loan sharks
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Poverty and the need to belong
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, October 25th, 2014 - 35 comments
I’ve read a couple of thought-provoking accounts of poverty lately. There are common themes – issues that the political right, which can only see “the poor” as separate from “us”, will never understand and acknowledge.
Nats stand up for loan sharks
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, July 22nd, 2010 - 85 comments
Disgraceful to see that National and Act have voted down Carol Beaumont’s moderate and sensible bill to take action against loan sharks.
All we got from National was weak spin and misdirection, while they sat there and committed to doing nothing. The result will be more Kiwis getting ripped off and abused.
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OPEN LETTER: By Gary Juffa, Governor of Oro Dear Prime Minister, You sold all our todays and were about to sell our children’s tomorrows too. You were in the most enviable and powerful position to do what is right ...9 hours ago - What it’s like to return to netball in your thirties
After a decade feeling alienated from sport, Hannah Spyksma returned to the netball courts and found it just as good as when she left.It’s winter sport time and this year I’ve decided to break an almost 14-year drought. A Saturday ...12 hours ago - Search on in public services to check if staff leaked paper on cannabis referendum
The National party announced the details of the referendum, before Cabinet had made a decision. Now, public service bosses are checking to see if their staff were responsible. ...13 hours ago - Our domain: how to troll a political party for less than $100Yesterday, Destiny Church rebranded their political arm as The Coalition Party, and Tim Batt bought their domains before anybody else could. He writes on the value of online trolling as political protest.Yesterday Destiny rebranded their political arm as The Coalition ...14 hours ago
- Weekend Poem: We don’t know how lucky we are
New Zealand’s number one slam-poet Ben Fagan begins a new series exploring what he thinks it means to be pākehā in 2019. ...15 hours ago - Politics podcast: Reliving the 2017 election with Jacinda ArdernIn this bonus edition of Gone By Lunchtime, the prime minister talks to Toby Manhire at the Auckland Writers FestivalLast weekend at the Auckland Writers Festival, Jacinda Ardern spoke with Spinoff editor Toby Manhire about the extraordinary election campaign of ...16 hours ago
- What is wrong with NZ comedy audiences?
This year’s International Comedy Festival was a roaring success, but some comedians have turned the spotlight on audiences. Are they too timid? Do our hecklers suck? Josie Adams sizes things up.When Netflix star James Acaster closed his last show of ...16 hours ago - Last orders for New Zealand’s binge-drinking culture
New Zealand’s binge drinking culture is notoriously bad, but could change be on the horizon for this little country of boozers?Booze, booze, everywhere, but what does it mean to drink? Alcohol consumption around the world is awash with stereotypes. In ...17 hours ago - Frydenberg declares tax package must be passed ‘in its entirety’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government’s tax relief package is shaping up as the first test of incoming opposition leader Anthony Albanese, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg declaring on Friday ...21 hours ago
- Duma’s URP defects from O’Neill coalition bloc in PNG power shift
The United Resources Party, led by Hagen Open MP William Duma, including four ministers, switches to the opposition. Video: EMTV News Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The biggest coalition partner in Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s coalition government has defected to ...21 hours ago - Why Boris Johnson would be a mistake to succeed Theresa May
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Wellings, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Monash University Like Avengers: Endgame we all knew it was coming but weren’t quite sure exactly how it would play out. Theresa May, ...22 hours ago - Week in Politics: Speaker’s rapist comment triggers fear and confusionAnalysis - In a week that featured chaos and confusion after assertions a rapist was working at Parliament, there was also cooperation on climate, a big Budget announcement and a new political party. ...1 day ago
- Uber drivers’ experience highlights the dead-end job prospects facing more Australian workers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter "PJ" Holtum, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Being an Uber driver doesn’t seem like a great job. Conditions aren’t great and the rate of pay, already typically less than ...1 day ago - The Real Pod: In which we nearly set off the studio smoke alarmThe Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.It’s Jane’s second to last podcast in New Zealand and we have pulled out all the stops: a fire hazard, a cheesy bread ...1 day ago
- What caused the fireballs that lit up the sky over Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Over the past few days a pair of spectacular fireballs have graced Australia’s skies. The first, in the early hours of Monday, May 20, ...1 day ago - VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on Morrison’s miracle election win – and Labor’s leadership searchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Geoff Crisp speaks with Michelle Grattan about the week in politics. They discuss the Coalition’s shock victory and the ...1 day ago
- Tip-toeing around the US-China trade standoff
The US-China trade war is escalating - surprising the global economy. Bernard Hickey looks at how we got here, and where that leaves us. ...1 day ago - Climate strikers send a clear message
Auckland school student Zoe Mills reports from the scene of today's climate change strike - one of thousands across the world. ...1 day ago - How I discovered the Dalveen Blue Box, a rare eucalypt species with a sweet, fruity smell
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Collins, PhD candidate , University of New England In 2002, I went on a bushwalk with plant taxonomist David Albrecht, and had a big surprise. He pointed to a plant I ...1 day ago - Augusta lifts net profit six fold as investors flock into new funds
Augusta Capital’s annual net profit rose more than six fold to a record as underlying income, management fees and transactional fees all grew strongly. ...1 day ago - Ministerial diaries: Who influences those in power?An elite group of business and iwi leaders, union officials and lobbyists are frequently bending the ear of the Labour-led government, ministerial diaries released this week show. ...1 day ago
- As the dust of the election settles, Australia’s wildlife still needs a pathway for recovery
