Daily review 10/09/2020
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5:30 pm, September 10th, 2020 - 24 comments
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- Geoffrey Miller: NZ’s Olympic-sized relationship with Japan may be about to change
As the Tokyo Olympics come to an end, Geoffrey Miller analyses the state of New Zealand’s wider relationship with Japan – and says that a very successful partnership may be about to become a lot more complicated. As New Zealand’s very successful Olympic campaign in Tokyo draws to a ...37 mins ago - National's oily mates love burning coal
You’ve probably noticed National criticising the Labour and Green Coalition Government recently about the amount of coal that’s being imported into New Zealand.In fact they’ve been incessantly repeating their disapproval about imported coal for well over a year now, which is getting a bit tedious to say the least.There is ...2 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #31, 2021
Want to make a dangerous bet? Modes of climate science denial run across a spectrum, with the "soft" end being "climate change has happened in the past what's the big deal," through "we don't really know what'll happen" and ending with the fully delusional "it's not possible for humans to change ...13 hours ago - On the wrong side of history, like always
Parliament debated the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill this afternoon, and voted to send it to select committee by a margin of 87 to 33. The only party opposed? National. This is a bill aimed at ending the torture of LGBTQ kids and giving them the freedom to be who ...15 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Progressive opposition will help kill off hate speech proposalsWhen significant voices on the political left start speaking out against Labour’s proposed hate speech laws it’s a sign that they’re in big trouble. With criticisms now coming from across the political spectrum, it’s much more likely that the Government will ditch the botched speech regulation reforms. The latest leftwing ...15 hours ago
- National continue climate change denialIt seems somewhat absurd for there still to be climate change deniers around these days. Not only is the world experiencing unprecedented heat waves, droughts, floods and more intense wildfires than ever before, but these extreme weather events have all been categorically linked to climate change by peer-reviewed scientific research.However ...18 hours ago
- Climate Change: Unfit to governWe've just had record floods on the West Coast, and freak wind events in Auckland. Greece and Turkey are on fire. And in what seems like a blast from the past, National's climate change spokesperson is calling climate change "bullshit": National Party MP Stuart Smith has described a government ...18 hours ago
- Graham Adams: The thorny hate-speech debate sorts sheep from goatsFormer Labour MP Sue Moroney discovers the perils of offering simple solutions to a complex problem. Graham Adams argues that common sense isn’t enough to decide when speech becomes a crime scene. The hate-speech debate is quickly becoming an arena where reputations go to die. Kris Faafoi, the Minister ...19 hours ago
- DrawnA ballot for three member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Restriction on Crown Funding Agreements and Unfunded Cancer Medicines) Amendment Bill (Shane Reti) Overseas Investment (Exempt Investment from OECD Countries) Amendment Bill (Damien Smith) Crimes ...20 hours ago
- The Herald’s Bias
Like many other Kiwis, my wife and I have had our first Covid vaccination. It was efficiently delivered at the time and place specified, and our second vaccination will take place next week. The Herald, however, continues to pursue its determined campaign to persuade us – in the face of ...21 hours ago - An immediate perception of corruptionOver the course of the Covid crisis there has been unease with border restrictions, as people have found it difficult to get MIQ spots. And meanwhile, the government has been secretly letting billionaires in: Billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page visited New Zealand amid Covid-19 border restrictions after his child ...21 hours ago
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- Throw the landlords out!The Spinoff this morning has a horrific cartoon from the Side Eye about how people are being locked out of owning their own home. Along the way, it points out that the only people who benefit from this crisis are property investors, and that there's remarkably few of them: only ...2 days ago
- People could live in those ghost houses, Jacinda ArdernYou can understand why Jacinda Ardern is somewhat hesitant to do more about tackling the housing crisis. After all, making houses affordable would effectively mean that billions of dollars of paper wealth would be wiped from people's books. And with a considerably larger percentage of the voting public owning property ...2 days ago
- One way of fixing itYesterday, in response to upcoming industrial action, DHBs decided to take the nurses' union to court, claiming they weren't doing enough to guarantee safe staffing levels during the strike. The core issue in the strike is... safe staffing levels, so there's a heavy dose of irony there. And its a ...2 days ago
- 5,000 employed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and outperformed expectations again, with unemployment dropping to 4.0%. There are now 117,000 unemployed - 5,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Which, given the pandemic, is a pretty spectacular performance. Throw in a drop in underutilisation and increased wages, and it ...2 days ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day. First is the committee stage of Andrew Bayly's racist, anti-immigrant New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Bill. Labour has sadly decided to back it - apparently they value the votes of dying, racist NZ First voters more than those of their own ...2 days ago
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- Playing Skadi: The Amazon Identification Debate
As I noted in a previous post, Amazon have released the first image of the upcoming Second Age series. Much like their map-leak from a couple of years ago, it is clearly intended to get the geekier elements of online Tolkien fandom in a lather. And much like a ...2 days ago - An increasingly hysterical base and the National “Leadership”team: far too similar in mindset, o...
