Daily review 05/03/2019
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5:30 pm, March 5th, 2019 - 167 comments
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- People could live in those ghost houses, Jacinda Ardern
You can understand why Jacinda Ardern is somewhat hesitant to do more about tackling the housing crisis. After all, making houses affordable would effectively mean that billions of dollars of paper wealth would be wiped from people's books. And with a considerably larger percentage of the voting public owning property ...2 hours ago - One way of fixing it
Yesterday, in response to upcoming industrial action, DHBs decided to take the nurses' union to court, claiming they weren't doing enough to guarantee safe staffing levels during the strike. The core issue in the strike is... safe staffing levels, so there's a heavy dose of irony there. And its a ...3 hours ago - 5,000 employed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and outperformed expectations again, with unemployment dropping to 4.0%. There are now 117,000 unemployed - 5,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Which, given the pandemic, is a pretty spectacular performance. Throw in a drop in underutilisation and increased wages, and it ...4 hours ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day. First is the committee stage of Andrew Bayly's racist, anti-immigrant New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Bill. Labour has sadly decided to back it - apparently they value the votes of dying, racist NZ First voters more than those of their own ...4 hours ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 4 August 2021
Housing Bernard Hickey: Here’s all the levers the Govt is not pulling to fix our housing catastrophe Chloe Swarbrick (Herald): UN-enshrined human right to housing eclipsed by investor greed Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): ‘Way too many hoops’: First Home Grant payouts fall short Toby Morris (Spinoff): The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: Locked out Claire ...7 hours ago - Playing Skadi: The Amazon Identification Debate
As I noted in a previous post, Amazon have released the first image of the upcoming Second Age series. Much like their map-leak from a couple of years ago, it is clearly intended to get the geekier elements of online Tolkien fandom in a lather. And much like a ...10 hours ago - An increasingly hysterical base and the National “Leadership”team: far too similar in mindset, o...
Fuming and foaming about the fact their Party lost most recent NZ Election, the barrage, even four years on, from their supporters has not lost any signs of abating. Partly because they claimed high support in the past which gave them an unearned sense of “Right to Rule” and ...21 hours ago - Racist party wants to ban Maori word21 hours ago
- Dawn raids, continuing exploitation
by Don Franks Beginning in 1974, New Zealand police armed with dogs repeatedly accosted Pacific Nation people, in their homes, in the early morning. The operations were carried out to arrest alleged visa overstayers. After these raids some of the adult victims were deported, their children being placed in state care ...21 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Radical reform coming to a supermarket near youThe supermarket sector is finally about to receive some serious government intervention. Following a scathing report from the Commerce Commission, it’s now almost inevitable that the Labour Government is going to have to introduce some major changes to this vital but uncompetitive retail sector. And these moves are likely to ...21 hours ago
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- Incentives workHuh. It turns out that incentives to buy EVs and lower their price relative to fossil vehicles work: The first month of the "feebate" saw a huge spike in electric vehicle sales, which nearly quadrupled. There were 1944 pure EV and hybrid light vehicle new registrations during July, according ...1 day ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 August 2021Opinion polls, government, political parties Claire Trevett (Herald): Poll should be death knell for Judith Collins but a Covid hangover is hitting for PM Jacinda Ardern (paywalled) Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern not bothered by result as Labour plummets to 43 percent Zane Small (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research Poll: Judith ...1 day ago
- New technology offers insights on Southern Ocean’s carbon secretsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica makes up less than a third of the global ocean surface, yet scientists believe it “plays an outsized role in the climate system,” according to a 2021 journal article in Geophysical Research Letters. Water and currents from other ...2 days ago
- The government is breaching the right to housingHousing is a human right, one which the New Zealand government accepts through its adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. And now the Human Rights Commission has stated the obvious: we're breaching it: Successive Governments have breached New ...2 days ago
- Mass vaccination event wasn’t a shambles2 days ago
- Climate Change: A $3.5 billion mistakeIn May last year the government increased the ETS fixed price option to $35, as a prelude to moving to an auction-based system with a cost-containment reserve. At the time, carbon prices were $25 - hard up against the previous price cap - so it must have looked impossibly high. ...2 days ago
- Neither Passionless, Nor Zombies.
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- Collins is crushing her own credibilityEven before Judith Collins became overlord of the National Party, you could tell there was a huge ideological divide between her questionable values and those of the party’s former leaders. And just over a year after becoming the opposition's de facto leader, that chasm between Crusher and what her party ...2 days ago
- Legal Beagle: The New New Prohibition
In the decades leading up to the 18th Amendment, the case for the prohibition of alcohol was made repeatedly. The harms of alcohol were substantial, and the US experience was worse than most. The victims made the case, and campaigners made the case for those who couldn’t speak for themselve. ...3 days ago - Let’s talk about sex self ID
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- July ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: Nicole MamaNYC I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. ...3 days ago- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
Session Fifty-Six Annalax’s schemes were, alas, put on hold at the start of the session, due to a horrifying discovery of a mangled body outside the town brothel. The victim had been hideously mutilated, complete with faux-antlers being driven into their skull. And, sure enough, a crowd was ...4 days ago- 2021 Reading Log: July (+ Writing Update)
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I ruffled a few feathers by referring to Gerry Brownlee as a “buffoon” during a radio interview this week. The subject in question was the involuntary repatriation of Suharya Aden and her children to NZ after Australia cancelled her citizenship. Brownlee was blathering about her being a terrorist security threat, ...1 week ago- Militaries plunder science fiction for technology ideas, but turn a blind eye to the genre’s socia...
Will Slocombe, University of Liverpool Military planning is a complicated endeavour, calling upon experts in logistics and infrastructure to predict resource availability and technological advancements. Long-range military planning, deciding what to invest in now to prepare armed forces for the world in thirty years’ time, is even more difficult. ...1 week ago- Still the same question
The Independent Police Conduct authority has found another case where police used excessive force in making an arrest: A police officer broke a woman’s arm with a baton before dragging her out of her car by the hair following a chase. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the ...1 week ago- The Danger from the Extreme Right
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Kirsty Wild, University of Auckland and Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland “Explore your inner beast.” That was the slogan used last year to sell the Ford Ranger. At 2.4 tonnes, that’s a lot of “light” truck, but the stakes are rising. This year, the 3.5 tonne Ram 1500 “eats ...1 week ago- Why calling ordinary Kiwi cyclists ‘elitist’ just doesn’t add up
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around. Once a novelty, bike riding has moved from being a critical transport mode to a children’s pastime to now being popularly perceived as an ...1 week ago- How do Olympic athletes stack up against invertebrates? Not very well
Caitlyn Forster, University of Sydney and Eliza Middleton, University of Sydney Olympians spend years training to be the best of the best. Scientists and sportspeople have spent decades researching the mechanics of the human body to ensure our elite athletes are always reaching higher, faster and stronger. But how ...1 week ago- Zebra Ethics: The Amazon Second Age Series and Lessons from Game of Thrones
Today I stumbled across a genuinely interesting reddit article, which looks at the (positive) influence Game of Thrones may have on the upcoming Amazon Tolkien series: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/oqvi81/amazons_the_lord_of_the_rings_show_going_got/ Essentially, the argument is that the framework of Tolkien’s Second Age material inherently lends itself to “Machiavellian Thriller” stories, rather than to ...1 week ago- The War over Sex and Gender: Kathleen Stock talks to the Free Speech Union
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The Taxpayers’ Union scored another own goal yesterday when they decided to have a go at well-known journalist David Farrier (not to be confused with David Farrar) over Government funding he’d received to make a documentary.While that slinging match isn’t really worth reporting on, being that it was mainly just ...1 week ago- Gender-specific health programs address important issues, but risk creating new biases
Matthew Jenkins and Victoria Chinn, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Gone are the days when health programmes were designed to simply punish or reward people to encourage behaviour change. We now know lasting behaviour change is more complex and nuanced, and this has prompted a proliferation ...1 week ago- Fossil tooth fractures and microscopic detail of enamel offer new clues about human diet and evolut...
Ian Towle; Carolina Loch, and Thomas Loho, University of Auckland Teeth can tell us a lot about the evolution of prehistoric humans, and our latest study of one of our species’ close relatives may finally resolve a long-standing mystery. The genus Paranthropus is closely related to ours, Homo, ...1 week ago- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – “Year of the vaccine” at risk
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RNZ this morning has a piece asking Can NZ really meet its methane emissions targets?. Posing it as a question like this frames it as difficult, more of the "but its too hard!" whine from farmers. But its not hard at all. Pretty obviously, we can meet methane reduction targets ...1 week ago- A Conversation That Never Happened.
1 week ago- Graham Adams: Parliament is in recess but Kris Faafoi is too busy to discuss proposals for hate-spee...
