"The Commerce Commission last night [Dec 2001]rejected a proposed merger between the country's second and third largest supermarket groups.
Progressive's parent company, Perth-based Foodland Associated, has said it is likely to challenge an earlier rejection of its bid through the Privy Council.
Progressive sought permission to buy Woolworths in May, lodging its application a day before competition laws were tightened.
‘"The saga dates back to July last year [2001] when the Commerce Commission cleared Progressive's application for permission to buy Woolworths, claiming the merged company would not would not acquire or strengthen dominance in any market.
However rival supermarket operator Foodstuffs took legal action, claiming the deal should be judged under the more strict criteria of "substantially lessening competition" in a market.
A Court of Appeal decision forced Progressive to apply under the stricter criteria but that application was turned down by the Commerce Commission (as mentioned in the first paragraph)
The Privy Council overturned the Court of Appeal Decision, leaving them with the original approval ( lodged 1 day before stricter rules came into force)
Amoral pricks would sacrifice their own for a dollar.
/
But at some point we’re going to have to ask and answer the question: Were the years of life saved from COVID worth shutting down the country, putting a generation out of the classroom and into enormous debt? Had we known all this at the start, would we have made different decisions?
Statistical value of a life is an interesting concept – presumably they would attempt to use that. I would hope any work would also look at human behaviour in a pandemic, which is to lower risk by staying home a lot.
I was actually being flippant (what, me? noooooo), but it's an interesting question. Even without huge personal behaviour changes being included in the equation, $4million times 10,000 lives saved (light estimate for no lockdowns and minimal immigration changes over covid year 1 e.g. Sweden/uk/usa) is $40 billion. Not sure the govt response has cost that yet.
like ECE, teaching, aged care health workers are generally “givers”. I have this fear that they will feel obligated to return to work when they are still unwell. As someone still recovering form COVID, recovery can more complicated than a cold/flu and as I read there is increasing reporting on long COVID. I hope that we don’t sacrifice these workers to get over this hump and then leave them to suffer later on, and even later on their workload will still be extremely high. When will they be able to R&R ?? I see burnout for many https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-critical-healthcare-staff-can-now-work-while-covid-positive-as-a-last-resort/2XMY6CQ2EA6NZM7D2DMCE3TWWU/
Based on the nurses I know, I feel that there will be enormous pressure on nurses (in particular) to work while symptomatic, 'you're not really sick enough to take leave'. Pressure coming ultimately from hospital management – who have firmly resisted all attempts to improve the staffing situation – but also their desire to support their colleagues – knowing there is no replacement, so not turning up increases the load on everyone else.
This is not a '9 years of neglect' issue. This has been going on for more than 20 years – and hasn't changed in the last 4 (or even in the last 1.5 – with a majority labour government).
Yes, Covid. But actually the Health Minister has put all his energy into the DHB reforms; which, while they *may* increase efficiency – do nothing to improve the staffing situation on the front line.
Herodotus you are correct. They are expecting medical people to "soldier on" which is bad form, as this virus needs lots of rest to recover. The brain effects are a shock.
I found it quite unique rob very pertinent to right now in its realism .An unusual take for an msm outlet . Love or loath Fox News its what a lot of americans are watching so its useful from an observers perspective to know what those viewers are thinking check out the comments when i watched that segment last night there was about 13k of them that had been generated in just a few hours .Judge for yourself .
Big shot (Tsingshan Holding Group) caught by short and curlies on big short.Also defaulting was Chinese construction bank on margin calls.
BOOM!!! Nickel prices surge above $100,000 a tonne on a huge metal short-squeeze. The London Metal Exchange has given a unit of China Construction Bank Corp. extra time to pay $$$$ in margin calls it missed Monday. Do follow @jfarchy for more and read this https://t.co/4lO5xbW3phpic.twitter.com/BWaJodhiGC
Further developments on the Statutory bailout of sensitive new age energy group Bulb energy,will cost the British government billions of pounds and subsequently the British consumer.(total fails to date 23 companies).
Conservative academic, author and former spook John Schindler on Poots' religious war.
"Regrettably, Putinhas no reason to back down now, since the West has already dropped its economic “atomic bomb” on Russia, leaving Moscow to explain to its own people why the Ukraine war must go on, in the face of economic ruin, anti-Russian sentiments in many countries, and the deaths of Russian soldiers in a war of choice. As this newsletter has already explained, Putin’s aggression against his neighbor isn’t grounded merely in coldly rational geostrategy: it has a significant religious component too."
He spent 30 minutes to say the obvious…..Putin has 6000 nukes and it isnt a good idea to engage in military conflict with him….and that includes 'no fly zones'.
John Campbell outlines the results of two new studies:
(1) IvermectinvsRemdesivir
and
(2) Ivermectin vs Non-Users (Control Group)
[NOTE: This could be a little upsetting for the chattering classes, convinced as they are that Ivermectin is the Devil's Brew & therefore any heretic mentioning the Drug That Dare Not Speak Its Name must inevitably be closely associated with anti-vaxxers, Donald Trump, the alt-right, moon landing conspiracies, Vladimir Putin, howling at the moon, the eating of new-born babies … and so on & so forth]
Spoiler: Ivermectin was the clear winner on the day … associated with significant reduction in hospitalisation & mortality:
"Unfortunately, these meta-analyses are highly dependent on a small number of highly “positive” trials, which, if removed, turn positive meta-analyses into negative meta-analyses. Seemingly not coincidentally, these very highly “positive” clinical trials are also the most dodgy, either very badly done at best or outright fraudulent at worst."
Still pushing that shit after a million deaths in the USA and six million worldwide?
Are you suggesting they were all taking Ivermectin ? … Bizarre.
Why not take the medically tested and approved vaccines
I'm triple-vaxxed, me old son … although, like many living outside insular echo-chambers, I’m able to think independently & am still a little concerned about the mRNA vaccines’ unknown long-term consequences.
instead of some off label antibacterial drug… FFS.
Prefer to carefully weigh the emerging evidence on potentially-useful anti-virals (it’s not either vaccination or anti-virals) rather than allow myself to be blinded by preconceived assumptions. It’s a drug that has been used for decades, with a remarkably good safety record over billions of human doses
Still, at least you didn't descend to calling it "a horse de-wormer" … so I’m delighted to see you're making a certain amount of progress.
However there are promising new protease inhibitor drugs going through proper medical trials at present. Better than the latest miracle cure touted by alternative (quack) therapists.
Nah – the point you miss completely is that Ivermectin, unlike any any of these 'promising' new drugs, already has an extremely well understood long-term safety profile. Arguably one of the safest drugs ever.
The only promise these new drugs can offer at this moment is a steady profit stream to their pushers.
It's a sign of the extreme disconnect in society when people trust horse treatments rather than listen to basic medical advice. That is the problem. Ivm might not be bad when properly taken but it has been greatly abused and touted irresponsibly.
Or when did it not save human lives since in invention in 1975?
Too soon, to point out it’s a human drug. “dumb ass” is what dumb ass says I suppose ah incognito, but you wouldn’t go there – not with your track record?
No apology then, going to keep running with your abuse.
Let people tell lies about a drug that has improved the quality of millions of lives.
Feel free to die on that hill. The simple truth is Ivemectin has been the best best drug in the global south to deal with parasites. You and yours keeping up the lie it ant nothing but a horse drug, is a bullshit argument and you know it.
