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The Future Is …
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, December 9th, 2018 - 278 comments
HOW TO GET THERE
Go to the end of the path until you get to the gate.
Go through the gate and head straight out towards the horizon.
Keep going towards the horizon.
Sit down and have a rest every now and again,
But keep on going, just keep on with it.
Keep on going as far as you can.
That’s how you get there.
Yanking our chain
Written By: - Date published: 10:32 pm, December 3rd, 2018 - 46 comments
Tracy Watkins is in Korea paid for by the US to head off any support fro President Moon’s visit here. The US security chiefs are here in Wellington today with the 40-grit sandpaper. A high-ranking Russia “expert” from the UK was here last week because they thought Winston Peters wasn’t sufficiently outraged by the Skripal false flag affair. We’re in the gun in the information wars.
The Guns of November 2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:38 pm, November 10th, 2018 - 188 comments
On 11 November 1918 the guns fell silent across Europe’s slaughter. In the Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman described how that dreadful war started by accident. Daniel Ellsberg warns us now that accidents could happen again, this time in the nuclear age. Ellsberg says first strike is America’s policy, making accidental nuclear winter all the more likely.
Daily Review 08/11/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, November 8th, 2018 - 24 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Leader’s Speech – Live Stream
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, November 4th, 2018 - 25 comments
The most united, upbeat Labour Party conference in decades comes to a conclusion with a speech from Jacinda Ardern. The Otago Daily Times is suggesting that it will include an announcement on wellness and health in schools. The upper level of the Dunedin Town Hall has been opened up for public attendance. This is significant […]
Labour Party Conference 2018
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, November 1st, 2018 - 149 comments
It’s conference time! The NZ Labour party is into it’s second century and into Government. What can we expect from this weekend’s hui in Dunedin and what policies and positions do Standard readers think need to be pushed?
Daily Review 26/10/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, October 26th, 2018 - 59 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Let’s talk mental health
Written By: - Date published: 10:51 pm, October 21st, 2018 - 298 comments
With the news about Jami-Lee Ross being taken into care, now’s a good time to talk about mental health, and how it should be handled in politics.
Trademe advertises National List MP position for sale
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, October 19th, 2018 - 17 comments
Some wag on Trademe has advertised National Party list positions for sale.
Saudi Arabia and the United States
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, October 17th, 2018 - 21 comments
Saudi Arabia is preparing to admit that the U.S. resident and investigative reporter did indeed die in their embassy in Turkey.
MAFS Botany
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, October 17th, 2018 - 36 comments
The Botany by-election is an opportunity for National to woo a future party leader. There’s an obvious candidate if the Tories have the nerve to propose.
Daily Review 12/10/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, October 12th, 2018 - 23 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
“Creating quagmires” – US policy in Syria
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, September 5th, 2018 - 82 comments
Things are coming to a head in Syria, with a key meeting on 7 August between Syria, Turkey and Russia to discuss future strategy re the Idlib enclave where terrorist groups have been concentrated. The US and its allies want to retain influence, having lost it to Russia. A shooting war based on a false flag is a real albeit disastrous possibility to maintain US “quagmire” policy in the Middle East to date.
Clare Curran Demoted
Written By: - Date published: 4:11 pm, August 24th, 2018 - 51 comments
Clare Curran has been demoted after failing to properly account for a meeting with entrepreneur Derek Handley.
Daily Review 20/08/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:40 pm, August 20th, 2018 - 28 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The Pied Piper
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, August 6th, 2018 - 32 comments
If we’re living in a global village, is the name of the village Hamelin?
China and Google
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, August 6th, 2018 - 2 comments
Google is planning a launch of its eponymous spectacular search engine in which it allows censorship from the Chinese state. Some U.S. politicians aren’t happy about it. Principles are, in the words of the words of my tailor, funny; you loosen a bit here, you loosen a bit there, you find your trousers fall down. […]
The Benefit Arrives
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, July 31st, 2018 - 38 comments
Simon ‘Soimon’ Bridges calls his deputy by her critic’s favourite nickname. Cui bono, as the Romans used to say. Who benefits?
There’s nothing vague about National’s education policy announcement *
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, July 30th, 2018 - 30 comments
* according to Simon Bridges.
Caption contest
Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, July 29th, 2018 - 76 comments
Keep it seemly …
Bridges and his cheerleaders
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, July 29th, 2018 - 112 comments
National is pulling out all stops to suggest that Simon Bridges is not so bad as a leader.
Unparliamentary Language
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 11th, 2018 - 13 comments
“His brain could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides”
The trade war
Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, July 9th, 2018 - 27 comments
The speed of the growing trade war between the United States and China will hit New Zealand. Our long term diplomatic arc, such that it is, was to follow a modernist impulse set after World War Two: that economic growth and democracy matched deep human impulses for freedom and prosperity together. China has never assented […]
Dotcom loses in the Court of Appeal
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, July 9th, 2018 - 60 comments
The Court of Appeal has released its decision in the Kim Dotcom extradition case. The case has had a lot of resources thrown at it by both sides and I hope my brief description does the arguments and the judgment justice. The decision can be read here. As befits the resources that have been poured […]
Daily Review 05/07/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, July 5th, 2018 - 27 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The future of the left
Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, July 1st, 2018 - 40 comments
Australian Guardian columnist Van Badham writes “the future of the left is bright if it looks like Jacinda Ardern and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes.” She concludes “We can hope the influence of Jacinda Ardern and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes spread, or we can ensure that it does. The stakes for the marginalised remain life and death.” Very worth a read.
