good on SUFW for pushing back against the disinformation project. They have used pictures of a peaceful protest to illustrate the disinformation projects claims of white supremacy genocide etc. this surely is dangerously close to defamation?
At some point you need to face up to who your new friends are (spoiler alert: not people who care about women's rights). They may not be the allies you want, but they are the ones you've got. And it's killing your cause.
What rubbish Observor. The report has not been peer reviewed. Hannah by her own admission says
wo aspects stood out particularly: the solidifying and intensifying of hate towards trans people and the use of specific tactics, such as sharing gifs and images or utilising certain features of online communities, that Hannah said may indicate overseas interference or influence.
Get that. May indicate overseas interference or influence.
There might well be hate on the dark web. I don’t know I never visit them nor would I want to.
Its time you faced up to the fact that gender critical feminists are the playthings of alt right. We. have our own minds.
I have many contacts who are gender critical and without exception, they are all from the left, many lesbian.
It was unwise of K-JK to call for men to drag the transgender out of women's public spaces. Of course this sort of behaviour by the right – the so called violent face of bigotry of the social conservative against the same sex and now transgender, is not really one in support of women's rights.
The sooner this cause is less reliant on resourcing/funding from the right the better. Dworkin warned about working with the right back in 1983 – even where there is agreement.
I wish I could understand your point Observer, I suspect it is one of those 'not a very sharp one but still a point' kind of statements.
Who are the new friends?
Who are the allies?
What is the cause that is being killed?
The Disinformation report is a once over lightly look at the events of something……
The point about Albert Park & KJM was that the women who were trying to speak about Women's issues were denied this opportunity by transactivists who had been built up into a 'froth' by misinformations and 'hit' and 'snow' jobs by the media.
The concern of Anker and myself is basically with the issues and rights of Women. Many of us have been around following these issues/causes for many years and in my case/partners case our mothers before us while some have female ancestors who signed the suffrage petition in 1893.
It is no secret that many woman view with concern that men dressed as women are seeking access to female safe spaces, and in competing against women in sports.
So the cause of women and our rights is not likely to be killed any time soon.
Our allies/friends come from all walks of life and political persuasions just as they have throughout history.
SUFW has been a clearing house and breath of fresh air in NZ on these issues.
The aborted Albert Park & Wellington visits in fact have signalled to NZ women that mysogyny is alive and well.
Meanwhile KJM has had successful rallies, the last one I watched was in Belfast where competent policing enabled the women who wanted to speak on a variety of issues.
I suspect many find KJM and her true to biology saying 'Women don't have pensises' and 'Men don't have vaginas' is getting close to 'exposing' the modern day equivalent of the fairy story 'The Emperor has no clothes'.
Or do you believe that biology can be changed ie every single cell in the body can be changed from male to female.
Nah – this is the bog standard 'smear by association' game.
No matter how sane any mass cause is, there will be a group of unacceptable extremists on the margins who will park themselves adjacent in order to hijack some of the attention and political resource.
And then guaranteed some intellectually lazy doofus will exploit this to pretend that the mainstream cause is discredited by these nutters who’ve latched on at the margins.
On reflection I feel like Captain Obvious just typing this out.
Either you are choosing not to know, or you know but need to pretend otherwise. I don't know which, but if it is genuine ignorance, let me help (and of course there are hundreds of other examples, I'm sure you know how to Google …).
It is a deliberate strategy. It is working, but only if people pretend it isn't happening.
Why is this in the slightest bit surprising? If you cannot work out that socially conservative people might well have sincere and profound concerns around many aspects of this radical biology denying trans-rights movement – you really are not paying attention.
If you perceive this strand of commonplace social conservatism as 'far right', you might want to contemplate how it is you got to be that far away from them.
The vast majority of them are going to be pretty unremarkable, working class people who hold down jobs, committed to family, faith and community. The kind of people who make your world work.
They don't have goats head soup for dinner and eat babies.
I don't think anyone would argue that gender critical feminists are a far right cause, the idea is laughable.
I know that a lot of Christian conservatives are against gender ideology, and they have their own reasons for that (a lot of them are concerned about the medical transition of children).
