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Act’s scorched earth proposal
Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, May 11th, 2022 - 41 comments
Act has publicly released its proposal to decimate the state should it have a say in the next Government. Its Real Change Alternative Budget may be wet dream inducing for Ayn Rand acolytes but for the rest of us the proposals should instill a deep sense of dread.
Paula Bennett’s rewriting of Pharmac history
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, May 9th, 2022 - 22 comments
Paula Bennett has forgotten history by advocating for a significant increase in spending on Pharmac while at the same time forgetting that under the National Government she was a senior member of Pharmac’s funding stagnated.
National’s diversity problem
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, April 30th, 2022 - 71 comments
National’s short list of candidates for the Tauranga seat has been released. And it is clear that its gender and ethnic representation problems will be made worse after the selection process is completed.
According to National budget slashing is a man’s job
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, April 23rd, 2022 - 91 comments
National leader Chris Luxon has publicly declared full confidence in National Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis by proposing that former PM Bill English, not currently an MP, and Willis, who is an MP would be jointly directing the Ministers of every department to find savings.
Luxon’s triple backward summersault on Labour Day
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 21st, 2022 - 72 comments
In the space of one day Chris Luxon called repeatedly for the scrapping of Labour Day as a holiday then confirmed that a future National Government would not do this and said that his earlier comment was facetious.
National still has a culture problem
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, April 3rd, 2022 - 37 comments
This week National found itself the centre of media suggesting that its treatment of women is still not acceptable. A couple of Young Nats were outed as being behind the trolling of Christchurch left wing female politicians. Christchurch city councillor Sara Templeton was on the receiving end of the trolling. She did the very wise […]
National’s politicisation of Covid over the past two years
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, March 21st, 2022 - 34 comments
A slightly deeper review of National’s response to the Covid epidemic over the past two years. The overwhelming impression is that they have always complained about supposed Government incompetence in handling the pandemic and have always argued for the loosening of restrictions no matter how justifiable.
Who Pays the Price of Sanctions
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, March 20th, 2022 - 194 comments
New Zealand’s sanctions on Russia have not stopped the war in Ukraine. They may have made our parliamentarians feel better, and Tony Blinken was quick to congratulate us on falling into line with the US “high-impact sanctions.” The language is combative, but the evidence shows sanctions do not work. They can have significant blow-back effects, particularly if not combined with effective diplomacy.
See you later Simon
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 15th, 2022 - 40 comments
Simon Bridges has just announced that he is retiring from politics.
National’s advice to the poor – you are on your own
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, March 13th, 2022 - 125 comments
To help the poorest amongst us during the current times of International hyper inflation National has come up with a list of tips to help them. But no money.
National stuffs up its financial analysis – again
Written By: - Date published: 1:42 pm, March 9th, 2022 - 79 comments
For so called economic geniuses National sure struggles to understand how to properly cost fiscal policy. Its latest response to news that it proposed tax cuts would wipe out all discretionary spending in its first budget is to fudge the dates on which the cuts would be made.
National’s tax policy
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, March 7th, 2022 - 107 comments
National has proposed to reverse all tax changes implemented by Labour and claims that the cuts can be managed without damage to the state. But the figure it uses, $1.7 billion a year, includes income tax adjustments only and not the cost of the removal of other taxes.
This is awkward
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, March 6th, 2022 - 85 comments
Chris Luxon’s public commitment not to negotiate with the Wellington protestors has been called into question by a Facebook from Maureen Pugh claiming that members of the National Party were talking to the protesters on an almost daily basis.
Freakin useless
Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, February 10th, 2022 - 114 comments
Maureen Pugh has posted a post on facebook supporting the Wellington protestors, deleted it when it was pointed out to her the protestors were anti vaccination, and then claimed she did not realise many of the protesters were against Covid-19 vaccination.
Chris Bishop – manipulated, lying, or just plain stupid?
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, February 9th, 2022 - 24 comments
Roche, a major manufacturer of RATs, issued a statement to media on Tuesday night saying none of its stocks had been diverted or seized by the Government.
“RAT kits have been, and will continue to be, supplied to all New Zealand customers, including the Ministry of Health, in the sequence that purchase orders were placed,”. Chris Bishop MP is still claiming mythical evidence from local suppliers.
Omicron is coming
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, January 21st, 2022 - 113 comments
So far the country has fought back and eliminated the original Covid infection, won a couple of skirmishes and then and fought and quelled the Delta incursion. But it looks like Omicron is coming …
What does Luxon do about Hipango?
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, January 11th, 2022 - 49 comments
Harete Hipango is in the news again, this time for posing with a group of anti vaxxers and posting a photo and making some pretty way out there comments on social media.
The Standard’s 2021 political awards
Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, December 28th, 2021 - 68 comments
It is that time of year where nostalgia kicks in and the desire to review current events dims. So much has happened this year. It has truly been twelve months of the praiseworthy and the absolutely pitiful. And it is time to reflect on the personalities who made us smile, made us frown and made us raise our eyebrows to breaking point.
V Day!
Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, December 17th, 2021 - 319 comments
Yesterday was Aotearoa’s V day, the day that we reached the goal of having 90% of the target population vaccinated against Covid.
The country’s books are in remarkably good shape
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 16th, 2021 - 79 comments
As the country rebounds out of partial lockdown the Treasury’s recently released half yearly Economic and Fiscal update suggests that the Country’s accounts are in remarkably good shape.
Clearing the decks
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 13th, 2021 - 14 comments
The draft report into Nick Smith’s treatment of a young staff member that eventually saw him leave Parliament has made its way into the public realm, just in time to be lost in the pre Christmas media wash up.
National’s caucus reshuffle
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, December 7th, 2021 - 140 comments
The deckchairs have been reshuffled. And Chris Luxon is confident that reorganising the pecking order of a deeply dysfunctional caucus will make all the difference.
Some good news about Covid
Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, December 6th, 2021 - 230 comments
In Auckland there ares welcome signs that the spread of Covid is declining and the Health system is holding up. And the Vaccination roll out has gone that well that Chris Luxon has described Auckland as having some of the highest vaccination rates of any city in the world.
Chris Luxon is not National’s messiah
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, December 2nd, 2021 - 245 comments
Two days into Chris Luxon’s reign as National leader and my initial impression is an overwhelming Meh.
National’s new leader is …
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, November 30th, 2021 - 291 comments
Chris Luxon is set to be the next leader of the National Party.
National’s factional problem
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, November 28th, 2021 - 91 comments
National’s basic problem is that it has three discrete factions, christian conservatives, urban liberals and the country grouping. And no coherent vision to reconcile these totally disparate groupings.
What National Needs To Do
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, November 27th, 2021 - 83 comments
Since the left are experts at internal knifing, National should learn from the left about how to recover. What National needsto do to recover.
The winners and losers from National’s leadership spill
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 pm, November 25th, 2021 - 146 comments
The winners and losers of today’s National Party leadership spill are …
How many centrist votes go to Labour?
Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, November 25th, 2021 - 105 comments
Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence. David Farrar seems to think that Act will get the inevitable flow. Sounds unlikely. The far right and nutbar fringe has already vacated to Act – who represent them so well. But Labour overwhelming won last election on a vote from previous National voters. History repeats in 2023?
National’s civil war reerrupts
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, November 25th, 2021 - 131 comments
National’s civil war which has been simmering for a while erupted last night after Judith Collins demoted Simon Bridges for making inappropriate comments to Jaqui Dean five years ago.
National – let the virus rip
Written By: - Date published: 8:29 pm, November 24th, 2021 - 21 comments
There is no other explanation, and this week Paul Goldsmith gave the game away, National thinks that we should let the Corona virus rip.
