Social issues
Categories under Social issues
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A “Culture of Entitlement”?
Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 12 comments
With the current dialog about welfare, It is time to look at the people who are the real beneficiaries, of the welfare system.
Who use the educated and healthy workforce our system provides
The people who say “everyone should stand on their own two feet”, “you don’t work you don’t eat”, and “take personal responsibility”,
The business sector.
Labour addresses urgent mental health need in Canterbury
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 3 comments
In the wake of devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, National’s treatment of mental health needs in the region has been absolutely shameful. Yesterday Jacinda Ardern released new policy to help address the crisis. Great work from Labour in an area that National have cruelly neglected.
Race Relations Commissioner calls on UN to to support inquiry into the abuse of children in state care
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 16th, 2017 - 14 comments
Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy has called on the UN to tell the government to hold an independent inquiry into the abuse of children and people with disabilities in state care. (Some of us were wrong about Devoy!)
Nats repeat failed bootcamp policy in plea to rally their scared angry base
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, August 15th, 2017 - 30 comments
English’s “boot camp” policy is pure politics. As much as he tries to deny it, it’s more or less an exact repeat of Key’s failed 2008 attempt, it would do much more harm than good if ever implemented. More than any other flailing to date, this mess is a sign of National’s desperation.
Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, August 14th, 2017 - 100 comments
“Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit will help students learn to drive, understand practical budgeting, be equipped with workplace skills, and learn how our political system operates through civics education at school. Every secondary school will be resourced to provide these courses.”
Brutal
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, August 14th, 2017 - 157 comments
Punitive welfare settles into a new low.
National promises stronger, more skilled criminals
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 pm, August 13th, 2017 - 28 comments
National are going to send our most “hardened” youth offenders to the Army to be trained up. If that fails, they’ll send them to adult prisons to learn their craft better.
National promises to get tough on youth crime
Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, August 13th, 2017 - 77 comments
National has announced its policy to deal with youth crime by reannouncing a military service scheme that already exists, proposing a special category for young offenders that will have some young people seek that status and by proposing to fine parents who can’t keep their kids home at night.
Fire and Fury over North Korea
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 12th, 2017 - 60 comments
Donald Trump may not know it but Koreans certainly remember the last time the United States unleashed fire and fury over North Korea. In the 1950s, B-29s used bombs and napalm to flatten every North Korean city. Gen Curtis Lemay boasted that the USAF killed off 20% of the population. That’s why this time they have nuclear weapons.
3:43
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, August 12th, 2017 - 4 comments
Great (Aussie) video on the gender pay gap…
Do you?
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 11th, 2017 - 69 comments
In the interests of keeping it simple, an obvious fact or two and a basic proposition.
Corbyn-esque NZ
Written By: - Date published: 6:17 pm, August 9th, 2017 - 11 comments
This post was written and ready to go and then news of Metiria Turei stepping down hit. Some of it might read a little strangely because of that. I’ve changed some of the tenses used.
The Listener on our health system crisis
Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, August 7th, 2017 - 17 comments
A major piece by Jessica McAllen in The Listener out today. Cash-strapped hospitals are using unsafe hardware-store versions of proper surgical-grade equipment, and reusing “single use” devices.
Messages for the Left
Written By: - Date published: 6:59 am, August 6th, 2017 - 106 comments
Kōrero Pono writes about the class divide within the parliamentary Left and the importance of the wider Left’s message in this election.
Health disasters – useless Coleman in all kinds of shit
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, August 4th, 2017 - 36 comments
The Health system is riddled with crises and useless Minister Jonathan Coleman is in all kinds of shit. He doesn’t seem to care any more and we won’t front up for interviews. Coleman is a disgrace.
No Right Turn: Dealing with ghost homes
Written By: - Date published: 6:23 am, August 4th, 2017 - 11 comments
“we want houses to be homes for people to live in, not gold bars for the rich”
Lifeline funding cut
Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, August 2nd, 2017 - 58 comments
Funding to Lifeline has been cut in favour of an organisation with a family link to Bill English. It may be completely innocent as all the interested parties claim. But it’s not a good look to be destroying Lifeline, an organisation doing world class work in an area of desperate need. You don’t easily replace that experience.
Daily Review 01/08/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 1st, 2017 - 72 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Trying to bury bad news
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, August 1st, 2017 - 29 comments
It’s a busy news day, so… Government axes Lifeline contract. Yes, we still top the western world on youth suicide. We still have regular stories like this today. So what does the Government do? Cancel the money that Lifeline uses to train thousands in suicide prevention. $800,000 – a massive amount to Lifeline and the […]
Paula Bennett gets owned by Phil Twyford in question time
Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, July 27th, 2017 - 22 comments
This afternoon in Parliament during question time Paula Bennett showed clearly that this Government has no idea what to do about the housing crisis.
Let’s get rid of these clowns
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, July 25th, 2017 - 46 comments
The Government’s failure to do anything about the housing crisis or about zombie cannabis is evidence they should be removed from office.
The truth behind job numbers
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, July 25th, 2017 - 25 comments
Bruce Munro’s excellent piece in the ODT, looks in to the truth behind the Nats’ job numbers: “It does not take much digging in Statistics New Zealand’s latest Household Labour Force Survey to uncover a growing world of low-paid work, insufficient working hours, financial struggles and unfulfilled lives”.
The Nuk Korako Cover Up
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, July 24th, 2017 - 46 comments
Will Nuk Korako blame his children this time?
Least surprising news ever – IPCA won’t review police decision not to pursue complaint on Barclay investigation
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 22nd, 2017 - 14 comments
The reason the police dropped an investigation into the PM’s political son will forever remain a mystery. Total mystery. Nothing to see here. Move along.
New Zealand is number 1! *
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, July 22nd, 2017 - 127 comments
* in a list of developed nations for homelessness.
Synthetic cannabis deaths
Written By: - Date published: 4:29 pm, July 21st, 2017 - 35 comments
We should consider decriminalising real cannabis to provide a safer alternative.
NZ’s climate change guinea pigs
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, July 21st, 2017 - 55 comments
The first round of climate change pass-the-parcel is about to knock some players out of the property investment game. The rest of NZ should be paying attention.
Government admits it has “no idea” on homeless
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, July 21st, 2017 - 61 comments
Today in news that makes you want to scream: “Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has admitted “in hindsight” the Government’s response to the housing crisis has been too slow.”
The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 21st, 2017 - 29 comments
The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.
Bravo Clare Curran
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, July 21st, 2017 - 48 comments
Labour MP Clare Curran has been camping in Dunedin’s Octagon to protest against the MSD’s treatment of two homeless mothers. Bravo Clare for putting yourself on the line to draw attention to this issue!
