Europe
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Do the EU elections matter in Britain?
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, June 16th, 2024 - 15 comments
Last weekend the EU elections saw a significant increase in support for the populist/alt-right in European elections.
I deliberately avoid using the term far-right. It would be too simplistic and inaccurate to paint a picture of Europe re-living the 1930s and entering fascism. It is not.
Underrepresented London
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 2nd, 2024 - 2 comments
According to Zoopla, the average monthly rent in London as of April 2024 is £2,121. Council tax, internet, water and energy bills are usually on top of this and have increased significantly in the last two years. The average monthly income after tax is £2,902.50. This means most renters spend well over 2/3 of their income on rent and utility bills, with other costs like train fares and groceries many are left with very little disposable income each month.
A sustainable environment should be a human right
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, April 10th, 2024 - 47 comments
James Shaw’s attempt to create a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is expected to be voted down soon by Parliament. But the New Zealand Supreme Court as well as the European Court of Human Rights have shown a willingness to recognise a right to a sustainable environment that some politicians refuse to.
Really Small States in Really Big Conflicts
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 pm, April 20th, 2023 - 10 comments
We didn’t need the Russian invasion of Ukraine to tell us that great power competition is back, since China and the United States and Russia had been going at it well before even COVID temporarily messed up the multilateral trade system upon which we had built our little country. But it’s made it worse, and so we’re picking a side, and that side is NATO.
The Zelensky Dump
Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, December 13th, 2022 - 311 comments
Vladimir Zelensky’s message to the New Zealand Parliament will be delivered in the last week before Christmas, in the bury-it time-slot. That seems appropriate, for much has changed since the heady days when our Parliament went straight for sanctions on Russia without discussion.
The Year Skiing Died
Written By: - Date published: 4:47 pm, November 11th, 2022 - 13 comments
Climate change has ensured that this is the winter that broke skiing.
In praise of Michael Hudson
Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, November 3rd, 2022 - 39 comments
82-year old polymath Michael Hudson is my favourite economist. He currently lectures in China to million-strong audiences. His latest book is The Destiny of Civilisation: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism. His latest article is well worth a read.
How Brexit Shanked Britain
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, October 17th, 2022 - 23 comments
The political and economic disasters now unfolding in Britain are the responsibility of the Conservative Party from their 2016 Brexit vote through to now.
The Very Bad Slightly Good Things About the Russian Invasion
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 pm, September 25th, 2022 - 8 comments
The Russian invasion of the Ukraine has cost tens of thousands of people their lives, millions of people their homes, seriously disrupted billions of people, and increased the threat of nuclear war but there are positive developments coming from it.
Freedom is Not Guaranteed: Sometimes You Must Fight
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 11th, 2022 - 177 comments
If we fail to support Ukraine’s struggle we all lose far more than self rule for 44 million people.
Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 7th, 2022 - 39 comments
Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.
Unthinkable Renationalisation
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, July 21st, 2022 - 57 comments
Europe is leading the global fight against climate change by rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels. This now includes fully renationalising energy companies and forced decreases in gas use. What could New Zealand learn?
The benefits of Ardern’s recent overseas trips
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, July 4th, 2022 - 69 comments
Jacinda Ardern has just completed three overseas trips. The cumulative benefits for the country are extraordinary and I have never witnessed anything similar from another New Zealand leader. But local responses from sectors of the media have been muted. Why is this?
Ardern significantly improves EU Free Trade deal
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, July 2nd, 2022 - 26 comments
Before her involvement in the European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations Jacinda Ardern was accused of “scattering stardust” in a vain attempt to get an agreement over the line. If this is an example of Jacinda scattering stardust then long may she continue to do so.
Jacinda’s comments to NATO
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, July 1st, 2022 - 38 comments
Yesterday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a speech/comments to NATO outlining our position on NATO, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, multilateral diplomacy, our region, and nuclear proliferation. Plus of course she helped to finally get the EU trade treaty over the line. Her ‘comments’ are worth reading and commenting on because I suspect that they align pretty well to our societies general position.
Should our future lie with NATO?
Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, June 21st, 2022 - 62 comments
Not content to stay in the North Atlantic, NATO is shortly about to reveal in Madrid its next ten-year plan to contain China. Jacinda Ardern will be there, who knows why. Are we nailing our colours to a flag at half-mast?
The politics of high inflation – can governments do anything?
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, May 19th, 2022 - 13 comments
It is clear that we will continue to face these economic challenges with tools that are ill-equipped to face the problems. Only a truly international response can create an economy that delivers for all.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine – an act of aggression
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 pm, May 3rd, 2022 - 140 comments
The invasion that began just over two months ago will have a profound impact on global politics for many years. The conflict is unlikely to end quickly and will take a toll on everyone involved.
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.
How is Boris Johnson still in Number 10?
