While two actors who play fictional characters were involved in a real life court room drama, two real life human beings (played by Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi) have researched and reprised the lives of two other human beings (a pirate and his intern – and added extras for seasoning.
Our Flag Means Death's gentle sensibility doesn't quite strike comedic gold
I found the first three or four episodes distinctly unfunny. Then Waititi turned up and while I'm still not a huge fan, it does get funnier by the episode.
However, some absolutely adore it so perhaps I'm not the target audience.
So when I realized that Our Flag Means Death is actually telling the queer story it felt like it’s telling—fully, and tenderly—it was like the world cracked open in the best way.
It’s mindblowing, dizzying really. Many queer fans of Our Flag Means Death finished the show in a state of shock that most of us haven’t yet left. It feels deeply cathartic and genuinely freeing. There’s this sense of astonished relief, of unfamiliar energy, from not having to bend over backwards for fucking once.
Omicron continues to circulate in the community and open borders will bring new COVID-19 variants, flu, and other infectious illnesses, putting additional pressure on the entire health system including GP practices, pharmacies, community health clinics, emergency ambulances as well as emergency departments.
Being honest about it all is useful I guess. Shall we hope that the whole country has peaked with Omicron and recovered enough before the borders open?
Most hospitals going to code black( suspended operations) lots of staff off with Covid,3 variants of Omicron in circulation,2 types of Influenza,RV,and a very high excess death rate.
There's an awful lot of people not taking it seriously.
Lab employee told me about someone who turned up sniffing and snuffling having bull-shited their way through the entry interview and ditched the mask they'ed been given to wear. They admitted that they thought it was a good time to get bloods done while they were off work with covid.
My brother's had obviously ill staff turn up to work because they were bored at home. Mate working on an orchard packed up and went home because his employer was encouraging staff to turn up ill or not.
A long-time friend is 60, un-vaccinated, seriously over weight, likely pre-diabetic, and he’s decided that it's just a flu and runs around without a care in the world.
People are getting ill, not bothering to report it and sweating it out and anecdotally, reinfections are occurring, too.
What are you supposed to do Joe?..i had all the classic symptoms of covid and took 2 days off work…did RAT tests every day and tested negative so went back to work….mind you most of the listed covid symptoms Ive had for years.
Knowingly is a loaded term….I have the symptoms but test negative, and we know that the tests are unreliable and that there are asymptomatic cases, does everyone place their lives on hold on the off chance?
You can be symptomatic and return a negative test. You can be symptomatic and you may not be infectious but close contact with others when you're symptomatic is punting with other people's health.
An off chance that you might knowingly or otherwise infect someone with a potentially fatal disease is a pretty damn good reason to place your life on hold for long enough to ensure that you're not infectious.
I read it as you're likely infectious a couple of days before symptom onset to between 3 and 10 days after symptom onset. So when you're no longer symptomatic is the obvious answer.
Or in an ideal world, a clear PCR test prior to returning to work.
we should by now be moving to a place where no-one has to go to work if they have respiratory symptoms. I'm talking concept and cultural practice rather than perfection. That people have to work when unwell is not a good thing, without even thinking about covid.
That's true. And, if you work in an environment where you have the capacity to work from home, then it's achievable.
[Our workplace does. And this is required, not optional – your manager will send you home, if you turn up to work obviously sick]
But. And it's a big But. Lots of workplaces simply don't have this option of remote working. You either have to take sick or annual leave – and people run through that darn quickly (especially if they also have kids who are not able to attend school with even the most minor of sniffles); or you have to work through (taking symptom suppressant medication, and trying to stay under the H&S radar).
Note that this particularly impacts on women – who by and large (and yes there are exceptions) are the ones taking sick leave to look after family members.
Companies are also looking at employee productivity. And someone with a history of taking a lot of sick leave, won't be the one getting the pay rise or promotion (unless they have unique skills to compensate).
yes, we need to change the culture and policy/law so that people don't have to go to work sick. Start with the easy workplaces and work from there. I'd go with universities etc soon too, we already have much of the infrastructure in place but it could be improved.
Unis etc are good places to make the cultural change. Set up the tech of learning so that people don't have to come in and sit in a lecture theatre and infect others if they are sick. By tech I mean ICT but also the cultural tech of learning. How to make it effective and fun.
I've spent a lot of time online at home on my own due to disability. There are ways to make that enjoyable and ways to make it boring or frustration. People might have to learn some new skills.
"It’s a bit more than recorded lectures. Tutorials and group work also went on-line. Was it effective? I wouldn’t know …"
According to the uni students I know (pretty big cross-section of different disciplines) – it was a total disaster.
Effective group work online requires a shared culture and trust model – which needs to be established first.
It basically doesn't work unless you already have a shared group identity (e.g. a work-based team). You can transition a new person into an existing group, but it's darn hard to establish a remote group who've never worked/met in person.
Uni tutorials are the opposite of this (they've never worked together, and are expected to form online working groups for each lecture/subject they study). Not going to happen.