The Minister of Justice appears to have gone into hiding. Graham Adams provides an update on how the public debate on hate speech regulation is going, especially in terms of whether political opinion should or shouldn’t receive an exemption from new laws. It fell to RNZ to break the ...1 week ago- Engineering A Miracle: Can Judith Collins Reprise Rob Muldoon?
Miracle Worker? But Judith Collins and National cannot regain power by simply hoping for the worst. Elections are won by politicians like Rob Muldoon, who persuade the voters that the incumbent government is the worst choice.WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE, as Leonard Cohen observed, is an agonising test. Especially if its ...1 week ago- Hearing loss and social isolation – the silent burden
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. . Billionaire Richard Branson did it. Also-billionaire, Jeff Bezos, did it. Both will be the first money-hoarders into space (or sub-orbital near-space, to be more specific). Also-also-billionaire, Elon Musk – not content with sub-orbital ‘jaunts’ – has expressed a desire to go Full Interplanetary and personally colonise Mars. Meanwhile, ...1 week ago- Elizabeth Rata: Responding to Andrew Geddis on Treaty Partnerships
My recent article about the role that the concept of a Treaty ‘partnership’ has played in the development of ethno-nationalism provoked a critical response from Professor Andrew Geddis. We obviously have different opinions about the value of a Treaty partnership in New Zealand’s liberal democracy. My purpose here is to ...1 week ago- When tough on crime goes wrong
If there’s one thing that you can safely rely on, it’s right-wing politicians grandstanding with tough on crime rhetoric. It's understandable being that such propaganda is usually a sure bet, obviously because a very large proportion of the public wants to see less crime and fewer criminals in their communities.However ...2 weeks ago- Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth
Tim Jackson, University of Surrey Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new generation of space entrepreneurs intent on colonising the “final frontier” as fast ...2 weeks ago - The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
- How the TIA helped three Kiwi mums into careers
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The Green Party welcomes the announcement by Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi to introduce a bill to prohibit conversion therapy used against Rainbow communities. ...5 days ago - Green Party welcomes Commerce Commission’s draft findings, cautions against wait and hope solution...The Green Party welcomes the findings of the Commerce Commission’s report on competition in the retail grocery sector, which takes aim at the duopoly formed by Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs. ...6 days ago
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- Greens call for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homesThe Green Party is launching a petition today calling on the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards to be backed up with a proper Warrant of Fitness (WoF) for rental homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Securing our recovery: By the numbersOur plan to secure New Zealand’s recovery from COVID-19 is working, with the past three months seeing the second-highest number of people moved off a main benefit into work since records began. ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand to increase NZDF commitment to the United Nations Command, Republic of Korea
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will deploy three additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission from nine to 12 personnel. “Increasing the size of our deployment to the Republic of Korea ...4 hours ago - Wages up, unemployment downThe Government’s efforts to secure the recovery has seen more Kiwis in jobs and higher wages, with unemployment falling to pre-COVID levels and more people in work. Stats NZ figures show unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in the June quarter from 4.6 percent in the March quarter, the lowest ...4 hours ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Kihi Ngatai OSMMauao tiketike tūmokemoke mai ana ra koe, papakitia ana e ngā tai kawenga roimata o te motu. E Ngāti Ranginui, mo tō manuhuia kua tīkapea i te rangi. E Ngai Te Rangi, mo tō manutaki kua riro i te hau o Aitū kikini, E Ngāti Pukenga mo tō manutaiko, kua ...5 hours ago
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- Protecting unique land for generation nextThe Government is boosting legal protection for critically important natural habitats on private land, Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says. “An $8 million investment over four years will see Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Ngā Kairauhī Papa (QEII) work with government agencies, councils and others to provide legal protection of ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s support for Fiji’s COVID-19 response continues with vaccine delivery, operational ...Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced further support for Fiji, including funding support for nursing staff and 100,000 doses of vaccines due to arrive in country today. “Our thoughts remain with Fiji during this incredibly challenging period,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “New Zealand has funded 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ...1 day ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Hōhepa (Joe) MasonKo koe tēnā e te hurumanu e Hōhepa, te tōwenetanga a te iti, te māpihi herenga mahara o te tini, ka tauawhi tonuhia koe e to iwi ki te uma pupuri ai. Me pēhea he kupu kia koutou kua puta i nga ākinga a nga tau kua hori, kua waia ...1 day ago
- Finance Minister and RBNZ Governor agree to update MOU on macro-prudential policyFinance Minister Grant Robertson and Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr have updated the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on macro-prudential policy to further protect the financial system and support the Government’s housing objectives. “This change will ensure that the Reserve Bank has the flexibility to respond to emerging financial stability risks ...1 day ago
- Government commits further assistance for drought and flood-affected rural communitiesFarmers and growers affected by this year’s drought or floods in Marlborough, Tasman, West Coat, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands will have access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) from today, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced. “The Government is committed to easing the financial pressures on ...2 days ago
- Cook Islands youth lead Language WeekThe Cook Islands Language Week theme for 2021 highlights the vital role language plays in maintaining young people’s links to their Pacific home, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “The Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week – theme is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki ...2 days ago
- Government offers formal apology for Dawn RaidsA formal and unreserved apology for the Dawn Raids The Government will offer education scholarships as part of the apology Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Scholarship Training courses Support Pacific artists and historians to develop a comprehensive written and oral account of the Dawn Raids Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ...3 days ago
- Speech to Dawn Raids ApologyTēnā koutou katoa, Kia orana kotou katoatoa, Fakaalofa lahi atu ki mutolu oti, Tālofa nī, Mālō nī koutou, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakatalofa atu, Noa'ia 'e mauri, Kam na mauri, Malo e lelei, Sioto'ofa, Mālō lava le lagi e mamā ma le soifua maua, Oue tulou, tulou atu, tulouna lava ...3 days ago
- Bridging the gap – last piece of Northcote Safe Cycle Route now completeThe opening of two bridges over Auckland’s Northern Motorway is the last link of a cycling and walking route which provides a safe, active alternative for students and commuters, Transport Minister Michael Wood said today. Michael Wood cut the ribbon for the completion of the Northcote Safe Cycle Route, at ...3 days ago
- Progress in establishment of Aged Care CommissionerRecruitment for an Aged Care Commissioner will start next month, to ensure greater oversight of New Zealand’s aged care sector. “This sector is responsible for supporting a large and often vulnerable population. While most people are able to access quality care, there have been cases where that care has fallen ...4 days ago
- New record number of homes consentedIn the year ended June 2021, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 44,299, up 18 percent from the June 2020 year. In June 2021, the seasonally adjusted number of new dwellings consented rose 3.8 percent. In June 2021, 4,310 new dwellings were consented, an increase of 3.8 per ...5 days ago
- Communities backed to tackle wilding pinesTwelve community projects across New Zealand will receive a share of $2 million to carry out wilding pine control, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor announced as part of Biosecurity Week. “Wilding pines are a serious problem that threaten many of the unique landscapes that New Zealanders value. Community groups and trusts ...5 days ago
- Health Minister Andrew Little responding to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's rejection of ...I was advised last night that the result of the ballot of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation members have rejected the latest proposal to settle their collective agreement. Let me be clear: the proposal was one they put to the Government. The Nurses Organisation rejected their ...5 days ago
- Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation introduced to ParliamentLegislation has been introduced to Parliament to protect against practices intended to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Introducing the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, Minister of Justice, Kris Faafoi, said the measures proposed were aimed at ending conversion practices which don’t work, are widely ...5 days ago
- New kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services to support people in central North IslandNew mental health and addiction services rolling out across the central North Island will improve outcomes and equity for Māori, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare says. Today the Minister met with providers of the new kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service, Poutama Ora, which will ...5 days ago
- New school site for booming West AucklandThe Government will build on a new school site in West Auckland to cope with rapid population growth in the area, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Ministry is working with existing local schools to determine how the 1.5-hectare site at 279 Hobsonville Point Road will be used to support ...5 days ago
- Trans-Tasman travel window to close at midnight tomorrowA further 500 MIQ rooms released for managed returnees from NSW Further Government actions announced today are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall says. The actions were foreshadowed last ...6 days ago
- Govt investing millions in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti schoolsNapier Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools are among those set to benefit from a $16.5 million investment in the Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti region, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash announced today. The Government has set aside money in Budget 2021 to accelerate five projects in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North ...6 days ago