Right wing conservatives challenge gender ideology.
Therefore all gender critical feminists must be right wing.
BTW Observor, I think its time you faced the fact of who you are supporting IF you are supporting the trans rights activists….read SUFWs press release and see some of the placcards that the tras brought to Albert Park. "F..k off our land C..t". "Suck my dick". Maybe its time you faced up to who your friends are….mysogynists
I'm not the one claiming that it isn't a conservative, far right cause. It obviously is. We know, because they keep telling us so.
this is just incredibly ignorant. Yes, in the US, there is a strong conservative force to remove trans rights because of ideas about gender normality.
Meanwhile, in the UK, aka Terf Island, the issues are drive by left and centre left gender critical feminists and other women. Are you not aware of this?
KJK is in a movement of her own, but have you watched any LWS livestreams and seen the number of left/progressive women that speak?
In NZ, it's mixed. SUFW are centre left and left as well as conservative. Women's Liberation Aotearoa are left wing feminists.
In the same way that feminists and conservative women have historically opposed porn, there are some superficial overlaps but the underlying values and positions are very different.
A bit like Woman's Place UK, they do not have any. But WPUK do not associate with Keen because of views on race and religion in the UK and connections to American right wing groups that oppose same sexuality and womens body agency.
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Keen confirmed links to conservative group CPAC Australia while denouncing neo-nazis as “abhorrent”.
CPAC Australia is a libertarian organisation that is currently petitioning against an indigenous voice in Australia’s parliament, and aligns itself with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. It is linked to the United States’ CPAC, full name Conservative Political Action Conference, which famously supports former US president Donald Trump.
Special K is very disappointed Meka has decided to leave the Labour Party for TMP and will be their candidate for Ikaroa Maori Seat in the forthcoming General Election 2023.
I thought they just had to resign from the party they were elected for, to trigger the provisions.
Of course, we now know that it has to be in a print letter, with a handwritten signature, according to the Speaker's …. unique …. interpretation of the legislation.
The legislation automatically vacates an MP's seat if they deliver a signed, written notice to the Speaker resigning from the party they were elected for.
Otago University law professor Andrew Geddis told Checkpoint the issue was complicated because there were two separate sets of rules running side by side.
"The first set is the Electoral Act rules, which are law, statute law, which govern when a MP who leaves their party also vacates their seat, loses their seat in Parliament.
"Then alongside those are the sort of standing orders, Parliament's own internal rules, which govern how MPs are going to be treated for internal parliamentary purposes and internal processes of the House."
The Speaker decides on the second, and apparently also determines the formal notification in respect to the first (and can therefore decide for parliament as to the legislation enactment). Where the two agree, and the Speaker decides this, the two sets of rules are in lockstep – a term significant given the Speaker’s authority over unlocking the doors.
It can be presumed that EK has been informed as to the correct way to remain in parliament and avoid being in the Green caucus room.
But Geddis said he believed the speaker should publicly release any correspondence from Whaitiri given it was a constitutional issue.
Whaitiri was very forthright in her media conference saying that quit Labour and was now a member of Te Pāti Māori, he said.
"And then when she went to the speaker she was far more circumspect and basically said 'just to let you know Labour can't cast my vote anymore and I'm going to be sitting apart from them'."
Whaitiri actually voted in favour of the waka-jumping law but now that she wished to leave Labour seemed to have found a loophole, he said.
"She seems to have found this by luck or good design, this way around the rules that she voted should apply, in a way that allows her to remain an MP but also get recognised as being an independent.
"She gets to have her cake and eat it too – even though she voted for law that said this shouldn't happen. You know, go figure."
As Gerry Brownlee said in the House, when he silenced calls by those who should breath through their nose and listen to wiser counsel from others – communications to the Speaker by MP's are private matters.
What the Speaker said was 'do you really want me to start making your correspondence public?' A sly threat if there ever was.
And while I accept there is a convention to keep this correspondence private, is this covered by legal privilege in any fashion? Is this an absolute privacy covered by legislation?
Because as Geddis states, this correspondence goes to the heart of a constitutional and legal matter that reflects directly on the credibility of the Speaker and the House.
