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Why Can’t The Ministry of Works Just Build Houses Like 1935?
Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, October 23rd, 2020 - 32 comments
We don’t have a government like the Labour government that formed in 1935.
NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 - 47 comments
The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.
Landlord lobby group hopes National Government will ditch warm flat requirement
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, September 7th, 2020 - 56 comments
The NZ Property Investors Federation has proposed to its members they should hold off on making flats warmer and drier just in case there is a change of government.
What progressive housing policy for renters looks like
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 4th, 2020 - 17 comments
Currently your politicians do NOT represent people who rent. But you all have a choice to vote for solutions that do!
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government: Style over substance or a guiding light for progressive politics?
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, August 10th, 2020 - 33 comments
Critics have dismissed the Jacinda Ardern government as being one of style over substance. This is unfair given the challenges this government has faced and the policy achievements it has had. However, it is a government that has much work to do if it wins a second term. And its over-reliance on Jacinda as party leader is a huge strategic risk, especially when the governments front bench is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be lightweight.
New Zealand for the win!
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, June 25th, 2020 - 107 comments
$100,000 a year in capital gains.
What the Greens did
Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 15th, 2020 - 39 comments
A round up of the Green Party’s achievements in the 2020 Budget: funding for nature, the commitment to ending violence, and public housing and insulation. And a look at the pragmatics of what the Greens can currently accomplish.
His work here is not yet done
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 1st, 2020 - 71 comments
Former Prime Minister John Key has said that under current conditions employers are going to sack 20 per cent of their workers even if the company is doing well and that employers should never waste a crisis.
Are the Vultures Already Circling Above?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 14th, 2020 - 116 comments
We cannot go back to business as usual after the lockdown but can we shape the way things will be for the greater good?
No Right Turn: Ghost homes should be used to house the homeless
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, March 14th, 2020 - 100 comments
Idiot/Savant writes about empty houses and the homeless.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, March 7th, 2020 - 163 comments
Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act have a few landlords threatening to quit the business.
The real cause of New Zealand’s failing housing system
Written By: - Date published: 3:16 pm, February 23rd, 2020 - 139 comments
Simon Wilson has set out in a Herald article historical data which suggests that the cause of the housing crisis can be dated back to decisions made generations ago. But Steven Joyce thinks that the cure is actually the cause of the problem.
National is not counting its chickens for granted
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, February 17th, 2020 - 27 comments
National will announce today that tax cuts will be a major policy plank for the next election.
Housing consents at highest level since 1974
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, January 15th, 2020 - 20 comments
Statistics New Zealand has confirmed that in the last year the number of new housing consents was the highest since 1974.
Labour Conference
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 30th, 2019 - 97 comments
It’s a weird moment for the Labour Party at Conference this weekend.
Goodbye shitty landlords
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, November 18th, 2019 - 97 comments
The only way out of the housing crisis is for the state to mandate the right to a home.
Dog whistling Housing Corp tenants
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 29 comments
National has announced that it will put an end to a “state house for life” if it gets into power next year. But its rationale is not only cruel but based on a faulty understanding of the local reality.
The Government’s Economic Development Plan
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, September 30th, 2019 - 15 comments
Last week the government launched its Economic Development Plan, arguably late but with lots of useful initiatives.
The Greens on the need for rental law changes
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, September 26th, 2019 - 11 comments
Marama Davidson: renting has to be a valid way of life.
Fertile land is priceless
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 15th, 2019 - 220 comments
As Labour moves to protect prime food growing land around our cities, we should be having a wider discussion about food security in New Zealand.
Do poor people and women exist in right wing economics land?
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 13th, 2019 - 125 comments
David Seymour has written a critique of Deborah Russel’s review of the hard right economic tome “Economics in one lesson”. And totally missed the point of what she was saying.
Institutional poverty
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, August 3rd, 2019 - 32 comments
Christchurch City Council have provided hundreds of social housing tenants with bubble wrap and a mop instead of insulating their houses.
Nats must hate Auckland’s building consents boom
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 15th, 2019 - 59 comments
The rate at which the building consents have increased in Auckland, and the shift to a more useful mix, has been incredibly fast. You can understand why National after their decade of failure for housing and transport have been targeting the authors of that success. It highlights National’s economic incompetence.
National offers to help with housing crisis
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, June 28th, 2019 - 105 comments
On behalf of the National Party Judith Collins has offered to help Labour deal with the housing crisis, the one that National is responsible for.
The Coming Global Economic Slowdown and New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, June 3rd, 2019 - 49 comments
With the United States – China trade war well underway, the sick chaos of Brexit is shrinking the U.K. economy and slowing much of Europe’s economy, and smaller economies such as that of Mexico in the crosshairs through further politically manufactured trade disputes, the second half of this year looks for New Zealand nowhere near as rosy as the first half.
