Consider that the germans have used eagles as coat of arms for about 800 years as did the english.
That may factor in when comparing the US american eagle to the german or english one. Fwiw, one could argue that the American Eagle is a rip of of the English Eagle.
Fact is the nazis did only stylize the eagle and put their symbol of death underneath, they neither designed anything new, and the Trumpistas did nothing much either. But then i have been arguing for a while that the Trumpistas are nothing more then a really useless bunch of Ersatz Nazis.
The reports of a refusal to cooperate with MBIE may or may not be accurate, but going down the route of suppression orders just adds fuel to the fire.
And is Grant Dalton ever able to communicate in a way anyone else can understand? His excessive use of jargon and mangled grammar in itself raises a few red flags with me.
"And is Grant Dalton ever able to communicate in a way anyone else can understand? His excessive use of jargon and mangled grammar in itself raises a few red flags with me."
When I heard him on the radio, he seemed keen for us to have the impression that it was independent contarctors that are at fault.
Interesting. Tova's report just now on 3News juxtaposed two video recordings: one of the PM saying David Clark resigned yesterday and the other of David Clark saying he resigned this morning. I wonder who was telling the truth? They're both Labour MPs…
Tova is a shit stirrer. Who cares? Clark offered yesterday, Ardern accept this morning. Or Clark offered yesterday, but made it official this morning. And so on. The world is getting hotter and the NZ MSM are still playing gotcha games.
Clark's actual words were that he formally resigned this morning. Tova deliberately misquoted him by leaving that word out, so as to make up her little drama.
Any normal person would accept that yesterday was verbal, and the formal letter was given in this morning. But not nasty little Tova…?
1) This is the view of the National candidate for Invercargill:
Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds said Queenstown was the logical place for a quarantine site for international students. … Queenstown has got the hotels free, it's got the space free, it's got an international airport – it's a logical site to be bringing international students into for quarantine."
2) And this is the view of the local National MP, Hamish Walker:
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker said it was “disgraceful” thousands of people could eventually be quarantined in southern centres without community consultation.
“These people are possibly heading for Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown from India, Pakistan and Korea. “I’ve already had many calls, texts and emails from residents who do not want people in quarantine in Queenstown.”.
Certainly the rest of New Zealand should be sharing the quarantine burden. Auckland and now other centres have done the service which benefits the regions so the regions should do their bit too.
I must say it would be torture, particularly as a young person, being quarantined in Queenstown. To be confined to barracks with those spectacular views.
There was a sanction against smoking dope- ignored by most. There was a law about the age you could legally drink in a pub. There was a law against putting substances up your arm with a needle, against driving while drunk, against speeding, against sex with minors.
Nah, deport the whole cohort if they break the rules. It often is peer pressure that gets them into trouble so let’s reverse this and use peer pressure to keep them on the straight and narrow. It’s only for a fortnight FFS.
Hamish Walker's statement and tweet have now been deleted. He's very lucky it's a busy news day.
And just to emphasise the point: the message is that a National MP does not want people who are NZ citizens/residents (the only arrivals that are coming in now), if they are of the wrong ethnicity.
But National DO want people who are NOT citizens/residents, because they bring the cash.
It does make me wonder how political parties work. Can MPs just issues statements like that without talking to anyone? Or did he talk to someone and it's only in hindsight that they realise he will get slammed for it?
Walker told the Herald he had information Kiwis coming from India, Pakistan and Korea had higher infection results.
He declined to say where he got this information given the Herald has been given data showing the most imported cases had come from the UK, US, Australia and Europe.
So the twerp had to be told by a source what the rest of us with a brain inside our heads knew because its been splattered all over the news for the past fortnight.
I refer to the fact that people returning from the US, UK, India, Pakistan and Korea are at a higher risk of testing positive because of the high rates of Covid in those countries.
a bit like what is done in the US. One underling goes out and is out and out racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, etc etc etc. It rails up all the wrong people, then when public outcry gets to big it is deleted. But the message was delivered and those for whom it was intended are now informed of the imminent arrival of Kiwis who are not enough Kiwi in the eyes of many.
Compost is a fuckwit. Some of his squarks are that far out there you'd think he was some fringe lefty community board candidate. This isn't that far outside his normal behaviour, except this one hit the front page nationally.
And still on ODT, and getting return serve from Megan Woods.
A safe seat and Barclay and Walker are the ones the electorate committee select, the other candidates must have been either ordinary or still in shock at the lack of judgment.
One of the other candidates, twice, Simon Flood, was a potential PM, but may have been from the wrong faction / background. Walker was challenged this year too, but it wasn't revealed by who, just Queenstown interests being behind it.
“The minister should come clean and tell the people of Southland and Otago how many of the 18 current Covid cases originate from Asia, which is a region of great risk.
