Can the anti-mandate protest in Wellington be ended peacefully?
I think it can
Rather than directly confronting the anti-mandate protesters are there other options?
The government have used legal mechanisms to threaten to seize the funds of unions and of Greenpeace if they take illegal actions.
Left wing organisations that engage in Illegal actions like unlawful strikes or blockading oil exploration and off-shore drilling vessels can face massive fines and/or have their funds and assets seized.
In this respect the Employment Relations Act is particularly harsh, allowing the authorities not just to seize the funds and assets of the union but also the funds and assets of the workers involved in illegal strikes. Not excluding their personal car and family home.
The laws which allow the authorities to seize funds and assets of Left law breakers have proved very effective in disciplining the unions. And recently Greenpeace as well.
if these laws can be used against Left wing activists, why can’t they be used against Right wing activists.
The police have said that they are looking into the option of seizing the funds and assets of the protesters' funds and assets.
The police need to follow throught.
…Meanwhile, Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said the police were having a close looking at the legality of funding the protest – given much of the occupation at Parliament and the blockade of roads is against the law.
I have suggested that the other way to end this protest peacefully is to tow all the illegally parked vehicles.
How long could this well funded glamping protest last without all the support vehicles like campers and caravans and even private cars?
The police have also said they are looking into this option as well, and say plans are well in place to remove all the illegally parked vehicles.
….The police are "well advanced" with plans to remove the vehicles that are blocking streets in Wellington's city centre, [Superintendent] Parnell said.
Vehicle owners have so far resisted requests to move the vehicles, he added.
How long could this glamping protest last without their camper vans and caravans and other support vehicles?
The authorities could start with seizing the illegal parked shower block, as well as the illegally parked donut franchise that supplies the protesters with free donuts.
I battled a fever for three days, and despite being bone-tired, could not sleep for long periods of time without waking, shivering in a cold sweat. I’ve been testing negative for the past four days, but I still find myself lacking the energy to get out of bed, let alone cook a nutritious meal or have a shower. I shudder to think how worse this might have been had I not been fully vaccinated.
Perhaps more surprising to me, more so than the literal faeces-flinging, are the desperate attempts by people I know and love to rehabilitate these protesters and excuse their abusive behaviour. It is utterly bewildering and incongruous seeing people whose opinions I used to respect seek to justify the poop-throwing by explaining it as an understandable reaction to vaccine mandates.
The restrictions imposed by the mandates — restrictions knowingly and willingly entered into — are reasonable, proportionate and entirely justified.
More than 800 Counties Manukau DHB staff are not at work because they're sick or a member of their household has Covid-19, as case numbers in hospitals rise.
Large parts of two workforces critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be required to be vaccinated, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today.
“Our education and health and disability workforces have done an incredible job throughout this pandemic to keep themselves and people safe,” Chris Hipkins said.
“Vaccination remains our strongest and most effective tool to protect against infection and disease, and we need as many workers as possible to be vaccinated to allow sectors to respond to the pandemic and deliver everyday services with as little disruption as possible.
“While most people working in these sectors are already fully or partially vaccinated we can’t leave anything to chance and are making it mandatory.
And? Do you think that two or three shots of the Pfizer product imposed on all staff in the health and disability sector has been a success in terms of the expressed aims from October 2021?
You know, a few days before this…the root cause of the protest?
While protection against hospitalisation is still strong, the vaccine offered almost no protection against infection, even just a month after full vaccination.
The coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech is much less effective in preventing infection in children ages 5-11 than in older adolescents or adults, according to a large new set of data collected by health officials in New York state — a finding that has deep ramifications for these children and their parents.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only Covid shot authorised for that age group in the United States. It still prevents severe illness in the children, but offers virtually no protection against infection, even within a month after full immunisation, the data, which were collected during the omicron surge, suggest.
The sharp drop in the vaccine's performance in young children may stem from the fact that they receive one-third the dose given to older children and adults, researchers and federal officials who have reviewed the data said.
Experts worried that the news would further dissuade hesitant parents from immunising their children. Other studies have shown the vaccine was not powerfully protective against infection with the omicron variant in adults, either.
"Experts" worried that folks won't keep injecting novel pharmaceutcals into children who are in the vast majority unaffected by the disease the shots are supposed to prevent. WTF?
What was that adage about keeping on doing the thing that doesn't work despite the risks?
See, I kind of saw this comment thread where Jenny and Molly were both accusing you of being a liar. Not just lying but sneakily writing stuff you can retract the parts you couldn't get away with, and leaving the stuff you actually could get away with. So I'll let you retract the parts of your original claim "They're not very effective at preventing infection from Delta…and just about no protection from Omicron." which are not supported by your source.
Looking forward to the correction – thanks in advance.
Also that the vaccination program would be sufficient for opening up with Delta. Especially relevant as it really started in earnest when Delta was the latest variant.
Its more rewriting the recent history of the country to go along with the claims that "lockdowns don't work" despite NZ (later merely parts of NZ) being essentially covid free for multiple months at a time when there were few other protections available.
Yes. And oh, how the Left just love to hate on minorities.
Not sure if you noticed, but Omicron kicked off when those of us who rejected the Pfizer product were not the ones flying untested all over the country and were not going to music festivals and bars and nightclubs and universities and working in hospitals and rest homes and other places which forced the vaccine on all their workers and had outbreaks.
I think the obsessiveness is coming from you lot…practically every other sane and rational country did not impose the mandates we have here, and have lifted most other restrictions. Realizing that the current crop of mRNA shots don't prevent infection. Realizing that both variants of Omicron are mild for most people and provide long lasting and robust immunity.
Omicron is not ‘Nature’s vaccine’ – ‘vaccination’ by infection, be it Delta, Omicron, or whatever, is far more risky than an actual vaccine designed to train immune systems to produce antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Risk-taking behaviour during a pandemic is not for me.
Your flying all over the place in the face of facts.
Vaccines reduce your chances of dying long covid (heart attacks strokes debilitating tiredness.
Now Omricon is here you are way more likely to be seriously infected but for those 94% fully vaccinated you are living on borrowed health provided by the 94% plus boosted bravery and efforts.
By the time your preferred vaccine rolls out it will be to late for you to get immunity Omricon will be endemic.
It takes 4 to 5 months to build that immunity by that time the wave will be over and the only hope will be super careful isolation.
I think the obsessiveness is coming from you lot…practically every other sane and rational country did not impose the mandates we have here, and have lifted most other restrictions.
I did not have the option of relying as the the 'button' disappears.
None of you have actually pointed out where I have lied.
Linking and quoting from a published piece does not make it my lie.
Do you have anything to say about the piece from the Herald saying the Pfizer shot does fuck all to prevent infection or transmission in 5-12 yer olds? Is that the BS I'm accused of spreading?
Have you not seen the studies that state that this age group is largely unaffected by Covid…any variant..unless they have severe underlying health conditions?
I did not have the option of relying as the the ‘button’ disappears.
can you please explain why for both of those? Understanding technical context can help. eg what device are you using, and are the reply buttons there sometimes and not others?
