Roy Morgan polls aren't necessarily the best guide to the party vote, but the question on right vs wrong direction is a far better indication than "I got a column in the paper and I got reckons pulled out of my arse".
jeez, how long before ACT overtake National: 16% vs 23%, seriously?
Even applying a healthy dose of rouge to the cheeks of those numbers, the nats just ain't connecting with folks and the right wingers are running to ACT.
Everyone fronting National is a has been (Key) or speaks like a wooden doll (Reti) or is a daddy's boy (Bishop) and no upfront women apart from Jude who sounds deeply tired and disillusioned. Seymour is pumping the message day after day to people longing for something new and credible. No wonder the polls show increasing support for ACT.
Among men in this poll, National are only 3.0% ahead of ACT; among women they are 11.5% ahead. Irrespective of the absolute numbers which may be accurate or not, that gap feels right – female radar just tends to more easily pick up on ACT's inherent social cruelty.
There's a school of thought that suggests the nats are bleeding to the right because National is (relatively speaking, from a certain point of view) the velvet glove for the iron hearts of tories. It only works if enough soft conservatives manage to convince themselves that going right wing doesn't mean associating with a bunch of sociopaths who would happily make children work 18 hours days under looms and in chimneys.
Twelve years ago the nats were campaigning as labour-lite. Now they're goddamned plague enthusiasts, willing to risk lots of deaths for travel bubbles because people are tired of it and poor johnny can't visit Hawaii.
Without the velvet glove, there's no point to National. People can go ACT or go Labour, because National are ACT-lite. Hell, pr-wise national are worse than bloody act.
PM says returning to level 4 is 'not part of our consideration', as parts of Waikato will move to level 3 tonight
Reporting by Jonathan MacKenzie – Oct 03, 2021
'Covid is here and it’s a matter of time before it spreads across the country' – Michael Plank
Canterbury University mathematics professor, Michael Plank, said Sunday’s developments were concerning for the whole country.
"The fact that the Waikato cases don’t have a clear link to the Auckland outbreak and have been infectious in the community for several days is concerning.
“If the Auckland outbreak grows much larger, it will become even harder to prevent Covid spreading to other parts of New Zealand. The message is clear: Covid is here and it’s a matter of time before it spreads across the country.”
It's official, the elimination strategy is no more. The government is going to try and get us to live with the virus.
Covid response minister Chris Hipkins admits zero Covid cases are a thing of the past
NZ Herald – 4 Oct, 2021 06:07 PM
Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins has admitted New Zealand may not eliminate the virus after today's alert level announcement….
…Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan, Hipkins accepted New Zealand may not return to days of zero Covid cases.
"We have been trending in that direction for the past few weeks and I think people won't be too surprised by that," he said….
…..Asked whether Auckland's boundary would still be in place by Christmas if mystery cases were still being found, Hipkins said it would be unlikely the boundary would be in place then.
Hipkins is right. I for one, wasn't surprised. It was clear to me that the government has 'been trending' to abandon elimination as a strategy, when they lifted the Level 4 Auckland Lockdown while cases, especially unlinked cases, were still circulating in the Auckland region.
Was a little suprised, but then thinking about it, its clear there is ongoing transmission that no matter the alert level, So you get left with only bad choices, more lockdown that doesnt work and frustration builds, a punitive approach ie start excluding unvaxxed people from society (which will have greater long term issues) or start on the path that they have which sort of reflects whats actually happening in Auckland anyway.
Now I will say it does seem to be getting very reactive, I felt if elimination was the goal we should have had another week at level 4 and after hearing all last week elimination is still the goal its a bit suprising we've had such a sudden pivot. Daycares for example seem very suprised and unhappy…
I really think we should have home test kits ready and availble for those that want them, We should offer a more traditional vaccine like sinofarm (quite a few unvaxxed people I know just dont trust MRNA at this point) and would I think take a more traditional vaccine. Prob worth an extra percent or 3 and make antibody testing freely availble again some think they have had the virus and thus immune… making antibody tests more available will either prove them wrong or provide a far better picture of spread.