- Game changing Jobs for Nature investment for NorthlandConservation Minister Kiri Allan has announced Jobs for Nature funding for a portfolio of projects that will create ‘game changing’ gains for nature and communities across Northland/Te Tai Tokerau as part of the Government’s acceleration of the economic recovery from COVID. “This portfolio of 12 projects will see over $20 ...6 days ago
- Third COVID-19 vaccine receives provisional approvalNew Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an ...6 days ago
- Bowel-cancer screening programme is saving livesMore than 1000 New Zealanders have had bowel cancer – New Zealand’s second-most-common cause of death from cancer - detected under the Government’s National Bowel Screening Programme, Health Minister Andrew Little said today. More than 1200 New Zealanders died from bowel cancer in 2017. The screening programme aims to save ...6 days ago
- Govt welcomes draft report on the retail grocery sectorThe Commerce Commission’s draft report into the retail grocery sector is being welcomed by Government as a major milestone. “I asked the Commerce Commission to look at whether this sector is as competitive as it could be and today it has released its draft report for consultation,” Commerce and Consumer ...6 days ago
- Christchurch’s Youth Hub ‘set to go’ thanks to further Government fundingConstruction of New Zealand’s first, purpose-built centre for youth well-being is ready to get underway thanks to an extra $2.5 million of COVID-19 response funding, Housing Minister and Associate Minister of Finance, Megan Woods announced today. “The Christchurch Youth Hub is about bringing together all the things young people need ...6 days ago
- Next step to protect Milford Sound PiopiotahiExpert group lays out plan to better protect iconic UNESCO World Heritage site Milford Sound Piopiotahi and its surrounds Funding confirmed for dedicated unit and Establishment Board to assess the recommendations and provide oversight of the process from here Milford Opportunities Project a test case for transformational change in tourism ...1 week ago
- Funding for projects to reduce waste from construction and demolitionThe Government has announced funding for projects in Auckland and the lower North Island to help reduce construction and demolition waste. “Construction is the main source of waste sent to landfill, and much of this could be reduced, reused and recovered,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “The Government is funding ...1 week ago
- Speech at the launch of the National Hepatitis C Action PlanTēnā koutou katoa. Thank you Anglesea Pharmacy and Te Manawa Taki for hosting this event. As a doctor, I saw first hand the impact of hepatitis C. I met Moana in 2019; she came to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic at Wellington Hospital having tested positive for hepatitis C. Like ...1 week ago
- Plan to eliminate hepatitis C as a major health threat by 2030A plan to eliminate hepatitis C in New Zealand, reducing liver cancer and the need for liver transplants, has been released today by Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “Around 45,000 New Zealanders have hepatitis C, but only around half know they have it,” said Ayesha Verrall. “Symptoms often ...1 week ago
- School upgrades and new classrooms for West Coast, Tasman and CanterburyA funding injection from Budget 2021 to complete four shovel ready projects and new classrooms at six schools and kura will provide a real boost to local communities, Minister Dr Megan Woods announced today. “This Government has committed to providing quality fit for purpose learning environments and 100,000 new student ...1 week ago
- Warmer Kiwi Homes smashes annual targetThe Government's highly successful insulation and heating programme, Warmer Kiwi Homes, is celebrating a key milestone with the completion of more than 38,000 insulation and efficient heater installs in the year to the end of June, smashing its target of 25,000 installs for the year. “The Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme ...1 week ago
- Exemption granted for Wallabies to enter NZBledisloe Cup rugby will be played in New Zealand after the Australian rugby team received an economic exemption to enter New Zealand. Travel between Australia and New Zealand was suspended on Friday for at least eight weeks following the worsening of the COVID outbreak across the Tasman. New Zealanders have ...1 week ago
- Minister of Foreign Affairs makes three diplomatic appointmentsForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced three New Zealand Head of Mission appointments. They are: Mike Walsh as Ambassador to Iran Michael Upton as Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union Kevin Burnett as Ambassador to Indonesia Iran “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long-standing and constructive relationship with Iran, despite a ...1 week ago
- Enhanced Task Force Green Approved for West Coast and MarlboroughThe Government has activated Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) in response to the West Coast and Marlborough floods, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “To assist with the clean-up, up to $500,000 will be made available to support the recovery in Buller and Marlborough which has experienced ...1 week ago
- Govt support for upgrade of Eden Park players facilitiesMinister for Sport and Recreation Hon Grant Robertson has announced funding to upgrade the players facilities at Eden Park ahead of upcoming Women’s World Cup events. Eden Park is a confirmed venue for the Rugby World Cup 2021, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, and a proposed venue for matches of ...1 week ago
- More jobs and quicker public transport motoring towards West AucklandWork to improve public transport for West Aucklanders and support the region’s economic recovery by creating hundreds of jobs has officially kicked off, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff this morning marked the start of construction on the Northwestern Bus Improvements project. It ...1 week ago
- Government backs critical health researchResearch into some of New Zealanders’ biggest health concerns including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease is getting crucial support in the latest round of health research funding, Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. The funding, awarded through the Health Research Council of New Zealand, covers 31 General Project grants ($36.64 ...1 week ago
- New Bay of Islands hospital facilities to bring services closer to homePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little have joined a ceremony to bless the site and workers for Phase Two of the redevelopment of the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa today. The new building will house outpatients and primary care facilities, as well as expanded renal care ...1 week ago
- Covid-19 vaccine update: Two million doses administered in New Zealand
Two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been given in NZ, with the Covid-19 Response Minister saying the pandemic is not coming to an end and it is important to keep the virus out of this country. ...1 hour ago - More People Employed – Now Wages Need To Rise
"The news that the number of people who are unemployed has decreased to pre-covid level of 4% is welcomed by the Council of Trade Unions", said CTU Economist and Director of Policy Craig Renney. "The labour market now looks as if it has ...1 hour ago - ‘A culture of acceptance of misconduct’: The MediaWorks review, explained
Maria Dew QC’s independent report on conduct and culture at the radio and outdoor advertising company was published today. Here’s what you need to know.What’s the tldr on the report?Six allegations of sexual assault were heard. Experiences of bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimation and bias on racial and gender grounds ...2 hours ago - ‘Dancing ghosts’: a new, deeper scan of the sky throws up surprises for astronomers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Norris, Professor, School of Science, Western Sydney University Jayanne English/EMU/Dark Energy Survey Scanning through data fresh off the telescope, we saw two ghosts dancing deep in the cosmos. We had never seen anything like it before, and we had ...2 hours ago - Why we should share our vaccinesThis month, 7.4 million AstraZeneca doses will arrive in NZ. We should give them away, says Jo Spratt of Oxfam Aotearoa.Three weeks ago our prime minister chaired an extraordinary Apec session focused on the coronavirus pandemic, declaring at its conclusion that “our discussions moved us beyond vaccine nationalism”. This government ...2 hours ago
- Robertson relishes the patsy questions – when the Opposition quiz him, he is not quite so ebullien...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson can’t resist seeing the sunny side of the economy. When Parliament resumed this week, he was first up at question time to tell New Zealanders that – thanks to a strong export performance – the economic recovery is going well. But Robertson didn’t sound quite so ...2 hours ago - Aucklanders will fund the expansion of the screen industry as ratepayers (via their city council) an...Aucklanders will be chuffed to learn the film studios they own as ratepayers are to be given a share of the millions of dollars the government is eager to pour into the film industry. Mind you, they mightn’t be so chuffed to learn they will be financing the expansion of ...2 hours ago
- Watch live: Chris Hipkins, Megan Main give Covid-19 and vaccine updateCovid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and joint head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine Megan Main are giving a coronavirus and vaccine update. ...2 hours ago
- CTU Urges Government To Focus On Resolving Industrial Dispute With NursesThe Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Government and Minister of Health, Hon Andrew Little, to focus on finding a solution to the current dispute with our nation’s nurses and their union, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. "We ...3 hours ago
- Update: Petition To Ban Greyhound Racing Handover Event Has MovedThe handover event for the petition to ban greyhound racing has moved to outside the Parliamentary Library building. The event is scheduled to begin at 1pm today. SAFE and the Greyhound Protection League are delivering their 37,000 strong petition ...3 hours ago
- Lucy Blakiston’s repressed first phone memoriesThe Shit You Should Care About co-founder tells us about being the subject of high school gossip, being followed by Ariana Grande, her first phone and more in this week’s episode of FIRST.When the Shit You Should Care About Instagram went from 200,000 to a million followers in a month, ...3 hours ago
- Effects Of COVID-19 On Trade: At 28 July 2021 (provisional)Effects of COVID-19 on trade is a weekly update on New Zealand’s daily goods trade with the world. Comparing the values with previous years shows the potential impacts of COVID-19. The data is provisional and should be regarded as an early, indicative ...3 hours ago
- Auckland’s pint-sized pancake palace farewells the CBDLast week, Auckland’s much-loved hole-in-the-wall Korean pancake store closed its doors for the last time. But even after 20 years in the business, its owners aren’t ready to call it quits just yet. If there was ever a doubt about No. 1 Pancake’s popularity, the hour-long queue on its final day ...3 hours ago