- A WTF moment in Samoa
In a democracy, laws are made by elected politicians. But apparently not in Samoa, where a highly controversial law was changed unilaterally by an HRPP cabal after it had been passed and signed: A parliamentary inquiry into anomalies discovered in constitutional amendments linked to the operations of the Land ...55 mins ago - Not very proactive IIA couple of weeks ago, Newsroom reported that the government was failing to meet its proactive release obligations, with Ministers releasing less than a quarter of cabinet papers and in many cases failing to keep records. But Chris Hipkins was already on the case, and in a recent cabinet paper ...2 hours ago
- Media v. Government?
Why are the New Zealand media so hostile to the government – not just this government, but any government? The media I have in mind are not NZME-owned outlets like the Herald or Newstalk ZB, whose bias is overtly political and directed at getting rid of the current Labour government. ...5 hours ago - Media Link: ” A View from Afar” podcast on post-conflict regional security architecture.
In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and I speculate on how the Ruso-Ukrainian War will shape future regional security dynamics. We start with NATO and work our way East to the Northern Pacific. It is not comprehensive but we outline some potential ramifications with regard to ...7 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on Budget 2022
At base, the political biffo back and forth on the merits of Budget 2022 comes down to only one thing. Who is the better manager of the economy and better steward of social wellbeing – National or Labour? In its own quiet way, the Treasury has buried a fascinating answer ...7 hours ago - Hot air to fill Labour’s sails
by Don Franks Poverty in New Zealand today has new ugly features. Adequate housing is beyond the reach of thousands. More and more people full time workers must beg food parcels from charities. Having no attainable prospects, young people lash out and steal. A response to poverty from The Daily ...20 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #20 2022
Drought: the past is no longer prologue Drought management in the United States (and elsewhere) is highly informed by events of the past, employing records extending 60 years or longer in order to plan for and cope with newly emerging meterorological water deficits. Water resource managers and agricultural concerns use ...22 hours ago - A wasted opportunityThe government announced its budget today, with Finance Minister Grant Robertson giving the usual long speech about how much money they're spending. The big stuff was climate change and health, with the former being pre-announced, and most of the latter being writing off DHB's entirely fictional "debt" to the the ...1 day ago
- Bryce Edwards: A Conservative Budget for volatile times
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has delivered a Budget that will many asking “Is that all there is?” There is a myriad of initiatives and there is increased spending, but strangely it doesn’t really add up to much at all for those hoping for a more traditional Labour-style Budget. The headline ...1 day ago - Cook Islands PM approves of corruptionLast year, Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Robert Tapaitau stood down as a minister after being charged with conspiracy to defraud after an investigation into corruption in Infrastructure Cook Islands and the National Environment Service. He hasn't been tried yet, but this week he has been reinstated: The seven-month ...1 day ago
- DrawnA ballot for three member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill (Chris Baillie) Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill (Golriz Ghahraman) Increased Penalties for ...1 day ago
- Budget Morning.
No Jesus Here.She rises, unrested, and stepsOnto the narrow balconyTo find the day. To greetThe Sunday God she sings to.But this morning His face is clouded.Grey and wet as a corpseWashed by tears.Behind her, in the tangled bedding,the children bicker and whine.Worrying the cheap furnitureLike hungry puppies.They clutch at her ...1 day ago - EGU22 – Cranky Uncle is going to Vienna!After two years of Corona-induced online meetings in 2020 and 2021, this year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from May 23 to 27. To take hybrid and necessary hygiene restrictions into account, there (unfortunately) will be no ...2 days ago
- Matariki – Te whetū tapu o te taū
“Māori star lore was, and still remains, a blending together of both astronomy and astrology, and while there is undoubtedly robust science within the Māori study of the night sky, the spiritual component has always been of equal importance” writes Professor Rangi Matamua in his book Matariki – Te whetū tapu ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on the Australian election toss-upThe foibles of the Aussie electoral system are pretty well-known. The Lucky Country doesn’t have proportional representation. Voting for everyone over 18 is compulsory, but within a preferential system. This means that in the relatively few key seats that decide the final result, it can be the voters’ second, third ...2 days ago
- Member’s Day: Finally, some first readingsToday is a Member's Day, and finally we are getting some first readings. First, though, the House has to complete the third reading of Tangi Utikere's Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Bill. After that, it will finish the first reading debate on Tāmati Coffey's Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill. ...2 days ago
- The kids are not OKJulia Steinberger is an ecological economist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. She first posted this piece at Medium.com, and it was reposted on Yale Climate Connections with her permission. Today I went to give a climate talk at my old high school in Geneva – and was given a ...2 days ago
- Government funding of interpreters in Primary Care is needed to ensure quality careA/Prof Ben Gray* Gray B. Government funding of interpreters in Primary Care is needed to ensure quality care. Public Health Expert Blog.17 May 2022. The pandemic has highlighted many problems in the NZ health system. This blog will address the question of availability of interpreters for people with limited English ...2 days ago
- Media ramming crime down our throats?
Remember all the endless whinge stories during the last two years, from whining business lobbyists to opportunistic Opposition politicians to tourist town mayors hysterical that our closed borders were hurting tourist profitability? Remember all the demands for "certainty"? To open up before most New Zealanders were vaccinated? To close down ...3 days ago - To Be in Arda Or Not To Be in Arda: Surveying Suicide in Tolkien
I have suggested previously that sometimes Tolkien’s writer-instincts get the better of him. Sometimes he departs from his own cherished metaphysics, in favour of the demands of story – and I dare say, that is a good thing. Laws and Customs of the Eldar might be an interesting insight ...3 days ago - Climate Change: “Corporate welfare”One of the key planks of yesterday's Emissions Reduction Plan is a $650 million fund to help decarbonise industry by subsidising replacement of dirty technologies with clean ones. But National leader Chris Luxon derides this as "corporate welfare". Which probably sounds great to the business ideologues in the Koru club. ...3 days ago
- Describing The Katipo.3 days ago
- The Truth Prevails.“The truth prevails, but it’s a chore.” – Jan Masaryk: The intensification of ideological pressures is bearable for only so-long before ordinary men and women reassert the virtues of tolerance and common sense.ON 10 MARCH 1948, Jan Masaryk, the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, was found dead below his bathroom window. ...3 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the Emissions Reduction Plan non-eventClearly, the attempt to take the politics out of climate change has itself been a political decision, and one meant to remove much of the heat from the global warming issue before next year’s election. What we got from yesterday’s $2.9 billion Emissions Reduction Plan was a largely aspirational multi-party ...3 days ago
- The woke misrepresentation of Māori cultureMichelle Uriarau (Mana Wāhine Kōrero) talks to Dane Giraud of the Free Speech Union LISTEN HERE Michelle Uriarau is a founding member of Mana Wāhine Kōrero – an advocacy group of and for Māori women who took strong positions against the ‘Self ID’ and ‘Conversion Practises Bills’. One of the ...4 days ago
- Climate Change: Craven, status quo policyThe government released its Emissions Reduction Plan today. The plan is required under the Zero Carbon Act and must specify how exactly the government plans to meet its carbon budget (which was announced last week). Which means they need to find another 11.5 million tons of reductions by 2025 - ...4 days ago
- Where’s the Self-Respect?If we needed any confirmation, we have it in spades in today’s edition of the Herald; our supposedly leading daily newspaper is determined to do what it can to decide the outcome of the next election – to act, that is, not as a newspaper but as the mouthpiece for ...4 days ago
- 2022 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 8, 2022 through Sat, May 14, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week (bolded articles are from SkS authors): The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing – and ...5 days ago
- Who's a snowflake now?
