of current issues around medicinal cannabis. The most alarming is that of Katy Thomas and her epileptic son Eddy, which has recently been taken up by Green MP Chloe Swarbrick. Their ...7 days ago - Samoa’s dodgy dissolutionSamoa's tied elections took a turn for the worse last night, with the O le Ao o le Malo purporting to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections in what looks awfully like a self-coup. The "justification" for this was the uncertainty created by the hung parliament - a situation the ...7 days ago
- 12,000 unemployed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and once again outperformed expectations, with unemployment dropping to 4.7%. So there are now 135,000 unemployed, 12,000 more than when Labour took office. Its not all good news though: the underutilisation rate is up, suggesting that more jobs are part-time. Still, compared ...7 days ago
- Labour refuses to condemn genocide in XinjiangBut they will condemn "possible severe human rights abuses". What a pack of snivelling, grovelling chickenshits. Refusing to call the crime what it is for fear of offending the criminal. But maybe this is Labour's "kindness"? Fuck the poor. Fuck the kids. Fuck immigrants. But be kind to génocidaires. But ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 5 May 2021He Puapua document and the National Party Henry Cooke (Stuff): Whose race card is this anyway? Judith Collins and David Seymour both appear to have found the same wedge issue Graham Adams (Stuff): Ardern on a hot tin roof over He Puapua plan to share power with Māori Claire Trevett (Herald): Judith Collins’ has grabbed the agenda on ...7 days ago
- Collins warns Government is planning separatist New Zealand with special car parks and gender segreg...The Government is accusing National of scaremongering over a proposal to establish separate Māori governance in New Zealand, pointing to its long history of ignoring recommendations. National Party interim leader Judith Collins has deepened her attacks on the Government’s proposed Māori Health Authority this week, alleging that Prime Minister Jacinda ...1 week ago
- #PLURV – the German #FLICC – getting popular in GermanyLongtime readers of what we are up to at Skeptical Science will be well aware of the FLICC taxonomy first suggested by Mark Hoofnagle in 2007, written about in Diethelm & McKnee (2009) and since then greatly enlarged by John Cook: A much simpler FLICC-taxonomy first started out to be utilized ...1 week ago
- https://sciblogs.co.nz/?p=276367Climate 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’ve heard the gravity changes when Antarctica melts will lower ...1 week ago
- The Greens worry about morality, Labour worries about tradeThe Greens have done what was expected of them, and agreed to back ACT's motion on genocide in Xinjiang tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Labour Party is worrying about trade: Trade Minister Damien O'Connor has warned a parliamentary debate on whether Beijing is committing genocide in Xinjiang would damage trade with ...1 week ago
- Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or videoNaomi S. Baron, American University During the pandemic, many college professors abandoned assignments from printed textbooks and turned instead to digital texts or multimedia coursework. As a professor of linguistics, I have been studying how electronic communication compares to traditional print when it comes to learning. Is comprehension the ...1 week ago
- Shaken and Stirred: The Left Reacts To Judith Collins’ Race-Based Politicking.Extremely Moderate: That was the “problem” with Judith Collins’ address to the National Party’s Northern Regional Conference on 1 May 2021: its totally unexpected moderation. This was no bilious outpouring of racial hate – quite the reverse. With a degree of political subtlety and tactical agility that did both Collins and her ...1 week ago
- Labour adopts NZ First’s racismNew Zealand First were a nasty pack of racists. One of the ideas they pushed was that immigrants - which in NZ First-ese means "non-white people", not those lovely people from the UK or South Africa - are coming here to steal the pensions of "hardworking" (white) New Zealanders by ...1 week ago
- Redefining Democracy.The Dead Hand Of Privilege: To be white, male, heterosexual, well-educated, and – of course – wealthy, is to enjoy a high degree of “privilege” in a culture where such distinctions are generally esteemed. Formal democratic equality, it is asserted, actually serves to mask this privilege and, by doing so, ...1 week ago
- The police’s “emissions-free fleet” strategyLast year, just as the government was announcing plans for a carbon-neutral public service, the police announced they were buying new petrol-powered patrol cars. But they weren't ignoring the government's requirements, with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster quoted as saying "we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and have outlined ...1 week ago
- Could the COVID vaccines affect your period? We don’t know yet — but there’s no cause for conc...Michelle Wise, University of Auckland Over recent weeks, news reports have indicated some women are experiencing irregularities in their menstrual cycles after receiving a COVID vaccine. This has included periods arriving early and being heavier than usual, or being absent or late, among other changes. At this stage, there’s no ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 4 May 2021China and New Zealand Bryce Edwards (The Guardian): Ardern’s speech was not an attack on China, or even a shift away from Beijing Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Nanaia Mahuta’s China dilemma and the future of New Zealand diplomacy Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Political, economic China perspectives collide at summit Michael Neilson ...1 week ago
- Report: All new cars and trucks in U.S. could be electric by 2035This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Thinking ahead to what (and whether?) you may be driving – may have parked in your garage or driveway or parking lot – a few years from now? Like, for instance, in 2035? Only with “robust” public policy initiatives as yet not on ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on ChinaJacinda Ardern’s speech at the China Business Summit was a crowd-pleaser. Geoffrey Miller explains its role in the “rebalancing” of New Zealand’s orientation to China and the West. For critics who believed she had gone soft on China, Jacinda Ardern’s line that differences between China and New Zealand were ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Cut methane nowFarmers are our biggest source of climate pollution, being responsible for 48% of our emissions. Three quarters of their emissions come from methane, caused by burping cows and rotting cowshit. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but short-lived; its impact on global temperature over 20 years is 84 times higher ...1 week ago
- Hard News: The drumbeat for reform gets louderIt should have come as no surprise after the narrow referendum defeat last year of a bill to legalise and regulate cannabis that its loudest and best-funded opponents should have wandered off to find a new culture war. The people behind SAM-NZ, Family First and Say Nope to Dope have ...1 week ago
- Press Release 27 April 2021 – Congratulations to Minister Little and the Government on the Health ...
