Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
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New school lunches waste appears to exceed 70% as David Seymour’s incompetence and PR reliance rises to the fore
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, February 24th, 2025 - 13 comments
The Associate Education Minister has defended the new school lunch program even as the government says it is not collecting any official feedback. Meanwhile no word from National’s Education Minister Erica Stanford.
Bayly goneburger
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, February 24th, 2025 - 23 comments
In breaking news Andrew Bayley has resigned as a minister after entering into an animated discussion with a staff member and “placing a hand on their upper arm”.
Seymour is wrecking the school lunch program
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 24th, 2025 - 26 comments
David Seymour’s handling of changes to free school lunches has been an unmitigated disaster. Is the plan to make the scheme that bad it can then be cancelled?
When will Luxon be rolled?
Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, February 23rd, 2025 - 32 comments
Christopher Luxon’s time as Prime Minister appear to be numbered.
Good as gold
Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, February 22nd, 2025 - 19 comments
A fascinating expose from Michael Hudson on the causes and implications of the recent rise in the price of gold. When Nixon took the US dollar off the standard in 1971 you could get an ounce for $35. Not now; Hudson explains why.
A Commercial Peace Agreement?
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, February 20th, 2025 - 68 comments
Trump’s opening bid for peace towards Ukraine was that the United States would gain access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
About Karen Chhour’s youth offending claims
Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, February 19th, 2025 - 11 comments
Karen Chhor has made two recent claims, that youth crime is at an all time high, and that serious and persistent offending has increased dramatically to justify her boot camps policy. Neither claim appears to be true.
Let me nitpick on the government RSS feeds
Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, February 18th, 2025 - 10 comments
Earlier today I sent a missive off to point out a little flaw in a new and updated Beehive page. Like all things from this current government, it was long on flashiness and extremely light on the functional details. It also doesn’t appear to have been picked up that for 3 weeks that the government’s messaging was self-limited. Pretty typical of this sloppy and incompetent government.
Everyone must go
Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, February 17th, 2025 - 28 comments
Chris from Marketing’s latest gimic to lead us to economic nirvana is to use money that is meant to be used for environmental enhancement to run a campaign in Australia with a slogan that is awkward and negative.
“As long as it takes”
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, February 13th, 2025 - 159 comments
Well it didn’t take that long: from one SecDef to another in a matter of a month. It’s time for a rethink on Ukraine and much else.
Update: Hegseth’s speech video
NZ Fabian Society event: Brian Easton on Transforming New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, February 13th, 2025 - 7 comments
“Why is the Left failing?”
State of the Nation – dire
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, February 12th, 2025 - 18 comments
Remember National’s promise to get us back on track? Salvation Army’s latest state of the nation report suggests that for ordinary people things are getting much worse.
The latest polls suggest a change in Government
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 pm, February 11th, 2025 - 15 comments
Two recent polls both predict a one term National Government.
Kieran McAnulty is underrated: How Chris Bishop Got Away with Blowing Up Kāinga Ora & State Housing Momentum
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, February 11th, 2025 - 13 comments
Kieran McAnulty’s points are fair and important – so why is media ignoring most of them? Also – Labour delivered 14,000 homes in government – so why is Chris Bishop blowing that trajectory up?
Bring us your wealthy and your privileged …
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, February 11th, 2025 - 11 comments
National wants more wealthy people to come to New Zealand to increase investment fund levels. But what if we created the situation so that locals could increase investment through Kiwisaver contributions?
Leadership D.O.A.
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, February 10th, 2025 - 31 comments
As we approach the half-time oranges for his government, I thought I’d give Mr Luxon some feedback and a few suggestions on how he might turn things around – if becoming a real leader interests him.
Why get upset with solar power?
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, February 9th, 2025 - 56 comments
You have to hand it to the right. They have succeeded in making ordinary people oppose the most beneficial projects imaginable. Like a group of residents in North Canterbury that is opposing construction of a solar farm.
Dear Mum and Dad
Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, February 4th, 2025 - 5 comments
I had a great week at school!
What does Trump have against Canada?
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, February 4th, 2025 - 50 comments
And why isn’t New Zealand backing Canada against Trump’s self declared trade war?
Standing for Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 1:47 pm, February 2nd, 2025 - 16 comments
Can Kerrin Leoni pave the way as Tamaki Makaurau’s first wāhine Māori Mayor? Open to all today from Nick’s Kōrero…
Cancun Cruz’s crazy tweet
Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, February 2nd, 2025 - 17 comments
Ted Cruz has criticised New Zealand for requiring all Israelis to detail their military experience before coming to New Zealand. But there is a problem with this. He is wrong.