Sean Plunkett, founding editor of the new media outlet, The Platform, was interviewed on RNZ's highly regarded flagship programme "Mediawatch".Mr Plunkett has made much about "cancel culture" and "de-platforming". On his website promoting The Platform, he outlines his mission statement thusly:The Platform is for everyone; we’re not into cancelling or ...5 days ago - History Lessons.“That’s a C- for History, Kelvin!” While it is certainly understandable that Māori-Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis was not anxious to castigate every Pakeha member of the House of Representatives for the crimes committed against his people by their ancestors; crimes from which his Labour colleagues continue to draw enormous benefits; the ...5 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: What happened to the big “immigration reset”?The Government promised a major reform of New Zealand’s immigration system, but when it was announced this week, many asked “is that it?” Over the last two years Covid has turned the immigration tap off, and the Government argued this produced the perfect opportunity to reassess decades of “unbalanced immigration”. ...6 days ago
- New Rules for Government Budget Management
While the new fiscal rules may not be contentious, what they mean for macroeconomic management is not explained.In a pre-budget speech on 3 May 2022, the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, made some policy announcements which will frame both this budget and future ones. (The Treasury advice underpinning them is ...7 days ago - Our unrepresentative parliamentUnder MMP, Parliament was meant to look like New Zealand. And, in a lot of ways, it does now, with better representation for Māori, tangata moana, women, and the rainbow community replacing the old dictatorship of dead white males. But there's one area where "our" parliament remains completely unrepresentative: housing: ...1 week ago
- Stats NZ’s contempt for privacy, transparency, democracy, and parliamentThe Governance and Administration Committee reported back on the Data and Statistics Bill on Monday. The bill ought to have been boring, but Stats NZ's move to a "collect it all" posture indistinguishable from that of the NSA, combined with enhanced secrecy, caused significant concerns from the Privacy Commissioner, Ombudsman, ...1 week ago
- Struggling Upwards For America’s Soul.Justice Denied: At the heart of the “Pro-Life” cause was something much darker than conservative religious dogma, or even the oppressive designs of “The Patriarchy”. The enduring motivation – which dares not declare itself openly – is the paranoid conviction of male white supremacists that if “their” women are given ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2022In case of emergency break glass— but glass can cut Fire extinguishers, safety belts, first aid kits, insurance policies, geoengineering: we never enjoy using them. But given our demonstrated, deep empirical record of proclivity for creating hazards and risk we'd obviously be foolish not to include emergency responses in our inventory. ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Betting on disasterLast year, the International Energy Agency warned us that the world needed to cease all new fossil fuel development immediately if we wanted to reach net-zero by 2050. It was a call repeated this year by the UN Secretary General, who called new fossil fuel investment "moral and economic madness". ...1 week ago
- Media Link: “A View from Afar” podcast returns.After a brief hiatus, the “A View from Afar” podcast is back on air with Selwyn Manning leading the Q&A with me. This week is a grab bag of topics: Russian V-Day celebrations, Asian and European elections, and the impact of the PRC-Solomon Islands on the regional strategic balance. Plus ...1 week ago
- No freedom of speech in VanuatuLast year, Vanuatu passed a "cyber-libel" law. And predictably, its first targets are those trying to hold the government to account: A police crackdown in Vanuatu that has seen people arrested for allegedly posting comments on social media speculating politicians were responsible for the country’s current Covid outbreak has ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: How long until National wants Simon Bridges back?Could it be a case of not appreciating what you’ve got until it’s gone? The National Party lost Simon Bridges last week, which has reinforced the notion that the party still has some serious deficits of talent and diversity. The major factor in Bridges’ decision to leave was his failed ...1 week ago
- Getting On With Co-Governance – Without Debate.Who’s Missing From This Picture? The re-birth of the co-governance concept cannot be attributed to the institutions of Pakeha rule, at least, not in the sense that the massive constitutional revisions it entails have been presented to and endorsed by the House of Representatives, and then ratified by the citizens of New ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on Rabuka’s possible return in FijiFiji signed onto China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018, along with a separate agreement on economic co-operation and aid. Yet it took the recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands to get the belated attention of the US and its helpmates in Canberra and Wellington, and the ...1 week ago
- Why a tool for reversing Trump era rules is seldom usedThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Lexi Smith and Bud Ward “CRA” It’s one of those acronyms even many-a-veteran environmental policy geek may not recognize. Amidst the scores and scores of acronyms in the field – CERCLA, IPCC, SARA, LUST, NPDES, NDCs, FIFRA, NEPA and scores more – ...1 week ago
- Only fools make deals with liarsNorthern Ireland went to the polls last week, resulting in Sinn Féin becoming the largest party, the first time an Irish party has done so. Naturally, the unionists are not taking this well, and are threatening to use their minority-veto to prevent any government being formed. They're also demanding the ...1 week ago
- Of Tin and Tintagel: Published
In a nice bit of news in a World Gone Mad, I can report that Of Tin and Tintagel, my 5,800-word story about tin (and political scheming), is now out as part of the Spring 2022 edition of New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). As noted previously, this one owes a ...1 week ago - Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk – important measures to help guide the p...Dr Jennifer Summers, Professor Michael Baker, Professor Nick Wilson* Summers J, Baker M, Wilson N. Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk: important measures to help guide the pandemic response. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 May 2022. In this blog we explore two useful mortality indicators: Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) and Infection-Fatality ...1 week ago
- It’s a Friday night in Invercargill for eastern moa during the Ice AgeIn the depths of winter, most people from southern New Zealand head to warmer climes for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. Yet during the height of the last Ice Age, one species of moa did just the opposite. I’m reminded of Bill Bailey’s En Route to Normal tour that visited ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Massive Wage Subsidy and Covid spending is under scrutinisedIn the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions ...1 week ago
- Bringing the tūī back to town – how native birds are returning to NZ’s restored urban forestsElizabeth Elliot Noe, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Andrew D. Barnes, University of Waikato; Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, and John Innes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Urbanisation, and the destruction of habitat it entails, is a major threat to native bird populations. But as our new research shows, restored ...1 week ago
- Nothing to celebrateThe Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Bill passed its third reading this afternoon. The government and the Ombudsman are both celebrating this "significant improvement" in whistleblower protection, but as I pointed out when the bill was introduced, it is nothing of the sort. The law still sets the bar for ...1 week ago
- Not very proactiveA couple of weeks ago, Stuff broke the news that the government was planning a significant boost to proactive release of official information, with almost all advice to Ministers expected to be proactively released. Which sounds great, but as I pointed out, there's real reason for concern in the way ...1 week ago
- Staying Inside The Lines.Unfinished: Always, gnawing away at this government’s confidence and empathy, is the dictum that seriously challenging the economic and social status-quo is the surest route to electoral death. Labour’s colouring-in book, and National’s, have to look the same. All that matters is which party is better at staying inside the lines.DOES ...1 week ago
- The First Rule Of Radicalism.Radical As: Māori healers recall a time when “words had power”. The words that give substance to ideas, no matter how radical, still do. If our representatives rediscover the courage to speak them out loud.THERE ARE RULES for radicalism. Or, at least, there are rules for the presentation of radical ...1 week ago
- India and Pakistan’s brutal heat wave poised to resurgeThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters A brutal, record-intensity heat wave that has engulfed much of India and Pakistan since March eased somewhat this week, but is poised to roar back in the coming week with inferno-like temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122°F). The ...1 week ago
- Defending George R.R. Martin: A Reply to Reading Tolkien