Peter Malcolm for Income Equality Aotearoa New Zealand Inc. – Closing the Gap The recently announced changes to the way health is administered in New Zealand are long overdue. We do not need 20 separate health authorities in New Zealand as the responses to the pandemic has illustrated. The current ...1 week ago - Government of kindness?Remember John Campbell's "Feed the kids" campaign? Free school lunches are one of the most effective education policy interventions we can make, boosting attendance and improving learning outcomes. Currently the government funds them for the 25% of children living in the poorest areas of New Zealand. But poor kids whose ...1 week ago
- Speaker: test post with picsFollowing the storming of the US capitol building in January, Twitter cracked down on accounts that were using the site to promote false narratives about the US election, in particular accounts associated with the Qanon conspiracy theory. The mass removal of accounts included a number of New Zealanders. Many of ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 May 2021National Party: “Separatism” and He Puapua Matthew Hooton (Herald): Judith Collins’ speech raises important issues for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern(paywalled) Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Ardern in the gun over He Puapua Luke Malpass (Stuff): Judith Collins issues race relations warning, says Labour planning ‘two systems by stealth’ Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Echoes of the past in Judith Collins’ speech Lara Greaves and Ella ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: Ardern in the gun over He PuapuaA covert 20-year plan to establish Maori sovereignty is political dynamite. Graham Adams argues it represents a real threat to the Prime Minister’s reputation as open and transparent. Judith Collins made no effort to hide the cat-with-the-cream expression on her face when she answered journalists’ questions after a National ...1 week ago
- Improving NZ Government Communication about COVID-19: Five Suggestions Including a Proposal for Depo...Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig The high quality communication by the NZ Government for much of the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarked on. But given that the pandemic situation is very far from over, in this blog we consider five areas in which ...1 week ago
- Crackpot Theory: Ar-Pharazôn’s Sexuality (or the lack thereof)
Some time ago, I presented my completely unprovable hypothesis that Rhaegar, from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, had Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s a crackpot theory, of course – one that involves taking certain elements of the text, and running with them in accordance with wilder imagination. ...1 week ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Apr 25, 2021 through Sat, May 1, 2021 In no particular order the following articles lead to the most interactions during the last seven days: Points of no return, What Skepticism Reveals About Science, The ...1 week ago
- A Night in the Witherlands: Published
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Issue #48 (May-July 2021) is now out:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3442 And my 6.400-word sword and sorcery piece, A Night in the Witherlands, is out with it:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3400 As noted previously, this one is a follow-up to A Breath Through Silver:http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue849/breath_silver1.html Please check out the Bibliography page for my other ...1 week ago - A year ago todayA year ago today, my partner and I “properly” began the journey to become parents. We’d been on the path for a very long time: first trying, and trying, and trying, and failing, then trying to get help, and facing some pretty gross obstacles to that; and finally being in ...1 week ago
- Judith Collins goes whistle shoppingHaving taken an enforced break for a number of weeks with ideas drying up faster than a Canterbury river, MyThinks has had a sudden burst of prefrontal brain activity and brings you a random number of thinks related to recent political happenings. Enjoy. National Leader Judith Collins is walking through ...1 week ago
- Central Bank Independence?
I have never understood why the independence of the central bank (in our case, the Reserve Bank) is thought to be so important and beneficial. The practice – and doctrine – were pioneered in New Zealand, and hark back to the era of Rogernomics, monetarism and the priority given to ...1 week ago - Pork-Barrels Out of Bond: Subsidising the Amazon LOTR TV series
Time for another wee rant. This time, it’s the sight of our Government prostituting itself to Amazon. Never mind money (or national dignity), all they care about is ensuring Our Corporate Overlords continue production of the upcoming Tolkien television series in New Zealand: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/300287112/the-detail-governments-golden-handshake-to-secure-amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series That rebate is not ...1 week ago - Side-Stepping Safeguards, Data Journalists Are Doing Science NowBy Irineo Cabreros News stories are increasingly told through data. Witness the Covid-19 time series that decorate the homepages of every major news outlet; the red and blue heat maps of polling predictions that dominate the runup to elections; the splashy, interactive plots that dance across the screen. As a ...2 weeks ago
- April ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: Blog Writing For Business NZ I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. ...2 weeks ago - Centralising the Public Health System
The proposed health redisorganisation seeks to markedly centralise the health system. Is this grab for power justified; will it work?The Cabinet paper’s justification of the proposed changes is sevenfold. The first two are about Maori issues. One is constitutional, arguing that the ‘public health system does not meet the Crown’s ...2 weeks ago - People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven’t gotten information they n...Kathleen H. Pine, Arizona State University; Kathryn Henne, Australian National University, and Myeong Lee, George Mason University The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of ...2 weeks ago
- Happy Mother’s Day, Aotearoa!