- Sharp Falls In Unemployment And UnderutilisationThe seasonally adjusted unemployment and underutilisation rates fell to 4.0 and 10.5 percent, respectively, in the June 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said today. The unemployment rate continued to fall from its recent peak of 5.3 percent in the September 2020 ...4 hours ago
- More Than 10,000 New Zealanders Submit Against Proposed “Hate Speech” ChangesThe Kiwi public has responded loud and clear to the Government’s questions raised in the consultation document on proposed hate speech changes: they don’t want the Government policing their speech, says Jonathan Ayling, Campaign Manager for the ...5 hours ago
- Pacific Island Workers Welcome, But What About Those Already Here?EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley is calling for the Government to declare an overstayer amnesty alongside allowing more RSE workers from the Pacific Islands to come here quarantine-free from next month. "We know a large proportion of those ...5 hours ago
- Feds Heartened By QEII Funding BoostFederated Farmers is relieved to see the government put more money towards the Queen Elizabeth II Trust, to help landowner endeavours to protect and enhance areas of special native biodiversity on privately owned land. Conservation Minister Kiri Allan ...5 hours ago
- Giant bird-eating centipedes exist — and they’re surprisingly important for their ecosystemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Halpin, Ecologist, Monash University Giant bird-eating centipedes may sound like something out of a science-fiction film — but they’re not. On tiny Phillip Island, part of the South Pacific’s Norfolk Island group, the Phillip Island centipede (Cormocephalus coynei) population can kill ...5 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Radical reform coming to a supermarket near youAnalysis by Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The supermarket sector is finally about to receive some serious government intervention. Following a scathing report from the Commerce Commission, it’s now almost inevitable that the Labour Government is going to have to introduce some major changes to this vital but ...6 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – August 4 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Housing Bernard Hickey: Here’s all the levers the Govt is not pulling to fix ...6 hours ago
- National Party leader Judith Collins 'very happy' to call the country AotearoaJudith Collins says she is "very happy" calling the country Aotearoa and personally, is relaxed about the name. ...6 hours ago
- Church Leaders Encouraged To Tackle Rising Porn Use In Their CongregationsUK Charity, the Naked Truth Project, are tackling the damaging social and relational impact of pornography addiction within communities through releasing tickets at the weekend to an online international conference; P-Word, designed to equip churches ...6 hours ago
- 'Way too many hoops': First Home Grant payouts fall shortThe number of first home grants paid out this year is on track to be the lowest since the scheme began in 2014. ...6 hours ago
- Why Olympic skateboarding is a crime (sort of)The activity to which Max Olijnyk has devoted much of his life has been given the ultimate mainstream seal of approval, and it cuts both ways.Last Monday, I sat in Wellington Regional Hospital with our new baby on my lap and watched the first ever women’s street skateboarding event at ...6 hours ago
- Covid-19: Wellington health officials say vaccination schedule on trackWellington's district health board says the region will finish Covid-19 vaccinations by the end of the year, and an earlier projection it would take until February 2022 is out of date. ...6 hours ago
- I’m training to become Australia’s first woman astronaut. Here’s what it takesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Ellis Hayes, Senior Lecturer in Space Research & Law / In training as Suborbital Spaceflight PoSSUM Astronaut Candidate Graduate, Swinburne University of Technology Me (top, third from right) with others from the International Space University, in front of the Shuttle Atlantis ...7 hours ago
- Pacific nations grapple with COVID’s terrible toll and the desperate need for vaccinesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patricia A. O’Brien, Visiting Fellow, School of History, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University Fiji now heads the grim list of Pacific nations counting their dead from coronavirus, having just passed Papua New Guinea’s toll. So far, ...7 hours ago
- COVID vaccines offer the pharma industry a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset its reputation....Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Moynihan, Assistant Professor, Bond University Elsa Olofsson/Unsplash Just weeks before the first COVID-19 cases emerged, Gallup published its latest poll on America’s views about business. At the bottom of the list of 25 sectors was the pharmaceutical industry. Below ...7 hours ago
- Vineyard tourism is a big source of carbon emissions. Want to help? Then buy more wineSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ya-Yen Sun, Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland Shutterstock In a non-COVID year, Australia’s vineyards host more than eight million wine tourists. While these visitors benefit wine producers and regional communities, they also generate a substantial amount of greenhouse gases. ...7 hours ago
- The Hiroshima Panels are a remarkable artistic exploration of traumaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Hartley, Honorary Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland XIV Crows (からす) by Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshi, 1972 Courtesy the Maruki Gallery On August 6, 1945, the US military obliterated Hiroshima with the world’s first deployed nuclear bomb. Several days later, ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, August 4: Wellington expected to miss end of year deadline for vaccinationsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 4, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: Wellington expected to miss end of year deadline for vaccinationsThe government’s goal to offer every New Zealander a Covid-19 vaccine before the end of the year may ...7 hours ago
- The controversial Facebook page that made Bruce Smith king of the CoastWestland mayor Bruce Smith has become an unusually prominent political influencer through a Facebook page he runs. But is it all above board? Alex Braae gives him a call. If you wanted to know what was going on in Whanganui around the 1860s, a great place to start would be reading ...7 hours ago
- Seasonal worker exemption ‘insult to injury’ for overstayers
Migrant advocates are calling for an amnesty for overstayers in the wake of a Dawn Raid apology which lacked clear promises A step in the right direction, but missing a crucial ingredient - that’s how advocates for migrants’ rights describe the Government's apology for the Dawn Raids. The missing ingredient is ...8 hours ago - The Bulletin: What the new lending restrictions meanGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: What the new lending restrictions mean, major leaky buildings class action ends abruptly, and farmers cop warnings from labour inspectorate over breaches.An MOU has been signed between the Reserve Bank and finance minister, giving the RBNZ new powers to restrict ...8 hours ago
- Let’s choose our words more carefully when discussing mātauranga Māori and scienceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Parke, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Auckland www.shutterstock.com Responding to the recent controversy over mātauranga Māori and the letter he co-authored titled “In defence of science”, Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis said: “We don’t know any Māori who knows ...8 hours ago
- Tuatara are ancient, slow and endangered. But their super speedy sperm could boost conservation effo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Lamar, PhD Researcher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Rudmer Zwerver New Zealand’s endemic tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are the sole survivors of an ancient reptile order called Rhynchocephalia. Once widespread across New Zealand, tuatara survive in only ...8 hours ago
- Covid-19: Wellington region will be vaccinating until February 2022 – officialsWellington health officials have told the government they won't meet its preferred deadline and will still be vaccinating people against Covid-19 until late February next year. ...8 hours ago
- In a corner of Canterbury, poor protection starts to bite
Two reports released in the last week suggest environmental chickens are coming home to roost. David Williams reports Eight years ago, at a Wellington conference called Valuing Nature, Victoria University of Wellington professor Jonathan Boston pointed out some glaring contradictions – and issued a warning. The John Key-led government of ...9 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 4 August
...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 4 August
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - O for goodness sake. New Zealand owes David Tua a grovelling apologyFor nearly 30 years the boxer and Olympic medalist David Tua has been ridiculed for something he says he never said. Why has the nation never listened? George Driver writes.“O for awesome.”It is one of the most renowned quotes in Kiwi history. One letter and two words that changed a ...10 hours ago
- The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: Locked outRich and poor, young and old, renters and landlords: sometimes it feels like there are parallel versions of our country. In 2021, Toby Morris’s Side Eye is exploring this theme in the series Two New Zealands. Whether it’s the wealth gap, generation gap, the rural-urban contrast, the different ways Māori ...10 hours ago
- Companies survive Covid – but close in the so-called recovery
New data shows increasing numbers of companies defaulting on their debts as interest rates and supply pressures rise ...10 hours ago - Falcons, a love story
Pictures of awesome cars in an illustrated book on Ford Falcons Falcons were assembled in New Zealand from CKD packs, while the more specialised models, such as the GTs, were imported as complete cars. They were available in multiple body styles. They were affordable to purchase, and to repair and ...10 hours ago - Time for cohousing to go mainstream
Cohousing has long been associated with 'alternative lifestyles'. But, as Mark Jennings writes, the model could increase the supply of affordable, high-quality homes in a housing market in crisis. ...10 hours ago - Coastal landfills are no match for rising seas
This story originally appeared in The Nation and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story As sea levels rise, the landfills along the US coasts have become a ticking environmental time bomb. So why does the federal ...10 hours ago - Making Auckland's waterfront wondrous
Hundreds of millions has been poured into developing Auckland's waterfront, and there's more mega-funding to come. Is it being spent in the right place? Plans for Auckland's first new central city park in 100 years will shortly go to the council for approval. Those plans involve spending $300 million on ...10 hours ago - Jess Berentson-Shaw: There's something rotten in the state of supermarkets
Kiwis are being gaslit about our health on a grand scale by people in the food industry and those in politics who help them by flying the ‘personal responsibility’ flag, writes Jess Berentson-Shaw. ...10 hours ago - What's eating Kris Faafoi?