The good people at the Reading Tolkien podcast have put out a new piece, which spends some time comparing the underlying moral positions of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien: (The relevant discussion starts about twenty-seven minutes in. It’s a long podcast). In the interests of fairness, ...2 weeks ago - Bryce Edwards: Politicians talk tough on law and orderCrime is becoming a key debate between Labour and National. This week they are both keen to show that they are tough on law and order. It’s an issue that National has a traditional advantage on, and is one that they’re currently getting good traction from. In response, Labour is ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: The new emissions budgetThe government today released its first three emissions budgets, covering the periods 2022-25, 2026-30, and 2031-35. The good news? They've reversed their ridiculous proposal to increase the first period budget because we were planting too many trees and soaking up too much carbon (no, it doesn't make sense, and MPI ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on the youth crime furoreSo far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in decline, and has been so for much of the past decade. Who knew? Perhaps that’s the real issue here. Why on earth wasn’t the latest ...2 weeks ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 1, 2022 through Sat, May 7, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week (bolded articles are from SkS authors): How a tech billionaire is forcing Australia’s coal die-hards to ...2 weeks ago
- Karl du Fresne’s talk at the Free Speech Union meeting at Victoria University.In the past 10 years or so – and that’s how quickly it has happened – all our comfortable convictions about the unassailability of free speech have been turned on their heads. Suddenly we find ourselves fighting again for rights we assumed were settled. Click here to watch the video ...2 weeks ago
- The Makers Of Gilead.Enforced Fertility: The imminent overturning of Roe versus Wade by the US Supreme Court is certain to raise echoes here that are no less evocative of the dystopia envisioned by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead can happen here.WITH THE UNITED STATES seemingly on the brink of becoming “Gilead”, ...2 weeks ago
- Trespassers?Not Wanted On Grounds Of Political Rejuvenation: Winston Peters did nothing more than visit the protest encampment erected by anti-vaxxers on the parliamentary lawn. A great many New Zealanders applauded him for meeting with the protesters and wondered why the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition could not do ...2 weeks ago
- Who Will Fight For Democracy?May The Force Be With Us: With New Zealanders under 40, nostalgia for a time when politics worked gains little purchase. Politics hasn’t swerved to any noticeable degree since the 1980s, becoming in the Twenty-First Century a battle between marketing strategies, not ideologies. Young New Zealanders critique political advertisements in ...2 weeks ago
- How my work on free speech brought me back to the leftDane Giraud reflects on his working class upbringing and how campaigning for free speech radicalised him Evidence to support censorship as a tool for social cohesion is paltry. I Read the NZ Human Rights Commission website, and 99% of their ‘evidence’ is anecdotal. When asked why we need hate speech ...2 weeks ago
- Poison in the Stock: Comparing the Problematic Elements of Agatha Christie and J.K. RowlingAs you may have noticed, I have been slowly working my way through the works of Agatha Christie. At the time of writing, I have read some thirty-eight of her books – less than half her total output, but arguably enough to get a reasonable handle on it. It ...2 weeks ago
- Do We Have a Population Policy?
Population growth has some effect on economic growth, but it is complicated especially where infrastructure is involved. We need to think more about it. In an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, John Gascoigne claimed that New Zealand was a ‘tragic tale of economic decline’. He gave no evidence ...2 weeks ago - Bryce Edwards: Have the Greens become too woke for their own good?The Greens have been almost invisible since the 2020 election. Despite massive crises impacting on people’s lives, such as climate change, housing, inequality, and the cost of living, they’ve had very little to say. On this week’s highly contentious issue of politicians being banned from Parliament by Trevor Mallard, the ...2 weeks ago
- Decarbonising the schoolsThe government has announced it will be replacing all coal boilers in schools by 2025: All remaining coal boilers in New Zealand schools will be replaced with cleaner wood burners or electric heating by 2025, at a cost of $10 million, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. The coal ...2 weeks ago
- Neo-Nazis in Ukraine. Comedians are often more truthful than politicians.
Israeli news media and politicians often complain about the activity of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. “Activists and supporters of Ukrainian nationalist parties hold torches as they take part in a rally to mark the 112th birth anniversary of Stepan Bandera, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 1, 2021. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters The recent ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18 2022Another gnawing warming worry Accidental outcomes of our engineering prowess are warming Arctic regions at a rapid pace. Another species of accomplished engineers is rapidly occupying and exploiting new territory we've thereby made more easily available, namely beavers (Castor canadensis). Beaver populations in affected Arctic regions have increased from "none" to "quite a ...2 weeks ago
- Pursuit of Indigenous sovereign rightsDr Simon Lambert’s dream is to see Indigenous nations across the world exercising their sovereign rights by adding their say to disaster risk reduction planning. Simon, of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, specialises in indigenous disaster risk reduction, indigenous health and indigenous development, social science, environmental management, planning ...2 weeks ago
- ‘My stroke gave me purpose’ – Rukingi HaupapaRukingi Haupapa (Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa) credits his stroke in 2005 for changing his life: leading him to change his name, get his mataora (facial moko) and set up a trust to help fellow stroke survivors. Oranga (health and wellbeing) is Rukingi’s passion. He holds a Master’s degree in Indigenous ...2 weeks ago
- Thoughts on an abusive copThe Independent Police Conduct authority has today released two reports relating to the same police officer. In the first, they are found to have used excessive and unjustifiable force in the arrest of a child. In the second, they are found to have seriously assaulted a man during an unlawful ...2 weeks ago
- Hosking v. ArdernMike Hosking’s all-too familiar diatribe in today’s Herald is so dripping with venom and anti-Jacinda animus that one can’t help but wonder if the content matters less than the spirit and purpose in and with which it was offered. Hosking clearly needs help. He seems to live in a world ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on abortion rights, and biased SpeakersSo a Supreme Court stacked with ideologues selected by Donald Trump is about to make an ideological decision to ban the legal right of American women to an abortion. In their infinite wisdom, the US courts have decided that the government cannot force people to wear a mask during a ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party urges Labour to provide support to those who need it most
The Green Party is calling on Labour to expand the temporary cost of living payment to those most in need. ...3 hours ago - Budget 2020: James Shaw Budget SpeechCHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Mr Speaker, It has taken four-and-a-half years to even start to turn the legacy of inaction and neglect from the last time they were in Government together. And we have a long journey in front of us! ...1 day ago
- Greens MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere says wins for health not enough for Māori or RainbowToday Greens Te Mātāwaka Chair and Health Spokesperson, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, said “The Greens have long campaigned for an independent Māori Health Authority and pathways for Takatāpui and Rainbow healthcare. “We welcome the substantial funding going into the new health system, Pae Ora, particularly for the Māori Health Authority, Iwi-Partnership ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Greens call for urgency with nature-first climate investmentsBudget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government continue to drive investment in nature protection Urgent action needed on nature-based solutions to climate change Future budget decisions must reflect the role nature plays in helping reduce emissions ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Greens celebrate landmark investment in climate actionLandmark week for climate action concludes with climate budget Largest ever investment in climate action one of many Green Party wins throughout Budget 2022 Budget 2022 delivers progress on every part of the cooperation agreement with Labour Budget 2022 is a climate budget that caps a landmark week ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Govt must build on half price fare extension and make public transport freeGreen Party welcomes extension to half price fares Permanent half price fares for Community Services Card holders includes many students, which helps implement a Green Party policy Work to reduce public transport fares for Community Services Card holders started by Greens in the last Government Budget 2022 should be ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Greens welcome winter energy support and funding for community energyNew cost of living payment closely aligned to Green Party policy to expand the Winter Energy Payment Extension and improvement of Warmer Kiwi Homes builds on Green Party progress in Government Community energy fund welcomed The Green Party welcomes the investment in Budget 2022 to expand Warmer Kiwi ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Greens welcome support to address youth homelessnessBudget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...1 day ago
- Green Party PR – Budget 2022: Greens call for greater ambition to address inequality crisisGreen Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...1 day ago