Today, we’re celebrating mothers, grandmothers and all the mother figures in our lives – and wishing them a wonderful day with whānau and friends – and, ideally, not so many obligations. ...3 days ago - Green Party launch petition calling for Labour to reverse public sector wage suppression on our nurs...
The Green Party have launched a petition calling on Labour to reverse its decision to suppress the wages of our nurses, teachers, and DOC workers earning between $60,000 and $100,000. ...5 days ago - A full-on six months: Our record since the 2020 electionNew Zealanders voted for stability and security at the last election. In the six months since, we’ve worked hard to keep Kiwis safe from COVID-19, while accelerating our economic recovery and tackling long-term challenges like housing affordability, child poverty, and climate change – and we’ve made good progress. ...5 days ago
- Greens welcome US support for People’s VaccineThe Green Party strongly supports today’s commitment by the United States joining the call to waive the morally indefensible pharmaceutical patents on the COVID-19 vaccine in order to make it accessible to Developing World communities. ...6 days ago
- Public sector pay restrictions are unacceptableThe Government’s decision to restrict the wages of many essential public sector workers for another two years does a disservice to those who have kept our communities safe during COVID-19, the Green Party said today. ...6 days ago
- The Green Party is putting reasonable renting rules on the agendaThe Green Party is launching its Reasonable Rents campaign to start a national conversation about the high cost of rents for the more than 1.4 million Kiwis who live in a rental home. ...1 week ago
- Keeping Kiwis snug this winterWe believe everyone deserves a warm, dry place to call home. One way we’re making this a reality is through our Winter Energy Payment, which helps around a million people with their heating bills through the colder months and ensures whānau stay healthy with less stress. ...2 weeks ago
- Our tamariki Maōri should not suffer any more: GreensThe Green Party welcomes the Waitangi Tribunal report that recognises mulitple breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the Crown. ...2 weeks ago
- Eight times Labour proved it has workers' backsOur name says a lot about our priorities, but so does our history. We’ve consistently fought for workers’ rights – from when our Party first formed in 1916, to now, when we’ve placed workers’ rights and health at the centre of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for amnesty programme in open letter to immigration ministerThe Green Party is calling on the Government to create a broad amnesty programme for people who overstay their visa, and for temporary visa holders to be granted residency in an open letter to the Minister for Immigration. ...2 weeks ago
- Local government review must centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi and empower young peopleThe future of local government must empower the young people who will live with the decisions made today, by enabling them to vote, and strengthen our national commitment to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Green Party said today. ...3 weeks ago
- The Greens welcome whānau centred initiatives for PrisonsToday the Government announced a new whānau-centred Māori pathways programme in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. ...3 weeks ago
- Looking ahead this Earth DayIt’s Earth Day today and here at Labour, we’re deeply committed to protecting our environment – not just today, but every day. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens welcome protections for Kiwis’ savingsThe Green Party is welcoming the Government’s announcement that bank deposits up to $100,000 will be protected under new rules. ...3 weeks ago
- Former Govt spies should be stopped from private spyingFormer employees of Government security and intelligence agencies should face at least a five-year stand down period before taking up private sector security contracts, the Green Party said today. ...3 weeks ago
- Government support boosts Arts and Culture sector
Government support for the cultural sector to help it recover from the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in more cultural sector jobs predicted through to 2026, and the sector performing better than forecast. The latest forecast by economic consultancy ‘Infometrics’ reflects the impact of Government investment in keeping people in ...10 hours ago - Govt takes further action against gang crimeThe Government will make it illegal for high risk people to own firearms by introducing Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPOs) that will strengthen action already taken to combat the influence of gangs and organised crime to help keep New Zealanders and their families safe, Police Minister Poto Williams and Justice Minister ...17 hours ago
- Thousands of MIQ spaces allocated to secure economic recoveryFive hundred spaces per fortnight will be allocated in managed isolation facilities over the next 10 months, many for skilled and critical workers to support our economic recovery, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor say. “The Trans-Tasman bubble has freed up more rooms, allowing us to ...1 day ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week a chance to recognise national taongaThis week (10 – 16 May 2021) is New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL), a nationwide celebration of NZSL as an official language of New Zealand. “We’re recognised as a world leader for our commitment to maintaining and furthering the use of our sign language,” says Minister for Disability Issues ...2 days ago
- Economic resilience provides more options in Budget 2021Securing the recovery and investing in the wellbeing of New Zealanders is the focus of Budget 2021, Grant Robertson told his audience at a pre-budget speech in Auckland this morning. "The economy has proven resilient in response to COVID-19, due to people having confidence in the Government’s health response to ...2 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to BNZ-Deloitte Auckland Breakfast EventThank you for the invitation to speak to you today, and to share with you some of the Government’s thinking leading into this year’s budget. This will be my fourth time delivering the annual Budget for the Government, though the events of the past year have thrown out that calculation. ...2 days ago
- Rotuman Language week affirms language as the key to Pacific wellbeingThe first Pacific Language Week this year makes it clear that language is the key to the wellbeing for all Pacific people said Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This round of language weeks begin with Rotuman. As I have always said language is one of the pillars of ...2 days ago
- Budget delivers improved cervical and breast cancer screeningBudget 2021 funds a more effective cervical screening test to help reduce cervical cancer rates A new breast screening system that can proactively identify and enrol eligible women to reach 271,000 more people who aren’t currently in the programme. Budget 2021 delivers a better cervical screening test and a major ...3 days ago