Daily Review 28/06/2018
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, June 28th, 2018 - 26 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Student Fees
Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, June 26th, 2018 - 26 comments
Reposted from Nick Kelly’s Blog One of the big policies the NZ Labour Party took into the 2017 election was to start reintroducing free education. Labour in the UK took a similar policy into their 2017 election, which is thought to have contributed to the “youth quake” which saw young voters turn out and vote for […]
It’s a girl!
Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, June 21st, 2018 - 25 comments
Congratulations to Jacinda and Clarke on the birth of a girl!
Pulling Teeth For Poverty
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 17th, 2018 - 363 comments
Poverty is directly responsible for a growing number of people losing their teeth to decay. Adults unable to afford dental treatment are resorting to using pliers to extract their own teeth. Meanwhile, children as young as one are also losing their teeth. The numbers losing their teeth is phenomenal. During the 2015 and 2016 period alone over 29,000 children had teeth removed and over 6,600 children were hospitalised because of rotting teeth.
In defence of Eugenie Sage
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, June 15th, 2018 - 154 comments
Eugenie Sage has been criticised for granting OIO consent to the foreign buy out of a water bottling company and a piece of sensitive land. But from the looks of the details that have been released she may have had no choice.
- A win for democracy
For the past few elections, local authorities have been obsessed with online voting as a way to cut costs. They were planning a trial at next year's local body elections. But now its been cancelled:The proposed trial of online voting ...2 hours ago - WINZ undermines KiwiSaverThe idea of KiwiSaver was to encourage new Zealanders to save for their retirement. But WINZ is undermining the scheme by demanding that people use their retirement savings rather than giving them benefits:The number of people looking to dip into ...4 hours ago
- Member’s DayToday is the last Member's Day of the year, but it looks like it will be taken up with local business. First off, the government is ramming through its Muldoonist Tasman District Council (Waimea Water Augmentation Scheme) Bill, designed to ...7 hours ago
- Normalising The Unthinkable.
7 hours ago - Climate Change: Forfeiting the profits of fraudSince 2008, the New Zealand government has pursued a climate change policy based on fraud, using dodgy or outright fraudulent Russian and Ukranian "credits" to "offset" our ever increasing domestic emissions. And we've banked the "surplus" from that fraud, and ...7 hours ago
- A Polish Joke – At The Planet’s Expense.
7 hours ago - Dances With Elephants.
8 hours ago - South Island Kaka thank DOC for its Efforts
See the stoat creating havoc in the Kaka’s nest in this video. Then look at the impact on nesting numbers after the aerial 1080 drop was completed – 30 times more nests! This is what the battle to save and ...10 hours ago - Speaker: Cannabis: make it legal but don’t let anyone make money from it
I don’t want big business marketing marijuana to my kids. This is what will happen in Canada with the recent purchase of a market-leading marijuana business by a major tobacco company. In Aotearoa, right now, we have a chance to do something different.I’m ...10 hours ago - Dec-18 AT Board Meeting
Yesterday Auckland Transport held their last board meeting for the year and it was an important one with some key decisions being made. The big one, was that the board have approved for consultation their draft speed bylaw. This is ...12 hours ago - Hard News: Public Address Word of the Year 2018The years keep getting weirder, but one thing doesn't change: the Public Address Word of the Year is annually chosen by the people of the internet as the strange light fades into Christmas. Will this year's people's choice be a ...12 hours ago
- At last – A fundamental shift in social policy
The child wellbeing strategy represents the most significant shift in social policy in over four decades because of its focus on children as a population group and its emphasis on addressing structural issues in promoting economic and social wellbeing. This ...13 hours ago - Like health care, climate policy could tip elections
In the November 2018 midterm elections, Democrats won the U.S. House of Representatives popular vote by a margin of about 8.6 percent and gained 40 seats in that chamber. For perspective, President Obama won his convincing 2008 and 2012 elections by 7.2 ...23 hours ago - Colombia: the real and bloody legacy of Belisario Betancur
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Belisario Betancur, the ex-president of Colombia (1982-1986) died in his bed on the 7th of December, 2018. He corpse hadn’t even time to go cold before he received and avalanche of eulogies from politician, ns and ...1 day ago - Colombia: the real and bloody legacy of Belisario Betancurby Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Belisario Betancur, the ex-president of Colombia (1982-1986) died in his bed on the 7th of December, 2018. He corpse hadn’t even time to go cold before he received and avalanche of eulogies from politician, ns and ...1 day ago
- If this is “terrorism”, we should all be terroristsYesterday, December 10, was human rights day. And the UK celebrated it by convicting 15 human rights protesters of "terrorism":In a prosecution that has been condemned by human rights groups, Alistair Tamlit and Benjamin Smoke and the other members of ...1 day ago
- Great streets for Grey Lynn: a beauty of a reboot!