But feel free to keep spreading that lie incognito. It's a hell of a hill to die on, lying when the truth is so much better.
Ivermectin was a blockbuster veterinary drug long before it found application in and for humans. There’s no argument about this. Nor is there an argument about ivermectin being cheap and safe. Placebos are also cheap and safe, so that’s an irrelevant argument anyway.
Point to [the] “lies” I have told on this forum about ivermectin. Be clear & specific and provide a link(s) to my comment(s) containing the lie(s). For example, when & where did I label ivermectin as “nothing but a horse drug” or just “a horse drug”? You make accusations, you back it up. If you cannot, you retract and apologise. After you’ve calmed down …
You went for cheap abuse. Come on, If you read my link, you would have seen I was not defending the drug for use with Sars-Covid19. But you still went there, and now are using that as your defence in the latest remarks to me. I never said it was useful for Sars-Covid19. Show me where I said that – if we playing that game.
I tried nothing more than defend a important drug widely used in the global south to save millions of lives, from what I saw was a cheap shot. And all I got from you was "Talking of “dumb ass” comments " but even better from you " No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall"
Misrepresenting what I said – that's on you.
As I said why spread a lie about a drug when the truth is much more powerful. Ivemectin is a very effective drug, that is not recommend in the treatment of Sars-Covid19. The lie is to call it a horse drug. Or the lie of letting that statement stand, when it is simply untrue.
No, you did not say what I called out as a lie, you just went for abuse, and got the response from me you knew you'd get. So I apologise for losing my rag.
So, you don’t hesitate to use the term “dumb ass” on others, but you cannot handle it when I call out your assertion about the Nobel Prize for ivermectin using the exact same label!? Here it is (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873393), so that you can re-read your own “dumb ass” comment again and refresh your memory. I hope the light will come on this time, but I can’t be sure.
Secondly, the Nobel Prize is irrelevant in the context of Covid-19. The price and being off-patent are also irrelevant, for Covid-19 and for a Nobel Prize.
Thirdly, if the so-called ‘lie’ that you accused me of is calling it “a horse drug” then indeed, you cannot point to when & where I said that because I did not and have not. You appear to apologise for that but then you also accuse me of “misrepresenting” you. I won’t ask for clarification because all you’re capable of is ranting and talking mostly nonsense.
Stop digging a hole of accusations about lies and misrepresentations.
Already always listening from you again Incognito.
When you say horse drug, all you are doing is ending the conversation , unless wankers like me point it out. You have banned many for doing exactly that, me even at some point.
Why the double standard because of Sars-Covid19? How is it helpful to let that role?
Not sure why you keep going about Sars-Covid19, my point was about a useful drug, so please stop do me the curtsy of not putting words in my mouth, and please look at you second comment.
“No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall.”
Sure I can handle the abuse, but the second comment from you was just bullshit, and an apology would be nice.
[It’s a real pity that you edited your comment after 8 minutes and changed it completely into yet another tirade of false accusations and pitiful victimhood because you’re now being moderated.
I started to engage with you in this sad thread here (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873422) about your dumb ass comment about your dumb ass reason why ivermectin won the Nobel Prize and said nothing about horses. (NB a drug cannot actually win the Nobel Prize, but we can get the meaning) This is the point that you’re not grasping and yet you’re bleating on about wanting an apology from me!?
You did it again, so I ask you again when & where I called ivermectin a “horse drug” to try ending the conversation. Unless you can point to a comment of mine in which I did exactly that you’d better stop and stay quiet or face the consequence. You’ve been warned – Incognito]
So if you think it's a good piece are you going to withdraw you comment "horse treatment"?
It's a very good drug which has helped a lot of people.
By the way for incognito, because he on his whole mr assumption man shitfuckery. I'm defending the drug as a extremely useful drug for the treatment of parasites. And all the good it has done in the global south, if he had actually bothered with the link he would notice I picked that link because I'm not saying it helps with Sars-Covid19 – but what is it about assumptions and such like…
Adam, imho no-one in this thread has been questioning the utility of ivermectin as a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent. And some of the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties it displays in vitro suggest that it might be clinically useful against more than just parasites.
The relevant question for this thread, however, is whether it is effective against COVID-19, either as a prophylactic or to treat symptoms. And on that specific question the expert scientific jury is still out, pending the results of high-quality trials. In the absence of a verdict, I wouldn't use ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection, but in some countries this pandemic has had a devastating effect on human health, and there are far too many desperate people in the world at the best of times.
Fair enough adam – I agree that ivermectin is a relatively safe compound for humans and other animals, and that it has an excellent track record as an anti-parasitic drug. My point is that (imho) it's not prudent or helpful to recommend the use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infections, and people who are encouraging same (possibly out of a genuine desire to help) are leveraging pandemic-related despair.
Many people are in dire straits – no need for some (not you) to add to their misery by talking up an unproven treatment, particularly when a proven vaccine is available.
I’ve no time for anyone advocating the use of ivermectin to prevent/treat COVID-19 infections – my position will change if (evidence-based) consensus expert medical opinion changes.
Neither do the antivaxxer hordes raiding veterinary clinics, it got so bad that one place had a sign saying “proof of horse ownership is required before purchase”.
There is a whole political and social movement associated with this stuff, that is not so benign
The esteemed Dr Campbell has finally fallen down the rabbit hole that he has been digging for a while. Gone full anti-vaxx. Silly old git
Yikes! Another 'plausible expert' down the ivermectin hole into full antivax. Monetised clicks & dunning kruger are literally costing lives.
Expect antivax memes with 'BOOM!! LEAKED DATA PROOVES..!!!!' (sp, it's wasn't, it doesn't), as evidently *this* Pfizer data is legit🤔1/2 https://t.co/0A7KgNeWXi
— Fight Against Conspiracy Theories (@factaotearoa) March 10, 2022
I prefer going directly to the literature and reading its claims and critiques, rather than stitting thru a tediously slow video. If it’s that important why don’t you summarise the main points and add references to the mainstream journals that he cites.
It's about as useful as Trump advocating bleach and hydroxychloroquine… i.e. it dilutes the most important message… get vaccinated! Or join the Herman Cain Awards.
Alternative therapies have their place but the level of bullshit pushed by idiots on the internet feeds vaccine hesitancy and is a primary reason for massive, avoidable deaths.
I read your link but also read this, because you know, confirmation bias and all that. Quote:
Merck, one company that produces Ivermectin, said in February 2021 that it had examined the findings of “all available and emerging studies of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19”, and the analysis has concluded that there was:
“No scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies;
“No meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and;
“A concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.”
Just echoing the disclaimers attached to one of the newer IVM studies mentioned. It is still not a miracle cure and pushing it as such just adds to antivaxxer sentiment.
Be careful what you wish for JR – the crumbling of perceived reality can cut both ways. All it takes is an open mind.
Correction of scientific literature: Too little, too late!
[3 March 2022] The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the limitations of the current scientific publication system, in which serious post-publication concerns are often addressed too slowly to be effective. In this Perspective, we offer suggestions to improve academia’s willingness and ability to correct errors in an appropriate time frame.
…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many basic quality control and transparency principles have been violated on a regular basis. This is perhaps most apparent in the Surgisphere debacle, in which global policy on COVID-19 treatment was changed overnight on the basis of a database that later turned out not to exist. Although the Surgisphere retraction happened quickly, it was far slower than the change in medical practice, which was immediate, and represents a best-case scenario in which a high-profile paper was immediately interrogated and investigated. The stories of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, both widely promoted based on poor quality or even fraudulent studies, are further concerning accounts of how the scientific publishing process has failed to exercise basic quality control.