- NZ-France to co-chair Christchurch Call Leaders’ SummitNew Zealand and France will jointly convene the Christchurch Call Community for a leaders’ summit, to take stock of progress and develop a new shared priority work plan. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and President Emmanuel Macron will co-chair the leaders’ meeting on the 2nd anniversary of the Call, on 14 ...3 days ago
- New South Wales travel pause to be lifted tomorrowCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the current travel pause with New South Wales will lift tomorrow – subject to no further significant developments in NSW. “New Zealand health officials met today to conduct a further assessment of the public health risk from the recently identified COVID-19 community cases in Sydney. It has been determined that the risk to public ...3 days ago
- March 15 Collective Impact Board appointedThe voices of those affected by the March 15 mosque attacks will be heard more effectively with the establishment of a new collective impact board, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. Seven members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been appointed to the newly established Board, ...4 days ago
- More young Kiwis supported with mental health and addiction servicesNearly quarter of a million more young New Zealanders will have access to mental health and addiction support in their communities as the Government’s youth mental health programme gathers pace. New contracts to expand youth-specific services across the Northland, Waitematā and Auckland District Health Board areas have been confirmed, providing ...4 days ago
- New hospital facilities mean fewer trips to Auckland for NorthlandersNorthlanders will no longer automatically have to go to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter laboratory opened at Whangārei Hospital by Health Minister Andrew Little today. The two projects – along with a new ...5 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements to improve pay and conditions for essential workersThe Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to implement Fair Pay Agreements which will improve wages and conditions, as well as help support our economic recovery, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Fair Pay Agreements will set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an ...5 days ago
- Establishment of the new Māori Health Authority takes first big stepSir Mason Durie will lead a Steering Group to provide advice to the Transition Unit on governance arrangements and initial appointments to an interim board to oversee the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. This Group will ensure that Māori shape a vital element of our future health system, Minister ...5 days ago
- Cycle trails move up a gear in CentralWork on new and upgraded cycle trails in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Central Otago is moving up a gear as two significant projects pass further milestones today. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced new funding for the Queenstown Trails Project, and will also formally open the Lake Dunstan Trail at Bannockburn ...5 days ago
- Picton ferry terminal upgrade consent fast-trackedThe planned upgrade of the Waitohi Picton Ferry terminal has been approved under the fast-track consenting process. Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the decision by the expert consenting panel to approve the Waitohi Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project. The project will provide a significant upgrade to the ferry facilities ...5 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with New South Wales pausedCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated. Whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent ...5 days ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedThe passing of a bill to extend temporary COVID-19 immigration powers means continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “Over the past year, we’ve made rapid decisions to extend visas, vary visa conditions and waive some application requirements ...5 days ago
- “Supporting a Trade-Led Economic Recovery”Trade Policy Road Show SpeechManukau, Auckland Kia ora koutou – nau mai, haere mai ki Manukau, ki Tāmaki. Good morning everyone, and thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you current global challenges, opportunities and the Government’s strategy in support of a trade-led recovery from the economic ...5 days ago
- Building consent numbers at an all-time highA record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...5 days ago
- Whānau-centred support for parents and tamarikiUp to 60 whānau in Counties Manukau will be supported through the first three years of their parenthood by a new whānau-centred model of care, said Associate Health Minister, Hon Aupito William Sio. “Providing this support to young parents is something we have to get right. It’s a priority both ...5 days ago
- NZ backs moves to improve global access to COVID vaccinesNew Zealand welcomes and strongly supports the announcement made by the United States Trade Representative to work for a waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said. “New Zealand supports equitable access to COVID vaccines for all. No one is safe from the ...6 days ago
- Tourism communities: support, recovery and re-set planTIHEI MAURI ORA Tuia te whakapono Tuia te tumanako Tuia te aroha Tuia te hunga ora Ki te hunga ora Tihei Mauri ora Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Thank you, Hilary and thank you, Chris, and everyone at TIA for this ...6 days ago
- Support, recovery and re-set plan for tourism communitiesFive South Island tourist communities targeted for specialist support Pressure on Māori tourism operators and Conservation facilities recognised Domestic and international-facing tourism agencies put on more secure footing Long-term plan to re-set tourism with a focus on sustainability, industry standards and regional economic diversification A plan to ensure the immediate ...6 days ago
- Speech on NZ Rail PlanCheck against delivery E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te whakanuia tēnei huihuinga whakahirahira. Nō ...6 days ago
- Government hits massive milestone in Violence Prevention & EliminationMinister for Family and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson announced a major milestone at a hui in South Auckland today, with the launch of the national engagement process on the prevention and elimination of family and sexual violence. “There is no room for violence in our lives – there is no ...6 days ago
- Fee waiver extended for conservation tourism businessesTourism businesses operating on public conservation land will have another six months of fees waived to help them adjust to the downturn in international visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. "We acknowledge it has been a difficult year for ...6 days ago
- ‘Lua Wave’ to future-proof Pasifika Festivals in AotearoaPasifika festival organisers will receive additional support to adapt to the COVID-19 environment thanks to the Government’s newly launched ‘Lua Wave’ component of the Pasifika Festivals Initiative, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “This initiative has not only been to support festival organisers to recover from ...6 days ago
