Daily review 06/11/2020
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5:30 pm, November 6th, 2020 - 13 comments
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Back in June, Labour steamrolled the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Bill into law, using urgency and a sham select committee process which left too little time for submitters to respond effectively. The law created a separate "fast-track" process for resource consents for "shovel-ready" projects, which cuts the public out of ...2 days ago - Transformation or Progress?
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The recent article by Andrea Vance on Stuff , ‘The way we protect the oceans is badly outdated. Will the Government change that?’ is timely, but needs further unpacking. For this is an important issue.In it, she rightly claims “We are far behind the rest of the world and failing ...2 days ago - Climate Change: Calling us on our bullshitUnder Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand is - rhetorically at least - pretending to be a leader on climate change. Meanwhile, our emissions keep going up and up, with the second-highest percentage increase among Annex I countries. And now, our friends are finally calling us on our bullshit: New Zealand's ...2 days ago
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- Changing stuff…
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– Transforming Industry to Empire
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This week we presented the audited Government accounts for the year to 30 June 2020. These always take a while to be audited and published. But this year, with all that is been happening they cover a time that seems long ago! ...2 days ago - Greens call for decent working conditions for all horticulture workers
The Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure all people working in horticulture are paid liveable wages and have access to quality accommodation. ...2 days ago - SPEECH: Opening the 53rd ParliamentE aku hoa i te ara o te whai, Kia kotahi tā tātou takahi i te kō, ko tōku whiwhi kei tō koutou tautoko mai. ...3 days ago
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- Green Party welcome Adrian Orr’s full and frank advice on taxWe welcome Adrian Orr signalling that he will provide advice to the Finance Minister on fiscal measures, include tax changes, to cool the housing market, Green Party Finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today. ...3 days ago
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- Speeding up recovery: fast-tracking projects to boost jobs, build housesWe’ve announced three additional projects to go through the fast-track resource consenting process. Read below for a quick rundown of what these projects are, what the fast-tracking process means, and why the Government is using fast-tracking as one way to create jobs sooner and accelerate our economic recovery from COVID-19. ...5 days ago
- Reports of prisoner abuse show need for prisons rethink and independent oversightReports of an asthmatic woman being bombed in her cell with pepper spray, being forced to lie face down on the ground to be fed, and having to show used sanitary items to guards to receive more, shows obscene human rights violations that need addressing, Green Party Corrections and Human ...5 days ago
- Green Party announce portfolio reshuffle with talented and energised caucus teamThe Green Party Co-leaders have announced their portfolio reshuffle for the 53rd Parliament. “The Green Party caucus offers a breadth of talent and energy to the Parliament this term. In ten MPs you have a small business owner, a human rights lawyer, an academic, a climate negotiator, a transport planner, ...6 days ago
- Nearly 50 percent increase in Kiwi apprenticesAs we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, we’re investing in major shovel-ready and long-term infrastructure projects up and down the country – creating thousands of jobs in the trades nationwide. ...1 week ago
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- SPEECH: 10th Anniversary of Pike River tragedyTēnei te mihi ki a tātau katoa e huihui nei i tēnei rā I greet us all who are gathered here today ...1 week ago
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- Kiwis deserve fair prices at the supermarket2020 has been a tough year. Not only has COVID-19 presented unique challenges to the way we work, play and socialise, for many Kiwis the pandemic has also meant more of a strain on the back pocket. ...2 weeks ago
- Auckland COVID-19 case shows need for extended sick leave before busy Christmas periodThe case of an Auckland city worker heading to work with COVID-19 symptoms shows the need for urgent extended sick leave, Green Party Workplace Relations spokesperson Jan Logie said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Meet our new MPsWondering who our new Labour MPs are? We asked our 23 new Caucus members to share a little about themselves and the experience they will be bringing to Parliament... ...2 weeks ago
- Reserve Bank policies will inevitably heat housing market, Government must implement tax reform to c...The Government must use levers to prevent further over-heating of the housing market, which will result from the Reserve Bank pumping another $28 billion into the economy in the form of cheap loans to banks. ...2 weeks ago
- Successful prosecution of Talley’s deep-water fishing division shows need for more marine protecte...Today’s ruling that Talley’s deep-water fishing division, Amaltal, is guilty of bottom trawling in the Hikurangi Marine Reserve demonstrates the need for increased fisheries enforcement and strong marine protected areas off our coasts, Green MP Eugenie Sage said today. ...3 weeks ago