Fuming and foaming about the fact their Party lost most recent NZ Election, the barrage, even four years on, from their supporters has not lost any signs of abating. Partly because they claimed high support in the past which gave them an unearned sense of “Right to Rule” and ...3 days ago - Racist party wants to ban Maori word3 days ago
- Dawn raids, continuing exploitation
by Don Franks Beginning in 1974, New Zealand police armed with dogs repeatedly accosted Pacific Nation people, in their homes, in the early morning. The operations were carried out to arrest alleged visa overstayers. After these raids some of the adult victims were deported, their children being placed in state care ...3 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Radical reform coming to a supermarket near youThe supermarket sector is finally about to receive some serious government intervention. Following a scathing report from the Commerce Commission, it’s now almost inevitable that the Labour Government is going to have to introduce some major changes to this vital but uncompetitive retail sector. And these moves are likely to ...3 days ago
- Thinking is Power: The problem with “doing your own research”This is a re-post from the Thinking is Power website maintained by Melanie Trecek-King where she regularly writes about many aspects of critical thinking in an effort to provide accessible and engaging critical thinking information to the general public. The phrase “do your own research” seems ubiquitous these days, often by those who ...3 days ago
- Air pollution exposure is shifting from outdoor to indoor – here’s why
Nicola Carslaw, University of York and David Carslaw, University of York You may have seen the before-and-after-lockdown photos of major cities that appear to show dramatic changes in air quality. In one, the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi is barely visible amid the smog. Then, during lockdown, ...3 days ago - Curiouser and Curiouser: The First Image Out of Amazon’s Second Age Series
Courtesy of Twitter, we now a release date for the upcoming Amazon LOTR/Second Age series: 2nd September, 2022. Which just happens to be the 49th anniversary of Tolkien’s Death. We also have the first image from the series: Very pretty. A figure in white robes looking out over ...3 days ago - Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying downDavid I. Shore, McMaster University You’re agitated by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around your head. The buzzing stops. You feel the tiny pinprick and locate the target. Whack! It’s over. It’s a simple sequence, but it demands complex processing. How did you know where the mosquito was ...3 days ago
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- Neither Passionless, Nor Zombies.
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- Collins is crushing her own credibilityEven before Judith Collins became overlord of the National Party, you could tell there was a huge ideological divide between her questionable values and those of the party’s former leaders. And just over a year after becoming the opposition's de facto leader, that chasm between Crusher and what her party ...4 days ago
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In the decades leading up to the 18th Amendment, the case for the prohibition of alcohol was made repeatedly. The harms of alcohol were substantial, and the US experience was worse than most. The victims made the case, and campaigners made the case for those who couldn’t speak for themselve. ...4 days ago - Let’s talk about sex self ID
Speak Up For Women have toured New Zealand in the last month speaking on the proposed law change that would allow people to change their birth certificate sex by a simple declaration. It was a great opportunity to meet with hundreds of people and exchange ideas. Here is the talk: ...4 days ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #31Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 25, 2021 through Sat, July 31, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’, State of the climate: 2021 ...4 days ago
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Image credit: Nicole MamaNYC I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or the numbers seem very low please check this out. ...5 days ago- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
Session Fifty-Six Annalax’s schemes were, alas, put on hold at the start of the session, due to a horrifying discovery of a mangled body outside the town brothel. The victim had been hideously mutilated, complete with faux-antlers being driven into their skull. And, sure enough, a crowd was ...5 days ago- 2021 Reading Log: July (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for July: The Caesars, by Emperor Julian the ApostateThe A.B.C. Murders, by Agatha ChristieFive Little Pigs, by Agatha ChristieThe Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Vols 2-4 of 6) The Works of Poe is the six volume 1896 edition, edited by Stoddard. The library was missing the first ...6 days ago- Clouds study finds that low climate sensitivity is ‘extremely unlikely’
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Ayesha Tandon It is “very likely” that the way clouds change as the world warms will drive further temperature rise, a new study finds. The response of clouds to a change in global temperature – known as the “cloud feedback” – plays a ...6 days ago- Are We Nudging Enough?
Inside the Nudge Unit by David Halpern, provides new insights into behaviour which New Zealand public policy is steadily taking into consideration.Have you noticed that the defaults or first choices in the website of a commercial entity favour the business’s goal? Fill in their forms and, as like as not, the ...7 days ago- Ending royal corruption in Scotland?
Earlier in the week, The Guardian reported that England's monarch had been secretly having laws amended to carve out exemptions for herself, using a procedure called "crown consent". Its a corrupt holdover from the days of absolute monarchy, and something which has no place in a modern democracy, or even ...7 days ago- Government must ban synthetic fertilisers
7 days ago- Ending conversion “therapy”
The government has introduced a bill to outlaw homophobic conversion "therapy": Practices intended to change or suppress someone's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, also referred to as gay conversion therapy, will become a criminal offence under legislation announced today. Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said today the ...7 days ago- The Sin Of Cheapness.