Once a shining star of Cabinet, Kris Faafoi has gone to ground as pressure mounts in his immigration and justice portfolios. ...10 hours ago - Open season again for Indonesian military trolls and ‘fake news’ campaign on West PapuaSPECIAL REPORT: By David Robie It is open season again for Indonesian trolls targeting Asia Pacific Report and other media with fake news and disinformation dispatches in a crude attempt to gloss over human rights violations. Just three months ago I wrote about this issue in my “Dear editor” article ...15 hours ago
- Accelerated jabs for younger people after Doherty modelling shows it’s vital to vaccinate them qui...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government is set to tweak its vaccination timetable to accelerate jabs for those aged 30 to 39, after Doherty Institute modelling showing it is vital to get younger adults quickly vaccinated, because they are ...16 hours ago
- Can Lisa Carrington become our Olympic GOAT?
Can we mere mortals, watching on in awe, fathom how gigantic and taxing Lisa Carrington’s triumph was on the Sea Forest Waterway on Tuesday? The phenomenal Kiwi paddler won four Olympic canoe sprint races within four hours. And they weren't just any races: two Olympic semifinals and two finals, and in ...18 hours ago - Podcast with Michelle Grattan: a four-stage plan and a $300 payment to get vaccinatedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this ...19 hours ago
- NZ sends 100,000 vaccine doses to Fiji as covid deaths top 250RNZ Pacific New Zealand is sending 100,000 vaccine doses and additional financial support to Fiji for nursing staff as the country’s covid-19 death toll passed 250. Fiji reported 1100 new cases and 13 more deaths today, bringing the total death toll to 254. Of the deaths, 252 of them have ...19 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Essay – Territorial Fundamentalism in our Post-Globalisation EraAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. We have this pretty fiction that the world is made up of approximately 200 politically autonomous nation-states. This in the entrenched ‘Wilsonian’ view of the political world that, in particular, was sort-of realised after World War One; a view that rendered the national empires ...19 hours ago
- ACT, National warn of conversion therapy bill 'risk'ACT leader David Seymour says it is highly unlikely his party would continue to support the government's bill banning conversion therapy, while National is refusing to support it without changes. ...19 hours ago
- Why Jack Dorsey’s Square paid a record $39 billion for AfterpaySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lien Duong, Senior Lecturer in School Accounting of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin University The A$39 billion (US$29 billion) that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s digital payments company Square is paying to acquire Australian upstart payments outfit Afterpay is the biggest takeover deal ...20 hours ago
- Vitamins and minerals aren’t risk-free. Here are 6 ways they can cause harmSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geraldine Moses, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland Shutterstock One reason dietary supplements are so popular is the perception they’re harmless. But like all drugs, there are many potential dangers from taking vitamins and minerals. The ...20 hours ago
- Dunedin Council looks at new plan to increase housing capacityDunedin is expected to need more than 11,000 new homes to cater for its growth by 2050 but the local council predicts it will fall significantly short if changes aren't made. ...20 hours ago
- Helen Clark didn't influence Fiji medevac decision, Foreign Affairs minister saysThe Foreign Affairs minister says she spoke to former Prime Minister Helen Clark about the evacuation of a United Nations official infected with Covid-19 from Fiji to New Zealand. ...21 hours ago
- National's call for Aotearoa referendum 'absurd' and 'ridiculous'All other parties in Parliament have now rubbished National's suggestion that a referendum should be held on whether New Zealand should be called Aotearoa. ...22 hours ago
- The attacks on seven eminent professors over a Listener letter in which they championed science have...
******** A letter in defence of science, published in The Listener last month, was signed by seven professors from the University of Auckland – Kendall Clements, Garth Cooper, Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis, Douglas Elliffe, Elizabeth Rata, Emeritus Professor Robert Nola, and Emeritus Professor John Werry. Prominent scientists were among the ...22 hours ago - Complicated, costly and downright frustrating: Aussies keen to cut emissions with clean energy at ho...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugo Temby, Doctoral Researcher, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Even after A$4,000 in repairs, Heather’s $18,000 rooftop solar and battery system is still not working. Heather worked as a nurse until a workplace accident caused her to ...23 hours ago
- Paying Australians $300 to get fully vaccinated would be value for moneySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Dimitris Barletis/Shutterstock I reckon Albo’s on the right track. The opposition leader wants to pay A$300 to every Australian who is fully vaccinated by December 1. The Grattan ...23 hours ago
- Collins defends 'bottle' comments about Police Minister Poto WilliamsPolice Minister Poto Williams' daughter has expressed fears for her mother's safety after National Party leader Judith Collins' remark. Collins says she meant Williams should be put in a bottle like a genie. ...23 hours ago
- Jacinda Ardern tests negative for Covid-19 after getting cold from daughterPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has tested negative for Covid-19. ...23 hours ago
- Psychiatrists Welcome Government’s Dawn Raids ApologyThe Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the New Zealand Government’s apology for the Dawn Raids. The Dawn Raids carried out in the 1970s were a racist targeting of our Pasifika communities – ...23 hours ago
- Sports Minister fields dozens of letters about Laurel Hubbard's Olympics selectionThe Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson was deluged with emails about Laurel Hubbard's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games selection over the past few months. ...24 hours ago
- Reserve Bank gets green light to tighten lending rules for housing (hopefully without impeding first...The Reserve Bank has been given the government’s go-ahead to tighten mortgage lending rules to try to take some heat out of the housing market. An updated Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank will enable it to implement its proposal to reduce the amount ...1 day ago
- National MP floats ban on public sector using 'Aotearoa'
National MP Stuart Smith has found himself advocating a crackdown on public sector use of te reo in a war on a phantom name change, Marc Daalder writes Analysis: New Zealand's sleek black passports could undergo a revamp to remove the prominent placement of the word 'Aotearoa' - if National Party MP ...1 day ago - Here are all the levers the government isn’t pulling to fix our housing catastropheIn response to claims successive governments have enabled a massive human rights failure, the prime minister says hers is doing all it can to fix the housing crisis. Bernard Hickey disagrees. This column was first published on Bernard Hickey’s newsletter, The Kākā.PM Jacinda Ardern defended her government against the Human Rights Commission’s ...1 day ago
- Grant Robertson: Taxpayer Hero? Union Urges U-turn On SkyPathResponding to reports that the Finance Minister is considering scrapping the planned $785 million cycle bridge, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “Grant Robertson has clearly paid close attention to the Curia poll commissioned ...1 day ago
- Young Australians are supposedly ‘turning their backs’ on democracy, but are they any different ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Intifar Chowdhury, PhD Candidate/Data Archivist, Australian National University Joel Carrett/AAP The 2019 federal election saw the lowest voter turnout since compulsory voting was introduced in 1924. Only 91% of Australians voted, amid reports young people “turned their back on democracy”. ...1 day ago
- The pain and poetry of online beauty reviewsAlix Higby was just looking for a new cleanser. What she found was something much more powerful. It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one skincare or makeup routine fits all. Particularly if you have sensitive skin and the kind of allergies that, in Jane Austen’s world, would see you ...1 day ago
- Fiji police warn public against violence and ‘fake profiles’ after two firesAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Fiji police have warned that any attempts to destabilise and cause instability will be investigated and dealt with, reports The Fiji Times. The warning came from Acting Commissioner Police Rusiate Tudravu yesterday in the wake of two major fires in Ba and Raiwai at the weekend. ...1 day ago
If you like a good laugh, watch question one from Parliament today.
Jeepers bridges is so poor. He needs to leave the arena. He is finished.
His best friends wouldn’t tell him.
He turfed the only one who might have for leaking.
I thought Simon tried really hard and Gerry was very smart, until he got chucked out.
Ms Ardern is brilliant. She wipes the floor with him every time.
Heard her being interviewed on the jihadi guy. The interviewer appeared to be trying to get her to say she felt compassion for him and she just didn’t go there. Very skillful.
And yes Bridges is hapless
Of course Aunty Audrey reckons her special lad was triumphant: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12209774
God what a load of dribble Audrey writes.
It’s completely pointless questioning because the govt haven’t even said yet what bits they will support of the tax working groups recommendations
But his colleagues applauded, see. He must be popular after all.
Poor Audrey, Just another tired, braindead National poodle.
That is a really weird take …
Yes, seems to be something else going on there.
It’s a hospital pass that Ardern keeps passing to herself, and she will keep getting smashed. She has no commercial experience and pretending that her time at an NGO is sort of kind of like running a small business is cringeworthy.
She should just say that if they think a society or a country is like a business – no wonder they left the place in such an effing mess.
No comparison, no discernible equivalence, entirely different sorts of human beings required for the two jobs.
There are too many poorly-run businesses in NZ. People believing it’s somehow a qualification to govern a nation is a reflection of the same unambitious ignorance.
She should just say that if they think a society or a country is like a business – no wonder they left the place in such an effing mess.
No comparison, no discernible equivalence, entirely different sorts of human beings required for the two jobs.
People in NZ who own small businesses (think “John Smith Plumber Ltd”) are worried about how the Tax Working Group’s recommendations might affect them.
Whenever the PM says something like “Trust me I understand your concerns I know all about the pressures of owning a small business because I was once President of the International Union of Socialist Youth” that sounds so tonedeaf it’s practically a let them eat cake moment.