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Canterbury DHB will be better placed to respond to future demand for services and continue to deliver high quality care, with the next stage of the campus redevelopment programme confirmed, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Government has approved $154 million in funding for the construction of a third tower ...2 days ago - Five Power Defence Arrangements Defence Ministers’ Joint StatementThe Defence Ministers from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and United Kingdom reaffirmed their nations’ continued commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), and commended the achievements over the past 49 years as the FPDA moves towards its 50th Anniversary in 2021. The Ministers recognised the FPDA’s significant role ...2 days ago
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- Government increases support for New Zealanders to work in seasonal jobsThe Government is offering further financial support for unemployed New Zealanders to take on seasonal work. These new incentives include: Up to $200 per week for accommodation costs $1000 incentive payment for workers who complete jobs of six weeks or longer increasing wet weather payments when people can’t work to ...2 days ago
- Government receives Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mos...Minister for Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti has today received the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques, and will table it in Parliament on Tuesday December 8. “I know this will have been a challenging process for whānau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack ...3 days ago
- New Zealand Government to declare a climate emergencyThe Government will declare a climate emergency next week, Climate Change Minister James Shaw said today. “We are in the midst of a climate crisis that will impact on nearly every ...3 days ago
- Call for urgent action on Pacific conservationA declaration on the urgency of the global biodiversity crisis and the need for immediate, transformative action in the Pacific was agreed at a pan-Pacific conference today. The 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas is taking place this week across the Pacific. Minister of Conservation Kiritapu ...3 days ago
- Speech from the throneE aku hoa i te ara o te whai, Kia kotahi tā tātou takahi i te kō, ko tōku whiwhi kei tō koutou tautoko mai. Ko tāku ki a koutou, hei whakapiki manawa mōku. He horomata rangatira te mahi, e rite ai te whiwhinga a te ringatuku, me te ringakape ...3 days ago
- Keynote address to Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand conferenceSpeech to the CAANZ conference - November 19, 2020 Thank you, Greg, (Greg Haddon, MC) for the welcome. I’d like to acknowledge John Cuthbertson from CAANZ, the Commissioner of Inland Revenue Naomi Ferguson, former fellow MP and former Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne, other guest speakers and CAANZ members. I ...4 days ago
- Expert independent advisory group appointed to strengthen the future of Māori broadcastingA panel of seven experts are adding their support to help shape the future of Māori broadcasting, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson has announced today. “Today I will meet with some of the most experienced Māori broadcasters, commentators and practitioners in the field. They have practical insights on the ...4 days ago
- Government to review housing settingsNew Zealand’s stronger-than-expected economic performance has flowed through to housing demand, so the Government will review housing settings to improve access to the market, the Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “Our focus is on improving access to the housing market for first home buyers and ensuring house price growth ...5 days ago
- Crown accounts reflect Govt’s careful economic managementThe better-than-expected Crown accounts released today show the Government’s careful management of the COVID-19 health crisis was the right approach to support the economy. As expected, the Crown accounts for the year to June 2020 show the operating balance before gains and losses, or OBEGAL, was in deficit. However that ...5 days ago
- Community launch marks next step in addressing racism in educationThe launch of Te Hurihanganui in Porirua today is another important milestone in the work needed to address racism in the education system and improve outcomes for Māori learners and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says. Budget 2019 included $42 million over three years to put Te Hurihanganui ...5 days ago
- Government to consider recommendations on DNA use in criminal investigationsThe Minister of Justice has received the Law Commission’s recommending changes to the law governing the way DNA is used in criminal investigations. The report, called The Use of DNA in Criminal Investigations – Te Whahamahi I te Ira Tangata I ngā Mātai Taihara, recommends new legislation to address how ...5 days ago
- Speech to Wakatū Nelson regional hui on tradeFirst, I want to express my thanks to Te Taumata for this hui and for all the fantastic work you are doing for Māori in the trade space. In the short time that you’ve been operating you’ve already contributed an enormous amount to the conversation, and developed impressive networks. I ...5 days ago
- Speech to Primary Industries SummitThank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about the significant contribution the food and fibres sector makes to New Zealand and how this Government is supporting that effort. I’d like to start by acknowledging our co-Chairs, Terry Copeland and Mavis Mullins, my colleague, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, ...5 days ago
- Fast track referrals will speed up recovery and boost jobs and home buildingThe Government is taking action to increase jobs, speed up the economic recovery and build houses by putting three more projects through its fast track approval process. “It’s great to see that the fast-track consenting process is working. Today we have referred a mix of potential projects that, if approved, ...6 days ago