- Crown accounts show confidence in Govt economic planThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s economic recovery plan. The Crown accounts for the nine months to the end of March 2021 show both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and ...6 days ago
- Energy Trusts of NZ Autumn ConferenceIt’s a pleasure to be here today. Thank you Karen [Sherry] for the introduction and thanks to the Energy Trusts Executive for inviting me to speak at tonight’s event. It is an exciting time to come to speak to trustees of distribution companies. For many decades the electricity industry was ...6 days ago
- New partnership to grow Māori success in STEMA new partnership with the Pūhoro STEM Academy will support thousands more rangatahi Māori to participate and succeed in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Since 2016, Pūhoro has worked with Māori students to build their capability and create pathways to employment ...6 days ago
- Rail builds platform for economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark today released the Government’s long term vision for a sustainable rail network that supports our economic recovery. New Zealand Rail Plan lays out how the Government is building a resilient, reliable and safe network, as well as the indicative ...6 days ago
- NZ and UK agree to lift the pace of free trade talksNew Zealand and the United Kingdom have agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of talks, as the two countries enter a new phase in free trade negotiations, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, and I spoke today about ...6 days ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill passes first readingThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has passed its first reading and will now be considered by Parliament’s Justice select committee. “The Bill updates and improves New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said. “The ...6 days ago
- Statement on The Speaker and Annual Review Debate“The serious issue of alleged sexual assault and harassment at Parliament was poorly managed and inappropriately politicised last night. The tone of the debate did not reflect well on Parliament as a whole,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Any investigation of claims of sexual assault should be in a manner ...7 days ago
- Govt motoring towards zero-carbon buses and protecting drivers’ conditionsTransport Minister Michael Wood is seeking feedback on options for the next phase of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) review to better protect bus drivers’ pay conditions, and also achieving the Government’s target of fully decarbonising the public transport bus fleet by 2035. Michael Wood said investing in our ...7 days ago
- Drop in unemployment shows Govt economic plan is workingThe Government’s economic recovery plan continues to be reflected in the labour market, with more people in work and unemployment falling. Stats NZ figures show employment rose by 15,000 in the March quarter, with 14,000 more women in work. The unemployment rate fell from 4.9 percent to 4.7 percent. This ...7 days ago
- Government sets pay and workforce expectations for the Public SectorThe Government’s Workforce Policy Statement issued today sets out its expectations for pay and employment relations in the Public Sector, the Minister of Finance and Minister for the Public Service say. “New Zealand has had an exceptionally successful health and economic response to COVID-19. This has been supported by the ...7 days ago
- Author Ben Brown is New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading AmbassadorLyttleton writer Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) will be New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador, promoting the value of reading for children and young people, Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. A poet and award-winning author, Ben Brown writes books, non-fiction and short stories ...1 week ago
- Cuts, spends, debt: everything you need to know about the budget at a glance
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Deputy Editor and Chief of Staff, The Conversation After twenty years of rhetoric from both sides of politics focusing on getting back to surplus, this year’s budget continues pandemic spending in the hope of getting the economy back on track ...3 hours ago - Less hard hats, more soft hearts: Budget pivots to women and the care sectorSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Wood, Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute Last year’s post-bBudget photo ops were all heavy machinery and hard hats. But this year we can expect soft-focus shots with children and the elderly. The big story of the Budget is not just that ...3 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Frydenberg finds the money treeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg’s third budget aims to give Australia a post-pandemic soft landing, using revenue windfalls for spending and tax cuts rather than for slashing the deficit. Its philosophy is very much gain, not pain, for ...4 hours ago
- Budget 2021: the floppy-V-shaped recoverySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW I don’t often feel sorry for politicians. But having to manage a process that produces forecasts about the next four years of an economy still clawing its way out of a pandemic, and then having to ...4 hours ago
- Frydenberg spends the budget bounty to drive unemployment down to new lowsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Never before has a budget spent so much to supercharge the economy after the worst of a recession has already passed. The economy bounced back from last year’s COVID recession ...4 hours ago
- Budget splashes cash, with $17.7 billion for aged care and a pitch to womenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government has brought down a big-spending, expansionary budget that forecasts Australia’s unemployment rate will fall to 4.75% in two years time. But Australia’s international borders won’t be properly open for at least a ...4 hours ago
- Parliament caps off Budget 2019 as 2021 version nears
The House - The last of Budget 2019, bills from non-ministers and a special debate on immigration and border policies are taking place at Parliament this week. ...6 hours ago - Hundreds protest Māori ward delay in ManawatūLast week councillors voted six to four against establishing a Māori ward, deferring the matter until 2023. ...6 hours ago
- MSD told to further investigate wage subsidy scheme paymentsThe Auditor-General wants the Ministry of Social Development to step up its efforts to claim back cash from businesses that wrongly received wage subsidies. ...6 hours ago
- Curious Kids: why does the sun’s bright light make me sneeze?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Farmer, Researcher, The University of Melbourne Why does the sun’s bright light make me sneeze? — Orlo, age 5 Dear Orlo, Thanks for your lovely question. Very smart people have been wondering about this very question for thousands of years. ...7 hours ago
- Public sector pay freeze: Unions cheer softer government stanceIn a partial backdown, the government has softened its public sector pay freeze, agreeing to review the directive next year and leave cost-of-living increases on the table. ...7 hours ago
- Congratulations To New Zealand MPs Showing Solidarity With Palestinians At A Time When It Is So Desp...
