jacinda ardern
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Weird stuff Jacinda Ardern has been accused of
Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, January 25th, 2022 - 64 comments
It appears that social media allegations against Jacinda Ardern are becoming more and more extreme.
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 about those neat capital gains on housing, eh?
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, January 14th, 2022 - 184 comments
Labour are doing the things about the housing crisis they said they would. It’s not working.
Australia’s Omicron problem
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, January 6th, 2022 - 132 comments
With over 61,000 new Covid cases reported yesterday Australia is in the midst of an infection surge that it has not seen before. What lessons can New Zealand learn from Australia’s handling of the pandemic?
A few random predictions for 2022
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, January 1st, 2022 - 117 comments
A few random predictions for 2022.
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.
Can Labor Win Australia Back?
Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, December 21st, 2021 - 37 comments
Coming up surprising quickly in 2022 is the Australian federal election – and Labor has a good shot.
The Freedom Bus is on the move *
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, December 9th, 2021 - 44 comments
But special entry conditions including being double vaccinated or having a recent clear Covid test apply.
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 …
Stop being a dick Barry
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, November 23rd, 2021 - 54 comments
At yesterday’s post Cabinet Press Conference Barry Soper overtalked a number of reporters, demanded answers to his questions, and then stormed out of the press conference. And then immediately wrote a piece accusing Jacinda Ardern of overtalking reporters …
The 2022 We Are Heading Towards
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 13th, 2021 - 34 comments
Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.
Covid and the latest polls
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, November 12th, 2021 - 148 comments
The results of two polls were leaked recently both showing a drop in support for Labour. Clearly the Delta outbreak has rattled confidence. But National has not surged up in support and the Greens have picked up some of the former Labour vote.
Shock horror, Ardern chooses to keeps her mask on
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, November 11th, 2021 - 79 comments
Barry Soper has accused the Prime Minister of, wait for this, not taking her mask off when she was inside visiting a vaccination centre in South Auckland.
Freedom Protesters are a pain in the ass
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, November 10th, 2021 - 74 comments
Human rights are a pain in the ass. Yesterday’s protesters were rude, unfit to invite home to dinner, shouty, and so incoherent that you could’t make any sensible point with them. They were and are a pain in the ass. But they are OUR pain in the ass.
Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour Conference
Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, November 6th, 2021 - 76 comments
The text of Jacinda Ardern’s speech delivered today to the Labour Conference.
The Labour Conference
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 6th, 2021 - 50 comments
Labour is this year holding its Conference on line. There will be some attention on a proposal to allow a supermajority of Caucus to avoid members and affiliates from having a say in a future Parliamentary leader.
The Covid vaccine rollout
Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, October 30th, 2021 - 185 comments
Matt Nippert’s in depth article in the Herald this morning provides a well researched deep insight into the Government’s vaccine roll out. And as it progresses the New Zealand response places us mid table and improving in the OECD vaccination comparison and gives us some hope that the Delta outbreak may be controlled.
Good Again
Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, October 28th, 2021 - 23 comments
COVID has reminded us how good New Zealand is, and we should remember how we were reminded.
Why vaccine mandates are needed
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, October 27th, 2021 - 165 comments
The Government has announced vaccine mandates for some publicly facing businesses designed to help minimise the spread of a virus that has killed millions of people world wide.
Friday will change Us As Citizens
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, October 22nd, 2021 - 210 comments
While we may have been lifted out of martial lockdowns and some rights have been reinstated in limited form, we have surrendered to another more pervasive power. The power of big data.
Slater smears again
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, October 18th, 2021 - 104 comments
The Herald’s publication of an attack on Ardern by a wedding venue owner appears to have been sourced from Cameron Slater and brings into stark relief the Herald’s twin business model of funding serious journalism by both subscriptions and the use of click bait.
Jacinda Ardern: Tear Down This Wall
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, October 17th, 2021 - 109 comments
In the coming months Fortress New Zealand will be dismantled. What will take its place?
Covid D day
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, October 11th, 2021 - 159 comments
Some big decisions are due to happen today. What happens to Auckland’s Covid status? Should the lockdown level be reduced or should the Government think about putting it back up?
About the latest Colmar Brunton poll
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, September 28th, 2021 - 152 comments
The latest Colmar Brunton poll confirms that National’s polling is in the doldrums and David Seymour’s preferred PM rating is twice that of Judith Collins.
The Golden Ticket
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 24th, 2021 - 110 comments
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern claimed yesterday that a very high vaccination rate in New Zealand would represent a “golden ticket” and make level 4 lockdowns redundant. What could that mean that’s positive for New Zealand?
CPTPP V Nuclear Submarines
Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, September 19th, 2021 - 41 comments
In a piece of incredible timing, on the same day as Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom announced their defence technology procurement pact and pissed off ally and competitor alike, China formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Porgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
What should we call the Vaccination bus?
Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, September 15th, 2021 - 82 comments
The Prime Minister has sparked another national debate. What should we call the new mobile vaccination vehicles that will be rolled out over the next week or so.
COVID, We Need To Talk About Class
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, September 14th, 2021 - 27 comments
We’ve never seen a nationwide disease illustrate class and deprivation like the future of the country depended on it. Not like this. This should change us.
Delta Covid – the battle so far
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, September 14th, 2021 - 65 comments
As Tamaki Makaurau enters week four of lockdown things are at an interesting stage.
Can The Terror-Injured Citizens Hold the New Zealand Government To Account?
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, September 5th, 2021 - 57 comments
While Prime Minister Ardern is an empathic Prime Minister, good for the country in a crisis, and is genuinely caring, there’s also a time for citizens to say that the state must pay to right wrongs.
National’s next leader?
Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, September 3rd, 2021 - 60 comments
As the damage caused by Judith Collins’ leadership of the National Party intensifies it is inevitable that there will be internal discussions about who should replace her, and soon. And I think the best candidate is clear.
- Omicron and 6% Inflation – May The Saints Preserve Us!
3 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on the ethics of Omicron treatment, plus a playlist
As the Omicron infection wave prepares to break across New Zealand, the “red” condition is likely to be more of a form of gestural politics, than as a useful shield. Good ideas like masks and social distancing and limits on social gatherings are not going to do much to slow ...5 hours ago - Move Over Christopher?
