Daily Review 05/08/2016
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6:00 pm, August 5th, 2016 - 5 comments
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- Here We Go Again.
3 hours ago - Is Billy TK Shouting “Fire” In A Crowded Theatre?Fire-Starter? The claims advanced by BillyTe Kahika are false. The matter to be determined, therefore, is whether or not they are likely to cause panic. In ordinary times, the answer would be “No.” In ordinary times, the opinions of conspiracy theorists may be safely ignored. Indeed, in ordinary times, the ...3 hours ago
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Campaigns suspended just as they began. Election day in doubt. And - following the 'words beginning with C' theme from last week's Caucus podcast - heated debate over conspiracies and constitutional conventions as Covid returns to the community. This week in politics is has been a disaster for Election 2020; you ...22 hours ago - Judith Collins is a complete liability to the National Party… and to be perfectly honest: New Zeal...
And sooner or later, the National Party will simply have to own up to the fact that the reason she was never chosen as Leader prior to her rolling Todd Muller a little less than a month ago was for very solid ones: the display of some truly ugly behaviour ...23 hours ago - More dirty dairying
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- Get noticed Gerry!
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- New partnership central to delivering more Māori housingGovernment agencies and partners are working closer together to provide more Māori Housing through the Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action (MAIHI). MAIHI is a kaupapa Māori approach that drives a system change to give effect and impact on Māori ...3 days ago
- Manawatū Gorge replacement highway drives forwardSite work is soon to begin on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, the project to replace the former SH3 route through the Manawatū Gorge, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Phil Twyford was today in Woodville at the signing of a formal agreement by members of the Alliance ...3 days ago
- Pacific Ministers meet to discuss regional economic prioritiesThe Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) begins today and will focus on the major economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on the Pacific. FEMM is an important congregation of Economic Ministers and senior officials from around the region, and for the first time, the annual meeting will be ...3 days ago
- Formal apology and payment to George NepataCabinet has approved a formal apology and ex gratia payment to former soldier George Nepata, announced Defence Minister Ron Mark. This payment is to recognise the New Zealand Defence Force’s failure to provide Mr Nepata with a safe system of work in April 1989 when, as a result of an ...3 days ago
- Report into Iain Lees-Galloway’s expenditureA report undertaken by Ministerial Services into Iain Lees-Galloway’s ministerial expenditure has found no evidence of any inappropriate transactions or spending. Ministerial Services undertook a line by line review of all his expenditure, including staff and spouse expenses for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2020. “I commissioned ...4 days ago
- Managed isolation charges to start 11 AugustManaged isolation charges for returnees will come into force from 12.01am Tuesday 11th August, after they passed their last cabinet milestone today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. “The new charging system balances the rights of New Zealanders to return home and helps reduce pressure on the managed isolation and quarantine ...4 days ago
- Update on New Zealand and the Cook Islands travel bubbleThe Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Henry Puna have welcomed the completion of phase one in the establishment of a travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Island. Negotiations on the text of an ‘Arrangement to Facilitate Quarantine-Free Travel ...4 days ago
- One-stop ‘jobs and training’ shop goes liveThe Government has launched a new online, phone and onsite service to help New Zealanders connect to a range of employment support and products for workers and businesses affected by COVID-19, announced Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. Connected.govt.nz is a one-stop-shop for jobseekers, ...4 days ago
- MSD security guards to be paid Living WageSecurity guards contracted to the Ministry of Social Development will be paid at least the Living Wage from next month supporting the Government’s commitment towards fair pay and employment conditions, announced Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “MSD was among the first government agencies to pay its employees the living ...4 days ago
- New strategy to ensure nature thrivesThe Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today launched Te Mana o te Taiao, the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - a way forward that envisions Aotearoa New Zealand as a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient, and people embrace the natural world. “Many of New Zealand’s plants and wildlife species ...4 days ago
- Provider Languages Fund will support Pacific Wellbeing approach“Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of our Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa. The strength and resilience of Pacific Aotearoa is not only vital to their own prosperity but integral to the prosperity of all New Zealanders, and is particularly ...4 days ago
- COVID-19: More funding for schools and boost to construction sector· $38 million to help schools cover unexpected costs related to COVID-19 · $69 million upgrade for online learning · $107 million contingency funding to support school construction suppliers facing additional costs due to the lockdown. The Government is releasing $214 million from the COVID-19 response and recovery fund to ...4 days ago
- Stay safe on the tracks – Rail Safety WeekDespite the Government installing safety upgrades around the country, people should still take care around rail crossings, said Transport Minister Phil Twyford launching Rail Safety Week. Phil Twyford said installing safety infrastructure is crucial, but we are encouraging people to be more careful around trains too. “We’re making good progress ...4 days ago
