war
Categories under war
- afghanistan (108)
- iraq (126)
- Korea (6)
- Syria (103)
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.
New Zealand Service in Afghanistan Concludes
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 17th, 2021 - 44 comments
Did New Zealand military forces do good in Afghanistan?
We must resist US pressure on China that could lead to war
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, February 20th, 2021 - 41 comments
In February 2002 I was at a union-NDP conference in Ottawa watching US television in my hotel room. Back home I reported on the conference to the Labour Party caucus and stated as an aside that the US was going to war with Iraq. Helen Clark stood up straightaway and said “we won’t be going with them.” Jacinda Ardern needs to do the same now.
WTF were you thinking Air New Zealand?
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, February 9th, 2021 - 57 comments
One News has reported that a subsidy of Air New Zealand has been providing assistance to Saudi Navy boats accused of committing atrocities against the people of Yemen.
No extradition for Assange
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, January 5th, 2021 - 104 comments
Great news. While unexpected, Nicky Hager who was an expert witness for Assange at the trial, thought this might be a possibility when he spoke to the Fabian Society in November. More details tomorrow.
Update: Bail application to be heard on Wednesday London time.
US v China: new Cold War or new Opium War?
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, August 25th, 2020 - 23 comments
The Trump administration has declared war on China, and there is much speculation in the punditry as to whether or not this is a new Cold War similar to that waged post World War 2 against Russia. In my opinion, the 19th century Opium Wars may offer a more appropriate analogy, albeit with a likely different outcome.
Brady under review by Canterbury University
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 pm, August 17th, 2020 - 99 comments
Canterbury University is conducting a review of statements made to the Justice Select Committee by Professor Anne-Marie Brady alleging covert military transfer to China which complainants from other Universities under attack said “contained manifest errors of fact and misleading inferences.” The University would do well to broaden its review to encompass the NATO-funded Canterbury SSANSE which Brady heads. The military-purpose link there is explicit.
Operation Burnham: A disorganised cover-up?
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 pm, July 31st, 2020 - 13 comments
A justified operation, no organised cover-up, but serious failures in senior defence personnel’s denial and misrepresentation, and serious failures by the intelligence agencies in handing over a suspect to torture. The Inquiry called for a review of Defence administration, an Inspector-General of Defence, a Defence Force order on dealing with allegations of civilian casualties, and an “effective detention policy.”
Payne snubs Pompeo on China regime change
Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, July 30th, 2020 - 15 comments
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds traveled to the US this week to meet face-to-face with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Minister Mark Esper. In what was clearly meant as a follow-up to recent speeches on China by the Americans, Payne firmly declined to join Pompeo in in his call for regime change in China.
Hong Kong principles
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, July 28th, 2020 - 38 comments
According to our Prime Minister, today’s announcement that New Zealand is suspending extradition arrangements with Hong Kong is because of our principles. But it is not immediately clear what these principles are, other than falling into line with our Five Eyes spying partners. Some history is important.
More Skripal bullshit
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 pm, June 9th, 2020 - 37 comments
Skripal’s relatives don’t believe it, Jacinda Ardern doesn’t believe it, Paul Buchanan doesn’t believe it, and I never believed it. But a story planted in the UK Sunday Times that the Skripals are here lets our media rerun the assassination attempt that failed, even though the most deadliest poison in the world was involved. Stuff website has a British Minister from Theresa May’s time rerunning the old lies,as does the NZ Herald. Fits in nicely with the SIS anti-Russian history.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, June 4th, 2020 - 16 comments
Ok so this is the worst year I can think of in my lifetime. But apocalyptopia it ain’t.
Afghanistan pushes the US out
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, March 4th, 2020 - 16 comments
I have really no idea who to cheer for about the Afghanistan peace
agreement. If the Taliban were the answer, it was a pretty fucking
stupid question.
Oh Look! (What. a. surprise.)
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, February 8th, 2020 - 20 comments
Mainstream media yet again aiding and abetting the character assassination of whistle blowers.
Trump’s Middle East peace plan
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, January 29th, 2020 - 21 comments
This news shows how strange International Relations has become. Donald Trump, currently on trial in the Senate for withholding approved funds from the Ukraine in an attempt to get the Ukranian authorities to dig up dirt on his possible opponent Joe Biden, and Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and […]
Rally Against War on Iran and Iraq – Wellington noon Sat 25 Jan
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, January 22nd, 2020 - 21 comments
Join people from across the globe for this international day of action to show our opposition to any new US war on the people of Iran or Iraq. Our message is simple: * No war on Iran * No war on Iraq * Troops out. More information on Facebook here.
Iran attacks US bases in Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 8th, 2020 - 174 comments
There are reports of two US bases being hit by missiles launched from within Iran and it is being reported that Iran’s air force is in the air.
Qasem Soleimani murdered by the United States.
Written By: - Date published: 2:04 am, January 8th, 2020 - 11 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
LBJ Redux
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, January 7th, 2020 - 36 comments
What if the American assassination of General Soleimani results in the complete withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East?
Get out now
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments
General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.
Known Knowns and All the Other Ones
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 am, January 4th, 2020 - 6 comments
We cannot know everything and our only option is to trust others who know stuff that we don’t.
That 1914 Feeling
Written By: - Date published: 10:28 pm, January 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments
President Trump personally ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite military Quds force. He was killed by rockets fired from US drones over Baghdad Airport. This is unlawful by any standards, as well as an act of war. Iran has promised retaliation.The doomsday clock just moved closer to midnight.
OPCW Scandal.
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, January 3rd, 2020 - 40 comments
There was no chemical attack in Douma.
Legitimate target, daft war
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, September 16th, 2019 - 30 comments
The war that Saudi Arabia and its allies has been waging against the Houthi side in the civil war in Yemen took a interesting turn yesterday. Houthi claimed an attack on Saudi oil processing facilities using drone strikes. It is likely to significantly reduce the output of the Saudi exports for a while as the […]
Trump sacks Bolton – oil price nosedives!
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, September 11th, 2019 - 26 comments
This has been rumoured for some time now. It’s good news – peace now has a chance, as Trump has woken up to the fact that a shooting war would not be good for his re-election. Also Bolton’s hard-line strategy was failing everywhere.
Missile test shows US bad faith on INF Treaty
Written By: - Date published: 4:43 pm, August 27th, 2019 - 9 comments
US’s recent test of an intermediate range missile shows that the reasons given for its withdrawal from the INF treaty were spurious. It also shows up the gullibility of our MFAT, who voted against a Russian proposal for dialogue late last year in the UN on the grounds that it was a “sidestep.”
The sociopathology of sanctions
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 11th, 2019 - 206 comments
Autonomous sanctions imposed on Iran and Venezuela by the US are expressly designed to drive whole populations into poverty to bring about regime change. They are sociopathic. Based on its values, The National Party wants to make such sanctions New Zealand’s policy. Extraodinary!
Nuclear chickens coming home?
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 8th, 2019 - 30 comments
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty between the United State and Russia signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987 formally ended on August 2nd. On Sunday the new US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper dined privately with Winston Peters. Before and during his trip to the Pacific, Mark Esper called for placement of intermediate-range US missiles in Asia.
Government under FiveEyes
Written By: - Date published: 9:48 pm, June 7th, 2019 - 11 comments
Australian Federal Police chief Neil Gaughan told media after raiding the ABC that “if police did not investigate the leaking of classified information, Australia would no longer be entrusted by FiveEyes partners with intelligence that saves lives.” FiveEyes didn’t save Muslim lives in Christchurch.
Auf Wiedersehen Iraq
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, May 16th, 2019 - 30 comments
The Germans and the Dutch have suspended training Iraqi soldiers citing increased tensions in the area. What do they know that Ron Mark doesn’t? Cabinet is due to make a decision shortly on our long-planned decision to withdraw, and he seems to want us to stay. Labour’s policy at the election was to withdraw, it should prevail.