Uni-students said that during Covid lockdowns basically no one said anything, people showed up for roll call (to get the credit) then switched off, or (at most) there was one eager-beaver who talked to the tutor.
"Unis etc are good places to make the cultural change. Set up the tech of learning so that people don't have to come in and sit in a lecture theatre and infect others if they are sick. By tech I mean ICT but also the cultural tech of learning. How to make it effective and fun."
Having several friends with uni-age-and-attending kids during the last couple of years, I can tell you that the online university is a resounding failure in comparison with the in-person experience.
Students hated it (apart from those who found it a heaven-sent opportunity to cheat).
A large (and crucial) part of a tertiary education is the opportunity to bounce ideas of contemporaries and lecturers – and this simply doesn't work in an online environment. Learning is a gestalt. Not an isolated experience.
However, if all you're talking about is the ability to have a lecture recorded, so a sick student can watch it remotely – it's easy to do. The equivalent of borrowing a friend's lecture notes.
I doubt it will make much difference. Most students aren't sufficiently motivated to drag themselves off their sick beds, just to go to a lecture. And there are already plenty of accommodations for aegrotat passes if you're truly sick during exams.
Sorry, running into a problem with the nested replies
Ten days. How many people who get covid this year will need more than that for all sicknesses?
I can tell you now, that almost all mothers will need significantly more than that.
If I didn't have the capacity to work from home, then I would have already exceeded this, in caring for a sick child, this year alone. And we haven't even had Covid! Or got into the winter cold/flu season.
Now that schools won't allow kids to come with even a minor sniffle, I've had to take 2 periods of 1 week away from the office – just for two bouts of an ordinary cold (teen sick, not me). In both cases, according to my eagle-eyed parental mode – he was well enough to learn after the first 2 days, but not allowed to go back to school while still 'snotty'.
I have no idea how parents who don't have the WFH option manage. But suspect there are a lot of kids 'home alone' or with grandparents (not ideal from the cross-infection perspective).
At work, we have several staff members who are on their 3rd or 4th Covid isolation (large, extended families) as a household contact. At this point, they're just about desperate to actually catch Covid – which means they don't have to isolate for the next 3-4 months, even if they're a household contact.
@ Incognito…perhaps you should explain that to Weka and Joe….and the guy at my place of employment on his second isolation with covid inside 3 months, first case mild second not.
If you have symptoms of a contagious (infectious) respiratory disease you stay home. That’s nothing new, but for Covid we now have several lovely test kits to prove it other than going to the GP who looks at you and diagnoses you as having x, y, or z (aka a ‘cold’ or the ‘flu’).
If you’re a household contact of a positive Covid case it depends on whether it has been 90 days (3 months) since you had it yourself.
This is the current information, subject to change.
If you’re a household contact of a positive Covid case it depends on whether it has been 90 days (3 months) since you had it yourself.
Yes indeed. The problem is when you are (repeatedly) a household contact, but haven't caught Covid. Of course, you may have had an asymptomatic case, which was missed by the RATs – but that doesn't count.
If you have not had Covid in the last 3 months, and are a household contact for someone who has got Covid, you have to isolate. Repeatedly in many cases. As I said, we have staff who are on their 3rd or 4th round of Covid-household-contact isolation – in the last 6 months.
Although that seems an excessively high number I agree that it would be enormously disruptive. Unfortunately, the signs are the pandemic will have a long fat tail in NZ and plus all the other winter illnesses it will make for a season of more disruption and upheaval. I guess we have to become more resilient, individually and collectively, more tolerant and ‘learn to live with it’.
But it's not what I meant. I meant that we could be building on our covid experience to develop a culture where people don't have to go to work sick. That's a financial and economic change, but also how we do work. As I just said to Belladonna, start with the easy workplaces and work from there.
Also said, it doesn't have to be perfect, to don't let that be the enemy of the good.
You could make a point for covid and its long term effects to be inflationary in so far as it reduces labour participation,which in turn increases wage growth,etc
We have acute staffing shortages as it is…shortages that are causing harm…and you wish to have anyone with respiratory symptoms avoid work?
I said quite clearly that I want us to change work culture so that sick people don't have to go do work. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Nothing about doing that now while we have staff shortages.
Dont worry about climate change….if everyone who has (indeternimate) symptoms ceases work the whole shebang will collapse tomorrow
Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying.
And were going to transition to a society that provides all needs without
the benefit of the multiplying effect of fossil energy?
Supporting people to be healthy will increase our ability to function in a post-carbon world, not decrease it.
because you seem an a rather literal frame of mind. Obviously a truck driver with the end of a cold who feels otherwise fine can go to work and not infect anyone else (wear a mask in the office, wash your hands, etc).
"I said quite clearly that I want us to change work culture so that sick people don't have to go do work. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Nothing about doing that now while we have staff shortages."
You havnt defined sick…have a look at the list of covid symptoms…half the people I know permanently have at least 2 or 3 of them.
