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Boris wants more bombs
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, March 19th, 2021 - 50 comments
Boris Johnson has announced that the United Kingdom will increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons and open up the possibility of using weapons against non nuclear nations, despite being a signatory to various treaties that prohibit both actions being taken.
Brexit revisited
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, December 13th, 2020 - 19 comments
With Brexit looming there is talk of unfinished customs software and the possibility of chaos around ports, the UK’s food supply being compromised, and potential skirmishes with France at fishing spots. And Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are refusing to talk to Boris Johnson. Hang on England, this is going to get wild.
This result could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, February 10th, 2020 - 13 comments
Originally posted onNick Kelly’s blog
Nick is a Director of Piko Consulting and works as a Political Adviser in The House of Lords.
Listening to the results being reported while driving on that California freeway, I recall thinking ‘this result could lead to the break up of the United Kingdom’. On hearing that both Northern Ireland and Scotland had voted to stay part of the EU, in contrast to the rest of the country, it was hard to imagine that this would not become a significant issue.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 9: What the party needs to do now.
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, January 17th, 2020 - 12 comments
Originally post on Nick Kelly’s blog
The broader context of this defeat is that over the last century, UK Labour has won 8 out of the last 28 general elections. Overall the Labour Party is not a successful electoral force in the UK. What makes the 2019 loss harder, is that the party lost sections of its historical base in the North of England and the Midlands.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 6: New Labour & Blairism
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, January 15th, 2020 - 10 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Fact is that the world has moved on from the 1980s and 90s. Politics certainly has. The types of 3rd way or centre/centre right positions that Blair and Campbell think will win just won’t anymore.
Why UK Labour lost? Part 4: Ooooh Jeremy Corbyn
Written By: - Date published: 3:13 am, January 14th, 2020 - 12 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Why UK Labour lost? Part 3: Its Brexit innit
Written By: - Date published: 6:14 am, January 13th, 2020 - 28 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Why the Tories won the UK election?
Written By: - Date published: 2:29 am, December 30th, 2019 - 9 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Listening to left wing dissent
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 16th, 2019 - 178 comments
What stands out for me are the voices of the people who are saying actually, there were solid reasons for abandoning Labour, this is why I did. There’s something important here about really listening to dissent and being willing to engage with views that don’t make sense in the context of our own personal ideologies.
Brexit – sorry its not getting done anytime soon.
Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, December 12th, 2019 - 5 comments
Can the Conservatives get brexit done by January 31st as they are promising in the election? The short answer is no. The slogan is catchy, and taps into public sentiment. But it is also pure unadulterated bullshit. If the Conservatives do form the next government these words will haunt them, especially Boris Johnson.
The Missing Millions
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 12th, 2019 - 18 comments
Millions of people and an entire region of the UK left out of polling calculations….
Bouganville and Brexit
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 12th, 2019 - 2 comments
The island of Bouganville has just had a vote towards independence from Papua New Guinea. The result has interesting similarities with the Brexit vote.
The NHS and privatisation
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, December 10th, 2019 - 18 comments
The NHS is well loved by the British public. It is seen as something which makes British society decent and civilised. That the NHS is now stretched and badly underfunded is seen as a national outrage. Fears of even further privatisation of the NHS due to a US trade deal has unsurprisingly made the NHS the number one election issue.
Northern Ireland’s precarious peace
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, December 9th, 2019 - Comments Off on Northern Ireland’s precarious peace
On Friday, UK leader of the opposition revealed a leaked Treasury Paper which undermines the Prime Ministers claims that there will be no checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. My earlier post on each of the party’s Brexit positions pointed out how critical Northern Ireland has been in the Brexit debate.
Scotland – does independence loom?
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, December 6th, 2019 - 14 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog Scotland matters in the 2019 UK general election. Yet much of the electorate have little understanding of the place, it’s politics or what could happen after the December 12 election. Scotland could well decide the outcome of the 2019 UK Election. It did in 2017. At the last election fierce […]
Youth and the aspirational centre
Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, December 5th, 2019 - 12 comments
In 2017 UK general election, it was predicted that the Conservatives would win by a landslide. Why? Well the polls said so. The polls made various assumptions about turnout and which constituencies were marginal and likely to turn. Also commentators assumed that Labour under Corbyn had moved too far left, and could not win the centre ground and win. All of this commentary and analysis proved to be bullshit.
Immigration: we can’t keep succumbing to fear tactics
Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, December 2nd, 2019 - 18 comments
The folly of electoral pacts
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 am, November 30th, 2019 - 2 comments
Originally posted Nick Kelly’s blog One feature of the UK election has been various electoral alliances or deals done. This has mostly occurred around the issue of Brexit. Early on in the campaign I wrote about Trump’s intervention in the UK election, specifically him calling on The Brexit Party and The Conservatives to do a deal. […]
Economists support Labour forming the next UK government
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 27th, 2019 - 24 comments
One hundred and sixty three British economists have signed a letter to the Financial Times to say they believe that Labour should form the next government. The UK economy needs reform. For too long it has prioritised consumption over investment, short-term financial returns over long-term innovation, rising asset values over rising wages, and deficit reduction […]
The 2008 financial crisis casts a long shadow over UK politics
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 am, November 16th, 2019 - 2 comments
Nick Kelly on why the 2008 Global Financial Crisis is still having a dramatic effect on United Kingdom Politics.
Compassionless Conservatives?
Written By: - Date published: 5:32 am, November 14th, 2019 - 6 comments
Nick Kelly summaries the lack of compassion shown by Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg during this weeks UK election campaign.
The Liberal Democrats
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 10th, 2019 - 13 comments
Nick Kelly on the Liberal Democrats’ prospects in the upcoming UK elections.
UK Elections: Parties positions on Brexit
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, November 9th, 2019 - 6 comments
Nick Kelly gives a summary of each major United Kingdom political party.
Farage – thorn in the side of the UK Conservatives
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, November 5th, 2019 - 4 comments
Nick Kelly is a former NZ trade union leader and NZ Labour activist. He is a co director of Piko Consulting, and currently lives in London expanding Piko into the UK. The below was originally published on Nick Kelly’s blog
The UK General Election
Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, November 4th, 2019 - 10 comments
Nick Kelly is a form NZ trade unionist and NZ Labour activist. He is a co director of Piko Consulting, and currently lives in London expanding Piko into the UK. The below was originally published on Nick Kelly’s blog
Snap election Britain
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 30th, 2019 - 55 comments
The UK will learn its political fate on Friday 13 December. MPs have voted in a one-line Bill to have an election on Thursday 12 November, in the middle of winter. BoJo’s got his way if not quite the way he wanted. All bets are off.
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Public sector worker backlash against Labour
Is Labour supposed to be the party of labour or of capital? It’s often hard to tell these days, and many in the labour movement and the political left are feeling betrayed this week by the Government’s announcement of a pay freeze for public sector workers. The Government has essentially ...2 hours ago - Fast times and a fast mouth with Boy Racer MP, David Seymour?
You’ve got to give the man credit: he quite honestly built his own car, a Lotus replica, and clearly had personal skills and a driving interest here – ha – that served him well even at a young age, which no doubt were enhanced further when he went on ...18 hours ago - Why Are We Moving to Auckland?