The Brady Papers
Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, May 10th, 2019 - 54 comments
Anne-Marie Brady submitted to yesterday’s Select Committee Inquiry into foreign interference in our elections, making copious reference to her “Magic Weapons” paper of 2017. She didn’t mention another paper which casts a much different light on her independence and purpose
- Viking DNA and the pitfalls of genetic ancestry tests
Anna Källén, Stockholm University and Daniel Strand, Uppsala University A middle-aged white man raises his sword to the skies and roars to the gods. The results of his genetic ancestry test have just arrived in his suburban mailbox. His eyes fill with tears as he learns that he is “0.012% ...7 hours ago - CTG National Newsletter – April 2021
...10 hours ago - Background Paper: How can we achieve affordable, secure homes for everyone?March 2021 The housing crisis right now in New Zealand is one of our biggest contributors to income and wealth inequality. “With the explosive increase in sales and prices, those with houses have their income and/or wealth rapidly increasing, and those who are not on the property ladder are falling ...10 hours ago
- Change coming to Samoa?
Samoans went to the polls on Friday, and delivered a stinging blow to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi one-party state. Pre-election Malielegaoi's Human Rights Protection Party had controlled 44 of 49 seats in Parliament, while using restrictive standing orders to prevent there from even being a recognised opposition in ...11 hours ago - More Evidence that Elimination is the Best COVID-19 Control Strategy for Health and the EconomyProf Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Michael Baker In this blog we briefly consider a new Report from a European think tank that aims to identify an optimal COVID-19 response strategy. It considers mortality data, GDP impacts, and mobility data and suggests that COVID-19 elimination appears to be superior ...11 hours ago
- The Māori Party’s hidden donationsSomething I missed on Friday: the Māori Party has been referred to police over failure to disclose donations over $30,000. Looking at the updated return of large donations, this is about $320,000 donated to them by three donors - John Tamihere, the National Urban Māori Authority, and Aotearoa Te Kahu ...12 hours ago
- A Break In The Wave: Giving Effect To The UN Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples In Aote...
Stormy Seas: Will Jacinda Ardern's Labour Government stand behind the revolutionary proposals contained in He Puapua – the 20-year plan devised by a government appointed working group to realise the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa/New Zealand?“GETTING AHEAD of the story” is one of the most ...15 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 12 April 2021
Covid: India travel ban Sandeep Singh (RNZ): Indian travel ban leaves Kiwis stateless Audrey Young (Herald): Was Jacinda Ardern’s decision on India racist? (paywalled) Tess McClure (The Guardian): New Zealand suspension of travel from India questioned amid fears of racist backlash Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): The data behind the decision to suspend arrivals from India in NZ Golriz Ghahraman (Spinoff): Why NZ’s ...18 hours ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Apr 4, 2021 through Sat, Apr 10, 2021 The big news - at least from our perspective! - we shared on social media this week was Skeptical Science to expand impact as 501(c)(3) non-profit. Judging from ...1 day ago - Principled, pragmatic or expedient.
For several decades under Labour and National-led governments New Zealand has claimed to have an independent (and sometimes autonomous) foreign policy. This foreign policy independence is said to be gained by having a “principled but pragmatic” approach to international relations: principled when possible, pragmatic when necessary. More recently NZ foreign ...1 day ago - The science denial being taught in schools
This video produced in Seattle looks at the gender identity curriculum used in schools in the US. A thin veneer of pseudoscience is being used to indoctrinate children with an ideology based on scientific and medical inaccuracies. ...2 days ago - Legal Beagle: A draft submission on the Harmful Digital Communications (Unauthorised Posting of Inti...
For once, I have written my submission on a bill with enough time to spare to both enocurage any of you who wants to make a submission to do so as well, and to give you time to spot the typos in mine.Louisa Wall's Harmful Digital Communications (Unauthorised Posting of Intimate ...2 days ago - there’s a word for this sort of misinformation about vaccinesA friend found a concerning FB post (see below – this is a public post & so I have not redacted the name) & – as you do – immediately queried it with Southern Cross Life & Health Insurance as well as sending the screenshot to me¹. We both read ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Rumours of Collins being rolled by Luxon and BridgesJudith Collins’ National Party leadership is under more scrutiny, with increased talk in the media of her being replaced by brand new MP Christopher Luxon. For many commentators it’s just a question of “when” rather than “if” Collins is replaced. While others ponder whether Luxon really has what it takes ...3 days ago
- The choice is clear: Fair climate policy or no climate policyThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Richard Richels, Henry Jacoby, Ben Santer, and Gary Yohe President Biden has expressed a commitment to making equity a guiding principle in domestic policy formation. When applied to climate policy, it may help eliminate major obstacles to getting our own house in order. But ...3 days ago
- The Slovakian Radio Hobbit (1989)
‘Tis the season for unearthing the rarest gems in Tolkien adaptation – which, considering that the fandom has been dominated by Peter Jackson for nigh on two decades, is a positively heart-warming development. It is why I have devoted so much blog space to the obscure and weirdly wonderful ...3 days ago - Trading Red Tape
Whatever the damage, especially to the British economy, Brexit has done us a service by illustrating the complexity of trade.Brexit is the only example we have of two closely integrated sophisticated economies severing trading ties. The European Union and Britain still do not have tariffs or import quotas between them ...3 days ago - Overturning racism in Palmerston NorthThe Palmerston North City Council has voted for Māori wards: Palmerston North Māori will be guaranteed one or two seats on the city council from 2022, and this time, there is nothing opponents can do about it. The council decided by an 11-5 vote at its monthly meeting this ...3 days ago
- Totally out of touchKids are striking for the climate today, demanding a decent, liveable future. Meanwhile, the National Party, the reliable servant of the farm lobby and other polluting businesses, is calling for action to be delayed: National has written to Climate Change Minister James Shaw calling for him to extend the ...4 days ago
- Striking for a future againToday tens of thousands of schoolkids have walked out of school to strike for a future free from climate change. And tens of thousands of older New Zealanders have joined them. Their demands are clear: eliminate fossil fuels, implement 100% renewable energy with a just transition, and support our Pacific ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 9 April 2021Covid: India travel ban Luke Malpass (Stuff): Is the the ‘temporary’ India travel ban proportional or a massive overreaction? Andrew Geddis (Spinoff): Is banning all arrivals from India, including New Zealand citizens, actually legal? Keith Lynch (Stuff): What the numbers say about the India travel ban 1News: Michael Baker says halting arrivals from India ‘absolutely right thing to do’ 1News: Temporarily halting ...4 days ago
- We Still Haven't Found What We're Looking For (With Apologies to U2)The Gods That Failed.We studied the dialecticRead the whole of ‘Capital’So we could follow youSo we could follow youHow we shoutedHow we scrawledPainted slogans on city wallsOn prison wallsProof we had followed youBut, we still didn’t find what we’re looking forAnd we still haven’t found what we’re looking forWhen they ...4 days ago
- Be Woke – Or Go Politically Broke.Conventional Wisdom? The Republican Right is convinced that to “go woke” is to “go broke”. It simply does not believe sufficient Americans feel strongly enough about social justice to make any kind of boycott remotely effective. Clearly, the Boards of Directors of more and more American corporations disagree. RECENT MOVES by ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science to expand impact as 501(c)(3) non-profit4 days ago
- Mike Hosking “De-Platforms” The PM.Blowing Hot And Cold: Mike Hosking’s bosses should, perhaps, ask themselves what message Newstalk-ZB (and NZME) is sending to the people of New Zealand if Mike Hosking, their self-appointed “People’s Prosecutor”, is accorded bragging rights for “cancelling” the democratically-elected Prime Minister of New Zealand. Especially when said Prime Minister’s only ...4 days ago
- Horses can recognise themselves in a mirror — new studyAli Boyle, University of Cambridge If you ask people to list the most intelligent animals, they’ll name a few usual suspects. Chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants are often mentioned, as are crows, dogs and occasionally pigs. Horses don’t usually get a look in. So it might come as a surprise that ...4 days ago
- Media Link: “A View from Afar” on emerging multipolarity and rival blocs.Selwyn Manning and I dedicated this week’s video podcast to the potential emergence of rival blocs within the transitional process involved in the move from a unipolar to a multipolar international system currently underway. However one characterises the phenomenon–autocracies versus democracies, East versus West, colonial versus post-colonial–the global order is ...4 days ago
- The Complete (Screen) Tom Bombadil: 1971-1993With the rediscovery of the lost Soviet Lord of the Rings, the time has come for the important things in life. Specifically, compiling the Tom Bombadil scenes from the three known screen adaptations that feature him: This is a collection of scenes from:– Sagan om Ringen (1971: ...4 days ago