Tim Jago is part of a bigger ACT Party issue
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, February 2nd, 2025 - 95 comments
The former ACT Party President’s name suppression ceased 2 years after Jago was charged, allowing ACT to bypass critical scrutiny during the 2023 election
The Second Major Offensive of Neoliberalism in New Zealand Since the 80s
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 2nd, 2025 - 28 comments
The Coalition is fighting a multi-front blitzkrieg to entrench neoliberal hegemony in NZ.
David Farrar’s Curia Market Research Woes
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, February 1st, 2025 - 16 comments
What happened to the Curia Market Research suspension? David Farrar responded after RANZ hired an independent sub-committee to investigate complaints about polling integrity
What will he do next?
Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, February 1st, 2025 - 29 comments
I did not think it possible but it seems that every week Donald Trump does something that makes me think even worse of him.
Better Late than Never?
Written By: - Date published: 6:13 pm, January 31st, 2025 - 10 comments
Davey Seymour’s Disgusting School Dinners, and the faster you go, the bigger the mess, but does Chris Bishop look bothered?
Keep on Digging
Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, January 30th, 2025 - 30 comments
The latest outbursts and brain farts from the great Kumara of the North…
Open to all today in Nick’s Kōrero – Shane Jones calls climate change ‘woke’ and says, ‘Send the Mexicans home’.
Most kiwis blame Willis for Ferry Fiasco
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, January 30th, 2025 - 9 comments
Recent polling suggests that two thirds of kiwis disagree with Nicola Willis’s decision to cancel the replacement Inter Island ferries contract.
Later Stuart
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, January 29th, 2025 - 14 comments
Stuart Nash has suggested that Labour is losing support for not sticking to its values. But his suggested policy solution would have Labour resemble National lite, not deepest red Labour.
If that’s Luxon’s Plan, What About Labour?
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, January 26th, 2025 - 56 comments
It’s time to highlight what a Labour plan for the New Zealand economy under a 2026 government would look like. And ask questions.
New Zealand’s worst leadership speech since 2008
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, January 24th, 2025 - 22 comments
The PM’s ‘State of the Nation’ speech about the New Zealand economy titled “economic growth the key to better days ahead” was a bag of words with no plan.
- Weekly Roundup 14-March-2025
Midway through March already? The years flying by. Here’s some things we saw this week that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at AT’s Upper Harbour Bus changes. For Wednesday we had a guest post by Malcolm McCracken exploring what ...7 days ago - Bookshelf: technology, globalisation and civilisational decline
Robert Kaplan’s book Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis paints a portrait of civilisation in flux. Drawing insights from history, literature and art, he examines the effect of modern technology, globalisation and urbanisation on ...7 days ago - Birds and Bees Grounded
Sexuality - Strong and warm and wild and freeSexuality - Your laws do not apply to meSexuality - Don't threaten me with miserySexuality - I demand equalitySong: Billy Bragg.First, thank you to everyone who took part in yesterday’s survey. Some questions worked better than others, but I found them interesting, ...7 days ago - Shit Yourself Happy
Hi,I just got back from a week in Japan thanks to the power of cheap flights and years of accumulated credit card points.The last time I was in Japan the government held a press conference saying they might take legal action against me and Netflix, so there was a little ...7 days ago - The Hoon around the week to March 14
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s wrecking of the post-WW II political landscape; andHealth Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Lisa ...7 days ago - Bernard’s pick n’ mix at 6am for Friday, March 14
Here’s my selection of the top scoops, news, analysis, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$$$, The Press-$$$, Newsroom & NZ Herald on Friday, March 14.Top Six at 6amExclusive: 'Shake-up is necessary' - NZME's biggest shareholder backs board cleanout NZ Herald-$$$’s Shayne CurrieGovt considers gett… ...7 days ago - Snapshots from Tokyo
Hi,I just got back from a short trip to Japan, mostly spending time in Tokyo.I haven’t been there since we shot Dark Tourist back in 2017 — and that landed us in a bit of hot water with the Japanese government.I am glad to report I was not thrown into ...7 days ago - Why I Regret Going Paid On Substack
I’ve been on Substack for almost 8 months now.It’s been good in terms of the many great individuals that populate its space. So much variety and intelligence and humour and depth.I joined because someone suggested I should ‘start a Substack,’ whatever that meant.So I did.Turning on payments seemed like the ...1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2025
Open access notables Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter?, McCarthy et al., AGU Advances: The extraordinary fossil fuel-driven outburst of consumption and production since the mid-twentieth century has fundamentally altered the way the Earth System works. Although humans have impacted their environment for millennia, justification for ...1 week ago - For a waterbombing reserve, adapt ADF aircraft
Australia should buy equipment to cheaply and temporarily convert military transport aircraft into waterbombers. On current planning, the Australian Defence Force will have a total of 34 Chinook helicopters and Hercules airlifters. They should be ...1 week ago