What was it for last time? Oh, that's right, back in September when the BBC wrote about the JCVI in the UK being reluctant to advise rolling out the Pfizer shot to 12-15 year olds
The UK's vaccine advisory body has refused to give the green light to vaccinating healthy children aged 12-15 years on health grounds alone.
The JCVI said children were at such a low risk from the virus that jabs would offer only a marginal benefit.
Lies? Bullshit? Or simply not what you and others want to see?
That was the moment that I realized that moderation on TS was dictated by some weird ideology rather than science.
[take the day off. I don’t have time or patience for commenters who want to pick fights with moderators – weka]
[Sure, happy to ban you for your BS comments and disingenuous behaviour if you choose to continue this way.
Let’s start with you accusing me of banning you previously, shall we? I’ve never banned you before, never ever, AFAIK (and I checked a long way back, trust me on that). On 1 Sep 2021 I put you in Pre-Mod after a long series of exchanges and warnings (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-09-2021/#comment-1812865). You lingered there for a while because you didn’t engage with the Mod notes.
I value and welcome other views that go against the prevailing winds and currents. In fact, I positively encourage it here when I can get the chance. I’ve been called antagonistic by others (not on this forum) and I know how it feels like. I also know that you have to have a strong case if you want to go against the majority view.
To allow for some kind of fairness and balance here, disagreeable comments are welcome but they are not an excuse to spout BS and nonsense. If you use your long comments with vague and slippery language as a Trojan horse to enter BS on this forum, you’ll get called out on it, as a few commenters have already done today (e.g. https://thestandard.org.nz/convoy-protest-29-2-22/#comment-1869734). You demand specific examples from others but you fail to comment by your own standard. This is not acceptable behaviour.
I have no idea what “ideology” you’re thinking of when clearly there’s a strong consensus among (NZ) scientists and health experts about vaccines, even for children – that includes paediatricians in the Starship Hospital. Are you accusing them of being ideologues rather than scientists or doctors?
If you want to argue the science and/or public health measures on scientific grounds you may want to improve your science literacy skills. A few commenters here are highly qualified in science matters, including yours truly, and they tend to give you a hard time and rightly so because that’s what healthy robust debate is all about here. I could say much more about your debating style and my perceptions of you as a commenter, but I don’t think that will help much right now.
You have my respect and sympathy and I do give you the benefit of doubt, believe it or not, but you do wear my patience down with your belligerent responses to others and me. Please take this as encouragement to lift your game here – Incognito
PS Just as well you were already banned for one day by weka judging by your trashed comment @ 12:17 pm. Keep it up and you will receive your ban, as you wish, but it’ll be much longer than one day – Incognito]
ban extended out to a week for the second attack on mods that ended up in Trash. I agree with Incognito, there is considerable effort being made by mods in getting people to up their game. Your ban extension is largely because I don’t want to have to deal with another round of attacks on mods and not listening tomorrow. I’ve said it before, slow down, get the comments right even if it means less of them. If you have a sound argument and it’s made clearly, it will stand even if we all disagree with you. – weka]
On that note like the Jan 6 investigations helped by people all over the US identifying rioters 750 out of 2,000 have been prosecuted the more serious and ring leaders jailed.
We need to do the same here start an online investigation of those at the illegal occupation and charge those who are violent.
Most of the Washington rioters have lost their jobs didn't think they would be found out.
So Police cars have been attacked and tyres slashed overnight at the Sheep Paddock in Wellington. Is this going to be a matter of "Oh that's understandable, they must be annoyed ". For fucks sake Coster, grow some balls, this should be a last straw. It is getting to be a case of different laws for different people, if I (tempted as I have may been at times to do something similar ), or any of us had slashed Police tyres, action would have been swift and heavy handed. So what is going on?. Do the cops have information that the Unwashed possess nuclear weaponry and are afraid too much provocation will push them to use it?.
The Police are losing all credibility over this and leads one to wonder that timidity may be why the gang problem has grown to the level it has, yet individuals are still being treated harshly for minor infractions. Are they scared or just cowardly? I had sympathy for Coster initially because it did look like a tricky problem but it just looks so imcompetent now. Shit or get off the pot Coster, its time to Drain The Swamp!
While I agree with most of your post, Adrian, I heard Grant R. as MP for Wellington Central interviewed the other day.
He was asked why the government hasn't sent the police in to clear the protestors, and his answer was quite pertinent: 'We don't live in a police state!'
Soon the mandates will be lifted – they've almost outlived their purpose, though I agree with the government remaining cautious. When that happens, the selfish f*ckwits and assorted weirdos will quietly fade into the footnotes in future history books!
Though we, the taxpayers, will be left to clean up their mess around parliament!
Most of the "online left" have been advocating for something like a police state ever since the wrong people started protesting against the most open and transparent govt in history.
Why hasn't the Wellington Medical Officer of Health issued a Danger to Public Health notice in a bid to clean it up? If it was a burger bar it would be closed down instantly.
It's a public gathering on public land owned and administered by Parliament, not a food premises covered by various health and hygiene regulations administered primarily by local councils. Obviously it's a hazard, but other than shutting down the food trucks, it's not a council matter.
Here's a good, easy-to-read article on debunking covid myths that readers may have missed. Must say, it's easy to see how some of them arose. All supported by evidence, not on the "big pharma payroll", just clear explanation.
There is way more covid mRNA in covid than in the vaccine.
Vaccines were not 'rushed'; studies were done concurrently with much larger sample sizes so they were completed quicker. That has never been done on this scale before.
Vaccine effectiveness decreases over time, meaning no long-term effects. Long covid however is a thing (it sucks).
Most people who catch covid are vaccinated. It's becaise most people are vaccinated. Also, most people who die in car accidents aren't drunk. That doesn't mean drunk-driving is safer.
It's way worse than flu. COVID kills more people in a single year than the flu kills in a decade.
99.9% immunity still means MILLIONS dead. (That sign is still up at the protests)
"The thing about science is that it is self-correcting. If pharmaceutical companies faked their data, other scientists would find out and report it. Keep in mind also that there are multiple competing pharmaceutical companies who would love to discredit each other." Remember the Astra-Zeneca 'blood clot' scare?
Auckland council doing the right thing, enforcing a trespass on the Domain campers.
One camper said it was "disrespectful", which perfectly illustrates what a self-absorbed, upside-down world they live in. How do they spell freedom? Me, me, me, me, me.
For those who doubted that the protestors at Parliament let contaminated water into the stormwater drains
My Lert of 21/2/22 which is a warning system. For further verification or to argue the toss I guess you could go to the DomPost. I don't tend to argue the toss on these warnings that come frequently and cover all manner of things from road works, traffics delays, tsunami warnings and food recalls.
'Affects: Wellington City
Lert Src= Dom post 15:44
Wellington Harbour has a NO SWIM warning following sewage dumping in the drains at protest site.'
Will no one think of potential Ark Fleet Ship B passengers and their predicaments.