But there's a world of difference between double blind trials that actively search for adverse events, and studies that search only for positive effects and don't even take into account other treatments that the participants are taking.
So far the strongest finding seems to be that trials conducted by clinicians motivated to save lives show a positive result, while those conducted and funded by pharma or their captive entities show nil result.
Assuming that finding is correct, one would expect that pharma actually know how to run a trial that minimises biases, confounding factors, and also looks for safety issues.
It's fundamental to their income stream, after all.
When it turns out that IVM might well have been able to reduce the COVID death toll by more than a factor of 10, and similarly with Vitamin D, then the question of where the shame should be located becomes an interesting one.
The key word, appropriately highlighted in your comment, is "might".
Seems to me that clinicians climbing on the ivermectin bandwagon have rather jumped the gun, but I have an open mind on “where the shame should be located” – time (and good science) will tell.
High-dose ivermectin for early treatment of COVID-19 (COVER study): a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase II, dose-finding, proof-of-concept clinical trial [February 2022]
High-dose ivermectin was safe but did not show efficacy to reduce viral load.
… In conclusion, we did not demonstrate a significant reduction in viral load between ivermectin and placebo, although a trend for the highest dose is apparent. Whether this drug might have clinical efficacy at lower doses remains debated. We believe that our findings further support the WHO recommendation suggesting that it is currently advisable to refrain from administrating ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 outside of clinical trials. Considering the reduced tolerability, large, high-dose clinical trials should not be recommended.
"Today, nations around the world are called again to take sides – between Russia and the west, and very soon between the west and China. But as the map of sanctions attests, the cross-pressure between these great powers may once again spark a movement for non-alignment, demanding a more universal application of international law against demands for unilateral exception.
There will no doubt be consequences for this neutral position. Non-aligned nations in the first cold war were frequently victim to aggression, invasion and economic embargo. The same risks to neutrality are visible today. Lithuania recently canceled a shipment of Covid vaccines to Bangladesh for its refusal to condemn Russia at the United Nations. The US, for its part, has already passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa), giving license to punish countries with sanctions for trading with the other side."
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Justice Denied: At the heart of the “Pro-Life” cause was something much darker than conservative religious dogma, or even the oppressive designs of “The Patriarchy”. The enduring motivation – which dares not declare itself openly – is the paranoid conviction of male white supremacists that if “their” women are given ...
In case of emergency break glass— but glass can cut Fire extinguishers, safety belts, first aid kits, insurance policies, geoengineering: we never enjoy using them. But given our demonstrated, deep empirical record of proclivity for creating hazards and risk we'd obviously be foolish not to include emergency responses in our inventory. ...
After a brief hiatus, the “A View from Afar” podcast is back on air with Selwyn Manning leading the Q&A with me. This week is a grab bag of topics: Russian V-Day celebrations, Asian and European elections, and the impact of the PRC-Solomon Islands on the regional strategic balance. Plus ...
Last year, Vanuatu passed a "cyber-libel" law. And predictably, its first targets are those trying to hold the government to account: A police crackdown in Vanuatu that has seen people arrested for allegedly posting comments on social media speculating politicians were responsible for the country’s current Covid outbreak has ...
Could it be a case of not appreciating what you’ve got until it’s gone? The National Party lost Simon Bridges last week, which has reinforced the notion that the party still has some serious deficits of talent and diversity. The major factor in Bridges’ decision to leave was his failed ...
Who’s Missing From This Picture? The re-birth of the co-governance concept cannot be attributed to the institutions of Pakeha rule, at least, not in the sense that the massive constitutional revisions it entails have been presented to and endorsed by the House of Representatives, and then ratified by the citizens of New ...
Fiji signed onto China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018, along with a separate agreement on economic co-operation and aid. Yet it took the recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands to get the belated attention of the US and its helpmates in Canberra and Wellington, and the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Lexi Smith and Bud Ward “CRA” It’s one of those acronyms even many-a-veteran environmental policy geek may not recognize. Amidst the scores and scores of acronyms in the field – CERCLA, IPCC, SARA, LUST, NPDES, NDCs, FIFRA, NEPA and scores more – ...
In a nice bit of news in a World Gone Mad, I can report that Of Tin and Tintagel, my 5,800-word story about tin (and political scheming), is now out as part of the Spring 2022 edition of New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). As noted previously, this one owes a ...
Dr Jennifer Summers, Professor Michael Baker, Professor Nick Wilson* Summers J, Baker M, Wilson N. Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk: important measures to help guide the pandemic response. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 May 2022. In this blog we explore two useful mortality indicators: Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) and Infection-Fatality ...
In the depths of winter, most people from southern New Zealand head to warmer climes for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. Yet during the height of the last Ice Age, one species of moa did just the opposite. I’m reminded of Bill Bailey’s En Route to Normal tour that visited ...
In the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions ...
Elizabeth Elliot Noe, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Andrew D. Barnes, University of Waikato; Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, and John Innes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchUrbanisation, and the destruction of habitat it entails, is a major threat to native bird populations. But as our new research shows, restored ...
Unfinished: Always, gnawing away at this government’s confidence and empathy, is the dictum that seriously challenging the economic and social status-quo is the surest route to electoral death. Labour’s colouring-in book, and National’s, have to look the same. All that matters is which party is better at staying inside the lines.DOES ...
Radical As: Māori healers recall a time when “words had power”. The words that give substance to ideas, no matter how radical, still do. If our representatives rediscover the courage to speak them out loud.THERE ARE RULES for radicalism. Or, at least, there are rules for the presentation of radical ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters A brutal, record-intensity heat wave that has engulfed much of India and Pakistan since March eased somewhat this week, but is poised to roar back in the coming week with inferno-like temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122°F). The ...
The good people at the Reading Tolkien podcast have put out a new piece, which spends some time comparing the underlying moral positions of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien: (The relevant discussion starts about twenty-seven minutes in. It’s a long podcast). In the interests of fairness, ...
Crime is becoming a key debate between Labour and National. This week they are both keen to show that they are tough on law and order. It’s an issue that National has a traditional advantage on, and is one that they’re currently getting good traction from. In response, Labour is ...
So far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in decline, and has been so for much of the past decade. Who knew? Perhaps that’s the real issue here. Why on earth wasn’t the latest ...
In the past 10 years or so – and that’s how quickly it has happened – all our comfortable convictions about the unassailability of free speech have been turned on their heads. Suddenly we find ourselves fighting again for rights we assumed were settled. Click here to watch the video ...
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Mr Speaker, It has taken four-and-a-half years to even start to turn the legacy of inaction and neglect from the last time they were in Government together. And we have a long journey in front of us! ...
Today Greens Te Mātāwaka Chair and Health Spokesperson, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, said “The Greens have long campaigned for an independent Māori Health Authority and pathways for Takatāpui and Rainbow healthcare. “We welcome the substantial funding going into the new health system, Pae Ora, particularly for the Māori Health Authority, Iwi-Partnership ...
Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government continue to drive investment in nature protection Urgent action needed on nature-based solutions to climate change Future budget decisions must reflect the role nature plays in helping reduce emissions ...