Written By: - Date published: 2:18 am, February 21st, 2022 - 10 comments
Boris Johnson, should not on balance still be Prime Minister and in the long term, the Conservatives risk being severely punished for not removing him. But despite everything, he remains in post and still, we cannot write him off.
Global Britain fell with Singapore
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 pm, February 16th, 2022 - 4 comments
Today February 15th is the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore in 1942, described by many as Britain’s worst military disaster. It was a massive strategic fail, and its effect is still powerful today, most notably with Australia’s lockstep with the US. Current British strategists don’t seem to have learnt a thing.
British identity and The Second World War
Written By: - Date published: 2:53 am, November 27th, 2021 - 1 comment
With regards to Johnson’s own leadership to date, his government’s apparent support of herd immunity as the response to COVID-19 in early 2020 had much more in common with Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy in the 1930s than the Battle of Britain.
Germany Votes: Where To Now
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 26th, 2021 - 22 comments
Germany is up for Federal election tomorrow and it’s pretty important for the stability of the European Union.
The Top 20 Biggest U.S. Military Interventions, Best to Worst
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, August 31st, 2021 - 76 comments
With the last flights coming out of Kabul, it’s time to review whether this US attitude to the world is a good idea.
Covid19 Vaccine Rollout and Global Inequality
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 24 comments
2023-2024 for a global rollout 0f the Covid vaccine will put stark lines of demarcation between which populations can trade and travel easily, and those who can’t.
Twelve months of living with Covid
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, February 1st, 2021 - 21 comments
One year on from the declaration by the WTO that Covid was a public health emergency and with the benefit of hindsight it is interesting to see who heeded the scientific advice and how it worked out.
Queue jumping the Covid vaccine rollout
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, January 27th, 2021 - 96 comments
National and ACT are concerned that New Zealand is not at the front of the queue obtaining Covid vaccine supplies. Even though our Covid status is still outstanding with no community transmission having happened for months, and even though to realistically open our borders every country in the world will have had to achieve herd immunity.
The Covid crisis
Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, November 1st, 2020 - 51 comments
A surge in Covid infections in Europe and in the United States is raising the specter that the most pessimistic predictions about the disease and its effect on the health system may occur. And right wing governments appear to be spectacularly unable to deal with the crisis.
How Covid 19 appears to be playing out
Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, June 4th, 2020 - 108 comments
The politics of Covid 19 present difficulties for the opposition. They cannot fault execution of the plan so far and have been reduced to complaining that the restrictions are not being loosened quickly enough.
Oh Sweden
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, May 16th, 2020 - 108 comments
Just when we thought liberal democracies meant real freedom was an absolute written into human rights stone, by mid-March this year almost all OECD countries had implemented the most draconian reversal of lockdowns on every single human to combat Covid19. Except Sweden. How is it working out?
Has the EU failed during COVID-19?
Written By: - Date published: 5:16 am, April 10th, 2020 - 20 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
For global governance organisations, this is an important moment. This is the chance for them to demonstrate their worth and coordinate the response. In many ways how these structures respond becomes more important than the response of nation-states. This also is where the deficiencies and shortcomings of such organisations become very apparent. The noise coming from the EU in the last 48 hours is far from reassuring.
- Standing for Auckland
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...5 hours ago - A little good news
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...10 hours ago - Tim Jago is part of a bigger ACT Party issue
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...11 hours ago - Fact brief – Is global warming promoting biodiversity?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...19 hours ago - The chart deck calling bullshit on Luxon’s ‘just drive faster & work longer’ economic grow...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...1 day ago - Nikki Noboats, Digital Nomads, Totally Noclue
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...2 days ago - No, Mr Dunne. A Grand Coalition Wouldn’t Work.
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ... 2 days ago - 2025 Reading List: January (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...2 days ago - The Proposed Regulatory Standards Bill
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...2 days ago - The Real State of the Nation: Fear, Anger, and a Demand for Change
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...2 days ago - Is the BSA rejecting too many complaints?
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...2 days ago - What happened to the Curia Market Research suspension?
Last year, I wrote that Curia Market Research was found in breach of professional research standards by the independent industry group.If you like my work, please do subscribe and consider supporting. Thank you.At the time, David Farrar, co-founder of Taxpayers Union, close affiliate of Jordan Williams, and National Party pollster, ...2 days ago - Better Late than Never?
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...2 days ago - Govt sets ‘shockingly unambitious’ new climate target
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...2 days ago - Weekly Roundup 31-January-2025
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...2 days ago - DeepSeek, And Ye Shall Find.
