Daily review 07/11/2019
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5:30 pm, November 7th, 2019 - 35 comments
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- Temporary Accommodation Service activated for West Coast flooding eventThe Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated today - meaning residents on the West Coast of the South Island and in the Marlborough region hit by flooding over the weekend can now access help finding temporary accommodation, announced Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Poto Williams in Westport today. ...1 week ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New Zealand will be paused from 11.59am (NZT) tonight, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. However, people currently in the state who ordinarily live in New Zealand will be able to return on “managed return” flights starting with the next available flight, ...1 week ago
- New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity by Chinese state-sponsored actorsNew Zealand has established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. “The GCSB has worked through a robust technical attribution process in relation to this activity. New Zealand is today joining other countries in strongly condemning this malicious ...1 week ago
- Remarks to Diplomatic CorpsIt is a pleasure to be with you all this evening. Some of you may have been surprised when you received an invitation from the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, and I would forgive you if you were. New Zealand is unique in having established a Ministerial portfolio ...1 week ago
- Early Pfizer shipment boosts vaccine scheduleThe largest shipment of the Pfizer vaccine to date has arrived into New Zealand two days ahead of schedule, and doses are already being delivered to vaccination centres around the country, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The shipment of more than 370,000 doses reached New Zealand yesterday, following a ...1 week ago
- Backing for Bay of Islands predator free effortThe Government is throwing its support behind an ambitious project to restore native biodiversity and build long-term conservation careers, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Predator Free Bay of Islands aims to eradicate predators from the three main peninsulas in the region, and significantly reduce their impact throughout the wider 80,000-plus ...1 week ago
- Government commits $600,000 to flood recoveryThe Government is contributing $600,000 to help residents affected by the weekend’s violent weather with recovery efforts. Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor have been in the Buller district this afternoon to assess flood damage and support the local response effort. They have announced ...1 week ago
- Government assisting local responses to heavy rainfall and high windActing Minister of Emergency Management Kris Faafoi says Central Government is monitoring the severe weather across the country, and is ready to provide further support to those affected if necessary. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this latest event, particularly communities on the West Coast and ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern chairs APEC Leaders’ meeting on COVID-19New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has chaired a meeting of Leaders representing the 21 APEC economies overnight. “For the first time in APEC’s history Leaders have come together for an extraordinary meeting focused exclusively on COVID-19, and how our region can navigate out of the worst health and economic ...2 weeks ago
- Health Minister welcomes progress on nurses’ payThe New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s decision to take the Government’s improved pay offer to members and to lift strike notices is a positive move towards settling district health board nurses’ pay claims, Health Minister Andrew Little said. “It’s encouraging that the discussions between NZNO and DHBs over the nurses’ employment ...2 weeks ago
- Boost for Pacific regional businessPacific businesses will get a much-needed financial boost as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the new Pacific Aotearoa Regional Enterprise Fund, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. The new $2 million fund will co-invest in Pacific business projects and initiatives to create ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern call with President BidenPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with US President Biden this morning, ahead of the APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat on COVID-19. “President Biden and I discussed the forthcoming APEC leaders meeting and the critical importance of working together as a region to navigate out of the COVID-19 pandemic”, Jacinda Ardern said. ...2 weeks ago
- Renewed partnership creates jobs for New Zealand youthThe Government has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, strengthening the partnership to get more young people into work. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) is a nationwide network of all Mayors in New Zealand, who are committed to making sure all young ...2 weeks ago
- South Island areas prioritised in tourism fundFive South Island areas are prioritised in the latest round of decisions from a tourism fund that is supporting infrastructure projects from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island and the Chathams. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced details of 57 nationwide projects to receive support from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF). ...2 weeks ago
- New code sets clear expectations for learner safety and wellbeing in tertiary educationA new code of practice for the pastoral care of domestic tertiary and international students will be in place from January next year, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today The code, which makes clear that creating an environment that supports learning and wellbeing is a shared responsibility between tertiary providers, ...2 weeks ago
- First TAB New Zealand Board appointments announcedThe members of the first TAB NZ Board come with experience in racing and sport administration, business and governance, the betting industry, broadcasting and gambling harm minimisation. “This Board will progress from the excellent work done by the interim board, put in place in August 2020,” Grant Robertson said. “The ...2 weeks ago