This is a cross post from our friends over at Bike Auckland. Feedback is now open on the revamped designs for Grey Lynn, which include not only neighbourhood bikeways, but great stuff for pedestrians, more trees, and quality landscaping. Here’s Auckland ...1 day ago - Legal Beagle: Name suppression appealsI recently published a tweet thread, which I thought I might copy and past here, for anyone interested.=============I have long thought that the 20 working days allowed to appeal a refusal to make a suppression order is too long, when ...1 day ago
- AccountabilityOver the past months we've learned of a crisis in NZTA's oversight of vehicle warrants of fitness, with garages allowed to issue thousands of dodgy warrants to unsafe vehicles and the work of truck inspectors not checked. People have died ...1 day ago
- A convenient failureHow many children in state care have mental health issues or have attempted suicide? Conveniently, CYFS doesn't know:A psychiatrist says it's a "failing of the system" that Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, does not know how many children in ...1 day ago
- Protest worksFor the past month France has been brought to a standstill, as members of the yellow vest movement have protested against inequality, the cost of living, and president Emmanuel Macron. And today, a week after serious riots in Paris, Macron ...1 day ago
- AT’s Consultation Crunch
Consultation is an important part of the process for public agencies but getting it right is easier said than done. Sometimes the issues with consultation stem from what is included, sometimes from how the results are interpreted – only those ...1 day ago - Australia – Moving to Renewable Energy
Solar and Wind Australia’s six States and two Territories have always had primary responsibility for implementing policies on the transition away from fossil fuels to renewables as an energy source. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the ...2 days ago - Public Television
Around the turn of the century, I had the privilege and pleasure of serving on the board of Television New Zealand for a period of about ten years. I enjoyed the experience enormously and welcomed the chance to make my ...2 days ago - Public TelevisionAround the turn of the century, I had the privilege and pleasure of serving on the board of Television New Zealand for a period of about ten years. I enjoyed the experience enormously and welcomed the chance to make my ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: Punching above our weightNew Zealanders are usually proud when New Zealand ranks highly at something when measured per capita. But one measurement of that nature which we shouldn't be proud of: we're one of the worst countries in the world for per-capita greenhouse ...2 days ago
- Hard News: Music: A Teutonic TonicOne of the many challenges posed by Christmas is Christmas music. Christmas carols are all very well, but spending the day actually listening to carols? That way lies madness, or at least an unseasonable degree of suffering. In our house, ...2 days ago
- The First CRL Breakthrough
2 days ago - Climate Change: Fingers in their earsBack in October the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that we have to limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures, and that we had only 12 years left to do so. The stark description of ...2 days ago
- The British establishment’s propaganda problemFrom 1948 to 1978, the UK Foreign Office ran a secret domestic propaganda operation, the Information Research Department, which targeted UK trade unions and left politics under the guide of "countering communism". Forty years after that operation was shut down, ...2 days ago
- Hard News: A complicated pathway to wellnessHe Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction was published last week and while it offers a substantial list of recommendations for the way such services should be conceived and delivered, I found what it ...2 days ago
- A victory for transparencyThis morning the government announced that it will be proactively releasing ministerial diaries from January next year:Government ministers are trying to shake the image of shady politicians holding secret meetings by opening up their diaries. The State Services Minister will ...2 days ago
- Letters of Low Expectations – tomorrow’s work at Auckland Council
It seems that almost every day we learn more about the urgent need for radical action to avert catastrophic climate change. Not only are the disastrous consequences becoming clearer, but after years of relatively stable emissions, they are actually increasing ...2 days ago - What we do
With the horrible, tragic case of Grace Millane in the news, we’ve been talking a lot about what women do – and what we shouldn’t have to – to be safe in our country. So I wrote on Twitter: My ...3 days ago - 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #49
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sunday, Dec 2 through Saturday, Dec. 8 Editor's Pick Can 2018’s extreme weather persuade skeptics that the climate is changing? A ...4 days ago - Raining On The White Tribe’s Parade
4 days ago - RIP Pete Shelley
...5 days ago - New research, November 26 – December 2, 2018A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. Climate change mitigation Emission scenario analysis for China under the global 1.5 °C target Climate change communication Attribution matters: Revisiting the link between extreme weather experience and climate change ...5 days ago
- General Motors layoffs and how capitalism works todayThe increasingly parasitical nature of capitalism today is reflected today in a number of ways. One is the artificial nature of share ‘values’ and how workers’ jobs, pay and conitions are affected by this. Below is a piece dealing ...5 days ago
- General Motors layoffs and how capitalism works todayThe increasingly parasitical nature of capitalism today is reflected today in a number of ways. One is the artificial nature of share ‘values’ and how workers’ jobs, pay and conitions are affected by this. Below is a piece dealing ...5 days ago
- News from the COP24 Climate Change conference in PolandNZ slammed by Climate Action TrackerCANA’s Cindy Baxter, reporting from the COP24 conference, says that Climate Action Tracker has rated NZ’s current policies to be “highly insufficient” and our 2030 target “insufficient”, and we are also being criticised for ...5 days ago
- Same old same oldA couple of years ago, in response to a report showing pervasive criminality within the fishing industry, the Ministry of Primary Industries finally started talking about doing something about it, via remotely-monitored cameras on fishing boats. After much foot-dragging that ...5 days ago