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Morgain, Knowledge Broker, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University The environment was a key concern in the recent federal election. It was also a polarising one, with concerns ...1 day ago - Yesterdaze: Biblical amounts of stupid
Alfred Ngaro puts his foot in his mouth, Hannah Tamaki compares herself to KFC and Simon Bridges finally tops a list. James Elliott on the news of the week. ...1 day ago - Ardern warns of risk of global headwinds ahead of BudgetPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has warned about the risks of an unstable and uncertain global climate for New Zealand businesses. ...1 day ago
- The long and complicated history of Aboriginal involvement in football
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roy Hay, Honorary Fellow, Deakin University Over the next two weekends, the Australian Football League celebrates the contribution of Indigenous peoples to the history of the game. At the same time, a ...1 day ago - Curious Kids: why are there waves?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Hemer, Senior Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You ...1 day ago - Shane Jones splashes $6.5m on Otago cycle trail from Provincial Growth FundAn Otago Great Ride has received a $6.5 million boost to expand the trail and tourism benefits in the region. ...1 day ago
- This is your brain on Pokémon: Researchers confirm Pikachu changes the way you thinkMum was right: heavy exposure to pocket monsters fundamentally rewires your brain. But researchers from Stanford say it’s an exciting opportunity to study how we learn to see.There’s an old folk myth that when James Cook and the Endeavour sailed ...1 day ago
- NZ seeks ‘explanations’ over USP mismanagement allegations
By RNZ Pacific New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters says his government is “asking for explanations” about alleged mismanagement at the regional University of the South Pacific. New Zealand is the 12-country USP’s second largest funder behind Australia, contributing ...1 day ago - Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 24The only published and available bestselling 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 Toll by Luke Wright (Penned in the Margins, ...1 day ago
- Ryman Healtcare posts $326m profit for year
Ryman Healthcare says it has had a solid year, despite challenging market conditions and flat sales. ...1 day ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 24 20191 day ago
- Let me eat the 100-year-old fruitcake
A well-preserved fruitcake that sat in an Antarctic hut for over a century has gone on display at Canterbury Museum. Here, a fan of ancient foodstuffs pens an open letter to the controllers of the cake. Please, Antarctic Heritage Trust, I ...1 day ago - Helen Clark urges women: ‘Make your luck and hustle’
Former PM Helen Clark is a formidable leader, who like many women in leadership, has had to fight every step of the way, she tells Fair Play’s Zoë George. ...1 day ago - The Friday Poem: The weirdness of trees by Catherine VidlerNew verse from Sydney-based poet Catherine Vidler.The weirdness of treesI love the weirdness of trees, but that’s not an opinion. In my opinion, shapes take the shape of things other than my opinion but inseparably from my opinion about the ...1 day ago
- Comedian buys Destiny Church’s new political party’s domain namesA comedian who has purchased Destiny Church's new party's domain name before the new party could set up its website says it is an act of "light-hearted protest". ...1 day ago
- Google has pulled Huawei’s Android licence. Now what?
The US banned Huawei and now Google is breaking up with the Chinese smartphone maker. How did all go so wrong?I’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few days. What happened? Earlier this week, Google announced plans to ...2 days ago - Population DNA testing for disease risk is coming. Here are five things to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Lacaze, Head, Public Health Genomics Program, Monash University DNA testing to predict disease risk has the potential to prevent disease and save lives. Yet few Australians can currently access predictive DNA ...2 days ago - Why Sydney residents use 30% more water per day than Melburnians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University This week Melbourne’s water storage dropped below 50%, a sign of the prolonged and deepening drought gripping eastern Australia. Sydney is only ...2 days ago - Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Senior Lecturer and Course Director (Postgraduate Education courses), Charles Sturt University You may have heard of play. It’s that thing children do – the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities ...2 days ago - Friday essay: YouTube apologies and reality TV revelations – the rise of the public confession
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Douglas, Professor, Flinders University A little over a year ago, former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith made a tearful confession and apology to the public, having been banned from cricket for ...2 days ago - Gamers use machine learning to navigate complex video games – but it’s not free
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Egliston, PhD candidate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney Some of the world’s most popular video games track your activity as you play – but they’re not just gathering data ...2 days ago - From gun control to HIV: six ingredients of successful public policy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joannah Luetjens, PhD Candidate, Utrecht University In the lead up to the recent federal election, there was plenty of negative rhetoric about current policy settings. Piecing together the various messages, it seems ...2 days ago - How the dangerous evolution of Pakistan’s national security state threatens domestic stabilitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago In February, a terrorist attack by Jaysh e-Mohammad (JeM) killed more than 40 Indian military personnel in the Indian state of Jammu ...2 days ago
- Taming wild cities: the tall buildings of Australia show why we need strong design guidelines
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Moore, PhD Candidate, Melbourne School of Design, Monash University Private enterprise has shaped the skylines of Australia’s cities, and the names of their highest towers reflect this. The towers of Sydney ...2 days ago - If you think less immigration will solve Australia’s problems, you’re wrong; but neither will mo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Allen, Researcher, UNSW Are we letting too many or too few migrants into Australia? For 2019-20 the Australian government has cut the annual net migrant intake from 190,000 to 160,000. It’s ...2 days ago
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