(and where the f**k does he think international students come from?)
“My focus is on keeping New Zealanders safe,” Walker said. “The minister is not going to justify her failure to keep New Zealanders safe by attacking me for identifying where those risks are coming from.
(New Zealanders … but not the New Zealanders coming home)
Someone not capable of working out that those with symptoms stay at the quarantine hotel in Auckland, the ones going south into managed isolation are probably from Oz.
A speculative explanation for this could be an act of political self immolation to vacate the very safe seat for a current, more senior list MP who might be out of a job on Sept 20. But could be a bit close to the election for that now.
Grant Robertson has said that its likely to be 2021 before international students come in.
They have the hostel capacity to manage isolation and then house less than 1/3rd (usually the accomodation of the first year ones), for mine the doctorate and masters students have priority – so the capacity in hostels should be used to quarantine them first. Then come the year three students who want to finish their degree (we owe it to them to get them to the finish).
The ultimate question about numbers beyond this is over the accommodation availability and employment right we currently allow – given pandemic economics.
Just taking in this number (about 1/3rd) and to restrict them largely to the hostels eases accomodation pressure and limits impact on employment.
Ultimately whether we need to restrict numbers depends on capacity to house returning Kiwis which is still an unknown.
They add more value to the institution and potentially the economy (even without factoring in retaining them afterward) without any numerical pressure on our infrastructure (housing/employment).
The universities may cite the cash, but that comes with a wider cost – higher rents and more locals unemployed during a pandemic economy.
Two men, who both spent two weeks in hotel quarantine in Melbourne, have tested positive for coronavirus after returning home to New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Not if infected during the two week stay … how they could manage that with room isolation … well it would indicate they need a change of management regime.
We've been lucky, given our regime is not as restrictive.
I seem to remember stories of some people testing positive after a month or so.. This is a really stand-out, weird virus, and I would agree that we may well have been lucky.
A Melbourne security guard has revealed even more unsettling allegations about the misconduct that occurred at Victorian hotels being used to quarantine returned travellers.
In a series of bold allegations, the security guard told Nine he believes the workers were actually “spreading the virus” instead of controlling it.
These allegations follow claims from other whistleblowers that guards were given only “five minutes” training and some had sex with infected guests while they were in quarantine.
A University of Melbourne epidemiologist and public health medicine specialist, Professor Tony Blakely, spent 20 years at the University of Otago before taking up the Melbourne role in 2017.
He said based on what’s going on in Melbourne, New Zealand’s quarantine issues have been a “storm in a tea cup”.
Todd Muller's token reshuffle still leaves the National Party front bench looking very pale and bland.
With regard to Hamish Walker, Todd should exercise his self-proclaimed leadership ability and publicity denounce Hamish's racist nimby ramblings, but I dout he will. After all, Muller is very proud of his MAGA cap which has become a symbol of racist ideology. Hamish Walker might even get a promotion for his latest racist ramblings.
It's very obvious now that Todd is an uncharismatic gaffe prone mudder who can't control his MPs. Todd will be a great asset to the Labour Party election campaign.
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Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
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With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
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Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
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A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
Just another coincidence, I'm sure.
https://twitter.com/aravosis/status/1278490967838986240
Blatant as.
/shrug
I've always considered the US Great Seal very similar to the Third Reich's.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/1200px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png
It is simply history that has made it that way.
yeah, the US seal predates the Nazis by about 150 years.
I did hear that the presidential seal on the oval office rug has the eagle face the olive branch if US is at peace, or the arrows if at war.
The "America First" thing, on the other hand…
Consider that the germans have used eagles as coat of arms for about 800 years as did the english.
That may factor in when comparing the US american eagle to the german or english one. Fwiw, one could argue that the American Eagle is a rip of of the English Eagle.
Fact is the nazis did only stylize the eagle and put their symbol of death underneath, they neither designed anything new, and the Trumpistas did nothing much either. But then i have been arguing for a while that the Trumpistas are nothing more then a really useless bunch of Ersatz Nazis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_(heraldry)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Germany
the question just is, is Ivanka still ripping of designs of others and passing them of as her own?
And, of course, the reason why the Nazi's chose the swastika is because it's an ancient symbol of good luck.
As I said, its all history and, quite often, common history that's resulted in people using the same symbols in the same ways.
The similarities dont end there.
Team NZ always pressuring for decades for massive public handouts, yet now have grown so arrogant they think they are above public scrutiny.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12345068
The reports of a refusal to cooperate with MBIE may or may not be accurate, but going down the route of suppression orders just adds fuel to the fire.
And is Grant Dalton ever able to communicate in a way anyone else can understand? His excessive use of jargon and mangled grammar in itself raises a few red flags with me.
"And is Grant Dalton ever able to communicate in a way anyone else can understand? His excessive use of jargon and mangled grammar in itself raises a few red flags with me."