- Extra support with the cost of living
At the heart of this year’s Budget is our cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation. ...1 day ago - 13 highlights of Budget 2022Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...1 day ago
- Strengthening Democracy Bill pulled from biscuit tinA stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...1 day ago
- What to expect in Budget 2022Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...2 days ago
- Next steps in our plan to address climate changeAs a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...4 days ago
- Landmark climate plan secures path to net zeroEmissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...4 days ago
- Supercharging decarbonisation & transforming the energy system...4 days ago
- Pasifika communities must be part of immigration rebalanceThe Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...6 days ago
- More support for Alcohol Harm Minimisation BillHamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...1 week ago
- The next steps in our plan to speed up New Zealand’s economic growthToday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...1 week ago
- Immigration reset entrenches discrimination towards low-waged migrantsProposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...1 week ago
- Green Party supports nurses’ ERA decisionThe Green Party supports nurses’ continued push for pay equity and calls on the Government to deliver the back pay they had expected. ...1 week ago
- Budget 2022 Speech: Investing to eliminate violence in our homes and communitiesEhara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...1 week ago
- Allied health workers deserve better conditionsThe Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...2 weeks ago
- SPEECH: Building a low-carbon futureTēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi o te ata. Good morning ...2 weeks ago
- Celebrating Gasav Ne Fäeag Rotuạm Ta – Rotuman Language WeekToday marks the first celebration for Pacific Language Weeks 2022 with Gasav Ne Fäeag Rotuạm Ta – Rotuman Language Week. ...2 weeks ago
- Six ways we’re reducing cost pressures for New ZealandersSince the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...2 weeks ago
- Disability assist dogs now protected in lawThe Green Party has changed the law to ensure people do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for government to implement all recommendations of Casey report into detention of asylum...An independent review of New Zealand’s detention regime for asylum seekers has found arbitrary and abusive practices in Aotearoa’s immigration law, policy, and practice. ...2 weeks ago
- Government support for Levin community hit by tornado
The Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to help the Levin community following this morning’s tornado, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by severe weather events in Levin and across the country. “I know the tornado has ...53 mins ago - Statement from the Quintet of Attorneys General in support of Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova a...The Quintet of Attorneys General have issued the following statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “The Attorneys General of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand join in ...1 hour ago
- Andrew Little Budget 2022 post-Budget health speech, Auckland, 20 May 2022Morena tatou katoa. Kua tae mai i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Thank you all for being here today. Yesterday my colleague, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, delivered the Wellbeing Budget 2022 – for a secure future for New Zealand. I’m the Minister of Health, and this was ...6 hours ago
- Govt helps supermarket shoppers get a fair dealUrgent Budget night legislation to stop major supermarkets blocking competitors from accessing land for new stores has been introduced today, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The Commerce (Grocery Sector Covenants) Amendment Bill amends the Commerce Act 1986, banning restrictive covenants on land, and exclusive covenants ...23 hours ago
- Prime Minister: Wellbeing Budget 2022 speechIt is a pleasure to speak to this Budget. The 5th we have had the privilege of delivering, and in no less extraordinary circumstances. Mr Speaker, the business and cycle of Government is, in some ways, no different to life itself. Navigating difficult times, while also making necessary progress. Dealing ...1 day ago
- Future resource management system implementation fundingBudget 2022 provides funding to implement the new resource management system, building on progress made since the reform was announced just over a year ago. The inadequate funding for the implementation of the Resource Management Act in 1992 almost guaranteed its failure. There was a lack of national direction about ...1 day ago
- Funding certainty for quality public mediaThe Government is substantially increasing the amount of funding for public media to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access quality local content and trusted news. “Our decision to create a new independent and future-focused public media entity is about achieving this objective, and we will support it with a ...1 day ago
- Funding boost secures Defence capabilities$662.5 million to maintain existing defence capabilities NZDF lower-paid staff will receive a salary increase to help meet cost-of living pressures. Budget 2022 sees significant resources made available for the Defence Force to maintain existing defence capabilities as it looks to the future delivery of these new investments. “Since ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022 supports resilient and sustainable cultural sectorMore than $185 million to help build a resilient cultural sector as it continues to adapt to the challenges coming out of COVID-19. Support cultural sector agencies to continue to offer their important services to New Zealanders. Strengthen support for Māori arts, culture and heritage. The Government is investing in a ...1 day ago
- Minister of Finance: Wellbeing Budget 2022 SpeechIt is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...1 day ago
- Wellbeing Budget 2022 SpeechIt is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...1 day ago
- Coronial delays addressed by Budget 2022Four new permanent Coroners to be appointed Seven Coronial Registrar roles and four Clinical Advisor roles are planned to ease workload pressures Budget 2022 delivers a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. “Operating funding of $28.5 million over four ...1 day ago
- Paving the way for better outcomes for disabled peopleEstablishment of Ministry for Disabled People Progressing the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives approach to Disability Support Services to provide self-determination for disabled people Extra funding for disability support services “Budget 2022 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver change for the disability community with the establishment of a ...1 day ago
- Investing in education so all Kiwis can succeedFairer Equity Funding system to replace school deciles The largest step yet towards Pay Parity in early learning Local support for schools to improve teaching and learning A unified funding system to underpin the Reform of Vocational Education Boost for schools and early learning centres to help with cost ...1 day ago
- Primary sector backed to grow and innovate$118.4 million for advisory services to support farmers, foresters, growers and whenua Māori owners to accelerate sustainable land use changes and lift productivity $40 million to help transformation in the forestry, wood processing, food and beverage and fisheries sectors $31.6 million to help maintain and lift animal welfare practices across Aotearoa New Zealand A total food and ...1 day ago
- More support for first home buyers and rentersHouse price caps for First Home Grants increased in many parts of the country House price caps for First Home Loans removed entirely Kāinga Whenua Loan cap will also be increased from $200,000 to $500,000 The Affordable Housing Fund to initially provide support for not-for-profit rental providers Significant additional ...1 day ago
- Budget lifts up to 14,000 children out of povertyChild Support rules to be reformed lifting an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty Support for immediate and essential dental care lifted from $300 to $1,000 per year Increased income levels for hardship assistance to extend eligibility Budget 2022 takes further action to reduce child poverty and ...1 day ago
- A booster for RNA research and developmentMore support for RNA research through to pilot manufacturing RNA technology platform to be created to facilitate engagement between research and industry partners Researchers and businesses working in the rapidly developing field of RNA technology will benefit from a new research and development platform, funded in Budget 2022. “RNA ...1 day ago
- Unleashing business potential across NZA new Business Growth Fund to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow Fully funding the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to unleash regional economic development opportunities Tourism Innovation Programme to promote sustainable recovery Eight Industry Transformation Plans progressed to work with industries, workers and iwi to transition ...1 day ago
- Securing the wellbeing of Pacific communitiesBudget 2022 further strengthens the economic foundations and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, as the recovery from COVID-19 continues. “The priorities we set for Budget 2022 will support the continued delivery of our commitments for Pacific peoples through the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, a 2020 manifesto commitment for Pacific ...1 day ago
- Government delivers timely support for whānauBoost for Māori economic and employment initiatives. More funding for Māori health and wellbeing initiatives Further support towards growing language, culture and identity initiatives to deliver on our commitment to Te Reo Māori in Education Funding for natural environment and climate change initiatives to help farmers, growers and whenua ...1 day ago