- Government backs Manawatū social housing projectThe Government is providing a cash injection to help Palmerston North City Council complete a programme to provide 78 social housing units for vulnerable tenants. The $4.7 million to build 28 units in the Papaioea Place redevelopment comes from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the Government’s COVID-19 ...4 days ago
- Major funding boost for Predator Free Banks PeninsulaA pest free Banks Peninsula/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū is one step closer with a $5.11 million boost to accelerate this project and create jobs, announced Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage in Canterbury today. “This is a game changer for this ambitious project to restore the native wildlife and plants on Ōtautahi/Christchurch’s doorstep ...5 days ago
- Major investment for indoor sports in Hawke’s BayA Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...5 days ago
- New infrastructure for Far North tourist townThe Far North tourist destination of Mangonui is to receive Government funding to improve waterfront infrastructure, open up access to the harbour and improve water quality, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. A total of $6.5 million from the $3 billion set aside in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund ...6 days ago
- Government remains committed to Women’s Cricket World CupThe Government has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the hosting of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which the ICC has delayed from 2021 to 2022. “This is obviously a disappointing decision for cricket players and fans around the world and for the White Ferns and their supporters here at ...6 days ago
- Green light for Te Awa River Ride in $220m nationwide cycleways investmentCyclists and walkers will now have a safer way to get around Taupō, Tūrangi, and between Hamilton and Cambridge, with funding for shared paths and Te Awa River Ride, Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. “The Te Awa River Ride is the latest part of massive growth ...6 days ago
- Six major ‘shovel-ready’ cycleways funded in ChristchurchSix major cycle routes will be completed in Christchurch thanks to funding from the Government’s investment in shovel-ready infrastructure as part of the COVID-19 recovery Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. $125 million will be invested to kick-start construction and fund the completion of the following cycleway ...6 days ago
- New Police facilities for WhanganuiPlans are underway for a brand new state-of-the-art hub for Whanganui’s justice and social agencies, following confirmation the ageing Whanganui Central Police Station is to be replaced. Police Minister Stuart Nash has announced $25 million in new infrastructure spending to improve facilities for the wider community, and for staff who ...6 days ago
- Relativity adjustment for Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi TahuAn adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...7 days ago
- Auckland rail upgrades pick up steamDeputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...7 days ago
- PGF support for Wairoa creates jobsThe Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...1 week ago
- Public and Māori housing to trial renewable energy technologyTenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...1 week ago
- $2.7m for Hokianga infrastructureHokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...1 week ago
- New fund to support housing and construction sectorA $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...1 week ago
- Government investment to boost Auckland’s community recycling networkAs part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...1 week ago
- Te Papa transformation starts at Cameron RoadThe Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...1 week ago
- PGF supports Hawke’s Bay community and environmental projectsThe Government is investing more than $1.6 million from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) for a wide range of community and environmental projects in Hawke’s Bay, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. These announcements today are part of the Government’s commitment to supporting regional economies in the ...1 week ago
- Low-emissions options for heavy transport a step closerGetting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...1 week ago
- New training centre to upskill workersA new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...1 week ago
- Subsequent children legislation to changeThe Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...1 week ago
- Collins Crushed Under The Weight Of The Debt Monster
Responding to National Party Leader Judith Collins's comments this morning , the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is criticising the National Party for softening its stance on reducing debt. Spokesperson Islay Aitchison says, "Reducing public ...24 mins ago - Cold store cluster spreads to Waikato
New Zealand's first cluster of community cases of Covid-19 in months has now spread to the Waikato, Marc Daalder reports Two new cases of Covid-19 associated with the community transmission cases identified on Tuesday have been found in the Waikato, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said on Friday. Previously, all active ...41 mins ago - Lockdown uncertainty could undo ‘go hard go early’
'Go hard, go early' has undoubtedly been a successful medical strategy. However, unpredictable, on-again off-again stringent lockdowns may produce so much uncertainty that other outcomes start to deteriorate, writes Robert MacCulloch. New Zealand's approach to keeping Coronavirus away from our shores, or at least stuck in our quarantine facilities, has been ...53 mins ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the strange week ending August 14
Before we get to the top 10s, a note from the good folk at Unity Auckland: Wednesday, first thing, we found people knocking on the shop door before we had a chance to flick the lights on. This time around folk were not going to be without their reading materials. There ...54 mins ago - Barbara Dreaver: Should we identify the first covid family as Pasifika? Yes we should, and here’s ...