- National would tax water as well
2 hours ago - Change happens when we stand together
Tertiary Update Election Edition Vol 1 No 1 Together we have stopped National’s attempt to change the law to funnel public money to private tertiary education. Over the past few months, nearly 5,000 people have joined our campaign to keep tertiary education ...2 hours ago - Your university, pay and the living wageDr. Wayne Linklater, co-president of the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) branch of the Tertiary Education Union, discusses how paying the Living Wage would help advance the values of public institutions like VUW. Universities are the engine of progress. They train ...2 hours ago
- Mental health needs are failed by competitive fundingNicole Wallace from the School of Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, shares a powerful story about studying for a tertiary degree with a mental health condition, highlighting why we need to support public tertiary education for better access to ...2 hours ago
- Local public tertiary education is vital for MāoriSteven Wharehinga, president of the Tertiary Education Union branch at the Universal College of Learning, explains what impact reforms introduced by National have had on the provision of regional tertiary education and what this means for Māori, Pasifika and low income families. ...2 hours ago
- Our own memorial problem
This week we've all been made aware of the problem of the USA commemorating the leaders of the racist, slave-owning Confederacy with public monuments. Meanwhile, there's a similar problem in New Zealand. Via Twitter, I was pointed at a map ...2 hours ago - No protection for whistleblowers in NZThere's been some debate about the need for increased whistleblower protection in New Zealand. And today, we have a perfect example of why it is needed: because the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has just got the Employment Relations ...3 hours ago
- That rail planThe big political news this morning in Greater Auckland's proposal for Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga commuter rail. It looks like a good idea. In the southern part of the North Island we already have (limited) commuter rail between Palmerston North, Masterton and Wellington, ...6 hours ago
- The Singles Life: The evolution of Shorecore
Welcome to weekly series The Singles Life, where known experts Katie Parker and Hussein Moses peruse, ponder and pontificate on the latest and (maybe) greatest in New Zealand music. Photo: Florence Noble/Facebook It may have been nearly a decade ...7 hours ago - Just how bad is the Aussie NZ relationship?
As the finger wagging continues both here and over the ditch about Australian MP Barnaby Joyce being outed as a New Zealand citizen (oh the horror!) it's probably work pointing out just how bad our political relationship with our closest ...7 hours ago - Voter Motivators 2017: Water.
9 hours ago - Are we all anti-fascist now?
US neo-Nazis and fascists supporters march in Charoltsvill, USA. Image credit: Alejandro Alvarez/News2Share via Reuters Wouldn’t that be nice? What if the current almost universal condemnation of fascism by the main stream media and social media commenters were genuine.? That it represents an ...9 hours ago - Beyond the Beehive: The Far North
In the lead-up to the election, journalist Max Towle is on an epic road trip taking the political pulse of young New Zealanders. Drugs, jobs and housing are on the minds of people in the Far North. Beyond ...11 hours ago - Introducing Regional Rapid Rail
Greater Auckland is proud to present our proposal for Regional Rapid Rail – an Upper North Island Passenger Network. This post gives you a brief summary of our staged proposal to introduce higher speed inter-city rail to the Upper North ...11 hours ago - Media Link: Second radio interview in the US travelogue series.
There is some overlap between yesterday’s post and today’s radio interview, but there is also a a fair bit of other material as well: http://www.radiolive.co.nz/home/video/2017/08/trump–charlottesville-and-north-korea—the-latest-from-the-us.html ...17 hours ago - Whatever happened to one law for all?
by Susanne Kemp The Metiria Turei case certainly brought a lot of mean-spirited people with double standards out of the woodwork. People who vigorously defended John Key’s electoral fraud and Bill English’s rorting of the public purse for the ...20 hours ago - Access: The Driverless Road Ahead
For the past decade and a bit, I've been working as a computer technician and sales rep. During that time, I've seen the desktop and laptop computer go from being the main method people get on the Internet, to an ...1 day ago - Speaker: Low-quality language on immigrationOrcon IRL’s election special took place Sunday evening, and it was a right time. Kiri Allan mesmerised crowds in te reo. Stephen Berry knocked Rock Enrol. Chloe Swarbrick spoke of a Green future. And I disrespected Russell’s authority and went ...1 day ago
- Meanwhile, in PolandWhile we're all worrying about Nazis in America, we might also want to keep an eye on Poland:Polish police broke up a feminist rally and forcefully removed activists to clear the way for a march for far-right extremists. A live ...1 day ago
- Privacy, not “secrecy”Politik breathlessly reports that the New Zealand government kept information on Barnaby Joyce's kiwi citizenship "top secret":New Zealand Ministers and officials imposed a heavy security lid once they realised that they had information which could, in effect, topple the Australian ...1 day ago
- General Election Debate on Transport – Campaign for Better Transport
The Campaign for Better Transport is holding an election debate with all the major parties this month in Auckland. The CBT is led by Cameron Pitches and over the years has led campaigns and advocated for many transport issues including: Airport ...1 day ago - The Real Reason for Housing Unaffordability
The news that the number of houses being sold is falling and that prices are rising more slowly has been greeted in some quarters with responses that are – sadly – all too predictable. The consensus is that these shifts ...1 day ago - Renting in New Zealand (and what politicians are promising to change)
As politicians talk up their housing policies ahead of the election, renters share stories of stress, illness and why the current system doesn’t work. Photo: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Jared Kelly / Flickr Cleaning the house of mould and ...1 day ago - National fails miserably on housing
I don’t know about you, but I’m not very happy with all the homeless people wandering the streets and sleeping rough in the cold, some of whom are dying on park benches. But instead of blaming the victims, I think ...1 day ago - Check this out
The Spinoff has a terrific tool that lets you see and compare the leading parties’ election policies. You can tick your favourites and then see which way you lean based on your policy choices. It is beautifully done. It almost ...1 day ago - Loading Docs: Asian Men Talk About SexEight Asian men bare all as they speak candidly about sex, love and dating. Asian Men Talk About Sex has been released as part of Loading Docs - a launchpad for short New Zealand documentaries. DIRECTOR INTERVIEW: ...1 day ago
- “Let’s Tax This?” – “Hell, Yeah!”