Might the drift to the north be resisted?The regional population projections of Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) have only the Auckland and Waikato regions growing faster than the national average through to 2048. The other fourteen grow slower than average. The next three are Bay of Plenty, Canterbury and Northland, so ...19 hours ago - The Free Speech Union NZ branch
by Daphna Whitmore Across the English speaking world free speech is threatened. Wokeness and cancel culture, which emerged from the universities in the past decade, has spread. Its ideology is postmodernism, an obscure and impenetrable outlook. Now the university graduates have taken their piousness into government departments and NGOs where ...1 day ago - Incoherent
On Wednesday, the government froze public service pay for three years in a vicious attack on the very workers who have kept the country alive during the pandemic for the last year. Meanwhile, today they've re-announced their new system of "Fair pay Agreements", allowing unions to negotiate basic terms and ...1 day ago - Branko Marcetic: Labour’s public sector pay freeze isn’t just a betrayal of frontline workers ...All around the world, governments, economists, and even neoliberal bastions like the World Bank are urging a change in the direction of economic policy away from the mistakes of a decade ago – all except here in New Zealand, where the government appears determined to repeat them. Branko Marcetic examines ...1 day ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 7 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Stuff: Editorial – Pay freeze stretches public sector loyalty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Pay freeze shows Government can’t manage the books Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Pay freeze controversy enters second day, with Greens and National pressing Labour Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Do people really earn more in the public sector? David Farrar: Robertson and Hipkins become honorary members of ...1 day ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Muller TrapA speech by Todd Muller at the Te Puna Rugby Club last June told voters everything they need to know about the New Zealand National Party. It was, arguably, the most coherent statement on political philosophy by a National leader in the MMP era. Interwoven with the usual platitudes ...1 day ago
- With Friends Like These …
He's On Our Side? When Australia’s very own Minister of Defence, Peter Dutton, is telling anyone who will listen that "a war over Taiwan cannot be discounted" and that Australia was "already under attack" from Chinese cyber-warriors, it is probably time to think again about who New Zealand's "friends" and ...1 day ago - Developing Separately – Or Together?'He iwi tahi tātou'? Should Maori poverty be addressed as a manifestation of the economic and social injustices inherent in free-market capitalism; or, is it the inevitable consequence of colonial oppression, white privilege and institutional racism? If it’s the former, then Maori and Pakeha can tackle the problem together. If ...2 days ago
- “A Rare Misstep from Simeon Brown”: Once more playing the Useful Idiot of the National Party?
Overall, MP Simeon Brown is someone to poke fun at with his asinine takes, clearly. He can, like Collins, just not help himself to save himself. But never let yourself get seriously worked up and actually worn out over it. He’s simply not worth it, sad as it ...2 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 6 May 2021Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard Henry Cooke (Stuff): National v Mallard: That atrocious late-night debate is the reason people hate politicians Barry Soper (Herald): Trevor Mallard’s outburst this week questions whether he understands what a serious sexual assault is Claire Trevett (Herald): The unedifying spectacle of the Speaker v National in Parliament (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Mallard using his power to attack ...2 days ago
- Reducing tobacco retail availability: how could this be achieved and what evidence supports the NZ G...
Lindsay Robertson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Frederieke Petrović-van der Deen, George Thomson, Louise Marsh (*Author details) The NZ Government has published a Discussion Document outlining an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal. This blog is one of a series examining key aspects of the plan to help inform ...2 days ago - Ardern says China differences ‘becoming harder to ignore’; promises to work harder on ignoring t...
Ardern has been crystal clear that New Zealand “must step up” its efforts if it is to successfully dodge questions about genocide in China. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the Auckland Business Chamber on Monday that differences between New Zealand and China on human rights were “becoming more difficult” to ...3 days ago - covid-19 infection and how the spike protein is involved in doing harmJust this morning a journalist sent me a link to a press release about a new paper looking at how SARS-Cov-2 affects the vascular system, & asked to comment on it for a article. If you’d like to read the actual paper you can find it here, but be ...3 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18, 2021
Bringing more certainty to uncertainty communications For the armchair dilettante observer of scientific progress a solid literature review is something akin to going to Disneyland. It's almost too much stimulation. When a review covers a salient, hot topic, so much the better. This week we're pleased to feature a vast review ...3 days ago - Punishing our saviours againLast year public servants saved our lives, working overtime in the middle of a pandemic to stand up a response which kept out Covid and kept kiwis alive and employed. The government rewarded them with a pay freeze. And now they're extending that for another three years: Public servants ...3 days ago
- Hard News: A picture of official callousness and detachment
Last night, the New Zealand Herald posted a story from its political reporter Derek Cheng which bundles together a number of current issues around medicinal cannabis. The most alarming is that of Katy Thomas and her epileptic son Eddy, which has recently been taken up by Green MP Chloe Swarbrick. Their ...3 days ago - Samoa’s dodgy dissolutionSamoa's tied elections took a turn for the worse last night, with the O le Ao o le Malo purporting to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections in what looks awfully like a self-coup. The "justification" for this was the uncertainty created by the hung parliament - a situation the ...3 days ago
- 12,000 unemployed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and once again outperformed expectations, with unemployment dropping to 4.7%. So there are now 135,000 unemployed, 12,000 more than when Labour took office. Its not all good news though: the underutilisation rate is up, suggesting that more jobs are part-time. Still, compared ...3 days ago
- Labour refuses to condemn genocide in XinjiangBut they will condemn "possible severe human rights abuses". What a pack of snivelling, grovelling chickenshits. Refusing to call the crime what it is for fear of offending the criminal. But maybe this is Labour's "kindness"? Fuck the poor. Fuck the kids. Fuck immigrants. But be kind to génocidaires. But ...3 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 5 May 2021He Puapua document and the National Party Henry Cooke (Stuff): Whose race card is this anyway? Judith Collins and David Seymour both appear to have found the same wedge issue Graham Adams (Stuff): Ardern on a hot tin roof over He Puapua plan to share power with Māori Claire Trevett (Herald): Judith Collins’ has grabbed the agenda on ...3 days ago
- Collins warns Government is planning separatist New Zealand with special car parks and gender segreg...The Government is accusing National of scaremongering over a proposal to establish separate Māori governance in New Zealand, pointing to its long history of ignoring recommendations. National Party interim leader Judith Collins has deepened her attacks on the Government’s proposed Māori Health Authority this week, alleging that Prime Minister Jacinda ...4 days ago
- #PLURV – the German #FLICC – getting popular in GermanyLongtime readers of what we are up to at Skeptical Science will be well aware of the FLICC taxonomy first suggested by Mark Hoofnagle in 2007, written about in Diethelm & McKnee (2009) and since then greatly enlarged by John Cook: A much simpler FLICC-taxonomy first started out to be utilized ...4 days ago
- https://sciblogs.co.nz/?p=276367Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz I’ve heard the gravity changes when Antarctica melts will lower ...4 days ago
- The Greens worry about morality, Labour worries about tradeThe Greens have done what was expected of them, and agreed to back ACT's motion on genocide in Xinjiang tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Labour Party is worrying about trade: Trade Minister Damien O'Connor has warned a parliamentary debate on whether Beijing is committing genocide in Xinjiang would damage trade with ...4 days ago
- Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or videoNaomi S. Baron, American University During the pandemic, many college professors abandoned assignments from printed textbooks and turned instead to digital texts or multimedia coursework. As a professor of linguistics, I have been studying how electronic communication compares to traditional print when it comes to learning. Is comprehension the ...4 days ago
- Shaken and Stirred: The Left Reacts To Judith Collins’ Race-Based Politicking.Extremely Moderate: That was the “problem” with Judith Collins’ address to the National Party’s Northern Regional Conference on 1 May 2021: its totally unexpected moderation. This was no bilious outpouring of racial hate – quite the reverse. With a degree of political subtlety and tactical agility that did both Collins and her ...4 days ago
- Labour adopts NZ First’s racismNew Zealand First were a nasty pack of racists. One of the ideas they pushed was that immigrants - which in NZ First-ese means "non-white people", not those lovely people from the UK or South Africa - are coming here to steal the pensions of "hardworking" (white) New Zealanders by ...4 days ago
- Redefining Democracy.The Dead Hand Of Privilege: To be white, male, heterosexual, well-educated, and – of course – wealthy, is to enjoy a high degree of “privilege” in a culture where such distinctions are generally esteemed. Formal democratic equality, it is asserted, actually serves to mask this privilege and, by doing so, ...4 days ago
- The police’s “emissions-free fleet” strategyLast year, just as the government was announcing plans for a carbon-neutral public service, the police announced they were buying new petrol-powered patrol cars. But they weren't ignoring the government's requirements, with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster quoted as saying "we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and have outlined ...4 days ago
- Could the COVID vaccines affect your period? We don’t know yet — but there’s no cause for conc...Michelle Wise, University of Auckland Over recent weeks, news reports have indicated some women are experiencing irregularities in their menstrual cycles after receiving a COVID vaccine. This has included periods arriving early and being heavier than usual, or being absent or late, among other changes. At this stage, there’s no ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 4 May 2021China and New Zealand Bryce Edwards (The Guardian): Ardern’s speech was not an attack on China, or even a shift away from Beijing Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Nanaia Mahuta’s China dilemma and the future of New Zealand diplomacy Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Political, economic China perspectives collide at summit Michael Neilson ...4 days ago
- Report: All new cars and trucks in U.S. could be electric by 2035This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Thinking ahead to what (and whether?) you may be driving – may have parked in your garage or driveway or parking lot – a few years from now? Like, for instance, in 2035? Only with “robust” public policy initiatives as yet not on ...4 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on ChinaJacinda Ardern’s speech at the China Business Summit was a crowd-pleaser. Geoffrey Miller explains its role in the “rebalancing” of New Zealand’s orientation to China and the West. For critics who believed she had gone soft on China, Jacinda Ardern’s line that differences between China and New Zealand were ...5 days ago
- Climate Change: Cut methane nowFarmers are our biggest source of climate pollution, being responsible for 48% of our emissions. Three quarters of their emissions come from methane, caused by burping cows and rotting cowshit. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but short-lived; its impact on global temperature over 20 years is 84 times higher ...5 days ago
- Hard News: The drumbeat for reform gets louderIt should have come as no surprise after the narrow referendum defeat last year of a bill to legalise and regulate cannabis that its loudest and best-funded opponents should have wandered off to find a new culture war. The people behind SAM-NZ, Family First and Say Nope to Dope have ...5 days ago
- Press Release 27 April 2021 – Congratulations to Minister Little and the Government on the Health ...