Our system places an extreme degree of trust in the Speaker as is evidenced in this case where Ruawhe is effectively adjudicating on his own actions. Which surely puts the onus on him to be fully transparent and above suspicion.
Hardly Nancy Drew, another and yourself tried to use Geddis – I just noted he was aware there were two factors in play.
The Speaker decides on the second, and apparently also determines the formal notification in respect to the first (and can therefore decide for parliament as to the legislation enactment). Where the two agree, and the Speaker decides this, the two sets of rules are in lockstep – a term significant given the Speaker’s authority over unlocking the doors.
And
from there noted the obvious supremacy of the Speaker that both tradition and the recent legislation provided
And so
Did legislation intend that the Speaker to be required to breach convention, or did it allow the Speaker to decide?
MP's mess with the referee at their peril.
Brownlee seemed to be the first of National to realise it was a lost cause.
ABDICATION, n. An act whereby a sovereign attests her sense of the high temperature of the throne.
Poor Isabella's Dead, whose abdication
Set all tongues wagging in the Spanish nation.
For that performance 'twere unfair to scold her:
She wisely left a throne too hot to hold her.
To History she'll be no royal riddle—
Merely a plain parched pea that jumped the griddle.
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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. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
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, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
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Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
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A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
https://www.speakupforwomen.nz/post/speak-up-for-women-respond-to-report-by-the-disinformation-project
good on SUFW for pushing back against the disinformation project. They have used pictures of a peaceful protest to illustrate the disinformation projects claims of white supremacy genocide etc. this surely is dangerously close to defamation?
But for those who don't live in a tiny echo chamber of denial, here's what the report revealed:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/internet/05-05-2023/tracking-the-surge-in-online-anti-trans-hate-sparked-by-posie-parkers-visit
At some point you need to face up to who your new friends are (spoiler alert: not people who care about women's rights). They may not be the allies you want, but they are the ones you've got. And it's killing your cause.
What rubbish Observor. The report has not been peer reviewed. Hannah by her own admission says
wo aspects stood out particularly: the solidifying and intensifying of hate towards trans people and the use of specific tactics, such as sharing gifs and images or utilising certain features of online communities, that Hannah said may indicate overseas interference or influence.
Get that. May indicate overseas interference or influence.
There might well be hate on the dark web. I don’t know I never visit them nor would I want to.
Its time you faced up to the fact that gender critical feminists are the playthings of alt right. We. have our own minds.
I have many contacts who are gender critical and without exception, they are all from the left, many lesbian.
The right wing groups are openly active in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaUteR-_xJw
It was unwise of K-JK to call for men to drag the transgender out of women's public spaces. Of course this sort of behaviour by the right – the so called violent face of bigotry of the social conservative against the same sex and now transgender, is not really one in support of women's rights.
The sooner this cause is less reliant on resourcing/funding from the right the better. Dworkin warned about working with the right back in 1983 – even where there is agreement.
I wish I could understand your point Observer, I suspect it is one of those 'not a very sharp one but still a point' kind of statements.
Who are the new friends?
Who are the allies?
What is the cause that is being killed?
The Disinformation report is a once over lightly look at the events of something……
The point about Albert Park & KJM was that the women who were trying to speak about Women's issues were denied this opportunity by transactivists who had been built up into a 'froth' by misinformations and 'hit' and 'snow' jobs by the media.
https://quillette.com/2023/05/04/the-auckland-mobbing-of-kellie-jay-keen-was-fuelled-by-media-peddled-misinformation/
The concern of Anker and myself is basically with the issues and rights of Women. Many of us have been around following these issues/causes for many years and in my case/partners case our mothers before us while some have female ancestors who signed the suffrage petition in 1893.
It is no secret that many woman view with concern that men dressed as women are seeking access to female safe spaces, and in competing against women in sports.
So the cause of women and our rights is not likely to be killed any time soon.
Our allies/friends come from all walks of life and political persuasions just as they have throughout history.
SUFW has been a clearing house and breath of fresh air in NZ on these issues.
