health
Categories under health
- covid-19 (128)
Too much too far?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 23rd, 2021 - 61 comments
As we lead up to Budget 2021, there’s much more shape to the whole direction of this government.
National’s very bad day
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, April 22nd, 2021 - 80 comments
Yesterday was a day where National focussed on dog whistle racism, supported religious extremists and moaned about workers receiving a modest increase in the minimum wage.
DHBs to go
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, April 21st, 2021 - 101 comments
Television New Zealand has reported that Andrew Little is to announce that district health boards are to go
Oh Canada! – let us not follow you.
Written By: - Date published: 3:19 pm, April 17th, 2021 - 23 comments
Looking at the vaccination program in NZ, I feel that many people are focusing on the wrong things. The most dangerous period in pandemic life cycle – gaining a sufficient population immunity fast enough to stop the inevitable complacency that allows another wave of infections. Ontario appears to have managed to get a new wave of infection rising as they are trying to run their vaccination program. That is the last thing we need.
The politics of the Covid vaccination roll out
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, April 12th, 2021 - 91 comments
Poor National. Faced with a Government response to Covid that has been superb it is reduced to criticising the Government for not rolling out the Covid vaccine quickly enough.
The Covid India issue
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, April 9th, 2021 - 29 comments
This is a desperately difficult issue. India is currently experiencing a surge in Covid cases. And faced with the prospect of quarantine beds being overrun if current trends continue the Government has taken the step of banning people entering the country if they have been in India during the two weeks prior to travel.
Bubble bubble toil and trouble
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, April 6th, 2021 - 42 comments
An announcement on the Trans Tasman bubble is expected this afternoon.
Doocey is taking the piss
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, March 26th, 2021 - 12 comments
Private member’s bills are an important feature of Parliament. They give all MPs the chance to change the law to address real or perceived issues and problems. So what does National MP Matt Doocey think is the country’s most pressing problem?
Something big but not like that
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, March 23rd, 2021 - 41 comments
I am going out on a limb here but I think that Comrade Chris Trotter suggesting that Jacinda Ardern may resign as Prime Minister may be overhashed.
Covid Zeitgeist
Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, March 21st, 2021 - 31 comments
NZ politics needs recharging and renewal to move forward. We need more charging stations.
Vaccine Diplomacy
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, March 15th, 2021 - 19 comments
Vaccines have had a place in diplomacy since the Cold War. The country that can manufacture and distribute lifesaving injections to others less fortunate sees a return on its investment in the form of soft power. Today the country moving fastest towards consolidating these gains may be China.
The trans Tasman bubble
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, March 11th, 2021 - 72 comments
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said New Zealanders have an unfettered ability to travel to Australia for a holiday. Reality would suggest that he is wrong.
She might have saved us from Covid but she does not drink beer with Soper
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, March 9th, 2021 - 99 comments
Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking and Barry Soper are shocked, I tell you, shocked that Jacinda Ardern will no longer regularly appear on the Mike Hosking show.
Sugar is evil
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, March 6th, 2021 - 20 comments
With the recent High Court trial brought by three academics highlighting the undeserved attacks on their reputations by entities associated with the food industry now having concluded it is time for the Government to think about banning sugary drinks from schools. And a sugar tax.
Senior Business Leaders Call Out To Government. Again
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, March 3rd, 2021 - 41 comments
Senior business leaders have called for more openness and clarity from the Government on its plan for getting New Zealand to “COVID normal”. But have failed to say what they would do to contribute or what they are doing to help.
Level 3 again … be kind
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, February 28th, 2021 - 136 comments
Auckland is back into level three lockdown.
The case for mandatory legislative review
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, February 24th, 2021 - 15 comments
You can’t read legislation for very long without finding instances of weird edge cases. But is also why we have kids trying to walk or bike on gravel roads with no sidewalks to get to school. When modern cars travel these narrow lanes at up to 100km/hour. Parliament has no systematic way to review obsolete legislation.
V for vaccine
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, February 22nd, 2021 - 30 comments
The Covid pandemic is entering into an interesting stage with vaccinations being administered at an increasing rate and infection rates declining. The opportunities for politicising the issue continue however.
The Very, Very Lucky Country
Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, February 17th, 2021 - 5 comments
While Australia is rightly branded The Lucky Country, it looks like we can reasonably be called the Very, Very Lucky Country.
Pandemic to endemic covid-19
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 13th, 2021 - 84 comments
Back in May, I wrote a post “Covid-19: may be endemic“. That is looking like it is more and more likely. The depth of infection in world populations means that recombinant variants are likely. Vaccines and previous immunity will reduce the death rates and infection rates. But won’t stop reinfection. Human behaviour will keep covid-19 as an endemic disease.
Managed isolation cleaners should be paid a living wage
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, February 12th, 2021 - 39 comments
Managed isolation facility cleaners, who the country desperately relies on, are struggling to survive on low wages while performing an absolutely vital role.
Covid19 Vaccine Rollout and Global Inequality
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 24 comments
2023-2024 for a global rollout 0f the Covid vaccine will put stark lines of demarcation between which populations can trade and travel easily, and those who can’t.
Twelve months of living with Covid
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, February 1st, 2021 - 21 comments
One year on from the declaration by the WTO that Covid was a public health emergency and with the benefit of hindsight it is interesting to see who heeded the scientific advice and how it worked out.
Queue jumping the Covid vaccine rollout
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, January 27th, 2021 - 96 comments
National and ACT are concerned that New Zealand is not at the front of the queue obtaining Covid vaccine supplies. Even though our Covid status is still outstanding with no community transmission having happened for months, and even though to realistically open our borders every country in the world will have had to achieve herd immunity.
Scan, wash your hands and wear a freakin mask
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, January 25th, 2021 - 85 comments
Another case of Covid has appeared in the community. A 54 year old woman who lives south of Whangarei who returned overseas and went through quarantine has developed Covid after being released from quarantine.
PM Ardern and President Biden as a comparison
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, January 23rd, 2021 - 34 comments
On his first day in office Joe Biden executed 17 executive orders making wide scale change to the Trump Administration’s policies.
Covid-19 lessons from a plagued flight
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 pm, January 11th, 2021 - 22 comments
In September there was a 18 hour flight Dubai that ended in Auckland. A relatively close group on that plane showed infection after arrival, and a genetically similar version. The evidence of in-flight infection is very strong and points to the on-going issues with shipping virus hosts around the world. This has some pretty strong implications for long-haul flights in particular. But also to the risks of having travel ‘bubbles’ without enforced quarantine.
The UK is now the world’s Covid cot case
Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, January 6th, 2021 - 25 comments
Well after the emergence of a mutated Covid virus that is much easier to spread and faced with surging infection rates Boris Johnson has put England into a lockdown similar but not as strong as New Zealand’s original lockdown. But the question is, has he done too little too late?
Chris Bishop goes woof woof on variant ‘B.1.1.7’
Written By: - Date published: 1:26 pm, December 28th, 2020 - 43 comments
I realise that this would normally be our silly season, but it seems a bit macabre with the northern winter death toll. But nothing really excuses Chris Bishop for being a complete dickhead in barking for immediate offshore testing for travellers from the UK. It is pointless. The government are a bit more sensible. They’re instituting an extra test at our border.
Plan B activists still think NZ should be like Sweden
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, December 26th, 2020 - 171 comments
In a letter published in the Royal New Zealand College of Medical Practitioners journal Plan B academics have criticised the Government’s Covid elimination strategy because of the economic effects at the same time that recently announced growth figures show the economy grew in the past 12 months despite Covid.
Beefing up the border – expensive and essential
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, December 21st, 2020 - 30 comments
From a few days ago (it seems like an eternity), RNZ reported “Govt to pump almost $3 billion into its Covid-19 response after report identified failings”. There were several points I’d make about the border controls and generally with our border and the long slow years in constraining this pandemic. But the Sydney outbreak and the UK Xmas Grinch appear to be making them for me already.