Landmark week for climate action concludes with climate budget Largest ever investment in climate action one of many Green Party wins throughout Budget 2022 Budget 2022 delivers progress on every part of the cooperation agreement with Labour Budget 2022 is a climate budget that caps a landmark week ...
Green Party welcomes extension to half price fares Permanent half price fares for Community Services Card holders includes many students, which helps implement a Green Party policy Work to reduce public transport fares for Community Services Card holders started by Greens in the last Government Budget 2022 should be ...
New cost of living payment closely aligned to Green Party policy to expand the Winter Energy Payment Extension and improvement of Warmer Kiwi Homes builds on Green Party progress in Government Community energy fund welcomed The Green Party welcomes the investment in Budget 2022 to expand Warmer Kiwi ...
Budget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...
Green Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...
Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...
A stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
Since the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...
As part of New Zealand’s ongoing response to the war in Ukraine, New Zealand is providing further support and personnel to assist Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “We have been clear throughout Russia’s assault on Ukraine, that such a ...
Prime Minister to lead trade mission to the United States this week to support export growth and the return of tourists post COVID-19. Business delegation to promote trade and tourism opportunities in New Zealand’s third largest export and visitor market Deliver Harvard University commencement address Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on winning the Australian Federal election, and has acknowledged outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "I spoke to Anthony Albanese early this morning as he was preparing to address his supporters. It was a warm conversation and I’m ...
Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Matariki Tapuapua, He roimata ua, he roimata tangata. He roimata e wairurutu nei, e wairurutu nei. Te Māreikura mārohirohi o Ihoa o ngā Mano, takoto Te ringa mākohakoha o Rongo, takoto. Te mātauranga o Tūāhuriri o Ngai Tahu ...
Three core networks within the tourism sector are receiving new investment to gear up for the return of international tourists and business travellers, as the country fully reconnects to the world. “Our wider tourism sector is on the way to recovery. As visitor numbers scale up, our established tourism networks ...
The Minister of Customs has welcomed legislation being passed which will prevent millions of dollars in potential tax evasion on water-pipe tobacco products. The Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products) Amendment Act 2022 changes the way excise and excise-equivalent duty is calculated on these tobacco products. Water-pipe tobacco is also known ...
The Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to help the Levin community following this morning’s tornado, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by severe weather events in Levin and across the country. “I know the tornado has ...
The Quintet of Attorneys General have issued the following statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “The Attorneys General of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand join in ...
Morena tatou katoa. Kua tae mai i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Thank you all for being here today. Yesterday my colleague, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, delivered the Wellbeing Budget 2022 – for a secure future for New Zealand. I’m the Minister of Health, and this was ...
Urgent Budget night legislation to stop major supermarkets blocking competitors from accessing land for new stores has been introduced today, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The Commerce (Grocery Sector Covenants) Amendment Bill amends the Commerce Act 1986, banning restrictive covenants on land, and exclusive covenants ...
It is a pleasure to speak to this Budget. The 5th we have had the privilege of delivering, and in no less extraordinary circumstances. Mr Speaker, the business and cycle of Government is, in some ways, no different to life itself. Navigating difficult times, while also making necessary progress. Dealing ...
Budget 2022 provides funding to implement the new resource management system, building on progress made since the reform was announced just over a year ago. The inadequate funding for the implementation of the Resource Management Act in 1992 almost guaranteed its failure. There was a lack of national direction about ...
The Government is substantially increasing the amount of funding for public media to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access quality local content and trusted news. “Our decision to create a new independent and future-focused public media entity is about achieving this objective, and we will support it with a ...
$662.5 million to maintain existing defence capabilities NZDF lower-paid staff will receive a salary increase to help meet cost-of living pressures. Budget 2022 sees significant resources made available for the Defence Force to maintain existing defence capabilities as it looks to the future delivery of these new investments. “Since ...
More than $185 million to help build a resilient cultural sector as it continues to adapt to the challenges coming out of COVID-19. Support cultural sector agencies to continue to offer their important services to New Zealanders. Strengthen support for Māori arts, culture and heritage. The Government is investing in a ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
Four new permanent Coroners to be appointed Seven Coronial Registrar roles and four Clinical Advisor roles are planned to ease workload pressures Budget 2022 delivers a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. “Operating funding of $28.5 million over four ...
Establishment of Ministry for Disabled People Progressing the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives approach to Disability Support Services to provide self-determination for disabled people Extra funding for disability support services “Budget 2022 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver change for the disability community with the establishment of a ...
Fairer Equity Funding system to replace school deciles The largest step yet towards Pay Parity in early learning Local support for schools to improve teaching and learning A unified funding system to underpin the Reform of Vocational Education Boost for schools and early learning centres to help with cost ...
$118.4 million for advisory services to support farmers, foresters, growers and whenua Māori owners to accelerate sustainable land use changes and lift productivity $40 million to help transformation in the forestry, wood processing, food and beverage and fisheries sectors $31.6 million to help maintain and lift animal welfare practices across Aotearoa New Zealand A total food and ...
House price caps for First Home Grants increased in many parts of the country House price caps for First Home Loans removed entirely Kāinga Whenua Loan cap will also be increased from $200,000 to $500,000 The Affordable Housing Fund to initially provide support for not-for-profit rental providers Significant additional ...
Child Support rules to be reformed lifting an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty Support for immediate and essential dental care lifted from $300 to $1,000 per year Increased income levels for hardship assistance to extend eligibility Budget 2022 takes further action to reduce child poverty and ...
More support for RNA research through to pilot manufacturing RNA technology platform to be created to facilitate engagement between research and industry partners Researchers and businesses working in the rapidly developing field of RNA technology will benefit from a new research and development platform, funded in Budget 2022. “RNA ...
A new Business Growth Fund to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow Fully funding the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to unleash regional economic development opportunities Tourism Innovation Programme to promote sustainable recovery Eight Industry Transformation Plans progressed to work with industries, workers and iwi to transition ...
Budget 2022 further strengthens the economic foundations and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, as the recovery from COVID-19 continues. “The priorities we set for Budget 2022 will support the continued delivery of our commitments for Pacific peoples through the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, a 2020 manifesto commitment for Pacific ...
Boost for Māori economic and employment initiatives. More funding for Māori health and wellbeing initiatives Further support towards growing language, culture and identity initiatives to deliver on our commitment to Te Reo Māori in Education Funding for natural environment and climate change initiatives to help farmers, growers and whenua ...
New hospital funding for Whangārei, Nelson and Hillmorton 280 more classrooms over 40 schools, and money for new kura $349 million for more rolling stock and rail network investment The completion of feasibility studies for a Northland dry dock and a new port in the Manukau Harbour Increased infrastructure ...
$168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers $39 million for Māori health workforce development Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in ...
Biggest-ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget Provision for 61 new emergency vehicles including 48 ambulances, along with 248 more paramedics and other frontline staff New emergency helicopter and crew, and replacement of some older choppers $100 million investment in specialist mental health and addiction services 195,000 primary and intermediate aged ...
Landmark reform: new multi-year budgets for better planning and more consistent health services Record ongoing annual funding boost for Health NZ to meet cost pressures and start with a clean slate as it replaces fragmented DHB system ($1.8 billion year one, as well as additional $1.3 billion in year ...
Fuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges cut to be extended for two months Half price public transport extended for a further two months New temporary cost of living payment for people earning up to $70,000 who are not eligible to receive the Winter Energy Payment Estimated 2.1 million New ...