- Government delivers critical infrastructureNew hospital funding for Whangārei, Nelson and Hillmorton 280 more classrooms over 40 schools, and money for new kura $349 million for more rolling stock and rail network investment The completion of feasibility studies for a Northland dry dock and a new port in the Manukau Harbour Increased infrastructure ...1 day ago
- A health system that takes care of Māori$168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers $39 million for Māori health workforce development Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in ...1 day ago
- Investing in better health servicesBiggest-ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget Provision for 61 new emergency vehicles including 48 ambulances, along with 248 more paramedics and other frontline staff New emergency helicopter and crew, and replacement of some older choppers $100 million investment in specialist mental health and addiction services 195,000 primary and intermediate aged ...1 day ago
- A Secure Future for New Zealanders’ healthLandmark reform: new multi-year budgets for better planning and more consistent health services Record ongoing annual funding boost for Health NZ to meet cost pressures and start with a clean slate as it replaces fragmented DHB system ($1.8 billion year one, as well as additional $1.3 billion in year ...1 day ago
- Cost of living package eases impact on households – 2.1 million Kiwis to get new targeted paymentFuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges cut to be extended for two months Half price public transport extended for a further two months New temporary cost of living payment for people earning up to $70,000 who are not eligible to receive the Winter Energy Payment Estimated 2.1 million New ...1 day ago
- Budget highlights underlying strength of economy in face of global headwindsA return to surplus in 2024/2025 Unemployment rate projected to remain at record lows Net debt forecast to peak at 19.9 percent of GDP in 2024, lower than Australia, US, UK and Canada Economic growth to hit 4.2 percent in 2023 and average 2.1 percent over the forecast period A ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: A secure future in difficult timesCost of living payment to cushion impact of inflation for 2.1 million Kiwis Record health investment including biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget First allocations from Climate Emergency Response Fund contribute to achieving the goals in the first Emissions Reduction Plan Government actions deliver one of the strongest ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: A secure futureBudget 2022 will help build a high wage, low emissions economy that provides greater economic security, while providing support to households affected by cost of living pressures. Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world, but other challenges, both long-term and more ...1 day ago
- Health Minister to attend World Health Assembly in GenevaHealth Minister Andrew Little will represent New Zealand at the first in-person World Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 May (New Zealand time). “COVID-19 has affected people all around the world, and health continues to ...2 days ago
- New efforts to counter illegal timber tradeNew Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...2 days ago
- Deaths in New Zealand lower than expected so far during the pandemicThe Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...2 days ago
- New law helps secure New Zealand’s maritime domainLegislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...3 days ago
- Trade and Export Growth Minister to travel to Bangkok for APECTrade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...3 days ago
- Government welcomes historic pay-equity dealSettlement of the first pay-equity agreement in the health sector is hugely significant, delivering pay rises of thousands of dollars for many hospital administration and clerical workers, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “There is no place in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand for 1950s attitudes to work predominantly carried out ...3 days ago
- Government delivers new ICU space at Christchurch HospitalHealth Minister Andrew Little opened a new intensive care space for up to 12 ICU-capable beds at Christchurch Hospital today, funded from the Government’s Rapid Hospital Improvement Programme. “I’m pleased to help mark this milestone. This new space will provide additional critical care support for the people of Canterbury and ...3 days ago
- Next steps for specialist mental health and addiction servicesBudget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing. The upcoming Budget will include a $100-million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including: $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports ...3 days ago
- 195,000 children set to benefit from more mental health supportBudget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better mental wellbeing services and support, with 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children set to benefit from the continuation and expansion of Mana Ake services. “In Budget 2022 Labour will deliver on its manifesto commitment to expand Mana Ake, with ...3 days ago
- Belarusian leaders and defence entities targeted under latest round of sanctionsForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has today announced sanctions on Belarusian leaders and defence entities supporting Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as part of the Government’s ongoing response to the war. “The Belarusian government military is enabling the illegal and unacceptable assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “Under the leadership of ...4 days ago
- Queen's Platinum Jubilee Tree planting event at Government HouseJust after World War 2, there were incentives to clear forest and bring land into agricultural production. In places, the land had been stripped bare as forests were felled for sheep grazing. Today, you only have to look at the hills around Taihape and see the stumps of a once ...4 days ago
- Budget unleashes laments from groups that were overlooked or short-changed (including hopes of Human...
And how did the people react to the boost in spending announced in this year’s Budget to promote our wellbeing? In some cases by pleading for more; in other cases, by grouching they got nothing. But Budget spending is never enough. Two lots of bleating came from the Human Rights ...1 hour ago - VIDEO: It’s not just politicians on tenterhooks – pollsters are too
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Emma La Rouche, from the University of Canberra’s Media and Communications team, look at the last week of the campaign as Australians head to the polls. ...2 hours ago - Australia’s cities policies are seriously inadequate for tackling the climate crisisSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It will be impossible to tackle climate change unless we transform the way we build and plan cities, which are responsible for a staggering 70% of global emissions. ...2 hours ago
- Military Spending Increases: Time To #BudgetForPeace
Military spending allocated in the 2022 Wellbeing Budget is $6,077,484,000 - an average of more than $116.8 million every week, and a 10.4% increase on actual spending in 2021. [1] This year’s increase illustrates yet again that the government remains ...3 hours ago - Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Tingay, John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University JIM LO SCALZO/EPA The United States Congress recently held a hearing into US government information pertaining to “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAPs). The last investigation of this kind happened ...3 hours ago
- Labour’s BSHIT BudgetBank shareholders, speculators, investors, and ticket clippers will be partying for days over the enormous profits they’ll be expecting following Labour’s budget reveal yesterday. After a 48 percent increase in profits in 2021, banks in particular ...3 hours ago
- Science's Slice Of Budget 2022 – Expert ReactionBudget 2022 has a relatively small amount of new cash allocated to science, research and innovation. This budget comes ahead of what could become a major overhaul of the research, science, and innovation sector in the coming years, with MBIE now ...3 hours ago
- Labour’s fourth ‘well-being budget’ still comes up short on the well-being of womenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Curtin, Professor of Politics and Policy, University of Auckland Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to parliament via video link from COVID isolation during budget day. Getty Images All budgets are about economics and politics, and 2022’s was no different. The Labour ...3 hours ago
- Don’t Worry, It’s Just A Test – Emergency Mobile Alert Nationwide Test This SundayEarly this Sunday evening there will be a phone alert you can’t ignore – but don’t worry, it’s just a test. This year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system will take place on Sunday 22 May between 6-7pm It is expected ...4 hours ago
- Inaugural Chinese Medicine Council Of New ZealandIt was announced today that the inaugural Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand (CMCNZ) has been appointed by the Minister of Health, Hon. Andrew Little. This brings the Chinese medicine profession in under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance ...4 hours ago
- Why do we get teary when we’re tired or sick?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peggy Kern, Associate professor, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It’s been a big week and you feel exhausted, and suddenly you find yourself crying at a nice nappy commercial. Or maybe you are struck with a cold or the coronavirus ...4 hours ago