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...2 days ago - Telepathic Children Do Not Exist
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...2 days ago - The Hoon around the week to January 31
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...2 days ago - Treasury sinks key National election promise
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...2 days ago - Climate Change: Beyond irresponsible
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #5 2025
Open access notables Revisiting the Last Ice Area projections from a high-resolution Global Earth System Model, Fol et al., Communications Earth & Environment: The Last Ice Area—located to the north of Greenland and the northern Canadian Arctic Archipelago—is expected to persist as the central Arctic Ocean becomes seasonally ice-free within ...3 days ago
- Join us at 5pm for this week’s Hoon
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...3 days ago - Luxon for growth growth growth
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...3 days ago - The SIS and the “mosaic effect”
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...3 days ago
- Which Sort of People? Liberal versus Populist Democracy.
With The Stroke Of A Pen: Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...3 days ago
- Reviewing Covid experiences and policies
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...3 days ago - Going For Growth?
3 days ago
- Keep on Digging
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...3 days ago - An explanation of how renewable energy saves you money
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...3 days ago
- Some questions for the government on speed limit increases
Yesterday, the newly minted Minister of Transport Chris Bishop and the Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon held a press conference to announce a tranche of 38 state highways where speed limits will be automatically increased, and a further 49 up for public consultation on whether speeds should rise. ...3 days ago
- Chris Trotter: Which sort of people? Liberal versus populist democracy
SIR GEOFFREY PALMER is worried about democracy. In his Newsroom website post of 27 January 2025 he asserts that “the future of democracy across the world now seems to be in question.” Following a year of important electoral contests across the world, culminating in Donald Trump’s emphatic recapture of the ...3 days ago - Talking (and talking) about growth
The Government hasn’t stopped talking about growth since the Prime Minister made his “yes” speech at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last week. But so far, the measures announced would seem hardly likely to suddenly pitch New Zealand into the fast-growth East Asian league. The digital nomad announcement hardly deserved ...3 days ago
- Local government in Wellington – what’s been achieved
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...4 days ago - Who’s defaming you?
Someone defames you anonymously online. Can you find out who it is? Maybe. There are legal avenues to seek a court order that an internet host reveal the identity of the person. One of them is called a Norwich Pharmacal order, but as Hugh Tomlinson KC points out, it only ...4 days ago
- Wednesday 29 January
The results of the 2025 Mood of the Workforce survey have been released, with working people revealing deep concerns regarding their work lives, housing, health care, and perceptions of the coalition government in Aotearoa New Zealand.Christopher Luxon has signalled that National may campaign on asset sales in the next election, ...4 days ago
- This Sick Beat
Hey, hey, heyJust think, while you've been gettin' down and out about the liarsAnd the dirty, dirty cheats of the worldYou could've been gettin' down to this sick beatSongwriters: Taylor Swift / Shellback / Martin Max. Read more ...4 days ago - Luxon stumbles into toxic privatisation debate
Luxon has once again let National’s junior coalition partner, ACT, set the political agenda, dragging him and National into another politically draining debate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, January 29 are:PM Christopher ...4 days ago - The State of David Seymour’s Very, Very Cunning Plan
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Fresh from the maelstrom surrounding the Treaty Principles Bill, and before fury and dust from that toxic piece of rubbish has settled, Act Leader, David Seymour has launched a new narrative into the public ...4 days ago - Treaty Principles Bill Submissions: Heartfelt and Crafty
Note: This video featuring speakers such as Finlayson, Waring, Kelsey and Little is a long one - 35 minutes. In the first 9 of 80 hours that the Justice Select Committee will spend on Treaty Principles Bill public hearings1, from a smidgeon of the 343,000 record submissions2, in a months ...4 days ago
- Masks Off, National Party
When I created a Youtube channel, I labelled the playlist for National: “National Privatize NZ Party”.Now, why did I do that?It’s late and my brain isn’t working at full capacity, so my off the cuff answer is - 1. I follow far too much of this Government’s statements, actions, and ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell On DeepSeek, And China’s Inexorable Rise
The week’s big story has been about China’s DeepSeek low-cost AI model. Because DeepSeek requires fewer advanced chips, its advent has had a huge impact on the fortunes of US chip-making giant, Nvidia – which immediately lost $600 billion of its value, making that the biggest one day loss in ...5 days ago - Everything repeats, over and over
1. Is this the one that brings everything crashing down? This is a question I have asked myself many times now: The '87 crash; the Asian Financial Crisis; the Dotcom bubble; the Global Financial Crisis; the COVID.Each time the answer has turned out be: no, there will be No Great ...5 days ago - Submission: Employment Relations (Pay Deductions for Partial Strikes) Amendment Bill
The NZCTU strongly opposes the Employment Relations (Pay Deductions for Partial Strikes) Amendment Bill (the Bill). It is a clumsily drafted and punitive piece of legislation aimed at taking industrial power away from working people, undermining the right to strike and entrenching the inherent imbalance of power between workers and ...5 days ago