A return to surplus in 2024/2025 Unemployment rate projected to remain at record lows Net debt forecast to peak at 19.9 percent of GDP in 2024, lower than Australia, US, UK and Canada Economic growth to hit 4.2 percent in 2023 and average 2.1 percent over the forecast period A ...
Cost of living payment to cushion impact of inflation for 2.1 million Kiwis Record health investment including biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget First allocations from Climate Emergency Response Fund contribute to achieving the goals in the first Emissions Reduction Plan Government actions deliver one of the strongest ...
Budget 2022 will help build a high wage, low emissions economy that provides greater economic security, while providing support to households affected by cost of living pressures. Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world, but other challenges, both long-term and more ...
Health Minister Andrew Little will represent New Zealand at the first in-person World Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 May (New Zealand time). “COVID-19 has affected people all around the world, and health continues to ...
New Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...
The Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...
Legislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...
OP-ED by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). ...
Australia has a new political leader at the helm after nine years governed by conservatives but what does the change of hands mean for New Zealand? ...
RNZ Pacific A female candidate in the Papua New Guinea elections believes it is more important than ever that the country has women MPs in Parliament. Dulciana Somare-Brash is the daughter of the late Sir Michael Somare and she unsuccessfully stood in the East Sepik regional seat in 2017, finishing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Garnett, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University Gilbert’s potoroo, a marsupial that may be extinct in 20 years.Shutterstock It feels a bit strange to publish a paper that we want proved wrong – we have identified the ...
PNG Post-Courier “Powes! Powes! Powes!” The city of Port Moresby was ringing with chants of support for its governor for the past 15 years — Powes Parkop. Hundreds of men, women and children from the settlements to the suburbs flocked at the weekend in support of the three-term politician who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Beasy, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of Tasmania You’d be forgiven for not having heard about the long-awaited new Australian Curriculum, which was released with little fanfare in the midst of the election campaign. But this update to the national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nancy Baxter, Professor and Head of Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne In a poll conducted by the Guardian in August of 2021 about the number of deaths Australians would be willing to accept as restrictions eased, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock As the polls closed on Saturday night, most election commentary focused on the dispiriting campaign where both major parties avoided any substantial division on policy issues and instead focused on ...
The Environment Committee Komiti Taiao invites public submissions on Aotearoa New Zealand’s emissions budgets and the emissions reduction plan, Te Hau mārohi ki anamata Towards a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy—Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
The announcement in Budget 2022 to build 300 affordable homes for Pasefika families in Porirua will be transformational, says the Central Pacific Collective (CPC). The homes will be built over 10 years through “Our Whare Our Fale” – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jarryd Bartle, Sessional Lecturer, RMIT University Shutterstock One of the surprising results from the federal election was a record vote for Legalise Cannabis Australia, a minor party previously known as the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) party. The party ...
Stuff business writer John Anthony was still focused on businessman Simon Henry’s widely reported remarks about My Food Bag co-founder Nadia Lim, a day after the company posted its latest annual results. His report on Saturday began with news that – according to its chief executive – My Food Bag’s ...
The Bus and Coach Association welcomes the recent budget announcement by the Labour Government to invest $61 million over the next four years towards ensuring a sustainable, skilled workforce of bus drivers nationwide. “This is great news” says CEO Ben ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Strating, Director, La Trobe Asia and Associate Professor, La Trobe University, La Trobe University During the election campaign, Anthony Albanese singled out Indonesia as a key regional partner. The new prime minister made a point of declaring he intended his first ...
New Zealand’s export industries are looking to a new era in the wake of life returning to something like normal in international markets. The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, will head a mission to the US to promote trade and tourism opportunities in our third largest export and visitor market, saying this ...
Budget 2022’s multi-million dollar spend on “service recognition” awards exemplifies the growing fiscal indulgence of the public sector, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . The Budget’s Summary of Initiatives reveals the Department of Prime Minister ...
Thank you for your invitation to close this semester for your class. There was a time when foreign policy was nonpolitical and when politicians held the view, that offshore, we would face the world as one people. Sadly, that is not the case today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Casswell, Professor of public health policy, Massey University Getty Images The World Health Organization’s newly released report on regulating cross-border alcohol marketing raises the alarm for countries like Australia and New Zealand, given their light touch towards alcohol advertising. ...
The country’s international relationships have loomed large in Beehive announcements since Friday. One press statement – from the PM – congratulated Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on winning the Australian Federal election. Jacinda Ardern said: “Australia is our most important partner, our only official ally and single economic ...
RNZ News A New Caledonian anti-independence candidate has withdrawn from the race for a seat in the French National Assembly just hours before nominations closed. Vaea Frogier pulled out, citing concern about the splits in the anti-independence camp. Seventeen candidates in New Caledonia are standing in next month’s election, with ...
Right to Life requests that Christopher Luxon becomes the truly pro-life leader that National and our nation desperately needs, by seeking the repeal of the Abortion Legislation Act 2019 and legislating for the recognition of the humanity of unborn ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Carney, Vice-Chancellor’s professorial fellow, Monash University Elections are a test – the ultimate test, really – of those who serve as parliamentarians and those who aspire to serve. Scott Morrison asserted quite absurdly early in the 2022 campaign that the election ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University AAP/James Ross It is pretty human to crave the approval of peers and to hope for more of the same, even if unconsciously. But for political parties selling themselves as unifying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Lukas Coch/AAP Extreme weather events are the new normal. The use of nuclear weapons by Vladimir Putin’s Russian military is now an unthinkable possibility. And ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catharine Coleborne, Dean of Arts/Head of School Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle Higher education did not figure prominently in the election campaign. The biggest issues facing the sector, in particular the arts, humanities and social sciences, could never ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Saul Eslake, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Labor has inherited an economy with a pretty full “head of steam”. Domestic demand is growing strongly, fuelled by households flush with cash (and enriched by big increases in ...
The election of left-leaning Labor across the ditch may mean a change for several pressing issues in New Zealand's relationship with its closest neighbour. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Phillimore, Executive Director, John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University Western Australia’s promise to be the kingmaker on federal election night has finally been delivered. During the count, the rest of the country saw a slow but steady accumulation ...
RNZ News Joe Hawke — the prominent kaumātua and activist who led the long-running Takaparawhau occupation at Auckland’s Bastion Point in the late 1970s — has died, aged 82. Born in Tāmaki Makaurau in 1940, Joseph Parata Hohepa Hawke of Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei, led his people in their efforts ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Nelson, Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Joel Carrett/AAP Women were everywhere and nowhere in the 2022 federal election. The message from the weekend’s vote was that the things that really matter to women and their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Williams, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Griffith University Darren England/AAP There’s an ancient observance in Chinese history that an earthquake is an ominous omen of coming political change. When the ground shakes it’s said the heavens are withdrawing an emperor’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Melleuish, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong original The most amazing thing about the election was the very low primary vote for the ALP and the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party has lost seats to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The rout of Scott Morrison goes beyond the defeat of his government. It has left behind a Liberal party that is now a flightless bird. The parliamentary party has had one wing torn asunder, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne Labor’s win in Saturday’s election heralds real change in health policy. Although Labor had a small-target strategy, with limited big spending commitments, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash University The federal election result is highly problematic for the Liberal Party. Aside from finding itself on the opposition benches for the first time in nine years, the Liberal Party lost support in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Lee, Associate Professor, Indigenous Leadership, Swinburne University of Technology Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s acceptance speech opened with a generous acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and a full commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The new government also celebrates the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Mick Tsikas/AAP Public concern over climate change was a clear factor in the election of Australia’s new Labor government. Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to action on the issue, declaring on Saturday night: ...