Today is World Keffiyeh Day (the keffiyeh is a piece of iconic Palestinian dress) and a big group of MPs got together to wear keffiyehs as a show of solidarity with Palestinians at a time when it is so desperately needed – they ran out of keffiyehs ...8 hours ago - Long before Billie Eilish, women wore corsets for form, function and supportSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Boddy, PhD Candidate in History, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Singer Billie Eilish’s new look for British Vogue, in which she trades her baggy clothes for lingerie — most notably a series of corsets — has sparked much ...8 hours ago
- Manawatū District Council Must Not Defer Māori Wards To 2024A successful hikoi in Manawatū has challenged the decision by the Manawatū District Council to defer introducing Māori Wards to 2024. “Today I walked with iwi, hapū and whānau from across the Manawatū to protest against Manawatū District Council ...9 hours ago
- Public sector unions say pay freeze talks with ministers 'frank and constructive'Unions are claiming progress in the dispute over the government's pay freeze after crisis talks at the Beehive today. ...9 hours ago
- No Vaping Signs Displayed In Schools From TodayThe Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act has taken another important step forward today with a key new requirement taking effect. On 11 November 2020, changes under the Act saw the existing prohibition on smoking at schools, kura kaupapa, ...10 hours ago
- For Muslim refugees in immigration detention, another sombre, isolated Eid holidaySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Peterie, Research Fellow, University of Wollongong Around Australia, Muslims are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr – “the feast of breaking the fast” that marks the end of Ramadan. Eid usually involves dawn prayers and gatherings to share food and gifts. Family ...10 hours ago
- A beginner’s guide to the financial aspects of buying a house
Our beginner’s guides are quick and simple explainers on everyday money topics hitting headlines right now. This week, we look at what it takes to finance your first home. With the average house in New Zealand now worth more than $900,000, the reality for most New Zealanders is it’s getting harder ...10 hours ago - NZ Muslims Strongly Condemn Continued Israeli Aggression Against The Palestinian People & The Ho......10 hours ago
- Protest march is mounted against council that wasn’t intimidated by a haka and voted against Maori...
When we disagree with decisions made by the democratically elected leaders of our towns, cities or country on a highly contentious issue, we can be sanguine and reason that whatever had been decided, either one side or the other would have been disappointed. Or – the Maori Party way of ...11 hours ago - Halt The Forced Evictions Of Palestinian Families And The Violent Suppression Of Protest By Israeli ...Violence is escalating in Israel/Palestine as a result of the threatened, forced evictions of Palestinian families in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. An act that is illegal under international law. For several nights ...11 hours ago
- ‘Boys and their toys’: how overt masculinity dominates Australia’s relationship with waterSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Kosovac, Research Fellow in Water Policy, The University of Melbourne In Australia over recent months, the fury of women has been hard to ignore. The anger, much of it directed at the toxic masculine culture of Parliament House, has sparked a ...11 hours ago
- CTU Public Service Unions Meet With Public Service MinisterThe Council of Trade Unions and affiliated public service unions, met with the Minister for the Public Service Hon Chris Hipkins this afternoon to discuss the pay expectations of those working in our public services. CTU President Richard Wagstaff said it was ...11 hours ago
- Wage Subsidy: Well-managed, But More Checks NeededAuditor-General John Ryan says there is much to commend about how the Covid-19 Wage Subsidy has been managed. While the high-trust approach at the start meant money could reach employers and workers quickly, there also needed to be a strong post-payment ...12 hours ago
- We don’t have enough celebrities for all these reality showsThe Masked Singer is the latest in a long line of shows drawing on our increasingly shallow pool of celebrities. How long before the well runs dry? This week on The Masked Singer NZ, the first of 2021’s many celebrity-based reality shows, the judging panel had to guess the celebrity hiding ...12 hours ago
- Once Again: Why Police Need Body-cams...12 hours ago
- Govt goes gunning for the gangs but Nats grouch about the time it has taken and ask why firearms ban...The government’s intention to get tougher on gangs with a firearms ban triggered almost immediate statements of support from ACT and – less generously – a better-late-than-never grouch from the Nats. The Nats, moreover, pressed for the legislation to be even tougher. The only other announcement from the Beehive since ...13 hours ago
- This Is Your Moment – Take It!Nanaia Mahuta Minister of Foreign Affairs Parliament Buildings Wellington Once again we urge you to speak out condemning Israel’s brutal aggression against the Palestinian people which is escalating in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. ...13 hours ago
- Mazda New Zealand And Make A Wish Foundation Come Together For The Paper Cranes ProjectThe Paper Cranes Project symbolizes a bright future and hope for children <img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2105/9c7c3d94c86524156e08.jpeg" width="720" height="622"> Mazda New Zealand and Make A ...13 hours ago
- Newsflash: Gangs Don’t Care About Any Gun LawsThe government has announced the introduction of ‘Firearm Prohibition Orders’(FPO) which in a nutshell is telling criminals who don’t care about the laws, that there are more laws in place to not care about, says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible ...13 hours ago
- Letter To Jacinda Adern Regarding Current Events In Palestine...13 hours ago
- The Single Object: How this pen was used to highlight police racismOne morning in 1978, a University of Auckland law lecturer walked into the police station and made a confession. His crime? Stealing a ballpoint pen from his employer.Iki Toloa finished his shift at the Ellerslie plastics factory where he worked and started the long walk home to Ponsonby. The 17-year-old ...14 hours ago
- Early Learning Not Invited To MIQ Lolly ScrambleThe early learning sector has been excluded from MIQ spaces freed up for refugees, students, and construction and RSE workers. “In the middle of a severe teacher shortage that’s putting early learning centres out of business, we’ve been left ...14 hours ago