Peter Malcolm for Income Equality Aotearoa New Zealand Inc. – Closing the Gap The recently announced changes to the way health is administered in New Zealand are long overdue. We do not need 20 separate health authorities in New Zealand as the responses to the pandemic has illustrated. The current ...5 days ago - Government of kindness?Remember John Campbell's "Feed the kids" campaign? Free school lunches are one of the most effective education policy interventions we can make, boosting attendance and improving learning outcomes. Currently the government funds them for the 25% of children living in the poorest areas of New Zealand. But poor kids whose ...5 days ago
- Speaker: test post with picsFollowing the storming of the US capitol building in January, Twitter cracked down on accounts that were using the site to promote false narratives about the US election, in particular accounts associated with the Qanon conspiracy theory. The mass removal of accounts included a number of New Zealanders. Many of ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 May 2021National Party: “Separatism” and He Puapua Matthew Hooton (Herald): Judith Collins’ speech raises important issues for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern(paywalled) Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Ardern in the gun over He Puapua Luke Malpass (Stuff): Judith Collins issues race relations warning, says Labour planning ‘two systems by stealth’ Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Echoes of the past in Judith Collins’ speech Lara Greaves and Ella ...5 days ago
- Graham Adams: Ardern in the gun over He PuapuaA covert 20-year plan to establish Maori sovereignty is political dynamite. Graham Adams argues it represents a real threat to the Prime Minister’s reputation as open and transparent. Judith Collins made no effort to hide the cat-with-the-cream expression on her face when she answered journalists’ questions after a National ...5 days ago
- Improving NZ Government Communication about COVID-19: Five Suggestions Including a Proposal for Depo...Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig The high quality communication by the NZ Government for much of the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarked on. But given that the pandemic situation is very far from over, in this blog we consider five areas in which ...5 days ago
- Crackpot Theory: Ar-Pharazôn’s Sexuality (or the lack thereof)
Some time ago, I presented my completely unprovable hypothesis that Rhaegar, from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, had Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s a crackpot theory, of course – one that involves taking certain elements of the text, and running with them in accordance with wilder imagination. ...6 days ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Apr 25, 2021 through Sat, May 1, 2021 In no particular order the following articles lead to the most interactions during the last seven days: Points of no return, What Skepticism Reveals About Science, The ...6 days ago
- A Night in the Witherlands: Published
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Issue #48 (May-July 2021) is now out:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3442 And my 6.400-word sword and sorcery piece, A Night in the Witherlands, is out with it:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3400 As noted previously, this one is a follow-up to A Breath Through Silver:http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue849/breath_silver1.html Please check out the Bibliography page for my other ...6 days ago - A year ago today
A year ago today, my partner and I “properly” began the journey to become parents. We’d been on the path for a very long time: first trying, and trying, and trying, and failing, then trying to get help, and facing some pretty gross obstacles to that; and finally being in ...6 days ago - Judith Collins goes whistle shopping
Having taken an enforced break for a number of weeks with ideas drying up faster than a Canterbury river, MyThinks has had a sudden burst of prefrontal brain activity and brings you a random number of thinks related to recent political happenings. Enjoy. National Leader Judith Collins is walking through ...6 days ago - Central Bank Independence?
I have never understood why the independence of the central bank (in our case, the Reserve Bank) is thought to be so important and beneficial. The practice – and doctrine – were pioneered in New Zealand, and hark back to the era of Rogernomics, monetarism and the priority given to ...6 days ago - Pork-Barrels Out of Bond: Subsidising the Amazon LOTR TV series
Time for another wee rant. This time, it’s the sight of our Government prostituting itself to Amazon. Never mind money (or national dignity), all they care about is ensuring Our Corporate Overlords continue production of the upcoming Tolkien television series in New Zealand: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/300287112/the-detail-governments-golden-handshake-to-secure-amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series That rebate is not ...7 days ago - Side-Stepping Safeguards, Data Journalists Are Doing Science NowBy Irineo Cabreros News stories are increasingly told through data. Witness the Covid-19 time series that decorate the homepages of every major news outlet; the red and blue heat maps of polling predictions that dominate the runup to elections; the splashy, interactive plots that dance across the screen. As a ...1 week ago
- April ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: Blog Writing For Business NZ I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. ...1 week ago - Centralising the Public Health System
The proposed health redisorganisation seeks to markedly centralise the health system. Is this grab for power justified; will it work?The Cabinet paper’s justification of the proposed changes is sevenfold. The first two are about Maori issues. One is constitutional, arguing that the ‘public health system does not meet the Crown’s ...1 week ago - People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven’t gotten information they n...Kathleen H. Pine, Arizona State University; Kathryn Henne, Australian National University, and Myeong Lee, George Mason University The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of ...1 week ago
- Inside the world of tiny phytoplankton – microscopic algae that provide most of our oxygenAbigail McQuatters-Gollop, University of Plymouth Phytoplankton are microscopic algae living throughout the ocean’s surface waters. They can’t swim and are at the mercy of the currents and tides. Despite their small size, phytoplankton enable life in the oceans – and throughout the planet – to exist. There are two types ...1 week ago
- Can Judith Collins Make Don Brash’s ‘Nationhood Soufflé’ Rise Twice?Can She Raise It A Second Time? The question is: Can National’s current leader, Judith Collins, rely upon Don Brash’s Nationhood Soufflé recipe to produce an equally dramatic rise in her party’s fortunes? Or, in the intervening years, has the ideology of “Treatyism” persuaded enough New Zealanders to renounce the ideas ...1 week ago
- 2021 Reading Log: April (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for April: His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleLost Horizon, by James HiltonFlashman and the Tiger, by George MacDonald FraserGoodbye, Mr Chips, by James HiltonA True Story, by Lucian of SamosataOn the Syrian Goddess, by Lucian ...1 week ago - Climate Change: The young win in GermanyOver the past few years there has been a spate of court cases over climate change, as young people have turned to the courts to protect the future. And in Germany, they've just won, with the constitutional court ruling that climate measures need to be strengthened to protect future generations: ...1 week ago
- Reducing nicotine in smoked tobacco products: A pivotal feature of the proposals for achieving Smoke...Richard Edwards, Janet Hoek, Nick Wilson, Chris Bullen * The NZ Government has published a discussion document outlining an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal and has invited submissions on its proposals. This blog is one of a series examining key aspects of the plan to help inform ...1 week ago
- After Four Years In Office …They Did This: On March 27th 1939, Michael Joseph Savage opened the new Social Security building. Built in just 7 weeks, the new structure replaced the half-completed Social Security headquarters destroyed in an arson attack on 2 February 1939. In his book The Quest For Security, W. B. Sutch recalled ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 30 April 2021Housing crisis Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Government’s fix for its housing problems are just a game of whack-a-mole(paywalled) Amelia Wade (Newshub): Even if house prices fell 20 percent, three-quarters of renters still couldn’t afford one Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Govt crunches numbers to reveal property investors’ incomes Vita Molyneux (Newshub): ‘I feel ill’: 1995 Wellington house prices nauseate distressed millennials Melanie Carroll (Stuff): Increasing housing ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: New analysis of Nanaia Mahuta’s statements offers clues to her foreign policy age...A new analysis by the Democracy Project of Nanaia Mahuta’s public statements and tweets over the past six months provides some intriguing initial insights into her foreign policy agenda. By the end of Wednesday this week, Nanaia Mahuta had made 31 formal statements or speeches on foreign affairs in her ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Nanaia Mahuta’s foreign policy reset: the first six monthsThis Sunday marks the six-month anniversary of Nanaia Mahuta’s appointment as foreign minister. Geoffrey Miller looks at how she is grappling with some fundamental geopolitical challenges. In just her first six months, Nanaia Mahuta has already achieved something remarkable. She is arguably New Zealand’s highest-profile foreign minister in decades – ...1 week ago