Support Tax Fairness Reform
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, April 9th, 2019 - 16 comments
The Tax Justice Network has started a campaign to gain support for taxing capital as income to support and improve our public services. If you would like to support the campaign, you can sign the petition here or donate here. All funds donated will go to the campaign advertising.
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.
Housing affordability and urban form
Written By: - Date published: 3:07 pm, January 21st, 2019 - 35 comments
Hugh Pavletich thinks that Auckland’s housing crisis is because of restrictions on urban sprawl and that loosening up would be a good thing. I disagree.
Political punditry in 2019
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, January 4th, 2019 - 79 comments
The media has recently reviewed its predictions from last year and made a few new ones. How did it go? And what is going to happen in the next 12 months?
Let it Be
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 12th, 2018 - 56 comments
Letting fees are a thing of the past. Labour’s Phil Twyford has outlawed the practice of charging tenants an upfront fee for a non existent service. It’s about fairness and it’s about time.
Twyford’s big announcement
Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, November 24th, 2018 - 71 comments
The government has just announced the creation of the most massive and powerful housing and land development agency that we have ever seen.
- Luxon Isn’t Focused On The Cost Of Living Crisis
When the National Party came to power in 2023, they promised to have a laser-like focus on New Zealand’s cost of living crisis. Their pledge was seductive: tax cuts, streamlined spending, and relief for the “squeezed middle.” Yet, two years into their coalition with ACT and NZ First (the coalition ...2 weeks ago - Disagree where we must: little room for military diplomacy with China
Australia’s military relationship with China is now defined by strategic competition and opposing objectives. The days of friendly port visits, personnel exchanges and survival exercises are over. As tensions grow, even dialogue with China’s military ...2 weeks ago - Moment to Arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of nightTake these broken wings and learn to flyAll your lifeYou were only waiting for this moment to ariseSong by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.Brooke cancels fair pay.It’s deja vu on top of deja vu with these guys. Just when you think they might take ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell On Surviving Trump’s Trip To La La Land
The film industry was probably naive to think it would be spared from Donald Trump’s war on globalisation. If you believe Trump, every dollar being spent on foreign film crews, FX houses and film locations, every dime being spent by “runaway” film productions on foreign accomodation and food, is money ...2 weeks ago - Where’s your evidence, Brooke? Where’s your evidence?
Asked to comment on the passing of Bob Jones last week, our Prime Minister said he’s a living legend. Such is the B-bursary brain power of our leader. A dead guy is a living legend.No surprise then that all he grasped from Brooke van Velden's robot talk about vandalising pay ...2 weeks ago - The Coalition’s Pay Equity Betrayal
The Coalition of Chaos' latest incredibly short-sighted move sees them funnelling around a billion dollars from throwing pay equity claims into the bin into some new helicopters, supposedly for defence or emergency services. Fine, modern equipment is necessary, but at what cost?Pay equity claims, painstakingly initiated to address systemic wage ...2 weeks ago
- The Government Aren’t Paying For Our Defence Spend. Workers Are.
Saving money? The best budgeters recommend cutting the biggest expenses first. I have several facts to present. The earnings gap between management and workers, and particularly between CEOs and workers, has been diverging dramatically since the 80s.The public sector (nearly) matches the pay rate of the private sector for managerial ...2 weeks ago - The Government Aren’t Paying For Our Defence Spend. Workers Are.
Saving money? The best budgeters recommend cutting the biggest expenses first. I have several facts to present. The earnings gap between management and workers, and particularly between CEOs and workers, has been diverging dramatically since the 80s.The public sector (nearly) matches the pay rate of the private sector for managerial ...2 weeks ago
- China needs Taiwanese ports to take the island. Mines are the key to protecting them
If China ever makes good on decades of implicit threats to invade Taiwan, most of its ground force will have to land at ports. Relatively little of it can come over beaches, because they ‘lack ...2 weeks ago
- China needs Taiwanese ports to take the island. Mines are the key to protecting them
If China ever makes good on decades of implicit threats to invade Taiwan, most of its ground force will have to land at ports. Relatively little of it can come over beaches, because they ‘lack ...2 weeks ago
- Dropped
All charges against the Restore Passenger Rail protestors have finally been dropped. Good. But they should never have been laid in the first place, and it shouldn't have taken a jury telling the police to go fuck themselves (or the threat of them doing so again) for the state to ...2 weeks ago - Cameron Slater’s Selective Outrage Over Benjamin Doyle
Cameron Slater, the once-feared Whale Oil blogger now pathetic bedroom hack, is back at it again, flogging a dead horse while the rest of the right-wing propaganda circus has packed up and left town. His latest fixation? Green MP Benjamin Doyle, whose private social media account sparked a brief, baseless ...2 weeks ago
- National supports sexism
That's the only possible conclusion we can draw from their decision to legislatively terminate all pay equity claims, and make future claims much harder to win: Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim, ...2 weeks ago
- Vocational training can play a greater role in national security
Australia’s national security strategy has evolved significantly in recent years, expanding beyond military and intelligence domains to address cyber threats, critical infrastructure protection and emergency response. But despite its contribution to these areas, the vocational ...2 weeks ago
- Tuesday 6 May