- Why NZ’s public sector wage freeze ignores the lessons of historySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato With the government facing a serious backlash over its public sector wage freeze policy, that sound you hear could be the ghost of Rob Muldoon chuckling. Former prime minister Robert Muldoon in 1981. CC ...15 hours ago
- Scientists are too easily seduced by beautiful plants. Time to love the ugly ones, tooThere’s a clear researcher bias towards visually striking plants, and it’s not good for the ecosystem, writes Kingsley Dixon of Curtin UniversityWe all love gardens with beautiful flowers and leafy plants, choosing colourful species to plant in and around our homes. Plant scientists, however, may have fallen for the same ...16 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins on public sector pay: 'It's the opposite of austerity'Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins denies the government is engaging in bad faith bargaining with unions after its decision to restrict public sector wage increases. ...16 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 11 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Public sector pay freeze Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze ...16 hours ago
- Tahr Control Operations More Collaborative But Tahr Plan Still Needs UpdatingThe Tahr Foundation is pleased that the 2021-2022 tahr control operational plan released indicates the Department of Conservation has utilised the knowledge and expertise of the hunting sector. The Tahr Foundation and other hunting organisations ...16 hours ago
- High-risk people to be prevented from having gunsThe government will make it illegal for high-risk people to access or use firearms, in a bid to combat gang crime. ...17 hours ago
- Auckland mayor accused of running ‘boys’ club’ councilA decision on who should represent Auckland Council on the government’s light rail project board has sparked debate about whether Phil Goff is doing enough to ensure gender equality in the ranks.One of Auckland’s longest serving councillors and former mayor, Christine Fletcher, has questioned mayor Phil Goff’s leadership appointments, claiming ...17 hours ago
- Stormwater – The Poor Cousin Of The Water SectorInvestment in stormwater infrastructure is lagging well behind drinking and wastewater investment despite the challenges posed by climate change and the need for the development of water sensitive towns and cities. The Water New Zealand Stormwater conference ...17 hours ago
- China’s Tiangong space station: what it is, what it’s for, and how to see itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paulo de Souza, Professor, Griffith University China’s space program is making impressive progress. The country only launched its first crewed flight in 2003, more than 40 years after the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. China’s first Mars ...18 hours ago
- Would Australians support mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine? Our research suggests most wouldSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Australia’s vaccine rollout is moving far more slowly than the government had hoped, and there is evidence of vaccine hesitancy in a significant part of the ...18 hours ago
- The NT’s tough-on-crime approach won’t reduce youth offending. This is what we know worksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Fancourt, Paediatrician & Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research Last week the Northern Territory (NT) government proposed legislative changes to youth justice, including tightening access to bail and diversion, particularly for re-offenders. We expect the legislation could go through as ...18 hours ago
- New research finds native forest logging did not worsen the Black Summer bushfiresSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania The Black Summer bushfires shocked the world and generated enormous global media interest. Fire scientists like myself found themselves filling a role not unlike sport commentators, explaining the unfolding drama in ...18 hours ago
- The outlook for coral reefs remains grim unless we cut emissions fast — new researchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Cornwall, Rutherford Discovery Fellow, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The twin stress factors of ocean warming and acidification increasingly threaten coral reefs worldwide, but relatively little is known about how various climate scenarios will affect coral reef growth ...18 hours ago
- Nobody cares about fugly flowers. Scientists pay more attention to pretty plantsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kingsley Dixon, John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin University We all love gardens with beautiful flowers and leafy plants, choosing colourful species to plant in and around our homes. Plant scientists, however, may have fallen for the same trick in what they choose ...18 hours ago
- If I could go anywhere: searching for music in the places where Chopin lived and diedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Davie, Lecturer in Piano, School of Music, Australian National University In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. The appreciation of art is enriched through experience, ...18 hours ago
- Live updates, May 11: 42yo man arrested after Dunedin stabbing, charged with attempted murderWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for May 11, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: 42yo man arrested after Dunedin stabbing, charged with attempted murderFollowing on from the top story in The Bulletin: a 42-year-old man has been arrested after a stabbing ...18 hours ago
- Eight important business lessons from The Apprentice AotearoaAs The Apprentice Aotearoa choppers onto our screens, Alex Casey witnesses a masterclass in business prowess. Yes, the timing of The Apprentice Aotearoa could not be any weirder. A reality series that played a huge part in giving Donald Trump the profile that would see him become president, now hosted by ...18 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Bystanders praised after Dunedin stabbing attackGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Bystanders praised after Dunedin stabbing attack, 500 managed isolation spots a fortnight to be opened, and East Coast endures harsh drought.What is as yet believed to be a random stabbing attack has taken place in Dunedin. Details are still emerging about ...18 hours ago
- Women don't need men stating the bleeding obvious
Comment: The Super Rugby clash at Eden Park was a critical and sporting success but still the undermining of women's sport persists, writes Ashley Stanley The media coverage was solid. The players' build-up looked professional. And the end product on the afternoon was free-flowing and skilful. But after the hype of ...19 hours ago - Hardworking Tax Payers Need A Break“Hardworking taxpayers have spent the first four months and 10 days of 2021 working to hand over every cent they’ve earned to Grant Robertson,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Today is ‘Tax Freedom Day’ according to accounting firm Baker Tilly ...19 hours ago