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Thats the problem…youre not actually saying anything
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Again you say nothing…we are unable to meet our labour requirements (even pre covid) and the demands on labour will only grow as energy declines.
You havnt defined sick…have a look at the list of covid symptoms…half the people I know permanently have at least 2 or 3 of them.
Oh, so you mean too many people don't know how to make that judgement call? My understanding is that viral infections' contagious period is shorter than symptoms.
Also, if people have allergies or whatever, there are ways to pay attention and figure this out. A lot of people are already doing this.
As I said, it doesn't have to be perfect. Start with the people who have full blown symptoms.
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Thats the problem…youre not actually saying anything
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Again you say nothing…we are unable to meet our labour requirements (even pre covid) and the demands on labour will only grow as energy declines.
You're being so vague that I can't be more specific. I gave you the truck driver examples, and Uni students. You appear to have a believe that these things cannot be solved, whereas I'm more interested in exploring solutions.
Lots of jobs will disappear with the climate crisis so I'm not as convinced as you that there will be a shortage of workers. Nevertheless, keeping people healthy will be more important than making people go to work and harming their immune systems. Again, doesn't have to be perfect, I'm talking a cultural change.
I think about worker shortages in sectors like fruit picking. There's not an actual shortage of workers though, there's a mistmatch around wages, employment conditions, and the people willing and able to do the work. So unless you say something more than asserting bad things, it's hard to know what you are thinking about.
I truly think that the 'easy' workplaces (i.e. the predominantly white collar workers, who can transition in and out of working from home) are already working towards this 'norm'
Partly because it pays (spreading sickness across the workforce is counter-productive – when there is a WFH alternative). And partly because the workforce (at least in the current environment) has the power to ask for WFH as an option – and are highly motivated to want it (for at least some of the time)
The problem is, that these workplaces are a minority – and, worse, a predominantly white collar elite minority – to which the bureaucrats and decision-makers belong.
The majority of workplaces simply don't have a significant WFH component. How do you run a building site, shopping centre, or warehouse with WFH staff? You can't.
If you plan on increasing sick leave, so all workers can remain at home (paid) when they have a respiratory infection – then several things will have to happen. Staff numbers will have to increase (and these businesses are already struggling to find staff ATM); and costs of the goods and services will have to increase (to cover the additional staffing costs) – at a time when household budgets are already stretched.
I don't think that this is a 'real world' solution.
Tell the person who delivers your fuel, groceries, builds /repairs your home, fixes your car, drives your public transport, grows/processes your food, cs\ares for your ill or disabled etc to work from home.
Funnily enough, as someone with a disability, like many others I've been at the blunt end of workers getting covid and the system not coping. I support both my caregivers to take time off. I can afford this in the sense that I won't starve or not be able to shower or move, but it does impact on me in ways that make me lose ground I don't necessarily regain.
But I still support them to have time off. For bloody obvious reasons, but also for less obvious ones. I want them to be part of the pool of support available for the people that are highly dependent.
As it happens, one of the workers works for an org that has a higher standard than the government is proposing. They RAT test daily, and there is absolutely an expectation that they won't come to work if they have symptoms.
I think this misses the point Belladonna. As I said, it doesn't have to be perfect. I'm talking about a cultural change where people don't have to go to work when sick. There are people who can still go to work when sick, people who can work from home, and adjustments that can be made. I've just given the real life example to Pat of disability support workers. That won't be universal, but I suspect there is a lot to be learned from that sector on how to manage.
The main point here is that pre-covid, we had a culture that said you should work unless you are basically bed ridden. Go to school sick, go to work, work hard, don't take time off, and god forbid take time to convalesce. New Zealanders work very long hours. We don't have a culture of care for our health. That's the stuff I am pointing to. I'm betting there's some productively studies that show that if people can look after their health, they work better and need less time off.
…and you wish to have anyone with respiratory symptoms avoid work?
Staying home? If you have symptoms? During a pandemic? Madness!
Otoh, 'soldiering on' is no longer for me, and I don't expect it of others, but personal responsibility and commitment are complex variable traits.
Long Covid Campaign
Although duration and severity [of Long Covid] vary, there is no apparent link to pre-existing conditions or levels of fitness, but there is some indication that ‘soldiering on’ through a Covid infection makes Long Covid more likely.
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways.
Yep, in different and unpredictable ways – caution is (still) warranted, imho. Fortunately there are simple things that symptomatic people can do to minimise the risks to themselves and others.
For example, from the link you provided @10:45 pm:
While you have symptoms:
Stay home. Do not go to work or school. Do not socialise.
Ok…I'll tell my employer on monday I wont be back until im symptom free, and i'll give you as a reference to WINZ….going on history I expect I'll be completely symptom free sometime around when im dead.
Forgive the intrusion…city living whanau, all double vaxxed, all have had symptoms over the past few weeks.