New analysis found the clean slate law has no relevant impact on the likelihood of eligible individuals finding work. The New Zealand film sector is keeping calm and carrying on in the wake of new tariff threats on film and TV production made in non-US countries. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister “has ...2 weeks ago - Bernard’s Chorus & Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Tuesday, May 6
Willis and Luxon began the year trumpeting their plan to “go for growth”, but when the Government doesn’t invest, the private sector doesn’t either. Photo: Getty ImagesBriefly, in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Tuesday, May 6: Growth in our housing-market-with-bits-tacked-on of an economy is stalling and ...2 weeks ago - Erica Stanford Put New Zealand’s Security At Risk
Education and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford must resign for using her personal Gmail account to handle sensitive government business...think pre-Budget announcements, visa changes, and chats with conservative think-tank mates. This isn’t just a whoopsie; it’s a screaming neon sign flashing “hack me” to every cyber-criminal from Beijing to Moscow. And ...2 weeks ago
- Underinvestment in ADF reserves weakens our security
A larger, enhanced Australian Defence Force reserve component is vital to Australia’s security. However, it has been largely overlooked in discussions around achieving greater self-reliance and meaningful capability in short order. Around one third of ...2 weeks ago
- IDK – I Just Work Here
Maybe I'll win the lottery, buy myself a lobotomyScoop out my brains, and maybe thenI'll blend right in with managementPretty, rich, or talented, you need two to make itI guess I'll just pledge allegiance to the paycheckSong: Durry. Read more ...2 weeks ago - National out performs the opposition, David Attenborough turns 99 + More
Here are a few tidbits that may be of interest this morning:1. National tops the list of donations to political parties with almost $5m in contributions The Electoral Commission's figures show National had by far the biggest donations to 30 April 2025.National: $4,889,538.20Labour: $1,627,713.92Greens: $1,588,680.02ACT: $1,463,445.22New Zealand First: $758,773.91 and ...2 weeks ago - Lie To Me
Hi,I am increasingly surrounded by friends talking to ChatGPT. Some of them are using it for work — getting vast amounts of information summarised and crunched down down to the bare essentials. Others are using it to write code. For many it seems to be replacing Google for recommendations — ...2 weeks ago - What Shocked Me About Erica Stanford’s Emails
Maiki Sherman revealed last night that Erica Stanford has been using her personal email for work, including for highly sensitive government documents.Despite Luxon claiming it was no big deal, and only done in limited circumstances (mainly tech related, he claimed), 1News revealed hundreds of pages of offending material over many ...2 weeks ago - Visualizing daily global temperature – part 2
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink There are is a lot of dire news in the world these days – the dismantling of US climate policy, the apparent canceling of the 6th National Climate Assessment, etc. So sometimes its worth taking a break from doomscrolling and indulging in one’s hobbies. ...2 weeks ago - The battle for Pentagon acquisition policy: tradition versus new-and-cheaper
An upcoming battle over defence acquisition will have repercussions for US military posture, particularly in the Pacific. The weapons that get bought in larger or smaller quantities, or are launched or cancelled, will indicate whether ...2 weeks ago
- The Woke War On the Cultural Conduits of Capitalism.
WHAT IS WOKE MORALITY? How does it work? More to the point, can it be countered without making use of the same arguments and justifications deployed by the woke themselves?To begin with, “woke” is just the latest political shorthand for the ethical architecture supporting the tactics and strategies of anti-capitalism. ...2 weeks ago - US tariffs complicate Indonesian defence acquisition
Indonesia is weighing a purchase of more US weapons—such as the new F-15EX—as a bargaining chip against US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariffs on Indonesian exports to the United States. But that approach carries ...2 weeks ago
- Another unfair Australian election
Australians went to the polls on Saturday in an election originally expected to be a tight contest between an uninspiring ALP government, and a full-on monstrous radical Coalition opposition. But then Trump happened, and Dutton doubled down on culture war bullshit, and so instead its been a Labour landslide. Which ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mixes for Monday, May 5
Our PM and Foreign Minister appear to have a policy of staying low on Trump’s radar, but when might we finally stand up to support our two closest allies against his bullying? Photo: Getty ImagesBriefly, in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, May 5:When will our ...2 weeks ago - Australian Army Chief searches for a new ‘theory of the army’
The Australian Army needs a clearer sense of self. With no warning time for conflict, the army must cap its ongoing transformation with a new ‘theory of the army’ that enables civilian leaders to choose ...2 weeks ago
- Nobody Should Be Praising Bob Jones
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- Monday 5 May
Unions joined forces on May Day to fight back against the ongoing attack on workers’ rights under the current Government. The senior doctors’ union is not ruling out further industrial action, following the nationwide health strike. Stats NZ is likely to report official unemployment has edged up to at least ...2 weeks ago
- Choose Australian companies to strengthen Australia’s defence
Australia has a unique opportunity to reinforce its national security by fostering a stronger domestic defence industry. For decades, foreign defence contractors have played a significant role in our military supply chains, but it’s essential ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell On Aussie Election Aftershocks And Life Lessons
While Donald Trump is being widely cited as a reason/explanation for Anthony Albanese’s landslide victory on the weekend, that’s like blaming the icing for the state of a badly baked cake. In no particular order of incoherence…although allegedly being the party of low taxes, the Liberal opposition voted against Labor’s ...2 weeks ago
- Humanity cannot keep simping for the Ultra Rich and expect to survive: pick a side, and organise acc...
