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New Child Poverty statistics will provide a sound baseline for reduction targets
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 4th, 2019 - 6 comments
Child Poverty Action Goup has provided comments about new child poverty measurements.
Spare a thought for our poor impoverished landlords
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, February 25th, 2019 - 225 comments
Spare a thought for poor landlords who are aghast at the thought that they should have to share capital gains on properties they have purchased with no intent of making a capital gain.
All hail our computer overlords
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 24th, 2019 - 34 comments
IBM has staged a debate between an IBM computer and the world debating champion. The human won but the debate suggests that it may be just a matter of time … and the computer had remarkable things to say about poverty.
Child poverty reduction
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 5th, 2018 - 65 comments
It’s likely that Labour’s new Child Poverty Reduction Bill will get through its third reading by the end of this year.
National forgets it apologised for Housing Corp meth hysteria
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, September 22nd, 2018 - 31 comments
Three months ago National apoligised for getting dud advice and evicting hundreds of state house tenants where miniscule amounts of methamphetamine were discovered. This week National backed off from that very proper apology.
We are failing kids from poor families
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, September 16th, 2018 - 77 comments
Kirsty Johnston has produced an in-depth analysis of the current rate of young people from poor backgrounds entering professional ranks. And the news is not good.
Period. End. Done.
Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, August 26th, 2018 - 42 comments
The Scottish government has just taken a massive step to eradicate period poverty. Why not here?
Nurses.
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 27th, 2018 - 76 comments
There’s a sickness affecting our health system.
The UN is shocked by NZ’s child poverty rates
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 89 comments
Earlier this year the United Nations expressed shock and concern at New Zealand’s rates of child poverty, homelessness, incarceration and violence. What is this Government doing to address these issues?
Killing Them Softly With…
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, June 11th, 2018 - 48 comments
In New Zealand there is sufficient evidence to show that poor peoples’ lives are cut short because of poverty related poor nutrition. While food banks are alleviating the worst impacts of hunger, their kindness may well be contributing to the problem. Food poverty is a systemic issue and requires a systemic response, a response that successive governments are able to avoid while charities continue to provide a buffer for the system.
Collins keeps Housing Corp P debacle in news cycle
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, June 7th, 2018 - 122 comments
Judith Collins has managed to keep the Housing Corp methamphetamine story alive for another news cycle by attacking poor people who take drugs.
Housing Band Aids
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, May 26th, 2018 - 54 comments
What lies behind the homelessness crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand? Is it a housing crisis or are the homeless to blame? If the problem is a housing crisis, why is there an assumption that the homeless themselves need extra services to secure and maintain rental housing?
Rogue Nation(s)
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 9th, 2018 - 30 comments
Just some thoughts that kind of meandered down to the ocean.
Thank you Metiria.
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, April 25th, 2018 - 94 comments
Some movement on social security (a thing we all deserve)
Mike Hosking reckons: Minimum wage increase will be terrible for everyone
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, April 9th, 2018 - 159 comments
Mike Hosking reckons that an increase in the minimum wage will increase housing unaffordability and cause job losses and business closures.
Is youth the new political divide?
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, March 11th, 2018 - 44 comments
There is evidence in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand that youth and not class may be the new political divide.
Jacinda Ardern’s child poverty speech
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, February 1st, 2018 - 74 comments
In a major speech yesterday on poverty, Prime Minister Ardern has laid out fully and forthrightly what is the problem and what need to be done.
Ruminations on deprivation
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, January 29th, 2018 - 172 comments
Man gets wet feet. Is reminded of privilege.
Up in Smoke.
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, January 5th, 2018 - 23 comments
US reverses Federal marijuana stance.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 22nd, 2017 - 2 comments
Why the latest Star War movie may contain inspiration and meaning for left wing activists.
Voltairine de Cleyre
Written By: - Date published: 6:39 am, December 9th, 2017 - 15 comments
When history buries treasures, those treasures don’t have to remain buried.
The Missing Noun.
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, November 8th, 2017 - 88 comments
When they said they wanted to eradicate poverty, I didn’t suspect they simply meant to expunge the word.
A letter to my middle-class, well meaning, professional, liberal friends and family
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, October 18th, 2017 - 4 comments
A post about the responsibility to advocate for change in a visible way.
Happy Oompa Loompas?
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, October 14th, 2017 - 9 comments
Dunedin hosts a celebratory graduation ceremony for discarded labour.
Industrial dairying and blue babies
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, October 11th, 2017 - 165 comments
When you run an economy that sees harm to babies as acceptable risks that can be mitigated, then you are approaching society’s end game.
Donkey Dick Duncan
Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, October 9th, 2017 - 318 comments
Gross political incompetence, not immigration, is what lies behind and beneath New Zealand’s infra-structure problems. Only a excited donkey’s dick waving in a stiff breeze might point accusingly towards immigrants and immigration as the problem.
There is hope
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 4th, 2017 - 22 comments
Anarchism and democracy.
WINZ and Super Scandals
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, August 28th, 2017 - 138 comments
Here’s the scandal.
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.
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.