- Climate Change: Doing the minimum againBack in February the Climate Change Commission recommended a ban on new coal-fired boilers, and a phase out of existing ones by 2037. And today, the government has said they will implement that policy, and backed it up with funding to help transition some of our large pollution sources: ...5 days ago
- Protecting journalistsBack in 2014, the police raided and searched journalist Nicky Hager's home over his book Dirty Politics, seizing his journalistic work in an effort to identify his sources to please their political masters in the National party. The raid - and much of the police's related investigative work - was ...5 days ago
- Charting our way back to normalBy Professor Tony Blakely, Dr Tim Wilson, Luke Thorburn and Professor Nathan Grills, University of Melbourne A new web tool, COVID-19 Pandemic Trade-offs, allows people to weigh the costs and benefits of different policy responses as Australia rolls out vaccines and considers opening borders. See here for an associated explanatory ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 8 April 2021Vaccinations and leaked figures Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Leaked’ document shows NZ vaccine rollout is ‘miles’ behind schedule, says National Party Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Government has vaccinated a third of its original target – leaked report Rachel Sadler (Newshub): How New Zealand’s vaccine programme will ramp up, why targets aren’t being hit Kate Newton (Stuff): What does data tell us about ...5 days ago
- “doing my own research” & the scientific methodThis evening I was engaging in polite conversation (well, I was polite, anyway) on an RNZ Facebook post about – you guessed it! – the covid19 vaccination program. One of those present offered up a link to a blog post by Joseph Mercola to support a claim he was making ...5 days ago
- Gender ideology – a summing up part 1
by Jordan Levi (Contributed) I don’t remember when I first came across the concept of gender identity, but it was definitely before Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) came out as transgender because I’m sure that would’ve confused me way more if it was my first acquaintance with the phenomenon. The ...5 days ago - Those blind allegiances to Mammon – Profit over People, or a society where everyone has real chanc...
The fact that the much vaunted “most advanced, richest Nation on the planet, ever”, that being America, ran into a brick wall in its responses to the problems across the world of late is because, at its heart, of the economic system that we’ve all been largely forced to ...5 days ago - I now pronounce you denewedThe EPA has commenced the 2021 “denewing” of new organisms. Their New Organisms team explain what this means, and ask you to put forward your proposals. The places we inhabit are shared with thousands of different kinds of organisms. They’re in the trees, flying in the sky, in our yoghurt, ...5 days ago
- COVID vaccine safety – adverse events vs. adverse reactionsAs we roll out the COVID-19 vaccine across NZ there will inevitably be people who experience adverse events after getting their jab. Here are some super important things to keep in mind about adverse events following immunisation. Terminology – words matter Any event that is undesirable and follows administration of ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #14, 2021Nature Climate Change celebrates 10 years of obfuscation The Nature Publishing Group is distinguished not only by what we're told (most of us must take somebody's word for it) are exceptionally high quality research publications but also by what some might term an outlier, extremist policy on locked-down content. In many ...5 days ago
- One way of fixing itHow can we stop the Ministry of Health censoring and sanitising vital mental health statistics to make themselves (and Ministers) look good? Legislate for annual reporting: Green Party mental health spokeswoman Chlöe Swarbrick says the Ministry of Health should be legally required to produce a wide range of mental ...5 days ago
- Futures snacksHere’s a few short interesting developments or discussions I’ve seen recently. Loosely bundled together in a theme of “values.” Irregular labour Is the private sector the best provider and facilitator of “gig work”? That’s challenged in a New Yorker profile of Wingham Rowan, an English social entrepreneur. For many years ...5 days ago
- Self-interested arse coveringIn 1997 the Law Commission reviewed the OIA. In the process, they identified a problem: decisions to transfer a request could not be investigated by the Ombudsman under the Act. They also identified a workaround: transfer decisions by agencies subject to the Ombudsmen Act could be investigated under that Act, ...5 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – An overwhelming vote of no confidence in Labour’s mental heal...The area of mental health has been a key strength for Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Government over the last few years. They campaigned strongly in 2017 on fixing up the dysfunctional system, and initially they made some vital strides forward in reforming the sector. An in-depth inquiry was instigated ...6 days ago
- Recreation Transition: low-carbon recreation in the mountainsBy Jamie Stewart, Federated Mountain Clubs Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC), founded in 1931, represents 96 clubs, 22,000 members and 300,000 people that regularly recreate in the New Zealand backcountry. This article first appeared in the June 2020 issue of Backcountry magazine and is reproduced with permission. (Read the original article). ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 7 April 2021Travel bubble announced with Australia Luke Malpass (Stuff): Trans-Tasman bubble brings palpable relief to Parliament Audrey Young (Herald): Jacinda Ardern manages expectations over transtasman bubble (paywalled) Herald: Editorial: Bubble a significant and welcome step Jo Moir (Newshub): The public handbrake on an Aussie bubble Hannah Martin (Stuff): Public health experts welcome ‘cautious’ trans-Tasman travel bubble Tess McClure (The Guardian): Trans-Tasman travel bubble between New Zealand ...6 days ago
- We should not subsidise a criminal industryFishing is a criminal and environmentally destructive industry which ignores the law while corrupting our democracy. Last year, their addiction to foreign slave-labour saw them bring Covid into the country. So naturally, they're expecting us to pay for an advertising campaign to recruit more people: Taxpayers are being asked ...6 days ago
- Hostile to transparencyStuff had an appalling story on Sunday about the Ministry of Health's attempts to hide unflattering mental health statistics and sanitise a regular report. The report came out last week, and showed a massive increase in the use of "seclusion", a practice which has been condemned by the UN Committee ...6 days ago
- Send it back to Australia IIAnother unpleasant surprise at Tiwai Point: in addition to the declared stockpiles of toxic waste, they may have tens of thousands of tons secretly buried in the early 1990's to avoid the RMA: Investigators are looking into claims highly toxic waste has been buried in unmapped sites at Tiwai ...6 days ago
- Afraid of a trans-Tasman bubbleThis morning the government is deciding on the start-date for a trans-Tasman travel bubble. Note the way that that's phrased: the existence of such a bubble is taken as a given, and the only question is how to implement it. Obviously, we're going to have to re-open the borders eventually, ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 6 April 2021Mental health crisis Kyle MacDonald (Herald): Jacinda Ardern has failed us on mental health – and it’s only going to get worse(paywalled) Henry Cooke (Stuff): ‘A lot of data and negative statistics’: Inside the battle behind dramatic edits and huge delays to a Government mental health report Tess McClure (The Guardian): New Zealand mental health crisis has worsened ...7 days ago
- Insufficiently Qualified To Object: Why Labour Ministers Can Be Lied To With Impunity.Qualified To Give - And Take - Advice: Most Labour MPs are self-conscious members of the meritocracy, meaning they have succeeded where the vast majority of their fellow citizens have failed. The primary political obligation, understood by all members of the First Labour Government, was to listen to the people. ...7 days ago
- Suez Canal shutdown shows the vulnerability of the global economy to extreme eventsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD A critical global shipping node – Egypt’s Suez Canal – was reopened on Monday, March 29, six days after being shut down when the 400-meter-long container ship Ever Given became lodged in the canal. A statement by the Suez ...1 week ago
- “Red, Red Whines” (With Apologies To Neil Diamond and UB40)Red, red whines.That’s all you’ll hear.Not like those glory daysWhen we would cheer. Red, red whines.If it were up to us,We'd make a proper jobOf transforming the world. We would beMore than kind.Offer so much more than spin.Makes us sadWhen we findThere’s so much you won’t begin. Red, red whines.Now ...1 week ago
- A Bigger Impact: Class Still Trumps Race – At least In The UK.Worlds Apart: According to the report of the British Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: “family structure and social class had a bigger impact than race on how people’s lives turned out”. These are not the sort of findings that New Zealand fighters against "White Supremacy" and "Colonisation" are eager ...1 week ago
- Chocolate’s secret ingredient is the fermenting microbes that make it taste so goodCaitlin Clark, Colorado State University Whether baked as chips into a cookie, melted into a sweet warm drink or molded into the shape of a smiling bunny, chocolate is one of the world’s most universally consumed foods. Even the biggest chocolate lovers, though, might not recognize what this ancient food ...1 week ago
- The Game Is Afoot: Ranking Sherlock Holmes Stories
Since December 2020, I have been working my way through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s corpus of Sherlock Holmes stories, in order of publication.