- Northland Maori Pathways initiative introducedThe Government has today launched Māori Pathways at Northland Region Corrections Facility, a ground-breaking series of initiatives designed in partnership with Māori to reduce re-offending and improve outcomes for whānau. A key part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy, Māori Pathways looks to achieve long-term change and involves a number of ...2 weeks ago
- Extended Essential Skills visas being rolled outTwo year Essential Skills visa to provide certainty to at least 18,000 visa holders Streamlined application process to benefit at least 57,000 visa holders The Government is increasing the duration of some Essential Skills visas and streamlining the application process to provide more certainty to employers and visa holders while ...2 weeks ago
- Samoa’s first female leader has made history — now she faces a challenging future at home and ab...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patricia A. O’Brien, Visiting Fellow, School of History, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University After nearly four months of being taken to the brink of dictatorship, Samoa’s constitutional crisis ended on July 26 when the prime minister ...55 mins ago - Confused about which English subject to choose in year 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to knowSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Lambert, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock This article is part of a series providing school students with evidence-based advice for choosing subjects in their senior years. English (or an equivalent literacy requirement) is a compulsory subject for all secondary ...1 hour ago
- MPI’s Failure To Prosecute Mass Chicken Deaths Unacceptable
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has failed in its duty to enforce animal welfare by not prosecuting a farm where a power outage suffocated and killed 180,000 chickens . The incident which occurred in November 2019 has since been described ...2 hours ago - Family Violence And Sexual Violence Literature ReviewAs part of our work programme on public organisations' performance in achieving reductions in family violence, we asked Carswell Consultancy to carry out a literature review of research and evaluation reports on family violence and sexual violence ...2 hours ago
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- Macron launches cyclone shelter project in French PolynesiaRNZ Pacific France and French Polynesia have agreed to jointly spend US$60 million to build 17 cyclone shelters across the Tuamotu archipelago. This was announced on Manihi atoll, where the visiting French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the construction site for a shelter for the atoll’s 600 inhabitants. The shelters ...2 hours ago
- PM, Bloomfield and Verrall discuss new phase of vaccine rollout
Jacinda Ardern, Ashley Bloomfield and Ayesha Verrall are holding a media briefing on the start of a major new phase of the country's vaccine rollout. ...2 hours ago - Three new heads of mission are appointed and there are more diplomatic posts to be filled
The government has named heads of mission to three key diplomatic posts, in Iran, Ethiopia and Indonesia. In announcing them, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta was herself at her most diplomatic. Mike Walsh is to be Ambassador to Iran, where, she says, NZ has a “constructive relationship, despite a number ...3 hours ago - More livestock, more carbon dioxide, less ice: the world’s climate change progress since 2019 is (...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Newsome, Academic Fellow, University of Sydney Back in 2019, more than 11,000 scientists declared a global climate emergency. They established a comprehensive set of vital signs that impact or reflect the planet’s health, such as forest loss, fossil fuel subsidies, glacier ...3 hours ago
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- Response To The Chief Ombudsman’s Report Into The High And Complex FrameworkThe Ministry of Health welcomes recommendations made by the Chief Ombudsman in a report around the care available for people with an intellectual disability. The Ombudsman has been investigating the High and Complex Framework since early 2019. ...5 hours ago
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- June Home Transfers Remain HighThere were 44,517 home transfers in the June 2021 quarter, the highest June quarter figure since 2016, Stats NZ said today. The number of home transfers was very similar to the March 2021 quarter and was up 18,252 from the June 2020 quarter. “The June ...5 hours ago
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- GHG Reducing Solutions Already Out ThereWins can be made right now to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from road freight transport, says Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett. In its submission on Increasing the use of biofuels in transport, the RTF says the Government should ...6 hours ago
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- ECan Must Front Up About Health Risks Of Nitrate Contamination – GreenpeaceGreenpeace is calling on Environment Canterbury to be upfront about health risks of nitrate contamination, following ECan’s release of new data that shows nitrate contamination in drinking water is rising. ECan has released the results of its annual ...7 hours ago
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- Retired people and beneficiaries pay the price of inflation – for now
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Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 28 July
...10 hours ago - Ocean plastic: Small pieces, big problems
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Manufacturers are building products based on available materials as they prepare for shortages to last until late 2022 and beyond ...11 hours ago - Government's flood protection plans dry up
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We know the many circumstances that cause us to veer away from rationality; we understand enough to abandon this fossil fuel age with haste ...11 hours ago - Why moths matter
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Congratulations to all the people who have worked so hard for so long to get the Zero Carbon Act across the line.