- Destroying Public Service Broadcasting
The recognition that there is a media problem is correct, but the chosen solution is likely to be disastrous. Whether it intends or not, the government is embarked on a course to undermine Radio New Zealand. It wants to merge TVNZ and RNZ in order, it says, to strengthen the ...3 hours ago - The St Vincent eruption is a reminder of how volcano research and monitoring can save lives
Silvio De Angelis, University of Liverpool and Janine Kavanagh, University of Liverpool Volcanic eruptions come with a variety of hazards, depending on the type of volcano and its magma. Some have effusive eruptions, where lava flows constantly, while others can expel large clouds of fragments of magma and gases – ...4 hours ago - The Wellington bus lockout
Wellington bus drivers are striking today for a new collective employment agreement after two years of failed negotiations. But from tomorrow, they'll be locked out indefinitely as Australian-owned "NZ" Bus trues to cut their pay and conditions. What's really shocking here is that the Greater Wellington Regional Council has offered ...8 hours ago - Exercise boosts immunity and makes vaccines more effective – new studySebastien Chastin, Glasgow Caledonian University The availability of vaccines has brought hope for the end of the pandemic. Yet COVID deaths and cases are still surging around the world. As we try to immunise the world, the most likely scenario for the next few years is that COVID-19 will be ...9 hours ago
- Climate Change: Letting the world burnUS President Joe Biden is holding a virtual climate change summit today, during which he has pledged to cut America's emissions by 50% (from 2005 levels) by the end of the decade. Its an ambitious pledge, and other countries were expected to follow suit. So what did New Zealand offer? ...9 hours ago
- Seedkeeping can connect people with their roots and preserve crops for future generationsNatalie Jesionka, University of Toronto “All seeds are sacred, these seeds are connected to 10,000 years of human relationship to the land,” says Owen Taylor, co-founder of Philadelphia-based Truelove Seeds, who sells vegetable, herb and flower seeds that tell ancestral and regional stories. He adds, “seedkeeping refers to not just ...9 hours ago
- We don’t need mass-surveillance to pay for the roadsStuff reports that the government is considering replacing fuel-taxes and road-user charges with mass surveillance: Fuel taxes and road user charges could eventually be abolished as part of a Government review into the way it collects about $4 billion a year from road users. [...] One option being considered ...10 hours ago
- Labour’s Health Reforms: Boldly Going Where It Might Not Be Wise To Venture.
10 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 23 April 2021
NZ-China-Australia relations Chris Trotter: The Kangaroo encounters the Taniwha Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Speculation Five Eyes will become Four Eyes is completely ridiculous Richard Harman: Mahuta has to defend her Five Eyes comments Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Commentators need to calm down over Five Eyes, NZ and China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Statecraft trumps spectacle as Mahuta, Payne meet Jason Walls (Herald): Foreign Affairs Minister ...13 hours ago - The Kangaroo Encounters The Taniwha.Uncomfortable: Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, along with the rest of the Five Eyes Partners, were shocked to hear New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, tell the New Zealand-China Council: “It’s a matter that we have raised with Five Eyes partners; that we are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of ...14 hours ago
- Bye Bye DHBs: With an Axe Not a Scalpel
I have previously lamented that New Zealand politicians no longer believe in anything. That the energy and reforming zeal of past decades has been replaced by Much Talk and No Action. We were, I snarkily noted, living under the most inconsequential New Zealand Government since the second term of ...20 hours ago - A Struggle for Legibility II: Electric FontalooAs I noted back in January 2020, I am aware of the difficulties people have expressed in reading A Phuulish Fellow, and have taken steps to make the damn thing more readable. Hitherto, that has taken the form of adding pictures, and going back through the archives to ...1 day ago
- SkS Analogy 22 – Energy SeaSaw
Tag Line Energy exchange vs. Energy change. Elevator Statement Energy change represents a change of the total global energy. Energy exchange represents an exchange of energy between two parts of the Earth’s systems, without necessarily increasing the total energy. A seesaw exchanges the potential energy of Person A on one ...1 day ago - Putting the Five Eyes in their placeEarlier in the week Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta gave a speech on NZ-China relations, in which she said that while New Zealand would criticise China, we were "uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes" beyond being a security alliance. This has predictably drawn outrage from Australia and the ...1 day ago
- Smokefree outdoor areas: A missing part of Government’s new Smokefree 2025 proposalsGeorge Thomson, Nick Wilson (ASPIRE2025) Smokefree outdoor areas are not ‘business-as-usual’ for New Zealand. Current efforts for such areas are rarely backed by law. Smokers trying to quit need places where being smokefree is normal, and in particular, they need smokefree outdoor hospitality areas. Aotearoa is far behind many jurisdictions ...1 day ago
- A Night in the Witherlands – accepted
As I have noted previously, I have made some substantial work on Old Phuul in 2021. But that does not mean I still can’t produce a short story now and again. In an excellent piece of news, my 6,400-word sword and sorcery piece, A Night in the Witherlands, has ...1 day ago - Media Link: “A View from Afar” on NZ foreign policy independence reframed.
Nanaia Mahuta, NZ’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a speech that was notable for two things. On the one hand she spoke of diversifying NZ’s trade relations away from the domination of one market (read: the PRC). On the other hand she expressed a desire to return the 5 Eyes ...1 day ago - Why do we tolerate this?This week Nicky Hager has been going after Thompson and Clark Investigations, New Zealand's most immoral private investigation firm, with stories on how they spied for the Exclusive Brethren and employ former SIS agents. Today's revelation is that that agent was spying on school-children for the oil industry: School ...1 day ago
- Health Reforms Long Overdue
The Government’s (that is, Andrew Little’s) far-reaching health reforms have been – predictably and rightly – well received by most health professionals. I judge them – and welcome them – on the basis of my own experience in chairing a Primary Health Organisation over a period of some years. My ...1 day ago - Graham Adams: Seymour outflanks Ardern on hate speechThe Act leader reckons the Prime Minister is already backing away from a law change. Graham Adams reports from David Seymous’ national tour on the regulation of political speech, and news of a possible citizens-initiated referendum on the topic. Former PM Rob Muldoon was fond of saying he was a ...1 day ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 22 April 2021Health reforms: Analysis Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Labour’s health reforms: Boldly going where it might not be wise to venture Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government’s DHB overhaul is the latest salvo in the Wellington vs local control war Stuff: Editorial – Healthcare change needed but crucial staff shortages need to be addressed Audrey Young (Herald): Little’s Cabinet paper shows how Heather ...2 days ago
- My favourite Anzac biscuit recipeBy Mary Morgan-Richards Every year, in the lead up to Anzac day (25th April) when Australians and New Zealanders remember all those who died at war, we bake and eat sweet biscuits associated with WWI. After 100 years I wanted to calculate the impact of my biscuits on global ...2 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16, 2021Near doubling of age of oldest coherent ice core on tap? Studies of paleoclimate help us to understand our own recent creation of accidental rapid climate change and what we may expect from our blunder. Among many other sources of paleoclimate data, ice cores stand out for their near "tape ...2 days ago
- Deadlock in SamoaSamoa's independent "kingmaker", Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, has finally made his decision, joining the opposition FAST Party. But this doesn't mean they'll be the government, because last night Samoa's electoral commission suddenly decided to create another (HRPP) MP, creating a 26-26 deadlock. The reason for this is that Samoa has a ...2 days ago
- Ending the DHB scamThis morning the government announced a major shakeup for the health system, abolishing DHBs and centralising control under a single entity. I don't know enough about health policy to comment on whether this is a good idea or not, but it doesn't bode well that the government is spinning this ...2 days ago
- Why scientists shouldn't heed calls to 'stay in our lane'This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections It’s hard to lose a long-term friendship. That happened to me last year. My friendship did not survive my unwillingness to “stay in my lane.” I met my friend – let’s call him T – while I was a student at Cornwall School ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 21 April 2021Ihumātao unlawful government spend Henry Cooke (Stuff): Auditor-General rules the $29.9m the Government used to buy Ihumātao was unlawfully spent Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Housing Minister Megan Woods promises to ‘tidy up’ unlawful purchase of Ihumātao 1News: Unlawful Ihumātao payment another ‘messy chapter’ in the saga, 1News political reporter says Anna Whyte (1News): Ihumātao $29.9m payment ‘unlawful’ after officials miss key steps ...3 days ago
- A Fast Train To A Sustainable Future.Future Proofed: KiwiRail needs to become an all-electrically-powered, broad-gauged, and comprehensively re-equipped state-owned enterprise with state-of-the-art locomotives and rolling-stock. An infrastructure project of massive proportions and prodigious expense is required. But, when it is completed, New Zealand will have a sustainable, twenty-first century transportation network, capable of carrying both passengers ...3 days ago
- Serves them rightBack in December, the government purchased Ihumatāo. Officially the purchase was for a housing project, but whether any houses actually get built (and who will own them) is subject to negotiation. And now, the Auditor-General has ruled the purchase unlawful: The deal struck by the government and Fletcher Building ...3 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – National has bigger problems than its leadershipSpeculation about the National Party’s leadership has died down, after a fortnight of rumours and overt positioning by supposed challengers to Judith Collins. She lives on as leader for a bit longer, and Christopher Luxon and Simon Bridges have been put in their place. National now desperately needs to focus ...3 days ago
- An inappropriate gagThe government is planning to reform the health system. But in the leadup, they've issued new guidance for DHB members, gagging them from criticising the government: A new code of conduct banning health board members from making “political comment” may have been timed to dull criticism of imminent changes ...3 days ago
- Presentation: The housing crisis, taxation policy and restoring equity
Susan St John & Terry Baucher The bright line test has been extended to ten years. Tax deductibility for the cost of a mortgage for landlords is to be removed. These steps are a start, but there is more to be done. In Susan and Terry, we have two advocates ...3 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 20 April 2021NZ-China relations: Mahuta Speech Tim Watkin (Pundit): Taniwha New Zealand shows its foreign policy teeth to the world. But what does it mean? Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Mahuta treads a careful but clear line on China Alexander Gillespie (The Conversation): Without evidence of real progress, NZ’s foreign policy towards China looks increasingly empty Luke Malpass and Thomas Coughlan ...4 days ago
- Demand for rare-earth metals is skyrocketing, so we’re creating a safer, cleaner way to recover th...Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo, Deakin University Rare-earth metals are critical to the high-tech society we live in as an essential component of mobile phones, computers and many other everyday devices. But increasing demand and limited global supply means we must urgently find a way to recover these metals efficiently from discarded products. ...4 days ago
- Taniwha New Zealand shows its foreign policy teeth to the world. But what does it mean?