One of them works for an organization with a rule that even if you're 'symptomatic' you must have a positive test before you get the time off work. One employee's wife had tested positive…but he had to go to work as he tested negative. Snoughed his way through the working day… and to everyone's relief he tested positive upon returning home. This is an essential service associated with exports and they simply can't afford to have folks taking sickies. Hmmm….
Another whanau member, also double vaxxed has had symptoms that saw the medical center send them to the hospital for extra tests. (All clear and sent home) RAT tests up the wazoo for three days and all negative. This morning unable to get out of bed with crushing exhaustion and cold sweats. Exact same symptoms as my man had back in March…and he tested positive. Their workplace was very understanding, but my young friend still felt obliged to try and work from home so as not to let their boss down. Mortgages and the like…fear of losing job, then home, is very real.
Ardern has made a couple of accurate statements over the past two and a bit years. One was… ' …behave as if we all have the virus.' and the other was '…this is a tricky virus.'.
tricky would be laconic Kiwi understatement. I think we are just getting started in understanding this, despite humans having built a large body of knowledge in the past two years.
I'm still waiting for the TCM stuff to land from China in the English speaking worlds. But nek minit, monkey pox. We're bloody thick sometimes.
Ours offers this.
With the majority of our customers having a financial year ending 30 June – and pressure to spend their budgets by that date- it pays $$$ in reducing staff illness at a critical time of year.
An example of a bottom-line driven decision, which also benefits employees.
At the same rate, 150K suffering debilitating, long term health problems. Half that would overwhelm our health system so don't get sick and WTF you do, don't get old.
Two million people in UK living with long Covid, find studies
ONS figures show that one in five people with long Covid had the infection two years ago
Israeli forces shot Palestinian journalist Ghufran Warasneh. She was denied medical aid and left to bleed to death. The IDF then attacked her funeral procession.
“It will also ensure public ownership is a bottom line for this Government, and the Bill contains strong protections against privatisation that will ensure this essential infrastructure is safeguarded for future generations.
“The Bill also incorporates the recommendations of the Working Group on Representation, Governance and Accountability. It secures community ownership of the water entities, protects against privatisation, and ensures a stronger community voice in the new entities.
“It ensures the collective ownership of the entities by local government on behalf of their communities through a shareholding allocated on the basis of population, as recommended by the Working Group.
“The Bill contains robust mechanisms to provide for iwi/Māori rights and interests in our three waters system but makes clear these rights and interests do not include ownership.
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TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Williams Veazey, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of Sydney DavideAngelini/Shutterstock In the 2007 film The Bucket List Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Tanja Esser/Shutterstock Australia’s vital agriculture sector will be hit hard by steadily rising global temperatures. Our climate is already ...
The Acumen Edelman Trust barometer reported that New Zealand’s political trust score now sits below the global average, a topic explored in a recent discussion paper by Maxim Institute. ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The Fast-Track Bill is the most damaging piece of environmental legislation any Government has introduced in living memory. People are angry, and it’s time to march." ...
The school lunches programme has been retained – and will be extended to some preschoolers. So how is it going to cost $107 million less? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The minister with many hats David Seymour wears a number of hats, but this week ...
“Show us the bird,” I found myself muttering at times while reading Hard by the Cloud House by Peter Walker, a deeply thoughtful, often hilarious, at times rambling – but somehow delightfully so – search for the story of a big bird. But not just any bird: the bird. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition DPVUE .images/Shutterstock Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
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While two actors who play fictional characters were involved in a real life court room drama, two real life human beings (played by Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi) have researched and reprised the lives of two other human beings (a pirate and his intern – and added extras for seasoning.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/our_flag_means_death/s01
It seems they tried to make the relationship work and neglected their piracy.
OUR FLAG MEANS (unto) DEATH (an at sea remake of 4 weddings and a funeral)
https://twitter.com/hbomax/status/1532044303538827264
I found the first three or four episodes distinctly unfunny. Then Waititi turned up and while I'm still not a huge fan, it does get funnier by the episode.
However, some absolutely adore it so perhaps I'm not the target audience.
So when I realized that Our Flag Means Death is actually telling the queer story it felt like it’s telling—fully, and tenderly—it was like the world cracked open in the best way.
It’s mindblowing, dizzying really. Many queer fans of Our Flag Means Death finished the show in a state of shock that most of us haven’t yet left. It feels deeply cathartic and genuinely freeing. There’s this sense of astonished relief, of unfamiliar energy, from not having to bend over backwards for fucking once.
https://www.tor.com/2022/04/25/act-of-grace-masculinity-monstrosity-and-queer-catharsis-in-our-flag-means-death/
where is it streaming?
I'm watching it on SkyGo. Neon has it, too.
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/kiwis-urged-look-after-themselves-and-alleviate-pressure-health-system-winter
Being honest about it all is useful I guess. Shall we hope that the whole country has peaked with Omicron and recovered enough before the borders open?
Most hospitals going to code black( suspended operations) lots of staff off with Covid,3 variants of Omicron in circulation,2 types of Influenza,RV,and a very high excess death rate.