- Major parties’ climate programs are miles apartThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections President Biden on Earth Day, April 22, unveiled America’s aggressive new climate target: a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, on the way to the pledge of net zero emissions by 2050. That ambitious target would deliver America’s ...1 week ago
- Winston's Comeback: A Strategy.On The Comeback Trail? Having followed it all the way to the Deputy Prime Ministership and a coalition with National in 1996, Winston Peters is well aware of right-wing populism’s advantages and disadvantages. Few New Zealand politicians possess a better appreciation of how well anti-Maori and anti-Asian messages are received ...1 week ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXII
(Bringing our D&D write-ups up-to-date…) Session forty-five. The time had come for saving this dingbat town once and for all. With the townspeople sent through to the Dreamland dimension, the party and helper NPCs arranged themselves in defensive positions. Annalax was in an abandoned building. And thus we ...1 week ago - Meet 5 of Australia’s tiniest mammals, who tread a tightrope between life and death every nightAndrew Baker, Queensland University of Technology Australia has a rich diversity of mammals, with around 320 native, land-based species, 87% of which are found here and nowhere else. Many of these mammals are secretive, only active at night, and small, weighing less than one kilogram. Mammals are “endotherms”, which means ...1 week ago
- Speaker: New Zealand’s far-right hate preachers and the platform YouTube gave them to build a move...Following the storming of the US capitol building in January, Twitter cracked down on accounts that were using the site to promote false narratives about the US election, in particular accounts associated with the Qanon conspiracy theory. The mass removal of accounts included a number of New Zealanders. Many of ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 29 April 2021Health reforms: Māori Health Authority Jo Moir (Newsroom): Collins ignores facts for political point-scoring Tova O’Brien (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins’ ‘segregation’ remark earns her Māori Party rebuke RNZ: Collins says her party won’t stand for ‘racist separatism’ New Zealand Michael Neilson (Herald): Judith Collins calls Māori Health Authority ‘segregation’ from last century Zane Small (Newshub): National leader Judith Collins likens Māori ...1 week ago
- vEGU21 – EOS7.10 – Science to ActionOn Tuesday, April 27 2021 I participated in session EOS7.10 at the virtual General Assembly of the Eurogeosciences Union (EGU) titled Science to Action: Communication of Science and strategies to fight misinformation - Practice, Research and Reflection This session was convened by Sam Illingworth, Heidi Roop, Mathew Stiller-Reeve, Kristin Trimm, Laure Fallou, Irina ...1 week ago
- How bad are the police at the OIA?Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission published their updated OIA statistics last month, showing that most public agencies were meeting the basic timeliness requirements of the Act. One of the weird features of these statistics is that the police regularly report amazing timeliness - 95.3% on time, from 36,440 requests! ...1 week ago
- How crowdfunding campaigners market illness to capture the attention of potential donorsTom Baker, University of Auckland; Ann E. Bartos, University of Auckland; Caitlin Neuwelt-Kearns, University of Auckland; Octavia Calder-Dawe, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Susan E Wardell Liam’s* crowdfunding campaign page is direct: his “sole purpose is to survive”. Before his diagnosis with inoperable brain cancer, Liam ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17, 2021"CO2 is plant food." No. Despite propaganda to the contrary CO2 isn't "plant food," any more than sugar is "food" for us humans. CO2 is a metabolic requirement for plants, an input among many to a complex metabolism evolved and tuned to work with what it "knows." Plants are adapted ...1 week ago
- US policing is a crime against humanityUS Police kill around a thousand people a year. Roughly half of them are black, a rate three times that of their proportion of the population. US policing is racist and murderous. And that makes it a crime against humanity: The systematic killing and maiming of unarmed African Americans ...1 week ago
- Correcting propaganda containing 8 false claims about COVID-19 vaccinesThis is a short blog addressing a list of falsehoods being posted widely by people committed to allowing COVID-19 to spread across Aotearoa New Zealand. The flyer claims ‘8 important covid vaccine facts you probably haven’t heard’. Actually, these are 8 of the most common myths about Covid-19 vaccines. Some ...1 week ago
- Green Party launch petition calling for Labour to reverse public sector wage suppression on our nurs...
The Green Party have launched a petition calling on Labour to reverse its decision to suppress the wages of our nurses, teachers, and DOC workers earning between $60,000 and $100,000. ...1 day ago - A full-on six months: Our record since the 2020 election
New Zealanders voted for stability and security at the last election. In the six months since, we’ve worked hard to keep Kiwis safe from COVID-19, while accelerating our economic recovery and tackling long-term challenges like housing affordability, child poverty, and climate change – and we’ve made good progress. ...2 days ago - Greens welcome US support for People’s VaccineThe Green Party strongly supports today’s commitment by the United States joining the call to waive the morally indefensible pharmaceutical patents on the COVID-19 vaccine in order to make it accessible to Developing World communities. ...2 days ago
- Public sector pay restrictions are unacceptableThe Government’s decision to restrict the wages of many essential public sector workers for another two years does a disservice to those who have kept our communities safe during COVID-19, the Green Party said today. ...3 days ago
- The Green Party is putting reasonable renting rules on the agendaThe Green Party is launching its Reasonable Rents campaign to start a national conversation about the high cost of rents for the more than 1.4 million Kiwis who live in a rental home. ...5 days ago
- Keeping Kiwis snug this winterWe believe everyone deserves a warm, dry place to call home. One way we’re making this a reality is through our Winter Energy Payment, which helps around a million people with their heating bills through the colder months and ensures whānau stay healthy with less stress. ...1 week ago
- Our tamariki Maōri should not suffer any more: GreensThe Green Party welcomes the Waitangi Tribunal report that recognises mulitple breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the Crown. ...1 week ago
- Eight times Labour proved it has workers' backsOur name says a lot about our priorities, but so does our history. We’ve consistently fought for workers’ rights – from when our Party first formed in 1916, to now, when we’ve placed workers’ rights and health at the centre of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...1 week ago
- Greens call for amnesty programme in open letter to immigration ministerThe Green Party is calling on the Government to create a broad amnesty programme for people who overstay their visa, and for temporary visa holders to be granted residency in an open letter to the Minister for Immigration. ...1 week ago
- Local government review must centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi and empower young peopleThe future of local government must empower the young people who will live with the decisions made today, by enabling them to vote, and strengthen our national commitment to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Green Party said today. ...2 weeks ago
- The Greens welcome whānau centred initiatives for PrisonsToday the Government announced a new whānau-centred Māori pathways programme in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. ...2 weeks ago
- Looking ahead this Earth DayIt’s Earth Day today and here at Labour, we’re deeply committed to protecting our environment – not just today, but every day. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome protections for Kiwis’ savingsThe Green Party is welcoming the Government’s announcement that bank deposits up to $100,000 will be protected under new rules. ...2 weeks ago
- Former Govt spies should be stopped from private spyingFormer employees of Government security and intelligence agencies should face at least a five-year stand down period before taking up private sector security contracts, the Green Party said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party welcomes major healthcare reforms with a call for moreThe Green Party welcomes the major healthcare reforms announced today by the Minister of Health, including the creation of a Māori Health Authority – Manatū Hauora Māori as we call it. ...2 weeks ago
- What do New Zealand's health reforms mean? Your questions answeredWe’re committed to ensuring that our health system works for all New Zealanders – so we’re taking big steps to improve health outcomes, support our frontline workers, and promote equitable access to healthcare across the country and across communities. ...2 weeks ago
- A health system that works for everyoneWe believe all New Zealanders should have equitable access to a truly national healthcare system. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour's record: Creating better health outcomes for allWe’re committed to improving healthcare in New Zealand. And we have the record to prove it. ...3 weeks ago
- Tinkering around the edges won’t cut it for families struggling to surviveResearch released today reinforces the need for significant changes to our social safety net, the Green Party says. ...3 weeks ago