1 day ago - Barnaby Joyce – Asshole of the Week
1 day ago - Letters from America, take three: a scab got picked.Donald Trump picked a scab during his campaign for the presidency and now the puss is draining out. It will be a while before the wound is cleansed. The puss is racism, xenophobia and bigotry. When I left the US ...1 day ago
- Timing is everything for Ardern & Labour
Timing is just so important in politics, as in so much of life. Plenty of able people don't have the luck – or planning – to be in the right place at the right time. But right now, timing may ...1 day ago - Pouring gasoline on the housing fire
Yesterday, Prime Minister Bill English announced that he would encourage the Reserve Bank to remove the loan to value ratio (LVR) rules that it put in place to take the heat out of rising house prices. As reported in Newsroom: ...1 day ago - Inferno VII: The circle of capitalists
"Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!" If these words ever meant anything in any language, or were otherwise intelligible to the contemporaries of Dante Alighieri, that meaning is lost. What’s left to us is the beginning of a curse, or a ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on why Labour isn’t responsible for Barnaby Joyce
First published on Werewolf As a desperate Turnbull government tries to treat the Barnaby Joyce affair as a Pauline Hanson fever dream – blame it on the foreigners! We’re the victims of the dastardly New Zealand Labour Party! – our ...2 days ago - Media Release: TIME TO TURN UP THE PRESSURE ON CANDIDATESFor Immediate Release Tuesday 15 August 2017 TIME TO TURN UP THE PRESSURE ON CANDIDATES Polls are showing that inequality is a top voter concern (Roy-Morgan and UMR Polls). The income equality group Closing the Gap is urging New Zealanders ...2 days ago
- Ardern stands up for kiwisToday politics seems to be dominated by Australian ridiculousness, after the Australian government blamed Chris Hipkins (rather than hard-working Australian journalists) for exposing Barnaby Joyce as a New Zealand citizen, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop interfering in our election ...2 days ago
- Editors put the boot into National
2 days ago - Civil Disobedience Against Big Irrigation
Construction has started on huge irrigation schemes in Canterbury. When they start working, it’s going to be disastrous for our rivers - most of which are already struggling. More irrigation means more cows and that means more pollution.A few weeks ...2 days ago - Climate change: The Cullen fund divestsClimate change is now undeniable, and if we are to survive it, the fossil fuel industry has to die. And now the Cullen Fund has recognised that fact, and started divesting its risk:The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has sold shares ...2 days ago
- Dirty farmersSurprise, surprise - Waikato's dairy farmers are failing to comply with their resource consents:The Waikato Regional Council says dairy farm effluent compliance rates are heading in the right direction despite less than one quarter of farms monitored last year deemed ...2 days ago
- National’s policy hardly Christian
It’s often amazing to see the ill-conceived political arguments that make it to print in New Zealand sometimes. Perhaps one of the least canvassed areas of voting preference is that of religious beliefs, and where those beliefs coincide with a ...2 days ago - “As soon as reasonably practicable”
The Official Information Act requires agencies to decide on requests "as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received". But over the decades that the ...2 days ago - Wijkontsluitingsweg
This is another post about my recent trip to the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a standard road classification system with ideally three types of roads: flow roads (motorways), distribution roads (arterials), and local roads (residential roads). This system does not ...2 days ago - Eyewitness report from Charlottesville by Redneck RevoltREPORTBACK: CHARLOTTESVILLE: August 13, 2017 by Redneck Revolt members The situation on the ground in Charlottesville, Virginia, is still developing and unstable, but a few of our Redneck Revolt members on the ground took some time to provide the ...2 days ago
- Treating young people differently
The Labour party has hit the ground running with Jacinda Ardern. Not only has she shown immense capability as leader, the Labour party has clearly got its game on and returned to its core values, values that once made New ...2 days ago - Looking to the past to understand the Politics of Love
We need to transcend us vs them struggles, writes Philip McKibbin. Image: The Prophet Te Whiti Addressing a Meeting of Natives from The Graphic (1881) In 1881, the peaceful village of Parihaka was invaded. Fifteen-hundred men, led ...2 days ago - Power imbalances in local vs central government
Local government in New Zealand is a creature of statute, so it’s subservient to powers bestowed upon it by central government. From the creation of its mandate and structure, to the reforms imposed through time, local councils are, and will ...2 days ago - The Greens’ Campaign Reset: Normal Ideological Transmission Is Resumed.
2 days ago - Victory on Victoria
The Victoria St Linear Park has been saved from the clutches of Auckland Transport. You may recall that we’ve been concerned about ATs plans for the future of many of the streets in the city centre for some time. In ...2 days ago - MSM catches up on Unemployment stats rort
. . The mainstream media – or at least one clever journalist working for Mediaworks/Newshub – has finally caught up with a story broken by this blogger last year that unemployment data from Statistics NZ was no longer reliable; ...3 days ago - When is Lying Justified?Among the sinners the drunk porter in Macbeth welcomes into hell is the ‘equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale’. Equivocation is a theme of the play; Shakespeare is thought to have been influenced by the ...3 days ago
- Has National gone Full Metal Jacket?
Is bootcamp the government's solution for hardened young criminals? Photo: 123rf. National plans to solve the problem of serious youth offending by sending people to a remote, army-run boot camp for a year. But opponents of the ...3 days ago - Yale Climate Connections: America’s beacon of climate science awareness
This is an unabashed endorsement of an important group. I have no affiliation with them or conflict of interest. They are great, period. The ability to convey complex climate science to a wide-ranging audience is a golden attribute, something very ...3 days ago - On Mike Hosking – Don’t Say I Never Warned You
3 days ago - PM lied about Greenpeace spies
3 days ago - I watched Miss Universe NZ 2017 so you don’t have to
Beauty queens, magic, dangly bits and nip slips - Miss Universe NZ had it all. The top five Miss Universe NZ contestants (L-R): Shekinah Delos Santos, Sarah Hensby-Bennett, Harlem-Cruz Ihaia, Holly Waghorn and Brooke Houia. Screenshot: Miss ...3 days ago - NZ Post spied on the publicLast night we learned that NZ Post had been spying on the public, using microphones on its delivery vehicles to record and listen to conversations between its employees and random members of the public without the consent of either party. ...3 days ago
- Aspirational fluff from Ardern
by Daphna Whitmore Although women got the vote in the late 19th century, now well in to the 21st century we still do not have pay equity. While overt discrimination against individual female employees is no longer legal or socially ...3 days ago - National party dead in the water
3 days ago - Barnaby Joyce is a New Zealand citizenOver the last few weeks the Australian Parliament has been rocked by a succession of resignations and court referrals over various Senators falling foul of s44 of the Australian constitution, which bars dual-citizens from the legislature. Today, that clause appears ...3 days ago
- Dual Modes and Axle Loads
3 days ago - What’s Going On? with Lucy Zee: BeervanaEye-popping beer infusions and drinking games with the bros. Lucy Zee heads to New Zealand's biggest beer festival, Beervana. Produced and presented by Lucy Zee, and filmed and edited by Eddy Fifield. Made with the support of NZ On ...3 days ago
- National resorts to racism on waterNational knows it can't defeat the Labour-Green policy on water charging on fairness grounds, so they're now appealing to racism, with Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson scaremongering that making farmers pay their fair share will mean reopening historic ...3 days ago
- A Weak Man Trying to Look StrongDonald Trump would not be the first political leader to try to build his popularity, or divert attention from his troubles at home, by seeking a diversion – usually by means of a military adventure of some sort – overseas. ...3 days ago
- Keeping tiny humans alive
Science is helping more premature babies survive, but for parents it's still a journey marked by fear, pain and joy. Inside of what looks like a giant Ziploc bag filled with water, the hoof of a tiny lamb ...3 days ago - The left shouldn’t fear Greg O’Connor
When Greg O’Connor was a young Police officer he did a stint undercover and has lamented having to arrest gang members he viewed at the time as his mates. This is perhaps the main problem for the left, being that ...3 days ago - ATAP Revised
The Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) released just last year has been already been one of the most influential transport documents Auckland has seen. That’s because for the first time Auckland and the Government agreed on the future of transport ...3 days ago - Gordon Campbell on North Korea, neo-Nazism, and Milo
First published on Werewolf With a bit of luck the planet won’t be devastated by nuclear war in the next few days. US President Donald Trump will have begun to fixate on some other way to gratify his self-esteem – ...4 days ago - National Party: young offenders need to be dealt with
PRESS RELEASE: NATIONAL PARTY ANNOUNCE LAW AND ORDER POLICY The National Party of New Zealand is pleased to announce a ground-breaking new law and order policy that draws ideas from some of the finest talkback minds of their generation. Today ...4 days ago - US mass murder in Korea, 1950-1953The following piece is an extract from a longer article by Phil Hearse that appeared in International Viewpoint, an online Marxist publication, last Thursday (August 10). For the people of North Korea, warnings from their leadership about the United ...4 days ago
- Labour’s water tax is going to kill us allThis week new Labour leader and … Jacinda Ardern announced her party’s new plan to steal the Green Party’s old plan to place a charge on commercial users of water. This surprised many New Zealanders, mainly because since we’ve had ...4 days ago
- Sunday reading 13 August 2017
Welcome back to Sunday reading. This week, I’d like to start out with two stories of self-inflicted screwups (by other people). Self-inflicted screwup number one is Australia’s broadband rollout. As Jennifer Hewett sets out in the Australian Financial Review, it’s ...4 days ago - Election 2017: No Country For Old Men.