Commodities, Commodities, Everywhere - And None Of Them Are Cheap! No less an authority than the Commerce Commission has determined that New Zealanders are paying too much for their food and groceries. An apparent aversion to aggressive competition has led the dominant players to match one another’s’ prices rather than better ...7 days ago- Should We Trust The Science – Or Ourselves?
“Pure” Science: The lesson to be drawn from the history of science, however, is that knowledge is always and everywhere embedded in culture. That the one cannot be separated from the other. Culture can empower knowledge, or suppress it; advance it or divert it to the utmost wickedness. Knowledge goes where it’s told. “TRUST ...7 days ago- Kids set free to roam on their own feel more confident navigating in adulthood
Vanessa Vieites, Rutgers University The distance from home that kids are allowed to roam and play has shrunk significantly over the last 50 years. That’s largely due to parents’ concerns over safety, especially in cities. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has further restricted children’s independent activity. As a Ph.D. ...7 days ago- Running into Trouble: COVID-19 in Japan during the Tokyo Olympics
Dr Leah Grout, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker * The 2020 Olympic Games were originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delayed event has now opened, with the opening ceremonies held on 23 July 2021 and competitions scheduled to take place through 9 August 2021. ...7 days ago- Simon Bridges cannot be trusted
You may recall former National Party leader Simon Bridges gaining a lot of public attention last month after claiming he was a witness to a gang fight. The former Crown Prosecutor made a huge song and dance about it all over Facebook and Twitter while also attacking the Government with ...1 week ago- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30, 2021
88 articles Physical science of climate change, effects Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica Ghiz et al. The Cryosphere Open Access pdf 10.5194/tc Quantifying the Mechanisms of Atmospheric Circulation Response to Greenhouse Gas Increases in a Forcing–Feedback Framework Zhang et al. Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli ...1 week ago- Hate Speech law is unworkable
Make a submission to stop this mess being codified into law The Free Speech Union is urging people to make submissions to halt the proposal putforward by the Ministry of Justice for hate speech laws. The FSU state: “[T]he proposals put forward by the Ministry of Justice are dangerously vague ...1 week ago- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – How the Government has fuelled rampant increases in wealth
Jacinda Ardern’s household wealth increased by an estimated $290,000 over the last year. Although she earnt nearly half a million dollars from her job, her windfall was solely due to the value of her Auckland house increasing. And by her own policy designs, it’s a capital gain which is untaxed. ...1 week ago- Climate Change: The other Tiwai scam
Newsroom has a good piece this morning about the government's consultation on industrial free allocations, revealing that Fletcher Building is getting an extra $5 million a year ($7 million at today's prices) due to miscalculated carbon subsidies. That's bad, and it needs to be stopped by resetting emissions baselines to ...1 week ago- End the Tiwai scam
A little over a year ago, Rio Tinto was pleading povery, claiming its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was unprofitable, and threatening to close it unless it got a government handout to keep it running. Their bluff worked, and we ended up paying the BluffGeld by giving them lower electricity prices ...1 week ago- Holes in the Tundra: Why Burping Cows Are the Least of Our Worries.
1 week ago- Piers Morgan – Arsehole of the Week
1 week ago- Climate change and tornadoes: Any connection?
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Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson like to think of themselves as leftwing politicians. So why aren’t they prioritising and championing the vulnerable at the bottom of society? Since Covid hit they have chosen economic policies that benefit the rich while pushing more into poverty. Increasing inequality was thrown into stark ...1 week ago- Climate Change: Just predatory delay again
Another day, another story arguing that climate change is Just Too Hard for farmers, and that they should be given more time to wait for a magic technological solution which will cut emissions while allowing them to continue doing exactly what they're doing at the moment. Today, the magic Technological ...1 week ago- A note on the “jihadi bride.”
I ruffled a few feathers by referring to Gerry Brownlee as a “buffoon” during a radio interview this week. The subject in question was the involuntary repatriation of Suharya Aden and her children to NZ after Australia cancelled her citizenship. Brownlee was blathering about her being a terrorist security threat, ...1 week ago- Militaries plunder science fiction for technology ideas, but turn a blind eye to the genre’s socia...
Will Slocombe, University of Liverpool Military planning is a complicated endeavour, calling upon experts in logistics and infrastructure to predict resource availability and technological advancements. Long-range military planning, deciding what to invest in now to prepare armed forces for the world in thirty years’ time, is even more difficult. ...1 week ago- Still the same question
The Independent Police Conduct authority has found another case where police used excessive force in making an arrest: A police officer broke a woman’s arm with a baton before dragging her out of her car by the hair following a chase. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the ...1 week ago- The Danger from the Extreme Right
Like other readers, no doubt, I recently experienced a “believe it or not” moment, when I read an account of a crowd at a recent Trump rally cheering the news that the US Women’s Football Team had been beaten at the Olympic Games. The reason for the cheering was, apparently, ...1 week ago- Aggressive marketing has driven the rise of the double-cab ute on New Zealand streets — time to hi...