As of today I have managed to finish this adventure ... 1 week ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #13Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 28, 2021 through Sat, Apr 3, 2021 The three apparently most popular posts on our Facebook page this week were John Cook's 23 Ways to Mislead (and how to spot them), Stanton Glantz' blog post ...1 week ago
- Bloodlines.1 week ago
- Minimum Wage? Property Investors? Don’t Touch Our Profits
It has never ceased to surprise me that those who profit at the expense of others are so unaware of the harm suffered by those they exploit, and are so convinced that they have a right to do the exploiting and that their profit is a proper and justifiable reward ...1 week ago - Taxing Questions About Taxing Housing
The government’s recent housing package may work; will it do enough?Trick Question: Does New Zealand have a capital gains tax on housing? If you ask the Prime Minister she will say not. It is true that her government is increasing the scope of the ‘bright-line test’ on non-family homes to ...1 week ago - Clock is running on our reliance on vegetation as a steady 'carbon sink'This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope Trees and other plants have been critical in helping to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. But newly published scientific findings suggest the clock may be running on vegetation’s forever continuing at the same carbon sink efficiency rate currently ...2 weeks ago
- In celebration of: Mr David Seymour
Today is the goodest of Fridays. What better way to celebrate a day off work when everything is closed to honour one of the greatest minds ever to nestle his parliamentary buttocks one of those gigantic green seats in the debating chamber. Ladies and gentlement I give you… Mr David ...2 weeks ago - Legal Beagle: A submission on the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Cla...Below, for those interested, I copy my submission on the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification (Urgent Interim Classification of Publications and Prevention of Online Harm) Amendment Bill.This is the government bill aiming to create a mandatory Internet filter. The bill is largely unnecessary, but in parts not as bad as people ...2 weeks ago
- Five ways fish are more like humans than you realiseMatt Parker, University of Portsmouth You’ve probably heard that fish have a three-second memory, or that they’re incapable of feeling pain. Neither of these statements is true, but it’s telling that these misconceptions don’t crop up for other vertebrates. Perhaps it’s because fish appear so different from us. They don’t ...2 weeks ago
- This is on ArdernSo, corporate pillager Ron Brierley has plead guilty to possession of child pornography, and there are obvious calls for him to be stripped of his feudal honour (awarded in the 80's for services to his own banak balance). When faced with such calls in the past, the government has hidden ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand The Way THEY Deserve It.Rage, Rage, And The Crying Of The Right: Retributive populism is founded on the principle that the past was better than the present: and that unless there is a strong and unapologetic reassertion of the values and policies that dignified the past, then the nation’s steady decline will persist into ...2 weeks ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Missing part of the Govt housing package – state buildsJacinda Ardern can essentially say “kia kaha” as much as she wants to those at the bottom of the housing market, but it won’t help their plight. Eventually her government is going to have to take state housing seriously as a tool for helping solve the housing crisis – especially ...2 weeks ago
- March ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: What is the best way to get free traffic to my blog? I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog ... 2 weeks ago - 2021 Reading Log: March (+ Writing Update)Completed reads for March: The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Another quiet month ... 2 weeks ago - NZ Politics Daily: 1 April 2021Housing crisis John Bishop (Stuff): Are speculators really the problem? Isn’t it the lack of houses? Daniel Dunkley (Stuff): Here’s why rental controls aren’t the answer Hannah Kronast (Newshub): Government could implement rental hike caps if necessary but it’s unlikely to be anytime soon – expert Brian Fallow (Herald): Who’ll feel the property pinch from Govt’s tax changes? (paywalled) Ashley Church ...2 weeks ago
- Long-lost and Psychedelic: Khraniteli, the Soviet Fellowship of the Ring (1991)
It might just be me, but there are few things more exciting than the rediscovery of art previously thought lost. Even if it isn’t particularly great art, there is still the thrill of notching up a victory for human knowledge against the inevitable sands of time. There is a ...2 weeks ago - the strange case of the headless sea slugAutotomy. There’s a word you don’t see every day – but those familiar with lizards may well have seen the result. For autotomy is the scientific name for what I suppose we could also call “self-amputation”: the process whereby an animal deliberately sheds a part of its body (a tail, ...2 weeks ago
- A Potemkin reviewNitrates are a serious public health threat, posing a risk of death for babies and a long-term risk of bowel cancer for adults. Farmers are currently spewing them into the water table via fertiliser and dirty dairying, poisoning drinking water across Canterbury and threatening the drinking water of our second-largest ...2 weeks ago
- Biden's executive orders on climate have broad public supportThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Ben Santer, and Richard Richels Governing from the White House by executive actions – whether by executive orders or variations thereon – has its pluses and minuses. Executive orders, for instance, can help get past rigid partisan opposition and ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 31 March 2021Housing crisis Claire Robinson (The Guardian): Backlash to Labour’s housing policy has exposed signs of internal party disarray Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Housing – Ardern’s divide-and-rule tactics Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): National’s failure on housing risks making the party irrelevant Henry Cooke (Stuff): Public housing waitlist hits new record of 22,803 as new builds slow in January Zane Small (Newshub): Have rents ‘tended to ...2 weeks ago
- Hiding In Plain Sight.Massey's Cossacks: New Zealand's employer class didn't need the services of a Pinkerton Detective Agency – strike-breakers par excellence in the service of US industrial titans like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. Not when the strapping sons of Waikato and Wairarapa cockies could be quietly trained and organised by ...2 weeks ago
- Service providers and communities call on Government to treat drugs as a health issue
The Green Party supports the open letter released today by a cross-sector coalition calling for the Government to treat all drug use as a health issue, to repeal and replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. ...13 hours ago - Boosting small businesses
Small businesses are not only the heart of our economy – they’re also the heart of our communities. They provide important goods and services, as well as great employment opportunities. They know and love their locals. And after a tough year, they need our support! ...3 days ago - Young Pasifika Leaders call for climate action: GreensGreen Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono MP, supports the demand from Pasifika communities fighting for climate action as their homelands are more at risk in the Pacific region. ...4 days ago
- Green Party supports climate strike demandsThe Green Party supports the six demands for climate action put forward by School Strike for Climate NZ, who are striking across the country today. ...4 days ago
- Systemic racism rooted in Māori victimisation reportThe Ministry of Justice Māori victimisation report, released today, reinforces what we already know about the impact of systemic racism in Aotearoa and that urgent action is needed. ...4 days ago
- Greens legacy bill to ensure a more inclusive and accessible Aotearoa to be debated in ParliamentRicardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog was today pulled from the biscuit tin to be debated in Parliament. ...4 days ago
- More businesses switching to clean energyMore businesses are making the switch to cleaner, more sustainable energy, with support from our Government. ...5 days ago
- More families better off, thanks to LabourMore than one million people will be better off from today, thanks to our Government’s changes to the minimum wage, main benefits and superannuation. ...2 weeks ago
- We have a poverty crisis in New Zealand, we need to do moreThe Green Party is calling for the Government to do more for New Zealanders who continue to miss out, as main benefits are set to rise by less than $8 a week tomorrow, Thursday 1 April (at the start of the financial year). ...2 weeks ago
- Auckland light rail back on track, Greens welcome engagement with communityThe Green Party is welcoming the announcement today by the Minister of Transport that Auckland light rail is getting back on track. ...2 weeks ago
- Rocketlab failing to properly consult with Hapū: Greens meet with ngā uri o RongomaiwahineSunday 28th March 70 Rongomaiwahine descendants welcomed members of the Green Party’s Māori Caucus, Te Mātāwaka, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and Teanau Tuiono, to discuss concerns about RocketLab’s operations on the Mahia Peninsula. ...2 weeks ago