As New Zealand and Australia celebrated its close ties with the opening of the Trans-Tasman Covid-19 bubble, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta today was looking a little further north. Shortly after those first flights had taken off, reminding us all of the world beyond our shores, Mahuta gave just her second ...4 days ago - sam bailey on isolating viruses, and why she is wrongRecently I was told I needed to go to the Youtube channel of Dr Sam BaileyA and watch one of her videosB. So I did. This particular video is called The Truth About Virus Isolation, and yes it’s on Youtube, and no I’m not linking directly because I refuse to ...4 days ago
- 'Disinformation ecosystem' – in broader context beyond climateThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Peter Sinclair This edition of Yale Climate Connections’ “This Is Not Cool” video explores the “disinformation ecosystem” in and beyond the issue of global climate change. “How did we get here?” independent videographer Peter Sinclair asks rhetorically at the start of the ...4 days ago
- The progressive case against cancel culture
Once upon a time, the left fought for the universal right to freedom of speech. Today, many self-proclaimed progressives cheer on the censorship of their political opponents. But it’s not just right-wingers who suffer from cancel culture. The left itself is often the primary victim. Dan Kovalik is a labour lawyer, peace ...4 days ago - Peter Dutton supports war crimesDuring their time in Afghanistan Australian special forces committed war crimes, murdering 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners of war and working together to cover it up. This was not a case of a few sociopaths killing in secret, but of utterly corrupt units who knew of, tolerated, and in some ...4 days ago
- Is The Government’s Proposed “Cure” For Hate Speech Worse Than The Complaint?4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 19 April 2021Housing crisis Reuters: ‘Explosion of wealth inequality’ as housing boom leaves many behind – economist Dan Satherley (Newshub): Housing crisis: Price falls coming, but ‘nothing compared to’ how much they’ve risen – economists Miriam Bell (Stuff): What will happen if house prices fall? Tara Shaskey (Stuff): Poverty will cripple Māori if housing crisis is not addressed – iwi leader ...5 days ago
- Hate Speech bad, Hate Economics acceptable.
by Don Franks Details of proposed new hate speech laws have been revealed in a December Cabinet paper obtained by Newsroom. The paper, seeking to “strengthen the protections against hate speech”, would extend existing provisions against incitement and hate speech. It would also move hate speech offences from the Human Rights Act to ...5 days ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #16Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Apr 11, 2021 through Sat, Apr 17, 2021 Not having had a chance to garner much attention by the time last week's review was published, the last article in that batch - First-Ever Observations From ...5 days ago
- Why did New Zealand’s CO2 emissions blow out so spectacularly in 2019?Every year in April, the trees start changing colour, the clocks go back an hour, and the national greenhouse gas figures are released and promptly forgotten. They take fifteen months to prepare, so by the time they come out it’s very easy for commentators to point out that they are ...5 days ago
- why it’s important to check sourcesWhile checking my spam folder (before yeeting the contents permanently) I noticed that I’d been sent a bunch of email ‘newsletters’ from the group “Voices for Freedom.” Out of interest I opened one, just in case the contents were worth a post or two – & indeed they were. The ...6 days ago
- Deceptive and dangerous dichotomisation.Humans are hard-wired to classify, categorise and compare, or in other words, to taxonomize. We may be born tabula rasa but quickly are taught that the world is divided into types of things, subtypes of those and assorted other categories. The operative term is “taught” rather than “realise.” Taxonomies are ...6 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Government’s historic ban on live animal exportsThe Labour Government received plaudits this week for its historic announcement that it will ban the live export of animals by sea. It’s said to be a world first. The decision comes after years of pressure, which increased after last year’s tragedy when the ship Gulf Livestock 1 left New ...6 days ago
- Mystery in the Library 2021As one does on a Friday evening, I yesterday made a point of heading along to the Dunedin Public Library’s event, Mystery in the Library. This was a panel of local crime-fiction writers, and a follow-up to a similar one in April 2019 (no prizes for guessing why ...6 days ago
- Will The 2021 Budget Be Focused on Wellbeing?
Now is about the time that the Government is getting its Budget Strategy togetherIn the week before the budget – the 2021 one is to be delivered on Thursday 20 May – there is a strange ritual in which all the commentariat and lobbyists (who are not necessarily distinct from ...7 days ago - Climate Change: Admitting itClimate Change Minister James Shaw has admitted that the government is not doing enough on climate change: Appearing on Breakfast alongside Greenpeace director and former Green Party leader Russel Norman, the current Greens co-leader was asked: “Are you as Government living up to promise of delivery implicit in those ...1 week ago
- The Government v. the People?We can all agree that a free press (and free media more generally) are important factors in a well-functioning democracy. But I am beginning to wonder if they provide us with an unalloyed benefit. I am an avid consumer of daily news – whether delivered by the press or by ...1 week ago
- Why Haven’t They … ? How to Explain this Government’s Baffling Refusal to Solve New Zealand’...Yes They Can - So Why Don't They? In matters relating to child poverty, homelessness, mental health, climate change and, of course, Covid-19, the answers are right in front of the Government's collective nose - often in the form of reports it has specifically commissioned. Why can’t Jacinda and her ...1 week ago
- Progress towards a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan: Congratulations to the GovernmentRichard Edwards, Janet Hoek, Anaru Waa, George Thomson, Nick Wilson (author details*) We congratulate the NZ Government on its proposed Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal. Here we examine the evidence for three key ideas outlined in the plan: permitting tobacco products to be sold in only ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 16 April 2021National Party leadership Matthew Hooton (Herald): My message to National – and how to avoid another leadership fiasco(paywalled) Peter Dunne: National needs to sort out what it stands for before it thinks about leadership Jo Moir (Newsroom): National’s six months in a leaky boat Grant Duncan: The National Party’s leadership woes Government Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Can Covid-19 save Labour again in 2023? ...1 week ago
- Can The State Pull The Lone Wolf Terrorist’s Teeth?Punished, But Not Prevented: Though bitterly contested by those firmly convinced that the Christchurch Mosque Shootings represent something more than the crime of a Lone Wolf terrorist, the Royal Commission’s finding that no state agency could have prevented Brenton Tarrant from carrying out his deadly intent – except by chance ...1 week ago
- Govt pushing contentious gender identity lawThe Government has announced it intends making sex self-identification possible this year, as a priority. That would mean anyone could change the sex documented on their birth certificate by a simple declaration that they “identify” as the opposite sex. Speak Up For Women have launched a campaign encouraging New Zealanders ...1 week ago
- The cost of a rolling omnishamblesThe travel bubble with Australia has not brought room for others to come into the MIQ system from overseas. Instead, spaces are being decommissioned. Why? The system is leaky. The government cannot afford to let riskier people into those spaces, because the system can’t handle them. My column in Insights ...1 week ago
- “Ideologies Clashing”: as we slowly try to emerge from Covid, discontent rises.