Community Law Centres O Aotearoa is urging the New Zealand Government to prioritise the treatment of Kiwis who have made Australia their home high on the agenda when Prime Minister Ardern meets with freshly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Mick Tsikas/AAP Public concern over climate change was a clear factor in the election of Australia’s new Labor government. Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to action on the issue, declaring on Saturday night: ...
Australia’s election, thrusting the ALP and its leader Anthony Albanese back into a governing role, offers the Ardern government a fresh opportunity to blow the cobwebs off the Anzac partnership. During the last years of the Liberal era, the once-strong Trans-Tasman relationship appeared to cool. Australia’s deportation policy under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney An Albanese government in Canberra means an improved trajectory in Australia-China relations is a real possibility. Sure, there will be no “re-set” like we saw in the heady ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University The election results are in and Labor has won enough seats to form government, either as a majority or with the support of independents. What will this mean for political integrity? The main ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub, Griffith Business School, Griffith University The Australian Labor Party will form government either outright or in a minority government. The ALP has so far gained a small 2.8% two-party preferred national ...
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A bit of History about Supermarket merger
"The Commerce Commission last night [Dec 2001]rejected a proposed merger between the country's second and third largest supermarket groups.
Progressive's parent company, Perth-based Foodland Associated, has said it is likely to challenge an earlier rejection of its bid through the Privy Council.
Progressive sought permission to buy Woolworths in May, lodging its application a day before competition laws were tightened.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/supermarket-merger-rejected/PZW5NRYY7SYQHEYRXEUEPJ4HE4/
But before that
‘"The saga dates back to July last year [2001] when the Commerce Commission cleared Progressive's application for permission to buy Woolworths, claiming the merged company would not would not acquire or strengthen dominance in any market.
However rival supermarket operator Foodstuffs took legal action, claiming the deal should be judged under the more strict criteria of "substantially lessening competition" in a market.
A Court of Appeal decision forced Progressive to apply under the stricter criteria but that application was turned down by the Commerce Commission (as mentioned in the first paragraph)
The Privy Council overturned the Court of Appeal Decision, leaving them with the original approval ( lodged 1 day before stricter rules came into force)
Simon Power almost got a draft bill on anti-cartel legislation up.
But was then whisked away to Westpac.
Labour finally got there.
Amoral pricks would sacrifice their own for a dollar.
/
But at some point we’re going to have to ask and answer the question: Were the years of life saved from COVID worth shutting down the country, putting a generation out of the classroom and into enormous debt? Had we known all this at the start, would we have made different decisions?
Probably not this time. Practically every country, culture, and political system acted the same way, just to different extents. Even Sweden had more stringent restrictions than New Zealand for large parts of the past two years. But we can’t afford to make the same mistake next time.
https://www.act.org.nz/the_free_press_7_march_2022
Another message from the shadow minister of mandatory euthanasia and eugenics how unsurprising.
I wonder if they have a $$ per life ratio, or whether they just think the economy would do better without people?
Statistical value of a life is an interesting concept – presumably they would attempt to use that. I would hope any work would also look at human behaviour in a pandemic, which is to lower risk by staying home a lot.
One would hope.
I was actually being flippant (what, me? noooooo), but it's an interesting question. Even without huge personal behaviour changes being included in the equation, $4million times 10,000 lives saved (light estimate for no lockdowns and minimal immigration changes over covid year 1 e.g. Sweden/uk/usa) is $40 billion. Not sure the govt response has cost that yet.
like ECE, teaching, aged care health workers are generally “givers”. I have this fear that they will feel obligated to return to work when they are still unwell. As someone still recovering form COVID, recovery can more complicated than a cold/flu and as I read there is increasing reporting on long COVID. I hope that we don’t sacrifice these workers to get over this hump and then leave them to suffer later on, and even later on their workload will still be extremely high. When will they be able to R&R ?? I see burnout for many
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-critical-healthcare-staff-can-now-work-while-covid-positive-as-a-last-resort/2XMY6CQ2EA6NZM7D2DMCE3TWWU/
Based on the nurses I know, I feel that there will be enormous pressure on nurses (in particular) to work while symptomatic, 'you're not really sick enough to take leave'. Pressure coming ultimately from hospital management – who have firmly resisted all attempts to improve the staffing situation – but also their desire to support their colleagues – knowing there is no replacement, so not turning up increases the load on everyone else.
This is not a '9 years of neglect' issue. This has been going on for more than 20 years – and hasn't changed in the last 4 (or even in the last 1.5 – with a majority labour government).
Yes, Covid. But actually the Health Minister has put all his energy into the DHB reforms; which, while they *may* increase efficiency – do nothing to improve the staffing situation on the front line.
Ask yourself how many others, not nurses or hospital workers, are currently working with covid as they can not afford to not work.
Aged care health workers have been both in short supply and poorly compensated long before covid….they have been 'sacrificed' for years.
But its all good, National will cut their taxes (but not as much as they'll cut their own)
Herodotus you are correct. They are expecting medical people to "soldier on" which is bad form, as this virus needs lots of rest to recover. The brain effects are a shock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PC7DzTRS7A
This is why i sometimes watch Tucker Carlson !!!
Got a summary of why we should watch a 30 minute video of Tucker?
Apart from the usual hypocrisy, fear, jingoism, and blaming Biden for everything…
I found it quite unique rob very pertinent to right now in its realism .An unusual take for an msm outlet . Love or loath Fox News its what a lot of americans are watching so its useful from an observers perspective to know what those viewers are thinking check out the comments when i watched that segment last night there was about 13k of them that had been generated in just a few hours .Judge for yourself .
Big shot (Tsingshan Holding Group) caught by short and curlies on big short.Also defaulting was Chinese construction bank on margin calls.
Huuuge implications for lithium battery production in China.
Further developments on the Statutory bailout of sensitive new age energy group Bulb energy,will cost the British government billions of pounds and subsequently the British consumer.(total fails to date 23 companies).
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60653751
Just been reading that one Nicola Willis was a senior advisor to John Key. Say no more!!
Conservative academic, author and former spook John Schindler on Poots' religious war.
"Regrettably, Putin has no reason to back down now, since the West has already dropped its economic “atomic bomb” on Russia, leaving Moscow to explain to its own people why the Ukraine war must go on, in the face of economic ruin, anti-Russian sentiments in many countries, and the deaths of Russian soldiers in a war of choice. As this newsletter has already explained, Putin’s aggression against his neighbor isn’t grounded merely in coldly rational geostrategy: it has a significant religious component too."
https://topsecretumbra.substack.com/p/putins-religious-war-against-ukraine
Is anyone going to have a go at writing on Zelinsky holding a moral mirror up to the EU, US, and NATO?
At what point do the 'red lines' of NATO become too expensive, too hot to even contemplate making the jump over them?
When oil's at US$140 a litre? $160? $180? $200? When a litre of 91 hits $4? Or inflation hits 10% p.a.?
When we start to get a COVID-scale death count?
When the US, EU, UK et al determine that they will cut off all Russian oil?
Or cut off all Russian Gas?