Conflict Billionaires + Corrupted Government = Chaos Incorporated (and, frankly, possible species extinction at this rate). That’s the formula, and it keeps being rolled out. Today’s ultra-rich, trans-national entities and individual billionaire CEO’s have amassed wealth and power far, far in excess of those who were around in the ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 27, 2025 thru Sat, May 3, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Sunday Soliloquy for the week to Sunday, May 4
Peter Dutton absorbs his loss in the Australian federal election. The fact that the ‘Trumpian’ candidates in both the Canadian and Australia elections lost not only the leadership vote but also their own seats must be giving pause to politicians here who may have thought Trump had a winning formula. ...2 weeks ago - Labour Landslide !
Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News was still trying to attack Anthony Albanese last night.Headlines on the channel replayed Albanese falling off a stage on the campaign trail. Apparently he “lied”, they said, and that was a negative for Rupert Murdoch’s commentators, who had spun out multiple videos and negative headlines based ...2 weeks ago - The Great Aussie Reckoning
The 2025 federal election wasn’t just a contest of political ideas; it was a bloody massacre, with Peter Dutton’s Liberal-National Coalition copping a hiding so severe it’s left them scrambling for the smelling salts. The opposition leader’s loss of his own seat of Dickson (held for 24 years) to Labor’s ...2 weeks ago
- The Right Direction
When you came along boy, you were different from the restNever tried to hurt me like so many men beforeMade me feel important, something special in your eyeKnowing that you care for me has made me come aliveSongwriters: Garry Paige and Mark Punch.The headline in the Guardian this morning sums ...2 weeks ago - In national security, Australia needs a ‘banana republic’ shock
On 14 May 1986, Paul Keating gave one of the most consequential political interviews in Australian history. He was interviewed by John Laws of 2UE, in the pre-internet era when talkback radio was dominant, and ...2 weeks ago
- EGU2025 – How the week in Vienna unfolded
Note: This blog post will be updated during EGU25 happening in Vienna from April 28 to May 2. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. This year's General Assembly of ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s defence budget before and after the 2009 white paper
Thanks to Michael Pezzullo’s Strategist article last month, we now know that Australia’s 2009 defence white paper foresaw our risky future and planned for it. The white paper’s outlook for Chinese force development and the ...2 weeks ago
- Are We Paying Enough Attention to the Working Class?
A major American study suggests they are not?This column is about the white working class. In the US 2024 elections they mainly voted for Donald Trump. Had they voted with the white middle class, Trump would have lost the election with only 42 percent of voters instead of the 50 ...2 weeks ago - Australia’s critical minerals strategy must avoid Pinjarra’s mistakes
The Albanese government’s announcement of a $1.2 billion critical minerals strategic stockpile marks an important step towards securing Australia’s economic future. Yet history warns us that simply building supply is insufficient: market volatility, fragmented value ...2 weeks ago
- For long-term AI ambitions, Australia should think nuclear
Australia’s two major parties are divided over nuclear energy and the future mix of the nation’s power sources. But they are missing Australia’s opportunity to power the next generation of AI models. During the election ...2 weeks ago
- Australian critical minerals reserve would put country on the right track
Australia’s future prosperity will not be built on nostalgia for past booms. It’ll be forged in the critical supply chains of tomorrow. That’s why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement of a $1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic ...2 weeks ago
- Nailing NZ’s Richest
Sorry folks, I sent the wrong version out earlier. This video is the right one - and it took a long time to re-upload it. I’ve deleted the last post, if you’ve commented, please can you transfer it over. My apologies! - MTAs a relative newcomer to politics, I often ...2 weeks ago
- Let ’em Eat Cake
'Cause you know and I knowIt'll be fluctuating forеver yeah yeah yеahIt's the way it goHigh tide and then it's lowYou build it up and the wind blows and blows it down downdown down downSong: Casual Healing.Morena folks, this morning, we're taking a lighter look at some of the good ...2 weeks ago - Budget 2025: delivering for whom?