- The Game of Thrones finale: A review
A review of the last ever episode of Game of Thrones (Spoiler alert!) ...18 hours ago - This is not acceptable in a democracy
Last week, ACT leader David Seymour called Green MP Golriz Ghahraman "a real menace to freedom in this country" over her views on hate speech. He said this in an environment where Ghahraman regularly receives death threats. And now, thanks ...19 hours ago - A toxic workplaceThe report of the Independent External Review into Bullying and Harassment in the New Zealand Parliamentary Workplace was released today, and it paints a picture of a toxic workplace where bullying is rife. MP's bully staff, MP's bully each other, ...19 hours ago
- Climate Change: More emergenciesLast week, ECan declared a climate change emergency, becoming the first local authority in New Zealand to do so. They were swiftly followed by Nelson, and Christchurch looks like it will follow suit this week. And from a report on ...22 hours ago
- NZDF’s secret rules of engagementThere's been another dump of documents from the Operation Burnham "inquiry", this time about rules of engagement. In the past, NZDF has refused to release these due to "national security", on the odd theory that if it were publicly known ...23 hours ago
- The Parting of the Ways
Perhaps it’s because of the sheer size – and therefore enormous potential – of their country, but Australians have always demonstrated a harder-edged nationalism than have Kiwis. And that tendency has become even more apparent in recent years, when they ...2 days ago - NZ National will use extreme Parties to appear “more reasonable” as a method of vote gathering i...
Current member of the National Party, List MP Alfred Ngaro, has declared he has an intent towards the possibility of setting up a Christian-oriented “values” party. Simon Bridges initially denied discussion, but we all know his denials are really never ...2 days ago - Australia votes for the same old shitAustralians went to the polls over the weekend, and have apparently re-elected the shit party to government. It was unexpected, but I guess that's what happens when you have a media landscape utterly dominated by a highly partisan monopoly. Meanwhile, ...2 days ago
- Don’t let industry crowd out student voice
New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations National President JamesRanstead argues student voice is crucial in the Reform of VocationalEducation ...2 days ago - Genesis clings to coalBack in 2015, SOE Genesis Energy committed to shutting down the last two coal-fired units at its Huntly power-plant by December 2018. Last year they pushed back that commitment to 2030. And now, they're weakening it still further:The country's largest ...2 days ago
- Equality (finally) comes to TaiwanBack in 2017, Taiwan's highest court ruled that violated “the people’s freedom of marriage” and “the people’s right to equality”, and gave the legislature to enact a marriage equality law. And over the weekend, just one week before the deadline ...2 days ago
- Ignoring the OmbudsmanBack in 2017, after then-Transport Minister Simon Bridges had been caught red-handed unlawfully interfering with an OIA request about Auckland rail upgrades, the Ombudsman recommended that government agencies develop formal protocols with Ministers to limit Ministerial interference. So how's that ...2 days ago
- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #20
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, May 12 through Sat, May 18, 2019 Editor's Pick 12 excuses for climate inaction and how to refute them Using moral ...3 days ago - Anti-abortion arguments are increasingly secular, but remain unconvincing and misogynistic
While abortion laws in New Zealand are likely to be liberalised, in the US abortion rights are being rolled back. This article from Feminist Current looks at the way the anti abortion movement is reframing its arguments. by Karen Jolly ...4 days ago - New research, May 6-12, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change An example of principal component analysis application on climate change ...4 days ago - Workers increasingly less keen about British Labour Party
by Sean Kearns It appears that even in Britain, where a lot of unions remain affiliated to Labour, the working class itself is less attached to Labour. The bureaucratic leaderships keep unions chained to Labour, the workers are just not ...4 days ago - Valuing Xero again
In October 2013 I wrote about “Valuing Xero in one hour“, and (although it had a bug) came up with a forecast that justified the then $2.2 billion valuation of Xero with a Weighted Average Cost of Capital of 18%. ...5 days ago - Climate Change: Tweaking the ETSClimate Change Minister James Shaw has announced the latest decisions in the government's programme to tweak the Emissions Trading Scheme to make it actually discourage pollution rather than subsidise it. There's a commitment to begin auctioning units from late next ...5 days ago
- Neither socially not environmentally responsibleDunedin will play host to the New Zealand Minerals Forum at the end of the month, where the companies who dig up New Zealand and destroy our natural environment for private profit will conspire on how to pillage more effectively ...5 days ago
- Time to get out of IraqCabinet will be considering whether to pull out of Iraq this month. Meanwhile, thanks to the US openly threatening war with Iran, other countries with military forces there are withdrawing them:Germany and the Netherlands have suspended their military training programmes ...5 days ago
- A handmaid party?Earlier in the year, National helped failed Green leadership candidate Vernon Tava set up a "teal" astroturf party, sustainablenz. It seems to have sunk without a trace, without even registering a logo with the Electoral Commission, let alone applying for ...5 days ago
- Frustrations of an unreconstructed, unrepentant Keynesian
Those with a progressive agenda (and yes, I count myself as one) have been frustrated by our own inability and reluctance to engage head-on in the most important argument in political discourse – the role, function and objective of government.read ...5 days ago - What Do We Mean by Wellbeing?There is a story of a little old lady who woke up after a close election and was told that the result was a ‘hung parliament’. She responded that she did not know what that meant, but it sounded like ...6 days ago
- UK spies are not above the lawIn a major decision, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that that country's spies are not above the law:Government security decisions will in future be open to challenge in the courts after judges ruled that a secretive intelligence tribunal could ...6 days ago
- Ghostwriitng Unacceptable says TEU‘Cheating by university students paying ‘ghostwriters’ to write essays for them is totally unacceptable and requires a nationally co-ordinated response’, says the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union. ...6 days ago
- Climate Change: A climate emergency in CanterburyECan has just declared a climate emergency, becoming the first local authority in New Zealand to do so. But what does it mean? Their declaration included this:Environment Canterbury declares a climate emergency and commits to continue to: robustly and visibly ...6 days ago
- Beneficiaries are treated worse than criminalsAn investigation by the Privacy Commissioner has found that WINZ systematically misused its powers, conducting intrusive and illegal searches into beneficiaries' lives in violation of both the Social Security Act and Privacy Act. Searches like this:“In one instance, a beneficiary ...6 days ago
- International Support Personnel DayWith trade unions across the world, we are standing up as members of Education International to mark International Support Personnel Day. ...6 days ago
- Hard News: Rip It Up: A history of us, a history of me
I love the National's Library's Papers Past archive. I've used it many times for work and sometimes just for fun. The one thing I never thought I'd be able to do is vanity-search on it. And yet, here it is: ...6 days ago - Why is John Bolton constantly given power instead of a one-way ticket to a padded cell?