A Second Term Labour-led Government in New Zealand, a new Biden-led Administration in the US, a continuance of the Johnson Government in the UK: different approaches to major issues, same global problems – and discontent rising. Some warranted, some unwarranted, but as each emerges from the Covid pandemic, what ...1 week ago - COVID vaccines and blood clots – what is this about?I will update this post as new information comes to hand What has happened? Recently the vaccine safety watch dogs in Europe noted reports of unusual types of blood clots in people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine. This prompted investigations across many countries to ascertain what, why, and ...1 week ago
- Male fertility: how everyday chemicals are destroying sperm counts in humans and animalsAlex Ford, University of Portsmouth and Gary Hutchison, Edinburgh Napier University Within just a few generations, human sperm counts may decline to levels below those considered adequate for fertility. That’s the alarming claim made in epidemiologist Shanna Swan’s new book, “Countdown”, which assembles a raft of evidence to show that ...1 week ago
- vEGU21 – Gather online – PrologJust like last year, this year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will happen virtually instead of in person in Vienna. Contrary to last year, the organizers decided early on to hold their conference online and planned for it accordingly (quite a difference to last year's scramble where they switched ...1 week ago
- A True Story: Lucian of Samosata is Not Science-Fiction
Time for a strange rant. A very strange rant. But bear with me, because this is serious business. A True Story, by Lucian of Samosata is not Science-Fiction. What on earth am I talking about? Well, it was one of those Wikipedia rabbit holes. I was reading ...1 week ago - Otago locals rally to save fossils from destructionBy Kate Evans for Undark One of New Zealand’s most spectacular fossil sites originated 23.2 million years ago. It was formed in a valley dotted with small volcanoes, when rising magma deep below the Earth’s surface came into contact with groundwater. Lava and water don’t mix — they explode. The ...1 week ago
- No Place for Democratic-Socialists in the Undemocratic Neoliberal Government of the Auckland Superci...A Thorn In Their Side: As Chair of the Auckland Regional Council, Mike Lee made sure Auckland’s municipal resources remained in Aucklanders’ hands. Not surprisingly the neoliberal powers-that-be (in both their centre-left and centre-right incarnations) hated this last truly effective standard-bearer for democratic-socialist values and policies.MIKE LEE is the closest ...1 week ago
- so much misinformation on a page supposedly about healthIt’s always something of a shock to come across a page run by a health-focused business that contains substantial misinformation. This one left me gobsmacked, given the sheer number of statements that are demonstrably untrue. And while a fair bit of the content is prefaced by the statement that it’s ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 15 April 2021Live animal export ban Stuff: Editorial – The tide goes out on animal exports Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government announces an end to livestock sea export industry Calla Wahlquist (The Guardian): New Zealand to stop exporting livestock by sea Mirjam Guesgen (Spinoff): Live animal exports have always been a problem No Right Turn: Why wait? RNZ: Government announces ban for live cattle exports by ...1 week ago
- Ian Powell: A very bureaucratic coup: Part OnePreviously (9 February) I wrote about how business consultants Ernst & Young were used to do a hatchet job on the former senior management team at Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB). While this hatchet job was planned in 2019 its gestation was much longer. Its underlying causes involved differences in ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #15, 2021Flying beneath the radar of guilt Fight or Flight: How Advertising for Air Travel Triggers Moral Disengagement (open access) by Stubenvoll & Neureiter not only takes an interesting approach to decomposing the effects of airline travel advertisements but also helps us to understand the general psychological landscape of our often conflicted ...1 week ago
- we haven’t taught critical thinking particularly wellYesterday I got told to “do some research” &, by extension, to think critically. The biologist in me cringed a little when I read it (and not because of the advice about doing research). Biology teachers I know suggested that perhaps everyone should take the NCEA standard that ...1 week ago
- Have introverts really fared better in lockdown?Lis Ku, De Montfort University Since the onset of the pandemic, everyone from newspaper columnists to Twitter users has advanced the now idea that extroverts and introverts are handling the crisis differently. Many claim that introverts adapt to social distancing and isolation better than extroverts, with some even suggesting that ...1 week ago
- evidence vs spinA friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this blog post by New Zealand’s “Plan B” group. While initially this group opposed the government’s use of lockdowns to manage covid19 outbreaks in this country, they seem to have since moved on to opposing the rollout of vaccines against ...1 week ago
- Getting outTwenty years after it invaded, the US is finally leaving Afghanistan. What's surprising is that it took them so long - its been clear for over a decade that their presence there was pointless and just pissing people off. But imperial pride leads to exactly this sort of stupidity. Their ...1 week ago
- Why wait?The government has announced that it will ban the export of livestock by sea. Huzzah! A vile, cruel and unconscionable trade will be ended! But there's a catch: the ban won't kick in until 2023, giving farmers two ful years to continue to profit from extreme animal cruelty. But why ...1 week ago
- An unexpected Member’s DayToday is unexpectedly a Member's Day - the Business Committee granted it early in the year, to make up for time list to government business. First up is a two-hour debate on the budget policy statement, with questions to Ministers, replacing the general debate. Then its the second reading of ...1 week ago
- A Tale of Two Schools…
. . Two stories which appeared almost side-by-side on RNZ’s website. Parent, Miranda Cross, was quoted as saying; “I think the expectations are that we can at least send our kids to school where they will receive an education.” An American parent would probably demand; “I think the expectations are ...1 week ago
- Local government review must centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi and empower young people
The future of local government must empower the young people who will live with the decisions made today, by enabling them to vote, and strengthen our national commitment to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Green Party said today. ...9 hours ago - The Greens welcome whānau centred initiatives for PrisonsToday the Government announced a new whānau-centred Māori pathways programme in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. ...11 hours ago
- Looking ahead this Earth Day
It’s Earth Day today and here at Labour, we’re deeply committed to protecting our environment – not just today, but every day. ...1 day ago - Greens welcome protections for Kiwis’ savingsThe Green Party is welcoming the Government’s announcement that bank deposits up to $100,000 will be protected under new rules. ...1 day ago
- Former Govt spies should be stopped from private spyingFormer employees of Government security and intelligence agencies should face at least a five-year stand down period before taking up private sector security contracts, the Green Party said today. ...1 day ago
- Green Party welcomes major healthcare reforms with a call for moreThe Green Party welcomes the major healthcare reforms announced today by the Minister of Health, including the creation of a Māori Health Authority – Manatū Hauora Māori as we call it. ...2 days ago
- What do New Zealand's health reforms mean? Your questions answeredWe’re committed to ensuring that our health system works for all New Zealanders – so we’re taking big steps to improve health outcomes, support our frontline workers, and promote equitable access to healthcare across the country and across communities. ...2 days ago
- A health system that works for everyoneWe believe all New Zealanders should have equitable access to a truly national healthcare system. ...2 days ago
- Labour's record: Creating better health outcomes for allWe’re committed to improving healthcare in New Zealand. And we have the record to prove it. ...3 days ago
- Tinkering around the edges won’t cut it for families struggling to surviveResearch released today reinforces the need for significant changes to our social safety net, the Green Party says. ...3 days ago
- E karanga ana Te Pātī Kākāriki mo te waihangatanga o tētahi Manatū Hauora MāoriI tēnei tau i Waitangi, I whakahua ake te Tira o Te Mātāwaka o te Pātī Kākāriki i tā rātau aronga matua, ki te waihanga I tētahi Manatū Hauora Māori, mā Māori te kawe, mā Māori ngā whakahaere. Ko tā te tira; Kua rongohia ngā karanga a ngā Tangata Whenua, ...5 days ago
- The Greens call for an empowered independent Māori Health AuthorityDuring Waitangi this year the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka caucus announced their priority for an independent Māori Health Authority. We have heard the call from Tangata Whenua wanting any authority to be independent, and properly resourced. ...5 days ago
- Pasifika mental wellbeing initiative must protect our communities: GreensThe Greens welcome $6.6 million from the Government’s $455 million programme to increase access to mental health and addiction services for our Pasifika communities in Auckland and Wellington. ...1 week ago
- Greens will embed tikanga Māori into rewrite of social security legislationThe Green Party is putting a Member’s Bill into the ballot today which will be a significant step towards overhauling the Social Security Act by embedding a tikanga Māori framework into the welfare system. ...1 week ago