- A Tom Scott cartoon on Saudi Arabia…
A Tom Scott cartoon… . . The only thing is… It’s not commenting on the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Kashoggi… It’s post September 11, and was drawn 2001/02. Some things never seem to change. . Published on The ...5 days ago - AT not ambitious enough with electric buses
If Auckland Transport’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap is adopted by its board next week, all new buses in Auckland from 2025 onward and all buses by 2040 will need to have zero emissions. They also are targeting to have the City ...5 days ago - Twitter: reinstate Meghan Murphy
Sign the change.org petition to re-instate Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy is one of Canada’s pre-eminent feminist journalists and the editor and publisher of “Feminist Current”. Feminist Current’s reach is international. For a decade Murphy has dedicated ...6 days ago - Twitter: reinstate Meghan MurphySign the change.org petition to re-instate Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy Meghan Murphy is one of Canada’s pre-eminent feminist journalists and the editor and publisher of “Feminist Current”. Feminist Current’s reach is international. For a decade Murphy has dedicated ...6 days ago
- Australia: racism beats “national security”Today the Australian house of representatives is debating the government's super-important encryption backdoor legislation, which would require services like Signal to put a government backdoor in their software. Meanwhile, the Senate is debating an amendment which would require the government ...6 days ago
- PassedLast night Parliament passed the Employment Relations Amendment Act. The Act is disappointing, in that it only eliminates 90 day trials for large employers and restricts union access to workplaces. At the best, it returns the law to where it ...6 days ago
- Protecting the umpire
Wednesday’s flare-up in Parliament, which saw the Speaker ordering both National’s leader and Leader of the House out of the chamber while most of their party colleagues (read more ...6 days ago - Climate Change: A threat to our securityIf we don't stop it, climate change threatens to cause famine, migration, war, and death. and now NZDF has recognised the obvious: that all of this is a threat to New Zealand's security:Climate change has been identified as one of ...6 days ago
- A history of the light rail project
There have been some slightly strange conspiracy theories floating around recently about how the City Centre to Mangere light rail project came into existence. I looked at the history recently but thought it would be worthwhile taking a more detailed ...6 days ago - Trump’s disbelief won’t stop dangerous climate change“I don’t believe it,” said Donald Trump when asked about the fourth national climate assessment, authored by 13 government agencies and hundreds of the US’s top climate scientists. His administration had tried to hide the report, publishing it on Black Friday ...7 days ago
- Media statement: Child poverty bill doesn’t address cause: InequalityFor immediate release Monday 3rd Dec 2018 CHILD POVERTY BILL DOESN’T ADDRESS CAUSE: INEQUALITY As Parliament prepares to pass the Child Poverty Reduction Bill this coming week, the income equality group Closing the Gap again urges MPs to tackle the ...1 week ago
- Tacitly encouraging local conspiracy theories.
I do not mean to bang on about the Anne Marie Brady case but since it is coming up on one year since the campaign of criminal harassment began against her, I feel compelled to mention how the Labour-led government’s ...1 week ago - Climate Change: Helping the marketThe government today announced a $100 million green investment fund to help new Zealand transition to a green economy: The Government has bankrolled a $100 million green investment fund which aims to invest with businesses to reduce emissions while also ...1 week ago
- NZ should sign the UN Global Compact on MigrationOne of the foundations of New Zealand foreign policy has been support for international institutions and international law. Now, the National Party is opposing that foundation over the UN Global Compact on Migration, saying that "it's not for the UN ...1 week ago
- The causes and economic consequences of rising regional housing prices (part 1)
This is a post from Peter Nunns I stepped down from Greater Auckland at the start of the year as my schedule was about to get a lot busier. First, I was going to have a baby in August. This has ...1 week ago - Après moi, le délugeConsequences of National's austerity, part 287: the public service forgot how to deal with (and was not funded for) a change of government:Public servants responsible for the transition between governments failed to support new ministers as no-one had planned for ...1 week ago
- Legal advice and freedom of informationThe UK government was found to have committed contempt of parliament today, and will be publishing its full Brexit legal advice as a result (and as a desperate attempt to keep government ministers out of the clock tower). Meanwhile, human ...1 week ago
- HealthCarePlus Newsletter Summer 2018
HealthCarePlus Spring 2018 Newsletter ...1 week ago - Making Charitable Gifts and Paying TaxesThe Christmas festive session is traditionally the time for charitable giving, when many of us recognise the need to ensure that the hungry can enjoy a Christmas dinner and that Father Christmas can bring presents on Christmas morning for kiddies ...1 week ago
- Making Charitable Gifts and Paying TaxesThe Christmas festive session is traditionally the time for charitable giving, when many of us recognise the need to ensure that the hungry can enjoy a Christmas dinner and that Father Christmas can bring presents on Christmas morning for kiddies ...1 week ago
- Kids in the City: Access
This three-part series of guest posts is written by Alex Bonham, a member of Women in Urbanism, who has worked as a Porse carer and is now researching “the playful city” for her doctorate. In this series of three posts ...1 week ago - Gavin Hawthorn: send him to (drug) court, but not to prison1 week ago
- Can we save the planet without a revolution?We all know we’re shafting the planet, and headlines every other week are making sure we don’t forget. As another Conference of the Parties (COP) conference kicks off this week - this time in Poland, this time called COP24 - we ...1 week ago
- Brexit or Bust?Over the next week the British Parliament debates the terms for Brexit or not. There is no point in my trying to guess what might happen. There are many opinions and they all contradict one another; probably all will be ...1 week ago