Think its fair to say its now our turn to experience what so many countries already have. Lets hope Hendy is wrong.
"Alert Level 4 was not lifted because it was not working, but because the economic sacrifice was judged to be too high"
Do you have any evidence that this is actually true? I really doubt that anyone in our Cabinet, at least, has even considered this rationally. I suspect, and of course I will admit I have extremely cynical views on our current Governments actions, that the polls tell them that the Public are getting pissed of and are getting unhappy about the seeming inability of them to actually accomplish what they promise. Better to give up rather than exhibit that they cannot do what they boasted they could do.
Incidentally, what has happened to the people who praised the Government for their incredibly slow approach to starting a vaccination program? There were people who said that going slow and late with getting vaccines and providing the means for people to get them was a brilliant idea. We don't need them yet some said, because we don't have Covid in the country. We are right not to get vaccines when other countries need them more. And so on. Well do they still say that or are they now among the ranks of those who are insisting that people should get vaccinated, NOW?
"… its clear there is ongoing transmission that no matter the alert level"
If people are isolated transmission cannot occur. Agree that we should have had at least another week at level 4. Business always talks about how corrosive uncertainty is. The same can be said for people, and no-one was certain where the govt was going once they decided to move down a level
My view is that Level 3 was too soon. Politically, it would have been a bad look to backtrack. So here we are.
Uncertainty still exists. The health system will be at breaking point soon enough and all that political capital the govt has built up will be gone, if the PM has got this wrong. Nothing would make me happier than finding out she go it right and Hendy is wrong, but I really don't think so.
I've been avoiding all the hype and just waiting to see what actually happens.
On a seperate note, was visiting a friend who had given birth over SI level 4. She has a 15yo as well. I said baby looked like Winston Churchill (mum knows me well, it was cool), 15yo didn't know who Winston Churchill was.
My cliff note was "he saved us from the Nazis but did one or two genocides on the side", but the 15yo agreed that the wikipedia pic did indeed bear a close semblance to the new entry to the clan. Then said baby already had more hair than me, lol
@ McFlock
4 October 2021 at 8:54 pm “I’ve been avoiding all the hype and just waiting to see what actually happens…..”
Good strategy.
I mean how long will Chris Hipkins plan to live with the virus last, before the government are forced to do another about turn, and reimpose lockdowns?
Chris Hipkins may think that he can remove the boundary between Auckland and the rest of the country before Christmas, while the virus is still circulating, but circumstances may dictate otherwise.
Australia has Four ICU beds per 100,000 people, to New Zealand's One ICU bed per 100,000 people, and Australia struggled to cope with the NSW outbreak.
Britain's famed National Health Service NHS has Eight ICU beds per 100,000 people and they struggled to cope with an outbreak of Delta, forcing Boris Johnson to re-impose a lockdown to contain it.
UK Prime Minister imposes harsh lockdown as new Covid-19 variant spreads
By Tara John, Luke McGee and Nada Bashir, CNN
January 5, 2021
"It is clear that we need to do more to bring this new variant under control," Johnson said. "That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home."
During his televised address to the nation, Johnson reimposed measures seen during the first lockdown last spring, including closures of secondary and primary schools to all except the children of key workers and vulnerable children. He added that this means it will not be "possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal," and alternative arrangements are being put in place.
1: is it all Hipkins plan, or is it actually a plan from the advisors to DGHealth to ease some restrictions while minimising the risk thereof, given the picture of the current problem?
2: circumstances always dictate otherwise. No plan survives contact with the enemy, but sometimes things go better than planned and sometimes they go worse and you need a rethink.
3: ICU is an old problem. We know that if everything goes to shit hospitals get overwhelmed and people die. That's why we went to L4 in March 2020.
4: participated in a survey recently, they asked how much out of 10 I'd give the govt response. I graded on a curve – they got 10. Otherwise the govt would have extra credit. Why? <30 dead. So unless Cabinet got drunk and threw their toys out of the cot today, they're probably not surrendering to delta. Maybe they're still working to figure out how to eliminate it while recognising that the nutbars are gaining traction because of the hard slog. After the protests come the nutbar riots.