Kirsty Wild, University of Auckland and Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland “Explore your inner beast.” That was the slogan used last year to sell the Ford Ranger. At 2.4 tonnes, that’s a lot of “light” truck, but the stakes are rising. This year, the 3.5 tonne Ram 1500 “eats ...1 week ago- Why calling ordinary Kiwi cyclists ‘elitist’ just doesn’t add up
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around. Once a novelty, bike riding has moved from being a critical transport mode to a children’s pastime to now being popularly perceived as an ...1 week ago- How do Olympic athletes stack up against invertebrates? Not very well
Caitlyn Forster, University of Sydney and Eliza Middleton, University of Sydney Olympians spend years training to be the best of the best. Scientists and sportspeople have spent decades researching the mechanics of the human body to ensure our elite athletes are always reaching higher, faster and stronger. But how ...1 week ago- Zebra Ethics: The Amazon Second Age Series and Lessons from Game of Thrones
Today I stumbled across a genuinely interesting reddit article, which looks at the (positive) influence Game of Thrones may have on the upcoming Amazon Tolkien series: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/oqvi81/amazons_the_lord_of_the_rings_show_going_got/ Essentially, the argument is that the framework of Tolkien’s Second Age material inherently lends itself to “Machiavellian Thriller” stories, rather than to ...1 week ago- The War over Sex and Gender: Kathleen Stock talks to the Free Speech Union
Speakeasy #1: Free Speech and the War over Sex and Gender from Free Speech Union on Vimeo. ...1 week ago- Why governments will have to consider the costs of long COVID when easing pandemic restrictions
Richard Meade, Auckland University of Technology With governments worldwide under pressure to ease pandemic restrictions as vaccination rates rise and impatience with border restrictions grows, new threats become clearer. One of the costliest, it is now feared, could be a tsunami of “long COVID” cases. Long COVID is a ...1 week ago- Taxpayers' Union gets destroyed
The Taxpayers’ Union scored another own goal yesterday when they decided to have a go at well-known journalist David Farrier (not to be confused with David Farrar) over Government funding he’d received to make a documentary.While that slinging match isn’t really worth reporting on, being that it was mainly just ...1 week ago - The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXVI
- New classrooms for thousands of Kiwi kids
As part of our work to secure our COVID recovery, we’re upgrading schools around the country. This will not only ensure young Kiwis have modern classrooms to learn in, but will also support hundreds of local jobs and provide an economic boost for our communities. ...22 hours ago - How the TIA helped three Kiwi mums into careersAs we secure our recovery from COVID-19, we’re helping more Kiwis get the skills they need for work. The Training Incentive Allowance, which supports people into training or to transition into new careers, is one way we’re doing this. We chatted with three people who know first-hand the difference this ...2 days ago
- Green Party welcomes conversion therapy prohibition bill
The Green Party welcomes the announcement by Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi to introduce a bill to prohibit conversion therapy used against Rainbow communities. ...7 days ago - Green Party welcomes Commerce Commission’s draft findings, cautions against wait and hope solution...The Green Party welcomes the findings of the Commerce Commission’s report on competition in the retail grocery sector, which takes aim at the duopoly formed by Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs. ...1 week ago
- Building back betterIt’s a three-week recess in Parliament – so, no bills are going through the House and no select committees are meeting. But the hard work of our ministers continues, and many of our MPs are back in their electorates, taking the opportunity to meet with local communities and businesses about ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homesThe Green Party is launching a petition today calling on the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards to be backed up with a proper Warrant of Fitness (WoF) for rental homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt congratulates Lisa Carrington on becoming NZ’s most decorated Olympian
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has today congratulated New Zealand Olympic kayaker Lisa Carrington on her exceptional performance at the Tokyo Olympics which has led to her becoming the most decorated New Zealand Olympian. “Lisa is a phenomenal athlete. To win the K1 200m three Olympics in a row, ...16 hours ago - Construction sector transformation continues with Network launchHousing Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods and Building and Construction Minister Hon Poto Williams today launched the Construction Sector Accord Network. Designed to bring the sector together to lift performance and drive change, the Network is a collective of businesses, government agencies and other organisations committed to a higher performing ...17 hours ago
- The ‘Tulī Takes Flight’ scholarships announcedThe Associate Minister of Education, Aupito William Sio, has today announced the establishment of the ‘Tulī Takes Flight’ scholarships as part of the goodwill gesture of reconciliation to accompany the Government’s apology to Pacific families and communities impacted by the Dawn Raids. “Education is the key to unlocking success, opportunity, ...19 hours ago
- 8,000 additional public housing places delivered in major Government milestone New Zealanders now have an extra 8,000 warm, dry public housing places to call home, under a Government public housing programme that is full steam ahead, says Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. “Of the 74,337 households now being supported in public housing places, more than six thousand (6,503) are living in ...20 hours ago
- New classrooms and building improvements for central and lower North Island schoolsSix schools across Wellington, Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki are getting a funding boost so projects can enter construction and deliver much needed works sooner, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. While visiting Cannons Creek School in Porirua, Chris Hipkins also announced 10 schools in the central and lower North Island that ...20 hours ago
- Restoring the richness of the Rangitata riverA major Jobs for Nature project to protect and enhance some of the South Island’s most unique habitats and restore the health of the Rangitata River highlights the important role farmers have in caring for the land, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “Canterbury’s braided rivers are an iconic part of ...20 hours ago