When I heard him on the radio, he seemed keen for us to have the impression that it was independent contarctors that are at fault.
Time will tell if that is the case.
Interesting. Tova's report just now on 3News juxtaposed two video recordings: one of the PM saying David Clark resigned yesterday and the other of David Clark saying he resigned this morning. I wonder who was telling the truth? They're both Labour MPs…
They could both be right if he tended his resignation yesterday but it was effective from this morning.
I really don’t see it as an issue.
Tova is a shit stirrer. Who cares? Clark offered yesterday, Ardern accept this morning. Or Clark offered yesterday, but made it official this morning. And so on. The world is getting hotter and the NZ MSM are still playing gotcha games.
Maybe Tova is still a bit pissed at Grant Robertson's mickey taking in parliament yesterday.
1) Could it be that Clark advised the PM yesterday by telephone that he was resigning.
2) Could it be that Clark formerly presented his resignation letter this morning?
3) Could it be yet another example of dear Tova’s efforts to create a controversy out of nothing?
Clark's actual words were that he formally resigned this morning. Tova deliberately misquoted him by leaving that word out, so as to make up her little drama.
Any normal person would accept that yesterday was verbal, and the formal letter was given in this morning. But not nasty little Tova…?
She's a common garden tabloid operator (wouldn't honour her with the title of journalist) and she has a very high opinion of herself.
Total non issue. Surprised she felt it was worth her time. I'm sure Tova is regarding this one as a total fail.
This one?
Everything Tova is involved with is a total fail, In the interview today Ardern straightened her out, again, for going for the gotcha moment
Another unsolvable binary dilemma!
lol
Not sure about the timing, but both Tova O'Brien and HdPA seem to think the PM has been publicly backing Clark while privately pushing him out.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12345119
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/07/pm-jacinda-ardern-was-pushing-david-clark-out-as-health-minister-while-publicly-saying-he-d-stay-until-election.html
Some brutal commentary in there.
Divisions in the National Party, episode 374:
1) This is the view of the National candidate for Invercargill:
Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds said Queenstown was the logical place for a quarantine site for international students. … Queenstown has got the hotels free, it's got the space free, it's got an international airport – it's a logical site to be bringing international students into for quarantine."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/121830812/queenstown-pitched-as-a-quarantine-town-for-international-students
2) And this is the view of the local National MP, Hamish Walker:
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker said it was “disgraceful” thousands of people could eventually be quarantined in southern centres without community consultation.
“These people are possibly heading for Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown from India, Pakistan and Korea. “I’ve already had many calls, texts and emails from residents who do not want people in quarantine in Queenstown.”.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122019916/coronavirus-unease-at-expanded-covid19-isolation-plans-for-south-island
So to sum up … Jacinda, bring them in! Jacinda, but not here!
Foreigners in, foreigners out, shake it all about …
Certainly the rest of New Zealand should be sharing the quarantine burden. Auckland and now other centres have done the service which benefits the regions so the regions should do their bit too.
I must say it would be torture, particularly as a young person, being quarantined in Queenstown. To be confined to barracks with those spectacular views.
Since when have young people allowed themselves to be confined to barracks, with views, brews and 'who's he/she" to entice?
threat of deportation and never being allowed back should mean something. Plus adequate security.
There was a sanction against smoking dope- ignored by most. There was a law about the age you could legally drink in a pub. There was a law against putting substances up your arm with a needle, against driving while drunk, against speeding, against sex with minors.
They meant something, too………
Nah, deport the whole cohort if they break the rules. It often is peer pressure that gets them into trouble so let’s reverse this and use peer pressure to keep them on the straight and narrow. It’s only for a fortnight FFS.
Fair point and that is a big danger. The inventiveness and exuberance of youth.
Quarantining 2K, 5K, 11K students anywhere sounds like a massive exercise.
Hamish Walker's statement and tweet have now been deleted. He's very lucky it's a busy news day.
And just to emphasise the point: the message is that a National MP does not want people who are NZ citizens/residents (the only arrivals that are coming in now), if they are of the wrong ethnicity.
But National DO want people who are NOT citizens/residents, because they bring the cash.
For those that didn't see it,
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1278573455680475138
It does make me wonder how political parties work. Can MPs just issues statements like that without talking to anyone? Or did he talk to someone and it's only in hindsight that they realise he will get slammed for it?
Yeah, it's the "thinking time" that makes it so bad.
I'm more forgiving of a comment in conversation, using the wrong word, realizing it, apologising in real time. People can slip up. Or be misquoted.
But this is a prepared statement. It's deliberate. No excuse, it says exactly what he wanted – and meant.
Sounds familiar?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12345104
We can probably be thankful for that. After all, we really don't want another political brown-eye.