Could it be that confidence in Christopher Luxon’s ability to revive National’s fortunes is, even at this early stage, beginning to fade? Concerns have already been expressed about his failure to build upon the small post-Collins boost in National’s poll ratings and his inability (as the jargon has it) to ...6 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 25 January 2022
Govt Omicron strategy, NZ moves to red traffic light setting Chris Trotter (Interest): Omicron has come Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Return to red light shows a lack of New Year resolve Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Why Omicron is more likely to kill you than Delta (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): We’re starting this year with the ...6 hours ago - Omicron Has Come.1 day ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 24 January 2022Omicron outbreak Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Up to half of NZ population could become infected with Omicron – modeller Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Potentially dozens of undetected Omicron cases, modeller says Keith Lynch (Stuff): Omicron is here. This is what happens next Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Omicron arrives – we’re all over it already (paywalled) Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Reducing ...1 day ago
- Horohoro is my passion – Kataraina George
Kataraina George encourages emerging Māori researchers to study a discipline that they love because she says passion will help them overcome the toughest career challenges. Kataraina of Te Arawa is the Environment and Nursery manager at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara Trust Horohoro near Rotorua. The Ngāti Kea ...1 day ago - 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3
Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 16, 2022 through Sat, January 22, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The Drip, Drip of Disaster, Antarctica latest research: Doomsday Glacier ice shelf will be gone in ...2 days ago - The Motueka Omicron Leak and Code Red
As of today, there has been a detection of community Omicron in Motueka – nine people having travelled to a wedding in Auckland in mid-January. The Government has responded by moving the country ... 2 days ago - An Easy GigSo Chris Luxon (and we are assured that there is no ’t’ in either of those names) has at last bestirred himself after a long summer break – but he could hardly be said to have broken a sweat. There can be no easier gig for an opposition politician than ...2 days ago
- The MIQ Saga and Cheating Bastards
So we have an interesting development in Managed Isolation/Quarantine. We have muppets – oh so clever muppets – thinking they’ve found a legal workaround. Currently, in order to enter New Zealand, you need to successfully book a spot in MIQ facilities. Aforementioned muppets have settled on this plan ...3 days ago - Unbiased Reporting?I wonder how many Herald readers realise how all-embracing, unremitting and determined is the Herald’s pushing of the National party barrow? Perhaps it is so much par for the course that it goes unremarked by many readers. Today’s issue provides an interesting case study, especially for those (of whatever political ...3 days ago
- The phenomenon of ‘Don’t Look Up’ (Part 2)This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda By the end of the Sunday, January 9, Don’t Look Up, writer-director Adam McKay’s dark satire about the impending impact of an Earth-killing comet, intended as an analogy for inaction on climate change, had been streamed on Netflix for a total of 322 ...3 days ago
- Why Are We Happy?
The World Happiness Project has some answers.For nine years an international consortium of economists and statisticians have gathered together data from many countries on how individuals rate their life satisfaction, reporting their findings in a World Happiness Report. Each year they focus on a particular issue; the 2021 report is ...3 days ago - And its done
Last week, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister said he intended to abolish the death penalty. And yesterday, he did it, with all existing death sentences commuted to life imprisonment. This leaves Tonga as the last death-penalty state in the South Pacific. They last murdered someone in 1982, and have been ...4 days ago - Too Much Intellectual Curiosity – Not Enough Fox News.Bogeyman On Manoeuvres: Not only would a Russian invasion of Ukraine allow the Ardern Government to join “a largely Western chorus of condemnation” and announce (probably reluctantly) New Zealand’s own autonomous sanctions against the Russian Federation, but it would also vindicate the dominant “Bogeyman School” of New Zealand strategic studies.WHAT ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 21 January 2022Covid Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): ‘Too little, too late’: Allegations Covid-19 testing regime unprepared for Omicron, still weak on much-needed saliva tests Hanna McCallum (Stuff): ‘Tens of millions’ of rapid antigen tests on order, PM says 1 News: Rapid Covid tests will be widely available in NZ – Ardern Claire Trevett (Herald): After a summer, ...4 days ago
- Potential Impact of an Omicron Outbreak: A Look at the IHME Modelling for NZProf Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker* In this blog we summarise the results of modelling for an Omicron variant outbreak of Covid-19 in NZ by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. This work suggests that in an outbreak that begins in January, the ...4 days ago
- The Political Logic Of Martyrdom.Consequences: The reason the world remembers the martyrdom of the third century Christian, Perpetua, and the abolitionist, John Brown, is, of course, the stakes. Both martyrs understood that the consequence of their actions, would be death. What greater stake can there be than one’s own life? The political logic of ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2022Cloud tops fade from sight at a critical juncture Employing the Earth orbiting instrument MISR, Travis Aerenson et al. appear to confirm subtle hints by prior observations tracking what climate models broadly predict: a gradual increase in the topping altitude of high clouds. Their paper When Will MISR Detect Rising High ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on responding to the need in TongaThe power of the Tonga eruption (and the size of the aid response being mounted) have been sobering indications of the scale of this disaster. The financial impact is certain to exceed the damage done by Cyclone Harold two years ago, which was estimated at the time to cost $US111 ...5 days ago
- ‘Don’t Look Up’ – See the movie. Ignore the comet. (Part 1)This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda 2022 is already feeling as stressful as the worst stretches of 2021 – and without the prospect of a fresh start with a new administration. Newscasters report that COVID-19 cases are arising at three times the rate posted during the ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 20 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Will Trafford (Māori TV): Secret state report reveals swamped ICUs; Omicron will evade face masks Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Callous MIQ Tweet sets Government back after victorious summer(paywalled) Ben Thomas (Stuff): Whodunit? Mystery border call a clue to new normal Luke Malpass (Stuff): The only certainty is uncertainty: Labour enters year three of ...5 days ago
- The Totalitarian Impulses Driving “Consequences Culture”.5 days ago
- Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go: The Rings of Power
About an hour ago, we got an interesting tweet. Not a leak, for once, but for the first time since last year’s incident with the Two Trees, an Honest to Eru update, straight from the horse’s mouth. We now have: (1) A name for the series (‘The Lord of ...5 days ago - Philosophical trends in feminism
Philosophical trends in feminism is a collection of essays by Indian revolutionary Anuradha Roy. I met Anuradha in India in 2004 on a fact finding tour with lawyers investigating human rights abuses in Andhra Pradesh. We spent several hours together discussing the state of the womens movement in India and ...6 days ago - A democratic peace or a feminist peace?