By Barbara Dreaver, 1 NEWS Pacific correspondent Pasifika family or just an Auckland family? There has been much debate over whether it was wrong to identify the family at the centre of New Zealand’s covid-cluster as a “Pasifika family”. As Pacific correspondent let me make this clear – it would ...55 mins ago - The Friday Poem: passport to the seasons by E Wen WongA new poem from Christchurch poet and environmental activist E Wen Wong.passport to the seasonsleaves f a l l crisp like coconut husks, fraying threads of winter’s snow. the hairs of the pōhutukawa stand on their necks doused in a chilli seeds they hang ...58 mins ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – August 14 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content National Party suspicions around Govt response, conspiracy theories Danyl Mclauchlan (Spinoff): The ruthless electoral politics behind National’s Covid conspiracy-baiting David Farrier (Stuff): ‘I’m just outlining facts’: watching New ...2 hours ago
- Māori Must Move To Level 4Māori must move to Level 4 Lockdown and the borders must be closed for the next 14 days - even to overseas whānau wanting to return home – to ensure proper border control. That’s the call from the Māori Party who are calling on Māori to unite ...2 hours ago
- Alice Snedden: Why I wanted to speak to Speak Up For WomenOpinion: Why is JK Rowling so mad about periods, and why are so many people mad at JK Rowling? Alice Snedden waded into the volatile waters of Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism for the latest episode of Bad News.After the horrible year we’ve had, the last thing anybody needed was for ...2 hours ago
- NZ’s lack of covid testing of staff at border ‘extraordinary’, says SkeggBy RNZ News The lack of testing of staff at New Zealand’s border is extraordinary, a prominent epidemiologist says. Health officials are frantically trying to trace the origin of the covid-19 cluster in Auckland, which could have come from the border. Otago University professor Sir David Skegg told RNZ Morning ...2 hours ago
- Feds Backs The Butcher, The Baker And The GreengrocerFederated Farmers says the government needs to reconsider and let small business fresh food sellers stay open under level 3 and, if necessary, at level 4. "Let the little guys stay open, and sell fresh food, because it’s safer, fairer and ...2 hours ago
- Taumarunui looks more alluring, now the housing shortage has been tackled – but don’t fall ill ...
Latest from the Beehive Cabinet’s preoccupation with the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community – we suppose – explains why there has been a lack of pronouncements from the Beehive over the past day or two. We found only three new posts on the Beehive website since we last reported. ...2 hours ago - What next? The factors that will determine today’s alert level decisionAuckland is at alert level three, and the rest of the country level two, until midnight tonight. At 5.30pm this evening, we’ll find out what happens next. These are the factors cabinet is likely to consider in making the decision.During the first wave, the announcement we were moving into lockdown ...2 hours ago
- Voting is an essential service too. Why NZ can’t be afraid to go to the pollsBy Grant Duncan, Massey University If New Zealand can do grocery shopping under lockdown, we can vote under lockdown too. As much as supermarkets and pharmacies, the general election is an essential service and it must continue. There are ways and means to safely exercise our democratic rights during lockdown. ...3 hours ago
- Auckland Council Not Worthy Of Bailout From TaxpayersThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Finance Minister to refuse a bailout for Auckland Council until it manages to rein in, or at least stop increasing, its operating spending. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “ On ...3 hours ago
- Covid-19: More cases linked to current cluster identified, Chris Hipkins says
The Health Minister says New Zealand is not at a position where it needs to go into level 4 lockdown. ...3 hours ago - Mental Health And COVID-19...4 hours ago
- 50 French police who have returned from Polynesia test covid positivePacific Media Centre Newsdesk French authorities say 50 gendarmes who had been deployed in French Polynesia have tested positive to covid-19 after their return to France, reports Tahiti’s Radio One. The police were part of a group of 82 from Tarbes who had just returned home, the prefecture in the ...4 hours ago
- ‘Everyone knows what’s coming’: Business makes the case for another wage subsidyWhether it’s a grant or a wage subsidy, industry leaders say Auckland businesses need government support.With the mending glue barely having dried, some Auckland businesses will be cracking again under the pressure of the new level three lockdown. Now they are calling on the government to help.Finance minster Grant Robertson ...4 hours ago
- Gov’t Must Consider Increase Mass Testing For All Citizens NowNZ Ministry of Health/Minister do not have adequate data to understand ‘how and why’ the latest community Covid cluster has emerged this week, so they are concentrating at the cold store site where containers are transported by trucks, CEAC assume all ...4 hours ago
- Billions are injected into developing a Covid-19 vaccine – here’s hoping NZ can secure a supply ...