- Redacting their dirty laundryEarlier in the year, in response to a litany of abuse by EQC, MBIE, and others, the government initiated an inquiry into the government's use of Thompson and Clark Investigations, New Zealand's private anti-left-wing spy agency. In September, after Stuff ...1 week ago
- Lock them in the clock tower!Three weeks ago, the UK parliament voted unanimously to order the government to release its full legal advice on Brexit, so that it would be available to them ahead of their "meaningful vote". The government subsequently refused to obey, providing ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: National are still dragging their feetThe terrible news on the climate recently - the IPCC report, the UN report on rising greenhouse gas concentrations, and the background drumbeat of places burning, flooding, or otherwise being struck by climate-induced disaster - has caused some to hope ...1 week ago
- NZTA, ANPR and privacyEarlier in the month, we learned that NZTA would be trialling point-to-point speed cameras in the Waterview Tunnel. The cameras are a good road-safety tool to detect speeding, but they use automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), and depending on how long ...1 week ago
- David Seymour – A Valid ‘Hit’ and a Colossal ‘Miss’. . For lone ACT MP, David Seymour, November has been a “mixed bag”. The leader of a near-non-existent Party scored this month – though only one was a try/goal/bowled-out. The other was a foul/offside/no-ball that all but negated ...1 week ago
- The Driver License Test Guide
“Faster. Faster. Faster… OK, pull over, and we’ll discuss that. Back there, if you go at that speed in your test, you’ll fail. It’s a critical error. That road is where four of my students have failed their test for ...1 week ago - Strengthening local voicesLocal government is an essential part of New Zealand’s democracy, providing local infrastructure and leadership, facilitating economic and community development along with strategic and financial planning and decision-making (in consultation with communities) on current and future key issues. Today, our ...1 week ago
- Strengthening local voicesLocal government is an essential part of New Zealand’s democracy, providing local infrastructure and leadership, facilitating economic and community development along with strategic and financial planning and decision-making (in consultation with communities) on current and future key issues. Today, our ...1 week ago
- 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #48
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... G20 told crucial COP24 climate change conference 'must succeed': Guterres UN News/Natalia ...1 week ago
- Government ropes in livestock rustling
Justice Minister Andrew Little today introduced a supplementary order paper (SOP) on the Crimes Amendment Bill to crack down on livestock rustling. ...5 hours ago - Small business the focus of Australian talksEfforts to progress a seamless trans-Tasman business environment will take another step at a ministerial roundtable meeting in Sydney tomorrow. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash and Australian Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert will co-host a roundtable meeting of senior government and ...1 day ago
- Andrew Little – Speech to Amnesty International event to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Univ...ANDREW LITTLE - SPEECH TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EVENT TO MARK THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ON WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, PARLIAMENT, WELLINGTON ...2 days ago
- Tax reforms focus on fairnessNew tax legislation has been introduced to Parliament to ensure greater fairness in the way the tax system shapes commerce, investment decisions and social policies. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2019-20, GST Offshore Supplier ...1 week ago
- Preventing death and injury on our roadsPolice Minister Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter are encouraging road users to be alert to a new safety campaign launched today by Police and the NZ Transport Agency in the lead up to the Christmas. ...2 weeks ago
- New comms centre improves public servicesA new digital services and communications centre opened on the Kapiti Coast will help transform the way Police connect with the public and work to make communities safe. Police Minister Stuart Nash has officially opened the Police Digital Services Centre, ...2 weeks ago
- Transparent Overseer needed to regulate water quality
A report on whether Overseer is suitable for use in regulation to help clean up Aotearoa New Zealand’s rivers and lakes has been released today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton. ...2 hours ago - Māori Party congratulates Bentham Ohia’s new appointmentThe Māori Party congratulates Bentham Ohia on his new role as Chief Advisor Iwi and Māori Education Relationships at the Ministry of Education, and farewells him from his short time as Vice-President Tāne for the Māori Party. ...2 hours ago
- Local Govt OIA practices feedback soughtThe Chief Ombudsman has commenced four new self-initiated investigations into the official information practices of the public sector, the third set of investigations announced in the past eight months. ...2 hours ago
- Submission from ANZASWThe Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) believes that the statistics and findings contained in the Child Poverty Monitor report released by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner this week should be a wake up call to ...3 hours ago
- Creating a marine spatial plan for the Hauraki GulfThe Auditor-General’s report Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari: Creating a marine spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf was presented to the House of Representatives today. ...4 hours ago
- Investigator appointed for Retirement Commissioner inquiryState Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has today announced the appointment of Ms Maria Dew QC to investigate allegations of bullying by the Retirement Commissioner, Ms Diane Maxwell. ...5 hours ago
- Budget cuts welcome – but why not go further?Responding to reports that the Government has ordered Ministers to cut one percent in ‘low priority’ spending across all departments, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: ...6 hours ago
- Report praised for acknowledging historic trauma"How do we stop getting in the way of Maori and Pasifica flourishing, and reverse the trauma of colonisation and disadvantage?" ...6 hours ago