Many years ago when I was in mid academic career, two theoretical strands emerged in the field of international relations and comparative foreign policy. One was the basis for a school of thought that came to be known as feminist international relations theory, which to crudely oversimplify one sub-strand, posited ...6 days ago - Hiding their dirty laundryThe government is trying to "reform" Oranga Tamariki, and has a bill before the House to do so: the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill. Submissions on the Bill close next Wednesday, and children's rights campaigners are horrified by it - and in particular ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 19 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border RNZ: Government postpones next MIQ lottery due to spike of Omicron cases at border Herald: Upcoming MIQ room release postponed due to Omicron cases at border Kate Green (Stuff): Next MIQ lobby postponed as Omicron arrivals surge David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A cowardly way to close the border Jamie Morton (Herald): Has NZ dodged ...6 days ago
- Defending Death of the Author: A Reply to Tolkien LoreIt is one of the oddities of the internet that many commentators will take the side of Authorial Intentionalism over Death of the Author. Part of this, I think, is down to J.K. Rowling – and now also the response to J.K. Rowling. When one has creators delivering New ...7 days ago
- United with Manchester: What happens when we all choose poorlyThe city government of Manchester, England is coming under some fire for choosing to lease space on pavements (also known as sidewalks) for electronic display advertisements, or "digital out of home advertising." Criticism is twofold in nature. Some point out that crowding of pavements with bulky fixed installations is an ...7 days ago
- The Great Awokening
Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy by Batya Ungar-Sargon is a superb book that examines the transformation of journalism in the US during the twentieth century. She shows how the media has become a key player in the woke movement. The book charts the trajectory of journalism as it ...7 days ago - The Choice.Revolution From Below Averted: The critical political choice made by leading Pakeha politicians, jurists and bureaucrats in the 1980s and 90s was to halt the momentum of left-wing Māori nationalism from below, by inserting a layer of elite Māori business-people between the Crown and the economically and culturally impoverished Māori ...1 week ago
- Cancelling The Cancellers.Defender Of The Faiths: Pope Francis sees cancel culture as a threat to the open, compassionate and forgiving human society he has always championed.WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE of Pope Francis’ condemnation of “cancel culture”? There will be some who argue that the opinions of an ageing male celibate who somehow ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on sending an Orion P-3 to TongaBecause the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga cut communications with the more remote parts of the country, it wasn’t at all surprising that as a good Pacific neighbour, New Zealand sent a reconnaissance aircraft up there to gather information about the extent and location of the damage. The more interesting ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 18 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Michael Baker, Jennifer Summers, Amanda Kvalsvig, Matire Harwood, Nick Wilson (Public Health Expert):Preparing for Omicron: A proactive Government response is urgently needed to minimise harms RNZ: Experts list steps New Zealand government needs to take to fight Omicron RNZ: Traffic light system may need strengthening or adjusting in face of ...1 week ago
- FSU defend Public Service Advisor censored for using term ‘male-bodied’The Free Speech Union newsletter reports on a case where it defended a worker who was called to a meeting after using accurate language. In something you would almost think is out of George Orwell’s 1984, a member of the Free Speech Union received a scathing and bullying letter from a very senior ...1 week ago
- The top 10 global weather and climate change events of 2021This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The year 2021 made an indelible mark in the annals of weather history. Not only did it feature the most extreme heat wave in history – the late June heat wave over western North America that smashed all-time records by ...1 week ago
- Heather Brunskell-Evans Transgender Body Politics :”a multibillion dollar industry disguised as ...Book review by Don Franks “Emily adopted many roles in my home – he came to parties presenting as a tall glamorous woman, but when brawn was needed, he jumped the ‘gender ship’ as it were…at a house move, he whipped off his long blonde wig, revealing male pattern baldness, put ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Still making the same mistakeLast year it became clear that the government's ETS price control policy was a mistake, resulting in huge public costs for tiny, tiny benefits. The problem was clear well in advance, and while it couldn't be avoided in 2021 without urgent legislation, James Shaw could have used the opportunity of ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 17 January 2022Parliament, MPs, Parties Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Which MPs could lose their jobs in 2022? (paywalled) Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Neck, meet block. Predictions for 2022 (paywalled) David Fisher (Herald): Profile: Harete Hipango and how she upset National colleagues (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Greens satisfied after first year of pact with Labour Ian Powell (Daily Blog): What do you know about ...1 week ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 9, 2022 through Sat, January 15, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Climate Scientists on “Don’t Look Up:” It’s Infuriating, Soul-Sucking and On-the-Nose, New NASA chief scientist to ...1 week ago
- Why I spoke out against lockdownProfessor Carl James Heneghan is a British general practitioner physician, a clinical epidemiologist and a Fellow of Kellogg College. He is the director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and former Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. In this interview with Brendon O’Neill he discusses the impact of ...1 week ago
- Big numbers – dollars and institutions – behind divestments from fossil fuelsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope About $39 trillion – that’s trillion, with a T – is the total some 1,500 institutions are planning to divest from funds in fossil fuels. And those numbers are growing. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database, maintained by two nonprofit ...1 week ago
- Beware of Bearing Gifts for Greece: The National Library of New Zealand and the Fate of 1% of the Ov...
So things are supposedly on hold, so far as the National Library of New Zealand’s idiotic plans to purge its Overseas Published Collection. Supposedly. There is currently a lot of uncertainty floating around right now, and there is absolutely no reason to trust the National Library of New ...2 weeks ago - When Will Evergrande Collapse?
If China’s second largest property developer implodes, the Chinese financial system may be compromised, while the booming property market is so central to the Chinese economy, its staggering would impact internationally, including on New Zealand.For some time I have had on my 2-write list the giant Chinese property company, Evergrande. ...2 weeks ago - What does ‘academic freedom’ mean in practice? Why the Siouxsie Wiles and Shaun Hendy employment...Jack Heinemann, University of Canterbury Two high-profile University of Auckland academics raised important questions about academic freedom with their complaint to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) that their employer had failed its duty of care to them. Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles and Professor Shaun Hendy have become well known ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 14 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Matthew Hooton (Herald): Govt’s sanguine stance on Omicron should have NZ worried (paywalled) Adam Pearse (Herald): Officials predict when Auckland Omicron outbreak will happen Herald: Omicron likely to enter Auckland community in weeks, warns top doctor ODT Editorial: Be as prepared as possible for Covid’s return John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand scientists express alarm over ...2 weeks ago
- The Ships From The North: Why Autarky cannot be New Zealand’s answer to Climate Change.Lifelines: New Zealand, as we know it, would be impossible without the existence of a global transportation and trading system. Should Climate Change fundamentally weaken the industrial societies of the Northern Hemisphere, the supply-chains upon which New Zealanders depend would become increasingly disrupted. How long could our society endure if ...2 weeks ago
- What’s Sauce For Monroe’s Goose, Is Sauce For Putin’s Gander.Not In My Back Yard! If the American President, Joe Biden, has forgotten the lessons of 60 years ago, then the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, has not. Unacceptable in 1962, the stationing of military resources (including tactical nuclear weapons) along Russia’s borders remains unacceptable in 2022.IT WAS BURIED DEEP ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2 2022150 articles in 55 journals by 808 contributing authors Observations of climate change, effects Another Record: Ocean Warming Continues through 2021 despite La Niña Conditions Cheng et al. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00376-022-1461-3 Sea-ice retreat suggests re-organization of water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas ...2 weeks ago
- Amateur hour with Christopher Luxon
You’ve got to wonder why the National Party, in the face of a worldwide pandemic that has killed approximately 6 million people, is continuing to be so terribly dysfunctional? Perhaps it’s a symptom of their upper management, who despite numerous party leaders coming and going, never actually changed.Unfortunately for the ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: Here we go againLast year the government turned the ETS into a farce, flooding the market with 7 million tons of extra pollution in a failed and counterproductive effort to keep carbon prices low. Using the government's internal carbon price of $150/ton, the social cost of this was just over a billion dollars ...2 weeks ago
- One country at a timePapua New Guinea's Prime Minister has announced that he intends to abolish the death penalty: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says his government is doing away with the death penalty and those now on death row will instead serve life sentences without parole. Marape told members of ...2 weeks ago
- The consequences of Covid & why anti-vaxxers aren't free to cross a one-lane bridge wheneve...