These moments are entirely avoidable. She just needs to stop claiming that she’s ever had any involvement or experience in running a small business, or that her sheltered taxpayer-funded political work history has given her any sort of understanding of what it’s like to work in a small self-owned business. But for some reason she keeps making these hospital passes, and she keeps getting smashed.
My God they’re in a rage over the latest polls! This is when the true character of the “nasty party” is laid bare for all to see.
This line of questioning has started with the Prime Minister, but it will likely spread to include other ministers. The constant needling and efforts to discredit them over something in their past will be an attempt to provoke one or more of them into losing their cool.
However, I get the impression Trevor Mallard saw it coming and he’s ready for them.
You bet Anne, and the “nasty” party hasn’t even got a head of steam on yet. If Labour internal polling is correct wait till the next round of colmar/Reid polls are released, then we will see the true ugly face of blue panic.
Tilting at windmills comes to mind …
Here is the perfect future proofing investment for Shane Jones to look at investing in, provincially speaking.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111039779/marine-expert-backs-plan-to-run-new-northsouth-shipping-service
Long past time we had a bit more shipping. Wasn’t so very long ago we were a major shipping nation.
Really efficient and inexpensive transport but all the former coastal shipping companies have all been sold off I believe, and new ships don’t come cheap.
The skills don’t either. Pretty new ships with raw crews tend to lose a bit of paint. That said, coastal trade boats are well within local capacity to build. If govt were serious about reducing carbon, getting freight on water would be a priority.
Whanganui port- Castlecliff
https://www.castlecliff.nz/port
Castlecliff port in the 18th & early 19th centuries was the transit point for goods into and produce out of the central North Island region. Improvements in road transport however made the last half century one of decline for the port.
It would take some freight away from Wellington port and the cross channel ferries. And if Wellington was damaged by an earthquake, there would be an alternative link with the South Island.
Trucks could divert to Whanganui, perhaps passing through New Plymouth and taking the fairly flat coastal route to the Whanganui port and from there would be an apparently direct sea route from there to Motueka.
Also wikipedia says there is a secondary rail line –
Marton – Wanganui – Hawera – New Plymouth for freight only.
There is no rail from Motueka, the freight for further south would have to go by truck either by the inland route to Maruia, Springs Junction, Culverden and then Christchurch.
Or going to Marlborough it would be the route across the twisty Whangamoas, quite a good road but quite a climb, then flat to Blenheim. There is a railway platform there and a loading site there. Presumably it would go on the Main North Line betweeen Picton and Christchurch.
Information from Kiwirail Freight –
Using the rail network
From fixed schedule shuttle trains designed specifically for container movements, to domestic freight trains, or ‘hook and tow’ options for those customers with their own equipment.KiwiRail Freight is a cost-efficient linehaul transport provider for bulk-commodity or containerised freight.
In November 2018 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that KiwiRail is to get $40 million from the Provincial Growth Fund, to provide a year-round service by the Coastal Pacific and to upgrade the Kaikoura, Blenheim and Picton stations.[11]
KiwiRail committed to inland freight hub
15 November 2018 9:09AM
The Government’s $40m investment in a new freight hub near Palmerston North will ready the Manawatu-Whanganui region for the coming freight growth, KiwiRail’s Acting Chief Executive Todd Moyle says.
Northland rail investigations on track
31 January 2019 2:02PM
Video of speeches made by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Minister of Regional Development Shane Jones, KiwiRail Acting Chief Executive Todd Moyle and KiwiRail Chairman Greg Miller is available here: https://youtu.be/2R1v2fDR6kE
(https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/media/news-and-press-releases
(https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-41.072561,173.5736909,10z
gsays, thanks for that.
Less than 2 weeks until the trial of the person accused of multiple sexual assaults at the labour youth camp.
Given who it is to rumoured to be there should be a lot of interest from the media – will be very interesting if found guilty.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107027711/two-charges-dropped-against-man-accused-of-sexual-assaults-at-labour-party-summer-camp
Oh you little tease. To yellow to share the rumour are you?
Not a hope I’d post it or even give hints on here or elsewhere.
So that’s why the right are still frothing about it. Another prominent New Zillunder, you reckon.
You don’t froth over multiple sexual assaults on teenagers?
Nope.
😂
It beggars belief that some of these people don’t know teenagers, excl the part where they got their hands – or some of them did – on alcohol you would hope that someone would have blown the whistle very loud at the time. I actually have three daughters and none got “out and about” until they knew exactly how to extracate themselves from problems. As far as I am concerned it was a missed opportunity to all concerned to show just what can happen if people don;t step up and call bad behaviour out.
I was just wondering whether Gosman & James are part of Goebbels Family and can whakapapa themselves back to Josef Goebbels and the German Regime in WW11.
Can anyone on TS enlighten me ?
Doubt it, Goebbels had creative grey matter in the game, they are just wee National poodles.
Yeah that would ruin the charade.
James you’ve got to get out more
That isn’t really fair. If you’re spending your life waiting for the climactic moment an alleged sex offender appears in court you’re entitled to stay at home frothing at the mouth and not getting out more.
Sad little thing our James sitting behind the computer all day tapping away on the keyboard, you really should get out and smell the roses, rosemary is very good for Mental Health & Memory.
Its Jimmys under daks, the elastic is too tight causing RWS. Either that or the batteries are flat and require re juicing. BM has the opposite syndrome only confined to his right hand, or he may be left handed.
Tick tick tick tick tick………. ninety nine……tock!
I agree If what I’ve read is true, explosive and should be highly damaging to those involved.
Tick Tock, Tick Tock.
Okay so you and James have info – well shit it must be true because you wingnuts would never bullshit now would you. Luckily the left aren’t as thick as you two or your gnat puppet masters. Lol try again losers.
Did I say it was true?
We’ll find out sooner or later when the court case begins, no doubt someone will turn up and verify.
If true though and it’s not covered by the media.I’II have grave concerns about the long term future of NZ.
Banana republic here we are.
So you’ve heard a heinous rumour and if the MSM don’t cover it then that will be proof for you that we are a banana republic?
Lol that’s silly.
You need to dial back your bias filter, you’re not reading posts correctly.
Here me thinking the Panama papers proved that Key turned us into a Banana republic. It’s so funny that you think it any better.
Personally I’m more worried about John Key using the SIS to discredit Phil Goff, and his use of stroke victim Cameron Slater to do hit jobs on his opponents.
Now that was dangerous.
Second rate diversion attempt.
Most of NZ knows who it is and the case will have an outcome no doubt but very many NZ parents have had an occasion to dwell on things that happen so unless you believe that that any failings or sins “of the children” should always be visited on the parents it is by comparison in that regard a non-event.
I’m guessing people don’t “know”.
Remember the gayford rumours – there is still a chance the rumour on this is wrong also.
We just have to wait and see.
And yes people should be held to account for their actions or lack thereof.
Sad little thing our James sitting behind the computer all day tapping away on the keyboard, you really should get out and smell the roses, rosemary is very good for Mental Health & Memory.
Jimmy you really should have a wash put your nappies on and jump into bed, and have a good nights sleep.
You could not help bringing up the Gayford rumors again could you ?
You are obviously a little slow – I was using that as an example of how rumours can be wrong.
I’ll type slower for you so you try to keep up.
It’s no more wrong than when everyone knew who Dowie was or the TV personality and in all those cases the person as a sole individual was judged on their actions just as they should be in this case unless people try to politicse it which is exactly what is being hinted at and threatened here regarding people not even present.
We will have to wait and see if the rumours are correct or not. If they are it will make sense then – don’t want to say more as being careful not to get into the details of the rumour.
Remember the gayford rumours…
Yep, remember them. Same bottom-feeders peddling the rumours in both cases – are you happy to be in that company?
I haven’t peddled any. I just mention there are some and zero names or even how it could be related.
Yeah. Sometimes you’re mildly humourous, occasionally even constructive.
But when you’re in your little perverted rumour-spreading mode, you really are a vile piece of shit. You take every opportunity to let people’s imaginations run wild, and remind everybody of other lies (which you hasten to say are untrue, despite taking the effort to remind people and pique their curiousity about the rumours).
Rather than not-spreading spreading ugly slanders and rumours, why don’t you cheerlead the fine efforts of the the top-performing National party caucus membership and leadership? I guess not only do you guys have nothing now, you don’t even have anything in the pipeline.
But no matter how desperate you are, you ain’t like the shadders or BM handles. You can do so much better than trying to get people to google slanders.
I cannot take ownership for others imaginations or their google searches.
Bullshit. You know exactly what you’re doing.
Who started the rumours on JLR and that grubby little girl in the town next to Bluff Jimmy ?
James @ (3.3.1.1.3.1) Your final statement …
“And yes people should be held to account for their actions or lack thereof.”
Absolutely agree.