- Impact of rental property tax change could be hugeThe impact of a law-change to ring-fence rental property tax losses could be huge and sudden because owners absorbing loss with no prospect of gain will sell, Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler said today. ...7 hours ago
- Press Release from the One New Zealand PartyThe One New Zealand Party find the proposed 9 million dollars of public funding being earmarked for the reconciliation package to the Parihaka Papakainga Trust to be paramount to another act of treason by this and previous governments. ...8 hours ago
- SAFE demands a ban on greyhound racingSAFE is demanding an end to greyhound racing cruelty, amid new figures that show the industry killed 353 unwanted dogs during the last season. ...9 hours ago
- Eighty new constables graduate tomorrowEighty recruits will graduate as part of Wing 321 this Thursday 13 December, the last recruit graduation of 2018. ...9 hours ago
- Give migrant nurses a longer visa to help ease shortageInternationally qualified nurses (IQN) represent 26% of the overall practising nurse workforce in New Zealand (NCNZ, 2017a). As of 31 March 2017, New Zealand has 52,711 practising nurses. Of these, 4,337 gained their nursing qualification in the Philippines, ...9 hours ago
- Update on proposed strike actionAir New Zealand continues to negotiate with aircraft maintenance workers and will tomorrow enter a third day of negotiation with unions Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA) and E tū. ...10 hours ago
- Communities Call for ActionPeople in hard-working communities are calling on the Prime Minister for help dealing with the impact of drugs, the housing crisis, lack of mental health services and economic support. ...10 hours ago
- A Call to Action in ManurewaPeople in Manurewa want to talk to the Prime Minister about street gangs, crime, drug abuse and impacts of the housing crisis that have left them fearing for their safety. ...10 hours ago
- A Call to Action in HornbyPeople in Hornby want to talk to the Prime Minister about better infrastructure, economic growth and opportunities for disconnected young people. ...10 hours ago
- Strong ‘spirit of service’ seen in latest appointmentsThis month’s new announcements of women taking up chief executive positions at the New Zealand Customs Service and at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage have been welcomed by the Public Service Association (PSA). ...10 hours ago
- Air NZ strike details: three days from 21 DecThe unions representing Air New Zealand Engineering and Logistics workers confirm that last week they issued three full-day strike notices for 21, 22, and 23 December. ...10 hours ago
- The real work begins on the Medical Cannabis schemeMCANZ is delighted at the historic achievement of a solid commitment to produce Medical Cannabis in New Zealand, and is grateful for the amendments that were introduced broadening the scope of the compassionate clause, clarifying a more therapeutic “whole ...23 hours ago
- Campaign Congratulates Medicinal Cannabis ActivistsThe expected passage of the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill this evening has been hailed as a victory for grassroots campaigning, by the #makeitlegal campaign group the Cannabis Referendum Coalition. ...24 hours ago
- Changes To Marijuana Laws Should Now StopFamily First NZ says that with the cannabis medicine bill being passed today, it is now time for politicians to move on from the issue and not to make any further changes which liberalise the law or legitimise and normalise ...24 hours ago
- Overwhelming Opposition Confirmed On Assisted Suicide BillFamily First NZ says that the overwhelming opposition to David Seymour’s assisted suicide bill by submitters to the Select Committee is no surprise and was already indicated during the earlier Inquiry by the Health Select Committee. ...24 hours ago
- Medicinal Cannabis Bill a welcome step forward11 December 2018 - New Zealand medicinal cannabis-based products company NUBU Pharmaceuticals says the passing of The Misuse of Drugs (Medical Cannabis) Amendment Bill today is a welcome step forward in addressing patient need in New Zealand. ...24 hours ago
- Medicinal cannabis producer welcomes new law passed todayNew Zealand cannabis company Zeacann is welcoming the The Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill which has just passed its third reading in parliament. ...24 hours ago
- Commissioner welcomes young voices talking about pornChildren’s Commissioner welcomes young voices talking about porn “Research released recently by the Chief Censor on young New Zealanders and porn, is a ground-breaking document,” says Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft. “This is not least ...24 hours ago
- Medicinal Cannabis bill passes final readingNew Zealand First welcomes the passing of the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill today in Parliament. This legislation increases the availability and quality of medicinal cannabis for those suffering who desperately need other options. ...1 day ago
- TOP Leadership Election Winners AnnouncedThe winner of the Leader position is Geoff Simmons. Geoff has been acting as the interim leader and was formerly General Manager of the Morgan Foundation. He brings with him a rock-solid background in TOP’s policy as well as excellent ...1 day ago
- Charity Welcomes Paper on Preventing Family ViolenceSave the Children New Zealand (SCNZ) welcomes the release of the latest discussion paper from the Chief Science Advisor to the Justice Sector, Dr Ian Lambie, Every 4 Minutes’ . ...1 day ago
- Link MP’s Salaries to Average WageIt’s time to link parliamentary salaries to the average wage so that elected members are rewarded according to the benefit the country gains from their service. ...1 day ago
- ALRANZ Takes Case to Human Rights Review TribunalALRANZ announced the Office of Human Rights Proceedings (OHRP) has decided to provide ALRANZ with representation before the Human Rights Review Tribunal (HRRT). ...1 day ago
- Auditor-General’s report publishedThe Auditor-General’s report Central government: Results of the 2017/18 audits was presented to the House of Representatives today. ...1 day ago
- NZ First opposes increased pressure on primary schoolsNew Zealand First will oppose Nikki Kaye’s “Education (Strengthening Second Language Learning in Primary and Intermediate Schools) Amendment Bill. ...1 day ago
- Ministerial diary publication strengthens transparencyYesterday Minister for State Services (Open Government) Chris Hipkins announced that all Government Ministers will for the first time release details of their internal and external meetings, ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 12 2018
Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 12 2018 Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. The Beehive and Parliament Buildings. ‘Every Four Minutes’ Report on ...2 hours ago - It’s bubbles season, darlings! How to choose the right fizz for any occasion
From beach outings to barbecues to battling feelings of festive stress, December is jam-packed with moments made for popping the cork on something sparkling. The first glass of Champagne in our house on Christmas day is a bit of a ritual. ...2 hours ago - Rakon boosts bank funding
Rakon has added $6 million to its cash working capital facility with ASB Bank, which it says will help meet the increased demands for telecommunications infrastructure. ...2 hours ago - Councils halt online voting trial for local body elections
Councils have been forced to halt a proposed trial of online voting in next year's local body elections due to costs. ...2 hours ago - Better know your brew: the concise guide to beer varieties
How much do you really know about the beer you’re holding – and how it’s different to the one your mate is drinking? Elevate your Christmas party chat with the Spinoff’s guide to beer varieties. Standing in the chilled beer fridge ...2 hours ago - Your drinking water could be saltier than you think (even if you live in a capital)
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University As the drought drags on, small communities in eastern Australia are turning to emergency water supplies. Often, this means bore water, which ...2 hours ago - Four journalists, one newspaper: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year recognises the global assault ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, The University of Queensland Time Magazine has just announced its “Person of the Year” for 2018, and for once, it isn’t one person. This time ...2 hours ago
- An opt-out system isn’t the solution to Australia’s low rate of organ donationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neera Bhatia, Senior Lecturer in Law, Deakin University Organ transplantation relies on the generosity of a person to volunteer their organs for donation after death, or the generosity of the family to ...3 hours ago
- What the Victorian government’s decision not to sign on to the Gonski reforms means for schools in...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Olijnyk, Lecturer, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide Victorian schools could potentially be without federal funding after 31 December 2018 if the state government refuses to sign up to the Gonski ...3 hours ago
- RBNZ says it’s underfunded and understaffed
The Government has been told the Reserve Bank needs more staff to regulate the banks. ...3 hours ago - Thank you to The Strip, the TV show that inspired my teenage sexual awakening
The strip club-set New Zealand TV series The Strip ran for two seasons in the early-2000s and is now largely forgotten. But Emily Writes remembers it…We heard about The Strip before we saw it on TV. The advertising had been ...3 hours ago - Motor vehicle lending helps UDC lift annual profit 6%
The ANZ Bank-owned UDC Finance says an 18 percent increase in lending on motor vehicles helped it lift annual net profit 6 percent. ...3 hours ago - Orr says RBNZ still under-resourced
The Reserve Bank continues to be under-resourced, despite paying its third-biggest dividend this year, but the review of the Reserve Bank Act is currently looking at its funding model, governor Adrian Orr says. ...4 hours ago - Facts: These are the 20 best non-fiction books of 2018
All week this week we present the 20 best books of the year. Today: the 20 best books of non-fiction.Previously: The 20 best kids books of 2018The 20 best poetry books of 2018Māori Made Easy: For everyday learners of the Māori ...4 hours ago - QC appointed to head Maxwell bullying inquiry
An employment law specialist will investigate whether the Retirement Commissioner bullied her staff. ...4 hours ago - Dunne: Next year crucial for both Govt and Nats
Both Labour and National know that, given this year's performances, the 2020 election is still each of theirs to lose, says Peter Dunne. ...4 hours ago - Public service bosses get extra week annual leaveState Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has given public service chief executives an extra week's annual leave to make up for the financial hit they have taken as a result of losing their performance pay. ...5 hours ago
- Hallenstein Glasson wary of margin squeeze in second half
Hallenstein Glasson Holdings is wary of a margin squeeze in the second half of the year in what it describes as tough trading conditions in New Zealand and Australia. ...5 hours ago - Sydney house price downturn could dampen Auckland prices
The sharp fall in house prices in Sydney this year, down almost 10 percent from their peak in 2017, could have a dampening effect on Auckland's property market, although the shortage of local houses, lower mortgage rates and still elevated ...5 hours ago - Honouring the dead: Alex Seton’s stark, moving protest sculptures carved from marbleSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Honorary Associate Professor, Art & Design: UNSW Australia. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, UNSW Alex Seton’s sculpture A Durable Solution? is concentrating the minds of some ...5 hours ago
- Sky in 2018: the media monster we’ve all assumed will fail
It’s the biggest and by far the most profitable media company in New Zealand. In today’s instalment of his series on NZ media in 2018, Duncan Greive asks media executives why no one believes in Sky any more. When the ...6 hours ago - Curious Kids: How does the Moon, being so far away, affect the tides on Earth?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Hemer, Senior Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. You can send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au. You might also like the ...6 hours ago
- Shortland Street The Musical: A post-mortem
This week it was announced that Auckland Theatre Company’s Shortland Street: The Musical would be cancelling its planned 2019 tour. Sam Brooks asks why the show fell short of its ambitions – and what it says about the industry.Shortland Street: ...6 hours ago - Sincha Dimara: My mother, a West Papuan survivor of many hardships, spurred along by her faith
7 hours ago - Shaw: NZ’s not seeking easy way out
A recent stark report has “fundamentally shifted the conversation,” says Climate Change Minister James Shaw. ...7 hours ago - RBNZ governor denies central bank exerted influence over CBLI creditors
Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr batted away accusations that the central bank had exerted influence over CBL Insurance’s creditors to support them in its bid for liquidation. ...8 hours ago - Thompson & Clark inquiry out before Christmas
The findings of an inquiry into state use of private investigators will be released "imminently", SSC head says. ...8 hours ago - How ‘Snoopy’s Christmas’ became a classic in NZ (and nowhere else)Henry Oliver talks to Bruce Ward, the man who made ‘Snoopy’s Christmas’ a perennial hit single in New Zealand charts. It’s Christmastime! And Christmastime means Christmas music. And not just those fancy school choirs and buskers with violins, but a whole ...8 hours ago
- We won, sort of: A medicinal cannabis user at yesterday’s historic voteThe Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill passed its third reading in Parliament, ushering in the partial decriminalisation of medicinal cannabis use. Longtime user and activist Rebecca Reider was there. A few years ago, deep in the throes of ...8 hours ago
- NZ dollar holds near 15-month high vs pound
The New Zealand dollar held near a 15-month high against the British pound as UK Prime Minister Theresa May's inability to garner support for a Brexit deal threatens her leadership. ...10 hours ago - ‘Designer’ babies won’t be common anytime soon – despite recent CRISPR twinsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Merlin Crossley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and Professor of Molecular Biology, UNSW This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology ...10 hours ago
- Law and order is no get-out-of-jail card for floundering politiciansSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke McNamara, Professor of Law, UNSW With confidence in politicians at an all-time low, it would be easy to assume criminal law-making is only ever about “law and order” bidding and winning ...10 hours ago
- What’s the most value for money way to tackle obesity? Increase taxes on alcoholSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaithri Ananthapavan, Senior Research Fellow, Health Economics, Deakin University We don’t often equate the kilojoules we drink in our glass of wine or pint of beer with the weight that accumulates around ...10 hours ago
- Not wiped out. Why Whyalla, of all places, now has a sustainable futureSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael O’Neil, Executive Director, SA Centre for Economic Studies, University of Adelaide Whyalla will be wiped off the map by Julia Gillard’s carbon tax, Whyalla risks becoming a ghost town, an ...10 hours ago
- How cinema’s new Aquaman draws on the mythology of ancient sea godsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Turner, PhD student, University of Newcastle Muscular, bearded and trident-wielding, Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the titular Aquaman in the forthcoming DC film draws on ancient Greek and Roman iconography. Water gods ...10 hours ago
- Edwards: The sound of ideologies clashing
For the first time in decades, the ideological fault lines that lie beneath debates over our school system are about to be exposed. ...10 hours ago - NZ shares gain as defensive stocks find favour
New Zealand shares rose, led by Contact Energy and Meridian Energy as heightened uncertainty in global markets bolsters the attraction of defensive stocks offering stable dividends. ...11 hours ago - NZ dollar firm against greenback
The New Zealand dollar remained firm against the greenback after news that Chinese and US officials are still talking helped alleviate some fears of a global slowdown. ...11 hours ago - The Bulletin: Hurdles ahead for school second language teaching
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Second language in schools bill gets cross party support, overseas investment still thriving, and be on the lookout for scammers posing as the IRD.An opposition bill to teach primary school children ...12 hours ago - Time to change NZTA review
The Ministry of Transport is the wrong ministry to review the chaos at NZTA. ...12 hours ago - Letting fees come to an endRenters throughout the country are rejoicing at the official end of letting fees. ...12 hours ago
- Hareb on the cusp of a dream ride to Tokyo 2020
Paige Hareb’s childhood dream of being an Olympian wasn’t unique. Her path to finally achieving it, however, could be. ...13 hours ago - ‘Get over it!’ A Silicon Valley guru on why Kiwi businesses need to lose the humility
Kiwis need to get over their cultural bashfulness and start faking it until they make it, businesses were told at Australasia’s first ‘Startup Grind’.Guy Kawasaki looks at me as if I’m a bit simple.I have just asked the corporate ‘evangelist’, ...14 hours ago - The Spinoff Hot Take Advent Calendar: December 12
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Duncan Greive on why churches (and other religious institutions) ...14 hours ago - Legalise (almost all of) it: What Spinoff readers reckon about drugs
The Spinoff partnered with UMR to survey the attitudes of our readers, and the nation as a whole. Today, what do we reckon about drug reform? And what lessons can politicians take from the answers? If you’re reading this right now, ...14 hours ago - Victorian upper house greatly distorted by group voting tickets; federal Labor still dominant in New...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne The November 24 Victorian election will result in an upper house of 18 Labor out of 40 (up four since ...21 hours ago
- The Great Kiwi Bake Off power rankings: A shocking twist, and not the apple kind
Where were you when the person you thought would get sent home from Great Kiwi Bake Off didn’t? Tara Ward was in her pantry, praising the chocolate gods for blessing us with the nicest show on television.“It’s all about the ...22 hours ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 11 2018Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 11 2018 Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.Education Carol Anderson (Stuff): How the ...22 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 11 2018Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 11 2018 Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.Education Carol Anderson (Stuff): How the ...22 hours ago
- Yealands lied about adding sugar to wine
The founder of wine exporting powerhouse Yealands, has pleaded guilty to falsifying documents after adding sugar to wine for export to Europe. ...23 hours ago
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