New Year’s day, 2022. I’m sitting at a one-lane bridge on the east coast of the Coromandel, watching and waiting as a stream of cars drive over the bridge towards me, reminded once again of the big lessons of 2021 – consequences and the limits of freedom.While so much of ...2 weeks ago - What Omicron will be like …
I might not be very good at maths but I never bought into the developing "Omicron is the Covid we can live with" narrative. I remember reading that Omicron was about half as likely to end you in hospital as delta was ... but, I thought, given it is several ...2 weeks ago - NZ Politics Daily: 13 January 2022Clarke Gayford testing controversy Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Clarke Gayford needs to clean up bad look (paywalled) Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘Deeply inappropriate’: Clarke Gayford sorry for ‘confusion’ after claim he tried to get mate rapid Covid test Rachel Sadler (Newshub): Chris Bishop hits out at Clarke Gayford’s ‘deeply inappropriate’ alleged bid to get rapid antigen tests for ...2 weeks ago
- Disenchanted.Another World: Oamaru’s whitestone Victorian Precinct is an enclave for aging alternative life-stylers. The air is filled with the scent of patchouli and hand-crafted leather. There are troll figurines and fairies for sale, alongside crystals and dream-catchers.OAMARU likes to think of itself as the “steam-punk” capital of the world. It ...2 weeks ago
- Cranky Uncle – Resources for EducatorsThis is an adapted repost of the educators' resource page on CrankyUncle.com. Cranky Uncle uses cartoons, humor, and logic-based inoculation to build resilience against misinformation – an ideal tool for teaching critical thinking to students. This page features resources for educators interested in using Cranky Uncle (the game or the book) ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand summers are getting hotter – and humans aren’t the only ones feeling the effectsCate Macinnis-Ng, University of Auckland It’s not a mirage, our summers are getting hotter on average and we are experiencing more extremely hot days. News from NIWA that 2021 was New Zealand’s hottest year on record fits with the long term trend. Analysis of 70 years of data has ...2 weeks ago
- Guantanamo: Twenty years of shameToday (US time) is the 20th anniversary of the opening of America's gulag at Guantanamo Bay. The US has kept people imprisoned without trial - sometimes without even charges - for twenty years now. Most of those kidnapped by the US have since died or been released, but 39 remain ...2 weeks ago
- Undermining the offshore exploration banBack in 2018, in what they trumpeted as a victory for the environment, the government banned new offshore oil exploration permits. But the victory was short-lived: two-faced Labour immediately started to undermine it, extending permits and changing conditions to try and keep the industry they had "banned" alive. And there's ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell on the global war against plasticsCompared to Covid and climate change, the threat from plastics seems like a low rent version of planetary disaster. Can that plastic bottle, this fast food plastic knife and fork, and the plastic packaging wrapped around everything from supermarket fruit to toys to consumer durables really be omens of the ...2 weeks ago
- The 1.5 degrees goal: Beware of unintended consequencesThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by , , and “Keep 1.5 alive” emerged as the haunting refrain of the recent United Nations climate conference in Glasgow. Although a well-intentioned rallying cry, it raises important questions about how the chant is to be interpreted. Unfortunately, 1.5° centigrade is often ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 12 January 2022Covid Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The key Covid-19 questions for 2022 Peter Davis (Stuff): There’s no time to waste if we’re to keep Omicron out of NZ Keith Lynch (Stuff): Could New Zealand actually eliminate Delta? Jane Nixon (RNZ): Mixed views over school start date amid Omicron fears Anneke Smith (RNZ): Epidemiologist suggests delay to school ...2 weeks ago
- News From Nowhere: If the Greens are to have a future, then they must listen to their past.2 weeks ago
- Paradise Postponed.The Future That Got Away: Rob Sitch's ineffectual idealist, Tony Woodfood (played by himself) attempts to convince a fellow "nation-builder" that Australia's utopian future will be somewhere around here, and about this big, if the planning application is successful, and Canberra doesn't change its mind. As his eponymous TV series ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Famers finally paying the priceIt's official: 2021 was Aotearoa's hottest year on record. And the climate chaos is now affecting milk production: Challenging pasture growing conditions have prompted Fonterra to revise its forecast milk collections to 1.5 billion kilograms of milk solids for the year to May 31, a reduction of 25 million ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 11 January 2022Omicron, border Pete McKenzie (Guardian): New Zealand not prepared for Omicron outbreak expected in ‘matter of weeks’, experts warn Jean Bell (RNZ): Covid-19 experts fear Omicron could soon be in community as border cases increase Hamish MacLean (ODT): Fears school year start could bring surge Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Epidemiologist calls for delay in school ...2 weeks ago
- Reviewing The Nature of Middle-earth, with ReadingTolkienPod
Just before Christmas, I had an interview with ReadingTolkienPod (https://readingtolkienpod.libsyn.com/) about our joint impressions of The Nature of Middle-earth (2021). As of today that interview has now been released: https://readingtolkienpod.libsyn.com/the-nature-of-middle-earth-with-daniel-stride?tdest_id=2456000 As noted previously, this basically functions as my review of the volume. A bit belated perhaps, but ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: A decision with no integrityBack in November, the government introduced a new, "more ambitious" 2030 climate change target, which turned out to not be very ambitious at all. Quite apart from the funny accounting, the target will be met primarily through "international mitigation" (rather than, say, cuts to agricultural emissions). back in November, the ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 10 January 2022Parliament, government, 2021, 2022 Michael Hall (RNZ): Green Party discontent: Members walk, ex-MPs criticise leadership Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Green Party implosion in 5…4…3…2… Morgan Godfery (Guardian): New Zealand’s successful Covid policies hid inequality – the government can’t ignore it this year Spinoff: NZ politics in 2022: The big issues on which the year ...2 weeks ago
- MIQ and the New Zealand ConstitutionOverseas readers might be curious to learn that Omicron has still not arrived in the New Zealand community, so our supermarket shelves are still functioning. And indeed that the August Delta outbreak is well on its way to dying out within the next month or so. The reasons for ...2 weeks ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #1Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 2, 2022 through Sat, January 8, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: ‘Don’t Look Up’: Hollywood’s primer on climate denial illustrates 5 myths that fuel rejection of science, ...2 weeks ago
- Put Another Record OnHelp! Mercy! I had thought (or hoped) that, as we turned into the New Year, the Herald would give us a break or put another record on. But, presumably because they have nothing new to say, the Herald has begun 2022 by re-publishing the columns written last year by their ...2 weeks ago
- Equitable response to Omicron vital
The Green Party supports the Government’s decision to move Aotearoa New Zealand to traffic light level Red at 11.59pm tonight, but says its success will depend on the support that is made available to the most vulnerable. ...2 days ago - How we’re preparing for Omicron
As countries around the world experience Omicron outbreaks, we’re taking steps now to ensure we’re as prepared as possible and our communities are protected. ...5 days ago - What’s Labour achieved so far?Quite a bit! This Government was elected to take on the toughest issues facing Aotearoa – and that’s what we’re doing. Since the start of the pandemic, protecting lives and livelihoods has been a priority, but we’ve also made progress on long-term challenges, to deliver a future the next generation ...2 weeks ago