- Join us at 5pm for this week’s Hoon
Photo by Gareth Davies on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest , and special ...1 week ago - Indonesia has cut funding for counterterrorism programs. Australia should step in
Indonesia’s government has slashed its counterterrorism (CT) budgets, despite the persistent and evolving threat of violent extremism. Australia can support regional CT efforts by filling this funding void. Reducing funding to the National Counterterrorism Agency ...1 week ago
- Drawn
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Resource Management (Prohibition on Extraction of Freshwater for On-selling) Amendment Bill (Debbie Ngarewa-Packer) The bill does exactly what it says on the label, and would effectively end the rapacious water-bottling industry ...1 week ago - Fabian Fundraiser – Twilight Time
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...1 week ago - It’s time to rethink foreign aid
Foreign aid is being slashed across the Global North, nowhere more so than in the United States. Within his first month back in the White House, President Donald Trump dismantled the US Agency for International ...1 week ago
- Thursday 13 March
Nicola Willis has proposed new procurement rules that unions say will lead to pay cuts for already low-paid workers in cleaning, catering and security services that are contracted by government. The Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Bill passed its third reading with support from all the opposition parties and NZ ...1 week ago - Personal Link: The Cool One is Gone.
Most KP readers will not know that I was a jazz DJ in Chicago and Washington DC while in grad school in the early and mid 1980s. In DC I joined WPFW as a grave shift host, then a morning drive show host (a show called Sui Generis, both for ...1 week ago - Who Are You?
Who are you?Who, who, who, who?Who are you?Songwriter: Peter Townshend. Read more ...1 week ago - IMF calls for Capital Gains Tax or land tax
Long stories shortest: The IMF says a capital gains tax or land tax would improve real economic growth and fix the budget. GDP is set to be smaller by 2026 than it was in 2023. Compass is flying in school lunches from Australia. 53% of National voters say the new ...1 week ago - 5 Reasons Labour Are Doing Well
Last year in October I wrote “Where’s The Opposition?”. I was exasperated at the relative quiet of the Green Party, Labour and Te Pati Māori (TPM), as the National led Coalition ticked off a full bingo card of the Atlas Network playbook.1To be fair, TPM helped to energise one of ...1 week ago
- Visualizing daily global temperatures
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink Good data visualizations can help make climate change more visceral and understandable. Back in 2016 Ed Hawkins published a “climate spiral” graph that ended up being pretty iconic – it was shown at the opening ceremony of the Olympics that year – and ...1 week ago
- How Russia will reassess its ties with North Korea after Ukraine
An agreement to end the war in Ukraine could transform Russia’s relations with North Korea. Moscow is unlikely to reduce its cooperation with Pyongyang to pre-2022 levels, but it may become more selective about areas ...1 week ago
- Government’s Investment Summit
This week, the Government is hosting a grand event aimed at trying to interest big foreign capital players in financing capital works in New Zealand, particularly its big rural motorway programme. Financing vs funding: a quick explainer The key word in the sentence above is financing. It is important ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On Winston Peters’ Battle Against The Phantom Legions Of The Woke
In a month’s time, the Right Honourable Winston Peters will be celebrating his 80th birthday. Good for him. On the evidence though, his current war on “wokeness” looks like an old man’s cranky complaint that the ancient virtues of grit and know-how are sadly lacking in the youth of today. ...1 week ago - Haul from the 2025 Regent Booksale
As noted, early March has been about moving house, and I have had little chance to partake in all things internet. But now that everything is more or less sorted, I can finally give a belated report on my visit to the annual Regent Booksale (28th February and 1st March). ...1 week ago - The threat spectrum
Information operations Australia has banned cybersecurity software Kaspersky from government use because of risks of espionage, foreign interference and sabotage. The Department of Home Affairs said use of Kaspersky products posed an unacceptable security ...1 week ago
- My life as a dog
1 week ago - Understanding ’ndrangheta operations in Australia
The ’ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, plays a significant role in the global cocaine trade and is deeply entrenched in Australia, influencing the cocaine trade and engaging in a variety of illicit activities. A range of ...1 week ago
- How to fight back against Trump’s tariffs
In the US, the Trump regime is busy imposing tariffs on its neighbours and allies, then revoking them, then reimposing them, permanently poisoning relations with Canada and Mexico. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on agricultural goods, which will affect Aotearoa's exports. National's response? To grovel for an exemption, ...1 week ago
- Global & Corporate Takeover of New Zealand Continues In Plain Sight
Troy Bowker’s Caniwi Capital’s Desmond Gittings, former TradeMe and Warehouse executive Simon West, former anonymous right wing blogger / Labour attacker & now NZ On Air Board member / Waitangi Tribunal member Philip Crump, Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon who used to run vaccine critical, Treaty of Waitangi critical, and trans-rights ...1 week ago - Fixing school lunches