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-mortality-p-scores-average-baseline?country=NZL~AUS
hospitals are already at code black, or that is what will happen over winter once the borders open?
Hospitals are limited with staff shortages now,and overloaded AE.One was reporting they had 200 off per day.Winter who knows?
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1522687804832194562?cxt=HHwWhIC97bWf1qEqAAAA
Also this (after approx 2mins 38s) I won’t link to it but insert this into twitter . .
questCNN/status/1530280196166787074
There's an awful lot of people not taking it seriously.
Lab employee told me about someone who turned up sniffing and snuffling having bull-shited their way through the entry interview and ditched the mask they'ed been given to wear. They admitted that they thought it was a good time to get bloods done while they were off work with covid.
My brother's had obviously ill staff turn up to work because they were bored at home. Mate working on an orchard packed up and went home because his employer was encouraging staff to turn up ill or not.
A long-time friend is 60, un-vaccinated, seriously over weight, likely pre-diabetic, and he’s decided that it's just a flu and runs around without a care in the world.
People are getting ill, not bothering to report it and sweating it out and anecdotally, reinfections are occurring, too.
What are you supposed to do Joe?..i had all the classic symptoms of covid and took 2 days off work…did RAT tests every day and tested negative so went back to work….mind you most of the listed covid symptoms Ive had for years.
Don't knowingly risk infecting your workmates?
Knowingly is a loaded term….I have the symptoms but test negative, and we know that the tests are unreliable and that there are asymptomatic cases, does everyone place their lives on hold on the off chance?
You can be symptomatic and return a negative test. You can be symptomatic and you may not be infectious but close contact with others when you're symptomatic is punting with other people's health.
https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1472024457640394756
All very interesting but dosnt answer the question
An off chance that you might knowingly or otherwise infect someone with a potentially fatal disease is a pretty damn good reason to place your life on hold for long enough to ensure that you're not infectious.
How long is long enough Joe?…a week? a month?….as said the symptoms are ubiquitous and the test unreliable.
would you go to work while you have symptoms if work didn't need you to and you could financially afford not to?
I read it as you're likely infectious a couple of days before symptom onset to between 3 and 10 days after symptom onset. So when you're no longer symptomatic is the obvious answer.
Or in an ideal world, a clear PCR test prior to returning to work.
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization.
Most common symptoms:
fever
cough
tiredness
loss of taste or smell
Less common symptoms:
sore throat
headache
aches and pains
diarrhoea
a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
red or irritated eyes
https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/#covid-19-symptoms
we should by now be moving to a place where no-one has to go to work if they have respiratory symptoms. I'm talking concept and cultural practice rather than perfection. That people have to work when unwell is not a good thing, without even thinking about covid.
That's true. And, if you work in an environment where you have the capacity to work from home, then it's achievable.
[Our workplace does. And this is required, not optional – your manager will send you home, if you turn up to work obviously sick]
But. And it's a big But. Lots of workplaces simply don't have this option of remote working. You either have to take sick or annual leave – and people run through that darn quickly (especially if they also have kids who are not able to attend school with even the most minor of sniffles); or you have to work through (taking symptom suppressant medication, and trying to stay under the H&S radar).
Note that this particularly impacts on women – who by and large (and yes there are exceptions) are the ones taking sick leave to look after family members.
Companies are also looking at employee productivity. And someone with a history of taking a lot of sick leave, won't be the one getting the pay rise or promotion (unless they have unique skills to compensate).
yes, we need to change the culture and policy/law so that people don't have to go to work sick. Start with the easy workplaces and work from there. I'd go with universities etc soon too, we already have much of the infrastructure in place but it could be improved.
Last year Government increased the minimum sick leave entitlement from 5 to 10 days.
I don’t get your comment re. universities though.
Unis etc are good places to make the cultural change. Set up the tech of learning so that people don't have to come in and sit in a lecture theatre and infect others if they are sick. By tech I mean ICT but also the cultural tech of learning. How to make it effective and fun.
Yup, almost everything at uni is online too, but whether it is fun … Flu shots are free for staff.
Ten days. How many people who get covid this year will need more than that for all sicknesses?
10 days is the minimum entitlement and employees can carry over leave (to a point), AFAIK.
Indeed, 10 days doesn’t go far if one has Covid-19; self-isolation is yet a whole other issue, but at least there is some support for that: https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/covid-19/leave-support-scheme/index.html
and better ventilation. All the things.
I've spent a lot of time online at home on my own due to disability. There are ways to make that enjoyable and ways to make it boring or frustration. People might have to learn some new skills.
I hear you. I became a house mouse and the cat loved it! At least one of us enjoyed the working-from-home crap.
"It’s a bit more than recorded lectures. Tutorials and group work also went on-line. Was it effective? I wouldn’t know …"
According to the uni students I know (pretty big cross-section of different disciplines) – it was a total disaster.
Effective group work online requires a shared culture and trust model – which needs to be established first.
