Daily review 01/11/2021
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5:30 pm, November 1st, 2021 - 25 comments
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...3 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
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The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...4 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...4 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...5 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...5 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...6 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...6 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...6 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...7 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...7 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban
The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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Anyone got a tl;dl from today’s announcement?
Don't know, what is it? Should I get tested? Can I sell/eat it? Is it carbon neutral?
Good summary of conference and presser.
https://twitter.com/FallenRedNinja/status/1455006998634774528
I have real difficulty understanding the supposed experts narrative regarding Maori vaxx rates.
All of their theories imply, to me, that they consider Maori to be too dumb and stupid to understand what's going on, and lack the know how to sort it.
Dumb and stupid is certainly not my impression of Maori people.
Yes I'm a whitey, but my Rongowhakaata wife of 53 years is the sharpest knife in our family drawer.
Frustrating isn't it? It's dumb and stupid to believe Maori are any less diverse in their attitudes and motivations to vaccines than Pakeha. What's different is the structural inequity in the delivery of the roll-out and the underlying inequity in relationships between Maori and many government agencies over a long period of time.
Newsroom has a commentary on an RNZ podcast about government not understanding some issues. In it they talk about the Kawerau roll-out.
Florence Kerr has a piece in Stuff that powerfully captures some of the views in the area I was familiar with as child. I wrote comment from my whitey perspective about that yesterday as well.
on that – saw an interesting tweet in the past couple of hours:
John Tamihere has been taking the MoH to court to get individual information on unvaccinated Māori for his Whānau Ora Commissioning agency. MoH had declined the info on privacy grounds, but tweeter reckons the judgement has just come back in favour of WOCA.
No on stuff yet as far as I can see, but will have big repercussions for the health system well after covid if the main bits are accurate.
Reported in full today. Well done John Tamihere. We have to do better at partnership.
"Iwi leader's husband punched at mobile vax stop in South Taranaki"
"The husband of Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was punched as he helped out at a mobile Covid-19 vaccination spot over the weekend.
On Saturday, Neil Packer was struck in the face on the side of South Rd in Hāwera by a man described as being angry at the work being done by the couple and volunteers."
" … believed he had travelled to Hāwera from New Plymouth, after attending a ‘freedom event’ at Puke Ariki Landing, which attracted hundreds of people on Saturday."
No doubt another 'freedom fighter' who wants everyone to have freedom except those who he deems shouldn't have it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/126851738/iwi-leaders-husband-punched-at-mobile-vax-stop-in-south-taranaki
Let's see:
Expecting 1400 cases a week by the end of the month (11 new ICU cases a week by then), still planning to open Auckland up a bit more next week, while Tairawhiti, Whanganui, and Northland DHBs will get to 90% vaccinated sometime after the New Year.
Des Gorman seems to be winning the ear of government, bugger it. Dunno what advice they're taking, but it looks like the finish line was so close they've eased off to get their laurels, and covid is running up the outside.
Turns out the Scotty from marketing routine only works on some of the people some of the time.
https://twitter.com/pablovinales/status/1454900301975089154
Rome: Scott Morrison has been branded a liar by French President Emmanuel Macron in an incendiary claim that has deepened a rift between Australia and France and created a political storm over the Prime Minister’s integrity.
Macron levelled the charge against Mr Morrison as the pair joined other world leaders for climate talks in Glasgow, drawing the Prime Minister into a spiral of claim and counter-claim over how and why Australia cancelled a $90 billion submarine contract with France.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/i-don-t-think-i-know-french-president-macron-says-scott-morrison-lied-to-him-20211101-p594sx.html
Scotty dont care…the french dont vote in Oz elections
And Aussies don't vote in French presidential elections – Macron has the better argument but is also playing to RW French voters – ditto the spat with Boris over post-Brexit fishing rights.
The better argument for who and what?
The balance of opinion seems to be that Macron was right to suggest that Scomo's government failed to give adequate notice that it was about to renege on a sub build deal worth billions to the French and that Scomo lied when he suggested that the French were told well in advance. The last laugh may be on Aussie taxpayers in the long run, though, who were never consulted whether nuclear powered subs should be built at great expense and may take 20 years, if ever, to be built, supposedly to protect Australia from…..China? There is no evidence that nuclear powered subs are capable of protecting Australia from nasty viruses, terrifying bush fires, hundred year floods and intensified cyclones, which may be far more threatening than Xi Jinping's belligerence in the long run.
"The balance of opinion seems to be that Macron was right to suggest that Scomo's government failed to give adequate notice that it was about to renege on a sub build deal worth billions to the French and that Scomo lied when he suggested that the French were told well in advance"
..and all that may well be so….but what in effect does it mean?…..i'd suggest as far as Scomo is concerned it means nothing, in fact it may even be considered an electoral positive.
The sub saga has been overshadowed massively recently in Oz by the shenanigans over the deal within the Coalition over "zero emissions by 2050" between the Libs and Nats. Not sure what ordinary Aussies think about anything as I listen too much to the ABC which probes more than the ordinary mortal does! Opinion polls are consistently showing federal Labor is ahead of the Coalition but they did ahead of the last federal election in 2019, too…. and that didn't end well. Mind you, the ALP here seems to be even more gutless than NZ Labour and its's hard to spot the difference between the 2 main players on most things including the climate change response (none!).
The article linked clearly shows that the French were formally advised that the contract was being reconsidered back in June. And if they didn't know earlier than this, when everyone involved from the marine tradies up did – it begs some pointed questions about how seriously they were taking a $90b customer.
But if anyone thinks that the French could be trusted to told about the secret negotiations with the US and UK – the phrase 'cute naivety' comes to mind.
The chances of China invading Australia are about zero. And anyone who thinks invading China is a viable proposition, is a blithering idiot.
However all this sabre rattling will keep the arms industry, rich!
A $90 billion shortfall is a lot for the French finance minister to find over a number of budgets. Just as well Australia is not in the EU.
See how this diplomatic spat is resolved.
34 billion (euro) over 25 years,,,,within a 2.6 trillion (USD) pa economy.
Can you simplify what you are saying.
Are you saying what the French spend and that a $90 billion loss will not affect the French economy?
It is quite evident that a little over a billion euro pa in a 2.2 trillion euro p,a economy is not of great financial significance
Macron knows fully well that the AUKUS negotiations were not going to be held in public.
The bald facts of the matter is that French govt and contractor got caught flat-footed on this one. The ground was shifting and they failed to take the Australian concerns seriously.
Temper tantrum. May have unhappy consequences though.
After the French tested atomic bombs in Polynesia and sank the Rainbow Warrior, who in the Pacific would trust the French? I felt it was Kama when that deal fell through, though Scotty suits himself, he wouldn't be thinking of their debt to us.
Scotty in a former life worked as a marketing consultant for Tourism New Zealand in Christchurch and was the genius who came up with the slogan "Clean, Green New Zealand" so obviously never tells a lie!