- How Labour is backing rentersWe’ve worked hard to make life easier for renters, and ensure everyone has a healthy, secure place to live. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens support calls for Dawn Raids apologyIt has been 50 years since the Polynesian Panthers were formed, and now a call for a formal government apology for the Dawn Raids has come. ...3 weeks ago
- Tourism Infrastructure Fund now open
Applications are now invited from all councils for a slice of government funding aimed at improving tourism infrastructure, especially in areas under pressure given the size of their rating bases. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has already signalled that five South Island regions will be given priority to reflect that jobs ...8 hours ago - Construction Skills Action Plan delivering early on targetsThe Construction Skills Action Plan has delivered early on its overall target of supporting an additional 4,000 people into construction-related education and employment, says Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams. Since the Plan was launched in 2018, more than 9,300 people have taken up education or employment opportunities in ...16 hours ago
- Youth Justice residence offers new pathwayAn innovative new Youth Justice residence designed in partnership with Māori will provide prevention, healing, and rehabilitation services for both young people and their whānau, Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Whakatakapokai is located in South Auckland and will provide care and support for up to 15 rangatahi remanded or ...16 hours ago
- The Duke of EdinburghPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern today expressed New Zealand’s sorrow at the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “Our thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen at this profoundly sad time. On behalf of the New Zealand people and the Government, I would like to express ...3 days ago
- Five Country Ministerial CommuniquéWe, the Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (the ‘Five Countries’) met via video conference on 7/8 April 2021, just over a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Guided by our shared ...3 days ago
- Inspiring creativity through cultural installations and eventsArts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni has today announced the opening of the first round of Ngā Puninga Toi ā-Ahurea me ngā Kaupapa Cultural Installations and Events. “Creating jobs and helping the arts sector rebuild and recover continues to be a key part of the Government’s COVID-19 response,” Carmel ...4 days ago
- Drug-testing law to be made permanentInterim legislation that is already proving to keep people safer from drugs will be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew Little says. Research by Victoria University, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, shows that the Government’s decision in December to make it legal for drug-checking services to operate at festivals ...4 days ago
- Better rules proposed for freedom campingPublic consultation launched on ways to improve behaviour and reduce damage Tighter rules proposed for either camping vehicles or camping locations Increased penalties proposed, such as $1,000 fines or vehicle confiscation Rental companies may be required to collect fines from campers who hire vehicles Public feedback is sought on proposals ...4 days ago
- Government backs Air New Zealand as Trans-Tasman bubble opensThe Government is continuing to support Air New Zealand while aviation markets stabilise and the world moves towards more normal border operations. The Crown loan facility made available to Air New Zealand in March 2020 has been extended to a debt facility of up to $1.5 billion (an additional $600 ...4 days ago
- Building gifted for new community hub in Richmond red zoneChristchurch’s Richmond suburb will soon have a new community hub, following the gifting of a red-zoned property by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to the Richmond Community Gardens Trust. The Minister for Land Information, Damien O’Connor said that LINZ, on behalf of the Crown, will gift a Vogel Street house ...4 days ago
- Pacific languages funding reopensMinister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the reopening of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ (MPP) Languages Funding in 2021 will make sure there is a future for Pacific languages. “Language is the key to the wellbeing for Pacific people. It affirms our identity as Pasifika and ...5 days ago
- ERANZ speech April 2021It is a pleasure to be here tonight. Thank you Cameron for the introduction and thank you for ERANZ for also hosting this event. Last week in fact, we had one of the largest gatherings in our sector, Downstream 2021. I have heard from my officials that the discussion on ...5 days ago
- Strengthening Māori knowledge in science and innovationResearch, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods has today announced the 16 projects that will together get $3.9 million through the 2021 round of Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund, further strengthening the Government’s commitment to Māori knowledge in science and innovation. “We received 78 proposals - the highest ...5 days ago
- Government delivers next phase of climate actionThe Government is delivering on a key election commitment to tackle climate change, by banning new low and medium temperature coal-fired boilers and partnering with the private sector to help it transition away from fossil fuels. This is the first major announcement to follow the release of the Climate Commission’s ...5 days ago
- Continued investment in Central Otago schools supports roll growthSix projects, collectively valued at over $70 million are delivering new schools, classrooms and refurbished buildings across Central Otago and are helping to ease the pressure of growing rolls in the area, says Education Minister Chris Hipkins. The National Education Growth Plan is making sure that sufficient capacity in the ...5 days ago
- Two more Christchurch schools completeTwo more schools are now complete as part of the Christchurch Schools Rebuild Programme, with work about to get under way on another, says Education Minister Chris Hipkins. Te Ara Koropiko – West Spreydon School will welcome students to their new buildings for the start of Term 2. The newly ...5 days ago
- Independent experts to advise Government on post-vaccination futureThe Government is acting to ensure decisions on responding to the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic are informed by the best available scientific evidence and strategic public health advice. “New Zealand has worked towards an elimination strategy which has been successful in keeping our people safe and our economy ...5 days ago
- Supporting Māori success with Ngārimu AwardsSix Māori scholars have been awarded Ngārimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial scholarships for 2021, Associate Education Minister and Ngārimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The prestigious Manakura Award was also presented for the first time since 2018. “These awards are a tribute to the heroes of the 28th ...5 days ago
- Global partnerships propel space tech researchNew Zealand’s aerospace industry is getting a boost through the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), to grow the capability of the sector and potentially lead to joint space missions, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods has announced. 12 New Zealand organisations have been chosen to work with world-leading experts at ...5 days ago
- Government backs more initiatives to boost food and fibre workforceThe Government is backing more initiatives to boost New Zealand’s food and fibre sector workforce, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “The Government and the food and fibres sector have been working hard to fill critical workforce needs. We've committed to getting 10,000 more Kiwis into the sector over the ...6 days ago
- Minister welcomes Bill to remove Subsequent Child PolicyMinister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the Social Security (Subsequent Child Policy Removal) Amendment Bill in the House this evening. “Tonight’s first reading is another step on the way to removing excessive sanctions and obligations for people receiving a Main Benefit,” says ...6 days ago
- Mental Health Amendment Bill passes first readingThe Government has taken a significant step towards delivering on its commitment to improve the legislation around mental health as recommended by He Ara Oranga – the report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Amendment ...6 days ago
- Whenua Māori Rating Amendment Bill passes third readingLocal Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has welcomed the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Bill passing its third reading today. “After nearly 100 years of a system that was not fit for Māori and did not reflect the partnership we have come to expect between Māori and the Crown, ...6 days ago
- Trans-Tasman bubble to start 19 AprilNew Zealand’s successful management of COVID means quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will start on Monday 19 April, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the conditions for starting to open up quarantine free travel with Australia have ...6 days ago
- Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill passes Third ReadingMinister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little welcomed ngā uri o Ngāti Hinerangi to Parliament today to witness the third reading of their Treaty settlement legislation, the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. “I want to acknowledge ngā uri o Ngāti Hinerangi and the Crown negotiations teams for working tirelessly ...6 days ago