It basically doesn't work unless you already have a shared group identity (e.g. a work-based team). You can transition a new person into an existing group, but it's darn hard to establish a remote group who've never worked/met in person.
Uni tutorials are the opposite of this (they've never worked together, and are expected to form online working groups for each lecture/subject they study). Not going to happen.
Uni-students said that during Covid lockdowns basically no one said anything, people showed up for roll call (to get the credit) then switched off, or (at most) there was one eager-beaver who talked to the tutor.
Yeah, I know …
A few have dropped out altogether and probably won’t return.
"Unis etc are good places to make the cultural change. Set up the tech of learning so that people don't have to come in and sit in a lecture theatre and infect others if they are sick. By tech I mean ICT but also the cultural tech of learning. How to make it effective and fun."
Having several friends with uni-age-and-attending kids during the last couple of years, I can tell you that the online university is a resounding failure in comparison with the in-person experience.
Students hated it (apart from those who found it a heaven-sent opportunity to cheat).
A large (and crucial) part of a tertiary education is the opportunity to bounce ideas of contemporaries and lecturers – and this simply doesn't work in an online environment. Learning is a gestalt. Not an isolated experience.
However, if all you're talking about is the ability to have a lecture recorded, so a sick student can watch it remotely – it's easy to do. The equivalent of borrowing a friend's lecture notes.
I doubt it will make much difference. Most students aren't sufficiently motivated to drag themselves off their sick beds, just to go to a lecture. And there are already plenty of accommodations for aegrotat passes if you're truly sick during exams.
It’s a bit more than recorded lectures. Tutorials and group work also went on-line. Was it effective? I wouldn’t know …
Sorry, running into a problem with the nested replies
I can tell you now, that almost all mothers will need significantly more than that.
If I didn't have the capacity to work from home, then I would have already exceeded this, in caring for a sick child, this year alone. And we haven't even had Covid! Or got into the winter cold/flu season.
Now that schools won't allow kids to come with even a minor sniffle, I've had to take 2 periods of 1 week away from the office – just for two bouts of an ordinary cold (teen sick, not me). In both cases, according to my eagle-eyed parental mode – he was well enough to learn after the first 2 days, but not allowed to go back to school while still 'snotty'.
I have no idea how parents who don't have the WFH option manage. But suspect there are a lot of kids 'home alone' or with grandparents (not ideal from the cross-infection perspective).
At work, we have several staff members who are on their 3rd or 4th Covid isolation (large, extended families) as a household contact. At this point, they're just about desperate to actually catch Covid – which means they don't have to isolate for the next 3-4 months, even if they're a household contact.
Catching covid does not preclude being reinfected nor does it preclude the necessity to isolate (in some peoples view)
If you have had COVID-19 in the past 3 months, you do not need to isolate again.
https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-tracing/contact-tracing/household-contacts/
@ Incognito…perhaps you should explain that to Weka and Joe….and the guy at my place of employment on his second isolation with covid inside 3 months, first case mild second not.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/covid-19/468169/covid-19-reinfections-not-being-tracked-in-nz-as-examples-tipped-to-rise
Rare and increasing by all appearances
Possibly.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/460698/a-tenth-of-england-s-2022-covid-cases-suspected-reinfections-data-suggests
And none of which addresses the problem of expecting isolation in the presence of exceedingly common symptoms of indeterminate cause.
If you have symptoms of a contagious (infectious) respiratory disease you stay home. That’s nothing new, but for Covid we now have several lovely test kits to prove it other than going to the GP who looks at you and diagnoses you as having x, y, or z (aka a ‘cold’ or the ‘flu’).
If you’re a household contact of a positive Covid case it depends on whether it has been 90 days (3 months) since you had it yourself.
This is the current information, subject to change.
"If you have symptoms of a contagious (infectious) respiratory disease you stay home."
Again….look at the list of symptoms.
I tick one, all the time:
Tiredness
I hope you are isolating
Yes indeed. The problem is when you are (repeatedly) a household contact, but haven't caught Covid. Of course, you may have had an asymptomatic case, which was missed by the RATs – but that doesn't count.
If you have not had Covid in the last 3 months, and are a household contact for someone who has got Covid, you have to isolate. Repeatedly in many cases. As I said, we have staff who are on their 3rd or 4th round of Covid-household-contact isolation – in the last 6 months.
Although that seems an excessively high number I agree that it would be enormously disruptive. Unfortunately, the signs are the pandemic will have a long fat tail in NZ and plus all the other winter illnesses it will make for a season of more disruption and upheaval. I guess we have to become more resilient, individually and collectively, more tolerant and ‘learn to live with it’.
We have acute staffing shortages as it is…shortages that are causing harm…and you wish to have anyone with respiratory symptoms avoid work?
Dont worry about climate change….if everyone who has (indeternimate) symptoms ceases work the whole shebang will collapse tomorrow
And were going to transition to a society that provides all needs without
the benefit of the multiplying effect of fossil energy?