Bolton has never conceded that invading Iraq was a mistake, in fact he considers it to this day still as a roaring success. His history in public life is that of an unrepentant, ignorant thug of a politician, a persona ...7 days ago - Above the lawA big myth in this country is that we are all equal under the law. If someone commits a crime, they get prosecuted, regardless of who they are. We already know that that's a myth when it comes to race ...7 days ago
- Britain wants its troops to commit war crimesThat's the only conclusion that can be drawn from its "vow" to introduce an amnesty for crimes committed by soldiers and to derogate from the ECHR:The new defence secretary has promised to introduce an amnesty on historical prosecutions for military ...7 days ago
- Left Network for Free SpeechHate speech’ laws are being considered in New Zealand. We believe it is important to defend free speech. This is an important issue that the left should take up. If you’d like to be a part of the Left Network ...7 days ago
- Climate Change: The Zero Carbon Bill and the ETSOne of the criticisms of the government's Zero Carbon Bill is that it is toothless: the independent Climate Change Commission can set budgets and advise on plans, but has no power to implement anything. Greenpeace for example wanted the Commission ...7 days ago
- Highway to Hell!
(fire, California)Some time ago Jeanette Fitzsimons described our action on climate change like a car driving rapidly to a precipice while the occupants argue about whether they should maybe change down a gear. If we are to continue with this ...7 days ago - Defending Privilege“Business as usual” is always the catch-cry of those who are happy with the way things are. “Let’s not change anything” makes sense to those who are doing well and see no reason to run any risks in case that ...7 days ago
- IPCC Updates Methodology for Greenhouse Gas InventoriesKYOTO, Japan, May 13 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on Monday an update to its methodology used by governments to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Governments are required to report their national greenhouse gas ...1 week ago
- Does international chemical watchdog cherry-pick evidence to confirm a bias?
Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons headquarters in The Hague. Image credit: Prensa Latina Ready Syria to Cooperate with Organization Against Chemical Weapons Multinational bodies, like ... 1 week ago - Rotuman Language Week 12 – 19 May 2019Rotuman bisikete: reactivating forgotten words ...1 week ago
- Money for Reform Vocational EducationThe Tertiary Education Union Te Hautū Kahurangi welcomes the pre-budget announcement of $197 million for the reform of vocational education saying it’s a step in the right direction. ...1 week ago
- Is Donald Trump Really A Deal-Maker?As Donald Trump surveys the current state of his relationships with China, Iran and North Korea, with all of whom he has recently engaged in a somewhat confrontational way, even someone as resistant to self-doubt as the US President might ...1 week ago
- Netanyahu does a BerlusconiIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being prosecuted for corruption. So how is he planning to avoid it? A law granting him immunity would not survive judicial scrutiny. So, he plans to remove that scrutiny entirely:The new far-reaching bill would ...1 week ago
- Chipping away at the OIALast week I highlighted an odious secrecy clause in the government's Zero Carbon Bill, which unnecessarily exempted information from the Official Information Act, undermining transparency and accountability. The government's Equal Pay Amendment Bill is back from select committee today, and ...1 week ago
- Over 600,000 views on RedlineEarlier today Redline reached a total of 600,000 views since we began in June 2011. This is a modest total, but not bad for a hardcore marxist blog at the arse-end of the world, and based in perhaps the most ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Shifting the groundThe UK's Climate Change Committee has recommended toughening their target to net zero emissions by 2050. And the change has the overwhelming support of the UK public:A majority of voters would support radical action to slash greenhouse gases to nearly ...1 week ago
- New Fisk1 week ago
- CapturedWhy is MBIE so supportive of the oil industry, why do they come up with outrageous estimates of the value of the oil industry to New Zealand, and why do they see environmentalists as a threat to be suppressed by ...1 week ago
- Teachers have had enoughSo, its on. On May 29, the day before Labour's "wellbeing budget", the centrepiece of its political year when it tries to send a good news message about what its doing, the teachers are going on strike. They've been overworked ...1 week ago
- Sharing With Our Feathered FriendsMy wife grew up in suburban London – not an environment that was conducive, one might think, to developing an interest in wild life. But her father was a bird lover and he helped her, too, to develop a love ...1 week ago
- Access: You just need a sense of humour“You just need a sense of humour”. I heard this patronising and unhelpful advice from a panellist at an Autism New Zealand Conference many years ago. What about access to education and services, understanding, financial and other support?These words came ...1 week ago
- The Giddens Project: New Times, the Third Way and the future of politicsThe Giddens Project has its origins in my association with 'Third Way' politics during my time as a member of the New Zealand parliament between 1990 and 2008.read more ...1 week ago
- 2019 International Solidarity Conference in Cubaby Jon Flanders Once again this year I traveled to Cuba on a delegation that visited many interesting sites on the island, once of them being the huge May Day march in Havana. Cuba celebrates May Day as a national ...1 week ago
- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, May 5 through Sat, May 11, 2019 Editor's Pick Proposal to spend 25% of EU budget on climate change Schoolchildren ...1 week ago - All is trueFilm review by Don Franks All is not true but lots is good in the Shakespeare movie now showing in Wellington. In “All is true” , Ben Elton’s script combines, happily to this viewer, the little that’s known of historical Shakespeare ...2 weeks ago
- New research, April 29 – May 5, 2019A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change mitigation Climate change communication Climate change and educational attainment in ...2 weeks ago
- Ngā piki, ngā heke – Ten years togetherThis week Tertiary Update reviews the major speeches of the 2019 AnnualConference so that all members have a chance to engage with our largest ...2 weeks ago