Indeed, just before she answered the phone, she had been picking up all her unworn evening wear that had fallen to the floor due to a faulty wardrobe rack. “By the time all the parties start again, they will probably all be out of fashion,” she lamented. “Terrible. I’m looking at all these beautiful sparkly dresses and wondering if I am ever going to get to wear them. Terrible.”
[…]
Nonetheless, Batley-Burton did not intend to camp on her visit to the protest. “Oh god no,” she laughed. “I’ve never been into camping, sorry. Definitely no camping, I don’t think I’ve ever been camping in my life.” She intended to wear a wide-brimmed hat, a sensible pair of wedges and a summery dress – “I won’t wear the stilettos on the lawn.”
Silly woman will be hoping she gets covid as it'll give her something to rabbit on about. Very mild dose of course which will end up to be, so terrible, so awful, "I could hear angels calling me."
If she really strikes it lucky one of her houses will get done over while she's away and she can give the world months of how terrible the police were: "Too busy doing things on the Harbour Bridge and in the Domain to be doing real police work."
We all are the descendants of the B-ark as they killed off the cave men.?
Also
"later revealed to be because the Ark Ship B Golgafrinchans were a 'bunch of useless idiots'."
But even idiots may be useful… as:
"
Fate of Golgafrincham
A notation in the Guide about Golgafrincham after the departure of the B Ark states that the entire remaining population subsequently died from a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone.
Arrived at Wellington Hospital. An arsehole followed through without registering, took off the supplied mask and dived into the lift before the alarm could be raised. No doubt thinks he is a star behaving in such a manner with so many imumo-compromised people around.
[deleted
[wishing harm on people like this, no matter the provocation from arsholes, is stepping over the line. -weka]
Wightman believed Prime Minister Ardern was carrying out a United Nations agenda of communism and depopulation, he said.
People had been brainwashed by the World Economic Forum, he said, and were programmed to carry out the agenda of some very sick and evil people such as the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds and Bill Gates.
“I’m not a nutter. I don’t belong to any one-sided groups.
“My job is to support those who are brave enough to be involved in this fight against tyranny and to unite the groups together… I’ve always been on the good side of good.”
A side order of anti-Semitism to go with all the other crap.
So much for the "fringe elements", supposedly outnumbered by all the lovely peaceful people there – who can't seem to find any voice to condemn the Wightmans among them, not even hiding their obnoxious views.
I guess if you provide a shower for the lovely peaceful people then any amount of bigotry is fine. That is one broken moral compass.
and all he had to do was not tell the media what he really thinks. I'm sure if Mr observer found he was working at the Bullingdon club he could keep schtum long enough to wait for a really worth while event before telling them what he really thought.
I imagine it’s pretty common that once you head down the conspiracy rabbit hole it becomes a package deal and it ultimately ends up back with the original grand daddy of all conspiracies.;
It always amuses me that the crazies are so obsessed by the Magna Carta, cuz it’s all about those wealth land owners protecting themselves from our absolutely monarchy. 🙄
I have been following the Canadian convoy protest per CBC. I have also been following a documentary crew called The fifth Estate from Canada for a couple of months too.
They have released a documentary called 'How anger, faith and conspiracy fuelled the Trucker Convoy'
There are parallels with the NZ protest.
Then there is Pat King, one of the convoy organisers, words fail me about this guy.
Some urinated and parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number carried signs and flags with swastikas.
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Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...
Over the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...
And so the first month of the year draws to a close. It rained in Auckland on 21 out of the 31 days in January. Feels like summer never really happened this year. It’s actually hard to believe there were 10 days that it didn’t rain. Was it any better where ...
A ‘small target’ strategy is not going to cut it anymore if National want to win the upcoming election. The game has changed and the game plan needs to change as well. Jacinda Ardern’s abrupt departure from the 9th floor has the potential to derail what looked to be an ...
When Grant Robertson talks about how the economy might change post-covid, one of the things he talks about is what he calls an unsung but interesting white paper on science. “It’s really important,” he says. The Minister in charge of the White Paper — Te Ara Paerangi, Future Pathways ...
The clean up has begun but more rain is on the way. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Auckland’s floods over the last three days are turning into a macroeconomic event, with losses from Aotearoa’s biggest-ever climate event estimated at around $500 million and Auckland’s schools all closed for a week until ...
The clean up has begun but more rain is on the way. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Auckland’s floods over the last three days are turning into a macroeconomic event, with losses from Aotearoa’s biggest-ever climate event estimated at around $500 million and Auckland’s schools all closed for a week until ...
The news media were at one ceremony by the looks of things. The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and his deputy were at another. The news media were at a swearing-in ceremony. The country’s leaders were at an appointment ceremony. The New Zealand Gazette record of what transpired says: Appointment of ...
I n some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. As Friday evening became night, Mayor Collins seemed to be everywhere: talking with ...
They called it an “atmospheric river”, the weather bombardment which hit NZ’s northern region at the weekend. It exacted a terrible toll on metropolitan Auckland and the rest of the region. Few living there may have noted a statement from electricity generator Mercury Energy labelled “WET, WET, WET!” This was ...
I know, that is a pretty corny title but given the circumstances here in the Auckland region, I just had to say it. The more oblique reference embedded in the title is to the leadership failures exhibited by Mayor Wayne Brown and his so-called leadership team when confronted by the ...
How much confidence should the public have in authorities managing natural disasters? Not much, judging by the farcical way in which the civil defence emergence in Auckland has played out. The way authorities dealt with Auckland’s extreme weather on Friday illustrated how hit-and-miss our civil defence emergency system is. In ...
TLDR: Here’s the key news links and useful longer reads I’ve spotted since 4 am this morning, including:calls for a more ‘spongey’ urban infrastructure after Auckland’s floods;demands for an inquiry into Auckland Council’s communications failure;the latest on Chris Hipkins’ plans for Three Waters; inside the PR trainwreck that is Wayne ...
TLDR: Here’s the key news links and useful longer reads I’ve spotted since 4 am this morning, including:calls for a more ‘spongey’ urban infrastructure after Auckland’s floods;demands for an inquiry into Auckland Council’s communications failure;the latest on Chris Hipkins’ plans for Three Waters; inside the PR trainwreck that is Wayne ...
Mayor Wayne Brown, under fire for his communication failures, quietly visited the scene of the fatal Remuera slip on Sunday, with his staff taking photos for social media updates. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: The cleanup and the post-mortem have begun, even though the rain just keeps falling in Auckland after ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
By Jamie Tahana, RNZ News Te Ao Māori journalist at Waitangi, and Russell Palmer, digital political journalist Iwi leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have accused opposition parties National and ACT of “fanning the flames of racism”, urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on Three ...
By Phoebe Gwangilo in Port Moresby Higher Education Minister Don Polye has condemned a decision by the administration of the University of Papua New Guinea to treat a PNG-born and bred grade 12 school leaver as an “international” student. Roselyn Alog, 19, whose parents are Filipinos, was born and raised ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s former Elections Supervisor Mohammed Saneem is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency for alleged abuse of office and has been stopped from fleeing the country. The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) said Saneem was alleged to have “on numerous occasions . . . unlawfully authorised payments of ...