Neale Jones, formerly Ardern's Chief of Staff, doesn't seem to be impressed.
"I was hoping today we'd hear a plan for a vaccine mandate to get numbers up to 90% plus and then move out of lockdown. Instead, we got a long and confusing surrender note. This is both a policy and a political failure."
That is on Twitter. I can't work out how to link directly to it though.
And there was I thinking he was a true believer. Finally it begins to sink in that she really isn't up to it I suppose.
Click on the tweet, this will change the URL, copy and paste the URL.
If you are on a phone, click on the tweet, then the Share icon (tray with an upwards arrow), this should give you the option of Copy Link (ios, probably similar on Android).
Churchill promised the British people Blood, Sweat, Toil and Tears.
And then delivered on his promise.
The results spoke for themselves. All the terrible sacrifices the British people were asked to make, were judged in the end to be worth it.
As a result Churchill, according to all polls, is the most popular Britain of all time.*
By surrendering to the virus, the Ardern administration has just handed the Right a big fillip.
*(If Churchill had come to terms with the German nazis, his name would be no more than a footnote in history. I am afraid that this is what will happen to our Prime Minister. Instead of becoming our greatest Prime Minister ever, and world renowned for eliminating the virus, Prime Minister Ardern will become a footnote, in the list of leaders who failed to contain the virus)
Disappointed our government is no longer committed to a Covid-19 elimination strategy, but the writing was on the wall when Auckland dropped to alert level 3 on 22 September.
A miscalculated risk, imho – only hope the team doesn't pay for too dearly for that decision.
Jack Tame's opinion: Govt's Covid-19 strategy a roadmap with no signs Moving Auckland to Alert Level 3 was not consistent with elimination. It was a gamble that risked the gains from a month at Level 4. The Government continued to speak optimistically about stamping out the virus, even as public health experts and modellers publicly demurred.
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Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
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, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
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 ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
An Evergrandeglades update, medium size crocs have been spotted asset stripping and a larger croc is moving in on the torso itself.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58784316
Police considering laying charges against Brian Tamaki and associates:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300422417/covid19-police-considering-charges-over-brian-tamakiled-lockdown-protest
Good show.
Here is petition if anybody wishes to sign:
https://www.change.org/p/nz-police-commissioner-charge-brian-tamaki-over-the-illegal-protest
As at 5:54pm 88,000 have signed since this morning.
6PM UPDATE: PM announces new strategy for Brian Tamaki and the anti-vaxxers
Roy Morgan polls aren't necessarily the best guide to the party vote, but the question on right vs wrong direction is a far better indication than "I got a column in the paper and I got reckons pulled out of my arse".
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8809-nz-national-voting-intention-september-2021-202110040446
This supports every other survey of public opinion in recent weeks. It seems those who like to equate "I" with "everybody" have been wrong, again.
jeez, how long before ACT overtake National: 16% vs 23%, seriously?
Even applying a healthy dose of rouge to the cheeks of those numbers, the nats just ain't connecting with folks and the right wingers are running to ACT.
Next step it will be National asking for a "cup of tea" deal with ACT just to get seat.
There'll be a lot of lemon in National's cup.
Everyone fronting National is a has been (Key) or speaks like a wooden doll (Reti) or is a daddy's boy (Bishop) and no upfront women apart from Jude who sounds deeply tired and disillusioned. Seymour is pumping the message day after day to people longing for something new and credible. No wonder the polls show increasing support for ACT.
Among men in this poll, National are only 3.0% ahead of ACT; among women they are 11.5% ahead. Irrespective of the absolute numbers which may be accurate or not, that gap feels right – female radar just tends to more easily pick up on ACT's inherent social cruelty.
National will have to move further to the right to stop bleeding votes
There's a school of thought that suggests the nats are bleeding to the right because National is (relatively speaking, from a certain point of view) the velvet glove for the iron hearts of tories. It only works if enough soft conservatives manage to convince themselves that going right wing doesn't mean associating with a bunch of sociopaths who would happily make children work 18 hours days under looms and in chimneys.