- National Secretary’s ReportAddress of the National Secretary, Sharn Riggs, to TEU’s 2019 Conference.Following another fantastic turnout at our tenth annual conference ...2 weeks ago
- Sending out an SOS – 130 take the pledge so far130 general and academic staff from community tertiary education providers,polytechnics, universities, and wānanga pledged to get their ...2 weeks ago
- British government wants impunity for its crimesImagine if a government argued that murderers and rapists should not be "pursued unfairly for events that took place decades ago". That's exactly what the British Minister of Defence is arguing for soldiers:The new defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, declared that ...2 weeks ago
- Awhi atu, awhi mai – Fighting Islamophobia, hate, and racismIbrahim Omer, union organiser at E Tū and Chair of Change Makers Resettlement Forum,reflects on his journey in New Zealand as a refugee, and ...2 weeks ago
- From the conference floor and beyondTEU’s annual conference was two days of mahi, debate, fun, and planning for 130 TEU members and the staff who support them. ...2 weeks ago
- TEU Awards 2019Two new members of the TEU were inducted as life members at the Annual Conference 2019 – Carol Soal, Ara Aoraki, and Sandra Grey, Victoria Uni ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s climate change plan does not go far enoughNew Zealand’s lead author on the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) report has said the ...2 weeks ago
- Hard News: Music: Some deep beliefThere's a strange thing about having songwriters as longtime friends. On the one hand there are years when you're mates getting in the same scrapes; they're smoking your weed and you're drinking their riders; you're all fitfully growing up, not ...2 weeks ago
- “Pure sophistic bollocks”That's how normally mild-mannered ex-MP Peter Dunne describes the government's excuses on its "binding" cannabis referendum:The Minister tries to justify his position by saying that no Parliament can bind its successor Parliaments. This is, to put it politely, pure sophistic ...2 weeks ago
- Why do MPs hate capital gains taxes?Just look at all the houses they own. Parliament's Register of Pecuniary Interests was released yesterday, showing all the pies our MPs said they have their fingers in. And their favourite pie is houses. NewsHub has a list here, and ...2 weeks ago
- Ireland declares a climate emergencyLast week, the UK Parliament became the first in the world to recognise the seriousness and urgency of the environmental situation by declaring a climate emergency. And last night, Ireland followed suit:Ireland has become only the second country in the ...2 weeks ago
- A New Crime of EcocideTwo developments over the past week or so demonstrate how serious is the existential crisis we now face, in terms of the damage we are doing to our planet, and how far we are from facing up to our responsibilities. ...2 weeks ago
- Psychology of Russiagate – an adult discussion for a changeThis is a fascinating interview – and not only because it is a highly respected independent journalist, Aaron Maté, interviewing his highly respected mental health expert father, Dr. Gabor Maté. It is fascinating because it is objective and adult ...2 weeks ago
- Hubbard Bubble: Toil and TroubleAt the core of a successful economy is ‘trust’. Buy a can of beans and your decision depends on trusting a whole chain of suppliers. Admittedly, you also trust that the law is working in your favour too; it usually ...2 weeks ago
- Fox News made the US a hotbed of climate denial. Kids are the cure.A new 23-country survey conducted by the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project found that America has the highest percentage of climate denial among first-world nations, behind only Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in all the countries surveyed. A total of 13 percent of Americans responded that ...2 weeks ago
- ‘TERF’- the new bogey wordby Don Franks Way back in the bad old days before cell phones and computers, I helped a fellow car factory militant campaign for a union position. My mate belonged to what was then called the Engineers Union, at that ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Missing the obviousWriting in The Spinoff, former National Minister Wayne Mapp argues that a good first step to meeting the targets of the Zero Carbon Act would be to end fossil fuelled cars. He's right (and I've talked at length about how ...2 weeks ago
- Petitioning our employer so students can have a brighter futureMichael Gilchrist, TEU National President, looks at the lengths staff in tertiary education are going to in order to be heard by their employers. ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: The fudge is not going to survive realityYesterday the government announced its Zero Carbon Bill, which would establish a framework for long-term emissions reductions. The most controversial aspect of the Bill is its agricultural targets: for the first time, farmers will face an explicit responsibility to clean ...2 weeks ago
- Safety focus in improved drug driver testing
Improving the safety of all road users is the focus of a new public consultation document on the issue of drug driver testing. Plans for public consultation on options to improve the drug driver testing process have been announced by ...6 days ago - Making it easier to get help from PolicePolice Minister Stuart Nash says calling a cop suddenly got a whole lot easier with the launch of a ground-breaking new service for non-emergency calls. “The single non-emergency number ‘ten-five’ is designed to provide better service for the public and ...1 week ago
- More Police deployed to the regionsFrontline Police numbers have been boosted with today’s deployment of 77 new officers to the regions. Police Minister Stuart Nash today congratulated the recruits of Wing 325 who graduated at a formal ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Police College. ...2 weeks ago
- Taxpayers get a smarter and fairer systemOne of the biggest IT projects ever undertaken in the state sector has successfully passed its latest hurdle with the transition of more than 19.7 million taxpayer accounts from one Inland Revenue computer system to another. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash ...3 weeks ago
- No surprises in threat to sue Oranga Tamariki