The free school lunch program was one of Labour's few actual achievements in government. Decent food, made locally, providing local employment. So naturally, National had to get rid of it. Their replacement - run by Compass, a multinational which had already been thrown out of our hospitals for producing inedible ...1 week ago
- New procurement rules hurt low-income workers
New draft government procurement guidelines will remove living wage protections for thousands of low-paid workers in Aotearoa New Zealand, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “The Minister of Finance Nicola Willis has proposed a new rule saying that the Living Wage no longer needs to be paid in ...1 week ago
- Member’s Day
Today is a Member's Day. First up is the Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Act Amendment Bill, a local bill to alter the purposes for which some land in Auckland can be used. Following that is the third reading of Camilla Belich's Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment ...1 week ago
- The US dividing Russia from China? Forget about it
The Trump administration’s effort to divide Russia from China is doomed to fail. This means that the United States is destroying security relationships based on a delusion. To succeed, Russia would need to overcome more ...1 week ago
- Wednesday 12 March
Māori workers now hold more high-skilled jobs than low-skilled jobs with 46 percent in high-skilled jobs, 14 percent in skilled jobs, and 40 percent in low-skilled jobs. Resource teachers of literacy and Te Reo Māori are “devastated” by a proposal from the Education Minister to stop funding 174 roles from ...1 week ago
- Power of persistence: Australian technology addresses challenge of space monitoring
Knowing what is going on in orbit is getting harder—yet hardly less necessary. But new technologies are emerging to cope with the challenge, including some that have come from Australian civilian research. One example is ...1 week ago
- Maximising the value from our investment in the City Rail link
This is a guest post by Malcolm McCracken. It previously appeared on his blog Better Things Are Possible and is shared by kind permission. New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project, the City Rail Link (CRL), is expected to open in 2026. This will be an exciting step forward for Auckland, delivering better ...1 week ago
- Luxon wants media to celebrate National’s homelessness achievements more
“The reality is I'm just saying to you I'm proud of the work we're doing. We're doing a great job”, said Luxon, pushing back at Auckland Council’s reports of rising homelessness and pleas for help. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest: Christopher Luxon denies his Government caused a ...1 week ago - Travel Advisory
Should I stay, or should I go now?Should I stay, or should I go now?If I go, there will be troubleAnd if I stay, it will be doubleSo come on and let me knowSongwriters: Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer.Christopher,Tomorrow marks seventeen months since the last election. We’re ...1 week ago - Auckland homelessness up 53% in 4 months, Wellington up 40% year on year
Homelessness in Auckland has risen by 53% in 4 months - that’s 653 people living in cars, on streets and in parks.The city’s emergency housing numbers have fallen by about 650 under National too - now at record lows.Housing First Auckland is on the frontlines: There is “more and more ...1 week ago
- More than ever, airpower will depend on sharing data. Watch Sweden
A growing consensus holds that the future of airpower, and of defense technology in general, involves the interplay of crewed and uncrewed vehicles. Such teaming means that more-numerous, less-costly, even expendable uncrewed vehicles can bring ...1 week ago
- All in all another brick in the wall of money
Only two more sleeps to the Government’s Jamboree Investor Extravaganza! As a proud New Zealander I’m very much hoping for the best: Off-shore wind farms! Solar power! Sustainable industry powered by the abundant energy we could be producing!I wonder, will they have a deal already lined up, something to announce ...1 week ago - Australia needs to manufacture change to ensure national security
After decades of gradual decline, Australia’s manufacturing capability is no longer mission-fit to meet national security needs. Any whole-of-nation effort to arrest this trend needs to start by making the industrial operating environment more conducive ...1 week ago
- This is why we have juries
Back in October 2022, Restore Passenger Rail hung banners across roads in Wellington to protest against the then-Labour government's weak climate change policy. The police responded by charging them not with the usual public order offences, but with "endangering transport", a crime with a maximum sentence of 14 years in ...1 week ago
- Luxon’s economy focus at odds with voters
Luxon’s popularity continues to fall, and a new survey shows voters rank fixing the health system as the top priority. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesLong stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: National’s pollster finds Christopher Luxon has fallen behind Chris Hipkins as preferred PM for the first ...1 week ago - Tuesday 11 March
The CTU is calling for an apology from Nicola Willis after her office made a false characterisation of CTU statements, which ultimately saw him blocked from future Treasury briefings. New data shows that Māori make up 83% of those charged under new gang laws. Financial incentives are being offered to ...1 week ago
- Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources
This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources appeared first on NZCTU. ...1 week ago
- Australia needs to prevent cybercrime, not just react to it