Twelve years ago the nats were campaigning as labour-lite. Now they're goddamned plague enthusiasts, willing to risk lots of deaths for travel bubbles because people are tired of it and poor johnny can't visit Hawaii.
Without the velvet glove, there's no point to National. People can go ACT or go Labour, because National are ACT-lite. Hell, pr-wise national are worse than bloody act.
From Churchill to Vichy France within a week or so.
One person, who will be surprised if government support holds up much longer, reacts.
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2021/10/surrendering-to-virus.html
There's been some silly knee-jerk reactions and that's one of them.
If anyone thinks it's "surrender" they should get the OIA requests in to see what public health people advised.
It's a debatable balance, but hard to debate that kind of language.
It's official, the elimination strategy is no more. The government is going to try and get us to live with the virus.
I wonder how long that will last?
Hipkins is right. I for one, wasn't surprised. It was clear to me that the government has 'been trending' to abandon elimination as a strategy, when they lifted the Level 4 Auckland Lockdown while cases, especially unlinked cases, were still circulating in the Auckland region.
Right at this moment I feel exactly the same as no right turn. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning, but I'm not sure.
Was a little suprised, but then thinking about it, its clear there is ongoing transmission that no matter the alert level, So you get left with only bad choices, more lockdown that doesnt work and frustration builds, a punitive approach ie start excluding unvaxxed people from society (which will have greater long term issues) or start on the path that they have which sort of reflects whats actually happening in Auckland anyway.
Now I will say it does seem to be getting very reactive, I felt if elimination was the goal we should have had another week at level 4 and after hearing all last week elimination is still the goal its a bit suprising we've had such a sudden pivot. Daycares for example seem very suprised and unhappy…
I really think we should have home test kits ready and availble for those that want them, We should offer a more traditional vaccine like sinofarm (quite a few unvaxxed people I know just dont trust MRNA at this point) and would I think take a more traditional vaccine. Prob worth an extra percent or 3 and make antibody testing freely availble again some think they have had the virus and thus immune… making antibody tests more available will either prove them wrong or provide a far better picture of spread.
Think its fair to say its now our turn to experience what so many countries already have. Lets hope Hendy is wrong.
That's actually not quite true, Alert Level 4 was not lifted because it was not working, but because the economic sacrifice was judged to be too high.
"Alert Level 4 was not lifted because it was not working, but because the economic sacrifice was judged to be too high"
Do you have any evidence that this is actually true? I really doubt that anyone in our Cabinet, at least, has even considered this rationally. I suspect, and of course I will admit I have extremely cynical views on our current Governments actions, that the polls tell them that the Public are getting pissed of and are getting unhappy about the seeming inability of them to actually accomplish what they promise. Better to give up rather than exhibit that they cannot do what they boasted they could do.
Incidentally, what has happened to the people who praised the Government for their incredibly slow approach to starting a vaccination program? There were people who said that going slow and late with getting vaccines and providing the means for people to get them was a brilliant idea. We don't need them yet some said, because we don't have Covid in the country. We are right not to get vaccines when other countries need them more. And so on. Well do they still say that or are they now among the ranks of those who are insisting that people should get vaccinated, NOW?
"… its clear there is ongoing transmission that no matter the alert level"
If people are isolated transmission cannot occur. Agree that we should have had at least another week at level 4. Business always talks about how corrosive uncertainty is. The same can be said for people, and no-one was certain where the govt was going once they decided to move down a level
My view is that Level 3 was too soon. Politically, it would have been a bad look to backtrack. So here we are.
Uncertainty still exists. The health system will be at breaking point soon enough and all that political capital the govt has built up will be gone, if the PM has got this wrong. Nothing would make me happier than finding out she go it right and Hendy is wrong, but I really don't think so.
I've been avoiding all the hype and just waiting to see what actually happens.
On a seperate note, was visiting a friend who had given birth over SI level 4. She has a 15yo as well. I said baby looked like Winston Churchill (mum knows me well, it was cool), 15yo didn't know who Winston Churchill was.