How much more important now are the founding principles and mechanisms of the Common Market, and of the Eeuopean Union, and of the Euro?
When will the UN ideal of sovereign integrity really reign over the views of China and India sitting elegantly on the sideline?
On a sliding scale of idealism, what is left if Ukraine falls?
All these questions are going to cut sharper as the sieges take hold.
Are you advocating for direct western intervention?….such as Zelinsky's call for a no fly zone?
Zelinsky's call for a no fly zone? Never… according to this fellow. When he explains the reason it makes a whole lot of sense:
He spent 30 minutes to say the obvious…..Putin has 6000 nukes and it isnt a good idea to engage in military conflict with him….and that includes 'no fly zones'.
.
John Campbell outlines the results of two new studies:
(1) Ivermectin vs Remdesivir
and
(2) Ivermectin vs Non-Users (Control Group)
[NOTE: This could be a little upsetting for the chattering classes, convinced as they are that Ivermectin is the Devil's Brew & therefore any heretic mentioning the Drug That Dare Not Speak Its Name must inevitably be closely associated with anti-vaxxers, Donald Trump, the alt-right, moon landing conspiracies, Vladimir Putin, howling at the moon, the eating of new-born babies … and so on & so forth]
Spoiler: Ivermectin was the clear winner on the day … associated with significant reduction in hospitalisation & mortality:
Ivermectin, more evidence – YouTube
Still pushing that shit after a million deaths in the USA and six million worldwide?
Why not take the medically tested and approved vaccines instead of some off label antibacterial drug… FFS.
Well at least the vaccines worked to make you fully immune to facts.
Hmmm facts you say?
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/?s=ivermectin&category_name=&submit=Search
Yes. From your link
"Unfortunately, these meta-analyses are highly dependent on a small number of highly “positive” trials, which, if removed, turn positive meta-analyses into negative meta-analyses. Seemingly not coincidentally, these very highly “positive” clinical trials are also the most dodgy, either very badly done at best or outright fraudulent at worst."
In other words you have nothing.
I left you a note abt your sci fi story
.
Are you suggesting they were all taking Ivermectin ? … Bizarre.
I'm triple-vaxxed, me old son … although, like many living outside insular echo-chambers, I’m able to think independently & am still a little concerned about the mRNA vaccines’ unknown long-term consequences.
Prefer to carefully weigh the emerging evidence on potentially-useful anti-virals (it’s not either vaccination or anti-virals) rather than allow myself to be blinded by preconceived assumptions. It’s a drug that has been used for decades, with a remarkably good safety record over billions of human doses
Still, at least you didn't descend to calling it "a horse de-wormer" … so I’m delighted to see you're making a certain amount of progress.
It’s not an anti-viral, it’s anti-bacterial.
Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 6: Incompetence and fraud everywhere! | Science-Based Medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
However there are promising new protease inhibitor drugs going through proper medical trials at present. Better than the latest miracle cure touted by alternative (quack) therapists.
Pfizer’s new COVID-19 protease inhibitor drug is not just “repackaged ivermectin” | Science-Based Medicine (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
Nah – the point you miss completely is that Ivermectin, unlike any any of these 'promising' new drugs, already has an extremely well understood long-term safety profile. Arguably one of the safest drugs ever.
The only promise these new drugs can offer at this moment is a steady profit stream to their pushers.
It's a sign of the extreme disconnect in society when people trust horse treatments rather than listen to basic medical advice. That is the problem. Ivm might not be bad when properly taken but it has been greatly abused and touted irresponsibly.
MY FATHER, THE FOOL
I’d run out of sympathy for COVID skeptics. Then I remembered my father’s stiff neck.
Ivermectin is a drug that has been used for years in the third world and won a Nobel prize because it's safe and patent free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin
Have you ever tried thinking for yourself roblogic, or you going to keep repeating dumb ass corporation media talking points?
Talking of “dumb ass” comments
Want to back that comment up?
Like when did it not win a Nobel prize?
Or when did it not save human lives since in invention in 1975?
Too soon, to point out it’s a human drug. “dumb ass” is what dumb ass says I suppose ah incognito, but you wouldn’t go there – not with your track record?
No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall. Sweet dreams.
No apology then, going to keep running with your abuse.
Let people tell lies about a drug that has improved the quality of millions of lives.
Feel free to die on that hill. The simple truth is Ivemectin has been the best best drug in the global south to deal with parasites. You and yours keeping up the lie it ant nothing but a horse drug, is a bullshit argument and you know it.
But feel free to keep spreading that lie incognito. It's a hell of a hill to die on, lying when the truth is so much better.
It’s what you asserted about the Novel Prize. BTW, this was awarded in 2015 and this had and still has nothing to do with Covid-19.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2015/press-release/
Ivermectin was a blockbuster veterinary drug long before it found application in and for humans. There’s no argument about this. Nor is there an argument about ivermectin being cheap and safe. Placebos are also cheap and safe, so that’s an irrelevant argument anyway.
Point to [the] “lies” I have told on this forum about ivermectin. Be clear & specific and provide a link(s) to my comment(s) containing the lie(s). For example, when & where did I label ivermectin as “nothing but a horse drug” or just “a horse drug”? You make accusations, you back it up. If you cannot, you retract and apologise. After you’ve calmed down …
You went for cheap abuse. Come on, If you read my link, you would have seen I was not defending the drug for use with Sars-Covid19. But you still went there, and now are using that as your defence in the latest remarks to me. I never said it was useful for Sars-Covid19. Show me where I said that – if we playing that game.
I tried nothing more than defend a important drug widely used in the global south to save millions of lives, from what I saw was a cheap shot. And all I got from you was "Talking of “dumb ass” comments
" but even better from you " No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall"
Misrepresenting what I said – that's on you.
As I said why spread a lie about a drug when the truth is much more powerful. Ivemectin is a very effective drug, that is not recommend in the treatment of Sars-Covid19. The lie is to call it a horse drug. Or the lie of letting that statement stand, when it is simply untrue.
No, you did not say what I called out as a lie, you just went for abuse, and got the response from me you knew you'd get. So I apologise for losing my rag.
So, you don’t hesitate to use the term “dumb ass” on others, but you cannot handle it when I call out your assertion about the Nobel Prize for ivermectin using the exact same label!? Here it is (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873393), so that you can re-read your own “dumb ass” comment again and refresh your memory. I hope the light will come on this time, but I can’t be sure.
Secondly, the Nobel Prize is irrelevant in the context of Covid-19. The price and being off-patent are also irrelevant, for Covid-19 and for a Nobel Prize.
Thirdly, if the so-called ‘lie’ that you accused me of is calling it “a horse drug” then indeed, you cannot point to when & where I said that because I did not and have not. You appear to apologise for that but then you also accuse me of “misrepresenting” you. I won’t ask for clarification because all you’re capable of is ranting and talking mostly nonsense.
Stop digging a hole of accusations about lies and misrepresentations.
Already always listening from you again Incognito.
When you say horse drug, all you are doing is ending the conversation , unless wankers like me point it out. You have banned many for doing exactly that, me even at some point.
Why the double standard because of Sars-Covid19? How is it helpful to let that role?
Not sure why you keep going about Sars-Covid19, my point was about a useful drug, so please stop do me the curtsy of not putting words in my mouth, and please look at you second comment.
“No point backing up when you’ve gone over the cliff’s edge and don’t even realise that you’re in freefall.”