- Tackling the big issues in 2022This year, keeping Kiwis safe from COVID will remain a key priority of the Government – but we’re also pushing ahead on some of New Zealand’s biggest long-term challenges. In 2022, we’re working to get more Kiwis into homes, reduce emissions, lift children out of poverty, and ensure people get ...2 weeks ago
- 5,000 portable air cleaners for schools on their way
As schools are preparing to return, Education Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 5,000 air cleaners have been ordered for New Zealand schools. “As we know, along with vaccination, testing, good hygiene and physical distancing, good ventilation is important in minimising the risk of airborne transmission of the virus that causes ...6 hours ago - New Zealand to move to Red from 11.59pm todayAll of New Zealand will move to the Red setting of the Covid Protection Framework (CPF) at 11:59pm today as Omicron is potentially now transmitting in the community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. “Nine COVID-19 cases reported yesterday in the Nelson/Marlborough region are now confirmed as Omicron, and a further ...2 days ago
- Mandatory boosters for key workforces progressing wellMore than 5,785 (82%) border workers eligible for a booster vaccination at 6 months have received it so far, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “That’s a really strong uptake considering we announced the requirement the week before Christmas, but we need to continue this momentum,” Chris Hipkins said. “We ...2 days ago
- NZ to move to RedNine COVID-19 cases reported yesterday in the Nelson/Marlborough region have now been confirmed as the Omicron variant, and a further case from the same household was confirmed late yesterday. These cases are in a single family that flew to Auckland on 13 January to attend a wedding and other events ...2 days ago
- New Zealand to provide further help for TongaAotearoa New Zealand is giving an additional $2 million in humanitarian funding for Tonga as the country recovers from a volcanic eruption and tsunami last weekend, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. This brings Aotearoa New Zealand’s contribution to $3 million. “This support will ...4 days ago
- Quarterly benefit numbers show highest number of exits into workThe Government’s strong focus on supporting more people into work is reflected in benefit figures released today which show a year-on-year fall of around 21,300 people receiving a main benefit in the December 2021 quarter, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. “Our response to COVID has helped ...5 days ago
- Northland to move to Orange, NZ prepared for Omicron Northland to move to Orange Rest of New Zealand stays at Orange in preparedness for Omicron All of New Zealand to move into Red in the event of Omicron community outbreak – no use of lockdowns Govt planning well advanced – new case management, close contact definition and testing rules ...5 days ago
- RNZAF C-130 Hercules flight departs for Tonga as Navy vessels draw nearer to TongatapuA Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules has departed Base Auckland Whenuapai for Tonga carrying aid supplies, as the New Zealand aid effort ramps up, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “The aircraft is carrying humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies, including water ...5 days ago
- New Zealand prepared to send support to TongaNew Zealand is ready to assist Tonga in its recovery from Saturday night’s undersea eruption and tsunami, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “Following the successful surveillance and reconnaissance flight of a New Zealand P-3K2 Orion on Monday, imagery and details have been sent ...1 week ago
- Aotearoa New Zealand stands ready to assist people of TongaThe thoughts of New Zealanders are with the people of Tonga following yesterday’s undersea volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami waves, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta says. “Damage assessments are under way and New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga,” said Nanaia Mahuta. New Zealand has made an ...1 week ago
- Record high of new homes consented continuesIn the year ended November 2021, 48,522 new homes were consented, up 26 per cent from the November 2020 year. In November 2021, 4,688 new dwellings were consented. Auckland’s new homes consented numbers rose 25 per cent in the last year. Annual figures for the last nine months show more ...2 weeks ago
- Report trumpets scope for ice cream exportsLatest research into our premium ice cream industry suggests exporters could find new buyers in valuable overseas markets as consumers increasingly look for tip top quality in food. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash has released a new report for the Food and Beverage Information Project. The project is run by ...2 weeks ago
- Honouring the legacy of legendary kaumātua Muriwai IhakaraAssociate Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage Kiri Allan expressed her great sadness and deepest condolences at the passing of esteemed kaumātua, Muriwai Ihakara. “Muriwai’s passing is not only a loss for the wider creative sector but for all of Aotearoa New Zealand. The country has lost a much beloved ...2 weeks ago
- Have your say on proposed changes to make drinking water saferAssociate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan is urging all New Zealanders to give feedback on proposed changes aimed at making drinking water safer. “The current regulations are not fit for purpose and don’t offer enough protection, particularly for those whose water comes from smaller supplies,” Kiri Allan said. “This ...2 weeks ago
- Planting the seeds for rewarding careersA boost in funding for a number of Jobs for Nature initiatives across Canterbury will provide sustainable employment opportunities for more than 70 people, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The six projects are diverse, ranging from establishing coastline trapping in Kaikōura, to setting up a native plant nursery, restoration planting ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand congratulates Tonga's new Prime Minister on appointmentMinister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta today congratulated Hon Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni on being appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga. “Aotearoa New Zealand and Tonga have an enduring bond and the Kingdom is one of our closest neighbours in the Pacific. We look forward to working with Prime ...3 weeks ago
- High-tech investment extends drought forecasting for farmers and growersThe Government is investing in the development of a new forecasting tool that makes full use of innovative climate modelling to help farmers and growers prepare for dry conditions, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said. The new approach, which will cost $200,000 and is being jointly funded through the Ministry for ...3 weeks ago
- Concern grows over psychological trauma amid Tonga’s recovery
RNZ Pacific As Tonga’s recovery from the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami ramps up there is growing concern for the psychological and emotional wellbeing of survivors. According to the government, 84 percent of the population has been impacted, with assessments of the widespread destruction still being conducted. Two Tongans and ...2 hours ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 25 2022Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Govt Omicron strategy, NZ moves to red ...2 hours ago
- Economic boost of almost $14bn comes from lift in Fonterra milk payment
While most of the economy is struggling with the impact of the Covid pandemic, the dairy industry is riding a prosperity wave. In the wake of high prices recorded at last week’s Global Auction, the big co-op Fonterra has lifted its forecast milk payment to farmers for this ...2 hours ago - Government orders portable air cleaners for schools – Minister
The first of 5000 portable air cleaners for schools are expected to arrive in March, to help with ventilation in the fight against Covid-19. ...3 hours ago - NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has reached its destination, 1.5 million km from Earth. Here’s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karl Glazebrook, Director & Distinguished Professor, Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Artist’s conception NASA Since its launch on Christmas day, astronomers have eagerly followed the complex deployment and unfurling of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – the ...7 hours ago
- 60% of Australians want to keep Australia Day on January 26, but those under 35 disagreeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lowe, Chair in Contemporary History, Deakin University Dean Lewins/AAP The issue of when or whether to celebrate Australia Day seems to have become stuck in a loop of fierce debate without resolution. There are those who want to ...7 hours ago