- A disrespectful foreign policy
The first item I remember on RNZ news this morning was that Winston is threatening to cut all aid to Kiribati because they wouldn't meet with him. Of course, there's more to the story than that - Kiribati's president had a pre-planned and significant historical event - but clearly Winston ...5 days ago
- Drawn
A ballot for two member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Crimes (Coward Punch Causing Injury or Death) Amendment Bill (Paulo Garcia) Juries (Age of Excusal) Amendment Bill (Carl Bates) So a harmless bill and some "tough on crime" bullshit. There were ...5 days ago
- Last Refuge of a Scoundrel
I wanna be FREE! Don't wanna be judged; I wanna be meIt's easy to see stereotypes are cutting me deepI pray every day doesn't mean I'm gonna get my wayBut Look how we get displayed. We need to get this straightLyrics of Freedom by Tipene Harmer.Nothing says a right-wing populist ...5 days ago - The planet had 58 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2024, the second-highest on record
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The planet was besieged by 58 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2024, ranking second-highest behind only 2023, which had 73, said insurance broker Gallagher Re in its annual report issued 17. The total damage wrought by weather disasters in 2024 was $402 billion, ...5 days ago
- Govt pivots to faster migration & tourism
National campaigned on a digital nomad visa capped at 250 applicants a year but has pivoted to allow an uncapped number people to stay working remotely for up to nine months. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on ...5 days ago - While You Shop, They Watch
Hi,Just quickly, I wanted to say thanks for all the discussion going on under the Elon Musk piece. Your commentary has helped me feel more sane. The AMA was also super fun — I’ll be emailing the 10 Flightless Bird t-shirt winners later this week.Now, onto something else entirely. Have ...5 days ago - Public Transport Ridership in 2024 – Part 1
How did public transport ridership perform in 2024, where has the post-covid recovery been the strongest and weakest and how do we compare to other cities. Those and more are questions that I’ll answer over few posts. In this first post I’m taking a look at the high-level numbers. In ...5 days ago
- “Something is very wrong in our society and economy” – NZCTU Workforce Survey shows people fea...
Insecurity in work, housing, and health among working people has emerged as the key finding from the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi’s 2025 annual Mood of the Workforce survey. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says the survey, which polled more than 1900 people, shows immense concern that ...5 days ago
- Mood of the Workforce 2025 results
Since 2019, we have asked working people to talk about their experiences of work over the past 12 months, and what their thoughts are on issues likely to impact their work and lives in the future. We do this because we think the voice of working people should be heard ...5 days ago
- The orcs are back
Last time National was in government they tried to pillage the conservation estate and open our national parks for mining. But we told them to go fuck themselves, and they slithered off. Unfortunately, Minister for Corruption Shane Jones, who shamelessly takes "donations" from mining companies, didn't get the message: ...6 days ago
- We deserve to know who chose this bullshit
Oral submissions on National's racist, ahistorical Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are being heard today, and in addition to the expected iwi, academics, lawyers, and constitutional experts calling bullshit, there's been a succession of racist, swivel-eyed loons spewing hate. You might think that that's the luck of the ...6 days ago
- Bernard’s Soliloquy for Monday Jan 27
Here’s the six things I think mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to January 27 around housing, climate and poverty:PM Christopher Luxon bought himself another six months of National caucus peace and tried to reassure an increasingly restive business community by massively reshuffling his key personnel in the ...6 days ago - If It Looks Like a Nazi & Quacks Like a Nazi…
Hi,It’s not even been week since the inauguration and I can already feel reality slipping. Let me try and explain where my head is at.Ever since 2016 — with Donald Trump’s cries of “fake news” — the line between what is real and what is not has become increasingly blurred. ...6 days ago - Money Changes Everything
Money changes everythingI said money, money changes everythingWe think we know what we're doin'That don't mean a thingIt's all in the past nowMoney changes everythingSong: Tom Gray.Late last year, the Fast-track Approvals Bill passed into law to the consternation of opponents concerned about removing environmental protections, a government that sees ...6 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Gaslighting About Growth
Donald Trump made his fortune by speculating in real estate. These days, Christopher Luxon makes a lot of his money the very same way. True, Luxon did also run a neo-monopoly airline during those bygone days when domestic and international air travel was affordable, and consumer demand was at its ...7 days ago
- SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #04
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 19, 2025 thru Sat, January 25, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...7 days ago
- Four times four is not eight
Sooner or later, like a gym bro flexing in the mirror, like a teen rolling their eyes, like a mansplainer patronisingly clearing his throat, the ACT party will start talking about privatisation.In the eyes of David Seymour and his LinkedIn ACTolytes, there's not a thing in this world that cannot ...1 week ago - The Extremes Of The Left
1 week ago - Seymour’s Tipping Point
Life is cruel, life is toughLife is crazy, then it all turns to dustWe let 'em out, we let 'em inWe'll let 'em know when it's the tipping point. The tipping point.Songwriters: Roland Orzabal / Charlton PettusYesterday, we saw the annual pilgrimage to Rātana, traditionally the first event in our ...1 week ago - How Important is Regulation to Economic Performance?