However …
Why is it then John Key was not held to account for assaulting a waitress for six months, despite her telling him to stop on several occasions?
Predatory behaviour from someone in a powerful position, abusing his status toward a young woman he obviously considered inferior to himself!
…maybe because the victim went to a blog site instead of the police…
Perfect answer
@ indiana … regardless of how she drew attention to her plight, why wasn’t John Key made accountable for constantly touching the young woman over a fairly long period of time, which disturbed her?
Wouldn’t be easy to get authorities to believe a humble waitress laying an assault complaint against John Key would it? She deserved much better treatment than that she received.
Accountability long overdue here!
I said rumour. I have no info.
Still better thick than providing underaged kids alcohol and letting them get sexually abused.
So Jimmy you are trying to ignite the sexual misbehaviour at the Labour Party Summer Camp correct ?
No not correct. I’m just looking forward to the truth coming out and the bad guy being charged and named.
Any other fallout is just candy.
You’re waiting for a train wreck and hoping for casualties and people to be destroyed. Do you say daily prayers that the country craps out so you can gloat? You seem the type.
I’m looking forward to people being held to account.
If it goes as per the rumour – the people who get destroyed will deserve it.
People? There’s just the one guy on trial isn’t there?
Who else is going to be destroyed?
That will depend on if the rumour is true or not.
James … you state ….
“I’m looking forward to people being held to account.”
Still brings us back to one lecherous former PM being held to account doesn’t it?
On your obviously strong belief in being accountable for one’s actions (and I’m with you all the way on that one), you still haven’t answered my previous question re John Key and his dirty touchy touchy feely feely behaviour towards a young woman, as well as several young girls!
I’d appreciate a response from you on that topic as well as the one you are throwing around on TS today.
Candy? That’s creepy.
The Young Nats?
Yeah, it was a Nat plant 🙄
Dude, you have no shame at all.
I mean trust you to make this about boosting your reputation. There’s something awful about people who chase virtual ambulances.
Bot Sam needs a bit of work on his logic algorithm.
Far too much junk output guys.
Says the guy who can’t help swearing after he’s had a few.
Had a few?, I’ll call you a cunt face any time of the day.
Lol. Junk output.
You are too easily triggered, mate. Get help.
(Deleted and edited by moi): Don’t need to double up on the rhetoric. Couldn’t have said it better than Muttonbird myself.
Lol, Really pushed the boat out with Sam there fella, my God what a creative genius.
How am I even meant to take praise from someone like you, BM. You just had a go at me for being an algorithm. It’s very abnormal to be snooping around sexual assault cases and making claims of insider information. The victim and there families would rightly say to you who the fuck are you? Just stop embarrassing yourself.
gReaT Com3BacK sAM!
Do you concede?
That you’re an idiot?
Absolutely
Prove it
A Russian Agent planted the rumour.
Thanks for the reminder Muttonbird.
What happened about the Young Nats sex assult?
Has anyone heard any rumours?
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108890577/police-investigate-incident-after-young-nats-event
It’s ok when National does it.
Big-noting is a right winger’s form of virtue signalling and it’s generally approved of.
You might think so – most others wouldn’t.
Was that person charged ?
Interesting isn’t it. When it was a sex assault after a Sat. night Young Labour event the media went into overdrive for weeks on end. You would have thought the entire Labour Party Council was to blame.
A young Nat does the same thing – or even worse by the sounds of it – and apart from a brief report not a whisper from the MSM.
When it happens to the National Party sanity prevails and no-one accuses National of being at fault. But Labour….
So Anne – what makes this assault even worse?
From the link:
My understanding from the Labour story at the time… it was a quick grope at the actual event but he did not pursue his victims. Admittedly he did it to more than one young woman but the Young Nat incident sounds a lot more serious and frightening for his victim.
But of course you hard-right misogynistic males know better than another woman don’t you.
I love that you minimise it to a quick gripe as opposed to a serious sexual assault against several people – at least one male as well.
Then you play the misogyny card – pathetic.
But must be a lot more serious because Anne’s a woman and says so – blissfully overlooking a police investigation that says otherwise.
Funny old world where trying to kiss someone is a lot more serious than putting your hand done people’s pants when they don’t want it.
What about JLR the National Party sex maniac who was seducing all the women in Parliament ?
Anne, James might just be indulging in pathetic political point-scoring, but I too detect the whiff of misogyny in some of ‘his’ comments.
James‘ muck-raking highlights his lack of self-awareness – really sad.
Do you agree with Anne’s evaluation that one sexual assault was “a lot more serious” than the 4 resulting in criminal charges ?
Honestly have no direct knowledge or expertise regarding these events, so my opinion would be next to worthless. [Check out the “Fair witness” concept.]
But, for what it’s worth, I think they are events for our (hopefully adequately resourced) courts to evaluate, and adjudicate on.
Yes Anne please be quiet while james mansplains why you are wrong. He knows some rumours off his suspect webmates so sit back…
i didn’t say she was wrong. I said she was minimising the sexual assaults of others and being pathetic in playing the misogyny card.
Well I’ll just call you scum for manipulating the situations
A young Nat does the same thing
Either you’re going senile Anne or for some reason feel the need to lie?
While we are waiting on Anne’s rating system for sexual assaults – let’s compare and contrast the follow up by national and labour on the matters.
From memory they lied about knowing who the Young Nat abuser was.
I guess you can’t blame the Nats in that instance because lying is their default reaction to any situation and they seem incapable of changing.
And how well did labour do?
They didn’t lie. That’s one of the thing which sets the two parties apart.
Jimmy, change your underwear, we all know young nats only grope themselves and screens.
Yet we have proof young labour get groped by others – even if they really don’t want it.
What about John Key and one of the very attractive woman in the National Party ?
I heard it from a number of sources.
And you probably wouldn’t believe the VERY credible rumours about why John Key resigned.
Lets just say it involved a female called XXX XXXXX. And old workmates were able to confirm certain aspects of the story. Or am I skating on thin ice there?
Until they are proven all rumours are as credible as others.
I have not heard a thing. Honestly you guys should get out more.
Well over due for engine size to be reflected in vehicle registration costs. 3+lt tank suv models should exponentially incur taxes way more than a piddly 1lt run-about. Note, the kids still get to school on time, you’ve just used way less fuel and created less emissions to get them there. Sure, it may not look as good outside the cafe in front of your chosen social group and yes, you’ll sit lower on the road when driving so that feeling of superiority will dissolve faster than the planet’s chances of survival, but until we get really clinical with our thinking on climate change, at least you’ll still be able to pay much more for the privilege of your ‘choice’ while your vehicles are still permitted on the roads.
Don’t know why it hasn’t been done here before.
We already pay more for them in gst on the purchase.
Nope, clearly there some smaller engine cars which cost more than some bigger engine vanities, so that argument is poo.
I support huge tax hikes for bigger engined vehicles.
Name a single “piddy 1lt run-about” that cost more than a “3+Ltd tank”?
Aston Martin Cygnet?
Ooooh good answer.
Thanks to John Key and the 2.5% increase in Grab Snatch & Take
That’s merely the cost of purchasing a big vehicle. It doesn’t address the ongoing costs of big vehicles on the road.
Also that GST is offset against GST received when purchasing a business vehicle.
Mate, even this government wouldn’t be dumb enough to do that.
Are you sayin this guvmint is dumb.
Ninety nine change hands.
The Nats changed it to be the other way around, indirectly. The ACC part of rego varied according to frequency of injury to occupants, never mind what happened to people in the other car or to pedestrians. So my 1994 Landrover Defender was rated as safer (cheaper ACC band) than my 2001 Daihatsu Sirion with ABS, airbags, pretensioning seatbelts, properly engineered crumple zones and a properly engineered collapse zone on the bonnet …
You drive a Daihatsu Sirion ?????
Oh dear.
A Daihatsu Sirion is the ultimate Granny car.
Yup.
It’s just as well I have no shame whatsoever about what kind of car I’m seen in.
But you might be surprised at how much fun a 1.3 manual like mine actually is.
A Daihatsu Sirion reminds me of thisTop gear show
There’s hooks in strange places inside. The only use I can think of for them is hanging colostomy bags.
I have a Toyota Passo, which is bascially a rebadged Sirion and its a good car. Can turn on a dime, good on petrol, speedy, and if you fold the rear seats down, you can load it up with all sorts of stuff.
Yeah. No matter what you say – it’s not even remotely “speedy”
James as Mad Max?
Or maybe Peter ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (sooooo manly):
“I feel the need, the need for speed.”
What a Goose – “It’s a limit, not a target.”
Lol. Very good.
I have had no issues with my cars acceleration and velocity capabilities. It might not be a V8 turbocharged Holden like you have, but it does the job,
Pffft. I’ve never driven a Holden.
I said “some smaller engine cars”, of which there are numerous examples.