A man’s threat to sue Government children’s agency Oranga Tamariki over false claims by department staff comes as no surprise to new action group Whanau First. ...14 hours ago - The Zero Carbon Bill passes its first reading 119 votes to 1The Zero Carbon Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament today, and Forest & Bird is welcoming the progress on this landmark legislation to make Aotearoa carbon neutral. "We're very pleased to see the Zero Carbon Bill pass its ...16 hours ago
- Successful first reading a critical step for climate billSuccessful first reading a critical first step to creating effective Zero Carbon Bill ...17 hours ago
- Statement on behalf of E tū members employed at ParliamentWe broadly support the findings and recommendations of Debbie Francis’ independent review into Bullying and Harassment in the New Zealand Parliamentary Workplace. We want to thank staff for taking the difficult and brave step of making their voices ...18 hours ago
- Minister Not Listening Say Northland Principals"The Minister is talking in platitudes but saying nothing new!" according to Leanne Otene, Principal of Manaia View School in Whangarei and executive member of Te Tai Tokerau Principals’ Association. ...18 hours ago
- Pike Families welcome opening of drift<The group representing 29 of the Pike River Families - the Pike River Family Reference Group - has welcomed the unsealing of the mine at a private family event this morning. ...19 hours ago
- Forfeiture of assets leads to $620,000 recoveredA Police Asset Recovery Unit investigation into the misappropriation of funds from a government department is leading to the recovery of about $620,000. ...19 hours ago
- Ambitious plan to secure Maori jobs in the economyRobots are taking Maori jobs: New Zealand Maori Council releases ambitious plan to secure Maori jobs in the economy: ā mua mahi; Future of Work ...19 hours ago
- Funding and reform needed to make a kinder workplaceThe PSA is saddened but not surprised by the Francis Review’s findings of ‘systemic’ bullying and harassment in the Parliamentary workplace. ...21 hours ago
- Survivor Advisory Group appointedThe Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in Care has announced the appointment of a Survivor Advisory Group. The group will represent survivors of abuse in State care and those from faith-based institutions. Commission Chair Sir Anand ...21 hours ago
- ITF condemns suspension of union members in AucklandThe International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) strongly condemns the 30-day suspension without pay of union members by the Spanish employer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Auckland, New Zealand. ...21 hours ago
- #DefendNZ representatives arrive in WellingtonWe all have a stake in the End of Life Choice Bill conversation, but for some people, this Bill is more than a thought experiment – it is a clear and present danger. For this reason, some of the people ...21 hours ago
- Public transport reform welcomedWellington bus drivers are welcoming reform of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) says their union. ...22 hours ago
- Rabbit numbers in red zone require pest controlLand Information New Zealand will release calicivirus K5 in some areas of the Residential Red Zone to manage a significant increase in rabbit numbers. ...22 hours ago
- PTOM fix a welcome reform of a ridiculous systemMinister Twyford’s announcement this morning of reform of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) will be a timely fix for bad legislation that has cost jobs and pay for drivers and left public transport systems broken says New Zealand Council ...22 hours ago
- Perceived conflicts should not undermine Predator Free NZA report claiming that Predator Free NZ could be derailed by conflict over how to maintain biodiversity should not discourage New Zealanders from getting involved in conservation, says Game Animal Council Chair Don Hammond. ...23 hours ago
- Deepfake and the law – Expert ReactionDeepfake and other 'synthetic media' will be the next wave of online content causing concern, but there's no need to rush to create new laws to cope. ...23 hours ago
- Duck left to die a slow and painful deathA Paradise duck was the victim of stray shotgun pellets this weekend and required urgent veterinary treatment to prevent further suffering. ...24 hours ago
- 3 days to go until thousands of students strike from schoolThere are now only three days until May 24th, when thousands of school students across the country and the world will strike from school to demand the Government treat climate change as the crisis that it is. ...24 hours ago
- Israel Institute says NZ taxpayers are funding extremismIsrael Institute of New Zealand co-director, Dr David Cumin, is calling for a moratorium on any further Kiwi taxpayer funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) until serious issues of corruption, antisemitism and extremism within that ...24 hours ago
- Over 1,000 prisoners sign voting petitionThe Wellington Howard League's "Let Prisoners Vote" petition, presented to Parliament by Wellington Central MP, the Hon. Grant Robertson, will be tabled in the House on Tuesday 21 May before question time. ...24 hours ago
- Resist rushing to new “deepfake” law, study findsGovernment should be cautious about moving to new law for “deepfake” audio and video, a new Law Foundation-backed study released today says. ...1 day ago
- Over 65s should receive KiwiSaver employer contributionsChair of the Summer KiwiSaver Investment Committee Martin Hawes has urged the Government to change the law so that employers are required to continue to make KiwiSaver contributions to workers over 65 years old. ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Louisa Wall and David Seymour interviewed by Jack TameLabour MP Louisa Wall believes tighter hate speech laws could have prevented the Christchurch mosque attacks. ...1 day ago
- Millennial and Gen Z confidence in the economy declinesWellington, 21 May 2019 – Facing continuous technological and societal disruption, millennials and Gen Zs are disillusioned with traditional institutions, skeptical of business’ motives and pessimistic about economic and social progress, according ...1 day ago
- Trout Farming Rears its Ugly Head at TaupoThe spectre of trout farming has reared up from the murky shadows of the previous National government’s treaty deals. Māori owners of Lake Rotoaira near Turangi are reported to be backing an attempt to allow trout farming. ...2 days ago
- Free Press, 20 May 2019Our education system is a slowly unfolding disaster. Too many kids leave school without basic literacy and numeracy skills. In 2014, the Tertiary Education Commission found about half of Year 11 students achieved the international reading and numeracy benchmarks. ...2 days ago