4 days ago - 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Editor's Pick NOAA confirms 2016 as hottest year on record for the planet The federal government confirmed 2016 as the planet's warmest ...5 days ago - The most grievous betrayal of all – two so-called “Green” MPs who should know better. . Right-wing rednecks – I can deal with. Beneficiary-bashing bigots – no problem. Well-meaning ignorance – a bit of a challenge. But what I find difficult to comprehend is when we face betrayal from our supposed comrades; people ...5 days ago
- Contrasting campaign styles
Political campaigning takes many forms, from claims of a stable and economically dependable government while ignoring extensive social and environmental degradation to doing what's right knowing it won’t always please everybody all the time. But there’s another side to political ...5 days ago
- Government caves to multi-national tax avoiders in the shadows
News that the Government has secretly caved in to the demands of multi-national tax avoiders come as no surprise, but will disappoint Kiwi taxpayers, says Labour’s spokesman for Revenue Michael Wood. “It has been revealed that a United States ...53 mins ago - Cheaper to stay at The Langham than emergency housing motelsLabour’s comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis and ensure there’s enough state housing, means we won’t be paying through the nose for emergency accommodation like the current Government has to, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni. “National has ...2 hours ago
- Government must come clean on waterNews that the National Government is secretly working behind closed doors on its own water charging schemes shows their utter hypocrisy on this issue, says Labour’s water spokesperson David Parker. “They have been carping on about Labour’s plan for ...6 hours ago
- Government pays twice the price for emergency housing motels – with two more on the wayUnder Labour’s plan to build at least 1000 state houses each year, New Zealand wouldn’t be paying more than double the valuations for motels to house Kiwis needing emergency housing, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni. “Under questioning today, ...1 day ago
- HAM shows country needs Labour on housingThe latest Housing Affordability Measure report shows affordability dramatically worsening for Auckland first home buyers, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 day ago
- Canterbury kids get more support for mental healthChildren in Canterbury and Kaikoura will get dedicated mental health support to help them overcome the trauma of the earthquakes, says the Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “We’ll fund an extra eighty mental health professionals for the next three ...1 day ago
- Statement on Julie Bishop’s commentsIt is highly regrettable that the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has chosen to make false claims about the New Zealand Labour Party. I have been utterly transparent about this situation. I stand by my statements this morning that I ...2 days ago
- Labour stands with Pike familiesA Labour Government will stand with the families of Pike River and reaffirm its commitment to safe workplaces by ensuring there will be a Minister responsible for Pike River, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “The Pike River disaster ...2 days ago
- Yes to Sallies – Labour will build more state housesThe Salvation Army’s latest report ‘Taking Stock’ shows why New Zealand needs a Labour-led Government committed to a massive house building programme, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. “When the Sallies say the country needs 2000 extra state houses a ...2 days ago
- New Zealanders deserve better than scaremongering over waterNew Zealanders need to hear from National about how they will fund the clean-up of our rivers and lakes for future generations. Instead, National has broadened its scare-mongering, says Labour’s Water spokesperson David Parker. ...3 days ago
- School Leavers’ Toolkit to equip young people for adult lifeLabour will give school leavers the practical skills and knowledge they need for adult life with a new School Leavers’ Toolkit, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “Our teachers and schools do a great job of teaching our children ...3 days ago
- Pay equity to be a priority for LabourLabour will make sure that the country’s mental health workers are a priority when it comes to pay equity negotiations, says the Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “It is very important for me to right the wrong created ...5 days ago
- Labour’s positive education planToday’s announcement on learning support is more tinkering and proof that only a Labour Government will deliver the resources that schools and parents are crying out for, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins. “We have a positive vision for a ...6 days ago
- Pike footage raises questions over government’s actionsThe Government’s seeming determination to turn a blind eye to new questions about what happened at Pike River Mine is troubling, says Labour’s West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O’Connor. ...6 days ago
- Solution to rent rises lies in building houses and stopping speculatorsThe spread of rental increases from the big cities to the surrounding regions shows why we need to get on top of the housing shortage build homes our families can afford, and lock out the speculators, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson ...1 week ago
- Clean rivers don’t cost $18 a cabbageNational is falling into a bad pattern of promising the world and not saying how they will fund it, says Labour’s Water spokesperson David Parker. ...1 week ago
- Time for honest answer on transport fundingNational needs to explain how they will fund the $6 billion funding gap in their 10-year Auckland transport plan, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 week ago
- Time for true numbers on overseas speculatorsIt’s time for the Government to give accurate figures on the number of houses being bought by overseas speculators, says Labour’s Land Information spokesperson Raymond Huo. ...1 week ago
- Fair and sustainable trade: A Green Party vision for New Zealand’s trading relationships
Trade is a cornerstone of the New Zealand economy. It provides us with the things we want and need, and enables us to pay for those with exports that generate business opportunities and jobs. However, it should be recognised that ...1 week ago - Clean rivers for future generationsLabour will lead a nationwide effort to restore our rivers and lakes to a clean, swimmable state, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. ...1 week ago
- New Zealand really can do better on healthLabour’s commitment to affordable access to high quality healthcare will provide a better service for New Zealanders than the current Health Minister, who will not apologise for statements that he made that wrongly criticised hard-working staff in the Southern DHB’s ...1 week ago
- Labour’s plan the answer to motorway chaosLabour’s plan to build a light rail network and improve heavy rail and bus services across Auckland is the only answer to the kind of motorway congestion Aucklanders endured this morning, says Labour Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 week ago
- Labour to build rail to Auckland AirportA world class city needs a rail connection from the CBD to its international airport – that’s why Labour will build light rail to Auckland Airport as a priority, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “Let’s get Auckland moving ...2 weeks ago