Australia’s cyber capabilities have evolved rapidly, but they are still largely reactive, not preventative. Rather than responding to cyber incidents, Australian law enforcement agencies should focus on dismantling underlying criminal networks. On 11 December, Europol ...1 week ago
- The National Hurricane Center set an all-time record for forecast accuracy in 2024
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Finally, there’s some good news to report from NOAA, the parent organization of the National Hurricane Center, or NHC: During the highly active 2o24 Atlantic hurricane season, the NHC made record-accurate track forecasts at every time interval (12-, ...1 week ago
- Societal resilience is the best answer to Chinese warships
The Australian government has prioritised enhancing Australia’s national resilience for many years now, whether against natural disasters, economic coercion or hostile armed forces. However, the public and media response to the presence of Chinese naval ...1 week ago
- Upper Habour Bus change a step towards rapid transit
It appears that Auckland Transport is finally set to improve Auckland’s busiest non-frequent bus route, the 120. As highlighted in my post a month ago on Auckland’s busiest bus routes, the 120 is the busiest route that doesn’t already run frequently all day/week and carries more passengers than many other ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Stubborn Refusal To Invest For Growth
Economists have earned their reputation for jargon and tunnel vision, but sometimes, it takes an someone as perceptive as Simplicity economist Shamubeel Eaqub to identify something simple and devastating. As he pointed out recently, the coalition government is trying to attract foreign investment here to generate economic growth, while – ...1 week ago
- 5 Extraordinary Revelations From Deloitte’s Health NZ Review
Opinion & AnalysisSimeon Brown, left, and Deloitte partner David LovattIn September 2024, Deloitte Partner David Lovatt, was contracted by the National Government to help National ostensibly understand “the drivers behind HNZ’s worsening financial performance”.1 i.e. deficit.The report shows the last version was dated December 2024.It was formally released this week ...1 week ago - All the Toey Horses
This cobbled-together government was altogether more the beneficiary of Labour getting turfed out than anything it managed to do itself. Even the worthless cheques they were writing didn't buy all that much favour.How’s it all looking now?Shall we take a look at a Horizon poll?The Government’s performance is making only ...1 week ago - Aotearoa should sign the Disappearance Convention
There's horrible news from the US today, with the Trump regime disappearing Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, for protesting against genocide in Gaza. Its another significant decline in US human rights, and puts them in the same class as the authoritarian dictatorships they used to sponsor in South ...1 week ago
- Judging their own case
Yesterday National announced plans to amend the Public Works Act to "speed up" land acquisition for public works. Which sounds boring and bureaucratic - except its not. Because what "land acquisition" means is people's homes being compulsorily acquired by the state - which is inherently controversial, and fairly high up ...1 week ago
- Leadership Problems.
Contenders: The next question after “Will Luxon really go?” is, of course, “Will that work?” The answer to that question lies not so much in the efficacy of Luxon’s successor as it does in the perceived strength of the Centre-Left alternative.AT LEAST TWO prominent political commentators are alluding publicly to the ...1 week ago - It’s Only Natural
Ice will melt, water will boilYou and I can shake off this mortal coilIt's bigger than usYou don't have to worry about itIt's circumstantialIt's nothing written in the skyAnd we don't even have to trySongwriters: Neil Finn / Tim Finn.Preparing for the future.Many of you will be familiar with the ...1 week ago - On the way ahead
In my post last Thursday I offered some thoughts on changes that should be initiated by the government in the wake of the Governor’s surprise resignation. (Days on we still have no real explanation as to why he just resigned with no notice, disappearing out the door and (eg) leaving ...1 week ago - Chinese navy transit: opinions in The Strategist
In late February a Chinese navy flotilla including a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment ship began to circle Australia, conducting a live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea along the way. The Strategist featured ...1 week ago
- China’s navy sends a steady drumbeat of ships around Australia
China’s deployment of a potent surface action group around Australia over the past two weeks is unprecedented but not unique. Over the past few years, China’s navy has deployed a range of vessels in Australia’s ...2 weeks ago
- Owners of compulsorily acquired non-iwi land to be stripped of appeal rights
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Within months and before Parliamentary approval is obtained, the Government plans to strip non-Maori landowners of the right to use the Environment Court to stop compulsory acquisition for fast-track projects and big new motorways.The Government also wants to buy off landowners ...2 weeks ago - The Last Video Shop
Hi,When I was 16 (pimples, braces, painfully awkward) — I applied for a job at Video Ezy.It’s difficult to describe how much I wanted this job. Video Ezy was my local video shop in Tauranga, and I’d spend hours of my teenage life stalking through those aisles, looking at the ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 2, 2025 thru Sat, March 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...2 weeks ago
- Thinking about life in a nuclear armed crowd.