- Q + A – Monday May 20Free speech or hate speech? When do words go too far? We debate whether New Zealand needs new hate speech laws with ACT leader David Seymour and Labour MP Louisa Wall. ...2 days ago
- Hauraki Gulf Forum votes to increase marine park protectionThe Hauraki Gulf Forum, the statutory body tasked with progressing integrated management of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, today recommended two significant goals for the important and much-loved marine park. ...2 days ago
- Minister talks in Platitudes but says nothing new!“I was very disappointed that last night all my Minister could do when confronted with the reality of teaching, was to mouth the same old clichés and platitudes. ...2 days ago
- Children’s Commissioner slammed for Colonialism commentsThe Sensible Sentencing Trust say the Children’s Commissioner is guilty of riding the ‘Colonialism’ bandwagon by blaming racism and colonialism after Oranga Tamariki removed a child from its mother’s care. Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew ...2 days ago
- Barnardos welcomes new gov family and sexual violence budgetBarnardos welcomes new government family and sexual violence Wellbeing Budget package ...2 days ago
- Dual names proposed for Fiordland’s sounds and inletsThe New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is inviting submissions on proposals to create dual Māori–English names for 16 sounds and inlets in Fiordland. The NZGB says restoring traditional Ngāi Tahu names alongside ...2 days ago
- Who would you trust?Few of us want to think about something happening to us that might impact on our ability to make sound decisions. The reality is, we can’t predict what’s going to happen in life that may impact on our health or ...2 days ago
- Racism Underpins the Prisoner Voting Blanket BanFormer retired Probation officer Tom Hemopo and Māori Climate Commissioner, Donna Awatere-Huata are due to give evidence this afternoon at the Māori Prisoner’s Voting Inquiry at the Waitangi Trbunal in Wellington. ...2 days ago
- National sticks to bob-each-way on US-China relationsMay 20 (BusinessDesk) - The National Party proposes ambitious new trade targets for New Zealand's relations with both China and the United States in a foreign affairs discussion document released this morning for public consultation. ...2 days ago
- NZ Jewish Council criticizes Christchurch Central MPChristchurch Central Labour MP Dr Duncan Webb has been criticized by the NZ Jewish Council for his promotion of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement directed at Israel. ...2 days ago
- Meeting with PM “Best hope” for Nicky Stevens whanauThe highly publicised case of Nicky Stevens who died in 2015 while in the legal care of the Waikato DHB is to be put before the Prime Minister next week. ...2 days ago
- NZ’s first shelter for pets affected by family violenceNew Zealand's first shelter dedicated to housing pets affected by family violence is being built. Pet Refuge will provide a temporary safe haven for pets, while their owners escape abuse. The initiative comes as new research from Women’s Refuge reveals ...2 days ago
- Auckland Council Monitoring Report Robust ScienceForest and Bird, The Tree Council and the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society are dismayed but not surprised at the recent attacks on the scientific credibility of the Auckland Council Monitoring Report that describes the increased spread of kauri ...2 days ago
- Kiwibuild turning into a corporate welfare racketKiwibuild is turning into a corporate welfare racket, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to news that none of the seven Kiwibuild homes marketed in Christchurch have sold, and therefore the Government is likely to pay out the ...2 days ago
- Robertson’s Budget $6 Billion ShortFinance Minister Grant Robertson’s budget later this month could have contained an additional $6 billion in spending without costing taxpayers a single cent more, Social Credit Party Leader, Chris Leitch told the party’s Canterbury Regional conference ...2 days ago
- Sexual Violence Initiative WelcomedNew Zealand’s specialist sexual violence service sector is heartened to hear today that the government has demonstrated its commitment to the Well-Being of its citizens by announcing a significant injection of money into the work the sector undertakes ...2 days ago
- Trout Farming Rears its Ugly HeadThe spectre of trout farming has reared up from the murky shadows of the previous National government’s treaty deals. Māori owners of Lake Rotoaira near Turangi are reported to be backing an attempt to allow trout farming. ...2 days ago
- New lawyers union calls for change in the legal sectorThe Aotearoa Legal Workers’ Union (ALWU) launches today to advocate for all legal workers and to improve working conditions for junior lawyers in the legal sector. ...2 days ago
- Struggling Kiwi family becomes a homeowner through KiwiBuyTammy Ngawhika has recently achieved her dream of becoming a homeowner, together with her four children. She attained her goal through Progressive Home Ownership. Progressive Home ownership is one of the KiwiBuy products the Government is being ...2 days ago
- Budget focus on family violence prevention a big stepThe National Network of Stopping Violence Services today welcomed the Ardern Government’s Family Violence and Sexual Violence Package announcement, part of its Wellbeing Budget. ...3 days ago
- Whanau First in support of GrandmotherA distressed and traumatized grandmother from the Rodney Electorate will meet with Rodney Electorate MP Mark Mitchell on Monday, May 20, 10am at the Rodney Electorate Office, Tamariki House, 7 Tamariki Avenue, Orewa. The Rodney Electorate MP has been ...3 days ago
- Groundswell of demand for medicinal cannabis, reveals pollOver 400,000 New Zealanders say they would definitely seek out medicinal cannabis products when they become widely available from 2020, according to a large independent survey and the first of its kind, just released. ...3 days ago
- Whanau First call on Minister for Children for discussionWhanau First call on Minister for Children for discussion on the housing crisis and child removal ...3 days ago
- Parliament bullying: Mallard urges rape victims to seek support
Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard says it's his impression from the report on bullying at Parliament that people have been raped there, and he is urging the victims to go to police or support agencies. ...50 mins ago - Dairy prices drop
Dairy prices fell in the latest global auction for for the first time in six months. ...53 mins ago - The ‘pulse’ of a volcano can be used to help predict its next eruption