- Papakāinga provides critically needed homes in HastingsA papakāinga opened today by the Minister for Māori Development the Hon Willie Jackson will provide whānau with much needed affordable rental homes in Hastings. The four home papakāinga in Waiōhiki is the first project to be completed under the ‘Hastings Place Based’ initiative. This initiative is a Government, Hastings ...1 week ago
- New Zealand ready to host APEC virtuallyPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern took over the leadership of APEC earlier today, when she joined leaders from the 21 APEC economies virtually for the forum’s final 2020 meeting. “We look forward to hosting a fully virtual APEC 2021 next year. While this isn’t an in-person meeting, it will be one ...1 week ago
- Revival of Māori HorticulturistsThe rapid revival of Māori horticulture was unmistakeable at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards, with 2020 marking the first time this iconic Māori farming event was dedicated to horticulture enterprises. Congratulating finalists at the Awards, Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson said growing large-scale māra kai is part of Māori DNA. ...1 week ago
- Emergency benefit to help temporary visa holdersFrom 1 December, people on temporary work, student or visitor visas who can’t return home and or support themselves may get an Emergency Benefit from the Ministry of Social Development, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today. Previously, temporary visa holders in hardship because of COVID-19 have had ...1 week ago
- School sustainability projects to help boost regional economiesForty one schools from the Far North to Southland will receive funding for projects that will reduce schools’ emissions and save them money, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This is the second round of the Sustainability Contestable Fund, and work will begin immediately. The first round announced in April ...1 week ago
- Farmer-led projects to improve water health in Canterbury and OtagoMore than $6 million will be spent on helping farmers improve the health of rivers, wetlands, and habitat biodiversity in Canterbury and Otago, as well as improving long-term land management practices, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Four farmer-led catchment group Jobs for Nature projects have between allocated between $176,000 and ...1 week ago
- Tupu Aotearoa continues expansion to Pacific communities in Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman & Northl...Pacific communities in Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman and Northland will benefit from the expansion of the Tupu Aotearoa programme announced today by the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. The programme provides sustainable employment and education pathways and will be delivered in partnership with three providers in Northland and two ...1 week ago
- New primary school and classrooms for 1,200 students in South IslandEducation Minister Chris Hipkins unveiled major school building projects across the South Island during a visit to Waimea College in Nelson today. It’s part of the Government’s latest investment of $164 million to build new classrooms and upgrade schools around the country. “Investments like this gives the construction industry certainty ...1 week ago
- Minister of Māori Development pays tribute to Rudy TaylorToday the Minister of Māori Development, alongside other Government Ministers and MP’s said their final farewells to Nga Puhi Leader Rudy Taylor. “Rudy dedicated his life to the betterment of Māori, and his strong approach was always from the ground up, grassroots, sincere and unfaltering” “Over the past few ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister to attend APEC Leaders’ SummitPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern will attend the annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and associated events virtually today and tomorrow. “In a world where we cannot travel due to COVID-19, continuing close collaboration with our regional partners is key to accelerating New Zealand’s economic recovery,” Jacinda Ardern said. “There is wide ...1 week ago
- Speech to Infrastructure NZ SymposiumTena Koutou, Tena Koutou and thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. This is a critical time for New Zealand as we respond to the damage wreaked by the global COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital that investment in our economic recovery is well thought through, and makes ...1 week ago
- Pike River 10 Year Anniversary Commemorative ServiceTēnei te mihi ki a tātau katoa e huihui nei i tēnei rā Ki a koutou ngā whānau o te hunga kua riro i kōnei – he mihi aroha ki a koutou Ki te hapori whānui – tēnā koutou Ki ngā tāngata whenua – tēnā koutou Ki ngā mate, e ...1 week ago
- Huge investment in new and upgraded classrooms to boost construction jobsAround 7,500 students are set to benefit from the Government’s latest investment of $164 million to build new classrooms and upgrade schools around the country. “The election delivered a clear mandate to accelerate our economic recovery and build back better. That’s why we are prioritising construction projects in schools so more ...1 week ago
- Keeping Pike River Mine promises 10 years onTen years after the Pike River Mine tragedy in which 29 men lost their lives while at work, a commemorative service at Parliament has honoured them and their legacy of ensuring all New Zealand workplaces are safe. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attended the event, along with representatives of the Pike ...1 week ago
- Additional testing to strengthen border and increase safety of workersNew testing measures are being put in place to increase the safety of border workers and further strengthen New Zealand’s barriers against COVID-19, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “These strengthened rules – to apply to all international airports and ports – build on the mandatory testing orders we’ve ...1 week ago