- Foreign Minister to take part in ASEAN-related meetingsForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will today begin a suite of meetings with her ASEAN and East Asia Summit counterparts, starting with the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting tonight. That will be followed by the ASEAN-New Zealand Ministerial Meeting on Thursday 5 August and the 28th ASEAN Regional ...1 day ago
- Arts and heritage venues get helping handA new round of funding to support capital projects will help keep our arts and heritage sector alive and vibrant, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan announced today. “Communities work hard to raise funds for arts, culture and heritage related capital projects as they add significant value ...2 days ago
- Foreign Ministers welcome opening of New Zealand High Commission in ColomboNew Zealand and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministers, Nanaia Mahuta and Dinesh Gunawardena, have welcomed the opening of the New Zealand High Commission in Colombo next week. The Foreign Ministers, who met virtually yesterday, spoke about the opening of the High Commission as a major milestone in the bilateral relationship. Both ...2 days ago
- New Zealand to increase NZDF commitment to the United Nations Command, Republic of KoreaThe New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will deploy three additional personnel to the Republic of Korea, increasing the size of its contribution to the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission from nine to 12 personnel. “Increasing the size of our deployment to the Republic of Korea ...2 days ago
- Wages up, unemployment downThe Government’s efforts to secure the recovery has seen more Kiwis in jobs and higher wages, with unemployment falling to pre-COVID levels and more people in work. Stats NZ figures show unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in the June quarter from 4.6 percent in the March quarter, the lowest ...2 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Kihi Ngatai OSMMauao tiketike tūmokemoke mai ana ra koe, papakitia ana e ngā tai kawenga roimata o te motu. E Ngāti Ranginui, mo tō manuhuia kua tīkapea i te rangi. E Ngai Te Rangi, mo tō manutaki kua riro i te hau o Aitū kikini, E Ngāti Pukenga mo tō manutaiko, kua ...2 days ago
- Government support screen industry with funding for sound stages in West AucklandAuckland Film Studios in West Auckland has received funding for a major expansion through the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group’s (IRG) COVID-19 Response Fund. The Government is investing $30 million of a total $35 million project to construct two 2,000sqm sound stages and development of further workshops and offices, to expand ...3 days ago
- Protecting unique land for generation nextThe Government is boosting legal protection for critically important natural habitats on private land, Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says. “An $8 million investment over four years will see Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Ngā Kairauhī Papa (QEII) work with government agencies, councils and others to provide legal protection of ...3 days ago
- New Zealand’s support for Fiji’s COVID-19 response continues with vaccine delivery, operational ...Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced further support for Fiji, including funding support for nursing staff and 100,000 doses of vaccines due to arrive in country today. “Our thoughts remain with Fiji during this incredibly challenging period,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “New Zealand has funded 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ...3 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Dr Hōhepa (Joe) MasonKo koe tēnā e te hurumanu e Hōhepa, te tōwenetanga a te iti, te māpihi herenga mahara o te tini, ka tauawhi tonuhia koe e to iwi ki te uma pupuri ai. Me pēhea he kupu kia koutou kua puta i nga ākinga a nga tau kua hori, kua waia ...3 days ago
- Finance Minister and RBNZ Governor agree to update MOU on macro-prudential policyFinance Minister Grant Robertson and Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr have updated the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on macro-prudential policy to further protect the financial system and support the Government’s housing objectives. “This change will ensure that the Reserve Bank has the flexibility to respond to emerging financial stability risks ...3 days ago
- Government commits further assistance for drought and flood-affected rural communitiesFarmers and growers affected by this year’s drought or floods in Marlborough, Tasman, West Coat, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands will have access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) from today, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced. “The Government is committed to easing the financial pressures on ...4 days ago
- Cook Islands youth lead Language WeekThe Cook Islands Language Week theme for 2021 highlights the vital role language plays in maintaining young people’s links to their Pacific home, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “The Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week – theme is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki ...4 days ago
- Government offers formal apology for Dawn RaidsA formal and unreserved apology for the Dawn Raids The Government will offer education scholarships as part of the apology Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Scholarship Training courses Support Pacific artists and historians to develop a comprehensive written and oral account of the Dawn Raids Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ...5 days ago
- Speech to Dawn Raids ApologyTēnā koutou katoa, Kia orana kotou katoatoa, Fakaalofa lahi atu ki mutolu oti, Tālofa nī, Mālō nī koutou, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakatalofa atu, Noa'ia 'e mauri, Kam na mauri, Malo e lelei, Sioto'ofa, Mālō lava le lagi e mamā ma le soifua maua, Oue tulou, tulou atu, tulouna lava ...5 days ago
- Bridging the gap – last piece of Northcote Safe Cycle Route now completeThe opening of two bridges over Auckland’s Northern Motorway is the last link of a cycling and walking route which provides a safe, active alternative for students and commuters, Transport Minister Michael Wood said today. Michael Wood cut the ribbon for the completion of the Northcote Safe Cycle Route, at ...5 days ago