- Is pay equity just too hard for this Govt?You are hard pressed these days to find someone that openly admits their misogyny, that men should still be paid more than women. Politicians proclaim that they want to see women paid more, but do their actions back it up? ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s commitment to our Rainbow nationThe Labour Party has reaffirmed its commitment to New Zealand’s rainbow community with its 2017 Rainbow policy, featuring the goal to end HIV in New Zealand by 2025. Grant Robertson says Labour continues a long and proud tradition of advocating ...2 weeks ago
- Labour’s vision for Auckland more than reheated roadsLabour is more ambitious for Auckland than the reheated set of transport projects proposed by National, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...2 weeks ago
- Waiting urology patients are the tip of the icebergThe 10 patients waiting for urology surgery at Dunedin Hospital are just the tip of the iceberg, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. "Hundreds of patients are waiting for follow-up appointments, but they are not deemed serious enough to be ...2 weeks ago
- Maori Landowners Misled by Maori PartyMāori landowners are being misled by Government hui being held throughout the country promoting the troubled Māori Land Service (MLS), which underpins the Crown’s unpopular Ture Whenua reforms, says Labour’s Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s Johnny-come-lately approach to multinational tax won’t washIt’s a case of baby steps for a Government that still allows multinational companies to avoid paying their fair share of tax, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson Michael Wood. “After nine years in government, five years after the issue of multinational ...2 weeks ago
- Auckland congestion up there with the world’s worstTraffic congestion is costing Auckland up to $2 billion in lost productivity according to the latest report from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, says Labour’s Transport spokesperson Michael Wood. “This is a disaster and underlines the need for ...2 weeks ago
- Experience in Youth Parliament 2016
Being a Member of Youth Parliament was an unexpected, but fabulous opportunity for me. It provided me a way to connect with other young people who have some things in common, and to learn what it is like to be ...2 weeks ago - Labour backs renters’ call for warm, healthy homes80 per cent of renters wish their home was warmer and drier, and that’s what Labour will deliver, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...2 weeks ago
- We can – and must – do better for Kiwi jobsLabour has the plan to get more young New Zealanders into jobs and tackle concerns raised in the latest statistics which show an extra 3000 young Kiwis are neither earning or learning compared to the same time last year, says ...2 weeks ago
- Statement from Jacinda Ardern, Leader of the New Zealand Labour PartyI want to start by giving my thanks to Andrew. His announcement today and the situation we have found ourselves in is not what anyone expected or wanted In my time working with Andrew I know one thing to be ...2 weeks ago
- Better homes for Maori under LabourLabour’s vision is that Māori enjoy an equal playing field and have the same home ownership opportunities as non-Māori, says Labour’s Māori Development spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “Today Labour is proud to announce a detailed Māori housing policy from South Auckland’s ...3 weeks ago
- Labour to build replacement for Gorge RoadLabour will build a new road to replace the Manawatu Gorge Road as quickly as possible, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...3 weeks ago
- Government suppresses better transport options for AucklandA newly-revealed un-redacted report into options for Auckland freight movement shows the Government has been actively trying to suppress more efficient and cost-effective options to construct a third rail line, says Labour’s Transport spokesperson Michael Wood. “While Auckland’s congestion gets ...3 weeks ago
- How to vote and keep your info privateGoing to vote or enrolling to vote can be scary. Having your details out there can open a can of worms. I wish we lived in a country where everyone was safe and secure enough to be openly enrolled, but ...3 weeks ago
- Coleman’s lost control of his MinistryBasic blunders and chronic underfunding revealed in Treasury documents obtained by Labour clearly show Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has lost control of his ministry, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. “Every New Zealander deserves affordable access to quality healthcare but ...3 weeks ago
- ANZASW expresses its appreciation of Turei’s contribution
The Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers wishes to place on record its appreciation of Metiria Turei’s contribution, both at the political and grassroots level. Throughout her 15 years in Parliament Metiria has been an advocate for the ...55 mins ago - The Battle for Te Tai HauaruTe Tai Hauauru MP Adrian Rurawhe hasn’t put himself in the spotlight in his first term, but how will that translate into votes against two high profile opponents? ...2 hours ago
- Microbead policy a “good start”Greenpeace is welcoming the Government’s latest announcement on microbeads as a good start. ...2 hours ago
- Cheaper to stay at The Langham than emergency housing motelsLabour’s comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis and ensure there’s enough state housing, means we won’t be paying through the nose for emergency accommodation like the current Government has to, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson ...2 hours ago
- Labour And National Fiddling While Housing Crisis Burns onAfter Labour’s announcement yesterday that it would look to conduct a “review” of taxation mechanisms to deal with the housing crisis, it is now obvious that both old establishment parties have zero commitment to deal with the root causes of ...3 hours ago
- National Scheming to Lock in TPPARt Hon Winston Peters New Zealand First Leader Member of Parliament for Northland 17 AUGUST 2017 National Scheming to Lock in TPPA So Future Govt Has No Influence ...3 hours ago
- Local Government stepping stone to Parliament stingRatepayers should not be paying councillors for one job while they are out campaigning for another, says the Taxpayers’ Union. At least four candidates in the three main centres are still enjoying salaries over $90,000 while they campaign for seats ...3 hours ago
- Oranga Tamariki’s staff exodusThe number of social workers leaving Child, Youth and Family during the formation of Oranga Tamariki was largely down to the expertise of long-serving staff being ignored in the review process and a costly and wasteful Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) ...4 hours ago
- Volunteers collect shoes for suicide preventionVolunteers are collecting hundreds of shoes across the country to draw attention to our alarming suicide rates, says YesWeCare.nz . ...4 hours ago
- Earlier ban on microbeads welcomedWater New Zealand welcomes the earlier than expected ban on the manufacture and sale of wash-off products containing microbeads. ...4 hours ago
- The success of Te Taka Keegan – a modern day tohungaTe Reo Māori in a Changing World: The success of Te Taka Keegan – a modern day tohunga ...4 hours ago
- Garner, Gower And Owen to Front Decision17Duncan Garner will be hosting Three’s election night special from 7:00pm on September 23rd, 2017. With close to 20 years press gallery experience and host of The AM Show, Garner will be joined by Newshub Political Editor Patrick Gower and ...5 hours ago