- More public housing delivered in AucklandThe Government’s investment in public housing is delivering more warm, dry homes with today’s official opening of 82 new apartments in New Lynn by the Housing Minister Megan Woods. The Thom Street development replaces 16 houses built in the 1940s, with brand new fit-for-purpose public housing that is in high ...1 week ago
- Agreement advanced to purchase up to 5 million COVID-19 vaccinesThe Government has confirmed an in-principle agreement to purchase up to 5 million COVID-19 vaccines – enough for 5 million people – from Janssen Pharmaceutica, subject to the vaccine successfully completing clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. “This agreement ...1 week ago
- Jobs for Nature funding will leave a conservation legacy for Waikanae awaNinety-two jobs will be created to help environmental restoration in the Waikanae River catchment through $8.5 million of Jobs for Nature funding, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan announced today. “The new funding will give a four-year boost to the restoration of the Waikanae awa, and is specifically focussed on restoration through ...1 week ago
- New Dunedin Hospital project progresses to next stageAs the new Dunedin Hospital project progresses, the Government is changing the oversight group to provide more technical input, ensure continued local representation, and to make sure lessons learnt from Dunedin benefit other health infrastructure projects around the country. Concept design approval and the release of a tender for early ...1 week ago
- Jump in apprentice and trainee numbersThe number of New Zealanders taking up apprenticeships has increased nearly 50 percent, and the number of female apprentices has more than doubled. This comes as a Government campaign to raise the profile of vocational education and training (VET) begins. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced ...2 weeks ago
- ReBuilding Nations Symposium 2020 (Infrastructure NZ Conference opening session)Tena koutou katoa and thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. Can I acknowledge Ngarimu Blair, Ngati Whatua, and Mayor Phil Goff for the welcome. Before I start with my substantive comments, I do want to acknowledge the hard work it has taken by everyone to ensure ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand's biosecurity champions honouredBiosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor has paid tribute to the winners of the 2020 New Zealand Biosecurity Awards. “These are the people and organisations who go above and beyond to protect Aotearoa from pests and disease to ensure our unique way of life is sustained for future generations,” Damien O’Connor says. ...2 weeks ago
- Top economists want JobSeeker boosted by $100+ per week and tied to wages
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Once about as high as the pension, the JobSeeker (Newstart) unemployment payment has fallen shockingly low compared to living standards. It’s now only two thirds of the pension, just 40% ...2 hours ago - Live updates, November 28-29: One new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 28-29. Reach me on aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nzSunday, November 291.40pm: One new case of Covid-19 in managed isolationThe Ministry of Health is reporting one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation today, and no new community cases. The new case is a person who arrived ...2 hours ago - The good and bad news about boomersWe’re the generation who’ve been there and done that and earned the right to what we’ve got, but the flip side to the freedom that comes with being the boss of me is selfishness, writes NZ Herald’s Simon Wilson in this Herald Premium article.At a business conference in the Aotea ...3 hours ago
- Perimenopause is not fun, but it’s inevitablePerimenopause and its big sister, menopause, can seem like the cruellest of jokes after a lifetime of hormone-related struggles. Ensemble‘s Rebecca Wadey felt overwhelmed, until she started talking, and listening, and realised she wasn’t the only one.2020 has been a confusing mess. I pride myself on my ability to cope ...7 hours ago
- How the 53rd Parliament was opened
The 53rd Parliament of New Zealand has been officially opened over two days of ceremonies in Wellington. The House explains what unfolded. ...8 hours ago - A poem for .. Peter Goodfellow
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: re-elected National Party president Peter Goodfellow. Fellowship of the grim Hale fellows! Hale fellows of great repute! The bells they do ring and the trumpets they toot! Hale legendary fellows! Hearty fellows! ...8 hours ago - When did songs stop having lyrics I knew by heart?Linda Burgess on the soundtrack to her life. We drove up to Auckland last month. Our darling Edward, who, if suddenly out of sight, could well be found waving from the roof, was turning four. Unlike the time before, we weren’t turned back at Havelock North, when our phones, and the ...11 hours ago
- How much would you pay for a photo of our ancestors?Photographs of tūpuna Māori are fetching top prices at auction houses, but do Māori and Pākehā view them in the same way?On September 20, 2001, an auction of 300 rare photographic prints and plates was blocked due to protests by Māori activists. The collection, potentially worth at least $150,000, included ...11 hours ago
- Withholding Evidence An Alarming Development
“It is disturbing to learn that evidence from senior public servants to the Royal Commission into the Christchurch mosque attacks will be withheld in full,” says ACT Justice and Firearms Law Reform spokesperson Nicole McKee. “Firstly, this was ...1 day ago - “We Are All Palestinians”Celebrating UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa and the Palestine Community of New Zealand are celebrating UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People tomorrow with an event ...1 day ago
- It’s no secret – but you mightn’t know NZ has signed on for continued commitment to Five Power...