New Zealanders are still reeling from the shock they didn’t succeed in suppressing Covid-19, let alone eliminate it. Having convinced themselves after 100 days without community transmission that economic recovery, too, was moving ahead, the stern reality is the country faces new challenges. These challenges may not be overcome until ...5 hours ago - The Government Doesn’t Seem To Realise Business Reality Makes Our Elimination Strategy UntenableOn Tuesday morning I had a very difficult conversation with my staff. With tears in my eyes I told them that due to the likely renewed lockdown there was a good likelihood I would eventually have to let some of them go. These are young people with responsibilities ...5 hours ago
- NZ covid-19 update: More coronavirus cases linked to Auckland clusterBy RNZ News New Zealand Health Minister Chris Hipkins says there are more covid-19 cases related to the Auckland cluster which will be revealed at 1pm today. He says for New Zealand to move to alert level 4 there would need to be a number of clusters and unconnected cases. ...5 hours ago
- How schools and students are coping with (and planning for) a return to lockdownThey’ve been through it all before, so how are Auckland students and teachers coping with the second move into level three? And how are other schools preparing for the possibility they’ll soon be doing the same? Last time the country went into level three lockdown, on March 24, schools had ...5 hours ago
- From Kangaroo Island to Mallacoota, citizen scientists proved vital to Australia’s bushfire recove...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist Following the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, many people throughout Australia, and across the world, wanted to know how they could help in response to the environmental disaster. Hundreds contacted the Australian ...6 hours ago
- In COVID’s shadow, global terrorism goes quiet. But we have seen this before, and should be warySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Have we flattened the curve of global terrorism? In our COVID-19-obsessed news cycle stories about terrorism and terrorist attacks have largely disappeared. We now, though, understand ...6 hours ago
- The COVID-19 crisis tests oppositions as well as governments. Ahead of New Zealand’s election, Nat...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology It isn’t easy being a political opposition in the midst of a crisis. The volatility within New Zealand’s National Party – which has had three leaders in as many months – is ...6 hours ago
- Pandemic letter from America: how the US handling of COVID-19 provides the starkest warning for us a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Elshaug, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, Professor of Health Policy and Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney This is one of our occasional Essays on Health, this time from an Australian visiting fellow in Washington, DC. Adam ...6 hours ago
- Pacific people have been ‘pummelled and demeaned’ for too long – now they’re fighting backSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick D. Nunn, Professor of Geography, School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast Sea level rise is a serious threat to the low-lying islands of the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. To fight it, their president recently ...6 hours ago
- Australia’s smallest fish among 22 at risk of extinction within two decadesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Lintermans, Associate professor, University of Canberra The tragic fish kills in the lower Darling River drew attention to the plight of Australia’s freshwater fish, but they’ve been in trouble for a long time. Many species have declined sharply in recent decades, ...6 hours ago