- Labour Party spot on – not government’s role to own hotelsThe Taxpayers’ Union agree with Labour: the use of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money for the Government’s desperate attempts to pepper over the housing crisis by buying its own hotels, is ridiculous. Responding to Carmel Sepuloni's comments ...5 hours ago
- Tourism supports call for better biodiversity managementProtection of New Zealand’s unique biodiversity is imperative to our social and economic future, Tourism Industry Aotearoa says. ...6 hours ago
- Addressing the Freshwater Crisis – It’s Time for ActionWater is a hot topic at the moment. The Māori Party has long been advocating for water to be recognised as a taonga, not just at election time. We have always said that the absolute priority is for all New ...6 hours ago
- Rahui Papa – why criticize Metiria Turei?The status quo is not working for our people – we need a higher level of care ...6 hours ago
- Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report 2016 PublishedIn 2008, the Office of the Auditor-General identified a need for the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force to report better and more complete information to show how well they manage projects to acquire new defence capability. ...6 hours ago
- Why will the least swimmable rivers receive less funding?IrrigationNZ is continuing to challenge the logic of Labour’s water tax proposal, after finding that regions with more swimmable rivers will receive more funding from the water tax, while those with the least swimmable rivers will receive less funding ...6 hours ago
- REINZ applauds voluntary Rental Warrant of FitnessThe Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) applauds moves by the Wellington City Council today to launch a voluntary Rental Warrant of Fitness for minimum housing standards in Wellington. The Council has partnered with the University of Otago to ...7 hours ago
- How low can the Health Minister sink?The on-going performance of Jonathan Coleman as health minister is no longer a major concern but a complete disaster for the New Zealand public health system, according to Democrats for Social Credit health spokesman David Tranter. ...8 hours ago
- Interactive Webinars on Living and DyingParliament’s Health Select Committee suggested in their recent report on public attitudes to ‘assisted dying’* that “greater communication between health professionals and the general public is required to explain the dying process and alleviate fear” ...8 hours ago
- ACC Fails to Implement Will of ParliamentA matter has come to my attention that I have a duty to inform the New Zealand public about. In my role as ACC advocate I have obtained information that raises serious concerns about the conduct of the Accident Compensation ...9 hours ago
- Is a WOF for rental properties the answer?Wellington Council is introducing a voluntary Warrant of Fitness for rental properties that they intend to make compulsory in three years. The council says that they want to raise standards and that "every Wellingtonian deserves a warm dry home". ...9 hours ago
- Community Letter Demands Inquiry into Family CourtsA letter calling for an Inquiry into the NZ Family Courts goes to Parliament on Thursday 17 August at 12.30pm. ...9 hours ago
- National selects Clutha-Southland candidateNational selects Clutha-Southland candidate Hamish Walker has tonight been selected by local party members as National’s 2017 Clutha-Southland candidate. Mr Walker, 32, lives in the Clutha-Southland electorate with his partner Penny and has a strong ...21 hours ago
- Government pays twice the price for emergency housing motelsGovernment pays twice the price for emergency housing motels – with two more on the way ...1 day ago
- Search for Rollie Heke extends nationallyThe response to the events of Sunday night have now been split into two phases. ...1 day ago
- National Commemoration of the Vietnam WarVietnam Veterans’ Day will be commemorated on Friday at the National War Memorial, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Chief Executive Paul James said. ...1 day ago
- Concerning comments made in online videoPolice are investigating a video posted online which shows an individual making very concerning comments about members of our community. ...1 day ago
- Inquiry report recognises accessibility for the disabledThe Human Rights Commission says parliament’s Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee’s report on the “Inquiry into the future of New Zealand’s Mobility” recognises that accessibility for people with disabilities is crucial ...1 day ago
- Transition to a better futureWinston Peters New Zealand First Leader Member of Parliament for Northland 16 AUGUST 2017 Christchurch Transitional Cathedral, 234 Hereford St, Christchurch. Wednesday, August 16, 1-2pm ...1 day ago
- Tourism sector urged to get active in environmental advocacyThe Environmental Defence Society has urged the tourism sector to get more active in advocating for New Zealand’s natural heritage at the Tourism Export Council’s conference in Te Anau today. ...1 day ago
- Current Electoral Law Discriminates Against MāoriAndrew Judd - Former Mayor of New Plymouth Howie Tamati - Māori Party Candidate for Te Tai Hauāuru 16 August 2017 ...1 day ago
- Howie Tamati – Māori Party Candidate for Te Tai Hauāuru16 August 2017 - Howie Tamati Backs the Call for Inquiry into Abuse of Children in State Care ...1 day ago
- 18,534 ask for protection of rare kiwiA mother and child pair of costumed kiwis sought sanctuary on Parliament steps today to highlight the plight of the endangered Haast Tokoeka Kiwi, threatened by a West Coast company’s plan to build a pipeline through their habitat in order ...1 day ago
- SAFE condemns appalling neglect of dairy cowsSAFE was appalled to learn of one of New Zealand’s most serious cases of systematic neglect of farmed animals this week. ...1 day ago
- National And MPI Need to up Their Biosecurity GameRichard Prosser MP Spokesperson for Biosecurity 16 AUGUST 2017 National And MPI Need to up Their Biosecurity Game ...1 day ago
- New Zealand First announces Canterbury candidatesSitting list MP, Denis O’Rourke, will again contest Port Hills for New Zealand First in the forthcoming general election, New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP, Rt Hon Winston Peters, announced today. ...1 day ago
- Reedy-Taare: Health of Māori men matters too!Mei Reedy-Taare Māori Party candidate for Te Tai Tonga 16 August 2017 Reedy-Taare: Health of Māori men matters too! ...1 day ago
- NZ Government delegation snubs NGO groups at UN in GenevaSOUL, the mana whenua-led community group fighting Fletcher Residential Ltd, the Government and Auckland City over a proposed Special Housing Area on confiscated land at Ihumātao near Auckland Airport, has presented its case to the UN Committee ...1 day ago
- Hard questions to candidates at an election forum next weekNelson’s volunteer and community sector will be putting the hard questions to candidates at an election forum next week. ...1 day ago
- Dunne’s Spending Promises Suggest Desperation16 AUGUST 2017 - Government support partner Peter Dunne appears to be abandoning the Government‘s commitment to fiscal prudence – offering some $4.76 billion of election bribes, according to the Taxpayers’ Union election policy costing ‘ ...1 day ago
- Nats Too Slow Out of Gates Over NZ Racing Industry CrisisThe Government has been far too slow in addressing the crisis facing the racing industry, says New Zealand First. ...1 day ago