So the twerp had to be told by a source what the rest of us with a brain inside our heads knew because its been splattered all over the news for the past fortnight.
I refer to the fact that people returning from the US, UK, India, Pakistan and Korea are at a higher risk of testing positive because of the high rates of Covid in those countries.
a bit like what is done in the US. One underling goes out and is out and out racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, etc etc etc. It rails up all the wrong people, then when public outcry gets to big it is deleted. But the message was delivered and those for whom it was intended are now informed of the imminent arrival of Kiwis who are not enough Kiwi in the eyes of many.
rinse repeat.
but yeah, racist gonna racist.
Compost is a fuckwit. Some of his squarks are that far out there you'd think he was some fringe lefty community board candidate. This isn't that far outside his normal behaviour, except this one hit the front page nationally.
And still on ODT, and getting return serve from Megan Woods.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/southern-national-mp-slated-over-racist-statement
Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.
Well it looks like that the Nat MP took a leaf out of a Labour MP's playbook IMHO.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/70155168/labours-half-baked-property-data-turns-chinese-buyers-into-scapegoats
Nice graph information – immigration clearly does drive up house prices
Nice diversion.
A safe seat and Barclay and Walker are the ones the electorate committee select, the other candidates must have been either ordinary or still in shock at the lack of judgment.
One of the other candidates, twice, Simon Flood, was a potential PM, but may have been from the wrong faction / background. Walker was challenged this year too, but it wasn't revealed by who, just Queenstown interests being behind it.
Walker makes it worse …
“The minister should come clean and tell the people of Southland and Otago how many of the 18 current Covid cases originate from Asia, which is a region of great risk.
(and where the f**k does he think international students come from?)
“My focus is on keeping New Zealanders safe,” Walker said. “The minister is not going to justify her failure to keep New Zealanders safe by attacking me for identifying where those risks are coming from.
(New Zealanders … but not the New Zealanders coming home)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300047988/national-mp-hamish-walker-defends-remarks-dubbed-racist-by-labour
Someone not capable of working out that those with symptoms stay at the quarantine hotel in Auckland, the ones going south into managed isolation are probably from Oz.
… erm …. if he wants to know where the current cases come from he should try googling "covid 19 nz" and then tap on the ministry of health website …
Where's Todd? (Barclay) – probably trying to bail back to NZ as well…
A speculative explanation for this could be an act of political self immolation to vacate the very safe seat for a current, more senior list MP who might be out of a job on Sept 20. But could be a bit close to the election for that now.
The National Party is a shambolic shambles and a National disgrace.
What a shambles is National. Agreed Fireblade.
Grant Robertson has said that its likely to be 2021 before international students come in.
They have the hostel capacity to manage isolation and then house less than 1/3rd (usually the accomodation of the first year ones), for mine the doctorate and masters students have priority – so the capacity in hostels should be used to quarantine them first. Then come the year three students who want to finish their degree (we owe it to them to get them to the finish).
The ultimate question about numbers beyond this is over the accommodation availability and employment right we currently allow – given pandemic economics.
Just taking in this number (about 1/3rd) and to restrict them largely to the hostels eases accomodation pressure and limits impact on employment.
Ultimately whether we need to restrict numbers depends on capacity to house returning Kiwis which is still an unknown.
FYI, international PhD students are not good cash cows as they pay the same fees as domestic students.
They add more value to the institution and potentially the economy (even without factoring in retaining them afterward) without any numerical pressure on our infrastructure (housing/employment).
The universities may cite the cash, but that comes with a wider cost – higher rents and more locals unemployed during a pandemic economy.
Two weeks may not be long enough.
Not if infected during the two week stay … how they could manage that with room isolation … well it would indicate they need a change of management regime.
We've been lucky, given our regime is not as restrictive.
I seem to remember stories of some people testing positive after a month or so.. This is a really stand-out, weird virus, and I would agree that we may well have been lucky.
Two weeks may well not be enough for certainty.
I agree, it does call into question the quality of the isolation regime. Daniel Andrews state govt in Victoria seems to have made a particular hash of it.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lessons-from-victoria-dont-lose-elimination-status
Todd Muller's token reshuffle still leaves the National Party front bench looking very pale and bland.
With regard to Hamish Walker, Todd should exercise his self-proclaimed leadership ability and publicity denounce Hamish's racist nimby ramblings, but I dout he will. After all, Muller is very proud of his MAGA cap which has become a symbol of racist ideology. Hamish Walker might even get a promotion for his latest racist ramblings.
It's very obvious now that Todd is an uncharismatic gaffe prone mudder who can't control his MPs. Todd will be a great asset to the Labour Party election campaign.
Elsa sat on Trevor Mallard's lap during the televised Speakers Briefing today. What a beautiful animal.
https://www.twitter.com/SpeakerTrevor/status/1278483460412149765