- A 3-decade ‘moving picture’ of young Australians’ study, work and life, thanks to LSAYSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somayeh Parvazian, Survey Methodologist, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) unpack the lives of young Australians as they leave school, enter further study or the workforce and make the transition into adulthood. The latest ...6 hours ago
- Vital Signs: this university funding crisis was always coming – COVID-19 just accelerated itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In the early 1930s a 21-year-old undergraduate at the London School of Economics asked a great question during his summer research project: “if my economics professors are right that markets are an efficient way to allocate ...6 hours ago
- For some companies, JobKeeper has become DividendKeeper. They are paying out, even though the future...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Linden, Sessional Lecturer, PhD (Management) Candidate, School of Management, RMIT University In this recession, unlike in previous ones, governments have chosen to help pay salaries to keep workers in work rather than pay unemployment benefits when they laid off. It means ...6 hours ago
- Friday essay: on reckoning with the fact of one’s deathSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin John Brophy, Emeritus Professor of Creative writing, University of Melbourne A friend is sending me documents needed to make me the executor of his will. He does not expect to die from this pandemic but he has enough weaknesses in his ...6 hours ago
- It’s time to stop building prisons
NZ relies on prisons for retribution but what if we found viable alternatives to our punitive justice system? ...6 hours ago - Covid-19: Cabinet to decide future of alert levels, decision to be announced at 5.30pmCabinet will this afternoon decide whether to extend the lockdown to quash the Covid-19 cluster. PM Jacinda Ardern will announce the decision at 5.30pm. ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, August 14: Today’s the day – will Auckland stay in lockdown?Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 14, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz.7.15am: It’s decision ...7 hours ago
- The Bulletin: How we’ll learn what happens nextGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Timeline for decision on alert levels released, updates on new cases and testing, and a failure of testing at the border has potentially severe consequences.Right now, we don’t know what the situation around alert levels will be at the end ...7 hours ago
- Business Wrap: Precinct valuations cut
Big Auckland property company hit hard, Xero sees subscriber growth slow, as Covid effects become clear ...8 hours ago - Protection From GE For Northland Growers And Exporters WelcomedThe Environment Court has upheld the appeal by the Whangarei District and Far North District Councils and others on the management of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the coastal Marine Area (CMA) in Northland. [1] The Environmental Court ...9 hours ago
- Cold temperatures are where Covid thrives
With investigations into a coolstore and freight as a potential pathway for the latest outbreak of Covid-19, what does science say about surfaces and refrigeration? Surfaces at a Mount Wellington coolstore are being tested for Covid-19 in an effort to uncover the route of the virus back into the community. A ...9 hours ago - Reckless and unsafe: Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine
As promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates are well into trials around the world, Russia claims it has a vaccine, and is recklessly and unethically moving to distribute it. Helen Petousis-Harris explains why that's so wrong. Russia is deploying a Covid-19 vaccine to its people without knowing if it works or if it is ...9 hours ago - Rent saga a death knell for some Auckland businesses
It could prove even harder to get landlords and tenants in Auckland to come to an equitable agreement now that the Government's bluff has been called. ...9 hours ago - Could NZ experience ‘lockdown fatigue’?