Health Minister Andrew Little has announced the Government’s approval of $154 million of funding to add a new tower block with 64 more beds to Christchurch Hospital’s $525m acute services building. Stuff and RNZ were among the media to report this news. We found no media reports (albeit our search ...1 day ago - How tech became a lifeline for the Covid-hit hospo industryIn just a matter of months, e-commerce systems have become a crucial piece in the puzzle that will ensure the hospitality sector has a fighting chance. Anyone in hospitality knows there wasn’t any fat in their business margins before Covid, so when the pandemic hit, many questioned how they could possibly ...1 day ago
- Cha chow down: A food comic about Courtenay Place’s cosiest caveIn the first in a series of Wellington-focused food comics, Liliana Mañetto Quick explains why she loves Cha, a haven of calm on Courtenay Place. ...1 day ago
- Live updates, November 28-29: Mosque attacks evidence suppressed for 30 yearsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 28. Reach me on aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz9.00am: Accountability concerns raised over mosque attacks evidence suppressionThe royal commission into the terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019 has suppressed evidence given by ministers and senior public servants for 30 years, sparking concerns ...1 day ago
- I see you, CK SteadJordan Margetts, who is working on a masters comparing CK Stead and Philip Roth, reviews the second volume of Stead’s memoir. Not least among the neuroses and quiddities of novelists and poets is the lingering idea that they might actually get to cheat death. Not the death of the body, of ...1 day ago
- Short story: The Idol, by Leonardo Guzzo
A short story about Diego Maradona (1960-2020), by Leonardo Guzzo, and translated into English by Alessandra Giorgioni. The story was inspired by a mesmerising YouTube video of Maradona when he arrived to play in Naples. The beaten earth of the pitch no longer absorbs water. It becomes a bog after ...1 day ago - Try-scoring injury knocks cricketer Suzie Bates for six
LISTEN: On this week's Extra Time, cricketer Suzie Bates talks about the 'try-scoring' injury forcing the longest break in her career. White Ferns batting maestro Suzie Bates is one who's happy that the women's cricket World Cup has been delayed a year, as she prepares for a long break out ...1 day ago - Farewell to Jan Morris, the writer who shaped how the outside world sees usTransgender pioneer, the last surviving member of Hillary’s Everest team, and one of the world’s greatest travel writers – Jan Morris, who died this week aged 94, was one of a kind.Just as international travel has become a vicarious pursuit, one of the great travel writers has passed away. Jan ...1 day ago
- Eugene Bareman: the beating heart of New Zealand kickboxingFrom rugby to law school to UFC, City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman talks to Michelle Langstone about what drew him to the sport, training his fighters during the Covid-19 lockdown, and helping build his beloved gym from the ground up. Portraits by Edith Amituanai.The air inside Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym is ...1 day ago
- Covid: an endgame taking shape?
Things are moving fast on Covid, perhaps faster than we realise. But as Europe painfully grinds its way through a second lockdown, it’s easy to miss this. First of all, it’s more of a lockdown-lite this time. Policy is more nuanced and – although most people are too polite ...1 day ago - PNG Supreme Court dismisses challenge to Marape’s electionBy RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has dismissed a legal challenge over the election of James Marape as prime minister last year. The challenge by Opposition Leader Belden Namah related to alleged irregularities in the parliamentary election 18 months ago. During the May 2019 session, after resigning as ...2 days ago
- 40-day ‘fasting for West Papua’ protest ends soon – but still no actionPacific Media Centre Newsdesk An appeal for a 40-day fast across the region by the Pacific Council of Churches in support of West Papua closes next week with no result in sight. The secretary-general of the PCC, Rev James Bhagwan, and West Papua Church Council (WPCC) are still waiting for ...2 days ago
- Call By NZ Outdoors Party To Boycott Qantas If Mandatory Vaccinations Enforced"Qantas set a dangerous precedent on Monday when it announced its “No Jab No Fly” policy for mandatory vaccination for Qantas customers." Said Tracy Livingston, the NZ Outdoors Party spokesperson on health. Tracy added "Many ...2 days ago
- Maradona: the Bolivarian Soccer GeniusSource: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By Danny Shaw and William Camacaro From NY and Caracas The fighting peoples of the world lost a humble legend yesterday. Diego Armando Maradona was 60-years-old. Arguably the greatest soccer player to ever grace the pitches, the spirited striker combined unparalleled ...2 days ago