- Progress in establishment of Aged Care CommissionerRecruitment for an Aged Care Commissioner will start next month, to ensure greater oversight of New Zealand’s aged care sector. “This sector is responsible for supporting a large and often vulnerable population. While most people are able to access quality care, there have been cases where that care has fallen ...6 days ago
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- Communities backed to tackle wilding pinesTwelve community projects across New Zealand will receive a share of $2 million to carry out wilding pine control, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor announced as part of Biosecurity Week. “Wilding pines are a serious problem that threaten many of the unique landscapes that New Zealanders value. Community groups and trusts ...7 days ago
- Health Minister Andrew Little responding to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's rejection of ...I was advised last night that the result of the ballot of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation members have rejected the latest proposal to settle their collective agreement. Let me be clear: the proposal was one they put to the Government. The Nurses Organisation rejected their ...7 days ago
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- New kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services to support people in central North IslandNew mental health and addiction services rolling out across the central North Island will improve outcomes and equity for Māori, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare says. Today the Minister met with providers of the new kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service, Poutama Ora, which will ...7 days ago
- New school site for booming West AucklandThe Government will build on a new school site in West Auckland to cope with rapid population growth in the area, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Ministry is working with existing local schools to determine how the 1.5-hectare site at 279 Hobsonville Point Road will be used to support ...1 week ago
- Trans-Tasman travel window to close at midnight tomorrowA further 500 MIQ rooms released for managed returnees from NSW Further Government actions announced today are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall says. The actions were foreshadowed last ...1 week ago
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- Third COVID-19 vaccine receives provisional approvalNew Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an ...1 week ago
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- Govt welcomes draft report on the retail grocery sectorThe Commerce Commission’s draft report into the retail grocery sector is being welcomed by Government as a major milestone. “I asked the Commerce Commission to look at whether this sector is as competitive as it could be and today it has released its draft report for consultation,” Commerce and Consumer ...1 week ago
- Christchurch’s Youth Hub ‘set to go’ thanks to further Government fundingConstruction of New Zealand’s first, purpose-built centre for youth well-being is ready to get underway thanks to an extra $2.5 million of COVID-19 response funding, Housing Minister and Associate Minister of Finance, Megan Woods announced today. “The Christchurch Youth Hub is about bringing together all the things young people need ...1 week ago
- Next step to protect Milford Sound PiopiotahiExpert group lays out plan to better protect iconic UNESCO World Heritage site Milford Sound Piopiotahi and its surrounds Funding confirmed for dedicated unit and Establishment Board to assess the recommendations and provide oversight of the process from here Milford Opportunities Project a test case for transformational change in tourism ...1 week ago
- Funding for projects to reduce waste from construction and demolitionThe Government has announced funding for projects in Auckland and the lower North Island to help reduce construction and demolition waste. “Construction is the main source of waste sent to landfill, and much of this could be reduced, reused and recovered,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “The Government is funding ...1 week ago
- Speech at the launch of the National Hepatitis C Action PlanTēnā koutou katoa. Thank you Anglesea Pharmacy and Te Manawa Taki for hosting this event. As a doctor, I saw first hand the impact of hepatitis C. I met Moana in 2019; she came to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic at Wellington Hospital having tested positive for hepatitis C. Like ...1 week ago
- DHB reform consultation with people who are disabled will continue – govt
The government is reassuring disabled people their voices will be heard as it presses on with major reforms to New Zealand's district health boards. ...49 mins ago - Power Play: Pressure at the top – National's annual conferenceThere will be little to celebrate at the National Party annual conference this weekend as the party still nurses its wounds from the 2020 election, Jane Patterson writes. ...60 mins ago
- Time to put right the damage we've done to nature
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Biggest shareholder Mobil questions viability of biofuels production in shareholder vote on refinery's future ...1 hour ago - Refinery Closure A Serious Strategic Mistake
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- Almost 20-thousand Strong Petition Handed To Iranian Embassy In WellingtonAmnesty International is handing over 19,300 signatures to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington tomorrow morning (from 8.45am) . The signatures are across three petitions focusing on the rights of women and children. One calls for an end to the execution ...2 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 6 August
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...2 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 6 August
...2 hours ago - Conversion therapy ban passes first hurdle in divided parliament
A ban on conversion therapy is coming and it remains possible, just maybe, that parliament could pass the law unanimously in the end. Justin Giovannetti reports.A proposed ban on conversion therapy passed its first reading at parliament yesterday following a tense debate where the chamber seemed unanimously opposed to the ...3 hours ago - Pictures of politicians getting their Covid vaccinations – reviewed2021, we are told by Jacinda Ardern, is the year of the vaccine. And as the rollout gathers pace, we now have the pictures to prove it. Ben McKay critiques our leaders’ social media vaxpics and asks: whose shot of their shot is the shit? Litres of Pfizer’s finest are hitting ...3 hours ago