Standing ovation!
And yet…
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/11/duncan-garner-james-shaw-butt-heads-over-climate-change-emergency-declaration.html
You gotta watch the stupid to believe it.
I'm referring to D Garner.
Pardon me if this is already up, but sea level rise is likely more imminent than previously believed.
Did Al Gore revise his prediction?
Who knows – never followed him.
Computer modelling revisions.
Likely.
Perhaps you should listen to the link – it's a sampling, not a modelling error.
It is computer modeled. All of it.
I'd read the nature article which serves only to illustrate, graphically how the science has been and continues to be inaccurate.
That is. Not credible.
Funny how models based on "the science" still seem to be considerably more accurate than models based on "nothing is really changing outside of norms over the history of humanity" or "sunspots".
Comparison is: The Science versus The Science.
The Science has been wildly inaccurate. Therefore is not credible.
Also not credible. Dragging in that funny irrelevance of a comparison.
"Reality has always been overflowing with entities whose essences are baptized in inquiry. We are at a crossroads of understanding and bondage. Who are we? Where on the great journey will we be aligned?"
If current models of the effects of increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gases on atmospheric and ocean temperatures, sea level, et al. are not credible, would you care to hazard a guess as to whether these models are under- or over-estimating the effects/risks?
Guess we'll know soon enough.
yep – we all saw how wrong this was and clayton tears are not needed or wanted.
but
Yeah that shows the sincerity of the apology – luckily we have more inquiries to get the truth out.
I'd call the changes made as a result of this a win. Gotta take what you can get unfortunately.
“The “but” is where the shit comes out”, – Richard Bandler
Pretty weak attitude imo
Shit gets weirder and weirder.
At approximately 3pm today Senator Rand Paul's office held a meeting with Gareth Peirce, a celebrated human rights advocate and British lawyer who currently is representing Julian Assange on matters concerning his extradition to the US.
As a solicitor representing a client facing extradition on political charges under the draconian Espionage Act for exposing US war crimes and abuses, Gareth is duty-bound to leave no stone unturned in advocating for her client —but this meeting landed at deeply troubling time.
This week Rand Paul has repeatedly pulled threads at the already threadbare fabric of democratic process by calling on members of the media and others to unmask the identity of the alleged whistleblower.
Whistleblower protection, like source protection, is a foundational tenet in journalistic ethics, and (unless something recently changed) remains paramount within Wikileaks.
Today’s meeting between Julian Assange’s attorney and Rand Paul’s staff was an affront to every core belief once held sacred by Wikileaks supporters. It never should have happened.
To add insult to injury today Rand Paul blocked a resolution reaffirming the Senate's support for whistleblower protections. Protecting the safety of sources is not “fake outrage,” it’s a baseline to due process in these proceedings.