- Strong relationship continues as Green Party renew MoU with E Tū unionThe Green Party have reaffirmed their strong commitment to the union movement in Aotearoa New Zealand by renewing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with E Tū. ...1 week ago
- Mana Ake expansion announcedSoon, more kids in Aotearoa will have access to the in-school mental health support that has boosted the resilience of tamariki and whānau in Canterbury. ...1 week ago
- Green Party plans significant rewrite of social security legislationThe Green Party is putting a Member’s Bill into the ballot today which will be a significant step towards overhauling the Social Security Act. ...1 week ago
- Service providers and communities call on Government to treat drugs as a health issueThe Green Party supports the open letter released today by a cross-sector coalition calling for the Government to treat all drug use as a health issue, to repeal and replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. ...2 weeks ago
- Boosting small businessesSmall businesses are not only the heart of our economy – they’re also the heart of our communities. They provide important goods and services, as well as great employment opportunities. They know and love their locals. And after a tough year, they need our support! ...2 weeks ago
- Young Pasifika Leaders call for climate action: GreensGreen Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono MP, supports the demand from Pasifika communities fighting for climate action as their homelands are more at risk in the Pacific region. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party supports climate strike demandsThe Green Party supports the six demands for climate action put forward by School Strike for Climate NZ, who are striking across the country today. ...2 weeks ago
- Systemic racism rooted in Māori victimisation reportThe Ministry of Justice Māori victimisation report, released today, reinforces what we already know about the impact of systemic racism in Aotearoa and that urgent action is needed. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens legacy bill to ensure a more inclusive and accessible Aotearoa to be debated in ParliamentRicardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog was today pulled from the biscuit tin to be debated in Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- More businesses switching to clean energyMore businesses are making the switch to cleaner, more sustainable energy, with support from our Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Chair appointed for Auckland Light Rail Establishment Unit
Transport Minister Michael Wood today announced that former Chief Executive of Manukau City Council Leigh Auton has been appointed as Independent Chair of the Auckland Light Rail Establishment Unit to engage with Aucklanders and take the project forward. Leigh Auton has been appointed as chair for an 11 month term ...6 hours ago - Royal Commission into Historical Abuse scope adjusted to avoid timeline delay“The Government continues to honour our commitment to survivors which we made when the Royal Commission was established in 2018, and has refined the Terms of Reference to make sure the Commission delivers its final report in 2023,” says Minister of Internal Affairs, Jan Tinetti. In December 2020, the Royal ...9 hours ago
- Making the border strongerNew ‘very high risk’ country designation Returnees to be cohorted into MIQs The Government is taking significant additional steps to make our borders even safer, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “New Zealand is in a strong position and Kiwis enjoy freedoms most other countries do not ...9 hours ago
- More Aucklanders get a place to call home as Government delivers on housing250 new warm, dry homes officially opened in Auckland today including: • 90 public housing homes • 34 KiwiBuild homes • 43 market homes and • 83 transitional housing homes The Government’s commitment to ensuring more New Zealanders have warm, dry, healthy homes is paying off in Auckland, where the ...10 hours ago
- Independent review to explore future for local governmentLocal Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says an independent review of local government will explore how councils can maintain and improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders in the communities they serve long into the future. Announcing the review today Nanaia Mahuta says it will focus on how our system of local ...10 hours ago
- New Zealand’s first official space mission announces ‘mission control’New Zealand’s first government funded space mission has taken a ‘giant leap’ with Auckland University’s Te Pūnaha Ātea-Auckland Space Institute announced as the permanent host of the New Zealand based mission control centre for a global methane tracking satellite. “MethaneSAT is a really exciting opportunity to showcase New Zealand’s science ...12 hours ago
- Leaders’ Summit on Climate to raise ambition on climate actionPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern joined President Biden at the virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by the United States overnight. The summit, held for Earth Day, brought world leaders together to galvanise efforts to reduce emissions this decade and keep the shared goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees ...17 hours ago
- Strengthening Trans-Tasman Ties: Australia-New Zealand Foreign Minister ConsultationsNew Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, met in Wellington today for biannual Australia-New Zealand Foreign Minister Consultations. Marise Payne’s visit is the first official visit to New Zealand by Australia since both ...1 day ago
- Deposit taking measures protect financial stability and New ZealandersCabinet has finalised a package of new measures to protect New Zealanders’ interests in the banking and financial system, including guaranteeing deposits of up to $100,000 per eligible institution. These measures, the final part of a comprehensive review of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act, have been the subject ...1 day ago
- Apprenticeship numbers jump in 2020The number of apprentices continues to grow, with people from across the community signing up for careers in the trades, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) for enrolments in tertiary and vocational study as at December 2020 shows that the number of apprentices increased by 17.6 per ...1 day ago
- New Zealand to open new Trade Commission in FijiNew Zealand will open a new Trade Commission in Fiji later this year, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “Fiji is New Zealand’s largest trading partner in the Pacific region”, Damien O’Connor said. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, annual two-way trade between New Zealand and Fiji was ...2 days ago
- Building a New Zealand Health Service that works for all New ZealandersHON ANDREW LITTLE SPEECH Morena tātau katoa. Tēnā tātau kua karahuihui mai nei i tēnei ata, Ki te whakarewa te rautaki hauora matua o Aotearoa, Kia hua ko te oranga pai o te motu. Tena tatau katoa. INTRODUCTION Welcome. Today, I am laying out for you a plan to ...3 days ago
- Major reforms will make healthcare accessible for all NZersAll DHBs will be replaced by one national organisation, Health New Zealand A new Māori Health Authority will have the power to commission health services, monitor the state of Māori health and develop policy New Public Health Agency will be created Strengthened Ministry of Health will monitor performance and advise ...3 days ago
- Minister Henare contribution to speech on Building a New Zealand Health Service that works for all N...We talk a lot about being a transformational Government. Some imagine this statement means big infrastructure builds, massive policy commitments all leading up to a single grand reveal. But this is what I see as transformation. Something quite simply and yet so very complex. Māori feeling comfortable and able to ...3 days ago
- Health reform announcementOn Wednesday morning, Minister of Health Andrew Little and Associate Minister of Health (Māori) Peeni Henare are announcing major health reforms. You can watch the announcement live here from 8am Wednesday. ...3 days ago
- Alpine Fault research supports Government’s work planning and preparing for earthquakesNew research into the probability of an Alpine Fault rupture reinforces the importance of taking action to plan and prepare for earthquakes, Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi says. Research published by Dr Jamie Howarth of Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington today, shows there is a ...3 days ago
- New Zealand to provide further support to UN North Korea sanctionsForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare today announced that New Zealand is deploying a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft in support of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on North Korea. The Resolutions, adopted unanimously by the UNSC between 2006 and 2017, ...3 days ago
- Transmission Gully review shows flawed planning process should have been addressed before project st...The Transmission Gully Interim Review has found serious flaws at the planning stage of the project, undermining the successful completion of the four-lane motor north of Wellington Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson and Transport Minister Michael Wood said. Grant Robertson said the review found the public-private partnership (PPP) established under the ...4 days ago
- Australian Foreign Minister to visit Aotearoa New ZealandForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today that Australian Foreign Minister Hon Marise Payne will visit Aotearoa New Zealand for the first face-to-face Foreign Ministers’ Consulations since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Australia is New Zealand’s closest and most important international partner. I’m very pleased to be able to welcome Hon Marise ...4 days ago