The title of this post comes from Albert Wohlstetter’s 1976 seminal essay Moving Towards Life in a Nuclear Armed Crowd. In that essay he contemplated a world in which several nations had nuclear weapons, and also the strategic logics governing their proliferation, deployment and use (mainly as a deterrent). For ...2 weeks ago
- A soliloquy for the week to March 9
Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly and immediately on Wednesday, giving no explanation for departing three years before the end of his second term. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: David Seymour’s lunch programme came under increasing scrutiny;Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly after clashing with Nicola Willis ...2 weeks ago - On Sunday
You've got to live, lady liveDo the tongue rollGive me joyBut don't kiss me too fastSong: Th’ Dudes.Good morning, all. After another heavy week of less-than-positive news, it’s time for something silly: the old standby of memories and questions.I can’t face writing about any more terrible people this week. I usually ...2 weeks ago - Fact brief – Is Greenland losing land ice?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Greenland losing land ice? Data from satellites and expeditions confirm Greenland has been losing land ice at an accelerating rate for decades. ...2 weeks ago
- A letter
After the Reserve Bank’s appearance on 20 February at the Finance and Expenditure Committee (the Governor, his macro deputy Karen Silk, and his chief economist Paul Conway) on the previous day’s Monetary Policy Statement, I wrote a post here about it, focused on a number of areas in which Orr, ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s defences must be ready in two years. Here’s what to do
Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is ...2 weeks ago
- True Faith
That's the price that we all payAnd the value of destiny comes to nothingI can't tell you where we're goingI guess there was just no way of knowingSongwriters: Bernard Sumner / Gillian Lesley Gilbert / Peter Hook / Stephen Eric Hague / Stephen Paul David Morris.What an eventful week it’s ...2 weeks ago - Trump’s speech to Congress: America First in trade and alliances
In what might have been the longest presidential address to Congress in American history—an hour and forty minutes without intermission—President Donald Trump delivered a performance on Tuesday night that was simultaneously grandiose, confrontational, optimistic and ...2 weeks ago
- Can We Ignore the Environment?
Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed: An Untold History is a compelling account of the interaction between humans and the environment. We would be unwise to ignore it. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Oxford professor of history Peter Frankopan was initially widely admired. But critics point ...2 weeks ago - A loss in Europe is a loss in the Indo-Pacific
The United States shocked the world last week with President Donald Trump’s very public rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was followed by a US pause on military aid and some intelligence sharing with ...2 weeks ago
- International Women’s Day 2025: progress and possibilities
International Women’s Day (IWD) serves as both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the ongoing challenges women face worldwide. Across national security, diplomacy, human rights and digital spaces, women continue to break barriers. ...2 weeks ago
- Tertiary institutions ‘should not assume funding will be maintained’
The Tertiary Education Commission has indicated some tertiary institutions could face funding cuts next year. ...15 hours ago - ‘Bewildered’ experts not on board for changes to fisheries management
The government wants to streamline regulations, but marine advocates worry the changes would make fishing less transparent and expedite destruction of the ocean. ...16 hours ago
- What’s behind the rise in egg freezing?