Labour's position has alternated over the past few days: first Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would speak, then he wouldn't, and then he would again. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are announcing a transformative defence and foreign affairs policy which asserts the Mana Māori Motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in Aotearoa at their Party’s ...
The Prime Minister will no longer speak at Waitangi commemorations after the organising trust moved the political leaders to a panel away from the main event The Waitangi National Trust wrote to political parties last month saying they didn’t want political leaders to speak at the pōwhiri held on the eve ...
The Prime Minister once again has a speaking slot at the pōwhiri in Waitangi after earlier on Saturday saying he would respect the wishes of the trust organisers by not doing so The Waitangi National Trust has given the green light for Chris Hipkins and other political leaders to speak ...
It’s been exactly a decade since Seven Sharp first appeared on our screens. Remember the first episode? We’ve unearthed the tapes. On this day in 2013, a bombshell was thrown into the New Zealand television landscape. “Time for us to make way, because you’re here to see what everyone’s talking ...
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris has fronted endless media requests and live crosses this week. Is he getting it right? Lewis Ferris is trying to find his weather map. “This week’s been so insane” he mutters as he closes multiple tabs on the three screens across his Wellington desk. He’s ...
After four years, executive director Max Tweedie has stepped down from Auckland Pride. He tells Sam Brooks about shepherding the festival through a tumultuous few years, and where he’s going from here.This year’s Auckland Pride Festival is set to be the biggest one yet. Over the course of more ...
A flailing mayor was only the public face of a multifaceted flooding communications failure. Duncan Greive examines the mess, and asks what can be done to improve it.It’s a chilling timeline. Stuff’s Kelly Dennett catalogued, beat-by-beat, the 12 hours in which Auckland was pummelled by a catastrophic deluge, interspersing ...
The Dunedin branch of the Green Party has selected Francisco Hernandez as its candidate for the Dunedin electorate in this year’s general election. Francisco Hernandez was the Otago University Students Association President in 2013. He has held a number ...
Waitangi organisers are trying to push political leaders to the side at Sunday's pōwhiri, but Labour's deputy leader says it's not for them to decide who speaks. Te Tai Tokerau MP and Labour’s deputy leader, Kelvin Davis, says the Prime Minister will speak at Sunday’s pōwhiri at Waitangi, in defiance of local ...
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, we spoke to an aid worker who had made the trip to the war zone in Ukraine, looked at why Carmel Sepuloni was picked to be the new deputy prime minister, visited the flood-torn streets of Titirangi in West ...
Schools play an integral but often unrecognised and unacknowledged role in helping communities respond to and recover from disastersOpinion: Schools in Auckland and other flood-affected areas are about to re-open after a delayed start to the new school year. Students will return to school having experienced wide-ranging impacts. While some ...
A very short story for Waitangi weekend The pā is a lonely place nowadays. Gorse has marched on it like the British troops of old, consuming the hills and leaving the marae looking a bald patch on the head of the earth mother herself. Even the roads have worn thin, ...
This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's The School Away From School written by Bill Morris and published in NZ Geographic's January/February 2023 issue. You can find the entire article, with photos from Lottie Hedley, on the NZ Geographic website. One hundred years since its ...
COMMENTARY:By Kayt Davies in Perth I wasn’t good at French in my final year of high school. My classmates had five years of language studies behind them. I had three. As a result of my woeful grip on the language, I wrote a terribly bad essay in my final ...
RNZ Pacific Journalist Victor Mambor, who is the chief editor of the West Papuan newspaper and websiteJubi, has received the Oktovianus Pogau Award from the Indonesian-based Pantau Foundation for courage in journalism. The foundation’s Andreas Harsono said Mambor’s decision to return to his father’s homeland and defend the rights ...
RNZ News Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is brushing off concerns a temporary rent freeze in flood-hit Auckland would just see landlords hike rents even more when the controls were lifted — arguing they should stay permanently. More than 20 organisations have signed a letter urging Minister for Auckland Michael ...
Iwi leaders have accused National and ACT of "fanning the flames of racism", urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on three waters. ...
About this time last week it had become apparent that Auckland was in for a bit more than just a wet Friday. While the state of emergency remains in place for another seven days, it appears the worst should now be behind us. Last night, Niwa shared a fascinating thread ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra ShutterstockIndigenous Australians are respectfully advised that the following includes the names and images of some people who are now deceased. The Reserve Bank of Australia ...
The government has confirmed the money will be spent in Northland, including unlocking greenfields land and transport upgrades like a new bridge in Kamo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW Sydney Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that sometime between August and November this year, the Australian people will go to a referendum for the first time since 1999. We’ll be asked whether we support ...
Viewers across the United States were today shown a slice of New Zealand, with a reporter for Good Morning America broadcasting live from Rotorua. Robin Roberts, a co-anchor for the popular morning TV show, has been touring the country this week. During her visit to Rotorua’s Te Puia centre, she ...
They can be environmentally unsound and are a symbol used to shame millennials, but everyone still loves an avo. I love avocados, always have, always will. The buttery golden-green flesh from a perfectly ripe avocado is a culinary blessing. Today I’d love to simply wax poetic about twisting open a ...
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.AUCKLAND1The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press, $50) The beautiful ...
A new poem by Robin Peace. To the kahikatea I see from my bed Thinking inside the square, the ellipse, the round of what life is, I only see the trees. Not only as if that were the only thing I see, but only as if the tree matters more. ...
A week ago, Elton John’s first Auckland show was called off at the last minute. What was it like getting there, being there, and trying to return home afterwards?Elton John has long been a blessing for our ears, but in recent years his Auckland shows have been cursed. His ...
For Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, sorry seems to be the hardest word to say The mayoral chains must have been heavy this week for Auckland’s Wayne Brown, as his response to last week’s flood garnered its own veritable torrent of scandals and media scrutiny. Almost exactly one week on from ...
For Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, sorry seems to be the hardest word to say The mayoral chains must have been heavy this week for Auckland’s Wayne Brown, as his response to last week’s flood garnered its own veritable torrent of scandals and media scrutiny. Almost exactly one week on from ...
Ours Not Mines is cautiously excited about reporting that the Government is drafting legislation to ban new mines on conservation land. The anti-mining group's spokesperson, Morgan Donoghue says: "The Government has been promising us some action for ...
People who enjoy the outdoors for recreation, fishing and hunting will lose rights under the Natural and Built Environments Bill. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan says the proposed replacement for the Resource Management ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has conceded he “dropped the ball” during last Friday’s major flooding event. The state of emergency in the super city has today been extended for a further seven days, though Brown said he expects it will be lifted early. After a week of defensiveness over his ...
As the reality TV juggernaut returns for a new season, Tara Ward steps into the minds of the show’s relationship experts to assess the compatibility of this year’s brides and grooms. Married at First Sight: Australia returns on Monday night, and by season ten, you’d think the show’s relationship experts ...
Auckland’s state of emergency is expected to be extended for another seven days, according to the Herald. It was due to expire overnight after being declared a week ago, the day of the worst flooding in the super city. While weather conditions have improved, the city is continuing to experience ...