The invitation to comment on the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill opens with Minister David Seymour stating ‘[m]ost of New Zealand's problems can be traced to poor productivity, and poor productivity can be traced to poor regulations’. I shall have little to say about the first proposition except I can think ...1 week ago - Justice for Afghanistan?
The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against senior members of the Taliban regime on the grounds that their persecution of women is a crime against humanity: The international criminal court’s chief prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader and Afghanistan’s chief justice on the ...1 week ago
- Reader suggestions for “A View from Afar.”
My friend Selwyn Manning and I are wondering what to do with our podcast “A View from Afar.” Some readers will also have tuned into the podcast, which I regularly feature on KP as a media link. But we have some thinking to do about how to proceed, and it ...1 week ago - Luxon’s New Groove
Don't try to hide it; love wears no disguiseI see the fire burning in your eyesSong: Madonna and Stephen BrayThis week, the National Party held its annual retreat to devise new slogans, impressing the people who voted for them and making the rest of us cringe at the hollow words, ...1 week ago - Treaty Principles Bill rises to over $6m as Luxon doubles down on “Drill Baby, Drill”, G...
Support my work through a paid subscription, a coffee or reading and sharing. Thank you - I appreciate you all.Luxon’s penchant for “economic growth”Yesterday morning, I warned libertarianism had penetrated the marrow of the NZ Coalition agenda, and highlighted libertarian Peter Thiel’s comments that democracy and freedom are unable to ...1 week ago
- Defamation damages too…
A couple of recent cases suggest that the courts are awarding significant sums for defamation even where the publication is very small. This is despite the new rule that says plaintiffs, if challenged, have to show that the publication they are complaining about has caused them “more then minor harm.” ...1 week ago
- Human Rights Review Tribunal serious about privacy damages
Damages for breaches of the Privacy Act used to be laughable. The very top award was $40,000 to someone whose treatment in an addiction facility was revealed to the media. Not only was it taking an age for the Human Rights Review Tribunal to resolve cases, the awards made it ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 24-January-2025
It’s Friday and we’ve got Auckland Anniversary weekend ahead of us so we’ve pulled together a bumper crop of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...1 week ago
- Why the Government’s going-for-growth push will fail
Long stories short, the six things of interest in the political economy in Aotearoa around housing, climate and poverty on Friday January 24 are:PM Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech in Auckland yesterday, in which he pledged a renewed economic growth focus;Luxon’s focused on a push to bring in ...1 week ago
- Flightless Bird AMA
Hi,It’s been ages since I’ve done an AMA on Webworm — and so, as per usual, ask me what you want in the comments section, and over the next few days I’ll dive in and answer things. This is a lil’ perk for paying Webworm members that keep this place ...1 week ago - Join me for a live video chat Dawn Chorus of 6 things @ 6.30am
I’m trying a new way to do a more regular and timely daily Dawn Choruses for paying subscribers through a live video chat about the day’s key six things @ 6.30 am lasting about 10 minues. This email is the invite to that chat on the substack app on your ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to January 24
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on Donald Trump’s first executive orders to reverse Joe Biden’s emissions reductions policies and pull the United States out of ...1 week ago
- Coalition impasse threatens Luxon’s big economic reforms
The Prime Minister’s State of the Nation speech yesterday was the kind of speech he should have given a year ago.Finally, we found out why he is involved in politics.Last year, all we heard from him was a catalogue of complaints about Labour.But now, he is redefining National with its ...1 week ago
- MP Views: Tough on crime, water storage, Easter trading laws, and vocational training
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...23 hours ago - Marama Davidson to mark return to politics at Waitangi
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...1 day ago - Our Tamariki Deserve Better than Seymour’s Slop
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...2 days ago
- Release: Mining plan offers false promises with real damage
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...2 days ago - Release: Dunedin wins, hospital build continues
The people of Dunedin have won in an almost year-long battle to have their hospital confirmed, but National’s delays have cost dearly. ...2 days ago
- Greens stand with Coromandel locals against Luxon’s destructive mining policy
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...2 days ago
- Where’s the “culture of yes” on climate ambition?