- Border exceptions will see more families reunitedHundreds more families who were separated by the border closure will be reunited under new border exceptions announced today, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “The Government closed the border to everyone but New Zealand citizens and residents, in order to keep COVID-19 out, keep our economy open and keep New ...4 days ago
- “He Taniwha He Tipua, He Tipua He Taniwha – The Dragon and the Taniwha”Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Foreign Minister 8.30am, 19 April 2021 [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Speech to the NZCC Korihi Pō, Korihi Ao E rongo e turia no Matahau Nō Tū te winiwini, Nō Tū te wanawana Tū Hikitia rā, Tū Hapainga mai Ki te Whai Ao, Ki te Ao Mārama Tihei Mauri ...4 days ago
- Backing sustainable wool carpets to create a compelling yarn for New Zealand’s strong wool sectorThe Government is supporting a new project with all-wool New Zealand carpet company, Bremworth, which has its sights on developing more sustainable all-wool carpets and rugs, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced. The Ministry for Primary Industries is contributing $1.9 million towards Bremworth’s $4.9 million sustainability project through its Sustainable Food ...5 days ago
- New Zealand provides support to Timor-Leste for flooding and COVID-19 surgeNew Zealand is providing further support to Timor-Leste following severe flooding and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “Our thoughts are with the people of Timor-Leste who have been impacted by the severe flooding and landslides at a time when the country is ...5 days ago
- WHANAU OF MĀORI BATTALION SOLDIERS REUNITED WITH MEDALSA ceremony has been held today in Gisborne where the unclaimed medals of 28 (Māori) Battalion C Company soldiers were presented to their families. After the Second World War, returning service personnel needed to apply for their medals and then they would be posted out to them. While most medals ...6 days ago
- Reducing barriers to breastfeedingThe Government is committed to increasing the number of mothers who breastfeed for longer to give babies born in New Zealand the best start in life. The Ministry of Health recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six month but only about 20 percent of children at this ...6 days ago
- SolarWinds compromise attributed to Russian state actorNew Zealand has today added its voice to the international condemnation of the malicious compromise and exploitation of the SolarWinds Orion platform. The Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau, Andrew Little, says that New Zealand's international partners have analysed the compromise of the SolarWinds Orion platform and attributed ...1 week ago
- Queenstown roading project given fast track approvalAn expert consenting panel has approved the Queenstown Arterials Project, which will significantly improve transport links and reduce congestion for locals and visitors in the tourism hotspot. Environment Minister David Parker welcomed the approval for the project that will construct, operate and maintain a new urban road around Queenstown’s town ...1 week ago
- Screen industry secures landmark projectEconomic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash says a landmark deal has been agreed with Amazon for The Lord of the Rings TV series, currently being filmed in New Zealand. Mr Nash says the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) secures multi-year economic and tourism benefits to New Zealand, outside the screen ...1 week ago
- Report into review of health response to lead contamination releasedThe Government welcomes the findings from a rapid review into the health system response to lead contamination in Waikouaiti’s drinking water supply. Sample results from the town’s drinking-water supply showed intermittent spikes in lead levels above the maximum acceptable value. The source of the contamination is still under investigation by ...1 week ago
- NZ Upgrade Programme revs up economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood today marked the start of construction on the New Zealand Upgrade Programme’s Papakura to Drury South project on Auckland’s Southern Motorway, which will create hundreds of jobs and support Auckland’s economic recovery. The SH1 Papakura to Drury South project will give more transport choices by providing ...1 week ago
- Speech releasing the Digital Council's report 'Towards Trustworthy and Trusted Automated D...CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēna koutou, tēna tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua, ko Ngāi Tahu, ko Waitaha, ko Kāti Māmoe anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te ...1 week ago
- Green light for 10 minute e-bus to Auckland AirportTransport Minister Michael Wood today marked the completion of upgrades to State Highway 20B which will give Aucklanders quick electric bus trips to and from the airport. The State Highway 20B Early Improvements project has added new lanes in each direction between Pukaki Creek Bridge and SH20 for buses and ...1 week ago
- Review into greyhound racing announcedThe Government is putting in place a review of the work being done on animal welfare and safety in the greyhound racing industry, Grant Robertson announced today. “While Greyhound Racing NZ has reported some progress in implementing the recommendations of the Hansen Report, recent incidents show the industry still has ...1 week ago
- Road safety boosted by increased penalty for mobile use while drivingThe infringement fee for using a mobile phone while driving will increase from $80 to $150 from 30 April 2021 to encourage safer driving, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said too many people are still picking up the phone while driving. “Police issued over 40,000 infringement notices ...1 week ago
- Pacific mental wellbeing supported across Auckland and WellingtonPacific people in New Zealand will be better supported with new mental health and addiction services rolling out across the Auckland and Wellington regions, says Aupito William Sio. “One size does not fit all when it comes to supporting the mental wellbeing of our Pacific peoples. We need a by ...1 week ago
- Fresh approach proposed to Smokefree 2025New measures are being proposed to accelerate progress towards becoming a smokefree nation by 2025, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced. “Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke kills around 12 people a day in New Zealand. Recent data tells us New Zealand’s smoking rates continue to decrease, but ...1 week ago
- Govt expands Mana Ake to provide more school-based mental wellbeing supportMore children will be able to access mental wellbeing support with the Government expansion of Mana Ake services to five new District Health Board areas, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Health Minister made the announcement while visiting Homai School in Counties Manukau alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate ...1 week ago
- Record Number of People Move Into WorkThe Government’s COVID-19 response has meant a record number of people moved off a Benefit and into employment in the March Quarter, with 32,880 moving into work in the first three months of 2021. “More people moved into work last quarter than any time since the Ministry of Social Development ...1 week ago
- Significant global progress made under Christchurch CallA stocktake undertaken by France and New Zealand shows significant global progress under the Christchurch Call towards its goal to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. The findings of the report released today reinforce the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, with countries, companies and civil society working together to ...1 week ago
- New chair of interim TAB NZ Board appointedRacing Minister Grant Robertson has announced he is appointing Elizabeth Dawson (Liz) as the Chair of the interim TAB NZ Board. Liz Dawson is an existing Board Director of the interim TAB NZ Board and Chair of the TAB NZ Board Selection Panel and will continue in her role as ...1 week ago
- ‘They track our every move’: why the cards were stacked against a union at Amazon
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Walker, Adjunct Fellow, Centre for Workforce Futures, Macquarie University “Working at an Amazon warehouse is no easy thing. The shifts are long. The pace is super-fast. You are constantly being watched and monitored. They seem to think you are just another ...2 hours ago - No one is mourning the end of district health boards, but rebuilding trust in the system won’t be ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland This week’s announcement that all district health boards (DHBs) would be abolished and replaced with a centralised health agency took a lot of people by surprise. Most key health sector interest groups appear ...2 hours ago
- COVID vaccine may lead to a harmless lump in your armpit, so women advised to delay mammograms for 6...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rik Thompson, Professor of Breast Cancer Research, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and School of Biomedical Sciences,, Queensland University of Technology Australian women are being asked to think about the timing of breast cancer screening as they prepare to receive their ...3 hours ago
- I understand the rationale to limit travellers from India, but I still feel uneasySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, La Trobe University On Thursday, national cabinet agreed to list India as a “high-risk” country and temporarily reduce the number of people returning to Australia from the country by 30%. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said other countries would ...3 hours ago
- Submarines are designed to hide – so what happens when one goes missing?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Goldrick, Adjunct Professor in Naval and Maritime Strategy and Policy, Australian National University In waters north of Bali, a frantic search is underway for the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala, missing with 53 crew since the boat failed to make a routine ...3 hours ago
- Overhaul ahead for local authorities and their governance – the big issue should be whether local ...
