Daily review 10/09/2020
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5:30 pm, September 10th, 2020 - 24 comments
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- Government announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver accessGovernment announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver access The Government changed the KiwiSaver rules in 2019 so people with life-shortening congenital conditions can withdraw their savings early The four conditions guaranteed early access are – down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s disease and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder An alternative ...2 days ago
- Reserve Bank to take account of housing in decision makingThe Reserve Bank is now required to consider the impact on housing when making monetary and financial policy decisions, Grant Robertson announced today. Changes have been made to the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s remit requiring it to take into account government policy relating to more sustainable house prices, while working ...2 days ago
- Investment to reduce cochlear implant waitlistThe Labour Government will invest $6 million for 70 additional adult cochlear implants this year to significantly reduce the historical waitlist, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Cochlear implants are life changing for kiwis who suffer from severe hearing loss. As well as improving an individual’s hearing, they open doors to ...2 days ago
- Māori wards Bill passes third readingThe Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed its third reading today and will become law, Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. “This is a significant step forward for Māori representation in local government. We know how important it is to have diversity around ...3 days ago
- Government delivers 1,000 more transitional housing placesThe Government has added 1,000 more transitional housing places as promised under the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), launched one year ago. Minister of Housing Megan Woods says the milestone supports the Government’s priority to ensure every New Zealander has warm, dry, secure housing. “Transitional housing provides people ...3 days ago
- Second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech doses arrives safely – as the first vaccinations take place in the...A second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived safely yesterday at Auckland International Airport, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “This shipment contained about 76,000 doses, and follows our first shipment of 60,000 doses that arrived last week. We expect further shipments of vaccine over the coming weeks,” Chris Hipkins said. ...3 days ago
- $18 million for creative spaces to make arts more accessibleThe Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni has today announced $18 million to support creative spaces. Creative spaces are places in the community where people with mental health needs, disabled people, and those looking for social connection, are welcomed and supported to practice and participate in the arts ...3 days ago
- Moriori Claims Settlement Bill passes first readingTreaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little today welcomed Moriori to Parliament to witness the first reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. “This bill is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from all the parties involved. “I am delighted to reach this significant milestone today,” Andrew ...4 days ago
- Government action reduces child poverty22,400 fewer children experiencing material hardship 45,400 fewer children in low income households on after-housing costs measure After-housing costs target achieved a year ahead of schedule Government action has seen child poverty reduce against all nine official measures compared to the baseline year, Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty ...4 days ago
- Entries open for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence AwardsIt’s time to recognise the outstanding work early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura do to support children and young people to succeed, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins says. The 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards are now open through until April 16. “The past year has reminded us ...4 days ago
- Jobs for Nature benefits three projectsThree new Jobs for Nature projects will help nature thrive in the Bay of Plenty and keep local people in work says Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. “Up to 30 people will be employed in the projects, which are aimed at boosting local conservation efforts, enhancing some of the region’s most ...4 days ago
- Improvements to the Holidays Act on the wayThe Government has accepted all of the Holidays Act Taskforce’s recommended changes, which will provide certainty to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to help address challenges with the ...4 days ago
- NZ’s credit rating lifted as economy recoversThe Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and faster than expected economic recovery has been acknowledged in today’s credit rating upgrade. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today raised New Zealand’s local currency credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. This follows Fitch reaffirming its AA+ rating last ...5 days ago
- Speech to National Remembrance Service on the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquakeTena koutou e nga Maata Waka Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu whanui, Tena koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tenei ra maumahara i te Ru Whenua Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora Tena koutou, Tena ...5 days ago
- Government reaffirms urgent commitment to ban harmful conversion practicesThe Minister of Justice has reaffirmed the Government’s urgent commitment, as stated in its 2020 Election Manifesto, to ban conversion practices in New Zealand by this time next year. “The Government has work underway to develop policy which will bring legislation to Parliament by the middle of this year and ...5 days ago
- New creative service aims to benefit 1,000 peoples’ careersMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni today launched a new Creative Careers Service, which is expected to support up to 1,000 creatives, across three regions over the next two years. The new service builds on the most successful aspects of the former Pathways to ...6 days ago