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...2 days ago
- Taranaki Maunga Granted Legal Personhood
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...3 days ago
- Release: Frontline providers deserve certainty, not name-calling
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...3 days ago
- Release: Seymour’s school lunch cuts already failing kids
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...3 days ago
- Open season on renters begins with no-cause evictions
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...3 days ago
- Release: Govt soft on prosecuting migrant exploitation
The National Government’s big talk on combatting the exploitation of migrant workers has been exposed as a sham today. ...3 days ago
- Release: More road deaths likely if evidence not followed
Any road deaths as a result of increased speed limits will now be on the Government’s hands. ...4 days ago
- Raising speed limits on undivided highways invites trouble
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...4 days ago
- Release: Luxon misleading on the economy
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is misleading the public by falsely claiming the economy has been in recession for three years. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nicola Willis prioritises visitors over everyday Kiwis
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...6 days ago
- Luxon waves goodbye to record number of NZers with no plan in sight
Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech today offered no real hope nor vision for a unified and prosperous Aotearoa New Zealand. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s sanctions regime fails us all
The Government’s newly released data paints a damning picture: the sanctions regime targeting beneficiaries is an abject failure. ...1 week ago
- Release: Nicola Willis has a new job while she oversees New Zealanders losing theirs
There are still struggles ahead with rising rents, rates, insurance and high unemployment, despite today’s inflation data. ...2 weeks ago
- Government spin won’t pay the rent
The latest Consumer Price Index figures show rents rising almost twice as fast as general inflation. ...2 weeks ago
- Aotearoa must step up as Trump plays with climate fire
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Cabinet reshuffle a futile exercise from failing government
National's Cabinet reshuffle is a futile attempt to turn around a failing government. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome Gaza ceasefire, but say more work to do
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...2 weeks ago
- 98 per cent of potholes repaired within 24 hours
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...2 days ago - Decision reached on Dunedin Hospital
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...2 days ago
- First Plunket site begins delivering childhood immunisations
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...2 days ago
- Government confirms international commitment to disability community
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...2 days ago
- Major milestone reached with launch of Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...2 days ago
- A new direction for the minerals sector to grow the economy
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...2 days ago
- Tax policy proposal would boost NZ racing
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...2 days ago
- Business confidence signals progress
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...2 days ago
- Hawke’s Bay patients to benefit from new and improved radiology and cancer treatment services
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...3 days ago
- Setting New Zealand’s second international climate target
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...3 days ago
- Major negotiations with iwi of Taranaki conclude
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...3 days ago
- Relentless focus on literacy & numeracy at school
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...3 days ago
- Ministers welcome Kāinga Ora’s revised approach to wool carpets
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...3 days ago
- New school lunch programme serves up first healthy lunches
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...3 days ago
- Barnardos decision reversed
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...3 days ago
- Customs’ levies bill passes first reading
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...4 days ago
- Citizenship applications completed up 54 per cent in December
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...4 days ago
- Speed limit reduction reversals begin
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...4 days ago
- Budget will be delivered on 22 May
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...4 days ago
- PM emphasises importance of growth in 2025
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...5 days ago
- Students are back at school
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...6 days ago
- Going for Growth: New rules for visiting tourists
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...6 days ago
- Housing Minister opens new Epuni development
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...6 days ago
- Trade and Investment Minister to hold trans-Tasman discussion
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...1 week ago
- New podiatry clinic brings much-needed service to Wairoa
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...1 week ago
- Commissioner recommends panel inquire into Judge’s conduct
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...1 week ago
- Schools to accelerate maths achievement
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...1 week ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...1 week ago
- Emergency Housing target achieved five years early
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...1 week ago
- Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development opens
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...1 week ago
- New Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...1 week ago
- State of the Nation 2025
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...1 week ago
- Invest New Zealand opens doors to the world
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...1 week ago
- Reforms to boost science sector and economy
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...1 week ago
- Economic growth the key to better days ahead
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...1 week ago
- Runaway spending growth checked
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...1 week ago
- Welfare that Works making a difference
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...1 week ago
- Two new appointments to Film Commission Board
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...2 weeks ago
- Drop in domestic inflation hailed
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...2 weeks ago
- New appointments bring business expertise to the Employment Relations Authority
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...2 weeks ago
- Palestine Forum of New Zealand Urges Government to Join the Hague Group in Support of Palestine
The Forum urges Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters to demonstrate New Zealand’s commitment to human rights by joining this initiative. ...2 hours ago - Jacinda Ardern: The Myth of Kindness and the Reality of Division
The reality of Ardern’s leadership is far removed from the carefully curated narrative of “kindness” and “transformational politics” that the film promotes. ...2 hours ago
- Indonesia’s amnesty plan for West Papua independence fighters greeted with scepticism
By Victor Mambor and Tria Dianti The Indonesian government’s proposal to grant amnesty to pro-independence rebels in West Papua has stirred scepticism as the administration of new President Prabowo Subianto seeks to deal with the country’s most protracted armed conflict. Without broader dialogue and accountability, critics argue, the initiative could ...3 hours ago - New Zealand diplomats reach out to US Senator Ted Cruz over false Israeli immigration requirements
Ted Cruz shared a story which incorrectly stated every Israeli must detail their military service to receive a visitor's visa for New Zealand. ...3 hours ago - Why new homes can be damp – and what we can do about it
Comment: It’s no secret that many Kiwi homes can be damp and mouldy. But the problem isn’t necessarily restricted to older housing. New houses can also create conditions for condensation and mould – even if they’re designed to comply with the New Zealand Building Code.Why? The Building Code requirements for ...11 hours ago - Moral bankruptcy, Israel’s genocide and the betrayal of the Palestinians
Why has any discussion about Israel, its violations of international law, and the international legal expectations for third party states to hold IDF soldiers accountable not been addressed in Aotearoa New Zealand? ANALYSIS: By Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa national chair John Minto’s campaign to identify Israeli Defence Force ...13 hours ago
- UN rapporteur welcomes ‘best news’ — Hague Group coalition pushing for Palestinian state
Asia Pacific Report UN Special Rapporteur to the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese has hailed the formation of The Hague Group, describing it as the “best news” from a coalition of policymakers “in a long time”. Formed on Friday in the city of its namesake, The Hague Group’s members — ...16 hours ago
- Winston Peters has fiery response to US Senator Ted Cruz about NZ immigration requirements for Israe...