On 22 May, the coalition government will release its budget for 2025, which it says will focus on "boosting economic growth, improving social outcomes, controlling government spending, and investing in long-term infrastructure.” But who, really, is this budget designed to serve? What values and visions for Aotearoa New Zealand lie ...2 weeks ago - Better defence demands a better veteran affairs strategy
Australia needs to develop a new veteran affairs strategy. Failure to do so will worsen the Australian Defence Force’s recruiting crisis, increase separations from service, and grow cynicism from families and taxpayers about how government ...2 weeks ago
- Butter Dreaming
1. What did Nicola Willis say this week about her budget?a. There will be no lolly scrambleb. Do or do not. There is no tryc. Get in losers, we're going shoppingd. Is butter a carb?2. What was the full price of a 500g block of Anchor Butter at Woolworths on ...2 weeks ago - Simeon Brown’s Dunedin Hospital Dishonesty
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- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Friday, May 2
Already fearful over austerity measures and the repeal of smokefree legislation, doctors now say patients are dying from ‘third world diseases’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesBriefly in our political economy of housing, poverty and climate on Friday, May 2:Waikato Hospital doctors say patients are dying from ‘third world diseases’ and the ...2 weeks ago - Trump’s national security strategy: from Pax Americana to Pact Americana
After 100 days of action, US President Donald Trump’s national security strategy is coming into focus. His second presidency appears to embrace a ‘peace through strength’ approach, as first suggested by US Senator Roger Wicker ...3 weeks ago
- A Webworm Brain Dump
Hi,I usually try to keep Webworm laser focussed, for my own sanity — and yours. Not today. This is going to be an edition of stray thoughts and finds, and I hope you’ll bear with me.Thanks for sticking with me through that hard read about megachurch abuse on Monday. These ...3 weeks ago - The Hoon around the week to May 2
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- Gordon Campbell On The Aussie Election Finale
The only spectre haunting Anthony Albanese’s government going into Election Day tomorrow will be the way the polls got wrong the likely 2019 election outcome. Back then, the Scott Morrison government got re-elected in an upset result. Opposition leader Peter Dutton is clinging to that precedent, in hope of a ...3 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18 2025
Open access notables Public opposition to coal-fired power in emerging economies, Alkon et al., Energy Policy: Constructing new coal fired power plants presents significant climate, ecological, health, and economic risks. This presents sometimes acute tradeoffs for leaders in emerging economies, where rapid economic and population growth are driving large increases ...3 weeks ago
- Australia’s quiet counterterrorism wins are being missed. That’s a problem
In early April, Victorian Supreme Court Justice James Elliot ruled that Abdul Nacer Benbrika—Australia’s most notorious terrorist and the architect of a planned mass-casualty attack on the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2005—continued to pose an ...3 weeks ago
- Mayday from Auckland Hospital
M-A-Y-D-A-YMayday, maydayM-A-Y-D-A-YMayday, maydayAnd so the days go on and onAnd I don't know if I can carry on much longerI just need a signAnything honey, just give me a signSongwriter: Ian Parton.The rain was heavy just after nine thirty this morning, and I thought, “Hmm, maybe this isn’t the best ...3 weeks ago - The five-domains update
Sea state An Australian contingent participated in Exercise Bersama Shield on 17-22 April, joining with forces from Britain, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore in a simulated defence operation around the Malay Peninsula. The exercise focused ...3 weeks ago
- Preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI released Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report developed for the next government and to promote public debate and understanding ...3 weeks ago
- Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Australian police officer Amy ScottMay Day Striking doctors outside Auckland hospital (1News)Today over 5000 senior doctors, surgeons, dentists and specialists around the country strike, not for themselves, but for the public health system. Vacancies are critical. Resourcing has never been as bad as the last year. Many doctors are stretched ...3 weeks ago - Not so risky after all: bilateral consequences of compromised intelligence operations
It’s a staple of screenwriters and novelists, stock news footage and a spectre haunting ambassadors’ dreams: a spy unmasked; riots outside embassies, flags and effigies alight; newspaper headlines blaring outrage; and the chilling words persona ...3 weeks ago
- Stephen Rainbow – Arsehole of the Week
It’s not every day you see a so-called “human rights” figure spew racist rhetoric so toxic it could curdle milk, but Stephen Rainbow, New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner, has outdone himself. This week, he’s earned the coveted Arsehole of the Week Award for his rancid claim that Muslim immigration ...3 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Thursday, May 1
Briefly this morning in Aotearoa’s political economy: Nicola Willis may be about to means test the Government’s already-reduced $251 per person per year KiwiSaver contribution in Budget 2025.Air New Zealand lowers its emissions reduction target to barely 20% by 2030.The Commerce Commission says a market study of Air New Zealand’s ...3 weeks ago - What else we could do with the money: AUKUS Plan Bs from a CSBA exercise
Sceptics of AUKUS Pillar 1, the nuclear-submarine element of the Australian-UK-US defence technology partnership, have called on the Australian government to go for a Plan B. Proposed alternatives have included buying nuclear submarines of French ...3 weeks ago
- 2025 Reading List: April (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for April: The Gospel of Thomas, by Didymus Jude Thomas The Gospel of Mary (fragmentary) The Gospel of Judas The Infancy Gospel of James The Gospel of Peter The Stranger’s Book (fragmentary) Obviously a very quiet month in terms of reading. In fairness, real life and ...3 weeks ago - Make China great again!