In addition to showing contempt for whistleblowers & sources, Rand Paul has also shown contempt for journalists from the mainstream & alternative media alike, including fighting to revoke the press credentials of @AbbyMartin who once asked him hard questions about US drone policy
mentions The already horrid optics of this meeting are compounded when it is revealed the individual who purportedly brokered the meeting between Julian Assange's lawyer and Rand Paul's office is none other than Roger Stone protege and Alt-Light Palme d'Or, Cassandra Fairbanks.
mentions This meeting did not speak truth to power …it pulled at the pant legs of it.
mentions This meeting did not lift up the ideals that at one time in 2010 made Wikileaks great …it undermined those ideals in a most brutal way.
mentions This meeting couldn't possibly help Julian Assange in his fight against charges for publishing information about US war crimes …instead it conflates them with a partisan spat that is threatening the safety of another whistleblower seeking to hold those in power to account.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1192160499670106112.html
I've yet to see any media call out the Repug push to expose the whistleblower for what it really can only be: a blatant attempt to intimidate other potential whistleblowers and scare them away from whistleblowing.
Or something else..
Rand Paul is definitely playing a different game to most of the rest of the Repugs, though I'm not ready to guess at what his end-game might be. (No, I don't think he's a Pooteepuppet, though there is likely some convergence of interests)
But people are complicated, even utter assholes can do worthwhile things now and then. Rand Paul's sticking up for Snowden seems to fall into that category, even though it may be in service of some as-yet obscure asshole goal.
Earlier in the year he was quietly boosting foreign oligarchs with his opposition to sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 project. At around the same time he was holding up funding for a 9/11 victims
An opportunist weasel looking to line his own pockets, I reckon.
Rand Paul is one of the few repug politicians I suspect might actually have some pretty strong political principles that he generally sticks to, rather than being primarily interested in feathering his own nest and clawing onto is sinecure.
Touble is that those principles are libertarian, so whatever good he might advocate he approaches fromn the opposite direction. I.e. protecting Snowden is consistent with trying to make government infintesimally small, so it's the same impulse that makes him want to destroy all government healthcare systems (not sure about his ideas on VA – he'd probably want it government funded but privatised).
Whereas even a light socialist would say Snowden deserves a pass because he exposed mass surveillance that preserves nationalistic capitalist hegemony, and that everyone is entitled to healthcare, food, and housing even if capitalism doesn't provide it to them.
Yeah, but his defenses of fake-tan fuhrer make it look like he doesn't understand that libertarian is not the same thing as libertine.
fair call
Leaking a phone call between world leaders so the Dems have an excuse for impeachment is not whistleblowing.
maui, your previous evasions notwithstanding, I'm still interested in whether you think it's OK for the president to withhold Congress approved and taxpayer funded aid to try to extort a foreign country into smearing a political opponent of the president?
Go on and pretend it's just a hypothetical if it makes it easier for you to answer. It's a very simple question that only needs a “yes it’s OK” or “no it’s not OK” answer.
Nope, not satire.
http://archive.li/3KBar#selection-326.1-411.20
Aw c'mon, give him credit, he's the absolute undisputed master of seagull chess. Y'know, where you flap in squawking loudly, shit all over the board, knock all the pieces over, strut around like you've won, and flap out again still squawking loudly.
I doubt he even knows how each chess piece moves and even if by a miracle he does he'd cheat his arse off like he does in every other aspect of his life from golf to numbers at his parade. He would be good at moving the pieces on one of those magnetic chess sets that are so so small you can hardly hold them, for obvious reasons.
"Despite supporting the bill National have set out several changes to the law that they would make in their first 100 days if elected, including removing the controversial methane target and asking an independent commission to set it."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117244331/national-will-support-climate-change-zero-carbon-bill
It would appear that Russel Norman was right
What did Norman say? That getting National on board wasn't worth it?
Pretty much….will see if I can find the quote
cheers, I'd like to read some good analysis of this position.
Magic undie drawers are a thing.
https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/04/09/writer-shared-invisible-work-friend-husband-never-noticed-fair-say-struck-chord/
The rabid hole goes deep