The aborted Albert Park & Wellington visits in fact have signalled to NZ women that mysogyny is alive and well.
Meanwhile KJM has had successful rallies, the last one I watched was in Belfast where competent policing enabled the women who wanted to speak on a variety of issues.
I suspect many find KJM and her true to biology saying 'Women don't have pensises' and 'Men don't have vaginas' is getting close to 'exposing' the modern day equivalent of the fairy story 'The Emperor has no clothes'.
Or do you believe that biology can be changed ie every single cell in the body can be changed from male to female.
Do tell.
Nah – this is the bog standard 'smear by association' game.
No matter how sane any mass cause is, there will be a group of unacceptable extremists on the margins who will park themselves adjacent in order to hijack some of the attention and political resource.
And then guaranteed some intellectually lazy doofus will exploit this to pretend that the mainstream cause is discredited by these nutters who’ve latched on at the margins.
On reflection I feel like Captain Obvious just typing this out.
The margins? USA Republicans?
Either you are choosing not to know, or you know but need to pretend otherwise. I don't know which, but if it is genuine ignorance, let me help (and of course there are hundreds of other examples, I'm sure you know how to Google …).
It is a deliberate strategy. It is working, but only if people pretend it isn't happening.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/transgender-conservative-campaign.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/30/politics/republicans-transgender-attacks-statehouse-haley-trump/index.html
Why is this in the slightest bit surprising? If you cannot work out that socially conservative people might well have sincere and profound concerns around many aspects of this radical biology denying trans-rights movement – you really are not paying attention.
See my comment at 1.1.
I'm not the one claiming that it isn't a conservative, far right cause. It obviously is. We know, because they keep telling us so.
At least you're honest about it, which is preferable to denial.
If you perceive this strand of commonplace social conservatism as 'far right', you might want to contemplate how it is you got to be that far away from them.
The vast majority of them are going to be pretty unremarkable, working class people who hold down jobs, committed to family, faith and community. The kind of people who make your world work.
They don't have goats head soup for dinner and eat babies.
I don't think anyone would argue that gender critical feminists are a far right cause, the idea is laughable.
I know that a lot of Christian conservatives are against gender ideology, and they have their own reasons for that (a lot of them are concerned about the medical transition of children).
I think it is called a silogism.
Gender critical feminists challenge gender ideology.
Right wing conservatives challenge gender ideology.
Therefore all gender critical feminists must be right wing.
BTW Observor, I think its time you faced the fact of who you are supporting IF you are supporting the trans rights activists….read SUFWs press release and see some of the placcards that the tras brought to Albert Park. "F..k off our land C..t". "Suck my dick". Maybe its time you faced up to who your friends are….mysogynists
this is just incredibly ignorant. Yes, in the US, there is a strong conservative force to remove trans rights because of ideas about gender normality.
Meanwhile, in the UK, aka Terf Island, the issues are drive by left and centre left gender critical feminists and other women. Are you not aware of this?
KJK is in a movement of her own, but have you watched any LWS livestreams and seen the number of left/progressive women that speak?
In NZ, it's mixed. SUFW are centre left and left as well as conservative. Women's Liberation Aotearoa are left wing feminists.
In the same way that feminists and conservative women have historically opposed porn, there are some superficial overlaps but the underlying values and positions are very different.
What's the connection between US Republicans and Speak Up For Women in NZ?
Not that much.
A bit like Woman's Place UK, they do not have any. But WPUK do not associate with Keen because of views on race and religion in the UK and connections to American right wing groups that oppose same sexuality and womens body agency.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman%27s_Place_UK
But Kellie-Jay Keen does.
Such as CPAC.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/131584121/human-rights-groups-seek-interim-order-to-stop-posie-parker-coming-to-nz
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/posie-parker-anti-trans-rally-attracted-a-range-of-far-right-groups-researchers-say/T6AMCXNMUFGDPBIT5SY5ALBR5U/
Brilliant REd Logix. You have nailed it
The oligarchs would rather us die, than let us have any form of plan solution to environmental issues, or even child labour laws.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OevwJt5krM
The reaction of Hipkins and Jackson to the defection to TMP is one of the most adroit and nuanced reactions I've seen:
Stay Calm and Lock Your 3rd Term In
Hipkins may look like he got done by Tamihere, but in reality Tamihere got used by Hipkins to lock out Luxon.