Proposed pay equity claim settlements for school librarians and science technicians have been reached between the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa, Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted and NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Mark Potter, announced ...
Members of NZEI Te Riu Roa negotiating on behalf of school librarians, library assistants and science technicians are excited to announce that proposed pay equity settlements are ready to be voted on by their colleagues. They include pay increases of up to ...
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for Michael Wood, the Minister of Transport, and now Auckland, to cancel the light rail project immediately. Auckland Light Rail was never going to happen, as our group has repeatedly said dozens of ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been asked to intervene following confirmation today that the Government plans to implement a ban on all extractive sector activities on the conservation estate. Wayne Scott, CEO of the Aggregate and Quarry Association, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images The heated (and often confused) debate about “co-governance” in Aotearoa New Zealand inevitably leads back to its source, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But, as its long-contested meanings demonstrate, very little ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Hunter, Lecturer in Art and Performance, Deakin University Jodie Hutchinson/Red StitchReview: Wittenoom, directed by Susie Dee, Red Stitch Deep in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, the town of Wittenoom lies empty, desolate … and contaminated. Wittenoom ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Bown, Postdoctoral fellow, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock The past few years have seen an explosion in applications of artificial intelligence to creative fields. A new generation of image and text generators is delivering impressiveresults. Now AI has also found ...
New Zealand’s egg shortage is hitting cruise ships too – forcing the crew of one vessel to hatch a poaching plan. This story was first published on Stuff. On the hunt for eggs, a crew from a luxury cruise ship got cracking and hatched a cunning plan. Earlier this week, Stuff ...
Now demolished, the First Church of Christ Scientist was a masterclass of architectural imagination. Kate Linzey visits the site on which it once stood, to learn more. The object is delicate and small. Small enough to sit in the palm of my hand and weighing less than 300 grams. It ...
When your food parcel arrives before the emergency alert, you know something’s not working properly.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. I’ve spent the last week desperately and at times fruitlessly attempting to drain and then sweep my whānau home of knee-deep water, pull up ...
Drongo-gate continues for another day with the Herald reporting that Auckland’s mayor has been caught out using the slang term for a second time. It comes this time from a former minor mayoral candidate, Mike Kampkes, who said he received a message from Brown in response to a media release ...
How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how venture capitalists are funding Aotearoa’s fastest growing, least-polluting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Guastella, Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, University of Sydney Shutterstock With childcare and schools starting the new year, parents might be anxiously wondering how their child will adapt in a new ...
I am delighted to announce the appointment of John Price ONZM as the new Director Civil Defence Emergency Management and Deputy Chief Executive Emergency Management for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). John has been a member of the ...
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki are calling on the new Prime Minister and new Minister of Conservation Willow Jean Prime to immediately implement the 2017 promise to ban new mining activity on conservation lands. “ The mining industry group Straterra ...
How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. In the latest episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how ...
There’s a fear that highlighting menopause will undermine women, especially at work. But what have centuries of secrecy achieved for us? Are you sick of hearing about menopause? Kim Hill is. The living legend of Aotearoa broadcasting told actor Robyn Malcolm (also a legend) on her Saturday Morning show on RNZ ...
Dunedin city council has reached an agreement to save Foulden Maar from commercial mining. The maar is the site of a crater lake from 23 million years ago with the diatomite of the lake preserving fossils and a climate record covering 100,000 years from that period. It is fantastic news for Otago University ...
Some are speculating whether the Auckland Mayor's leadership is circling the drain. James Elliott hopes they're right. There’s never been a week quite like it. It was the week when the rains came. All of them. Even the rain from Spain that was supposed to fall mainly on the plain, came. ...
The Bus and Coach Association supports the Government’s decision to continue half-price fares on public transport services. The fare reduction was set to expire on 31 March 2023, but will now continue to 30 June 2023. “Half-price fares have cost ten-times ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Hipkins’ bread and butter reshufflePolitical scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Chris Hipkins hires a lobbyist to run the BeehiveNew Zealand Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, speaking when Minister of Education, at NZEI Te Riu Roa strike rally on the steps of the New Zealand Parliament, 15th August 2018. Image; Wiki Commons. New Zealand is ...
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance todayCO-GOVERNANCE, WAITANGI, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Blowing Off The Froth: Why Chris Hipkins Must Ditch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brian Tweed, Senior lecturer, Massey University Shutterstock/Renata Apanaviciene As we approach another Waitangi Day, we should be thinking again about what Te Tiriti o Waitangi means. As the late Moana Jackson commented, the meaning of Te Tiriti will be ...
Even prime ministers get caught in bad weather. It’s a week on from the devastating flooding that hit Auckland and Northland and Chris Hipkins has been forced to drive north for the start of Waitangi weekend commemorations after his plan was turned away from Kerikeri airport (twice). Today will see ...
Less than a year ago, co-governance had a future, at least as potentially accepted terminology. Now some iwi leaders want the label removed and replaced, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
“The decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to not replace the late Queen with Charles on the Aussie $5 note should indicate to our Reserve Bank that it’s time to change the NZ $20 note” said Lewis Holden, campaign chair of New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Wolf, Associate Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Australian National University Somchat Parkaythong/Shutterstock Black holes are bizarre things, even by the standards of astronomers. Their mass is so great, it bends space around them so tightly that nothing can escape, even ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Revell, Associate Professor in Environmental Physics, University of Canterbury Getty Images The ozone layer is on track to heal within four decades, according to a recent UN report, but this progress could be undone by an upsurge in rocket ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney At the New South Wales election on March 25 a 12-year-old Coalition government will be seeking re-election. Hoping to return as premier is Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet – a political conservative ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Trauer, Associate Professor, Monash University Anastelfy/Shutterstock The XBB.1.5 subvariant, known informally as “Kraken”, is the latest in a menagerie of Omicron subvariants to dominate the headlines, following increasing detection in the United States and United Kingdom. But there ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Combe, Doctoral student, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock As the economist Herman Daly pithily said, the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment – not the reverse. Nature makes our lives possible through what scientists call ecosystem ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Jefferson, Lecturer in Education, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Grit. Don’t quit. That’s the mantra many parents may have in mind when they, like me, spend what feels like years ferrying children to a seemingly endless variety of sports and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, UNSW Sydney Sam Shere/Wikimedia Commons A few weeks ago, Gautam Adani was indisputably India’s richest man. Now his fortune is slipping away as the stocks of his many companies crash, thanks to the ...
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Peace Aotearoa
Can the anti-mandate protest in Wellington be ended peacefully?
I think it can
Rather than directly confronting the anti-mandate protesters are there other options?
The government have used legal mechanisms to threaten to seize the funds of unions and of Greenpeace if they take illegal actions.
Left wing organisations that engage in Illegal actions like unlawful strikes or blockading oil exploration and off-shore drilling vessels can face massive fines and/or have their funds and assets seized.
In this respect the Employment Relations Act is particularly harsh, allowing the authorities not just to seize the funds and assets of the union but also the funds and assets of the workers involved in illegal strikes. Not excluding their personal car and family home.