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Carey, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania Predicting when a volcano will next blow is tricky business, but lessons we learned from one of Hawaii’s recent eruptions may help. ...1 hour ago - Outrage, polls and bias: 2019 federal election showed Australian media need better regulation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne Two big media-related issues have emerged from the federal election: how opinion polls are reported and the polarisation ...1 hour ago - Aboriginal mothers are incarcerated at alarming rates – and their mental and physical health suffe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sacha Kendall, Post-doctoral research fellow in public health, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal women are the fastest growing prison population in Australia. They comprise around one-third of female prisoners in New South ...1 hour ago - ‘Bright white skeletons’: some Western Australian reefs have the lowest coral cover on record
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Paton Gilmour, Research Scientist: Coral Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Diving on the remote coral reefs in the north of Western Australia during the world’s worst bleaching event in 2016, ...1 hour ago - From sharks in seagrass to manatees in mangroves, we’ve found large marine species in some surpris...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University When we think of mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, we don’t immediately think of shark habitats. But the first ...1 hour ago - How close is Sydney to the vision of creating three 30-minute cities?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The Greater Sydney Commission has proposed a 40-year vision of a metropolitan region formed of three “cities”: the Eastern “Harbour” City, ...1 hour ago - 3 lessons from behavioural economics Bill Shorten’s Labor Party forgot about
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey West, Lecturer in Behavioural Finance, Griffith University The Australian Labor Party’s 2019 election campaign showed a depth and breadth of economic policies rare for an opposition party to present. Its policy ...1 hour ago - Hidden women of history: Ennigaldi-Nanna, curator of the world’s first museum
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Lecturer, Languages and Literature of Ancient Israel, Macquarie University In this series, we look at under-acknowledged women through the ages. “It belongs in a museum.” With these words, Indiana Jones, ...1 hour ago - The Bulletin: Fight goes on for Pike River families
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major milestone reached in Pike River story, report paints damning picture of parliamentary bullying, and Alfred Ngaro builds profile with abortion comments.For the families of those men killed in the Pike ...2 hours ago - The story of a revolution: How public transport transformed Auckland
Public transport in Auckland looks set to hit an all-time of 100 million passengers this year. Patrick Reynolds looks back at how we got here and what next to expect for the future of transport.There’s a quiet revolution underway in ...4 hours ago - KiwiSaver flagging? Be brave, stand firm
Panicking and changing KiwiSaver funds when the market goes through a bad patch is precisely the wrong thing to do, writes Martin Hawes.Annual KiwiSaver statements are hitting people’s inboxes about now, and there may be a few gasps from those ...4 hours ago - The significant spot that no one knew about
The Detail today looks at why an Australian/Malaysian company wants to turn 23 million year old fossils into animal food - and how far down the track its plans are. ...4 hours ago - Queensland paper backtracks after using violent imagery to depict Annastacia Palaszczuk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenna Price, Senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Social media backlash and a Queensland government complaint to the Australian Press Council has forced the Sunshine Coast Daily to apologise to its readers ...10 hours ago - Bowen carries baggage into Labor leadership contestSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen is running for Labor leader, despite carrying the baggage of being the architect of election policies, especially on franking credits, now ...11 hours ago
- We should not bear Parliament’s ‘bear pit’ any longer
That the findings of a report into Parliament's toxic workplace culture were not a shock is perhaps the most shocking thing. ...13 hours ago - US-China relations are certainly at a low point, but this is not the next Cold WarSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Bisley, Head of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, La Trobe University Trump’s long-threatened trade war with China is now a reality. Beijing has ...14 hours ago
- Bad apples in the Parliament’s barrelOpinion - The report that has just revealed serious bullying, sexual harassment and even sexual assault in Parliament won't surprise anyone who has worked there, Peter Wilson writes. ...14 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Toxic politicians under scrutinyThere are just so many damning statements and statistics that need to be highlighted from today’s parliamentary bullying report. These all show that Parliamentary staff work in a dangerous and toxic place. But one of the most revealing facts in ...15 hours ago
- PNG opposition withdraws vote of no confidence against O’Neill
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s opposition says it is withdrawing its motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, but is likely to lodge a new one soon. Also, former Finance Minister James Marape is withdrawing as ...15 hours ago - Here’s how to make opinion polls more representative and honestSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Barnett, Professor of Statistics; President of the Statistical Society of Australia, Queensland University of Technology In 2012, US statistician Nate Silver correctly predicted the results of all 50 states in the ...15 hours ago
- Fewer people placed into permanent homesThe number of families and individuals taken off the state housing register and placed into permanent homes fell about 20 percent in the last quarter. ...15 hours ago
- Review: An overly diplomatic biography of Labour grandee Dame Annette King