- Time running out to make voting easyTime is running out for people wanting to make voting easy in the 23 September general election. ...1 day ago
- Surf life-saver going deaf to deliver 26,000-strong petitionA 22-year-old surf life-saver going deaf will deliver a 26,643-strong petition to Parliament at noon today, on the Parliament forecourt. ...1 day ago
- Call for inquiry into state abuse reaches the United NationsRace Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy is in Geneva and has asked a United Nations committee to urge the New Zealand government to initiate an inquiry into the physical and sexual abuse of children and disabled people held in state ...1 day ago
- Purpose, Skills & Jobs Needed for Pasefika and Māori Youth‘When our Pasefika and Māori youth lose their purpose focus in life because they failed in school, lack marketable skills, and find no job opportunities…they end up as our wayward children. It is not an excuse but it is the ...1 day ago
- Maniapoto Māori Trust Board Signs Agreement in PrincipleĀ muri kia mau ki tēnā, kia mau ki te kawau mārō, whanake ake, whanake ake ...1 day ago
- Survey reveals overwhelming support for water chargingNine out of ten New Zealanders believe that there should be a charge for extracting water from the environment for bottled water and similar industries, according to a recent survey by Water New Zealand. ...1 day ago
- New Zealand First announces Wellington region candidatesLong-term Wellington City Councillor, Andy Foster, has been selected to contest the Wellington Central seat for New Zealand First at this year’s election. ...2 days ago
- Kiwis of Snapchat: Gerald Cobb, Auckland commuter
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens making the news. Today: Aucklander Gerald Cobb walks us through his early morning commute.Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos.The Spinoff ...48 mins ago - Watch: MPs’ last question time before election
This parliamentary term is coming to an end as MPs prepare to hit the road for the election. Watch the final question time here. ...2 hours ago - ‘I’m trying not to be a rock band’: Merk on the isolation of lap-top production
Henry Oliver talks to bedroom producer and multi-instrumentalist Merk, who is playing at Seamless, an all-ages show, in Auckland this weekend. To win tickets, read till the very end!So what are you up to at the moment?I’m just working on new ...2 hours ago - An interview with the climate change-obsessed CEO of NZ’s biggest petrol company
Z Energy is the largest retailer of petrol in New Zealand, yet is paying to promote Al Gore’s climate change movie An Invonvenient Sequel. Duncan Greive meets Z CEO Mike Bennetts and asks what’s up with that.The CEO stood atop ...3 hours ago - I studied in Charlottesville as an Asian New Zealander and racism was… selective
The horrific events of last weekend at the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, brought back memories for Hye Ji ‘Erica’ Lee, a Korean New Zealander who studied there six years ago.In 2011 I was a student at the University ...3 hours ago - Tears as petition for Family Court inquiry handed over
Rain in the capital has not stopped an advocacy group delivering tearful demands for family law reform to Parliament following a Newsroom investigation. ...3 hours ago - Which online political tool is best for you? Use our online tool to help you find the best online to...
Confused by all the online tools analysing which party you align with best? Don’t worry, Hayden Donnell is here to help.With the general election only eight weeks away, New Zealand is suddenly drowning in quizzes. Everywhere you turn on the ...4 hours ago - Watch LIVE: MPs’ last question time before electionThis parliamentary term is coming to an end as MPs prepare to hit the road for the election. Watch the last debate LIVE here. ...4 hours ago
- On the blind, mulish idiocy of reviewers and the genius of Pip Adam
An essay by Carl Shuker in response to the shoddy response of most reviewers to the new novel by Wellington writer Pip Adam. Why, he simmers, are so many New Zealand critics so lazy, so patronising, so cheerfully ignorant, and just plain ...4 hours ago - Never forget the horniest biscuit ad this country has ever seen
Lucy Zee revisits the sensual Toffee Pops ad of the 90s starring Carlos Spencer and a whole lot of lust. The best factory produced, mid-range, supermarket shelf, chocolate coated cookie in New Zealand according to this statistically accurate twitter poll is: ...5 hours ago - Chartlander: What we were listening to the day Helen Clark became Prime Minister
Every week Chartlander travels back through time, landing in a different year on the official New Zealand singles chart in the hopes of (re)discovering forgotten Top 40 gold. Today we go back to the last time the Labour Party came ...5 hours ago - A showdown in Winton
Last night the Clutha Southland National Party selected Hamish Walker, a 32 year old business advisor from Dunedin, as the replacement for disgraced MP Todd Barclay. But if National think that will put to rest the questions swirling around their ...6 hours ago - The ETS is ready to reduce New Zealand’s emissions
So far our Emissions Trading Scheme has been deemed largely ineffectual by low-integrity overseas credits and low emission prices. Motu’s Catherine Leining believes recent global and local changes mean the ETS can do its job – if we are ready ...7 hours ago - Bryce Edwards Analysis: Political Roundup: NZ (and Australia) needs better political scandals
Bryce Edwards Analysis: Political Roundup: NZ (and Australia) needs better political scandals Trans-Tasman rivalry between New Zealand and Australia.Dr Bryce Edwards.The current trans-Tasman citizenship saga doesn’t warrant the level of hysteria coming from politicians in both countries, on both sides ...7 hours ago - Ned Stark is alive and well and trapped in a British stoner comedy
Tara Ward watches Wasted, a buzzy British comedy starring spirit guide Sean Bean as every famous Sean Bean character ever. Imagine discovering your subconscious mind can manifest itself into the form it trusts the most. It’s an alarming thought, mostly because ...8 hours ago - What matters about the Daily Mail’s big Aaron Smith sex scandal story – and what doesn’tLeaked texts and sordid details have brought the Aaron Smith scandal roaring back into the news. Lawyer Natalya King assesses the fallout and its legal implications for Smith, the All Blacks and the media.Aaron Smith and the toilet tryst is ...9 hours ago
- Hundreds of thousands of young Kiwis not yet enrolled to voteThe Electoral Commission is targeting the 225,000 young people who are yet to enrol to vote, with the election just weeks away. ...9 hours ago
- Law to prevent Phillip Smith-style escape passesThe government hopes the change will prevent a repeat of the convicted murderer and sex offender's infamous escape. ...10 hours ago
- A train to Hamilton every 15 minutes: here’s how
All the political parties say regional development is A Good Thing. But which of them has much of an idea how to make it happen? Simon Wilson suggests they take a good look at a brand new proposal for Regional ...11 hours ago - Coogan and Brydon trip over themselves
The Trip to Spain just about manages to stay on the right side of not being irritating. ...11 hours ago - Boot camps won’t sell politics to young people
How can politics appeal to young people? Not through National's old-school boot camp policy, writes Max Harris. ...11 hours ago - How tough was life in colonial New Zealand?