- Bernard Hickey: The team of five million rhetoric rings hollow for those locked in visa limboAmid increasing calls for the tens of thousands of temporary workers stranded here to be given pathways to residence, Bernard Hickey says the government risks being exposed as the Dubai of the South Pacific.Follow When the Facts Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.Whaddarya? Whaddarya? Whaddarya? Whaddarya? ...3 hours ago
- Andrew Little's hospital pass
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Briefings in a Budget-related document dump show officials recommended funding for the EV subsidy be deferred to future Budgets. ...3 hours ago - Demand, but no debate, at National AGM
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Freightways employee was shocked to find how often employers were collecting too much personal information. ...3 hours ago - Teens looking in the cracked mirror of social media
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- Grattan on Friday: We will need an inquiry to learn from rollout mistakes
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- Carrington's first concern: Colin
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- Fiji’s climate of fear deepens in time of covid pandemic crisisBy Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist As Fiji struggles with an unprecedented health and economic crisis, the country’s already limited democratic space is being choked off. Opposition MPs routinely face arrest for criticising legislation before Parliament, and the international response has been found lacking. In the past two weeks numerous ...13 hours ago
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- When faces are partially covered, neither people nor algorithms are good at reading emotionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hedwig Eisenbarth, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Sergey Tinyakov Artificial systems such as homecare robots or driver-assistance technology are becoming more common, and it’s timely to investigate whether people or algorithms are better ...13 hours ago
- Australia’s vaccination plan is 6 months too late and a masterclass in jargonSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Russell, Adjunct Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney from www.shutterstock.com Six months after the prime minister received his first jab, Australia finally has a national plan to roll out COVID vaccines. The plan’s goals, set ...14 hours ago
- Conversion therapy ban legislation passes first reading at ParliamentNew Zealand is a step closer to banning gay conversion therapy, with legislation criminalising the practice passing its first hurdle in Parliament this afternoon. ...14 hours ago
- A brief history of asylum seekers at the Olympics — and why they are sometimes misunderstoodSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Martin Meissner/AP The Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo this week after her Olympics were over, bound not for her home country, but a new home in Poland. ...15 hours ago
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- What’s eating Kris Faafoi?Opinion - Once a shining star of Cabinet, Kris Faafoi has gone to ground as pressure mounts in his immigration and justice portfolios, political editor Jo Moir writes. ...16 hours ago
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- How AI can help choose your next career and stay ahead of automationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nik Dawson, Honorary Scholar, University of Technology Sydney Rawpixel / Shutterstock The typical Australian will change careers five to seven times during their professional lifetime, by some estimates. And this is likely to increase as new technologies automate labour, production ...18 hours ago
- ‘No need to agitate’, warns Rabuka against instability over Fiji lands billBy Arieta Vakasukawaqa in Suva Violence can only hinder Fiji’s safe passage leading up to next year’s next general election, says former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka. After the enactment of Bill 17 to amend the iTaukei Lands Trust Act 1940, he said no disturbance could change what had been done ...18 hours ago
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- We’re hiring: part-time office manager, 12-month contractSeeking an office manager to join our dynamic, creative organisation on a fixed-term contract as maternity cover.The Spinoff Group is seeking an office manager for approximately 20-25 hours per week for a 12-month fixed-term contract while our current office manager goes on maternity leave beginning early October. We’re looking for someone ...18 hours ago
- Young Nats break with party over conversion therapy voteYouth wing are "deeply disappointed" National's caucus has decided to vote against legislation banning conversion therapy. ...18 hours ago
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Cheer up! At least you're not an other-than-human creature!
"The populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have fallen by more than two thirds in the last five decades, a new report reveals.
The World Wide Fund For Nature’s Living Planet Report, released on Thursday, describes a catastrophic decline in biodiversity.
Global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles decreased on average by 68 per cent between 1970 and 2016, the index reveals."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/122691267/nature-being-destroyed-at-a-rate-unprecedented-in-history-new-report-warns
heh
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2020/09/09/former-sheriff-joe-arpaio-makes-cameo-video-arizona-furry-convention/5761920002/?
It would be revealing to know exactly who is returning to NZ in these times.
New Zealand born citizens?
How long have they been away from New Zealand?
Less than one year ,1-5 yrs, 5 -10 years, 10 years or more?
How many of these are classified as tax paying New Zealand residents while off-shore?
How many not?
People not born in New Zealand but have a NZ passport that they are now currently using to get into New Zealand ?
How many years have they previously lived in NZ in total?
How many are New Zealand work visa holders and are their skills currently needed in NZ?
I would also like to see a list prioritising the rights to come/ return to NZ in these times.
For example I think it blatantly unfair, that domiciled New Zealanders are unable to be reunited with their non NZ wives/husbands or long standing partners because those wives /husbands and partners happened to be out of NZ at the time the Covid shutdown was implemented, yet , we have New Zealanders now returning who scarpered from NZ to avoid paying student loans, beginning in the early 1990s. These self-indulgent people are being prioritised over the happiness of long standing NZ residents and are and freely coming back in.