The foreign affairs minister has called out Senator Ted Cruz for sharing misinformation about the immigration requirements for Israelis visiting NZ. ...18 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Albanese dumps Nature Positive legislation and considers shrinking t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dumped – for the second time – the government’s controversial “Nature Positive” legislation, which had run into strong opposition from the Western Australian Labor government. Albanese, speaking on The ...18 hours ago
- NZ-Kiribati fallout: Maamau’s inability to engage with NZ difficult to defend
COMMENTARY: By Barbara Dreaver, 1News Pacific correspondent There has rightly been much debate and analysis over New Zealand’s decision to review the aid it gives to Kiribati. It’s a big deal. So much is at stake, especially for the I-Kiribati people who live with many challenges and depend on the ...19 hours ago
- Govt Ministers & HRC Give Green Light To Destiny Church Assaults Against Palestine Solidarity Pr...
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is alarmed Winston Peters and the Human Rights Commissioner have given the green light to Destiny Church assaults against Palestinian support protests this weekend. PSNA has been contacted by police to say ...22 hours ago
- The far-right is rising at a crucial time in Germany, boosted by Elon Musk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University With only a few weeks until Germany’s election, Elon Musk has unambiguously thrown his support behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In a video address to a party rally last week, he ...1 day ago
- NZ Palestinian network advocate Janfrie Wakim praises ‘heroic Gaza’, calls for more action
Asia Pacific Report One of the key early leaders of a national Palestinian solidarity network in Aotearoa New Zealand today praised the “heroic” resilience and sacrifice of the people of Gaza in the face of Israel’s ruthless attempt to destroy the besieged enclave of more than 2 million people. Speaking ...1 day ago
- Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico amp up the risk of a broader trade war
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Markus Wagner, Professor of Law and Director of the UOW Transnational Law and Policy Centre, University of Wollongong It’s official. On February 1, US President Donald Trump will introduce a sweeping set of new 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. ...1 day ago
- Former PNG army commander Jerry Singirok pays tribute to Sir Julius Chan
By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent The former Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) commander who defied a government decision to send mercenaries to Bougainville during the civil war in the late 1990s has paid tribute to Sir Julius Chan, prime minister at the time. Retired Major-General Jerry Singirok, ...1 day ago
- Former ACT Party president and convicted sex offender Tim Jago’s name suppression went on too ...
A survivors' advocate says sex offenders should not be able to get name suppression for as long as Tim Jago had. ...1 day ago
- ‘Boot the Bill’: Plea for government to put a stop to military-style camps
"The right to campaign, protest, and petition is a blessing we have," Children's Minister Karen Chhour told RNZ in response. ...1 day ago
- ‘We will be ready for whatever they throw’ – Marama Davidson on return to politics
Exclusive Mata interview - Greens co-leader Marama Davidson announces her return to mahi after breast cancer treatment. ...1 day ago
- Short story: Saturn’s orbit, by Juliet Blythe
I met her, for the first time, in spring. October swirled in on a warm breeze that smelled of manuka flowers, showering my world with buttery kowhai petals. I abandoned my beanie and gloves for a floppy sunhat and jandals, flinging myself towards summer.We’d gone away for Labour Weekend, driving ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s last war
It is billed as ‘New Zealand’s last war’. It took place in 1979 and lasted just three minutes, but was considered a pivotal race relations moment for the country.A landmark court case and official inquiry by the Race Relations Conciliator and the Human Rights Commission followed. Then … it was ...1 day ago
- Kathrine Switzer claims NZ running first – at 78
More than 50 years after becoming the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, then creating the world’s first women’s road race, Kathrine Switzer continues to make history – and for the first time, in New Zealand.At 78, she’s just won her first New Zealand running title on one ...1 day ago
- ‘We have listened’: Simeon Brown confirms the south will get a New Dunedin Hospital
The minister of health visited Dunedin on Friday to announce an update to the hospital project. Tara Ward was there. A busy road full of big trucks and productive people is former transport minister Simeon Brown’s fever dream, so it was fitting that the announcement about the New Dunedin Hospital ...1 day ago - The Haka Party Incident and how we remember
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. “History repeats itself” has been repeated throughout history so often and to no avail that it’s become an ouroboros. It’s most often wheeled out as the reason to study history – to document it, analyse it and resurface it in order to ...1 day ago
- Meet New Zealand’s 84-year-old kite influencer