- For an Indigenous perspective on ‘Australia Day’, here’s a quick guide to First Nations media ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanja Dreher, Associate Professor, UNSW First Nations people generally refer to January 26 as the beginning of invasion and subsequent dispossession of Country. It marks the start of much violence and 234 years of resistance. Every year, as “Australia Day” nears, ...7 hours ago
- Will an Omicron-specific vaccine help control COVID? There’s one key problemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Burnett, Research Officer, Garvan Institute; Senior Lecturer, UNSW., Garvan Institute In November last year, Australians began to feel a wave of optimism that COVID would no longer define their everyday existence. Soaring vaccination rates provided some measure of confidence the threat ...7 hours ago
- Ancient knowledge is lost when a species disappears. It’s time to let Indigenous people care for t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Teagan Goolmeer, PhD Candidate, The University of Melbourne Nicolas Rakotopare/Karajarri Traditional Lands Association Indigenous people across Australia place tremendous cultural and customary value on many species and ecological communities. The very presence of a plant or animal species can trigger ...7 hours ago
- How unis can save millions by tackling the biggest causes of online students’ high dropout ratesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Greenland, Professor in Marketing, Charles Darwin University Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic has simply added to the ever more rapid growth in online learning since 2005. Online education generates massive income, with the global e-learning market estimated at US$144 billion ...7 hours ago
- Codecracking, community and competition: why the word puzzle Wordle has become a new online obsessio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Sebo, Lecturer in Medieval Literature, Flinders University Shutterstock Wordle is a quick English-language word game developed by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a unique gift for his partner, released in October 2021. It’s easily accessible online. The game, in ...7 hours ago
- $4.3m creditor ASB ends Showgrounds naming deal; furious operator lashes out
Ripples from the giant Auckland venue's liquidation spread beyond the troubled events industry ...7 hours ago - Thousands Join Save The Children’s Call To Retain New Zealand’s Children’s Commissioner
More than 6000 Kiwis have joined Save the Children New Zealand’s call to retain the vital role of Children’s Commissioner, as the Government considers a new bill proposing major changes to the office, including the removal of a named Children’s ...8 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 25 January10 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Tuesday 25 January
...10 hours ago - White man's whakapapa
Between two worlds, by distinguished author Philip Temple The talisman on my keyring is a piece of oak, a pendant six centimetres long and one and a half wide. It is 750 years old. It has no engraving or symbol to indicate magical, protective powers. Yet it is magical. Like ...10 hours ago - NZ investors win carve-out from US foreign financing rules
The $60b Super Fund is a main beneficiary of a new exemption. ...10 hours ago - Russia has won the war without firing a single shot
Putin may have built up the threat of invading Ukraine as a bluff, writes Oliver Hartwich ...10 hours ago - How to manage a Covid infection
As the Omicron outbreak ramps up, widespread Covid-19 infections across the country are set to become a reality for the first time since the pandemic began, causing anxiety for many New Zealanders. Dr Lynn McBain explains what to expect if you are infected, and how to manage your recovery. ...10 hours ago - Long-term planning crucial to Tonga’s recovery
A flurry of relief activity immediately after disasters seldom results in long-term recovery, writes Sandeeka Mannakkara, and Tonga should take care to achieve both As recovery efforts began in Tonga, after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption and the tsunami that followed, the first priority will be to provide immediate ...10 hours ago - The immigration reset: 'The Government waited to see which industries squealed'
This is the year of the immigration reset ...10 hours ago - NZ hosts vaccine safety project
Global problems require big-picture thinking and that has led to Aotearoa New Zealand’s selection as the host of a world-first research initiative collecting global active vaccine safety surveillance data for the current pandemic and those to come. When caught in the middle of a pandemic, the urgency of the present ...10 hours ago - The woman taking care of our rowers' mental wellbeing
In her fulltime role looking after the wellbeing of our top rowers, Tina Ryan would like to see athletes unafraid to speak up, and some rowing mums return to the sport. ‘Athlete wellbeing’ has become a phrase heard with increasing regularity. Hard to define, hard to achieve at times, athlete wellbeing ...10 hours ago - Time to ponder the what-ifs of our pandemic
What if we responded to the pandemic with a walled-off, South Pacific free-trade zone, poses Nicholas Agar. We can hope that the apparent mildness of the Omicron variant signals the coming end of the pandemic. Perhaps Omicron will displace more severe strains, and, if we’re lucky, be successively replaced by ...10 hours ago - Albanese pledges $440 million to help schools and children ‘bounce back’ and outlines aspiration...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As attention turns to pupils’ return to the classroom, Anthony Albanese on Tuesday will promise a Labor government would spend $440 million on better ventilation in schools, building upgrades, and mental health support for children. ...15 hours ago
- Government Agriculture Seminar Based On Ethnic Cleansing, War Crimes And Human Rights AbusesPSNA has written to the Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, urging the government to pull out of a proposed on-line seminar with Israel’s agriculture sector. The Chief Science Advisor to ...18 hours ago
- Natural wines: how are they made and what’s the deal with sulfites? An expert explainsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Scollary, Adjunct Professor, Charles Sturt University Shutterstock I was first introduced to natural wines in Paris about 20 years ago. My initial tasting experience did little to convince me this approach to winemaking would survive. Many showed faults reflecting ...23 hours ago
- A healthier heart can protect your brain too. 5 lifestyle changes to prevent dementiaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Alexandra Wade, Research associate, University of South Australia When we think of dementia, we often fear a loss of control. But the reassuring news is up to 40% of dementias can be prevented or delayed if we change our health habits. ...23 hours ago
- Omicron threat prompts the PM to resurrect her pitch for togetherness and appeal to the Team of Five...An update on the government’s response to the Tongan disaster and news about its response to the spread of Omicron have dominated the flow – or rather, the trickle – of Beehive announcements since our previous report on what our ministers are doing. New Zealand is giving an additional $2 ...23 hours ago
- How this little marsupial’s poo nurtures urban gardens and bushland (and how you can help protect ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Ecology, Edith Cowan University Narelle Dybing, Author provided Wildlife encounters can be few and far between in cities but, if you’re lucky, you might catch sight of a small Aussie marsupial in Perth that’s ...23 hours ago
- 5 ways climate change increases the threat of tsunamis, from collapsing ice shelves to sea level ris...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Cunneen, Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin University Shutterstock The enormous eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, triggered a tsunami that reached countries all around the Pacific rim, even causing a disastrous oil spill along 21 beaches ...24 hours ago
- Covid-infected PNG doctor arrested in Solomon Islands as border crosserBy Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean doctor, who is alleged to be covid-19 positive, has been arrested and charged in Solomon Islands for illegally crossing the border. The doctor, from Bougainville and employed at Nonga Provincial Hospital in East New Britain province, was arrested and charged ...24 hours ago