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler As readers of this Substack will know, I've been increasingly concerned about the destruction of one of America’s greatest competitive advantages: our university research system. Recently, the Trump administration announced that they were going to cut university overhead rates to ...3 weeks ago
- No Russia in Papua: Indonesia’s quiet diplomacy speaks loudly
Indonesia’s low-key rejection of reported Russian interest in military basing in Papua says more than it appears to. While Jakarta’s response was measured, it was deliberate—a calculated expression of Indonesia’s foreign policy doctrine of non-alignment, ...3 weeks ago
- Australia (still) needs a dedicated and public-facing national security adviser
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI released Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report developed for the next government and to promote public debate and understanding ...3 weeks ago
- Vietnamese reunification 50 years later: ‘let bygones be bygones’
On 27 January 1973, the conflict in Vietnam was brought to an end with the formal signing in Paris of the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring the Peace in Vietnam by four parties: ...3 weeks ago
- A “secret” that wasn’t
Back in 2018, Aotearoa was in the midst of the Operation Burnham inquiry. During this, it emerged that key evidence was subject to a US veto under an obscure and secret treaty. Part of the Five Eyes arrangement, this treaty was referred to by a number of different names in ...3 weeks ago
- Nicola Willis’ Austerity Threatens New Zealand’s Future
I hate to sound the alarm, but New Zealand’s economy is teetering on the edge, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is wielding her austerity axe with a reckless abandon that could plunge us into a prolonged recession. The 2025 Budget, with its brutal $1.1 billion reduction in baseline spending, is ...3 weeks ago
- Nicola Willis’ Austerity Threatens New Zealand’s Future
I hate to sound the alarm, but New Zealand’s economy is teetering on the edge, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is wielding her austerity axe with a reckless abandon that could plunge us into a prolonged recession. The 2025 Budget, with its brutal $1.1 billion reduction in baseline spending, is ...3 weeks ago
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- ‘Water cooler viewing’: Michelle Ang on the magic of McDonald’s Young Entertainers
Actor, director and producer Michelle Ang looks back on her life in television. Michelle Ang’s career has taken her all the way from The Tribe to Top of the Lake to Star Wars: The Bad Batch, but it’s her earliest TV role that many New Zealanders remember most fondly. Back ...3 days ago - The Weekend: What does ambition look like?
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Over new years, I was in Japan on a lovely trip, waiting outside a tiny cafe run by an old man. He didn’t have a website or anything, but had recently gone viral on TikTok for one of the few dishes he ...3 days ago
- ‘Quiet, beautiful, sorrowful’: Before the Winter Ends by Khadro Mohamed, reviewed
Melissa Oliver revels in poet Khadro Mohamed’s debut novel. Have you ever been halfway through a book and needed to pause and sit with it for a minute to take in the fact that this will be your only first time reading it? Like you already know it will be ...3 days ago
- The Phantom of The Opera, taonga pūoro and the NZ origins of a classic silent film
100 years ago, a New Zealander was the first person to bring The Phantom of The Opera to the screen. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith attends a centennial screening of the iconic silent film with a special musical accompaniment. On the roof of the Palais Garnier, in a film reel drenched in blue, ...3 days ago
- Meet the kaiāwhina who volunteer to keep protesters safe
Since the first rally in support of the people of Gaza in 2023, seasoned activists knew there would be counter-protesters. They formed a group, Kaiāwhina Tāmaki, to de-escalate disruptions and keep people safe. “Our first week, we were like a fruit salad,” says Bianca Ranson (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa), ...3 days ago
- ‘One hell of a lesson’: a conversation with Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku
Matariki Williams speaks with Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku about her extraordinary memoir, Hine Toa. Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku won the General Non-Fiction Award for her memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery (HarperCollins Publishers Aotearoa New Zealand) at last week’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. General Non-Fiction convenor of judges Holly Walker ...3 days ago
- Chatbot research an ethical minefield
How do you do research on how chatbots affect opinions on social media, without resorting to throwing artificial voices into an opinion thread on social media?Well, certainly not the way the University of Zurich went about it, by secretly launching a series of Reddit profiles run by chatbots pretending to ...3 days ago - Time for NZ media to ditch the propaganda and stand against genocide
COMMENTARY: By Saige England in Christchurch “RNZ is failing in its duty to inform the public of an entirely preventable humanitarian catastrophe.” Tautoko to Jeremy Rose, Ramon Das and Eugene Doyle for this critique of a review of RNZ’s coverage of a genocide. Sadly, this highlights RNZ’s failure to report ...3 days ago - Newsroom’s Jonathan Milne wins two national media awards