- Coon’s rebranding dilemma: polishing a brand name to stay out of controversySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abas Mirzaei, Senior Lecturer – Branding, Macquarie University The makers of Coon cheese will no doubt have paid close attention to the publicity surrounding Nestle’s rebadging of its Red Skins and Chicos confectionary brands. While the change of Chicos to Cheekies was ...2 days ago
- Fullers360's Response To The Prime Minister's Climate Emergency DeclarationMike Horne, Chief Executive Officer, Fullers360: “Fullers360 supports Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement yesterday indicating the declaration of a climate emergency in New Zealand. As Auckland’s largest ferry provider, Fullers360 recognises ...2 days ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis: Covid-19: Orders of Magnitude – USA vs. China, World2 days ago
- Fish & Game Endangers Its Vital Public Role By Moving Closer To Federated FarmersFreshwater Campaigners Say The NZ Fish And Game Council Is Endangering Its Vital Public Role In The Protection Of Rivers And Lakes If It Moves Closer To Federated Farmers, Following Today’s Announcement On The Two Organisations’ Intention To ...2 days ago
- The Week in Politics: Govt gets serious about housing crisisAnalysis - The finance minister asks for Reserve Bank help to deal with the housing crisis, Oranga Tamariki chief executive says she won't quit and Māori Party MPs walk out on day one. ...2 days ago
- The Unity Books children’s bestseller chart for the month of NovemberWhat’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart.AUCKLAND1 Skunk & Badger by Amy Timberlake & Jon Klassen (Allen & Unwin, $26, 4+)“One of the best books I’ve read all year ...2 days ago
- Planning a road trip in a pandemic? 11 tips for before you leave, on the road and when you arriveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thea van de Mortel, Professor, Nursing and Deputy Head (Learning & Teaching), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University As restrictions ease around the country and the prospect of travel beckons, many of us will be planning road trips for the holiday ...2 days ago
- Haunted still by the ‘ship of death’, Samoa is on high Covid alertThe 1918 Spanish flue devasated Samoa, and its impact is still felt today, writes Tootoooleaav Dr Fanaafi Aiono-Le Tagaloa.Within minutes of news that crew members of the cargo ship Fesco Askold had tested positive for Covid-19, a social media storm broke across Samoa. Covid-free until then, the island nation’s anxiety ...2 days ago
- Can ‘hubs’ make up for the erasure of small-town banks?The finance minister went to Martinborough today to open a new regional banking hub. But as Alex Braae reports, many see it as too small a measure to address a serious issue for regional New Zealand.There hasn’t been a bank branch in the south Wairarapa centre of Martinborough for a ...2 days ago
- Biden’s cabinet picks are globally respected, but one obstacle remains for the US to ‘lead the w...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The “team of rivals” was the term historian Doris Kearns Goodwin used to describe US President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet. It included three men who had run against Lincoln ...2 days ago
- NZ to admit 2000 Pacific horticulture workers under strict conditionsBy Eric Frykberg, RNZ News The New Zealand government has offered help to the under-pressure horticultural sector by allowing 2000 registered seasonal employer (RSE) workers in to help pick fruit and vegetables this summer. Growers had complained that without these workers, some produce would rot unpicked. The government has ...2 days ago
- The Friday Poem: Code name by Oscar UppertonA new poem by Oscar Upperton from a sequence about Dr James Barry, a 19th century surgeon whose gender has been the subject of much debate.Code nameYoung Barry begins the study of medicine, under a new name and in a new town.A name needs rinsing out, once in a while.I ...2 days ago
- Crown threatens court action over Newsroom video
Crown lawyers are considering legal action to have the Newsroom documentary on Oranga Tamariki removed from this website The Government's top lawyer, Solicitor-General Una Jagose, wants the High Court to stop Newsroom continuing to publish a video documentary on Oranga Tamariki's 'reverse uplift' of young Māori children. She has sought an urgent ...2 days ago - Yesterdaze: A lesson in talking the talk
Jacinda Ardern has been busy with pre-talk talks about having formal pre-talk talks, while the housing hot potato gets passive-aggressively tossed around. James Elliott has the news of the week. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with US President-in-waiting-until-20-January-2021 Joe Biden this week. It’s unclear whether she was calling Joe to congratulate ...2 days ago - The border is NZ’s first defence against Covid-19 – but the rules will be relaxed to ensure our ...