Think about it.
that would be a boon for climate action.
But it's not what I meant. I meant that we could be building on our covid experience to develop a culture where people don't have to go to work sick. That's a financial and economic change, but also how we do work. As I just said to Belladonna, start with the easy workplaces and work from there.
Also said, it doesn't have to be perfect, to don't let that be the enemy of the good.
It may not have to be perfect, but it sure as hell has to be functional
obviously.
The forty hour week is a convention. We don't have it because it's the most effective, we have it because of history. We can change that.
Same with the culture around sickness.
You could make a point for covid and its long term effects to be inflationary in so far as it reduces labour participation,which in turn increases wage growth,etc
https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1527058830420484098
We havnt had a 40 hour work week for decades….you havnt addressed either point
I did.
I said quite clearly that I want us to change work culture so that sick people don't have to go do work. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Nothing about doing that now while we have staff shortages.
Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying.
Supporting people to be healthy will increase our ability to function in a post-carbon world, not decrease it.
because you seem an a rather literal frame of mind. Obviously a truck driver with the end of a cold who feels otherwise fine can go to work and not infect anyone else (wear a mask in the office, wash your hands, etc).
These are not hard things to imagine.
"I said quite clearly that I want us to change work culture so that sick people don't have to go do work. And it doesn't have to be perfect. Nothing about doing that now while we have staff shortages."
You havnt defined sick…have a look at the list of covid symptoms…half the people I know permanently have at least 2 or 3 of them.
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Thats the problem…youre not actually saying anything
"Like I said, nothing about doing it today or tomorrow. Maybe you should think about what I am actually saying."
Again you say nothing…we are unable to meet our labour requirements (even pre covid) and the demands on labour will only grow as energy declines.
Oh, so you mean too many people don't know how to make that judgement call? My understanding is that viral infections' contagious period is shorter than symptoms.
Also, if people have allergies or whatever, there are ways to pay attention and figure this out. A lot of people are already doing this.
As I said, it doesn't have to be perfect. Start with the people who have full blown symptoms.
You're being so vague that I can't be more specific. I gave you the truck driver examples, and Uni students. You appear to have a believe that these things cannot be solved, whereas I'm more interested in exploring solutions.
Lots of jobs will disappear with the climate crisis so I'm not as convinced as you that there will be a shortage of workers. Nevertheless, keeping people healthy will be more important than making people go to work and harming their immune systems. Again, doesn't have to be perfect, I'm talking a cultural change.
I think about worker shortages in sectors like fruit picking. There's not an actual shortage of workers though, there's a mistmatch around wages, employment conditions, and the people willing and able to do the work. So unless you say something more than asserting bad things, it's hard to know what you are thinking about.
You carry on thinking Weka
I truly think that the 'easy' workplaces (i.e. the predominantly white collar workers, who can transition in and out of working from home) are already working towards this 'norm'
Partly because it pays (spreading sickness across the workforce is counter-productive – when there is a WFH alternative). And partly because the workforce (at least in the current environment) has the power to ask for WFH as an option – and are highly motivated to want it (for at least some of the time)
The problem is, that these workplaces are a minority – and, worse, a predominantly white collar elite minority – to which the bureaucrats and decision-makers belong.
The majority of workplaces simply don't have a significant WFH component. How do you run a building site, shopping centre, or warehouse with WFH staff? You can't.
If you plan on increasing sick leave, so all workers can remain at home (paid) when they have a respiratory infection – then several things will have to happen. Staff numbers will have to increase (and these businesses are already struggling to find staff ATM); and costs of the goods and services will have to increase (to cover the additional staffing costs) – at a time when household budgets are already stretched.
I don't think that this is a 'real world' solution.
Tell the person who delivers your fuel, groceries, builds /repairs your home, fixes your car, drives your public transport, grows/processes your food, cs\ares for your ill or disabled etc to work from home.
Blinkered dosnt even begin to describe it.
Funnily enough, as someone with a disability, like many others I've been at the blunt end of workers getting covid and the system not coping. I support both my caregivers to take time off. I can afford this in the sense that I won't starve or not be able to shower or move, but it does impact on me in ways that make me lose ground I don't necessarily regain.
But I still support them to have time off. For bloody obvious reasons, but also for less obvious ones. I want them to be part of the pool of support available for the people that are highly dependent.
As it happens, one of the workers works for an org that has a higher standard than the government is proposing. They RAT test daily, and there is absolutely an expectation that they won't come to work if they have symptoms.
Not as blinkered as you assume Pat.
I think this misses the point Belladonna. As I said, it doesn't have to be perfect. I'm talking about a cultural change where people don't have to go to work when sick. There are people who can still go to work when sick, people who can work from home, and adjustments that can be made. I've just given the real life example to Pat of disability support workers. That won't be universal, but I suspect there is a lot to be learned from that sector on how to manage.