The laws which allow the authorities to seize funds and assets of Left law breakers have proved very effective in disciplining the unions. And recently Greenpeace as well.
if these laws can be used against Left wing activists, why can’t they be used against Right wing activists.
The police have said that they are looking into the option of seizing the funds and assets of the protesters' funds and assets.
The police need to follow throught.
I have suggested that the other way to end this protest peacefully is to tow all the illegally parked vehicles.
How long could this well funded glamping protest last without all the support vehicles like campers and caravans and even private cars?
The police have also said they are looking into this option as well, and say plans are well in place to remove all the illegally parked vehicles.
How long could this glamping protest last without their camper vans and caravans and other support vehicles?
The authorities could start with seizing the illegal parked shower block, as well as the illegally parked donut franchise that supplies the protesters with free donuts.
No Left wing protest has been so well catered.
Peace Aotearoa
Blessed are the peace makers
What, and risk howls of police brutality from outraged right whingers?
Shower block removed!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/127914677/occupation-day-22-shortlived-shower-block-gone-after-latenight-police-mission
"No Left wing protest has been so well catered" until now
This is a right wing protest.
Sure it is.
Hi felix
Looks pretty right wing to me.
Have I missed anything?
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/selfish-idea-freedom-stuff-nightmares
I rate Jean Balchin’s writing…( I have followed for a while) and she hits here.
Onya Jean
From your link:
Yea, Jean is definitely on to it
I should have 'bolded' this sentence, for this is the crux of the vaccine programme!
I shudder to think how worse this might have been had I not been fully vaccinated.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/462487/more-than-13-percent-of-counties-manukau-dhb-staff-off-work-due-to-covid-19
Yea humour aside ( Im a fan of surreal…but ! : ( The shit is soon gonna hit the fan. Those anti vaxx fuckwits. !!
Errrmm… 11 October 2021
Large parts of two workforces critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be required to be vaccinated, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today.
“Our education and health and disability workforces have done an incredible job throughout this pandemic to keep themselves and people safe,” Chris Hipkins said.
“Vaccination remains our strongest and most effective tool to protect against infection and disease, and we need as many workers as possible to be vaccinated to allow sectors to respond to the pandemic and deliver everyday services with as little disruption as possible.
“While most people working in these sectors are already fully or partially vaccinated we can’t leave anything to chance and are making it mandatory.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/mandatory-vaccination-two-workforces
I have no doubt that pro-mandate folk will be able to spin this as a success.
And ? You think the situation would be better without vaccination? Oh yea Ivermectin. vitamin D.
And? Do you think that two or three shots of the Pfizer product imposed on all staff in the health and disability sector has been a success in terms of the expressed aims from October 2021?
You know, a few days before this…the root cause of the protest?
As usual, Rosemary, you're missing the point, either wilfully or . . .
Vaccines are not totally effective in stopping people from getting covid, but far reduce the risk of getting seriously ill.
And that, to my mind, is worth doing.
Vaccines are not totally effective in stopping people from getting covid,
They're not very effective at preventing infection from Delta…and just about no protection from Omicron.
So why continue the mandates?
Also….how come we have seen no stories in MSM about how the unjabbed are handling Omicron?
"They're not very effective at preventing infection from Delta…and just about no protection from Omicron."
Of course you have a source for this which we would all agree is reliable.
to Nic
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-omicron-pfizer-vaccine-far-less-effective-in-ages-5-11-than-in-older-kids/KQ6PNSGUCLCTBZXMCLJLMVBMHI/
While protection against hospitalisation is still strong, the vaccine offered almost no protection against infection, even just a month after full vaccination.
The coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech is much less effective in preventing infection in children ages 5-11 than in older adolescents or adults, according to a large new set of data collected by health officials in New York state — a finding that has deep ramifications for these children and their parents.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only Covid shot authorised for that age group in the United States. It still prevents severe illness in the children, but offers virtually no protection against infection, even within a month after full immunisation, the data, which were collected during the omicron surge, suggest.
The sharp drop in the vaccine's performance in young children may stem from the fact that they receive one-third the dose given to older children and adults, researchers and federal officials who have reviewed the data said.
Experts worried that the news would further dissuade hesitant parents from immunising their children. Other studies have shown the vaccine was not powerfully protective against infection with the omicron variant in adults, either.
"Experts" worried that folks won't keep injecting novel pharmaceutcals into children who are in the vast majority unaffected by the disease the shots are supposed to prevent. WTF?
What was that adage about keeping on doing the thing that doesn't work despite the risks?
See, I kind of saw this comment thread where Jenny and Molly were both accusing you of being a liar. Not just lying but sneakily writing stuff you can retract the parts you couldn't get away with, and leaving the stuff you actually could get away with. So I'll let you retract the parts of your original claim "They're not very effective at preventing infection from Delta…and just about no protection from Omicron." which are not supported by your source.
Looking forward to the correction – thanks in advance.
@Nic the NZer
"See, I kind of saw this comment thread where Jenny and Molly were both accusing you of being a liar."
I don't think this was me. I try not to use words like 'liar' on TS.
(I also appreciate links for alternative viewpoints, even if I don't end up agreeing. Saves me from my Google algorithm echo chamber.)
I lost track of a previous convo, but this is funny given the argument for natural immunity. Which is likewise partial.
Some of us think we should use all the tools.
(How the government has managed impacts of mandates on disabled people is appalling, as per usual)
tend to agree with Nic here. If you're original comment had specified children it would have been more accurate (according to the paywalled NZH).
You're all over the place in this thread.
Also that the vaccination program would be sufficient for opening up with Delta. Especially relevant as it really started in earnest when Delta was the latest variant.
Its more rewriting the recent history of the country to go along with the claims that "lockdowns don't work" despite NZ (later merely parts of NZ) being essentially covid free for multiple months at a time when there were few other protections available.
Rosemary you are telling big porkies again.
That was before Omricon.When Delta was dominant.
You know very well that Omricon is different but can be deadly for the immune compromised yet your anti vax anti mandate.
Reducing the load on the health system so people like your partner can be safer.
Encouraging those undermining these public health initiatives is self sabotage.
You would prefer our health system to collapse.
You have a partner at home who is immune compromised you wouldn't care if he wasn't treated because the health system is completely overun.
The hospital run by infectious practitioners .
Rosemary you are telling big porkies again.
Be very specific when you show where I lied.
I wouldn't call it lying, but it is misrepresentation,
Rosemary without any vaccination many of the protestors are heading home taking omricon or even Delta.
Starting a superspeader nightmare for those who are immune compromised and those without any vaccinations.
Your futile nit picking is admirable but your in the very very small minority.
Obsessively looking for any excuses.
John Hopkins University has praised NZs response.
McKinsey and Co also praising our health and economic response.
Then our Death rate hospitalisations are the lowest.
yet you keep banging on with out any credibility.
how long are you going to self isolate as Omricon becomes endemic.
ive
your in the very very small minority.
Yes. And oh, how the Left just love to hate on minorities.
Not sure if you noticed, but Omicron kicked off when those of us who rejected the Pfizer product were not the ones flying untested all over the country and were not going to music festivals and bars and nightclubs and universities and working in hospitals and rest homes and other places which forced the vaccine on all their workers and had outbreaks.