- E karanga ana Te Pātī Kākāriki mo te waihangatanga o tētahi Manatū Hauora MāoriI tēnei tau i Waitangi, I whakahua ake te Tira o Te Mātāwaka o te Pātī Kākāriki i tā rātau aronga matua, ki te waihanga I tētahi Manatū Hauora Māori, mā Māori te kawe, mā Māori ngā whakahaere. Ko tā te tira; Kua rongohia ngā karanga a ngā Tangata Whenua, ...3 weeks ago
- The Greens call for an empowered independent Māori Health AuthorityDuring Waitangi this year the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka caucus announced their priority for an independent Māori Health Authority. We have heard the call from Tangata Whenua wanting any authority to be independent, and properly resourced. ...3 weeks ago
- March 15 Collective Impact Board appointed
The voices of those affected by the March 15 mosque attacks will be heard more effectively with the establishment of a new collective impact board, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. Seven members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been appointed to the newly established Board, ...7 hours ago - More young Kiwis supported with mental health and addiction servicesNearly quarter of a million more young New Zealanders will have access to mental health and addiction support in their communities as the Government’s youth mental health programme gathers pace. New contracts to expand youth-specific services across the Northland, Waitematā and Auckland District Health Board areas have been confirmed, providing ...1 day ago
- New hospital facilities mean fewer trips to Auckland for NorthlandersNorthlanders will no longer automatically have to go to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter laboratory opened at Whangārei Hospital by Health Minister Andrew Little today. The two projects – along with a new ...1 day ago
- Fair Pay Agreements to improve pay and conditions for essential workersThe Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to implement Fair Pay Agreements which will improve wages and conditions, as well as help support our economic recovery, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Fair Pay Agreements will set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an ...1 day ago
- Establishment of the new Māori Health Authority takes first big stepSir Mason Durie will lead a Steering Group to provide advice to the Transition Unit on governance arrangements and initial appointments to an interim board to oversee the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. This Group will ensure that Māori shape a vital element of our future health system, Minister ...1 day ago
- Cycle trails move up a gear in CentralWork on new and upgraded cycle trails in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Central Otago is moving up a gear as two significant projects pass further milestones today. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced new funding for the Queenstown Trails Project, and will also formally open the Lake Dunstan Trail at Bannockburn ...1 day ago
- Picton ferry terminal upgrade consent fast-trackedThe planned upgrade of the Waitohi Picton Ferry terminal has been approved under the fast-track consenting process. Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the decision by the expert consenting panel to approve the Waitohi Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project. The project will provide a significant upgrade to the ferry facilities ...2 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with New South Wales pausedCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated. Whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent ...2 days ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedThe passing of a bill to extend temporary COVID-19 immigration powers means continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “Over the past year, we’ve made rapid decisions to extend visas, vary visa conditions and waive some application requirements ...2 days ago
- “Supporting a Trade-Led Economic Recovery”Trade Policy Road Show SpeechManukau, Auckland Kia ora koutou – nau mai, haere mai ki Manukau, ki Tāmaki. Good morning everyone, and thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you current global challenges, opportunities and the Government’s strategy in support of a trade-led recovery from the economic ...2 days ago
- Building consent numbers at an all-time highA record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...2 days ago
- Whānau-centred support for parents and tamarikiUp to 60 whānau in Counties Manukau will be supported through the first three years of their parenthood by a new whānau-centred model of care, said Associate Health Minister, Hon Aupito William Sio. “Providing this support to young parents is something we have to get right. It’s a priority both ...2 days ago
- NZ backs moves to improve global access to COVID vaccinesNew Zealand welcomes and strongly supports the announcement made by the United States Trade Representative to work for a waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said. “New Zealand supports equitable access to COVID vaccines for all. No one is safe from the ...2 days ago
- Tourism communities: support, recovery and re-set planTIHEI MAURI ORA Tuia te whakapono Tuia te tumanako Tuia te aroha Tuia te hunga ora Ki te hunga ora Tihei Mauri ora Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Thank you, Hilary and thank you, Chris, and everyone at TIA for this ...2 days ago
- Support, recovery and re-set plan for tourism communitiesFive South Island tourist communities targeted for specialist support Pressure on Māori tourism operators and Conservation facilities recognised Domestic and international-facing tourism agencies put on more secure footing Long-term plan to re-set tourism with a focus on sustainability, industry standards and regional economic diversification A plan to ensure the immediate ...2 days ago
- Speech on NZ Rail PlanCheck against delivery E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te whakanuia tēnei huihuinga whakahirahira. Nō ...2 days ago
- Government hits massive milestone in Violence Prevention & EliminationMinister for Family and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson announced a major milestone at a hui in South Auckland today, with the launch of the national engagement process on the prevention and elimination of family and sexual violence. “There is no room for violence in our lives – there is no ...2 days ago
- Fee waiver extended for conservation tourism businessesTourism businesses operating on public conservation land will have another six months of fees waived to help them adjust to the downturn in international visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. "We acknowledge it has been a difficult year for ...2 days ago
- ‘Lua Wave’ to future-proof Pasifika Festivals in AotearoaPasifika festival organisers will receive additional support to adapt to the COVID-19 environment thanks to the Government’s newly launched ‘Lua Wave’ component of the Pasifika Festivals Initiative, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “This initiative has not only been to support festival organisers to recover from ...2 days ago
- Crown accounts show confidence in Govt economic planThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s economic recovery plan. The Crown accounts for the nine months to the end of March 2021 show both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and ...2 days ago
- Energy Trusts of NZ Autumn ConferenceIt’s a pleasure to be here today. Thank you Karen [Sherry] for the introduction and thanks to the Energy Trusts Executive for inviting me to speak at tonight’s event. It is an exciting time to come to speak to trustees of distribution companies. For many decades the electricity industry was ...2 days ago
- New partnership to grow Māori success in STEMA new partnership with the Pūhoro STEM Academy will support thousands more rangatahi Māori to participate and succeed in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Since 2016, Pūhoro has worked with Māori students to build their capability and create pathways to employment ...2 days ago
- Rail builds platform for economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark today released the Government’s long term vision for a sustainable rail network that supports our economic recovery. New Zealand Rail Plan lays out how the Government is building a resilient, reliable and safe network, as well as the indicative ...2 days ago
- NZ and UK agree to lift the pace of free trade talksNew Zealand and the United Kingdom have agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of talks, as the two countries enter a new phase in free trade negotiations, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, and I spoke today about ...3 days ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill passes first readingThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has passed its first reading and will now be considered by Parliament’s Justice select committee. “The Bill updates and improves New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said. “The ...3 days ago
- Statement on The Speaker and Annual Review Debate“The serious issue of alleged sexual assault and harassment at Parliament was poorly managed and inappropriately politicised last night. The tone of the debate did not reflect well on Parliament as a whole,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Any investigation of claims of sexual assault should be in a manner ...3 days ago
- Govt motoring towards zero-carbon buses and protecting drivers’ conditionsTransport Minister Michael Wood is seeking feedback on options for the next phase of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) review to better protect bus drivers’ pay conditions, and also achieving the Government’s target of fully decarbonising the public transport bus fleet by 2035. Michael Wood said investing in our ...3 days ago
- Drop in unemployment shows Govt economic plan is workingThe Government’s economic recovery plan continues to be reflected in the labour market, with more people in work and unemployment falling. Stats NZ figures show employment rose by 15,000 in the March quarter, with 14,000 more women in work. The unemployment rate fell from 4.9 percent to 4.7 percent. This ...3 days ago