Or even no petrol engine vehicles…
rav4 gxl – $41,990 – 2.5lt petrol
Tesla M3 standard range – $136,000 – No petrol
https://www.tesla.com/en_NZ/models/design
How about this EV? Fastest car on the road.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47418405
“What’s really special about the Pininfarina Battista, recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, is this: it’s all-electric.
So, here are some stats. Maker Automobili Pininfarina claims its Battista does 0-62mph in less than two seconds, 186mph in less than 12 seconds, has a top speed of more than 250mph, and does 280 miles on one charge.
Its brake horse power (bhp) is equivalent to 1,900, about twice that of a Formula 1 car (a decent-sized Ford Fiesta, Britain’s best-selling car, has a bhp of between about 84 and 138).”
It would certainly blow my Leaf away.
Ouch. Fish and Game returns serve to Hamish Walker for one of the rants he regularly has in the local media trying to maintain the base party vote.
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/water-quality-debate-must-be-fact-based
I think this is the piece that got F & G going
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/farmers-tired-bearing-blame
F and G don’t have a lot of love for farmers and I really don’t blame them.
So many arseholes doing bad shit and getting away with it because the regional councils are stacked with farmers who set the rules and penalties.
It’s something I wished National had worked on but unfortunately, politics, core voter stock, can’t upset them too much.
It’s really up to labour and the Greens, to get it sorted.
It goes a little further – the Gnats themselves have infiltrated irrigation bodies to lift the value of their own farms, pushing them through by overriding environmental advice and pulling crap like stacking ECan (and I hear the Southland version) with nodding dogs.
The average farmer is not nearly the problem that these ambitious clowns are.
Jeez, that MP got owned.
He sounded like the local Fed Farmers rep.
The muppet spits out press releases almost daily that are more appropriate for someone who’s running for some insignificant Fed Farmers committee. And all aimed at the lowest core nat supporter. I’m wondering wtf is going on, has their poling started showing Mark Patterson (NZF local) making some ground in the rural heartland.
As for Queenstown the guy hasn’t a clue about the place, he came out with one today blaming tourism for the congestion we have. It’s bad, but only during the week, tourism is a 7 day industry, it doesn’t have weekends. There’s no congestion in the weekend. The problem is all the development and new people from the Nat’s SHAs and unfettered development without proper planning.
Today’s effort, https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion-queenstown-buckling-under-strain
Poor planning has delivered the housing and infrastructure problems we have now and it doesn’t look like anyone has learned thing.
Those calling for removing urban boundaries and cutting red tape around consent just don’t have a clue about how much damage unplanned building does.
I mean, how do you get those people to and from work?
Car.
Boom – Boom
Go the Jingoistic drums.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47450224
They talk at cross purposes but there is no other topic that isnt impacted and therefore secondary to this
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018685155/an-uninhabitable-earth-scaremongering-or-reality
Child poverty, CGT,whatever you care to discuss…it all means nought if this isnt addressed
Fortunately many people can walk and chew gum at the same time.
oddly enough I too can walk and chew gum….it dosnt impact anything of import
I think I now know why Bill departed
What are you doing Pat – show us a path to follow while we do our walking.
What’s your line. Environment? What’s your present focus?
that line is becoming somewhat tired GWS
Rationing with a sinking lid, wartime footing …and forget about cross party support…take leadership, its why they were elected.
So Larry ‘lackwit’ Williams spent time today having a go at AOC for getting a ride from a family member.
I thought they had put that tired old windbag out to pasture?
I reckon AOC would eviscerate the old windbag.
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/03/04/exclusive-interview-in-rep–alexandria-ocasio-cortez-s-bronx-home
That’s all good.
This is what I advocate in this new era of fake news attacks and bizarre controversy manufacture from the Nats. Even today Bridges ran with a Hosking interview, in parliament for God’s sake, in an attempt to discredit the PM on the after-school jobs she had as a teenager.
I advocate jumping on this stuff early and hard but I must say some commenters here don’t see this as a good response, instead preferring to rely on those dated rules of conduct: good faith argument, and robust discussion.
I’m sorry but that shit don’t work no more.
works better than your approach of random bollocks and ill informed rants.
I think you’ve shot your load tonight, champ.
Tomorrow’s another day – you might like to dust off that citizenship application.
Putting faces to the names.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1102619649802420225.html
Looking at transport and at NZRail news releases it is plain that they have been working hard to make rail a good freight option. This from 2012 when they were setting up a dedicated Auckland to Christchurch through freight service.https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/news/176/129/Palmerston-North-train-unlocks-possibility-for-super-freight-service-to-Christchurch.html
Palmerston North train unlocks possibility for ‘super’ freight service to Christchurch
15 August 2012 1:01PM
Dedicated overnight rail freight services are being introduced between Auckland and Palmerston North in September.
These new services are expected to play a critical part in the plan to increase KiwiRail’s share of the domestic freight business over the length of the country.
Their introduction will enable the development of a “super” service from Auckland to Christchurch and free up capacity on other premier freight services heading down the North Island Main Trunk to Wellington, Christchurch and beyond, says KiwiRail Freight General Manager Iain Hill.
“By introducing this new service offering we are able to better streamline all our premier services, making them more destination-specific. In particular it gives us the opportunity to run a pure Auckland to Christchurch service, specifically tailored to the ‘just in time’ market.”
The introduction of the new services has been made possible by improvements to the business over the past 12 months.
‘The new locomotives and wagons, and the lengthened Aratere have unlocked previous bottle necks on the network and we now have the capacity and the capability to do this, “he says.
“In the short term it means we are well set up for the peak season this year. And in the medium term it means we will be in a strong position once the rebuild of Christchurch gathers momentum and economic recovery begins.”
At present volumes destined for Palmerston North, the key distribution hub for the lower North Island, are carried on a number of services which continue to Wellington and Christchurch.
The introduction of the new Palmerston North service, will enable one of the other services to be set up as a 32-wagon Auckland to Christchurch service, leaving Auckland at 10.00 pm, arriving in Wellington in time for a critical Aratere sailing, and then arriving in Christchurch early on day two.
Palmerston North is an increasingly important distribution hub for the lower North Island. The south-bound service service, which will consist of around 30 wagons departs Auckland at 18.10PM and is scheduled to arrive at 06.15AM in Palmerston North.
And they have done worthwhile things on pay, bridge innovation, and electric locos.
Landmark pay deal struck at KiwiRail
27 August 2018 1:01PM
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union and KiwiRail have today signed a landmark pay deal which will see a flat rate of higher pay applied across all 2319 of its members, rather than the usual percentage increase for workers.
Read more
Innovative KiwiRail bridge recognised
15 October 2018 11:11AM
A North Island bridge that was the first in the world to feature innovative seismic strengthening technology has been named one of the country’s outstanding concrete structures.
Read more
Electric locomotives to continue with Government investment
30 October 2018 1:01PM
The Government’s commitment to fund the refurbishment of KiwiRail’s ageing electric locomotives on the North Island Main Trunk line will provide additional capacity as rail continues its freight growth, KiwiRail Acting Chief Executive Todd Moyle says.
“it is plain that they have been working hard to make rail a good freight option”
The last govt told them to focus only on freight, yes.
Was going to mention a couple of things from the New Zealand Railway Observer for this quarter. That last Government wouldn’t do and what this current Government is doing IRT investment to KiwiRail IRT freight, passenger services and infrastructure. The last which has not seen much money allocated to infrastructure since 90’s which has been on a ad-hoc basis since then.
Marshall Mathers is determined to protect his music and is going after the hapless Nats again.
Dildo Joyce has slithered off so I guess it’s the guy who forces women to sign NDAs so they don’t talk, Peter Goodfellow, who will be in the firing line.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/111053864/eminem-heads-to-the-supreme-court-to-appeal-second-damages-decision
And:
It’s shocking that the National Party of New Zealand would steal money from victims of Hurricane Harvey.
“shocking” – is it? Is it really? Btw, great comment.
King’s College, London study looks at the disinformation and propaganda techniques employed by Kremlin mouthpieces Sputnik and RT.
Media outlets RT and Sputnik perform a “damage control” function for the Russian state during incidents such as the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal and deploy a range of tactics to project Russian strength and construct news agendas.
This is the first comprehensive study of how RT and Sputnik sow confusion and division in the UK and beyond. It is based on an analysis of nearly 12,000 articles published in English by the two outlets and over 150,000 online articles by UK news outlets. The articles were collected between May and June 2017, and in March 2018, in the immediate aftermath of the Skripal poisoning.
[…]
The range of competing narratives around the Skripal incident included:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/research-analysis/weaponising-news
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/weaponising-news.pdf
The Russians learned from viewing USAs National Enquirer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Enquirer
Reading all the comments so far, Monty Python would be proud.
Nashy’s on the case.
Why do I get the feeling there’s going to be some sudden and quick relocations of rich pricks in the months ahead. 😅
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/384028/anti-tax-evasion-data-sharing-network-expands-to-90-countries