Scientists from Otago University are unearthing new information on the lives of early New Zealand settlers. ...11 hours ago - A good start, but water charge plan flawed
Labour’s water charge plan isn’t perfect, say commentators, but it’s an important step down the road to equitable use of a public asset. ...11 hours ago - Labour hire companies a setback for employment
Catriona MacLennan argues the spread of labour hire employment exacerbates poverty in NZ. ...11 hours ago - Health advocate Bartlett ‘let down’ by Govt
Just four months ago, the Government described its $2 billion deal with Kristine Bartlett as an historic first step. So why does Bartlett now feel betrayed? ...11 hours ago - Australia, NZ slug it out with Asian counterparts for FIBA Asia Cup crown
Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz Australia and New Zealand face-off against Asia-Pacific counterparts … basketball tournament kicks off. Video: FIBA Asia Cup By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano in Adelaide Basketball countries in the rugby-crazed Pacific will try to rule a merged Asia-Pacific regional ...18 hours ago - National chooses Barclay’s replacementThe National Party has chosen Hamish Walker to fill disgraced MP Todd Barclay's shoes in the Clutha-Southland electorate tonight. ...21 hours ago
- PM hopes trans-Tasman spat short-livedThe Prime Minister says he hopes New Zealand Australia relations will soon be back on an even keel after the citizenship furore across the ditch. ...22 hours ago
- Govt defends price paid for motels to house homelessThe government has spent almost $8.5 million on four motels at more than double the QV to temporarily house homeless people - and it plans to buy another two. ...23 hours ago
- Covering climate change: journalism’s biggest and most difficult story, ever
Climate change is the defining challenge of our times. The Spinoff is devoting a week of coverage to the issue, its advocates, complexities, and solutions. Today, five journalists discuss the intricacies and importance of covering climate change.Climate change is the biggest ...24 hours ago - Plans to end violence, improve human rights in West Papua ‘unravelling’Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz Shooting protest … body of Yulianus Pigai, killed earlier this month by security forces, delivered to Tigi Subdistrict Police Station by family. Image: Abeth You/Tabloid Jubi ANALYSIS: By Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge in Jakarta Reports ...1 day ago
- My son will never be classed as a Young Serious Offender – and that’s not fairThe National Party’s plan for ‘Young Serious Offenders’ is causing outrage among youth justice advocates. JustSpeak director and pregnant mum of one Katie Bruce asks us to imagine if it was our child being given this label.The new category of ...1 day ago
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- The Real Pod: Sailing the seven seas of gossip on a sinking pirate shipThe Real Pod team smash 1000 coffees to discuss Miss Universe NZ, The Block’s resurgence and our producer Mad’s brush with death. Plus: an exciting new Mike Puru segment. As the pirate ship at Rainbow’s End makes its final voyage this ...1 day ago
- A timeline of trans-Tasman political chaosThe Australian Deputy Prime Minister's discovery he had dual New Zealand citizenship escalated into a trans-Tasman spat. We look at how the saga unfolded. ...1 day ago
- Reluctant Kiwi Barnaby Joyce is just the latest star in a long-running trans-Tasman citizenship soap...
The deputy PM can thank the legacy of the British Empire for sparking a political crisis, writes Australian history expert Kate HunterConfused about citizenship? You wouldn’t be the only one. Adding to the strange episode of millionaire businessman Peter Thiel ...1 day ago - The Expanse is like The Wire… but in space
Aaron Yap plumbs the depths of The Expanse, a sci-fi space opera that’s drawn comparisons to some of television’s greatest. It’s weird to think that the Syfy channel once spawned Battlestar Galactica, one of, if not the finest science fiction series ...1 day ago - ‘The coping skills, the resilience … it’s just not there’Mental health services in Canterbury and Kaikōura schools are set to get a funding boost if Labour is elected. ...1 day ago
- Mum’s plea: ‘My kids are safe in their home’
In a powerful letter to the courts, a mother facing a child uplift says she's walking away from a legal system that minimises her claims of domestic violence. ...1 day ago - Sunlight did what sunlight does: Nicky Hager on Dirty Politics, three years on
Dirty Politics landed like a bombshell in the NZ election campaign of 2014. It may not have affected that outcome, but that was never the ambition. It has, however, made a big impact on our politics, argues Nicky HagerThree long ...1 day ago - Getting your shit together: yoga as a survival tool
Getting Your Shit Together is a monthly column on everyday mental health from Auckland mindfulness educator Kristina Cavit. This month she’s talking about the effect yoga has had on her own life, and on those of the prisoners and children ...1 day ago - ‘We lose the ability to think critically’: on the danger of hype culture in gaming
Superhot, an innovative critique on the dangers of hype culture and gamer identity, has been ported to virtual reality. But something critical is lost in translation, writes Matthew Codd. Superhot was one of the most inventive games of 2016. I don’t ...1 day ago - Field of dreams: the council wants to know what to do with the Takapuna carpark
There’s a big carpark on Takapuna’s Anzac Street and the council wants your imaginative ideas for what to do with it. Councillor Chris Darby has been thinking about movies…When does a carpark become something better than a carpark? Panuku Development ...1 day ago - How New Zealand songs are made in 2017
Gareth Shute examines the varied ways songs are written in the modern era by speaking to three artists who’ve released work recently – Herriot Row, Raiza Biza and October.The last two decades have seen digital technology offering new possibilities not ...1 day ago - Make Me Tick: getting down with democracy
In the lead up to the election, comedians Melanie Bracewell and Angella Dravid take a journey through the voting process in Make Me Tick, The Spinoff’s new four part video series with the Electoral Commission. Today, Melanie gets hyped for the ...1 day ago - A queer kind of karma for my fellow Australia-based Kiwi Barnaby Joyce
Given Australia’s deputy PM seems to have been a New Zealander all along, he should join his compatriots in embracing marriage equality and allowing a free vote, writes Kerry McBride.On 17 April, 2013, I stood in Scotty & Mal’s on ...1 day ago - To hell with writing for the stage: Dean Parker on his novel based on the hero of Man Alone
Auckland writer Dean Parker backgrounds the making of his novel – a kind of sequel to a classic of New Zealand fiction, Man Alone.I started writing my novel Johnson in 2008. Originally it carried the more effusive title, Hooray, Fuck.I know the ...1 day ago - Susan Devoy: Why I’m telling the UN about NZ’s immoral inaction on state care abuse‘This is not my New Zealand.’ Ahead of her speech to the UN this week, the Race Relations Commissioner calls on politicians to stand on principle and do right by the victims of institutional abuse.Earlier this year I was on ...1 day ago
- How Barnaby Joyce’s citizenship saga unfoldedThe Australian journalist who looked into the deputy prime minister's dual citizenship tells Morning Report "parallel investigations" were under way. ...1 day ago
- Why The AM Show has got me in a tizzy
Following a couple of weeks of controversial headlines, Alex Casey assembles a brief history of sexist drivel on The AM Show. Of all the soothing alarm sounds you could use to welcome a new beautiful day on Earth, Mark Richardson barking ...1 day ago
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