- Honour and masculine pride for the country: how the Bollywood sports biopic 83 furthers India’s na...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Sessional Lecturer and Tutor in Gender Studies and Sociology, University of Otago IMDB Contemporary Bollywood films tend to focus on stories of the Indian underdog emerging triumphant after facing adversity or a threat from an “outsider”: the triumph ...1 day ago
- ‘No silver bullet against omicron’ – expect big numbers, says HipkinsRNZ News People should do everything they can against omicron, but it is likely large numbers will be infected, New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister says. Speaking to RNZ Morning Report today, Chris Hipkins said masks, booster shots, isolating and good preparation for isolation were all vital steps people should take ...1 day ago
- NZ to move to red light setting tonight at midnight over omicron outbreakRNZ News Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that the whole of New Zealand will move into the red light covid-19 setting at midnight tonight in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Nine covid-19 cases in Nelson yesterday have been confirmed as the omicron variant, Ardern said. Another household member has ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 24 2022Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Omicron outbreak Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Up to half ...1 day ago
- Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard: with the video game industry under new management, what’s goin...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Keogh, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock In 1979, a group of disgruntled Atari employees decided to quit and create their own company. Activision was the world’s first “third-party” game development company, producing and publishing titles for other ...1 day ago
- Ancestral Remains of First Nations people were once stolen for trophies. Now they will have a nation...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people. In early January, the prime ...1 day ago
- There have always been arguments about who gets what: the surprising history of Australia’s honour...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Fox, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre of Biography, Australian National University www.shutterstock.com Australia Day honours will be announced this week, and, if recent announcements are any indication, they are likely to generate considerable public debate. In 2014, ...1 day ago
- 1,100 Australian aged care homes are locked down due to COVID. What have we learnt from deaths in ca...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lyn Gilbert, Honorary Professor Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Univeristy of Sydney; Senior Researcher Sydney Institue for Infectious Disease, University of Sydney., University of Sydney Shutterstock Australia’s aged care homes are being devastated by the current wave of COVID ...1 day ago
- 5 ways climate change boosts tsunami threat, from collapsing ice shelves to sea level riseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Cunneen, Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin University Shutterstock The enormous eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, triggered a tsunami that reached countries all around the Pacific rim, even causing a disastrous oil spill along 21 beaches ...1 day ago
- Where’s the meat? Employers and governments should have seen this supply crisis coming, and done s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ema Moolchand, PhD Candidate, RMIT University Australian Day barbecues are under threat as Omicron infections continue to cripple meat-processing operations. Most off the menu are chicken dishes. Australia’s biggest poultry processor Ingham’s (with a 40% market share) has had to stop ...1 day ago
- Return to red light shows a lack of New Year resolve
Shell-shocked by the way Covid-19 has taken over our lives, NZ looks for a positive plan from Government ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 24 January1 day ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 24 January
...1 day ago - Push to 'save' Children's Commissioner from govt reforms
Proposed changes to the role of the Children's Commissioner and oversight of the state care system are 'a slap in the face' rather than an improvement, advocacy groups have claimed Concern is growing about plans to disestablish the Children’s Commissioner role and other changes to the oversight of the state care ...1 day ago - ‘Victim’ or ‘survivor’ — what’s in a name?
Even when phoning a helpline called ‘Victim Support’, identity matters, writes Dr Emma Tennent. “I hate that f…ing word.” Some people who experience crime or trauma, like the woman quoted above, reject the label “victim” and choose alternatives like “survivor”. There are complex debates about labelling and identity when it ...1 day ago - Five young Super Smash stars to watch
In a colossal year for women's cricket in New Zealand, Merryn Anderson highlights five players under 21 who are ushering in the next era of the game. They might not have been alive to witness one of New Zealand cricket's greatest moments at the turn of the century, but there's ...1 day ago - Latest Omicron outbreak adds to woeful start for financial markets
Business & Investing: What's behind the dreadful first three weeks of the year on financial markets here and overseas ...1 day ago - Anne Salmond: NZ's climate planting asking for trouble
Comment: Dame Anne Salmond lays out the fundamental problems with this country's strategy to use pine forests and overseas offsets to help wish away our climate emissions New Zealand’s strategy for responding to climate change is fundamentally flawed. Much of the nation’s carbon debt is to be addressed by ‘off-setting’ – ...1 day ago - A big culture shock is coming New Zealand's way
Less than 72 hours after the Prime Minister announced the country would move to the red traffic light setting if Omicron got in the community, the call has been made. It will be a culture shock for many in the months ahead as Covid finally takes hold, writes political editor ...1 day ago - An Ode for .. Omicron
New Zealand's poet laureate manqué marks Day One of Code Red The Cron So we woke as if from a dream, a dream of wrapping paper and sunburn, of resolutions mislaid, shaken rudely from our summer slumber. At the Gates! Lo, the dreaded Cron. The omnipresent, omniscient, ...1 day ago - Omicron outbreak adds to woeful start for financial markets
Business & Investing: What's behind the dreadful first three weeks of the year on financial markets here and overseas After basking in one of the best summers for many years, investors who haven’t been keeping abreast of developments on global financial markets since Christmas will be in for a shock. ...1 day ago - Government not prepared for Omicron – LuxonNational leader Christopher Luxon says the government went into a go-slow mode around Covid-19 over the summer, and urgently needs to increase availability of rapid antigen tests. ...2 days ago
- Global aid effort underway for Tonga’s recovery from the Hunga tsunamiBy Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist A global aid effort is underway for Tonga with vessels en route to the Pacific kingdom from Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and the US as well as New Zealand. NZ Defence Force Maritime Component Commander Commodore Garin Golding told RNZ Pacific nearby Fiji ...2 days ago
- Tulagi bans betel nut selling as covid fears grow in Solomon IslandsBy Robert Iroga in Honiara Tulagi in the Central Islands province of Solomon islands is the first provincial capital to ban the sale of betel nut — for an indefinite period — as a measure to help control any potential spread of covid-19. Premier Stanley Manetiva told SBM Online that ...2 days ago
- Second day of NZ’s Tonga tsunami emergency fundraiser todayRNZ Pacific The second day of a drive to receive emergency supplies in Aotearoa New Zealand to be sent to Tonga has started in Auckland this morning. Hundreds queued for hours at Mount Smart Stadium in Penrose yesterday to deliver emergency goods that will be sent to their families in ...2 days ago
- Covid-19: NZ heading to red as Omicron spreads
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is now circulating within Auckland and possibly other parts of the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, as New Zealand heads into the most stringent setting in the new 'traffic light' system New Zealand is moving to the red setting of the Covid-19 ‘traffic light’ ...2 days ago - Blair and Boris – who would have thought it?