This is a massive issue. Absentee freeloaders given residency under the John Key government are now taking advantage of New Zealand's Covid effort.
Yep it's a massive issue – post election I'd like to see a start on permanent resident visa's cancelled for those who haven't been ordinarily resident for a period of time.
And there has just been some bloke on tv1's News telling us how we should all be grateful that these returnee's are pumping house prices and taking jobs as we are not mobile enough and therefore we won't pick up new ideas.
Regardless we can be sure that the super selfish form a large part of the queue.
I just want to see permanent resident visas cancelled. If people living on them wish they can damn well finish the process the process and become citizens. If they don't want to become citizens then WTF are they living here?
I'm pretty sure that NZers living here have plenty of ideas. The problem is that they're not supported to bring those ideas to fruition as the capitalists take all the wealth for themselves.
We've managed with home grown talent in the past and yes we need to focus on it and pay it well. The resident visa's and even citizenship gained too quickly are just a ponzi scheme resulting in rip offs of our systems.
But looking at some of the stuff we've created over the years from Marine Air systems, a thumbnail sized electric motor from F & P ( I've always wondered if that vanished into the US defence system for mini drones),Pulse data, Scott tech we also need to keep them from vanishing into foreign hands
I see the word 'tricky' has been revived..
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12363959
“We wants it, we needs it!. Must have the precious tax cut!" cried Judith
More fallout from the Mt Roskill Evangelical Church cluster. Already disadvantaged Maori and Pacific students are being kept away from classes.
This is a double failure of the community health approach. Firstly, it hasn't prevented some people disregarding health messages as not applying to them resulting in needless transfer of infection. And secondly, because of that increased uncertainty after the initial community response failure, the message to get kids to school is also ignored.
The most vulnerable are suffering further because of a small group of evangelists and because of the failure of community lead Covid response.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12363864
Learning packs need to be made available. The Ministry of Education could have been better prepared. A lot for Hipkins to deal with as a minister, 2 difficult portfolios and the upcoming election. Nerves of steel are required
It is my understanding that teachers are only doing class room lessons and not online. For some students who are not attending school can they get lessons in small groups away from school. Surely something can be arranged to be on TV. An education hub needed to be set up and access to it or community rooms for students who do not have online equipment for a level 2.5. Utilising trainee teachers may be doable.
Education is important, so is being comfortable at school.
Teachers can't do distance learning and onsite learning at the same time. It’s one or the other.
So, we need more teachers then?
Yes and a mobile teacher who can cover a few subjects, (the essential subjects). I do not think the relief teacher model covers a pandemic situation. Even children attending a half day and 2 sessions is better than missing a full day.
Where have the wasps gone?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/122732397/wasp-nest-originally-size-of-twoperson-tent-discovered-in-waitkere-ranges
Didn't have a wasp problem around my place this last summer. Very unusual. I had been planning to get certified for Vespex and start putting it out, but there just weren't any around. Maybe someone else beat me to it.
As usual politics in Australia makes us look like novices
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-10/nsw-government-crisis-as-john-barilaro-says-nationals-will-leave/12648966
This from the feed on the right. No Right Turn Idiot/Savant
What's wrong with Labour? The end of yesterday's RNZ health debate says it all: Do you have private health insurance? Reti: "I do." Hipkins: "Yes, I do." Hipkins is Minister of Health. But it turns out that he won't be waiting in the queue with the rest …
He reminds me of John Key on private schools: "The classes are smaller."
I guess you could start with, "The waiting lists are smaller."
But it does not finish there: if you have medical insurance you also get more expensive procedures resulting in quicker healing (eg, keyhole surgery), which you are less likely to get uninsured. And a much posher hospital room with your own TV plus nicer food.
Until you have any kind of real complication, upon which those profit-gouging private bastards will instantly shunt you off to a State Hospital, because that is where all the competent complication-handlers are.
A disgusting rort. Maybe Hipkins is so young and naive that he is not fully aware.
If he knows all this, he is an utter hypocrite who deserves no honest person's vote.
He also said that it was more about who is children would meet in private school.
Quite important that because it was telling us that the Old Boys Network was still in play.
In NZ the doctors working in the private sector hospitals and those working in the public hospitals are the same people.
As I say, private healthcare in NZ causes a massive misallocation of resources that leaves many people in avoidable pain and suffering. We could end a lot of that suffering if the doctors working in the private hospitals treating queue jumpers just worked steadily through those public queues.
I listened to that. I was supposed to dislike Reti. He came across real well.
Queues in private clinics too ; currently 2 month delay for cataract surgery in Auckland.
Yeah, we need some serious development of new doctors through our education system. Making it free would probably help along with support for ongoing development.
Two words: Rau Williams. Left to die like a dog back in 1997 because National would have rather cut taxes than ensure our health system was decently funded.
There will be more such deaths if National get back in.