Senior Newsroom journalist Jonathan Milne has won two standout honours at the national Voyager Media Awards – declared business journalist of the Year and winner of best original podcast for his international investigation PowderKeg.Milne, who is managing editor of the Newsroom Pro subscriber newsletter and section, won praise from judges of both ...3 days ago
- Pasifika leaders, influencers weigh in on proposed social media ban for under-16s
They have shared a mix of views, from cautious support to concern, and even strong opposition. ...3 days ago - Media Council makes ‘stop Telikom PNG silencing journalists’ plea to PM Marape
The Media Council of Papua New Guinea (MCPNG) has called on Prime Minister James Marape to stop Telikom PNG silencing and suppressing media personnel. Telikom PNG, which is 100 percent government-owned, has two key outlets: FM100 radio and EMTV. Recently, it sacked FM100 talkback host Culligan Tanda after he featured ...3 days ago
- Ben Roberts-Smith has lost an appeal in his long-running defamation case. Here’s why
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor in Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The full Federal Court has dismissed Ben Roberts-Smith’s appeal to have his defamation case loss overturned. It is important in seeking to understand this judgement to know the history ...3 days ago
- With a new minister for early childhood education, what can the federal government do to make centre...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Victoria Minson, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Australian Catholic University This week, more reports emerged of horrific abuse of children at childcare centres. An ABC investigation reported young children had suffered burns and been verbally abused. In another case, a baby ...3 days ago
- With a new minister for early childhood education, what can the federal government do to make centre...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Victoria Minson, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Australian Catholic University This week, more reports emerged of horrific abuse of children at childcare centres. An ABC investigation reported young children had suffered burns and been verbally abused. In another case, a baby ...3 days ago
- Waitangi Tribunal recommends ‘immediate halt’ Regulatory Standards Bill for ‘meani...
It comes from the Tribunal's interim report into the bill, which follows a one-day urgent hearing early this week. ...3 days ago
- Australian researchers use a quantum computer to simulate how real molecules behave
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ivan Kassal, Professor of Chemical Physics, University of Sydney University of Sydney Nano Institute When a molecule absorbs light, it undergoes a whirlwind of quantum-mechanical transformations. Electrons jump between energy levels, atoms vibrate, and chemical bonds shift — all within millionths ...3 days ago
- Australian researchers use a quantum computer to simulate how real molecules behave
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ivan Kassal, Professor of Chemical Physics, University of Sydney University of Sydney Nano Institute When a molecule absorbs light, it undergoes a whirlwind of quantum-mechanical transformations. Electrons jump between energy levels, atoms vibrate, and chemical bonds shift — all within millionths ...3 days ago
- To boost the nation’s health, the government’s proposed food strategy must put people over profi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Walshe, Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Canberra crbellette/sShutterstock On election night, a triumphant Anthony Albanese took to the stage brandishing a Medicare card as a symbol of the nation’s commitment to public healthcare. As the re-elected government gets to work on ...3 days ago
- To boost the nation’s health, the government’s proposed food strategy must put people over profi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Walshe, Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Canberra crbellette/sShutterstock On election night, a triumphant Anthony Albanese took to the stage brandishing a Medicare card as a symbol of the nation’s commitment to public healthcare. As the re-elected government gets to work on ...3 days ago
- You usually need more than a few drops of blood, saliva or urine to detect illnesses. Here’s why
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amali Cooray, PhD Candidate in Genetic Engineering and Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) Lumen Photos/Shutterstock In the 2000s, biotech company Theranos promised to revolutionise blood testing. Founder Elizabeth Holmes claimed Theranos technology could perform hundreds of ...3 days ago
- You usually need more than a few drops of blood, saliva or urine to detect illnesses. Here’s why
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amali Cooray, PhD Candidate in Genetic Engineering and Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) Lumen Photos/Shutterstock In the 2000s, biotech company Theranos promised to revolutionise blood testing. Founder Elizabeth Holmes claimed Theranos technology could perform hundreds of ...3 days ago
- Waitangi Tribunal calls on Govt to halt Regulatory Standards Bill
Act leader David Seymour has taken another swing at the Waitangi Tribunal, as the body calls on the Government to stop progressing its ‘good lawmaking’ bill and properly consult with Māori.In response to a report from an urgent inquiry into whether Act’s Regulatory Standards Bill breaches Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ...3 days ago
- Public Submissions Are Now Being Called For The Valuers Bill And Amendment Paper 286
This bill would not make any substantial policy changes to the Act. It would make minor changes to the Act to correct inconsistencies and omissions. It is intended to rewrite the law using plain language and modern drafting style. ...3 days ago - Ngāti Kahungunu Appalled By Pulling Of Te Reo Signage