Well played the Team.
Meanwhile the Greens tonight are doing fencing with canned Asparagus spears.
What policy concessions do you imagine might have to be offered to lock in Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi as senior Ministers?
A couple of chaufferred BMWs for caucus, and a juicy health contract for Tamihere.
If they had a brain it'd be the cross-benches
Special K is very disappointed Meka has decided to leave the Labour Party for TMP and will be their candidate for Ikaroa Maori Seat in the forthcoming General Election 2023.
I agree Ad, both Hipkins and Jackson are pure politics, and "won the change".
Luxon has 'left the building' Politically dead.
Elizabeth Kerekere has resigned from the GP – and intends to sit as an independent until the election, when she will retire.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/elizabeth-kerekere-breaks-silence/5PZ2JDCA5ZB4RK7ACICLU3EHKI/
Question: Has she informed the Speaker?
As there is no waka jumping, it's one definitely covered by standing orders.
The MK case was the same on balance, as she did not join another caucus – just intends to during the term of the next parliament.
I thought they just had to resign from the party they were elected for, to trigger the provisions.
Of course, we now know that it has to be in a print letter, with a handwritten signature, according to the Speaker's …. unique …. interpretation of the legislation.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/489284/why-has-the-waka-jumping-legislation-not-been-invoked-for-meka-whaitiri
[The article is, of course, in reference to Whaitiri – but the provisions would be the same for Kerekere]
The Speaker decides on the second, and apparently also determines the formal notification in respect to the first (and can therefore decide for parliament as to the legislation enactment). Where the two agree, and the Speaker decides this, the two sets of rules are in lockstep – a term significant given the Speaker’s authority over unlocking the doors.
It can be presumed that EK has been informed as to the correct way to remain in parliament and avoid being in the Green caucus room.
Geddis is clearly unimpressed:
As Gerry Brownlee said in the House, when he silenced calls by those who should breath through their nose and listen to wiser counsel from others – communications to the Speaker by MP's are private matters.
What the Speaker said was 'do you really want me to start making your correspondence public?' A sly threat if there ever was.
And while I accept there is a convention to keep this correspondence private, is this covered by legal privilege in any fashion? Is this an absolute privacy covered by legislation?
Because as Geddis states, this correspondence goes to the heart of a constitutional and legal matter that reflects directly on the credibility of the Speaker and the House.
Our system places an extreme degree of trust in the Speaker as is evidenced in this case where Ruawhe is effectively adjudicating on his own actions. Which surely puts the onus on him to be fully transparent and above suspicion.
Did legislation intend that the Speaker to be required to breach convention, or did it allow the Speaker to decide?
MP's mess with the referee at their peril.
Well I am impressed at how you quoted Geddis in one context where it suited you, but rapidly pivoted to discount him when his view did not.
You might consider taking up gymnastics – a gold medal is surely in your future
Hardly Nancy Drew, another and yourself tried to use Geddis – I just noted he was aware there were two factors in play.
And
from there noted the obvious supremacy of the Speaker that both tradition and the recent legislation provided
And so
Brownlee seemed to be the first of National to realise it was a lost cause.
A casual question of a member asking them to consider how they’d feel about their correspondence being public is not necessarily asked as a threat.
SPC, can you please stop using coloured text. It's too hard to read.
OK, but it was probably keeping the blood pressure of red down.
ABDICATION, n. An act whereby a sovereign attests her sense of the high temperature of the throne.
Ambrose Bierce
That will save the Greens a few votes.
With Kerekere leaving, if the Greens hold their vote, Steve Abel will be in as an MP. Which would be a good thing.
https://www.greens.org.nz/green_party_releases_initial_candidate_list_for_2023_election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Abel
To 7% (GG) for all the current MP's on that list. 7.5% is 9 MP's (Pham), over 8% for Abel (10) and to 9% for Collins as well (11).
that would be a good refresh for the party.