Sure I can handle the abuse, but the second comment from you was just bullshit, and an apology would be nice.
[It’s a real pity that you edited your comment after 8 minutes and changed it completely into yet another tirade of false accusations and pitiful victimhood because you’re now being moderated.
I started to engage with you in this sad thread here (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-03-2022/#comment-1873422) about your dumb ass comment about your dumb ass reason why ivermectin won the Nobel Prize and said nothing about horses. (NB a drug cannot actually win the Nobel Prize, but we can get the meaning) This is the point that you’re not grasping and yet you’re bleating on about wanting an apology from me!?
You did it again, so I ask you again when & where I called ivermectin a “horse drug” to try ending the conversation. Unless you can point to a comment of mine in which I did exactly that you’d better stop and stay quiet or face the consequence. You’ve been warned – Incognito]
Mod note for you.
read note
That is an excellent wiki page, I suggest you read the whole thing
So if you think it's a good piece are you going to withdraw you comment "horse treatment"?
It's a very good drug which has helped a lot of people.
By the way for incognito, because he on his whole mr assumption man shitfuckery. I'm defending the drug as a extremely useful drug for the treatment of parasites. And all the good it has done in the global south, if he had actually bothered with the link he would notice I picked that link because I'm not saying it helps with Sars-Covid19 – but what is it about assumptions and such like…
The original comment (#10 above) is about a Dr. John Campbell video where he unambiguously claims that
Start your own thread if you want to change the subject.
So you going to stick with the lie it's nothing but a horse drug.
What a hill to die on. Who gives a dam about the lies we tell that hurt the global south.
Adam, imho no-one in this thread has been questioning the utility of ivermectin as a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent. And some of the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties it displays in vitro suggest that it might be clinically useful against more than just parasites.
The relevant question for this thread, however, is whether it is effective against COVID-19, either as a prophylactic or to treat symptoms. And on that specific question the expert scientific jury is still out, pending the results of high-quality trials. In the absence of a verdict, I wouldn't use ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection, but in some countries this pandemic has had a devastating effect on human health, and there are far too many desperate people in the world at the best of times.
Come on
Drowsy M. Kram that was not my point. My point was the lazy comment condemning a very useful drug, is not helpful.
All I've seen that comment being used as, is as short hand to shut down debate.
It worked, both other commentators walked away.
Fair enough adam – I agree that ivermectin is a relatively safe compound for humans and other animals, and that it has an excellent track record as an anti-parasitic drug. My point is that (imho) it's not prudent or helpful to recommend the use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infections, and people who are encouraging same (possibly out of a genuine desire to help) are leveraging pandemic-related despair.
Many people are in dire straits – no need for some (not you) to add to their misery by talking up an unproven treatment, particularly when a proven vaccine is available.
I’ve no time for anyone advocating the use of ivermectin to prevent/treat COVID-19 infections – my position will change if (evidence-based) consensus expert medical opinion changes.
"might not be bad when properly" Well you just called it horse treatment so clearly you have no fucking idea how it is taken properly.
Neither do the antivaxxer hordes raiding veterinary clinics, it got so bad that one place had a sign saying “proof of horse ownership is required before purchase”.
There is a whole political and social movement associated with this stuff, that is not so benign
The esteemed Dr Campbell has finally fallen down the rabbit hole that he has been digging for a while. Gone full anti-vaxx. Silly old git
So going anti-vaxx means carefully reading and reporting the data as it becomes available.
Righto.
You forgot to mention his habit of spreading falsehoods and conspiracy theories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Campbell_(YouTuber)
I could say the same about you. And you forgot to mention anything the video was about. Probably because you haven't seen it.
I prefer going directly to the literature and reading its claims and critiques, rather than stitting thru a tediously slow video. If it’s that important why don’t you summarise the main points and add references to the mainstream journals that he cites.
To use your own words above… You're still pushing that shit! #Stromectol
It's about as useful as Trump advocating bleach and hydroxychloroquine… i.e. it dilutes the most important message… get vaccinated! Or join the Herman Cain Awards.
Alternative therapies have their place but the level of bullshit pushed by idiots on the internet feeds vaccine hesitancy and is a primary reason for massive, avoidable deaths.
Have you no shame?
When it turns out that IVM might well have been able to reduce the COVID death toll by more than a factor of 10, and similarly with Vitamin D, then the question of where the shame should be located becomes an interesting one.
The only certainty here is of course that you will not read the above references with an open mind.
I read your link but also read this, because you know, confirmation bias and all that. Quote:
Feb 2021. Here's the latest peer reviewed studies.
(2) Ivermectin, more evidence – YouTube
Where they only observe correlation, and don’t explore causation or confounding factors. Double blind controlled studies please.
Sorry, are you totally disregarding the findings on that basis? Just checking whether you're actually that dumb or just being petty.
Just echoing the disclaimers attached to one of the newer IVM studies mentioned. It is still not a miracle cure and pushing it as such just adds to antivaxxer sentiment.
Your perceived reality is starting to rumble, shake and crack. It's okay.
Is it? That would be cool. Could do with an update on this cranky old OS 😛
Be careful what you wish for JR – the crumbling of perceived reality can cut both ways. All it takes is an open mind.
Correction of scientific literature: Too little, too late!
[3 March 2022]
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the limitations of the current scientific publication system, in which serious post-publication concerns are often addressed too slowly to be effective. In this Perspective, we offer suggestions to improve academia’s willingness and ability to correct errors in an appropriate time frame.
…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many basic quality control and transparency principles have been violated on a regular basis. This is perhaps most apparent in the Surgisphere debacle, in which global policy on COVID-19 treatment was changed overnight on the basis of a database that later turned out not to exist. Although the Surgisphere retraction happened quickly, it was far slower than the change in medical practice, which was immediate, and represents a best-case scenario in which a high-profile paper was immediately interrogated and investigated. The stories of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, both widely promoted based on poor quality or even fraudulent studies, are further concerning accounts of how the scientific publishing process has failed to exercise basic quality control.
Nobody is "totally disregarding" anything.
But there's a world of difference between double blind trials that actively search for adverse events, and studies that search only for positive effects and don't even take into account other treatments that the participants are taking.
So far the strongest finding seems to be that trials conducted by clinicians motivated to save lives show a positive result, while those conducted and funded by pharma or their captive entities show nil result.
A familiar pattern is emerging here:
Assuming that finding is correct, one would expect that pharma actually know how to run a trial that minimises biases, confounding factors, and also looks for safety issues.
It's fundamental to their income stream, after all.
The key word, appropriately highlighted in your comment, is "might".
Seems to me that clinicians climbing on the ivermectin bandwagon have rather jumped the gun, but I have an open mind on “where the shame should be located” – time (and good science) will tell.
Difficult choices ahead.
"Today, nations around the world are called again to take sides – between Russia and the west, and very soon between the west and China. But as the map of sanctions attests, the cross-pressure between these great powers may once again spark a movement for non-alignment, demanding a more universal application of international law against demands for unilateral exception.
There will no doubt be consequences for this neutral position. Non-aligned nations in the first cold war were frequently victim to aggression, invasion and economic embargo. The same risks to neutrality are visible today. Lithuania recently canceled a shipment of Covid vaccines to Bangladesh for its refusal to condemn Russia at the United Nations. The US, for its part, has already passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa), giving license to punish countries with sanctions for trading with the other side."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/10/russia-ukraine-west-global-south-sanctions-war