There was an international flavour to two of the new statements from the Beehive and a cosmic flavour to a third, when we checked earlier in the day. But the most ominous announcement, signalling big changes in the offing very close to home, emerged from the office of Nanaia Mahuta, ...4 hours ago - All my loving: Young Talent Time still glows, 50 years since first airing on Australian TVSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney This weekend marks 50 years since the television premiere of Young Talent Time — a pastel-coloured, saccharine-sweet mix of talent competition, pop music tribute show and star factory. Accordingly, the National Film ...4 hours ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on Biden’s climate change summit, Australia’s climate policy, and George...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher. This week the pair discuss some of the developments in the Biden climate summit, which commenced Thursday night. They also ...4 hours ago
- Deputy Mayor Welcomes Coherent Vision For Local Government
By Janet Holborow, Deputy Mayor, Kāpiti Coast District Council Opinion On Friday Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced a review of Local Government in New Zealand, and the appointment of a panel to be chaired by Jim Palmer to to start ...4 hours ago - India’s staggering COVID crisis could have been avoided. But the government dropped its guard too ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pradeep Taneja, Senior Lecturer in Asian Politics, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne India reported 314,000 new cases of COVID-19 on April 22, the highest-ever infection tally recorded by any country on a single day. Many hospitals across ...4 hours ago
- Spot the difference: As world leaders rose to the occasion at the Biden climate summit, Morrison fal...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Hughes, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Prime Minister Scott Morrison overnight addressed a much anticipated virtual climate summit convened by US President Joe Biden, claiming future generations “will thank us not for what we have promised, but what we ...5 hours ago
- The Happy Place is pure, unadulterated Instagram fodder
A new international exhibition on a mission to ‘spread happiness around the world’ has landed in Auckland. Jihee Junn went along to see if it made her happy.To describe yourself as “the world’s most Instagrammable event” is a pretty big claim to make, but that’s the Happy Place for you ...5 hours ago - The Week in Politics: High stakes in the health shakeup
Analysis - The government's health shake-up is generally well-received, while Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta deals with a delicate international issue around our relationships with Five Eyes and China, writes Peter Wilson. ...5 hours ago - Local Government Review Once-in-a-generation Chance To Be BoldThis once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the machinery behind local government cannot ignore some significant challenges facing local democracy, Property Council of New Zealand Chief Executive Leonie Freeman says. “Today’s announcement that ...5 hours ago
- Ministerial Review Of Local Government An Opportunity To Put People FirstThe union for local government workers welcomes Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s planned review of the sector, but more of a focus on worker participation is needed. The Public Service Association represents nine thousand local government staff around ...6 hours ago
- The dragons-and-taniwha speech isn’t being quickly forgotten – and Mahuta is getting support fro...
It’s the speech that keeps on giving. This gives the lie to advice we were given on the art of delivering a memorable speech: an audience remembers best the first five minutes of a speech and the last five. In the case of Nanaia Mahuta’s dragons-and-taniwha speech, at Point of ...6 hours ago - With closer ties to GPs, NZ’s new central health agency could revolutionise treatment of major dis...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Verna Smith, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington It is rare to get excited about institutional reform, but the government’s announcement of wholesale changes to the health system has the potential to be transformative. The ...6 hours ago
- Gory or glory? The Handmaid’s Tale season 4 walks a fine line between dystopia and torture pornSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury This review contains spoilers for the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale season four. Dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale is at a crossroads. Four years on from its critically ...6 hours ago
- Solidarity and difference — how Anzac Day reflects an ever-changing New ZealandSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rowan Light, Lecturer / Project Curator – University of Auckland / Auckland Museum, University of Auckland While economists and politicians have celebrated the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble and its promised relief for struggling businesses, it’s also a reminder of something we’ve ...7 hours ago
- Endless itching: how Anzacs treated lice in the trenches with poetry and their own brand of medicineSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgia McWhinney, Honorary Postdoctoral Associate, Macquarie University We think we know a lot about Australian and New Zealand soldiers’ health in the first world war. Many books, novels and television programs speak of wounds and war doctors, documenting the work of both ...7 hours ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 23The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Mirror Book by Charlotte Grimshaw (Vintage, $38)Linda Herrick over at Stuff has joined the titillating conversation ...7 hours ago
- Yesterdaze: Some syrup to go with that waffle, please
There will be no health sector shakeup as long as its fetish for acronyms is allowed to continue unfettered. Elsewhere, Jacinda Ardern's level of waffle exceeded the five slice capacity. James Elliott has the news of the week. In many countries there would be unbridled panic and alarm if you watched ...7 hours ago - Hutt City Council Welcomes Review Of Local Government SectorHutt City Council and the Dowse Art Museum today hosted the Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta for her announcement of a review into the future of local government. Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry has welcomed the review, saying it will support work ...8 hours ago
- Major Opportunity To Revitalise Local Government“The independent review of local government announced today is a genuine opportunity to address a wave of serious issues across housing, transport and water by strengthening the ability of councils to execute, address long standing infrastructure funding ...8 hours ago
- Satellites reveal ocean currents are getting stronger, with potentially significant implications for...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Navid Constantinou, Research Fellow, Australian National University Scientists already know the oceans are rapidly warming and sea levels are rising. But that’s not all. Now, thanks to satellite observations, we have three decades’ worth of data on how the speeds of ocean ...8 hours ago
- Royal Commission Statement – Proposed Changes To Terms Or ReferenceThe Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry was advised yesterday of Cabinet’s decision to “narrow its scope by removing the requirement for it to look at modern day care policy settings”. The Royal Commission will speak to the Minster of Internal ...8 hours ago
- Climate Summit: Following NZ’s Lead On Climate Action Would Be A Disaster, Says GreenpeaceGreenpeace is calling out Jacinda Ardern’s lack of action on emissions from agriculture as the Prime Minister speaks at the Leaders Summit on Climate convened by US President Biden. In a speech during the summit, Ardern encouraged all countries to put a price ...8 hours ago
- New 'very high risk' category for countries with high Covid-19 numbersThe New Zealand government is introducing a new category of a "very high risk country" - including India, Brazil, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea - to further bolster the country's defence against Covid-19. ...8 hours ago
- Royal Commission into Abuse in Care stripped of investigative abilityThe Minister of Internal Affairs has removed the Royal Commission's power to investigate modern care providers and recent cases of abuse. ...8 hours ago
- Royal Commission into Abuse in Care's power to investigate recent cases removedThe Minister of Internal Affairs has removed the Royal Commission's power to investigate modern care providers and recent cases of abuse. ...8 hours ago
- Will The Healthcare Reforms Be Accessible For All Older New Zealanders?Grey Power commends the Minister of Health on what appears to be the most progressive and well-structured health system review for many years. The initial document presented by the Minister on Wednesday 21 April 2020 embraces many issues that Grey Power has ...8 hours ago
- Live: Chris Hipkins provides update on the India travel suspensionThe government is expected to announce a further bolstering of the border, with passengers arriving on high-risk flights to be kept in separate managed isolation hotels from other arrivals. ...9 hours ago
- VF48Hours 2021: ‘Harry Potter, but shit’An aspiring film-maker gets the opportunity to share her vision for a new movie – but then the studio decides to get involved. Dunedin team Bus of the Undead talk us through their VF48Hours invitation movie, Pitches Be Crazy.Daniel Macshane estimates he spent around 43 hours working on his team’s ...9 hours ago
- Auckland housing: 250 new homes officially openedThe Housing Minister has opened 250 new homes in Auckland, including public housing and KiwiBuild homes. ...9 hours ago
- Finally, a real chance to tackle the disparities in Māori cancer careThese are perhaps the most exciting times for cancer care in our nation’s history, writes epidemiologist Jason Gurney, who welcomes the shake-up to the ‘greater good’ approach that’s been so disadvantageous for Māori.On my first day as a paycheque-drawing epidemiologist, my boss – who would later become my friend and ...9 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: Maggie Cheung’s blue cheongsam, by Nina Mingya PowlesA poem from Nina Mingya Powles’ Ockham-shortlisted collection Magnolia 木蘭.Maggie Cheung’s blue cheongsam Maggie Cheung’s blue cheongsam is patterned with pink peonies. Dark magenta, dark magnolia, a colour that is edible. Nests of deep green leaves extend from the base of each fat flower, their edges painted gold. ...9 hours ago
- New Zealand, Australia foreign ministers discuss China, Five Eyes, 501 deporteesThe dragon, the taniwha - and the kangaroo? This week the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers shared a podium and China was very much the dragon in the room. ...9 hours ago
- Local government review to focus on evolution over next 30 yearsAn independent review of local government will explore how councils can maintain and improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders in the communities they serve, long into the future. ...9 hours ago
- Should you buy property in Ferndale or Summer Bay?Australia Week: It’s the age-old question: which fictional soap neighbourhood would you most like to live in? We know you’ve thought about it, but Tara Ward has thought about it more than most. To mark the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble, The Spinoff is casting an eye across the ditch all ...10 hours ago
- Review: Transmission tells the story of the humanity behind the Covid headlinesA new play about the lead-up to the first lockdown, built from interviews with Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson and Michael Baker, is a window into the unfathomable responsibility of political power.It felt pretty surreal to be sitting in a packed theatre for the opening night of Transmission, Miranda Harcourt and ...10 hours ago
- Standard IVF is fine for most people. So why are so many offered an expensive sperm injection they d...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Norman, Professor of Reproductive and Periconceptual Medicine, The Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide An expensive IVF technique, routinely offered in fertility clinics around the world, offers no extra benefits to standard IVF in the vast majority of cases, our new research ...10 hours ago
- Future For Local Government Initiative A Historic Opportunity For New ZealandThe Future for Local Government initiative must make the most of a historic opportunity to set communities up for success now and in the future, as it looks into the roles and responsibilities of councils amid a flurry of major policy reform, says Local ...10 hours ago
- Watch: Nanaia Mahuta makes announcement on future for local governmentLocal Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta is making an announcement on the future of local government. Watch here. ...10 hours ago
- Wiggles Strike A Sour Note With VeterinariansSaturday 24 April marks World Veterinary Day and this year New Zealand veterinarians find themselves facing another year of significant stress and challenging workloads. There are many reasons for this including the fact that veterinarians were classified ...10 hours ago
- Auckland’s new school zones: ‘We feel like we’re being kicked out of our community’Catherine Woulfe’s son’s school is nothing fancy. But it’s theirs. Auckland’s new zoning rules will mean her daughter, when she turns five, will have to go to a different one – and that’s heartbreaking.I just saw a map that puts us 100 metres out of zone for the primary school ...10 hours ago
- Big Irrigation Consent Locks In Climate, Water, And Health Damage – GreenpeaceGreenpeace is today condemning a large-scale irrigation consent as ‘locking in overstocking of the land with dairy cows which is bad news for our climate, a guarantee of more water pollution and a risk to human health.’ Environment Canterbury has ...11 hours ago
- Local Charity Works To Reduce Wild Cat PopulationThey might be the most popular companion animal in New Zealand, but cats are not so popular in the wild. Stray and feral cats are a widespread problem across the country, with numbers estimated to be in the millions. At this scale, they not only ...11 hours ago
- We’ve wasted time and money in health for years. Now let’s get on with itThose of us who govern are acutely aware of the problems inherent in the requirement to mind our own patch, not everybody else’s, writes Auckland DHB chair Pat Snedden.This week’s health announcements signalled a big day in a number of ways. Health minister Andrew Little took time in a thoroughly ...12 hours ago
- Zone anger: Big changes to school enrolment rules divide families – Copy
Some parents have started petitions to send their kids to the closest school; others threaten to 'blow up' the system to ensure children can go to the same college as their parents and siblings. ...12 hours ago - Anger and confusion amid big changes to school zoning rules
Some parents are starting petitions to send their kids to their closest school; others are beating down the doors of government to be allowed to drive across town. ...12 hours ago - Centralisation is prescribed for our health system – but funding is an issue and see what has happ...