- Buzz from the Beehive – it’s all about the Budget and billions being disbursed to buck us up in ...No, we haven’t fully analysed Budget 2022, but we did listen to Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s speech. He took great pride in announcing his fifth Budget invests $5.9 billion a year in net new operating spending, while introducing multi-year funding packages that also draw from Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 ...4 hours ago
- Can sniffer dogs really detect COVID almost as well as a PCR test? Turns out they canSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Victor Grabarczyk/unsplash Dogs have an exceptional sense of smell. We take advantage of this ability in many ways, including by training them to find illicit drugs, dangerous goods and even people. In ...4 hours ago
- Govt Playing Dirty With Timing Of New Employment TaxThe Government is using dirty tactics as it pushes through enabling legislation to increase PAYE revenue by 10% under the cover of yesterday’s Budget, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to the Income Insurance Scheme (Enabling ...4 hours ago
- Pacific services receive $196m boost in NZ Budget – new RNZ radio boostRNZ Pacific A total of NZ$196 million has been set aside for Pacific services in Aotearoa New Zealand in this year’s Budget. A big chunk of that — $76 million will go on Pacific health services. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the cash injection would be used to support Pacific ...5 hours ago
- West Papuan students face ‘hardship and stress’ over scholarship lossBy George Heagney of Stuff A group of students from West Papua, the Melanesian Pacific region in Indonesia, are fearful about their futures in New Zealand after their scholarships were cut off. A group of about 40 students have been studying at different tertiary institutions in New Zealand, but in ...5 hours ago
- NZ Budget 2022: Record $11.1 billion post-covid boost for health systemBy Craig McCulloch, RNZ News deputy political editor More than two million New Zealanders will get a one-off $350 sweetener as part of the Budget’s centrepiece $1 billion cost-of-living relief package. The temporary short-term support is counterbalanced by a record $11.1 billion for the health system as the government scraps ...5 hours ago
- Pax Christi helps Papuan students stranded in NZ with $1000 grant in study pleaAsia Pacific Report newsdesk A movement dedicated to peaceful self-determination among indigenous groups in the Pacific is the latest group in Aotearoa to add support for struggling Papuan students caught in Aotearoa New Zealand after an abrupt cancellation of their scholarships. About 70 Papuan students are currently in New Zealand ...5 hours ago
- New Caledonia’s pro-independence parties choose for French electionsRNZ Pacific The pro-independence coalition parties of Kanaky New Caledonia have selected their candidates for the French Legislative elections next month. Wali Wahetra from the Palika Party is standing in one electoral district, and Gerard Reignier from Union Caledonienne is standing in the other. Speaking with La Premiere, Wahetra explained ...5 hours ago
- Pink tears for the Philippines, and transforming the rage into hopeCOMMENTARY: By Nina Santos in Auckland On May 9, the Philippines went to the polls in what has been called “by far the most divisive and consequential electoral contest” in the Philippines. The electoral race had boiled down to two frontrunners: one was the current Vice-President Leni Robredo, running on ...5 hours ago
- PNG has lost a ‘vibrant and visionary’ leader, says grand chief Sir BobPNG Post-Courier Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae has described Papua New Guinea’s late Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil as a vibrant and visionary leader who was passionate about his people and the electorate. He said Basil loved and dedicated his life to the people of Bulolo until his unexpected ...5 hours ago
- Changes To Refugee Settlement Service Providers For Quota Refugees...5 hours ago
- 2022 Budget – Was The Retired Community Ignored Or Forgotten?Are you receiving NZ Superannuation? If you are, then no, you are not one of the 2.1 million Kiwi’s getting the $350 cost of living supplement announced in the 2022 Budget. If you hold a Gold card the extension of the half priced public ...5 hours ago
- Budget 2022: Cost-of-living sweetener planned well in advance – Robertson
The Finance Minister says help with the rising cost of living was not a last-minute addition to the Budget. ...5 hours ago - Government Priorities Are Wrong...5 hours ago
- Debtfix Pleased Budget 2022 Recognised Lower Income Is Under $70k...5 hours ago
- Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga – Response To Budget 2022On May 19th, the Government released its 2022 Budget which included a number of initiatives to help vulnerable whānau in our communities. Many of these initiatives focus on a proactive strategy to recover from the effects of COVID. Within the community ...5 hours ago
- Grey Power Disappointed In The BudgetBudget 2022 has been a disappointment for New Zealand’s leading advocate for older people. Although the Grey Power Federation is pleased to note that the Government is investing $3.103 million over four years to continue implementing the Better Later ...5 hours ago
- Russia’s blockade could cause mass famine beyond Ukraine – but it’s a crime without a nameSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ukraine’s sea port of Mariupol, blockaded and now fallen to Russian forces. Getty Images Trying to gauge the worst aspect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is difficult. For some, it will be the ...5 hours ago
- National MP Jacqui Dean to leave Parliament after electionWaitaki MP Jacqui Dean, a National Party MP and former deputy mayor, has announced she will not contest next year's election. ...7 hours ago
- Funding Supports New Construction Sector Transformation PlanThe Government has committed $37.485m to continue the work of achieving a thriving, fair and sustainable construction sector. The funding will support the Construction Sector Accord to deliver its Construction Sector Transformation Plan 2022-2025. “This ...7 hours ago
- Mental Health And Wellbeing Commission Welcome Budget 2022 Investment In Specialist Mental Health An...The Commission commends the Government’s Budget 2022 investment in specialist mental health and addiction, particularly the investment in community-based crisis services, specialist child and adolescent mental health and addiction services, and ...7 hours ago
- What’s it like to be on Venus or Pluto? We studied their sand dunes and found some cluesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Gunn, Lecturer, Monash University Sand blown by wind into ripples within Victoria Crater at Meridiani Planum on Mars, as photographed by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on October 3, 2006. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Cornell/Ohio State University What is it like to be on ...9 hours ago
- Australians face their starkest choice at the ballot box in 50 years. Here’s whySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University You first have to lose an election on principle if you want to win one on principle. This was how Labor rationalised the miscalculations that led to its “Don’s Party” disappointment in 1969, ...9 hours ago
- Treating sleep apnoea can improve memory in people with cognitive declineSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Hoyos, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Shutterstock There is increasing recognition of the important role sleep plays in our brain health. Growing evidence suggests disturbed sleep may increase the risk of developing dementia. I and University of Sydney ...9 hours ago
- 5 charts show how trust in Australia’s leaders and institutions has collapsedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Wilson, Associate Professor of Leadership, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock Whatever the result of the 2022 election, one thing is clear: many Australians are losing faith that their social institutions serve their interests. Our annual survey of 4,000 Australians ...9 hours ago
- Watch: National Party leader Christopher Luxon delivers post-Budget speechNational Party leader Christopher Luxon has labelled the Budget a "backwards Budget" and with "bandaid" solutions. Watch his post-Budget speech here ...9 hours ago
- Māori health workers unsure how far Budget funding will goMāori health and social workers say the funding announced in yesterday's Budget will do little to help ease their burden, or close equity gaps. ...10 hours ago
- Grattan on Friday: Numbers fly as unedifying campaign draws towards its closeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The text arrived on Thursday morning, from a woman who helps me with my horses. “And now I have to do that voting thing. Recommendations please? Who is best?” Well Margaret, after an unedifying ...17 hours ago
- Reducing COVID transmission by 20% could save 2,000 Australian lives this yearSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director (Programs), Burnet Institute Australia’s COVID death toll is rising, yet public health measures to reduce transmission such as mask mandates are largely a thing of the past. It’s time for governments and the community to consider what ...19 hours ago
- Treasury investigates Wall Street Journal's early release of Budget detailsAn investigation is underway into the early release of details from the Budget by the Wall Street Journal. ...21 hours ago
- At 3.9%, Australia’s unemployment rate now officially begins with ‘3’. What’s next?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society and NATSEM, University of Canberra Shutterstock Early in the election campaign, on April 14, we learned that Australia’s unemployment rate had slipped below 4% in March, to 3.95% – ...21 hours ago
- Budget 2022: $11.1b allocated to overhauling the health systemThe sum includes about $1.8 billion to wipe out DHB deficits, while Pharmac will receive $191m over two years to fund new drugs - with a particular focus on cancer care. ...21 hours ago