- Independent group announced to advise on firearms mattersMinister of Police Poto Williams has announced the members of the Ministers Arms Advisory Group, established to ensure balanced advice to Government on firearms that is independent of Police. “The Ministers Arms Advisory Group is an important part of delivering on the Government’s commitment to ensure we maintain the balance ...7 days ago
- Kiri Allan to take leave of absenceKiri Allan, Minister of Conservation and Emergency Management will undertake a leave of absence while she undergoes medical treatment for cervical cancer, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “I consider Kiri not just a colleague, but a friend. This news has been devastating. But I also know that Kiri is ...7 days ago
- Excellent progress at new Waikeria prison buildExcellent progress has been made at the new prison development at Waikeria, which will boost mental health services and improve rehabilitation opportunities for people in prison, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. Kelvin Davis was onsite at the new build to meet with staff and see the construction first-hand, following a ...1 week ago
- Expert panel proposes criminal limits for drug drivingTo reduce the trauma of road crashes caused by drug impaired drivers, an Independent Expert Panel on Drug Driving has proposed criminal limits and blood infringement thresholds for 25 impairing drugs, Minister of Police Poto Williams and Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill ...2 weeks ago
- Covid-19 imgration powers to be extendedTemporary COVID-19 immigration powers will be extended to May 2023, providing continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Over the past year, we have had to make rapid decisions to vary visa conditions, extend expiry dates, and ...2 weeks ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedTemporary COVID-19 immigration powers will be extended to May 2023, providing continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Over the past year, we have had to make rapid decisions to vary visa conditions, extend expiry dates, and ...2 weeks ago
- More support for mums and whānau struggling with alcohol and other drugsThe Government is expanding its Pregnancy and Parenting Programme so more women and whānau can access specialist support to minimise harm from alcohol and other drugs, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “We know these supports help improve wellbeing and have helped to reduce addiction, reduced risk for children, and helped ...2 weeks ago
- Ahuwhenua Trophy Competition Field Day – Tātaiwhetū Trust at Tauarau Marae, Rūātoki*** Please check against delivery *** It’s an honour to be here in Rūātoki today, a rohe with such a proud and dynamic history of resilience, excellence and mana. Tūhoe moumou kai, moumou taonga, moumou tangata ki te pō. The Ahuwhenua Trophy competition is the legacy of a seed planted ...2 weeks ago
- Crown accounts again better than forecastThe economic recovery from COVID-19 continues to be reflected in the Government’s books, which are again better than expected. The Crown accounts for the eight months to the end of February 2021 showed both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and Fiscal ...2 weeks ago
- FIFA Women’s World Cup to open in New ZealandSport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson and Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash have welcomed confirmation New Zealand will host the opening ceremony and match, and one of the semi-finals, of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. Grant Robertson says matches will be held in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin, ...2 weeks ago
- 1 April changes raise incomes for 1.4 million New ZealandersChanges to the minimum wage, main benefit levels and superannuation rates that come into force today will raise the incomes for around 1.4 million New Zealanders. “This Government is committed to raising the incomes for all New Zealanders as part of laying the foundations for a better future,” Minister for ...2 weeks ago
- New Dunedin Hospital – Whakatuputupu approved for fast track consenting processThe New Dunedin Hospital – Whakatuputupu has been approved for consideration under the fast track consenting legislation. The decision by Environment Minister David Parker signifies the importance of the project to the health of the people of Otago-Southland and to the economy of the region. “This project ticks all the ...2 weeks ago
- Next steps for Auckland light railTransport Minister Michael Wood is getting Auckland light rail back on track with the announcement of an establishment unit to progress this important city-shaping project and engage with Aucklanders. Michael Wood said the previous process didn’t involve Aucklanders enough. ...2 weeks ago
- Tourism fund to prioritise hard-hit regionsThe Minister of Tourism is to re-open a government fund that supports councils to build infrastructure for visitors, with a specific focus on regions hardest hit by the loss of overseas tourists. “Round Five of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund will open for applications next month,” said Stuart Nash. It ...2 weeks ago
- Governance Group to lead next phase of work on a potential new public media entityA Governance Group of eight experts has been appointed to lead the next phase of work on a potential new public media entity, Minister for Broadcasting and Media Kris Faafoi announced today. “The Governance Group will oversee the development of a business case to consider the viability of a new ...2 weeks ago
- Samoa’s stunning election result: on the verge of a new ruling party for the first time in 40 year...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamasailau Suaalii Sauni, Associate Professor in Criminology Programme, University of Auckland Samoan politics is on a knife edge. After the country voted in general elections on April 9, counting so far has resulted in a dead heat between the two major parties. ...5 hours ago - If I could go anywhere: Boughton House, ‘the English Versailles’ and its shimmering treasuresSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Wellington, Senior Lecturer, Art History and Visual Culture, Australian National University In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. If you are a country house fanatic ...7 hours ago
- New AstraZeneca advice is a safer path, but it’s damaged vaccine confidence. The government must u...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane E Frawley, NHMRC Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney The federal government’s recommendation last week that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now the preferred vaccine for adults under 50 has shaken public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The Australian Technical ...8 hours ago
- Misuse of Drugs Act overhaul off the cards for now, Andrew Little says
Health Minister Andrew Little has shot down calls for a swift overhaul of drug laws, saying any major change would first have to go back to a referendum. ...8 hours ago - The ebb and flow of COVID-19 vaccine support: what social media tells us about Australians and the j...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bela Stantic, Professor, Director of Big data and smart analytics lab – IIIS, Griffith University Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout has hit yet another crossroads. Public confidence has wavered following the federal government’s announcement last week that the Pfizer vaccine was the preferred ...8 hours ago
- Vaccination Botch Up Needs Urgent Fix
“It’s unacceptable the Government won’t play hardball with unions and force those employees unwilling to get a COVID vaccine to vacate MIQ premises for another 18 days,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Stop pussyfooting about and take the ...8 hours ago - MIQ employers asked to provide worker vaccine information – ArdernA year after MIQ was established, 86 percent of workers there have been vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, while also signalling a state memorial service for Prince Philip. ...9 hours ago
- New Zealand Food Safety Minister Silenced In TransTasman GE ForumNew Zealand’s Ministerial engagement in the Trans Tasman GE Food Standards approval process has been silenced. The Conran review of the Council of Australian Governments COAG fora has recommended the dismantling of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand ...9 hours ago
- Live: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gives post-Cabinet briefingPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is about to give an update following a Cabinet meeting this afternoon as more cases emerge from an Auckland managed isolation facility. ...9 hours ago
- Govt goes into partnership (again), this time to better deal with young Maori offenders
Our Beehive bulletin Has anyone been keeping tabs on the number of race-based “partnerships” established by the Ardern government? Another one popped up today, proudly announced by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. It’s an “innovative’ as well as new Youth Justice residence “designed in partnership with Māori” to provide “prevention, healing, ...10 hours ago - Cyclone Seroja last night demolished parts of WA – and our warming world will bring more of the sa...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Nott, Professor of Physical Geography, James Cook University Tropical Cyclone Seroja battered parts of Western Australia’s coast on Sunday night, badly damaging buildings and leaving thousands of people without power. While the full extent of the damage caused by the Category ...10 hours ago