‘Eggsurance’ is increasingly common, especially among single women waiting for the one. It’s a costly and invasive process – and most frozen eggs never end up being used. So is it worth it? Gabi Lardies investigates. ‘I really wanted to have children. I wanted to be a mum,” says Sandra*. ...17 hours ago - Hot tip: Don’t look at your Kiwisaver right now
With economic uncertainty comes investing jitters, but it can also be an opportunity, writes Frances Cooke. Checked your Kiwisaver balance lately? Yeah, it’s probably not looking great. Well, at first glance, anyway. Your Kiwisaver going down can actually be a good thing for the future – yes, I’m serious. But ...17 hours ago
- NZ climate forecasts based on a system Trump is dismantling
As Trump targets US weather agencies, scientists fear the loss of decades of climate data and warn the impacts will be global The post NZ climate forecasts based on a system Trump is dismantling appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago - Twice a cancer survivor, lock rejoins her rugby pursuit
Every time tenacious lock Tanita Garnett charges onto the rugby field for the Tasman Mako, she’s playing for an 11-year-old girl.A kid fighting a rare cancer for the second time; so drained by chemotherapy and other treatments, walking’s a struggle, let alone running.That 11-year-old girl was Tanita Garnett.Today, Garnett is ...17 hours ago
- Richlister throws troubled Helius a million dollar lifeline
More than $48m has been invested in medical cannabis firm Helius Therapeutics, and its largest investor is quietly confident The post Richlister throws troubled Helius a million dollar lifeline appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Luxon needs a strategic win in India, not just a dairy tale
Comment: Free trade agreement with India would be a useful bulwark against chance of Trump isolating China The post Luxon needs a strategic win in India, not just a dairy tale appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 20 March
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 20 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- NZ ‘apathy’ on Sikh separatists shows limits of partnership – Indian journalist
A journalist described as ‘the rising voice of angry India’ takes aim at Luxon’s response to security concerns The post NZ ‘apathy’ on Sikh separatists shows limits of partnership – Indian journalist appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Book of the Week: Fomison, dragged through hell
Mark Forman’s new biography Tony Fomison: Life of the Artist is the third book-length study to be made of Fomison and his work since his death in 1990, aged 50, in Whangārei hospital, on the day after the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It follows ...17 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 20 March
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 20 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- ‘Bewildered’ experts not on board for fisheries changes
The Government’s proposed changes to New Zealand’s fisheries management mark the most substantial reforms in decades, and have sparked debate over environmental oversight and public transparency.LegaSea, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and restoring the marine environment, is among those rocking the boat to halt the changes.“We are bewildered by ...17 hours ago
- Swarbrick pleads for NZ cross-party support for sanctions on Israel
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says the need for Aotearoa New Zealand to impose sanctions against Israel has grown more urgent after airstrikes on Gaza resumed, killing more than 400 people. Swarbrick lodged a member’s bill in December and said that with all ...21 hours ago - Labor promises PBS scripts will cost no more than $25, under latest health pitch for election
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will make another pre-election offer in health, promising that if re-elected it will legislate to ensure people pay no more than $25 for a script under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The ...22 hours ago
- If your tween or teen doesn’t know how to swim, it’s not too late for lessons
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Peden, NHMRC Research Fellow, School of Population Health & co-founder UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, UNSW Sydney Marcos Castillo/ Shutterstock New figures show shocking numbers of Australian kids are not achieving basic swimming skills. Royal Life Saving Australia ...1 day ago
- Netanyahu commits a new ‘bloodbath in Gaza’ to save himself
Asia Pacific Report At least 400 people have been killed after a surprise Israeli attack on Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday. The Israeli government vows to continue escalating these military attacks, claiming it is in response to Hamas’ refusal to extend the ceasefire, which has been in place ...1 day ago
- Putin made Trump wait, then strung him along – it’s clear his war aims in Ukraine have not chang...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Richardson, Visiting Fellow, Centre for European Studies, Australian National University US President Donald Trump’s phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, didn’t take a tangible step towards ending the hostilities in Ukraine, let alone finding an enduring peace. Rather, it ...1 day ago
- Swarbrick pleads for cross-party support for Israel sanctions
The Greens co-leader says just six government MPs could get her member's bill imposing sanctions into Parliament, skipping the biscuit tin. ...1 day ago
- Z Energy drives into cut-price fuel market with U-Go unstaffed stations
The country’s biggest fuel retailer is bringing its Aussie budget brand to NZ, opening new self-service stations that it says will be 5c to 15c a litre cheaper The post Z Energy drives into cut-price fuel market with U-Go unstaffed stations appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
- Do eggs really make you constipated? A gut expert on what the evidence says
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Popovo Bros/Shutterstock You might’ve heard too many eggs make you constipated. Influencers on Instagram claim it too. The United Kingdom has slang for it – being “egg bound”. Eggs were ...1 day ago
- Flooding in the Sahara, Amazon tributaries drying and warming tipping over 1.5°C – 2024 broke all...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne Climate change is the most pressing problem humanity will face this century. Tracking how the climate is actually changing has never been more ...1 day ago
