"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 .
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
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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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
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Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
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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.
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.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1501092364340846596?cxt=HHwWiICz-avj-dQpAAAA
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
https://twitter.com/factaotearoa/status/1501788285257285635?s=21.
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:
https://twitter.com/hntweets/status/1501903205663391744?s=21
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