Ngāti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahi’s rulebook so that this never happens again. ...3 days ago
- Some young trans people take sex hormones so their bodies better align with their gender. What are t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cristyn Davies, Senior Research Fellow in the Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney romain-jorge/Shutterstock Triggered by hormonal changes in the brain and body, puberty marks a physical transformation. Oestrogen and testosterone – often ...3 days ago
- Greenpeace Slams Acceptance Of Seabed Miner’s Application
Experts say that seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight would damage rich ecosystems and threaten precious marine life such as the pygmy blue whale, Māui and Hector’s dolphins and kororā. ...3 days ago
- Saudi Arabia has big AI ambitions. They could come at the cost of human rights
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niusha Shafiabady, Associate Professor in Computational Intelligence, Australian Catholic University This week, on his tour of the Middle East, United States President Donald Trump unveiled a suite of new deals with Saudi Arabia. Trump claimed the deals were worth more than ...3 days ago
- Why Anthony Albanese’s presence at Pope Leo’s inauguration is shrewd politics
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese steps into St Peter’s Square for the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, the optics will be far more than pious courtesy. For a day, the ...3 days ago
- The space race is being reshaped by geopolitics, offering opportunities for countries such as New Ze...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Zámborský, Senior Lecturer, Management & International Business, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau NASA/Getty Imges The space economy is being reshaped — not just by innovation, but by geopolitics. What was once dominated by state space agencies, and more recently ...3 days ago
- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 16, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 16, 2025. Waste-to-energy in Australia: how it works, where new incinerators could go, and how they stack upSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Abbas, Associate Dean (Research), University of Sydney Martin Mecnarowski, Shutterstock. ...3 days ago
- How the grand old dame of the US Navy navigated NZ’s nuke-free policy
Analysis: Here’s one for the ship spotters. One of the biggest American warships ever to visit New Zealand sailed into Wellington on Friday morning.There are brass bands. There are flags and bunting. The 19,600 ton (17,800 tonne) USS Blue Ridge is the flagship of America’s Seventh Fleet and, at the age of ...3 days ago
- Welcome back to the chaos and comedy of Homebound 3.0
Tara Ward watches the return of New Zealand’s funniest romantic comedy. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In a week where good news has felt scarce on the ground, it was with unexpected joy that I found myself sitting on my couch ...3 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Twin Earth’ by Mitch Marks
A new poem by Mitch Marks. Twin Earth It’s a dark time for those who watch the moon So kiss me until the sensor lights turn on And there’s not a single lunatic left Drunken cartoon birds circle your crown! Cartoon hearts burst wetly from your eyes! [It’s a scene ...3 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 16
The 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. AUCKLAND 1 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) An absolute ...3 days ago
- Unethical for Wellington council to sign more Golden Mile contracts, Andrew Little says
The Labour Party's candidate for Wellington mayor said he'd be disappointed to see the council march ahead with the plan. ...3 days ago
- Human Rights Commissioner Says The Cost Of Limiting Gender Rights Under Legislation
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17 is a global day to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+people. This year's theme is ‘The power of communities’. ...3 days ago
- Waste-to-energy in Australia: how it works, where new incinerators could go, and how they stack up
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Abbas, Associate Dean (Research), University of Sydney Martin Mecnarowski, Shutterstock. Every year, Australia buries millions of tonnes of waste in landfills. But these sites are filling fast, recycling has its own limitations, and most waste export is banned. So councils ...3 days ago
- Government to run full national interest test on World Health Pandemic Treaty
Peters said it was important to ensure the treaty negotiated by the World Health Assembly wouldn't interfere with New Zealand making its own decisions. ...3 days ago
- The sun will come out tomorrow: remembering the life and music of Charles Strouse
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mara Davis Johnson, Lecturer in Creative and Performing Arts, University of Wollongong The Broadway community is today mourning the passing of Charles Strouse at the age of 96, the legendary composer behind hits like Bye Bye Birdie (1960), Applause (1970) and Annie ...3 days ago
- Our reviews from week two of the NZ International Comedy Festival
Boners, mums and bad audience behaviour filled our nights in week two of the biggest comedy event of the year. Brynley Stent – Bonetown Bonetown. A safe place to share your bones. Brynley Stent as our game show host, comically skulking around the stage in her Maleficent horns and a ...3 days ago
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