Alex Casey spends the afternoon on New Brighton beach with kite-flying YouTuber Jim Nicholls. Head to Christchurch’s New Brighton on any summer’s day and you are likely to check a few things off your beachside bingo card. There’ll be a couple of fishermen casting off the pier, kids splashing around ...1 day ago
- ‘You are so lucky no one watches this’: Eli Matthewson on the mayhem of U Late
The comedian, broadcaster and host of Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here takes us through his life in television. Eli Matthewson first appeared on our screens on the legendary but short-lived youth channel TVNZ U in 2013, and has since gone on to be a mainstay in the local comedy ...1 day ago
- The Spinoff Essay: Bus bloke
Pugnacious and genial; monosyllabic yet capable of gloriously subversive narratives; battered by life but proud as a peacock. Everyone who catches the No 8 bus knows Murray, writes David Hill. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of ...1 day ago
- A Portrait of My Mother: an excerpt from Bad Archive by Flora Feltham
An essay from Flora Feltham’s debut collection – The Spinoff readers’ favourite nonfiction book of 2024, now longlisted in the General Nonfiction category at this year’s Ockham NZ Book Awards. Ah, I think, so this is autumn: the season when spiders come inside. Outside, a cold weeknight drapes itself over ...1 day ago
- Hell is truth seen too late
At the opening of Parliament this year, each of the party leaders made speeches that were surprisingly philosophical. Perhaps because the select committee on the Treaty Principles bill had just begun, with its musings about tino rangatiratanga and ‘sovereignty’, they talked about preferred styles of governance.For Christopher Luxon and National, it ...1 day ago
- As Donald Trump plays God in Gaza, Israel acts like spoiled brat
The Gaza ceasefire deal proves that Israeli politics can only survive if it’s engaged in perpetual war. US President Donald Trump has unsettled Arab leaders with his obscene suggestion that Egypt and Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza. Both Egypt and Jordan have stated that this is a non-starter and ...2 days ago
- ‘No way’ of knowing Tim Jago was abuser – ACT Party
The ACT Party says it took immediate action after learning its former president had been charged with sexual abuse. ...2 days ago
- Devil’s in the detail for new Dunedin hospital
Analysis: When considering calamity, the rule of thumb is to favour mismanagement over conspiracy.Last September’s Dunedin Hospital announcement, a bombshell in which the Government raised the spectre of refurbishing the existing hospital’s decrepit ward block, or scaling back the new inpatient building, could be considered a major miscalculation. Creating a ...2 days ago
- Wenda calls for international inquiry into film claim that Indonesia is using chemical weapons in We...
Pacific Media Watch A West Papuan advocacy group is calling for an urgent international inquiry into allegations that Indonesian security forces have used the chemical weapon white phosphorus against West Papuans for a second time. The allegations were made in the new documentary, Frontier War, by Paradise Broadcasting. In the ...2 days ago
- Environmental groups express concerns over mining exports plan
The plan involves more mining, including of gold and coal, and forcing banks to finance fossil fuel expansion. ...2 days ago
- Astronomers have spied an asteroid that may be heading for Earth. Here’s what we know so far
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Artist’s impression of an asteroid with Earth in the background. Buradaki / Shutterstock On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. ...2 days ago
- The Maunga owns itself: Taranaki histories and apologies
The House: Taranaki Maunga has a new name and now legal personhood, but there's a lot more fascinating detail in the new law than that. ...2 days ago
- Specialist disappointed older people being let down over Dunedin Hospital revamp
The government is being unrealistic and ignoring the needs of an ageing population, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry says. ...2 days ago
- Trump says he wants to take Greenland. International law says otherwise
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University One of United States President Donald Trump’s more startling claims since taking office for his second term – and there have been many – is his insistence that the US will take control ...2 days ago
- Former ACT Party president Tim Jago named as former political figure who abused teenage boys
Tim Jago indecently assaulted two teenagers he mentored through a sports club between 1995 and 1999. ...2 days ago
- Can a child legally take puberty blockers? What if their parents disagree?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Mitchell, Lecturer in Criminology, Deakin University MirasWonderland/Shutterstock Young people’s access to gender-affirming medical care has been making headlines this week. Today, federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced a review into health care for trans and gender-diverse children and adolescents. The ...2 days ago
- His Majesty’s pleasure: King reigns over Tongan government despite democratic reform
COMMENTARY: By Kalafi Moala Long live the king and long may he reign, so goes the traditional proclamation. In Tonga, King Tupou VI has shown he has every intention of doing that. After a tumultuous and tense year of the chess board of politics, the monarch appears to have won, ...2 days ago
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