My cliff note was "he saved us from the Nazis but did one or two genocides on the side", but the 15yo agreed that the wikipedia pic did indeed bear a close semblance to the new entry to the clan. Then said baby already had more hair than me, lol
"more hair than me".
Oh no! Please don't tell us that you are spitting image of Cristopher Luxon?
@ McFlock
4 October 2021 at 8:54 pm
“I’ve been avoiding all the hype and just waiting to see what actually happens…..”
Good strategy.
I mean how long will Chris Hipkins plan to live with the virus last, before the government are forced to do another about turn, and reimpose lockdowns?
Chris Hipkins may think that he can remove the boundary between Auckland and the rest of the country before Christmas, while the virus is still circulating, but circumstances may dictate otherwise.
Australia has Four ICU beds per 100,000 people, to New Zealand's One ICU bed per 100,000 people, and Australia struggled to cope with the NSW outbreak.
Britain's famed National Health Service NHS has Eight ICU beds per 100,000 people and they struggled to cope with an outbreak of Delta, forcing Boris Johnson to re-impose a lockdown to contain it.
1: is it all Hipkins plan, or is it actually a plan from the advisors to DGHealth to ease some restrictions while minimising the risk thereof, given the picture of the current problem?
2: circumstances always dictate otherwise. No plan survives contact with the enemy, but sometimes things go better than planned and sometimes they go worse and you need a rethink.
3: ICU is an old problem. We know that if everything goes to shit hospitals get overwhelmed and people die. That's why we went to L4 in March 2020.
4: participated in a survey recently, they asked how much out of 10 I'd give the govt response. I graded on a curve – they got 10. Otherwise the govt would have extra credit. Why? <30 dead. So unless Cabinet got drunk and threw their toys out of the cot today, they're probably not surrendering to delta. Maybe they're still working to figure out how to eliminate it while recognising that the nutbars are gaining traction because of the hard slog. After the protests come the nutbar riots.
Neale Jones, formerly Ardern's Chief of Staff, doesn't seem to be impressed.
"I was hoping today we'd hear a plan for a vaccine mandate to get numbers up to 90% plus and then move out of lockdown. Instead, we got a long and confusing surrender note. This is both a policy and a political failure."
That is on Twitter. I can't work out how to link directly to it though.
And there was I thinking he was a true believer. Finally it begins to sink in that she really isn't up to it I suppose.
Still, he seems to be in agreement with NRT
Click on the tweet, this will change the URL, copy and paste the URL.
If you are on a phone, click on the tweet, then the Share icon (tray with an upwards arrow), this should give you the option of Copy Link (ios, probably similar on Android).
https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1444863649860911105
Thank you. I shall try that next time.
Why blame the government for the failing of the muppets who have kept this thing spreading?
Lockdowns work ,all anger should be pointed at those that did6follow the lockdown road map,
'
'Elimination may be dead'. But half measures, that actually don't stop the virus, will just piss everyone off.
The Churchill analogy is a good one.
Churchill promised the British people Blood, Sweat, Toil and Tears.
And then delivered on his promise.
The results spoke for themselves. All the terrible sacrifices the British people were asked to make, were judged in the end to be worth it.
As a result Churchill, according to all polls, is the most popular Britain of all time.*
By surrendering to the virus, the Ardern administration has just handed the Right a big fillip.
*(If Churchill had come to terms with the German nazis, his name would be no more than a footnote in history. I am afraid that this is what will happen to our Prime Minister. Instead of becoming our greatest Prime Minister ever, and world renowned for eliminating the virus, Prime Minister Ardern will become a footnote, in the list of leaders who failed to contain the virus)
NT/QLD/SA/TAS/WA – a total of 2 locally-acquired Covid-19 cases in the last 24 h.
Disappointed our government is no longer committed to a Covid-19 elimination strategy, but the writing was on the wall when Auckland dropped to alert level 3 on 22 September.
A miscalculated risk, imho – only hope the team doesn't pay for too dearly for that decision.
Eligible NZ population with two doses: 48% [4 Oct. 2021]
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-vaccine-data