The authorised biography of New Zealand’s longest-serving female MP was co-written by her former press secretary. Unsurprising, then, that it focuses on her triumphs, says longtime Labour activist Shane Te Pou.If you’re like me, and admire Dame Annette King the ...16 hours ago - After Clive Palmer’s $60 million campaign, limits on political advertising are more important than...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marian Sawer, Emeritus Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University Can billionaires buy elections in Australia? In the 2019 election, Clive Palmer demonstrated they can certainly flood the print ...17 hours ago
- Papercuts podcast: Live on tape from the Auckland Writers FestivalWelcome back to Papercuts, our monthly books podcast hosted by Louisa Kasza, Jenna Todd and Kiran Dass.As always, you can email us at papercutspod@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @papercutspod and a big thanks to The Spinoff and ...17 hours ago
- The Price of Admission: On the Auckland Art Fair 2019
Megan Dunn looks back on this year’s Auckland Art Fair and what the fair means to New Zealand art galleries, buyers and artists.A curator friend recently said to me, “everyone loves to hate art fairs.” True, but only because everyone ...17 hours ago - Teenagers need our support, not criticism, as they navigate life online
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney University Imagine you’re a 14-year-old girl on the train on your way home from school, when out of nowhere a “dick pic” appears on ...17 hours ago - Green MP Golriz Ghahraman gets security escortGreen MP Golriz Ghahraman's security risk was escalated following comments from white supremacists and she says comments from ACT leader David Seymour played a part, too. ...17 hours ago
- Don’t believe everything you see, or hear
Technology can now produce voices, faces and videos that even experts can't identify as fake - what does that mean for our democracy? ...18 hours ago - Rockabul, a tale of a metal band in Kabul, reinvigorates the radical spirit of rock ‘n’ roll
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia It’s an axiom that the effectiveness of documentary typically rests on two things: if its subject matter is interesting, and if ...19 hours ago - Tower makes $11.9m profit for half year
Tower has returned to profit as higher premiums, better weather in the Pacific and its digital transformation, begin to pay off. ...19 hours ago - Report finds bullying and sexual harassment rife in parliamentA report into bullying and harassment has exposed allegations of sexual assault and huge problems with parliament’s culture and reporting systems.The Francis Report, presented by Speaker Trevor Mallard and independent external reviewer Debbie Francis on Tuesday morning, established that bullying ...20 hours ago
- Mixed messages from National on culture review
The National Party’s review into its own culture, health and safety appears no closer to being signed off. ...20 hours ago - Parliament bullying: in their own words
Some of the most damning quotes from the inquiry into bullying and harassment at Parliament. ...20 hours ago - Emily Writes: Say no to KFC’s PR bullshit and stand with the striking workersWhile KFC staff are desperately trying to draw attention to their terrible working conditions, people are losing their shit over a chicken burger. Over the weekend, as their staff begged them for better working conditions, KFC sent out an email to ...20 hours ago
- What a landlord can and can’t ask you
What is your landlord entitled to ask you? According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, a lot less than you think, reports Dan Satherley for Newshub.Next time you’re looking at a rental and the property manager asks to see ...21 hours ago - Parliament bullying report calls for sweeping change
A damning report raises systemic behavioural issues - including from "serial offenders" whose identities are an open secret. ...21 hours ago - Review: Who Killed Lucy The Poodle? is a classic New Zealand gothic yarn
A lion escapes from the zoo and kills a Rotorua poodle. Weird story, but how did it actually happen? Jean Sergent watches Who Killed Lucy The Poodle?, a TVNZ documentary that attempts to get to the bottom of the legendary ...21 hours ago - Curious Kids: why do we sigh?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Farmer, Researcher, University of Melbourne Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might also like ...21 hours ago - Curious Kids: why do we lose our baby teeth?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mihiri Silva, Paediatric dentist and PhD candidate, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to ...21 hours ago - Serious bullying rife at Parliament – reportA report into bullying and harassment has delivered a scathing view of what it's like to work at Parliament, including allegations of sexual assault. ...21 hours ago
- Alfred Ngaro confirms he’s contemplating getting party startedNational List MP Alfred Ngaro has confirmed he's considering starting his own party ahead of the next election. ...22 hours ago
- IRD- doubled claim against Cullen Group
IRD Commissioner Naomi Ferguson should have asked the courts for twice as much as it was awarded earlier this month against Eric Watson’s Cullen Group. ...22 hours ago - Your guide to becoming a fully-fledged Carly Rae JepstanTo celebrate the release of her third album, Dedicated, here’s our guide to becoming a Carly Rae Jepsen fan. A Carly Rae Jepstan, if you will.You, an idiot: “Is that the girl who did ‘Call Me Maybe’?”Me, an intellectual and someone ...22 hours ago
- Mixed messages over KiwiSaver changes
The Prime Minister and her deputy are sending mixed signals over potential changes to KiwiSaver for those over the age of 65. ...22 hours ago - The dangers of ‘one of us’: The Chief Human Rights Commissioner on othering
A recent Dominion Post column attacked British-born Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt as not ‘one of us’. It’s a phrase we should all feel uncomfortable with, writes Hunt, wherever we come from.Not long after I took up office as ...22 hours ago - More unsold Kiwibuild houses bought by govt
The Crown underwrite for unsold Kiwibuild homes has been triggered for a second time. ...22 hours ago - Trustee stole more than $1m forestry funds
The Crown has opened its case against a man accused of stealing more than a million dollars from a Far North Māori Trust. ...22 hours ago - Women don’t have to convince you they ‘deserve’ an abortion
Asking if a women needs an abortion is the wrong question. The right one is whether you think women should have rights to their own bodies without interference from the state, writes Sophie Bateman for Newshub. Abortion is never not a ...23 hours ago
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