- Budget Brings Positive Relief Measures And The Promise Of Long-term ProgressE tū welcomes Budget 2022, which includes a range of measures that will help E tū members and their communities during a time of increased hardship coming out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. E tū Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman ...22 hours ago
- Budget 2022 Is All About Health, Climate And The Cost-of-living. But Can It Deliver Without Fueling ...The 2022 Budget was delivered against a gloomier backdrop. The latest forecasts suggest more subdued growth, more persistent inflation, and further tightening in the labour market. The headline numbers provided little surprise. The Government ...22 hours ago
- Budget 2022: Expectations vs RealityThere was a lot riding on the year's Budget: Cost-of-living challenges, health, climate, education - so did the spending match sectors' hopes? ...22 hours ago
- Recap: Budget 2022 – find out where the money is goingInequality campaigners say the government's cost of living payment is a slap in the face to some of the country's most vulnerable. ...22 hours ago
- This election, many adults with disabilities won’t be allowed to vote. That should changeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Bonython, Associate Professor of Law, Bond University Shutterstock This Saturday, most Australians over 18 will vote in the federal election. The right to participate in elections is enshrined in international and domestic human rights law. Under Australia’s Commonwealth ...23 hours ago
- Here’s how we track down and very carefully photograph Australia’s elusive snakesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Hay, Honorary Fellow, The University of Queensland A mulga snake Christina N. Zdenek, CC BY-NC-ND Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this series, we’ve invited them to share their unique photos from ...24 hours ago
- A budget for the ‘squeezed middle’ – but will it be the political circuit-breaker Labour wants...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Getty Images One way to make sense of Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s fifth budget speech was to see it as a political performance working on different levels. First, Labour needs this budget ...24 hours ago
- Greater Wellington Welcomes Cheaper Fares For Community Services Card HoldersGreater Wellington welcomed news today that the Government will permanently fund cheaper public transport fares for community services card hold holders. Chair of Greater Wellington Daran Ponter said there had been strong support for this type ...1 day ago
- Raiding super early has already left women worse off. Let’s not repeat the mistake for home deposi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Preston, Professor of Economics, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock In 2020 the Morrison government allowed Australians to raid their superannuation to get through during the pandemic. This week Scott Morrison proposed letting people raid their super for a ...1 day ago
- Arts and culture have been all but overlooked this election – but the Greens have a big-picture pl...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Eltham, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University Shutterstock The past term of government has been tough for arts and culture in Australia. Culture was among the worst affected by the pandemic of any aspect of society: ...1 day ago
- Watch: Political parties respond to Budget 2022National, ACT, Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party have given their responses to the government's Budget 2022. ...1 day ago
- Winston Peters – Budget 2022It's a 'cost of living crisis' not a 'spending on living crisis'. Throwing more and more money at a black-hole for kiwis to spend is akin to the famous saying: "...it's like standing in a bucket and trying to pull yourself up by the handle." ...1 day ago
- Tertiary Education Out In The Cold Once AgainTe Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union and the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations are disappointed to see the tertiary education sector largely ignored once again in the Labour government’s fifth Budget since taking office in 2017. ...1 day ago
- 'Lacklustre Budget' Lacks Long Term ThinkingThe biggest Budget spend up in New Zealand’s history has delivered some, but not a lot, of initiatives that will support businesses in the Canterbury region. "Some of the initiatives announced in Budget 2022 will go some way towards helping business, ...1 day ago
- Community Housing Aotearoa Welcomes The Announcement Of $350m Affordable Housing FundCommunity Housing Aotearoa, a peak body for the community housing sector, welcomes the announcement in today’s Budget to create a $350M Affordable Housing Fund. This investment is a good use of the unallocated Residential Response Fund and a sign ...1 day ago
- Better Access To SME Finance One Piece Of Good NewsThe Government’s fourth wellbeing budget fittingly delivered a raft of initiatives to support people, communities and the environment, but when it came to business support it was much as expected. The good news is $100m has been allocated for a ...1 day ago
- Pluses But No Explicit Budget Funding For Preventing Violence And Abuse Against Disabled People Conc...Budget 2022 has pluses and minuses for the disabled community, says Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero. On the plus side there was considerable investment in the new Ministry for Disabled People and other funding which has the potential ...1 day ago
- VUWSA Statement On Budget 2022...1 day ago
- Budget 2022: Good Start, But More Infrastructure Investment NeededNew Zealand’s national association for civil contractors has welcomed the $230 million investment in trades training programmes, increased funding for rail and rural broadband infrastructure, and support for Construction Sector Accord Transformation ...1 day ago
- ProCare Disappointed Nurses Left Out In The Cold In Budget 22Leading healthcare provider, ProCare is disappointed that primary care nurses have been left out of today’s Budget announcement. Gabrielle Lord, Nursing Director and General Manager Practice Services, at ProCare says: “Nurses have been the backbone ...1 day ago
- ProCare Welcomes Budget Funding For Warm, Dry Homes To Reduce Respiratory IssuesLeading healthcare provider ProCare has today welcomed funding in today’s Budget to ensure Kiwis can live in warmer, dryer homes. This is one of the biggest determinants of health and is one of the key measures we can take to prevent hospitilisations ...1 day ago
- Health Budget Fails To Address Key Determinant Of Health Which Is IncomesThe Health and Climate Budget, being touted as Securing our Future fails to address a key determinant of health, which is low incomes. “There was talk in lockdown about keeping (the governments) eye on the ball, and I kept thinking, are they aware ...1 day ago
- People On Income Support Excluded From Cost Of Living Budget Measures – Anti-Poverty GroupsA coalition of anti-poverty groups has challenged the Government for excluding people receiving income support from today’s cost of living ‘helicopter payments’, saying they have chosen to leave families living in the harshest poverty further ...1 day ago
- Voluntary assisted dying will soon be legal in all states. Here’s what’s just happened in NSW an...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben White, Professor of End-of-Life Law and Regulation, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock The last state in Australia, New South Wales, has today passed its voluntary assisted dying bill. This means the vast majority ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022 Plugs Health System Holes But More NeededWellington, 19 May 2022 – There is no doubt the New Zealand health system requires reform and today’s Budget clearly set out the way forward, with funding prioritised against the most pressing issues on the Government’s agenda, says Deloitte Partner ...1 day ago
- Labor’s proposed Pacific labour scheme reforms might be good soft diplomacy but will it address wo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Foley, PhD Candidate, La Trobe University, La Trobe University National security has been a feature of this election campaign, but there’s been little substantive difference on key issues of foreign policy. Last week’s foreign policy debate between Foreign Minister Senator Marise ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022 A Combination Of Giant Leaps And Small Steps, All In The Right Direction, Says PSAPSA national secretary, Kerry Davies: As promised by the Minister of Finance, this was a Budget of health and climate, both areas our members have a strong interest in. The bold step of clearing DHB deficits and the small, iterative steps to improve ...1 day ago
- Budget 2022 Lets Down The Women Of NZ – Breast Cancer Foundation...1 day ago
- Budget 2022 Delivers Hype And Hot Air In The Climate And Biodiversity Crises18 May: Greenpeace is responding to Budget 2022 by saying the Government is generating hype and hot air while failing the environment. "There has never been more hype, while the need for real action to address the climate and biodiversity crises has ...1 day ago
- How do the major parties rate on the First Nations Voice to Parliament? We asked 5 expertsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dani Larkin, Lecturer/Deputy Director of the Indigenous Law Centre, UNSW Sydney AAP Image/Lukas Coch and Mick Tsikas, Shutterstock One of the recommendations from the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for the establishment of a First Nations Voice to ...1 day ago
- Watch live: Political parties respond to Budget 2022National, ACT, Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party react to the government's Budget 2022 announcements: Watch live. ...1 day ago
- Tax Remains A No Show In Budget 2022Wellington, 19 May 2022 – The lack of any tax announcements in today’s Budget announcement was not surprising but it’s lack of presence did not go unnoticed says Deloitte Partner Robyn Walker. “While tax has barely been out of the headlines ...1 day ago
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