- Abolition of property investor tax break a blunt tool – tax expertA tax expert wants the government to consider allowing some deductibility of interest payments for property investors. ...11 hours ago
- Smokefree Action Plan Must Elevate Vaping As A Safe SwitchA leading vaping advocate has joined mounting pressure on the Government to take all the necessary steps available to achieve the country’s decade-old smokefree ambition. This comes as Associate Health Minster Dr Ayesha Verrall prepares to release ...11 hours ago
- ECE Needs Flight Plan Overhaul, Not Flying SquadsNews the Ministry of Education is bringing back a Provider Assessment Group, a ‘surprise visit’ investigation unit that shut down 17 early learning services will only add to providers’ woes. There’s no question safety and quality comes first, and we ...11 hours ago
- Prime Minister and Governor-General sign book of condolences for Prince PhilipPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has signed the book of condolences for Prince Philip, paying tribute to his life of service. ...11 hours ago
- Remembering New Zealand’s greatest talent show performances
With Popstars returning to our screens tonight, we turn back the clock and relive some of New Zealand’s most memorable talent show stars.Being the country that essentially invented the reality talent show, New Zealand has no shortage of memorable performers from the last 22 years of the genre. Ben Lummis. ...11 hours ago - Māori Party undeclared donations referred to policeThe Electoral Commission has referred the Māori Party to the police after it failed to declare more than $300,000 in donations. ...11 hours ago
- Indian flight ban passes muster with many lawyers but human rights chief wants more information
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt is championing the rights of New Zealand citizens and residents who are being inconvenienced by the Government’s decision to suspend travel from India for two weeks. The Government needs to be more transparent about the decision, which took effect yesterday and will remain until ...11 hours ago - New Zealand’s new housing policy is really just a new tax package — and it’s a shamblesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Norman Gemmell, Chair in Public Finance, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Economists like to talk about “optimal policy instruments” — essentially, policies that achieve their objectives more effectively or efficiently than the alternatives, and have minimal unintended consequences. Judged ...12 hours ago
- Australia is failing to recognise an urgent need: recruiting more Chinese-Australians into public se...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yun Jiang, Managing Editor, Australian National University A powerful and assertive China poses significant policy challenges for Australia. Many of our most pressing policy issues have crucially important China angles, from freedom of speech on university campuses to scientific research collaboration and ...12 hours ago
- The knife-edge election in Sāmoa – and what happens nextThe battle for political control is not yet resolved, but what is clear is this is the dawn of a new chapter for Sāmoan parliamentary democracy, writes Mata’afa Keni Lesa from Apia.Nobody could have scripted the preliminary results. Although the signs had been ominous for the powerful Human Rights Protection ...12 hours ago
- How Covid-19 Impacted NZ’s Community SectorAs New Zealand’s community and voluntary sector played a street-by-street, home-by-home role in our COVID-19 response, the sector came under more pressure than ever before. Growing threats to the sector’s sustainability, and new insights on how Government ...13 hours ago
- Hamilton City Council Must Investigate LGOIMA And Spin Doctor CostsThe Taxpayers’ Union is stunned a Hamilton City Councillor is using inflated official information costs to pursue ‘utu’ on the Union for a series of exposés relating to the Council. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said: “There ...14 hours ago
- Government Needs To Come Clean On Foreign Buy-ups Of NZThe current government needs to instigate far stricter controls on foreigners buying up New Zealand’s countryside says the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations as well as keeping the New Zealand public informed of the extent of outsiders buying ...15 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – April 12 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 Covid: India travel ban Sandeep Singh (RNZ): Indian travel ban leaves Kiwis stateless Audrey ...16 hours ago
- Yuri Gagarin’s boomerang: the tale of the first person to return from space, and his brief encount...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Gorman, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University Sixty years ago, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel in space when he completed his historic orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961. Out of respect for ...17 hours ago
- As Australia’s vaccination bungle becomes clear, Morrison’s political pain is only just beginnin...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Among many surprising things about 2020 was how a novel coronavirus drove an equally novel upending of Australia’s political orthodoxy. The hackneyed election straightener, “it’s the economy, stupid”, got shoved aside for a ...17 hours ago
- Has a backlash against political correctness made sexual misbehaviour more acceptable?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Last week’s Essential poll, conducted March 24-28 from a sample of 1,100, showed a striking difference by gender over approval of Scott Morrison. With men, Morrison’s approval since February ...17 hours ago
- More coal-fired power or 100% renewables? For the next few decades, both paths are wrongSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Ha, Associate, Grattan Institute The big question facing Australia’s National Electricity Market is how to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 without disrupted energy supplies or skyrocketing prices. Some say coal-fired power will be needed. Others say 100% renewable electricity is the ...17 hours ago
- Indigenous scholars struggle to be heard in the mainstream. Here’s how journal editors and reviewe...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Apisalome Movono, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies, Massey University In the world of research and scholarship, being published in academic journals is crucial to both the advancement of knowledge and the careers of those involved. In particular, the peer review process that ...17 hours ago
- ‘She’s a slut’: sexual bullying among girls contributes to cultural misogyny. We need to take ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Spears, Director: Wellbeing Research Group, Centre for Research in Education School of Education, University of South Australia In an online petition launched by Chanel Contos in February, thousands of women have now disclosed instances of sexual harrassment and assault when at ...17 hours ago
- If I could go anywhere: Japanese art island Chichu, a meditation and an educationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. The Chichu Art Museum is located on the tiny island of ...17 hours ago
- Live updates, April 12: Four locations of interest after third MIQ worker tests positive for Covid-1...Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for April 12, bringing you the latest news throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nzThe Spinoff can’t exist without our members. If you want to help us stay curious and keep our team across New Zealand’s breaking stories, please donate today. 8.00am: ...17 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Change looms in Samoa after knife-edge electionGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Change looms in Samoa after knife-edge election, another border worker has tested positive for Covid-19, and dozens of organisations call for Misuse of Drugs Act to be scrapped.The balance of power could be shifting in an important country in our ...18 hours ago
- Police, Defence Force and Transport Agency contractor spending up by at least 15%Private contractors and consultants are doing well out of government spending propelled by the pandemic and big IT projects. ...18 hours ago
- Investor optimism pushes US markets higher
Business & Investing: Fear levels are down and optimism up in the US markets, Plus: Kiwi cancer diagnostic company Pacific Edge boosted by approval from US insurer ...19 hours ago - National calls for all unvaccinated border workers to be removedThe National Party wants all border workers who aren't vaccinated against Covid-19 to be removed from the front line immediately. ...19 hours ago
- Newsroom daily crossword, Monday 12 April
...20 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Monday 12 April
...20 hours ago - Black Sticks relieved to have Sam Charlton back
One of the most capped Black Sticks players in history, Sam Charlton, is seeing her hockey career through fresh eyes. It wouldn’t have been a shock had Sam Charlton decided to wind up her Black Sticks career a few months ago. So much has happened in the 251-test defender’s life since the ...20 hours ago - The School Strikes generation wants change – and they want it now
The nationwide rallies of students and other New Zealanders are showing the Government there's a mandate for climate action and changing the strikers themselves. ...20 hours ago - High-tech tool to help scientists see the wood for the trees