Health Minister Andrew Little says the reforms the government has announced this week will mean for the first time New Zealand will have “a truly national health system”. The new system will consist of a national health organisation, a Maori health authority, and a new public health authority to centralise ...12 hours ago - ‘I want to scream and scream’: Australian nurses on the Western Front were also victims of warSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona McLeod, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland The revival of interest in Anzac since the 1980s has depended in part on the repositioning of soldiers as victims. We rarely celebrate their martial virtues, and instead note their resilience, fortitude and suffering. ...12 hours ago
- The years condemn: Australia is forgetting the sacred trees planted to remember our war deadSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, The University of Melbourne On Anzac Day each year, Australians remember those who served and died in wars and conflicts. We may attend a dawn service, go to a march or lay a wreath at a war ...12 hours ago
- Australia’s economy can withstand the proposed European Union carbon tariff — here’s what we f...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Adams, Professor at the Centre of Policy Studie, Victoria University The European Union has committed to very significant emission cuts — 55% on 1990 levels by 2030, and zero net emissions by 2050. To help it get there without too much ...12 hours ago
- Vital Signs: the pros and cons of diversity in organisationsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Breaking down the old boys’ club in business, government and other organisations is intrinsically important. Ensuring greater diversity in organisations – on gender, racial, ethnic and other lines – is, simply put, the right thing to ...12 hours ago
- The comfort of reading in WWI: the bibliotherapy of trench and hospital magazinesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Véronique Duché, A.R. Chisholm Professor of French, The University of Melbourne Modern warfare produces both trauma and boredom in equal measure. During the first world war, one way troops found solace was by writing and reading magazines created by soldiers, for soldiers. ...12 hours ago
- Live updates, April 23: High risk arrivals will be kept together in MIQ as India flight ban set to e...Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for April 23, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: High risk arrivals will be kept together in MIQ as India flight ban tipped to endThe government is tipped to end the ban on flights from India ...13 hours ago
- The Bulletin: India’s Covid situation and the travel ban decisionGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: India’s Covid situation and the travel ban decision, lockout hit for striking Wellington bus drivers, and Australian PM to visit NZ. Plus: A feature on a major carbon-farming landowner that is quietly growing.There will be an announcement today on the ...13 hours ago
- Into the abyss: Probing Antarctica’s waters raises questions, uncertainty
Recent studies reveal surprising changes in the Ross Sea region, a choke-point in ocean circulation. David Williams reports As the three-masted British ship Erebus sailed south in Antarctic waters with the slightly smaller Terror in January 1841, commander James Clark Ross, the world’s most experienced polar explorer, saw a low ...15 hours ago - Govt unveils new bank deposit guarantee scheme
Business & Investing: NZ to join other OECD nations with a substantive deposit guarantee scheme, Plus: Australia's diplomatic standoff with China worsens ...15 hours ago - Royal Commission into Abuse in Care blows $56m budgetThe Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has asked for three emergency funding top-ups because it had blown the $56 million budget- meant to last another two years. ...15 hours ago
- This week's best-selling books
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias FICTION 1 Inside the Black Horse by Ray Berard (David Bateman, $34.99) "The TAB made me the area manager in South Auckland, supervising 50 gambling outlets...My book Inside the ...15 hours ago - The unconscious bias in travel bans
As long as we make decisions on the basis of discretion or intuition, like the banning of flights from India, many of these decisions will invariably fall prey to bias - no matter how well-meaning we are, writes Ananish Chaudhuri In the aftermath of New Zealand banning flights from India, I have been ...15 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Friday 23 April
...15 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 23 April
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...15 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 23 April
...15 hours ago - TikTok stardom for Christchurch teenager
Hanging out in central Christchurch, waiting for a mate, St Bede’s teenager Jamayne Feast and his two friends filmed and posted a short music clip. Now they are famous. A moment of boredom, a 15-second capella, and #FliFlaFlo has hurtled one Christchurch teenager into instant fame. It was school holidays, ...15 hours ago - Humbled to run world's largest female sports event
Jane Patterson, COO for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in NZ, talks to Ashley Stanley in part three of LockerRoom’s video series, The Big Four, with the women leading the four global sporting events here over the next two years - three World Cups and the IWG Women and Sport conference. Jane Patterson ...15 hours ago - What’s gone wrong in CanadaA year ago, Justin Giovannetti left Canada to join his fiancée (and The Spinoff) in New Zealand. Today, his home country is confronting another debilitating wave of Covid-19.In the year since I left Canada I’ve been asked if I miss home. I don’t, and the reason is simple: The home ...15 hours ago
- Rating the best trans-Tasman sporting rivalries Australia Week: There’s no contest quite like New Zealand vs Australia, no matter the sport. Alex Braae runs through some of the most and least exciting trans-Tasman rivalries.To mark the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble, The Spinoff is casting an eye across the ditch all week – read our ...16 hours ago
- Bernard Hickey on our ‘kind’ country’s mean migration settingsNew Zealand’s approach to migration has helped create a low-wage, low-productivity and low-wellbeing society for most. Bernard Hickey looks at why a quadrupling of temporary work visas in 15 years caused such grief, and how these visa rules should be changed to make everyone better off.In the latest episode of ...16 hours ago
- Our bold health system shakeup
The Government's newly announced health plan heralds a massive change in the system. But commentators say its success depends on what's in the detail. Work is starting immediately to overhaul the health service in the first stage of three-year reforms aimed at dealing with a system under stress. Health Minister ...16 hours ago - Disgraced Masala restaurant boss bankrolls Covid drug research
A restaurateur who exploited migrant workers is now investing in a new venture: Discovering new coronavirus drugs. ...16 hours ago - Vaccines won't eliminate border risks, they'll change them
Vaccines will reduce the risk of an MIQ breach but they won't make the border bulletproof. ...16 hours ago - Rod Oram: World leaving us behind on climate ambition
Joe Biden's international climate summit and the UK's big new commitment to cutting emissions puts the heat on New Zealand to get serious about our climate commitments, writes Rod Oram ...16 hours ago
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