I think the obsessiveness is coming from you lot…practically every other sane and rational country did not impose the mandates we have here, and have lifted most other restrictions. Realizing that the current crop of mRNA shots don't prevent infection. Realizing that both variants of Omicron are mild for most people and provide long lasting and robust immunity.
Time to let go of this OCD behaviour and move on.
Omicron is not ‘Nature’s vaccine’ – ‘vaccination’ by infection, be it Delta, Omicron, or whatever, is far more risky than an actual vaccine designed to train immune systems to produce antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Risk-taking behaviour during a pandemic is not for me.
Yep. That's what I said.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-omicron-pfizer-vaccine-far-less-effective-in-ages-5-11-than-in-older-kids/KQ6PNSGUCLCTBZXMCLJLMVBMHI/
Risk-taking behaviour during a pandemic is not for me.
Drowsy –
Your flying all over the place in the face of facts.
Vaccines reduce your chances of dying long covid (heart attacks strokes debilitating tiredness.
Now Omricon is here you are way more likely to be seriously infected but for those 94% fully vaccinated you are living on borrowed health provided by the 94% plus boosted bravery and efforts.
By the time your preferred vaccine rolls out it will be to late for you to get immunity Omricon will be endemic.
It takes 4 to 5 months to build that immunity by that time the wave will be over and the only hope will be super careful isolation.
No. You have not been specific in detailing where I lied.
Put up or retract and apologize.
Wrong again.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/countries-making-covid-19-vaccines-mandatory-2021-08-16/
https://www.statista.com/chart/25326/obligatory-vaccination-against-covid-19/ [NZ is not even highlighted on the map]
You make up a lot BS here, still, because you think you can get away with it. You’re wrong about this too. Time for you to retract and apologise.
lol, those are the insane and irrational countries Incog 😉
Yeah, I know. I couldn’t find the Wikipedia page listing all insane and irrational countries in the World. This was the closest I could find: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mentally_ill_monarchs. My bad.
Sigh.
The first link is from an article dated 1st January.
Omicron.
Lets move on eh?
FWIW. I do not always see replies.
I did not have the option of relying as the the 'button' disappears.
None of you have actually pointed out where I have lied.
Linking and quoting from a published piece does not make it my lie.
Do you have anything to say about the piece from the Herald saying the Pfizer shot does fuck all to prevent infection or transmission in 5-12 yer olds? Is that the BS I'm accused of spreading?
Have you not seen the studies that state that this age group is largely unaffected by Covid…any variant..unless they have severe underlying health conditions?
can you please explain why for both of those? Understanding technical context can help. eg what device are you using, and are the reply buttons there sometimes and not others?
You going to ban me again Incognito?
What was it for last time? Oh, that's right, back in September when the BBC wrote about the JCVI in the UK being reluctant to advise rolling out the Pfizer shot to 12-15 year olds
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58438669
The UK's vaccine advisory body has refused to give the green light to vaccinating healthy children aged 12-15 years on health grounds alone.
The JCVI said children were at such a low risk from the virus that jabs would offer only a marginal benefit.
Lies? Bullshit? Or simply not what you and others want to see?
That was the moment that I realized that moderation on TS was dictated by some weird ideology rather than science.
[take the day off. I don’t have time or patience for commenters who want to pick fights with moderators – weka]
[Sure, happy to ban you for your BS comments and disingenuous behaviour if you choose to continue this way.
Let’s start with you accusing me of banning you previously, shall we? I’ve never banned you before, never ever, AFAIK (and I checked a long way back, trust me on that). On 1 Sep 2021 I put you in Pre-Mod after a long series of exchanges and warnings (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-09-2021/#comment-1812865). You lingered there for a while because you didn’t engage with the Mod notes.
I value and welcome other views that go against the prevailing winds and currents. In fact, I positively encourage it here when I can get the chance. I’ve been called antagonistic by others (not on this forum) and I know how it feels like. I also know that you have to have a strong case if you want to go against the majority view.
To allow for some kind of fairness and balance here, disagreeable comments are welcome but they are not an excuse to spout BS and nonsense. If you use your long comments with vague and slippery language as a Trojan horse to enter BS on this forum, you’ll get called out on it, as a few commenters have already done today (e.g. https://thestandard.org.nz/convoy-protest-29-2-22/#comment-1869734). You demand specific examples from others but you fail to comment by your own standard. This is not acceptable behaviour.
I have no idea what “ideology” you’re thinking of when clearly there’s a strong consensus among (NZ) scientists and health experts about vaccines, even for children – that includes paediatricians in the Starship Hospital. Are you accusing them of being ideologues rather than scientists or doctors?
If you want to argue the science and/or public health measures on scientific grounds you may want to improve your science literacy skills. A few commenters here are highly qualified in science matters, including yours truly, and they tend to give you a hard time and rightly so because that’s what healthy robust debate is all about here. I could say much more about your debating style and my perceptions of you as a commenter, but I don’t think that will help much right now.
You have my respect and sympathy and I do give you the benefit of doubt, believe it or not, but you do wear my patience down with your belligerent responses to others and me. Please take this as encouragement to lift your game here – Incognito
PS Just as well you were already banned for one day by weka judging by your trashed comment @ 12:17 pm. Keep it up and you will receive your ban, as you wish, but it’ll be much longer than one day – Incognito]
ban extended out to a week for the second attack on mods that ended up in Trash. I agree with Incognito, there is considerable effort being made by mods in getting people to up their game. Your ban extension is largely because I don’t want to have to deal with another round of attacks on mods and not listening tomorrow. I’ve said it before, slow down, get the comments right even if it means less of them. If you have a sound argument and it’s made clearly, it will stand even if we all disagree with you. – weka]
mod note. Seriously, moderators have enough on our plate as it is at the moment without having to deal with deliberate fights.
Another Mod not for you.
third mod note.
' Omicron are mild for most people' Those that I know that have had Omicron would be mightily pissed off at such a ridiculous claim.
But assuming you're correct, it's also a fact that the Pfizer vaccine has produced only a mild reaction in most people.
You just don't seem to be able to apply logic to your arguments.
Omicron is not mandated by govt though is it?
It kind of would be if we caved into the protesters demands.
Dishonest reply as usual.
Thanks PLA for linking to Balchin's writing. Sums the whole deal so well. Glad I read it.
1/3/22!!!
OMG Its the EMF !!
Wasn't it a full moon on the 2nd of the 2nd 22?
My chakras momentarily re-aligned their poles.
Who knew 2022 was a leap year?
Well tbf, 2022 has been a jump the shark kind of year.
Yet more criminal activity associated with the mob at Parliament.
Police car tyres slashed.
Cctv will no doubt find out who the culprits are.
On that note like the Jan 6 investigations helped by people all over the US identifying rioters 750 out of 2,000 have been prosecuted the more serious and ring leaders jailed.
We need to do the same here start an online investigation of those at the illegal occupation and charge those who are violent.