- Government sets pay and workforce expectations for the Public SectorThe Government’s Workforce Policy Statement issued today sets out its expectations for pay and employment relations in the Public Sector, the Minister of Finance and Minister for the Public Service say. “New Zealand has had an exceptionally successful health and economic response to COVID-19. This has been supported by the ...3 days ago
- Author Ben Brown is New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading AmbassadorLyttleton writer Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) will be New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador, promoting the value of reading for children and young people, Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. A poet and award-winning author, Ben Brown writes books, non-fiction and short stories ...4 days ago
- Celebrating New Zealand’s firefighters this International Firefighters’ dayWith two fire stations already complete, and building underway on 16 fire stations around the country, today we celebrate International Firefighters’ Day for the important role firefighters have in keeping communities across the country safe, says Minister of Internal Affairs, Jan Tinetti. The work is progressing due to Government funding ...4 days ago
- Ron Brierley knighthood to goRon Brierley has written to the Clerk of the Executive Council to tender his resignation as a Knight Bachelor. The Queen has been informed. The forfeiture follows the Prime Minister initiating the process to remove his Knighthood. The Clerk of the Executive Council wrote to him on 6 April 2021 ...4 days ago
- Employment boost for rural communitiesThe Government is continuing to create opportunities for at-risk rangatahi overcome barriers to employment, education or training with the next tranche of He Poutama Rangatahi programmes, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “We’re focused on supporting rangatahi to get what they need to progress in the ...4 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to Wellington Chamber of CommerceThank you for the invitation to speak today, it is great to be here. I mean that both sincerely and literally. For this equivalent speech last year I took part virtually, beaming in from the Beehive Theatrette with only a socially distanced press gallery bearing silent witness. You are a ...4 days ago
- Budget 2021 reprioritises nearly $1 billionThe Government’s strong pandemic response and the better than expected economic recovery means not all the money allocated in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has been spent, Grant Robertson said in his annual pre-Budget speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this morning. “As part of Budget preparation I ...4 days ago
- Speech on Digital Identity Trust FrameworkI'd like to start by thanking Graeme, David and Ben from NZTech and Digital Identity New Zealand for inviting me to speak to you. I’m so sorry I can’t be there in person, but I want to acknowledge those of you who are, including some of this country’s top tech ...5 days ago
- NZ Cook Islands travel bubble significant step in COVID-19 recoveryNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown have today announced that, pending final confirmation by New Zealand’s Director-General of Health and the Cook Islands Secretary of Health, two-way quarantine-free travel will commence between the two countries on 17 May (NZT). “Two way quarantine-free travel ...5 days ago
- Minister for State Owned Enterprises saddened by passing of KiwiRail ChairMinister for State Owned Enterprises, David Clark is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of KiwiRail Chairman, Brian Corban. “I know Brian was seen as a transformative leader within KiwiRail, well respected for his wisdom, honesty and sense of humour,” said David Clark. Mr Corban served as Chair of ...5 days ago
- Speech to the China Business Summit by the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthDistinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tena koutou katoa. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you today for this China Business Summit – my first as Minister for Trade and Export Growth as well as Minister of Agriculture – and to have the opportunity to speak to you ...5 days ago
- Productivity Commission inquiry into immigration settingsThe Productivity Commission will hold an inquiry into immigration settings to ensure New Zealand’s long term prosperity and wellbeing, Grant Robertson and Kris Faafoi say. This inquiry, the first under the new Productivity Commission chair, Dr Ganesh Nana, will focus on immigration policy as a means of improving productivity in ...5 days ago
- Get used to FPAs, if you are employing staff – and brace yourself to losing control over shaping w...
We are tempted on occasion to cry: come back, Winston, all is forgiven. Big chunks of our society would benefit from a tempering influence of the sort exercised by New Zealand First – through its coalition agreement – on Labour-Green policy development and implementation from 2017-20. Yes, they got in ...2 hours ago - Myanmar: If independent media dies, democracy dies
ANALYSIS: By Phil Thornton As chaos flows in Burma, journalists are being forced to hide in plain sight by the Burmese military, writes senior journalist and Myanmar expert Phil Thornton. Journalists in Myanmar are being hunted and arrested by the country’s military for trying to do their job. Independent ...5 hours ago - PM Spokesperson Comment On US Joining The Christchurch Call
“The Prime Minister has welcomed the United States decision to join the Christchurch Call. Their support signals the importance the United States places on this work. The United States has been a constructive, engaged partner on many Call-related issues ...5 hours ago - Ban Live Export AucklandMany organisations and individuals have come together for a Nationwide protest urging the government to ban live export now, not in two years. The Auckland demonstration will meet at the town hall at 12 noon and March down Queen Street to Te Komititanga ...5 hours ago
- Murdoch, Maxwell and changing history
Critic's Chair: They were once rivals, but while one is long forgotten the other remains an indelible presence. Guy Somerset reviews two examinations of the lives and legacies of Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. One of the more unnerving afternoons of my life was spent in the genteel sitting room ...10 hours ago - Rabbits: A million holes in one
It’s no secret the rabbit population is taking off - again - in Central Otago and Southland, with some landowners struggling to keep their numbers down. But are government departments the worst offenders? It’s a catchcry all over the rabbit-infested regions of Otago and Southland - that public spaces are ...10 hours ago - Short story: One hundred love sonnets, by Himali McInnes
"None of us really believed this virus shit was worth downing tools for": a lockdown story by Sri Lankan-New Zealand writer Dr Himali McInnes Pablo was different to the other builders I worked with. I liked the way he smelled. It made me want to sniff him. That scent of ...11 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Saturday 8 May
...11 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Saturday 8 May
...11 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 8 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...11 hours ago - No one should die for lack of oxygen
It's hard to take when someone dies unnecessarily - as is the case as thousands run out of oxygen around the world. Dr Stephen Howie takes a look at the oxygen problem, arguing NZ needs to play its role outside its own borders. Most of us have seen the horrific scenes in India, as ...11 hours ago - James and Isey is an intimate celebration of life, aroha and kaumātua
A new documentary from the director of Kaikohe Demolition is a visually stunning lesson in patience, writes Charlotte Muru-Lanning, who talks to Florian Habicht about how an almost 100-year-old Northland woman and her son drew him back into a genre he’d given up on.“If you could take one thing from ...12 hours ago - The government’s fair pay agreements plan is a big dealIt’s an economy-shaking move that has been welcomed by unions and rallied against by business groups, but what does the new policy actually entail? Justin Giovannetti explains.The Labour government has unveiled a far-reaching shift in New Zealand’s employment law that could raise wages across the country, empower trade unions and ...12 hours ago
- Once a biodiversity basket case, Wellington today is the wind beneath our birds’ wingsWe can stand back as the predators we brought with us wipe out our found-nowhere-else-on-earth island evolution, or do something about it, writes Paul Ward, co-founder of Polhill Protectors.When Covid marooned us in our homes, the traffic stopped. In the silence we noticed the birds. Every morning a tūī provided ...12 hours ago
- Frydenberg promises housing breaks in ‘pandemic budget’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg says he will bring down a “pandemic budget” on Tuesday, warning that despite Australia’s strong recovery, there is “still a great deal of uncertainty out there”. The Treasurer points to new strains of ...16 hours ago
- Frydenberg says this will be a ‘pandemic budget’ to secure the recovery’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg says he will bring down a “pandemic budget” on Tuesday, warning that despite Australia’s strong recovery, there is “still a great deal of uncertainty out there”. The Treasurer points to new strains of ...16 hours ago
- PNG police release EMTV employee detained over buai market videoPacific Media Watch newsdeskPapua New Guinean police have released a detained EMTV staff man, Richard Magei, after he reportedly filmed officers destroying buai markets at 5 Mile in the capital of Port Moresby. An appeal by the television channel for more information was posted on the network’s Facebook page, saying ...18 hours ago