Having reminded Parliament that New Zealanders in October elected a majority Government for the first time under our Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and that the Government enjoys the confidence of a clear majority of members in the House of Representatives, the Speech from the Throne set out the policy ...2 days ago - New Health Minister Andrew Little promises to fast-track reforms of the health sectorThe new Health Minister is promising to fast-track reforms of the health sector within the next 18 months to two years. ...2 days ago
- NZ may be excluded from climate leaders summit
New Zealand may not be invited to a meeting of high-ambition climate leaders in December over concerns about the country's inaction on climate change, Marc Daalder reports New Zealand's attendance at a summit of high-profile, high-ambition global leaders on climate change is in doubt. The Sprint to Glasgow meeting is ...2 days ago - How to avoid getting ripped off in the Black Friday bargain carnivalWith retailers being urged to advertise honest and genuine savings this Black Friday, here’s what consumers should be looking out for.It’s been tough for a lot of businesses this year, but there was some good news for retailers earlier this week when Stats NZ revealed sales had jumped 7.4% year-on-year ...2 days ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – November 27 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 Opening of new Parliament Henry Cooke (Stuff): New Parliament brings old debates as Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern fail to shift dial on first day back Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Get set, go: Labour ...2 days ago
- More Than 1700 Attend EMA Spring BriefingsNew Zealand border issues, skills and staff shortages and new rules around compulsory Christmas shut-downs dominated discussions during the EMA’s recently completed Spring Briefing round. More than 1700 EMA members joined the briefings with record ...2 days ago
- Speaker of the House and Māori Party accuse each other of grandstanding after walk-outThe Speaker of the House and the Māori Party are accusing each other of grandstanding after the Māori Party's two MPs walked out of the first session of the new Parliament yesterday. ...2 days ago
- Labour Seems To Have Finally Realised There Is A Housing Crisis In New ZealandThe housing crisis right now in New Zealand is one of our biggest contributors to income and wealth inequality. With the explosive increase in sales and prices going on right now, those with houses or able to buy them for whatever reason, have their ...2 days ago
- Climate Change An Economic Issue; Critical For The Planet’s FutureAustralia’s Lord Mayor of Darwin, Kon Vatskalis, says climate change is an economic issue and is critical to their city’s future. He says they need to act as it is critical to avoid irreparable damage to more than $1billion of community infrastructure ...2 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 26The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 A Promised Land by Barack Obama (Penguin Random House, $70)The first volume of Obama’s presidential memoirs, released four ...2 days ago
- CTU Welcomes Living Wage For Fruit PickersThe Council of Trade Unions is welcoming today's announcement by Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor that the 2000 people from the Pacific being brought to New Zealand to pick seasonal fruit, will be paid no less ...2 days ago
- CTU Welcomes Living Wage For Fruit PickersThe Council of Trade Unions is welcoming today's announcement by Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor that the 2000 people from the Pacific being brought to New Zealand to pick seasonal fruit, will be paid no less ...2 days ago
- Suspensions Up Over 25% – Time To Provide Students Online ChoiceLatest Ministry of Education figures, released under the Official Information Act, reveal the number of school students suspended increased by 25.4% - from 2,618 students in 2015 to 3,283 in 2019, with the current school year’s data still being collated. ...2 days ago
- Suspensions Up Over 25% – Time To Provide Students Online ChoiceLatest Ministry of Education figures, released under the Official Information Act, reveal the number of school students suspended increased by 25.4% - from 2,618 students in 2015 to 3,283 in 2019, with the current school year’s data still being collated. ...2 days ago
- Victoria may have eliminated COVID-19, but eradication is a distant dreamSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Professor of International Health, Burnet Institute Today Victoria satisfied a common definition of elimination for COVID-19, recording its 28th consecutive day of zero new cases. While there is no international definition of elimination, two average incubation periods without community transmission ...2 days ago
- Can you really make $400 a day picking cherries?Claims that cherry pickers can pull in $400 a day should have all of us packing our bags and heading south. But is orchard work really that lucrative?Every year, as a crisp and blissful summer thaws the South Island out of its languor, students at the University of Otago toss ...2 days ago
- Call Of The Kererū Reveals A Hidden TreasureA new two part documentary gives a rare and insightful look into Tūhoe and their unique relationship with Te Urewera as seen through the iwi’s connection with the kererū. Te Kura Huna o Te Urewera (The Hidden Treasure of Te Urewera) speaks to ...2 days ago
- Black Friday: Time To Break Up AmazonThis ‘Black Friday’, the ITUC is joining a global movement calling for urgent action to deal with the serial, corporate abuse of Amazon. Governments and regulators must step in to stop Amazon: abusing its dominant market position squeezing small ...2 days ago
- Royal Commission Report Is Just The StartThe release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry report that looked into why the Police granted a gun license to the man who then committed the massacre on March the 15th last year is just the start, according to the Sporting Shooters Association of New ...2 days ago
- 10 Considerations Before Giving Pets For ChristmasWith the season to be jolly upon us, animal lovers might be tempted to share their joy by putting a puppy or kitten under the Christmas tree. However, PD Insurance is advising Kiwis to avoid the urge unless 100 percent sure it’s the right gift ...2 days ago
- These rangatahi Māori animation grads are ready to tell their own storiesHelping to get more rangatahi Māori interested in animation and design industries, the first class from the Māoriland MATCH programme are set to graduate today. The Māoriland film festival is run every year out of Ōtaki, a small town on the Kāpiti Coast. The five-day event hosts a number of Indigenous ...2 days ago
- Curious Kids: could dinosaurs evolve back into existence?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Poropat, Postdoctoral Researcher (Palaeontology), Swinburne University of Technology Will there ever be dinosaurs again? — Anonymous What an interesting question! Well, technically dinosaurs are still here in the form of birds. Just like you’re a direct descendant of ...2 days ago
- Taking proper sick leave has never been more crucial. So why are people still ‘soldiering on’ at...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Esme Franken, Lecturer in Management, Edith Cowan University New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian, who last week carried on working for up to two hours while awaiting the results of a rapid COVID test, wasn’t the first Australian to “soldier on” in ...2 days ago
- Devastated by disease in the past, Samoa is on high alert after recent coronavirus scaresSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tootoooleaava Dr. Fanaafi Aiono-Le Tagaloa, Law Lecturer and Convenor of Pacific Engagement, University of Waikato Within minutes of news that crew members of the cargo ship Fesco Askold had tested positive for COVID-19, a social media storm broke across Samoa. COVID-free until ...2 days ago
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Is it over yet?