- Ethiopian Community Delivers Petition To Parliament For NZ To Condemn Ongoing KillingsAs atrocities against Amhara ethnic communities worsen in Ethiopia, the community here in Aotearoa New Zealand is asking the Government to condemn the increasing attacks and urge the Ethiopian government to stop and prevent the ongoing massacre of the ...20 hours ago
- Win the greatest book prize of all time
Win every single book shortlisted for the Ockham New Zealand national book awards Good old ReadingRoom has a book prize to beat all book prizes, ever: all 16 books - yes, 16! - shortlisted for Wednesday night's Ockham New Zealand book awards are up for grabs. They will go to ...20 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Tuesday 11 May
...20 hours ago - Rabbits: Turning the tables
Since Newsroom’s investigation into the rabbit plague hitting parts of the South Island, we have had many suggestions on ways to extract value from rabbits. Melanie Reid reports on the enterprising small businesses that have sprung up in Otago and Southland aiming to make money out rabbit meat and skins. ...20 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 11 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...20 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Tuesday 11 May
...20 hours ago - The unacknowledged consequences of the gender pay gap
The gender pension gap is seldom measured or even acknowledged. As the population ages, we need to address the gap before it widens, writes Claire Dale. The majority of the 10 highest paid individuals across government departments and most universities are still men, it has been reported. It is particularly concerning ...20 hours ago - Covid-19: Saliva tests to be rolled out in pharmacies
Saliva tests may be mainly useful to the ‘worried well’ and Olympians, but they can also ease pressure on the testing regime as a whole. Matthew Scott reports. Those who dread the feeling of a swab being swivelled around their sinuses will soon have access to another option: pharmacies are about to ...20 hours ago - Voiding Covid vaccine patents isn't enough
The economic benefits of making vaccines widely and quickly available worldwide are indisputable - but simply relaxing intellectual property protections on vaccines won't be enough to achieve that, writes Eric Crampton. ...20 hours ago - Dying well: Whānau seek tikanga Māori at end of life
Researchers spoke to whānau who lived with death by using tikanga Māori - now they are using digital storytelling to support those who have lost traditional care customs and are neglected by a one-size-fits-all healthcare system It takes a village to raise a person, but it takes a village ...20 hours ago - ‘Relive your trauma or run the risk of dying’: Why the end of smear screening can’t come too s...A video circulating on social media last week had a message that hit home for many: some survivors of sexual harm would rather take their chances than endure retraumatisation through a cervical screening test. For this reason, the announcement of funding for a self-administered HPV test could mean the difference ...21 hours ago
- Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze is ‘misreporting’. But is it?The government is blaming misreporting for anger over a pay freeze for the public sector. Justin Giovannetti looks at the prime minister and finance minister’s claim that public servants are being misled by the media. Last Wednesday the government issued guidance which became immediately and almost unanimously characterised as a ...21 hours ago
- Opaque, inefficient, unfair: Govt's $42b procurement regime report card
New research shows the way government agencies award contracts is complicated and skewed towards international companies. ...21 hours ago - 'Outdated, flawed' local election laws need overhaul
Council election laws are stifling attempts at modernisation, officials warn. ...21 hours ago - Covid-19: Tech trials founder at border
Trials of new technology which could help New Zealand fight Covid-19 have faltered in recent weeks. ...21 hours ago - Beneath the joyful job stats
The unemployment rate has defied the expectations of economists, banks and Treasury. Is it hiding the reality of the job situation, or did the wage subsidy save us? When New Zealand went into Level 4 lockdown on March 25 last year, we were sailing into uncharted waters. Treasury officials were ...21 hours ago - House prices: The little-known fourth tool in the Reserve Bank kit
Amid all the noisy talk of constraints on LVRs, DTIs and interest-only loans, the Reserve Bank has quietly floated the possibility of wielding a fourth tool: increasing the capital requirements for banks to lend against houses. ...21 hours ago - Timor-Leste reports 126 more covid cases – almost all in DiliBy Antonio Sampaio in Dili The Timor-Leste health authorities have registered a total of 126 new infections with SARS-CoV-2 in the last 24 hours, almost all in the Timorese capital, according to official data. The data was released in a statement from the Integrated Crisis Management Center (CIGC), which states ...1 day ago
- Part of the legal challenge to the India travel ban has been comprehensively defeated — here’s w...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney One part of a legal challenge to the Commonwealth’s India travel ban was comprehensively defeated in the Federal Court on Monday evening. Justice Thawley rejected all the arguments made by the applicant, Gary ...1 day ago
- Charging Indians for COVID vaccines is bad, letting vaccine producers charge what they like is uncon...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By R. Ramakumar, Professor of Economics, Tata Institute of Social Sciences Countries around the world are racing against time to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus. But India has thus far been a poor performer, with only 9.6% of its population receiving a ...1 day ago
- ‘Fortress Australia’: what are the costs of closing ourselves off to the world?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Kassam, Director, Lowy Institute’s Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program, and Fellow, National Security College’s Futures Council, Australian National University Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on the weekend Australia’s borders will remain closed for the foreseeable future, only reopening “when it ...1 day ago
- Indonesian police seize Papuan leader Victor Yeimo on ‘treason’ chargesAsia Pacific Report newsdesk A Papuan leader who has been sought by Indonesian police over the 2019 Papua “Spring” uprising, Victor Yeimo, has been arrested and charged with makar (treason, subversion, rebellion), reports CNN Indonesia. Nemangkawi Task Force head Senior Commissioner Iqbal Alqudusy confirmed the arrest, saying it took place ...1 day ago
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