The main point here is that pre-covid, we had a culture that said you should work unless you are basically bed ridden. Go to school sick, go to work, work hard, don't take time off, and god forbid take time to convalesce. New Zealanders work very long hours. We don't have a culture of care for our health. That's the stuff I am pointing to. I'm betting there's some productively studies that show that if people can look after their health, they work better and need less time off.
I'm never impressed by TINA.
Staying home? If you have symptoms? During a pandemic? Madness!
Otoh, 'soldiering on' is no longer for me, and I don't expect it of others, but personal responsibility and commitment are complex variable traits.
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization.
Most common symptoms:
fever
cough
tiredness
loss of taste or smell
Less common symptoms:
sore throat
headache
aches and pains
diarrhoea
a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
red or irritated eyes
https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/about-covid-19/covid-19-symptoms/#covid-19-symptoms
Yep, in different and unpredictable ways – caution is (still) warranted, imho. Fortunately there are simple things that symptomatic people can do to minimise the risks to themselves and others.
For example, from the link you provided @10:45 pm:
Ok…I'll tell my employer on monday I wont be back until im symptom free, and i'll give you as a reference to WINZ….going on history I expect I'll be completely symptom free sometime around when im dead.
Best of luck using me as your reference
I’m (still) plumping for common sense – better for us all, imho.
Ah, so im allowed to use common sense now….make up your mind
Of course, although I hope you don’t think you need my permission.
I made up my mind a few years ago, and every day since.
On that at least you are correct…i dont.
On that at least we're both correct – nice to find common ground.
Labour is going to be in ever increasing demand….but not necessarily labour in the way some appear to understand it.
Forgive the intrusion…city living whanau, all double vaxxed, all have had symptoms over the past few weeks.
One of them works for an organization with a rule that even if you're 'symptomatic' you must have a positive test before you get the time off work. One employee's wife had tested positive…but he had to go to work as he tested negative. Snoughed his way through the working day… and to everyone's relief he tested positive upon returning home. This is an essential service associated with exports and they simply can't afford to have folks taking sickies. Hmmm….
Another whanau member, also double vaxxed has had symptoms that saw the medical center send them to the hospital for extra tests. (All clear and sent home) RAT tests up the wazoo for three days and all negative. This morning unable to get out of bed with crushing exhaustion and cold sweats. Exact same symptoms as my man had back in March…and he tested positive. Their workplace was very understanding, but my young friend still felt obliged to try and work from home so as not to let their boss down. Mortgages and the like…fear of losing job, then home, is very real.
Ardern has made a couple of accurate statements over the past two and a bit years. One was… ' …behave as if we all have the virus.' and the other was '…this is a tricky virus.'.
tricky would be laconic Kiwi understatement. I think we are just getting started in understanding this, despite humans having built a large body of knowledge in the past two years.
I'm still waiting for the TCM stuff to land from China in the English speaking worlds. But nek minit, monkey pox. We're bloody thick sometimes.
If you didn't have covid you had something else right?
Possibly….or physical decline, theres a lot of it about.
If workplaces provided flu vaccine to workers that would help.
Ours offers this.
With the majority of our customers having a financial year ending 30 June – and pressure to spend their budgets by that date- it pays $$$ in reducing staff illness at a critical time of year.
An example of a bottom-line driven decision, which also benefits employees.
South Africa has just had another omicron wave go through.
Apparently 98% have antibodies – only 11% from vaccine without infection.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/south-africa-was-hit-by-wave-of-infections-despite-most-having-antibodies/26VLJFZFJGO65HYKFTYFIVRA3E/
Cracking job strengthening NATO and the EU, Vova.
https://twitter.com/BreakingF24/status/1532096037849993217
At the same rate, 150K suffering debilitating, long term health problems. Half that would overwhelm our health system so don't get sick and WTF you do, don't get old.
Two million people in UK living with long Covid, find studies
ONS figures show that one in five people with long Covid had the infection two years ago
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/01/two-million-people-in-uk-living-with-long-covid-say-studies
Israeli forces shot Palestinian journalist Ghufran Warasneh. She was denied medical aid and left to bleed to death. The IDF then attacked her funeral procession.
https://twitter.com/The_NewArab/status/1531942534053871617
https://twitter.com/ChristineJameis/status/1531983019212521474
Flash Bang the show starts in AK.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/128848489/12-arrested-after-police-swarm-pakuranga-auckland-in-search-for-guns
Game on!
“It will also ensure public ownership is a bottom line for this Government, and the Bill contains strong protections against privatisation that will ensure this essential infrastructure is safeguarded for future generations.
“The Bill also incorporates the recommendations of the Working Group on Representation, Governance and Accountability. It secures community ownership of the water entities, protects against privatisation, and ensures a stronger community voice in the new entities.
“It ensures the collective ownership of the entities by local government on behalf of their communities through a shareholding allocated on the basis of population, as recommended by the Working Group.
“The Bill contains robust mechanisms to provide for iwi/Māori rights and interests in our three waters system but makes clear these rights and interests do not include ownership.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-legislation-improve-water-services-and-protect-community-ownership