- Fiji reports 7 new local covid cases as memory lapses ‘cost us dearly’By Timoci Vula in Suva Fiji has today reported seven new cases of covid-19 and all are locally transmitted cases. These were confirmed after 1349 tests. They are in Lautoka and Nadi in the west of the main island, Viti Levu, and the settlement of Makoi, near the capital Suva. ...18 hours ago
- Terrorist tag in West Papua could worsen racism, says rights groupRNZ Pacific Human Rights Watch is urging the Indonesian government to rethink its classification of rebels in West Papua as terrorists. Indonesia has formally designated Papuan independence fighters as “terrorists”, in a move expected to expand the military’s role in civilian policing in Papua. But the NGO has warned that ...18 hours ago
- Week in Politics: Don't interfere, China tells New Zealand
Analysis - An obscure report comes under the spotlight as Judith Collins continues to claim the government is on a path to racial segregation, China tells New Zealand to mind its own business, a public service wage freeze doesn't go down well an ...19 hours ago - Vital Signs. The RBA wants to cut unemployment, and nothing — not even soaring home prices — wil...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Ahead of the definitive official read of the economy from the treasury in the budget on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank has given us two special insights into its own thinking in the space of 14 hours. ...21 hours ago
- Iwi leaders tire of political bickering over Māori Health AuthorityIwi leaders say they're "hōhā" (fed up) with the Māori Health Authority being used as "a political football". ...23 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Covid-19: India in contextAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Similar story to last week. Chart by Keith Rankin. India’s Covid19 outbreak is still predominantly in the more prosperous cities, mainly in the west and far north of that country. And it is in the domestic coastal and mountain tourist destinations. The data continue to show ...23 hours ago
- Australia’s settler and First Nations histories meet in the wild of the bush in DoggedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liza-Mare Syron, Indigenous Scientia Senior Lecturer, UNSW Review: Dogged, directed by Declan Greene. Griffin Theatre Company in association with Force Majeure. Dingo (Sandy Greenwood, a Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung actor) stands facing the audience, dressed in a muddied tracksuit with a dingo-like ...23 hours ago
- Man arrested over threats made to MP Simeon BrownA 25-year-old man has been charged over death threats made to National Party MP Simeon Brown. ...24 hours ago
- US support for waiving COVID vaccine intellectual property is a huge step. Australia must followSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor in Public Health, La Trobe University Yesterday, the US Biden administration declared its support for waiving intellectual property rights, including patents, for COVID-19 vaccines. This decision represents a huge breakthrough in discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ...1 day ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the Port of Darwin, India’s second wave, and next week’s budgetSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher. This week the pair discuss India’s second coronavirus wave – and the Australian citizens stranded there. Also discussed is the ...1 day ago
- A NZ startup just got named the world’s best creative agencyGlobal advertising is a highly competitive industry dominated by giant well-resourced conglomerates. But a small independent New Zealand agency is taking them on – and the world is taking notice, reports Michael Andrew. Apart from a significant fee, advertising can often be a thankless task. Despite the ostentatiousness and vibrancy ...1 day ago
- Police Commitments To Strengthening Alternative Resolutions Process...1 day ago
- Government Fair Pay Agreement Proposal Will Harm Workers And ConsumersThe Government’s proposal announced today to impose compulsory industry-wide collective bargaining on employees and employers without their agreement or even their participation will harm everyone but unions,” said Roger Partridge, chair of The New Zealand ...1 day ago
- Fair Pay Agreements = Wage ControlThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is warning against the Government’s plan for Fair Pay Agreements , calling the policy a form of wage control. Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “This is an incredibly backward policy that lets Wellington ...1 day ago
- From baby blue-tongues to elephant doulas: motherhood across the animal kingdomSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Griffith, Lecturer, Macquarie University With Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s a good opportunity to ask what being a mother looks like across the animal kingdom. Most of us have a solid concept of human motherhood, but in nature maternal care ...1 day ago
- Fair Pay Agreements Good News For Employees – Contractors Need Protection TooCabinet has approved a framework for drafting Fair Pay Agreement legislation, and the Public Service Association says this means low-paid workers can look forward to improved and more consistent working lives. Michael Wood, the Minister for Workplace ...1 day ago
- Let them eat pizza bread: What South Aucklanders think of free school lunchesWith the government set to announce an extension of its free lunches programme to 2023, Justin Latif spoke to parents, teachers and the businesses delivering the service to see if the scheme is hitting the spot. The majority of South Auckland schools have been getting free government-funded lunches for one term ...1 day ago
- Mallard looks like a sitting duck but the Nats may prefer to wait to bag the PM as well
Back in March the NZ Herald carried a report headlined “Mallard mess needs sorting”. It was written by Audrey Young, then the political editor. The Labour Party didn’t heed the warning and now this failure is leaving a bigger mess: on Tuesday night Speaker Trevor Mallard accused a former parliamentary ...1 day ago - Yesterdaze: Rabbits aren't our only pests
Rabbits aren't the only designated pests we can't quite eradicate in this country. James Elliott looks at why we can't shed Colin Craig from the news cycle, and why we can't seem to get Trevor Mallard under control. It’s been a huge news week. Tuesday (May the fourth …) was ...1 day ago - The Friday Poem: Race Riot, by Tusiata AviaA poem from Tusiata Avia’s Ockham-shortlisted collection The Savage Coloniser Book.Race RiotThis is any one of them Redfern or Ferguson or Eden Park or the Pak’nSave carpark. We are gathering anywherein a monastery or a high school or a real-estate agent’s we are planning everywhere and I am still afraid.Everyone ...1 day ago
- Support The People Of Colombia Against State Violence This Sunday 3.30pm, Aotea SquareUnite Union and Global Peace and Justice Aotearoa are calling on Aucklanders to join people from Colombia this Sunday At 3.30pm in Aotea Square, to strongly condemn the brutal repression of the Colombian people exercising their right to freedom of ...1 day ago
- UN Report On Methane Is Not Relevant To New Zealand’s Situation“A UN report calling for big cuts to methane emissions does not mean that the Government’s policy of taxing New Zealand farmers for their livestock methane emissions is warranted.” Robin Grieve of FARM said today. The report highlights concerns ...1 day ago
- E tū Welcomes Next Steps For Fair Pay AgreementsE tū members are pleased to learn today about the next steps in the Government’s plan to implement Fair Pay Agreement legislation in this term of Government. The Government has announced more details about what Fair Pay Agreements will look like, ...1 day ago
- Bus Drivers And Supermarket Workers Will Welcome Fair Pay AgreementsToday’s long-awaited announcement that Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) are on the way for historically underpaid workforces like bus drivers, supermarket staff, healthcare workers and cleaners is a welcome landmark and could be the beginning of reclaiming ...1 day ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 7The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber & Faber, $37)For last-minute Mothers Day shoppers, we have ...1 day ago
- PSA: Open Letter To Minister Chris Hipkins Re Govt Pay RestrictionsTēna koe Minister Government’s pay restrictions A week ago today we wrote to you with our strong concerns about your intention to impose restrictions on public workers’ pay. On Wednesday you issued these restrictions without engaging or responding ...1 day ago
- What’s the Valneva COVID-19 vaccine, the French shot that’s supposed to be ‘variant proof’?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University A COVID-19 vaccine from French company Valneva has yet to complete clinical trials. But it has caught the eye of governments in the UK, ...1 day ago
- Fair Pay Agreements will ensure working Kiwis get a fair go – Michael WoodThe government has released details around employers and unions setting minimum standards to implement the Fair Pay Agreements. ...1 day ago
- Fair Pay Agreements – Set To Deliver On Real Fairness At WorkThe Council of Trade Unions says the future for working New Zealanders looks much brighter thanks to today’s announcement that Fair Pay Agreements are much closer to becoming a reality. The announcement was made by the Minister of Workplace Relations ...1 day ago
- China retaliates: suspending its Strategic Economic Dialogue with Australia is symbolic, but still a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney After Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne cancelled the Victorian state government’s memorandum of understanding to participate in China’s “Belt and Road” global infrastructure initiative a fortnight ago, she said ...1 day ago