- Cardio and strength training boost health as you age. But don’t forget balance exercises to reduce...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Tiedemann, Professor of Physical Activity and Health, University of Sydney shurkin_son/Shutterstock We all recognise the benefits of regular aerobic or cardiovascular exercise to support our heart and lung health. Being active is also good for our social and mental health. ...1 day ago
- How Jia Zhangke’s film Caught by the Tides uses 20 years of footage to capture a changing China
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Moran, Lecturer in the Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide MK2 Films Chinese independent director Jia Zhangke’s new film Caught by the Tides, now in select Australian cinemas, provides a unique vision of China’s rapid social ...1 day ago
- Hipkins accuses PM of undermining NZ’s nuclear-free stance in India memo
RNZ News New Zealand opposition Labour leader Chris Hipkins is accusing the prime minister of reversing a long-held foreign policy during his current trip to India to help secure a free trade agreement between the two countries. “It seems our foreign policy is up for grabs at the moment,” he ...1 day ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: Home and away with Christopher Luxon
A fortnight of mixed fortunes for the prime minister. After a drum beat of conjecture about his job security, the prime minister enjoyed something of an elixir in the investment summit and a trip to India that began with a breakthrough announcement: the launch of talks on a comprehensive ...1 day ago
- Peter Dutton wants to deport criminal dual citizens. We already have laws for that
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Beck, Professor of Constitutional Law, Monash University Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has floated the idea of amending the Australian Constitution to allow government ministers to strip dual citizens of their Australian citizenship if they commit serious crimes related to terrorism. Almost ...1 day ago
- ‘I enjoy playing in the dark’: Inside director James Ashcroft’s latest nightmare
Alex Casey talks to James Ashcroft about making his new rest home chiller The Rule of Jenny Pen, and finding an early fan in Stephen King. James Ashcroft was browsing the horror section of a Hollywood bookshop when he got the email from Stephen King. He’d sent the godfather of ...1 day ago
- A stronger neck can help young athletes reduce their risk of concussion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Gaviglio, Lecturer Strength and Conditioning, University of Southern Queensland Dziurek/Shutterstock During Australia’s winter sports seasons, hundreds of thousands of children will take to the field in contact sports like rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules and soccer. With ...1 day ago
- Massacre at 2 am – Israel resumes indiscriminate attacks against Gaza, killing 400+ people
Israel says President Donald Trump green lit a scorched-earth bombing of Gaza that wiped out entire families and killed dozens of infants and other children. By Abubaker Abed in Deil Al-Balah, Gaza, and Jeremy Scahill of Drop Site News The US-backed Israeli government resumed its intense genocidal attacks on Gaza ...1 day ago
- Dire climate report lays out records for ocean heat, shrinking ice cover
Each of the past eight years has set a new record for ocean heat and ice cover is shrinking to new lows, the State of the Global Climate Report says. ...1 day ago
- Sand-sized fossils hold secrets to the history of climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuhao Dai, Research Fellow in Earth Sciences, Australian National University N-2-s/Shutterstock Between 18,000 and 11,000 years ago, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere suddenly shot up. This caused rapid global warming, the mass melting of glaciers, and the end ...1 day ago
- Dozens of surfers fell ill after swimming in seas that turned into a ‘bacterial smoothie’ of sea...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ipek Kurtböke, Associate Professor in Microbiology, University of the Sunshine Coast Anthony Rowland Two windswept beaches 80km south of Adelaide have been closed to the public after locals reported “more than 100” surfers fell ill on the weekend. Their symptoms included ...1 day ago
- Married At First Sight should be a platform to talk about domestic violence – too much is left uns...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Toone, Lecturer in Social Work, University of South Australia Nine Married at First Sight Australia (colloquially known as “MAFS”) is one of Australia’s most popular reality TV shows, averaging two million viewers an episode. But this year’s season has come ...1 day ago
- West Papua liberation group demands Indonesia releases 12 arrested activists
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan liberation advocacy group has condemned the arrest of 12 activists by Indonesian police and demanded their immediate release. The West Papuan activists from the West Papua People’s Liberation Movement (GR-PWP) were arrested for handing out pamphlets supporting the new “Boycott Indonesia” campaign. The GR-PWP ...1 day ago
- ‘I keep that little light of hope alive’: Nicola Willis’s love of literature
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: the minister of finance, Nicola Willis. This week’s confessional is slightly different in that books editor Claire Mabey interviewed Willis via phone and took the opportunity to expand ...1 day ago
- What school lunch provider Libelle’s biggest problem was
Libelle went into liquidation last week owing nearly 250 creditors money. ...1 day ago
- As the rescued astronauts return, space law is still in orbit over who’s responsible when missions...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato Getty Images Now back on Earth thanks to Space X’s Dragon capsule, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be breathing fresh air again after a gruelling nine months onboard the ...1 day ago
- Are you allowed to talk with your colleagues about what you’re paid?
Pay equity experts say New Zealand is woefully behind developed countries in terms of pay transparency. ...1 day ago
- Hipkins accuses PM of undermining NZ’s nuclear-free stance in India memo
"It seems our foreign policy is up for grabs at the moment," the Labour leader says. ...1 day ago
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