Decision-makers faced with environmental issues now have an artificial intelligence tool to make the science more accessible than ever Jim McLeod first used aerial images to see what was happening in the bush in 1995. “You could probably make out a house on it, but nothing smaller,” said the Waikato Regional ...20 hours ago - Choose your kaimoana wisely
Just because you don't have to know the origin of your food doesn't mean you shouldn’t. Veronica Rotman provides a guide on what decisions we can make at the supermarket to avoid harming the oceans. Fifty years ago, we understood the ocean to be an infinite bowl of sashimi and snapper. The ...20 hours ago - The book everybody is talking about
We devote much of this week to the Charlotte Grimshaw memoir that everyone is talking about. Today: an excerpt from The Mirror Book It was those banal, mundane life events that changed everything for me. My marriage blew up, I found myself alone, and in the aftermath I lost some ...20 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 12 April
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...20 hours ago - New Website To Hear Housing Stories“A flood of stories about the likely impacts of new interest deductibility rules has necessitated a new website to hear them all,” says ACT Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden. “Labour’s interest deductibility changes represent a stealth ...20 hours ago
- Fed up with NZ’s out-of-control housing market? Come to AustraliaWatching from the other side of the Tasman as housing back home goes from bad to worse, Paul Davies has one thing to say to his fellow New Zealanders: where the bloody hell are ya?It’s impossible to ignore the headlines. They keep revolving but seldom evolving. Derelict houses selling for ...20 hours ago
- Grams on the ’gram: Why drug dealers are plying their wares on InstaInstagram was once a place for holiday snaps and influencers’ brunch pics. These days, accounts galore are dedicated to drug dealing – and they’re advertising to the masses.Dealing drugs online is not new. The dark web has been a hive of illicit content for years: hosting child pornography, as a ...20 hours ago
- The Contact Tracer app just got gamified. Here’s what that means for youPokémon Go it’s not. But from swirly success icons and live stats to a flashlight option, Andrew Chen explains what’s changed, and why. Last week, the Ministry of Health released a new version of the NZ Covid Tracer app. After a lot of public debate and discussion in ...20 hours ago
- Siouxsie Wiles: The data behind the decision to suspend arrivals from India in NZThe temporary halt on travel from India to New Zealand is unprecedented. But so is the state of Covid-19 in India, writes Siouxsie Wiles.As of yesterday, travellers from India are prohibited from entering Aotearoa New Zealand. The ban is temporary and due to be lifted at the end of April. ...20 hours ago
- Govt’s First Home Loan scheme 'totally redundant'
Comment: The Government’s much-touted Kāinga Ora First Home Loan scheme is all-but-useless in many parts of the country because unrealistic house price caps mean buyers can’t find a house cheap enough to qualify. It’s nuts. ...20 hours ago - Hints of new leadership model for Greens
The Green Party is embarking on a big conversation about whether its co-leadership model is fit for purpose. ...20 hours ago - Study: School streaming destroys kids' self-belief
Pressure mounts to end academic streaming as a report reveals the practice disadvantages Māori ...20 hours ago - Social platforms should be captured in new media regulations – officials
After 12 years of indecision, government officials have renewed a push for more cohesive controls for social media. ...20 hours ago - Anti-Asian issues in NZ
The spotlight on anti-Asian attacks in America is spilling over to New Zealand, and has highlighted the fact that such sentiments lurk beneath the surface here too The rise of Asian hate crimes is growing in America, with the White House introducing new measures to stop it. New Zealand may ...20 hours ago - Housing affordability is a problem. Here’s why super-for-housing isn’t a solutionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances, Grattan Institute The idea that young Australians should be able to dip into their super to help buy their first home keeps going round and round. The most recent iteration put forward by the Coalition’s Tim ...1 day ago
- Rawiri Waititi: “Rotorua Council Needs To Clean It’s Shit Up”, After Sewerage CatastropheThis week MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi was invited to attend a community hui at Hurungaterangi Marae in Ngapuna, Rotorua - where locals spoke of the physical and psychological suffering they are experiencing, caused by faulty sewerage plant ...1 day ago
- An ode to … Mike Hosking
Dunedin writer Victor resumes his Sunday odes to public figures. Today: Mike Hosking The Hosky and Cindy Show I want you on my show. And then I do not. I’ve fired you again. You’ve had your shot. You cancelled yourself. You’re on the shelf. But now ...2 days ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Sunday 11 April
...2 days ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Sunday 11 April
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...2 days ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Sunday 11 April
...2 days ago - The sexiest lines from New Zealand’s sexiest new book, Devil’s TrumpetSex is life in acclaimed Waikato writer Tracey Slaughter’s latest short story collection. Of course it’s there in Slaughter’s stories about affairs. In those pieces sex thumps and pants and dominates, it goes so hard it knocks grit off the ceiling and onto the bed, it sets fire to a marriage, ...2 days ago
- The Sunday Essay: What to get rid ofBathroom, kitchen, sitting room, bookshelves, friends, memories – Linda Burgess ponders the decluttering of life. Made possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Gary Venn Go to the second drawer down in your bathroom. Open it. In it are countless small bottles of shampoo and skin cream ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Rumours of Collins being rolled by Luxon and BridgesAnalysis by Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Judith Collins’ National Party leadership is under more scrutiny, with increased talk in the media of her being replaced by brand new MP Christopher Luxon. For many commentators it’s just a question of “when” rather than “if” Collins is replaced. While ...2 days ago
- Kiwi Seafarers Endangered By Vaccine PolicyKiwi Seafarers continue to feel shortchanged by the New Zealand Government. On the 1st of December 2020 the UN general Assembly called for all Seafarers to be designated as Key Workers . International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack ...2 days ago
- Trading Military Equipment With Israel Is A Human Rights OutrageRevelations that foreign affairs officials have approved the sale of military equipment to a host of human-rights-abusing countries, including Israel, is an outrage. In recent years foreign affairs has been dominated by trade priorities with concerns ...3 days ago
- Too hot, heading south: how climate change may drive one-third of doctors out of the NTSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Quilty, Senior Staff Specialist, Alice Springs Hospital. Honorary, Australian National University A sizeable chunk of Northern Territory’s doctors are thinking about leaving the territory because of climate change, our new research shows. Our study, just published in The Lancet Planetary Health, ...3 days ago
- A tale of two terminals – splitting Auckland Airport in half
With the trans-Tasman bubble on the way, Auckland Airport has undertaken the unique challenge of splitting one airport into two. Matthew Scott went along to see what the parallel worlds look like. Birdsong is piped into an empty hallway. A message to nobody plays on the intercom. Luxury stores ...3 days ago - College Of General Practitioners Marks Death Of PatronThe Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is today marking the death of their patron, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Phillip had been patron of the College for 47 years, since he formally handed over ...3 days ago
- Short story: Tunnel Beach, by Rebecca Styles
"People are walking up the hill, as we walk down, with their hands on their hips, their faces red, or looking directly at the path, not game enough to look up to see how far they’ve got to go": a portrait of a relationship set in a Dunedin landmark, by ...3 days ago - Public Statement By The Governor-General – For HRH Prince PhilipIt was with great sadness that I received notification from Buckingham Palace that His Royal Highness Prince Philip has died at Windsor Castle. The death of His Royal Highness is a great loss to Her Majesty the Queen, the members of the Royal Family ...3 days ago
- RCS Statement On The Passing Of HRH The Duke Of EdinburghThe Royal Commonwealth Society expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Royal Commonwealth Society expresses its deepest sympathy and condolences to our Patron, Her Majesty ...3 days ago
- MNZ Expresses Sadness At Passing Of Prince Philip9 April 2021 Monarchy New Zealand today expresses its sadness at the passing of Queen of New Zealand’s consort, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Prince Philip died aged 99. Prince Philip is the longest-serving consort in New Zealand’s history. ...3 days ago
- Seymour Statement On Prince Philip"On behalf of ACT, I would like to express sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family. "Prince Philip will be remembered for his long dedication to public service. He has selflessly contributed to a long period of stability ...3 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 10 April
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...3 days ago
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