- Cook Strait ferry trips are to become more eco-friendly but trans-Tasman flights (to NSW, temporaril...Travel on the ferries between the North and South Islands is to become more eco-friendly, helped by the fast-tracking of the consent process for the upgrade of the Picton terminal. Quarantine-free travel between New South Wales and New Zealand, on the other hand, is being paused – albeit temporarily. ...1 day ago
- VF48Hours 2021: Meet the loneliest person in the universeAuckland team Lil Kings talk us through their VF48Hours science fiction movie, Long Haul.At just 23, director Ruby Griffin is the oldest member of Lil Kings. But don’t mistake this team’s ages for inexperience – they’ve been making films together since 2013. These guys are the Silverchair of 48Hours, and ...1 day ago
- Why now would be a good time for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to publish stress test results for ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martien Lubberink, Associate Professor of Economics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Set against the backdrop of an economy healing from 2020’s annus horribilis, this week’s Financial Stability Report (FSR) from the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) was cautiously reassuring: the country’s ...1 day ago
- Learning to live by the maramataka: HaratuaThe gorgeous Haratua moon phase is the last moon cycle of the year, bringing us to the end of the Māori year. At this time, we prepare for Matariki, Puanga and Rehua, our New Year that begins when these stars rise in June and July. The Māori new year is ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 7 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Public sector pay freeze Stuff: Editorial – Pay freeze stretches public sector loyalty Heather du Plessis-Allan ...1 day ago
- Why now would be a good time for the Reserve Bank to publish stress test results for individual bank...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martien Lubberink, Associate Professor of Economics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Set against the backdrop of an economy healing from 2020’s annus horribilis, this week’s Financial Stability Report (FSR) from the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) was cautiously reassuring: the country’s ...1 day ago
- Who are the hidden celebs on The Masked Singer NZ? We decipher the cluesThe international singing show sensation The Masked Singer arrives in Aotearoa on Sunday night. Which famous faces will be hiding under the costumes? Nobody knows – but these are our best guesses. It’s the biggest reality show in the world right now, and it’s finally here in New Zealand. We’re ...1 day ago
- Business is Boring: The Seinfeld-inspired startup simplifying flower buyingThis week on Business is Boring, Simon Pound talks to Vanisha Narsey about how a Jerry Seinfeld routine helped inspire her to start Bouqo, a new platform making flower buying more accessible.When Covid hit, women in business were disproportionately affected. In New Zealand, it’s been reported that 70% of early ...1 day ago
- Swim like a sea lion, splash like a seal: how evolution engineered nature’s underwater acrobatsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hocking, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology and Palaeontology, Monash University Few fish can outswim a seal. Seals fly through the waves, predators in their natural element. But, unlike fish, seals are air-breathing mammals whose ancestors only returned to the water from a ...1 day ago
- Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Why not smash the patriarchySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carla Pascoe Leahy, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, The University of Melbourne Mothers have often been associated with conservatism: linked to cloyingly sentimental cultural ideals or depicted as victims of patriarchal oppression. In the 19th century, the middle-class mother was idealised as ...1 day ago
- Print isn’t dead: major survey reveals local newspapers vastly preferred over Google among country...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristy Hess, Associate Professor (Communication), Deakin University Newspaper readers in rural and regional Australia are five times more likely to go directly to their local newspaper website than Google or Facebook for local information, and almost 10 times as likely to go ...1 day ago
- ADHD affects girls too, and it can present differently to the way it does in boys. Here’s what to ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Murrihy, Director, The Kidman Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney Two female Australian comedians recently revealed they’ve been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In an interview before her shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Fiona O’Loughlin ...1 day ago
- Who would win in a fight between an octopus and a seabird? Two marine biologists place their betsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Doubleday, ARC Future Fellow and marine biologist, University of South Australia This article is part of the “Who would win?” series, where wildlife experts dream up hypothetical battles between predators (all in the name of science). If you’re anything like us, ...1 day ago
- The fatherhood penalty: how parental leave policies perpetuate the gender gap (even in our ‘progre...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Duffy, Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University Issues that matter to families on a daily basis, such as childcare, parental leave and flexible working arrangements, are often referred to as “women’s issues”. This focuses policy interventions solely on mothers, limiting ...1 day ago
- Farewell the utopian city. To cope with climate change we must learn from how nature adaptsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohammed Makki, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, University of Technology Sydney “Among all species, it is perhaps only humans who create habitats that are not fit to live in.” – Stephen Marshall It’s a damning statement but one that can be ...1 day ago
- Applying a gender lens on the budget is not about pitting women against menSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonora Risse, Lecturer in Economics, RMIT University Australia’s COVID recession hurt women more than men, and not only in job numbers. With schools and childcare centres closed, many women who remained in paid work had no choice but to take on more ...1 day ago
- Friday essay: 3 ways philosophy can help us understand loveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics. Senior Research Fellow, Moral philosophy, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Law Futures Centre., Griffith University Love can seem a primal force, an intoxicating mix of desire, care, ecstasy and jealousy hard-wired ...1 day ago
- Live updates, May 7: Risk to NZ ‘low’ after Sydney Covid outbreak, but Bloomfield says questions...Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for May 7, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: Risk to NZ ‘low’ after Sydney Covid outbreak, but Bloomfield says questions remainAshley Bloomfield is confident the risk of Covid-19 transmission in New Zealand following a new ...1 day ago
- Meet the New Zealander whose Roblox games have been played a billion timesAlec Kieft is 23 years old, lives in a shared Wellington flat, and is this country’s most successful Roblox game developer by far. Hal Crawford talked to him.Alec Kieft had been working on the game all through the final year of university. It was hard to keep his head in ...1 day ago
- Govt to take back control of school property in education reforms
This month's Budget will have millions for a major restructure of the education ministry and its relationship with schools – but for some, it doesn't go far enough ...1 day ago - The Bulletin: Health system stretched to capacityGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Health system stretched to capacity, travel paused to New South Wales, and feedback on the public sector pay freeze.In the last few days there have been several deeply concerning stories about health system pressure, and what it is doing to ...1 day ago
- Police, MSD not collecting data on crime at emergency housingThe government can't - or won't - say if crime is increasing in and around emergency housing, because the police are not collecting that information. ...1 day ago
- New UN Climate Report Shows Cutting Methane Crucial For Climate And Health – GreenpeaceGreenpeace is today urging the Government to heed United Nations’ advice to rapidly cut climate pollution from methane through lowering cow stocking rates and cutting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. The report , produced by the United Nations Environment ...1 day ago
- Another Election Let Down From Labour“More than half of Labour’s so-called “shovel ready” projects haven’t had a shovel anywhere near them,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Information obtained by the ACT Party shows the Government has only started 67 of the 150 so-called ...1 day ago
- Changing South: Curvy girl online, standing up to the bullies
Christchurch social media influencer, Ellie Haines, makes her living marketing products to her followers but taking on the body-shamers is part of the job “Sometimes when someone says, what do you do?” says Ellie Haines, “I almost don't want to say.” The 29-year-old Cantabrian is an influencer, part of a ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 7 May
...1 day ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Friday 7 May
...1 day ago - RNZ National audience takes a tumble
MediaRoom: The latest radio ratings show a second big drop for RNZ National, a bounceback for The Edge and strong growth for ZM RNZ has seen its flagship RNZ National station fall from a commanding first to fourth biggest radio audience in the country in the latest GfK ratings survey. The ...1 day ago
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