Most of the Washington rioters have lost their jobs didn't think they would be found out.
So Police cars have been attacked and tyres slashed overnight at the Sheep Paddock in Wellington. Is this going to be a matter of "Oh that's understandable, they must be annoyed ". For fucks sake Coster, grow some balls, this should be a last straw. It is getting to be a case of different laws for different people, if I (tempted as I have may been at times to do something similar ), or any of us had slashed Police tyres, action would have been swift and heavy handed. So what is going on?. Do the cops have information that the Unwashed possess nuclear weaponry and are afraid too much provocation will push them to use it?.
The Police are losing all credibility over this and leads one to wonder that timidity may be why the gang problem has grown to the level it has, yet individuals are still being treated harshly for minor infractions. Are they scared or just cowardly? I had sympathy for Coster initially because it did look like a tricky problem but it just looks so imcompetent now. Shit or get off the pot Coster, its time to Drain The Swamp!
While I agree with most of your post, Adrian, I heard Grant R. as MP for Wellington Central interviewed the other day.
He was asked why the government hasn't sent the police in to clear the protestors, and his answer was quite pertinent: 'We don't live in a police state!'
Soon the mandates will be lifted – they've almost outlived their purpose, though I agree with the government remaining cautious. When that happens, the selfish f*ckwits and assorted weirdos will quietly fade into the footnotes in future history books!
Though we, the taxpayers, will be left to clean up their mess around parliament!
Most of the "online left" have been advocating for something like a police state ever since the wrong people started protesting against the most open and transparent govt in history.
Why hasn't the Wellington Medical Officer of Health issued a Danger to Public Health notice in a bid to clean it up? If it was a burger bar it would be closed down instantly.
It's a public gathering on public land owned and administered by Parliament, not a food premises covered by various health and hygiene regulations administered primarily by local councils. Obviously it's a hazard, but other than shutting down the food trucks, it's not a council matter.
Here's a good, easy-to-read article on debunking covid myths that readers may have missed. Must say, it's easy to see how some of them arose. All supported by evidence, not on the "big pharma payroll", just clear explanation.
https://thelogicofscience.com/2022/01/19/debunking-30-bad-arguments-about-covid-vaccines/
Excellent article.
Some of my standouts from that article:
Auckland council doing the right thing, enforcing a trespass on the Domain campers.
One camper said it was "disrespectful", which perfectly illustrates what a self-absorbed, upside-down world they live in. How do they spell freedom? Me, me, me, me, me.
Or freedumb!
For those who doubted that the protestors at Parliament let contaminated water into the stormwater drains
My Lert of 21/2/22 which is a warning system. For further verification or to argue the toss I guess you could go to the DomPost. I don't tend to argue the toss on these warnings that come frequently and cover all manner of things from road works, traffics delays, tsunami warnings and food recalls.
'Affects: Wellington City
Lert Src= Dom post 15:44
Wellington Harbour has a NO SWIM warning following sewage dumping in the drains at protest site.'
Well buggar me
Will no one think of potential Ark Fleet Ship B passengers and their predicaments.
Indeed, just before she answered the phone, she had been picking up all her unworn evening wear that had fallen to the floor due to a faulty wardrobe rack. “By the time all the parties start again, they will probably all be out of fashion,” she lamented. “Terrible. I’m looking at all these beautiful sparkly dresses and wondering if I am ever going to get to wear them. Terrible.”
[…]
Nonetheless, Batley-Burton did not intend to camp on her visit to the protest. “Oh god no,” she laughed. “I’ve never been into camping, sorry. Definitely no camping, I don’t think I’ve ever been camping in my life.” She intended to wear a wide-brimmed hat, a sensible pair of wedges and a summery dress – “I won’t wear the stilettos on the lawn.”
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/01-03-2022/why-would-a-real-housewife-of-auckland-go-to-the-wellington-protest
Silly woman will be hoping she gets covid as it'll give her something to rabbit on about. Very mild dose of course which will end up to be, so terrible, so awful, "I could hear angels calling me."
If she really strikes it lucky one of her houses will get done over while she's away and she can give the world months of how terrible the police were: "Too busy doing things on the Harbour Bridge and in the Domain to be doing real police work."
We all are the descendants of the B-ark as they killed off the cave men.?
Also
"later revealed to be because the Ark Ship B Golgafrinchans were a 'bunch of useless idiots'."
But even idiots may be useful… as:
"
Fate of Golgafrincham
A notation in the Guide about Golgafrincham after the departure of the B Ark states that the entire remaining population subsequently died from a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone.
"
Canaries to hidden problems in our society?
Don't Panic (in large friendly letters)
Franky and Benjie
Arrived at Wellington Hospital. An arsehole followed through without registering, took off the supplied mask and dived into the lift before the alarm could be raised. No doubt thinks he is a star behaving in such a manner with so many imumo-compromised people around.
[deleted
[wishing harm on people like this, no matter the provocation from arsholes, is stepping over the line. -weka]
mod note
Thanks weka – fair call. The comment was formulated in the heat of the moment whilst in a waiting area surrounded by cancer patients.
Owner of the shower block removed by police defends himself. Rather an 'interesting' read but this bit made me chuckle:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127926477/ill-take-this-to-the-end-protest-shower-block-man-colin-wightman-says-police-stole-it
Christchurch. Why is it always Christchurch?
Well, I do hope the Police return the shower block to Mr Whiteman.
As driftwood.
As opposed to the ‘Rothschilds’ who are never on the good side of good and of course isn’t a well known code for something else 🙄
A side order of anti-Semitism to go with all the other crap.
So much for the "fringe elements", supposedly outnumbered by all the lovely peaceful people there – who can't seem to find any voice to condemn the Wightmans among them, not even hiding their obnoxious views.
I guess if you provide a shower for the lovely peaceful people then any amount of bigotry is fine. That is one broken moral compass.
and all he had to do was not tell the media what he really thinks. I'm sure if Mr observer found he was working at the Bullingdon club he could keep schtum long enough to wait for a really worth while event before telling them what he really thought.
I imagine it’s pretty common that once you head down the conspiracy rabbit hole it becomes a package deal and it ultimately ends up back with the original grand daddy of all conspiracies.;
Indeed.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/petitions/document/PET_99118/petition-of-colin-wightman-human-rights-violations-return
It always amuses me that the crazies are so obsessed by the Magna Carta, cuz it’s all about those wealth land owners protecting themselves from our absolutely monarchy. 🙄
Wightman was involved in TB racing and became a pariah for his anti establishment rants.
I have been following the Canadian convoy protest per CBC. I have also been following a documentary crew called The fifth Estate from Canada for a couple of months too.
They have released a documentary called 'How anger, faith and conspiracy fuelled the Trucker Convoy'
There are parallels with the NZ protest.
Then there is Pat King, one of the convoy organisers, words fail me about this guy.
Hi Shanreagh. Yep definitely a quite dangerous person. And a real worry if these types are influencing NZ anti vaxxers.
https://www.voanews.com/a/anti-vaccine-protest-in-canada-prompts-outrage-not-sympathy-/6422438.html
Well that sure sounds familiar !