At last, a glimpse of bipartisan analysis in the chaos engulfing Boris Johnson’s premiership. Say what you like about Tony Blair, but he is a serious politician. What he says is worth taking seriously. It is also not great for Boris. And worse for everyone else. In a ...2 days ago - Rangitīkei Māori leader urges rural NZ people to prepare now for omicronBy Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting journalist A New Zealand iwi development and social services leader in Taihape is urging rural people to prepare urgently for self-isolation or infection as the threat of omicron looms. Mōkai Pātea Services general manager Tracey Hiroa, who is also a Rangitīkei District councillor, says ...3 days ago
- Follow the money: matauranga Maori and the millions at stakeA lot of funding and influence is riding on the successful casting of indigenous knowledge as equal to science. GRAHAM ADAMS says the debate over the NCEA science syllabus is only the tip of an iceberg. Anyone trying to get a grip on the mātauranga Māori debate over the ...3 days ago
- MIQ's purpose would change with Omicron spread – BakerBorder restrictions are still needed, and MIQ will remain valuable even if Omicron is spreading widely in the community, the epidemiologist says. ...3 days ago
- PM’s communication degree needed now more than ever
A communications degree has been one of the Prime Minister’s greatest strengths during the global pandemic. As the country heads into the unknown with Omicron, Jacinda Ardern needs to draw on that skillset more than ever before, writes political editor Jo Moir. Analysis: Many anti-Labour and anti-Ardern types use the ...3 days ago - Short story: The world of children's books, by Damien Wilkins
“Gavin was out beyond the breakers. You think he’s all right? said Kate”: a story set in the surf by Damien Wilkins This all happened on a writers’ tour of the Far North. It was our day off and we drove to the top of the Island. And do you ...3 days ago - Long read: How to prepare for Omicron
Writing from the United States, where Omicron has pushed Covid-19 hospitalisations to record levels, Marc Daalder reports on the what New Zealand needs to do to prepare for the variant Analysis: The terrifyingly rapid spread of the Omicron variant has upended much of the common wisdom overseas about how to respond ...3 days ago - Tonga’s King Tupou VI offers hope to families who lost relatives in deadly tsunamiKaniva News King Tupou VI has offered sympathy and prayers to all those who lost relatives in last weekend’s Tongan volcano eruption and tsunami disaster or are still waiting for news about their families. He said the whole of Tonga was devastated by the tsunami and it wiped out some ...4 days ago
- Safety at Tonga port being checked for arrival of more humanitarian suppliesRNZ News Specialist New Zealand Defence Force staff will be checking Tonga’s shipping lanes are passable and the wharf is safe so desperately needed humanitarian supplies can get through. Three deaths have been confirmed after Saturday’s massive volcanic eruption. There are reports of significant injuries, but no details yet. UN ...4 days ago
- Australia approves two new medicines in the fight against COVID. How can you get them and are they e...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Schubert, Pharmacist and PhD Candidate, University of Sydney On Thursday, health minister Greg Hunt announced Australia’s drug regulator had provisionally approved two new medicines for the treatment of COVID. These are Lagevrio, made by American pharmaceutical company Merck Sharpe & Dohme, ...4 days ago
- When humans compete with television, Yung Lung proves the liveness of bodies wins outSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Maguire-Rosier, Honorary Associate, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, School of Literature, Art, and Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney Yaya Stempler Review: Yung Lung, choreographed by Antony Hamilton, Chunky Move The word “yung”, according ...4 days ago
- Government Spending Priorities...4 days ago
- Tonga eruption: NZ government brings aid funding up to $3mThe government has announced a further $2 million in aid to help Tonga recover after the huge eruption nearly a week ago. ...4 days ago
- Rising Food Demands Rising Incomes For Food EquityThe highest grocery price rises in a decade reinforces a new report’s call for increased household revenue through government intervention to allow all families fair access to healthy food. The How healthy are Aotearoa New Zealand’s food environments ...4 days ago
- Kids whose grandparents are overweight are almost twice as likely to struggle with obesitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edmund Wedam Kanmiki, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Shutterstock School holidays can be a special time for extended families to gather. Children may see their grandparents at seasonal gatherings or as part of childcare arrangements to help working parents. ...4 days ago
- Australian art has lost two of its greats. Vale Ann Newmarch and Hossein ValamaneshSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Professorial Fellow (Honorary), The University of Melbourne Ann Newmarch, born Adelaide 1945, died Adelaide 2022, Self-portrait. 1/60th of a second, 1981, Adelaide, photo-etching on paper, 26.4 x 34.7 cm (plate), Public Donations Fund 2015, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, ...4 days ago
- The PM is promising “progress” and Sepuloni is reporting it on the welfare front – but doubts ...The PM’s first speech of the year, delivered to Labour MPs in New Plymouth at their annual caucus retreat, largely focused on Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, according to RNZ. Jacinda Ardern insisted the government has and is continuing to prepare for an Omicron outbreak in the community. “But it ...4 days ago
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