Overseas, protracted or repeated lockdowns have been met with an increasing unwillingness to comply with public health restrictions. Could the same happen here? Marc Daalder reports With Auckland entering Level 3 lockdown for the second time and the rest of the country poised to follow if cases outside of the ...9 hours ago - We have the culture to prevail over Covid
Kiwi businesses are learning what they need to do to cope with Covid, and are acting fast. ...9 hours ago - This week’s best-sellers
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias NON-FICTION 1 Pull No Punches by Judith Collins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) "Toneless": from my review at ReadingRoom. 2 The Quick and the Dead by Cynric Temple-Camp (HarperCollins, ...9 hours ago - Jacinda Ardern on true transformation, and Covid-19’s silver lining
A little over 24 hours before Jacinda Ardern learnt of new Covid-19 community cases, she sat down with Newsroom to discuss what real transformation looks like, how to improve our pandemic planning, and making the most of the Covid crisis Oh for the days when a missed meal was among Jacinda ...9 hours ago - What not to do if you want to quash a virus
Spreading harmful misinformation about Covid-19 is one of the most effective ways to make sure we fail to defeat the virus, writes Joel Rindelaub It feels surreal. We worked so hard for so long to beat the virus. We made sacrifices for the good of the team, and we came ...9 hours ago - When printing even $100b is not enough
Overly cautious politicians and bankers are forcing the Reserve Bank to look at even more extreme ways to stimulate our Covid-hit economy and revive inflation, Bernard Hickey writes The Reserve Bank announced much more stimulus than everyone expected this week, but even this much was not enough to move the inflation needle, or ...9 hours ago - Meet the cast of Youth Wings, a new political documentary series coming soonThe Spinoff’s new six-part documentary series Youth Wings goes behind the O Week stalls to get to know some of the youngest and most passionate members of New Zealand’s main political parties.It may be hard to imagine, but every single member of New Zealand’s parliament was once young. And when ...9 hours ago
- The ruthless electoral politics behind National’s Covid conspiracy-baitingThe public hated National’s politicisation of the coronavirus crisis the first time around. So why is the party doubling down on it now?So far the National Party leadership team of Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee has been a lot milder than everyone expected. Judith Collins has arched her eyebrows and ...9 hours ago
- Repurposing rubbish
Reduce, re-use, recycle is taking on a new and more formal meaning with the Government's product stewardship scheme At the end of last month, the Government announced a major change in how it deals with waste - six compulsory end-of-life product management schemes which put the onus on manufacturers, importers and ...9 hours ago - Peters’ conflicting claims in super leak case
Winston Peters' allegations in Parliament of who leaked his superannuation overpayment might impact two of the three declarations he is seeking in a Court of Appeal case. ...9 hours ago - Grattan on Friday: Morrison government needs to improve, rather than defend, its poor COVID aged car...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The state of aged care preparation in the era of COVID is, it seems, in the eye of the beholder. Vastly different claims emerged this week, when the royal commission examining the sector turned its ...13 hours ago
- Covid spread could ‘decimate’ Pasifika, Māori communities, warns TukuitongaBy Sri Krishnamurthi of Pacific Media Watch Pacific health specialist Dr Collin Tukuitonga is worried that the latest community transmission of covid-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand “could get very messy”. “The latest cluster is a worry because the source is unknown and highly probable as community transmission,” says Dr Tukuitonga, ...14 hours ago
- Why New Zealand needs to focus on genome sequencing to trace the source of its new COVID-19 outbreakSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Welch, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland Genetic surveillance — a technology that uses the genetic fingerprint of a virus to track its spread — is part of the public health response to New Zealand’s new COVID-19 community outbreak and could help ...16 hours ago
- Why New Zealand needs to ramp up genome sequencing to trace the source of its new COVID-19 outbreakSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Welch, Senior lecturer, University of Auckland Genetic surveillance — a technology that uses the genetic fingerprint of a virus to track its spread — is part of the public health response to New Zealand’s new COVID-19 community outbreak and could help ...19 hours ago
- Reclaim Her Name: why we should free Australia’s female novelists from their male pseudonymsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Nelson, Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia The Australian poet Gwen Harwood used to submit poems to literary journals under both her own name and a male pseudonym, Walter Lehmann. Furious that the latter poems were more favourably ...19 hours ago
- Early and mid-career scientists face a bleak future in the wake of the pandemicSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Shaw, Conservation Biologist, The University of Queensland The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on research in Australia. We surveyed 333 early and mid-career researchers in science, technical, engineering and medical (STEM) fields and found the impact on their productivity ...20 hours ago
- Cannabis Referendum 2020 – Voting No? Think AgainSpecialist criminal defence firm LawAid International brings decades of in-court experience to the debate around Cannabis law reform, arguing strongly for legalisation and asking the undecided and those voting ‘No’ in September’s referendum to ...20 hours ago
- Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, August 13The Covid resurgence cluster is now at 17 people. Chris McDowall presents the latest information in visual form.With thanks to the Science Media Centre.At today’s 1pm press briefing the director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, announced 13 new cases of Covid-19 detected outside isolation or quarantine in the Auckland region. ...20 hours ago
- Government Fails Transparency Day Test...21 hours ago
- The Cost To Business For Lockdown Is Too HighGovernment says they learned things from the last lockdown so if they did can we do things differently and let all businesses that can comply with Covid-19 safety measures stay open, says Auckland Business Chamber CEO Michael Barnett. “The cost ...21 hours ago
- Business Is Boring: The Dunedin company growing NZ’s high-tech manufacturing sectorBusiness is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Sarah Ramsay, CEO of United Machinists.Not that long ago in the scheme of ...22 hours ago
- Refreshing To Hear The Green Party Wants To Embrace Science – FedsFederated Farmers couldn’t agree more with the call from the Green Party today that science should guide the policies and decisions of MPs. "They issued the challenge in relation to the recent positive COVID-19 cases in Auckland but as a ...22 hours ago
- NZ covid-19 update: 13 new cases in community, one in managed isolationBy RNZ News New Zealand has 13 new cases of covid-19 in the community in Auckland today and one in managed isolation. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the 13 new cases were all linked to one Auckland cluster – the four people who were reported as confirmed cases ...22 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on tax cuts, inequality, and the Queensland electionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The second wave of the pandemic in Victoria has pushed the post-COVID economic recovery further beyond the horizon. Among the challenges for the federal opposition are dealing itself into the debate and formulating alternative economic ...23 hours ago
- It’s hard to admit we’re lonely, even to ourselves. Here are the signs and how to manage themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle H Lim, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist, Swinburne University of Technology The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to loneliness in Australia. This is especially so as Melburnians entered the strictest lockdown to date. Meanwhile, the rest of Australia braces for the ...23 hours ago
- Assassinated Filipino activist Echanis’ widow demands release of his bodyWidow Erlinda Echanis demands the release of the body of her husband, assassinated peace activist Randall “Randy” Echanis. Video: Rappler By Rambo Talabong in Manila After her repeated urgings were unheeded, Erlinda Echanis formally has formally demanded that Pink Petals Memorial Homes release the body of her husband, assassinated Anakpawis ...23 hours ago
- A city betrayed: a New Zealander on the devastation in BeirutThe blast that took at least 171 lives in downtown Beirut last week was the latest in a long line of official failures that have pushed the Lebanese people to the brink of despair, writes Kirsten O’Regan. As I began this essay, my partner was trying to fall asleep in our ...23 hours ago
- Scania backs NZ economy, expands local operation
Swedish truck manufacturer, Scania, likes New Zealand’s economic outlook enough to invest millions in expanding its local presence. Mark Jennings reports on the company’s move to acquire Truck & Trailers Service Centres - a nationwide servicing business. The market for new trucks in New Zealand is relatively small but it’s highly competitive. ...23 hours ago - Alternative Aotearoa – Final ReportOn 25 July 2020 several hundred people attended a seminar at Pipitea Marae in Poneke/Wellington, and several thousand more joined the discussion online, in the wake of Covid-19 and the lead-up to the general election to imagine an Alternative Aotearoa to that which ...23 hours ago
- Carbon dioxide levels over Australia rose even after COVID-19 forced global emissions down. Here’s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Loh, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO COVID-19 has curtailed the activities of millions of people across the world and with it, greenhouse gas emissions. As climate scientists at the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, we are routinely asked: does this mean ...24 hours ago
- Masking the outbreak: despite New Zealand’s growing COVID-19 cases, there are more ways to get bac...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Wilson, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago As New Zealand enters its second day at heightened alert levels to contain a community outbreak of COVID-19, we expect that it should only be a temporary setback. Four cases with no direct ...24 hours ago
- National’s election delay call purely political, says James ShawGreens co-leader James Shaw has accused National of calling for the election to be delayed out of concern for their own self-interest, not democracy. ...24 hours ago
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11687812
ha ha dodgy tory cameron getting called out for being a dodgy tory by slightly less dodgy torys
Well, we’ve known for awhile that the British Honours system is a complete fraud. This is just more proof.
Is there any other kind?
Interesting slot on aljazeera tonight NZs housing crisis just hit international news
Paula Bennett was asked to comment but declined how unusual (sarc)
I like Ana Kasparian, sometimes I find her a bit centrist and unwilling to embrace radical ideas. That said, here is Ana and Cenk Uygur discussing her time on CNN. She aces it. Seriously she rips the tea party wingnut apart. If you have 15 minutes and want to learn how to not to be dominated – this is a, A class lesson.