Course not. Eff em.
JOE BIDEN
264
electoral college votes
73,475,661 votes
DONALD TRUMP
electoral college votes
69,616,932 votes
214
Same as it was this time yesterday.
Don't be silly, this is 2020. Of course it's not over yet.
Biden isn't quite so far ahead in Arizona – his lead is around 46,000 with around 200k to 300k still to count. With Arizona's long history of postal voting, there won't be a swing to Biden in these postal votes, and his lead is more likely to narrow somewhat. But I haven't seen anyone credible saying they expect Biden to lose.
Last I looked, Biden is behind by about 1800 in Georgia with maybe 15k votes still to be counted. These are mostly from strongly Dem counties and expected to strongly favour Biden, so he may indeed squeak out a win.
Last I looked, Biden is behind by around 23k in Pennsylvania, with a few hundred thousand still to count from strong Dem areas. Every credible commentator I've seen confidently expects Biden to be significantly ahead when counting is finished.
Biden is ahead by around 11k in Nevada, with a bit over 100k still to be counted. These are mostly from Clark County (Las Vegas), and are expected to favour Biden.
Biden will in all probability win the election, but hell, I sure don't envy him the job. Trump is doing his best to delegitimise Biden as president (stolen election etc) and with a probable Republican senate, and a deeply divided nation, he's got a task and a half.
What will be interesting to watch will be the various law enforcement agencies closing in on the trump crime family.. Deutsche Bank (and others) calling in all the loans they have given him…it's gonna be like a pack of hyenas on a fallen pachyderm..I'm wondering if he will go on the run..to one of those countries that don't have ectradition agreements with america,..of course he could go feral on all those who he feels owe him favours/that he has shit on…and they may even do an epstein on him..time to go short on trump-futures.
He might be welcome in Kazakhstan. Borat could sort somehing out.
Been offline most of the afternoon and only just saw #TrumpMeltdown
Don't know what he's done now, but the schadenfreude on twitter is delicious.
I thought this was good:
the third one with the look on the reporter's face is classic.
What is Trump's attraction? One view.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018771495/economist-jeff-rubin-the-expendables-have-spoken
In August Jesse Mulligan spoke to Canadian economist Jeff Rubin about his book The Expendables: How the Middle Class Got Screwed by Globalisation.
The ‘expendables’ have made their voice heard in this US election, Rubin told Jesse Mulligan….
“If you are a manufacturing worker in the United States, manufacturing employment has increased since Donald Trump’s election, and the reason it’s increased is because of the trade policies that Donald Trump has imposed.
“We’re finding employment gains in industries like auto, steel, aluminium we haven’t seen in the US sector in decades and that is directly related to the trade policies that Donald trump has enacted.
“Policies I might add, although this is consistently ignored in media coverage, but policies that were exactly the same as the policies Senator Bernie Sanders was articulating that made him so objectionable to the elite of the Democratic Party.”…
“President Biden will have the same kind of globalist trade policies that have decimated America’s middle class over the last 20 to 30 years and that’s been done by both Democratic and Republican administrations, until of course this Trump administration.”
I think that some here have been saying the same thing. So how to get someone a bit younger, these are all old white guys. Perhaps swivel to a younger brown woman with some new and practical ideas? Could the crumbling fabric of the Greatest Show in Town stand it?
Sure, working class whites without tertiary education are bound to vote for young women of colour. It would be deplorable if they didn't.
Thanks for that wisdom Gabby. If nothing can be attempted, nothing can be changed, even thinking positively, with cunning rationality, would be a change. Perhaps you could try it more often, you seem terminally depressed. Or am I wrong?
That's hardly passive-aggressive at all, constable.