- Honey exporters busy meeting surging demandOverseas consumers eager for natural products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped boost honey export revenue by 20 percent to $425 million in the year to June 30, 2020, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. “The results from the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ 2020 Apiculture Monitoring ...1 week ago
- Government delivers more wellbeing support for young peopleThanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community. Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten ...1 week ago
- Government eases visa restrictions for visitors in New ZealandTwo month automatic visitor visa extension for most visitor visa holders Temporary waiver of time spent in New Zealand rule for visitor stays Visitor visa holders will be able to stay in New Zealand a little longer as the Government eases restrictions for those still here, the Minister of Immigration ...1 week ago
- Push for sustainable tourism gathers paceThe Tourism and Conservation Ministers say today’s report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) adds to calls to overhaul the tourism model that existed prior to COVID19. “The PCE tourism report joins a chorus of analysis which has established that previous settings, which prioritised volume over value, are ...1 week ago
- Government extends dietary supplements regulationsThe Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said. Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join the Council of Europe Convention on CybercrimeThe Government is joining the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention), Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark announced today. The decision progresses a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack to accede to ...1 week ago
- Appointment round in 2021 for Queen's CounselAttorney-General David Parker announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2021. Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in ...1 week ago
- Government support for businesses kicks inThe new Resurgence Support Payment passed by Parliament this week will be available to eligible businesses now that Auckland will be in Alert Level 2 until Monday. “Our careful management of the Government accounts means we have money aside for situations like this. We stand ready to share the burden ...1 week ago
- Final preparations to ensure Phase 1 of the vaccination rollout is ready to goA dry run of the end-to-end process shows New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is ready to roll from Saturday, when the first border workers will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The trial run took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch yesterday afternoon, ahead of the ...1 week ago
- Free Period products to be available in all schools and kuraFrom June this year, all primary, intermediate, secondary school and kura students will have access to free period products, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. The announcement follows a successful Access to Period Products pilot programme, which has been running since Term 3 last ...1 week ago
- Government accounts remain in good shapeThe latest update shows the Government’s books are again in better shape than forecast, meaning New Zealand is still in a strong position to respond to any COVID-19 resurgence. The Crown Accounts for the six months to the end of December were better than forecast in the Half-year Economic and ...1 week ago
- New DOC strategy champions responsible enjoyment of the outdoorsThe Department of Conservation’s (DOC) new Heritage and Visitor Strategy is fully focused on protecting and enhancing the value of New Zealand’s natural, cultural and historic heritage, while also promoting a sustainable environmental experience, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “It has been a quarter of a century since DOC first developed ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to conclude its deployment to Afghanistan in 2021Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare have announced that New Zealand will conclude its deployment of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to Afghanistan by May 2021. “After 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude ...1 week ago
- Supporting Māori to Succeed in Trade – International Inter-Tribal Trade and Investment Organi...Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. This is a special time in our country. A little over a week ago, it was the anniversary of the signature by Māori and the British Crown of Te Tiriti O Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), a founding document in ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister’s statement on the arrest of former dual citizen in TurkeyThe Government is in contact with relevant authorities in Turkey following the arrest of a former Australian and New Zealand dual citizen there, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Contingency planning for the potential return of any New Zealander who may have been in the conflict zone has been underway for ...2 weeks ago
- Household incomes rise but more work neededFigures released today by Stats NZ show there was strong growth in median household incomes in 2020, before surveying was halted due to COVID-19. Stats NZ found the median annual household income rose 6.9 percent to $75,024 in the year to June 2020 compared with a year earlier. The survey ...2 weeks ago
- Business support under COVID resurgence confirmedLegislation will be introduced under urgency today to set up a new Resurgence Support Payment for businesses affected by any resurgence of COVID-19. “Since the scheme was announced in December we have decided to make a change to the payment – reducing the time over which a revenue drop is ...2 weeks ago
- The Unity Books children’s bestseller chart for the month of February
What’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart.AUCKLAND1 Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1, The Birth of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari and David Vandermeulen, and illustrator Daniel Casanave (Jonathon ...2 hours ago - Short story: False Detective, by Jordan Hamel
"The lab assistants developed various amphetamine habits, Linda in HR started sleeping with her co-workers’ wives, a few of the guys from down in IT went undercover as recruits in local criminal organisations and were instantly murdered": a vision from Wellington writer Jordan Hamel There are nine different incident reports, ...4 hours ago - How Covid-19, QAnon and white supremacy destroyed the wellbeing industryRebecca Wadey used to love the wellness industry. Now she doesn’t know who to trust.This story was first published on Ensemble. I love a bit of woo woo.As a former wellbeing editor, I’ve interviewed countless experts on how to achieve a work-life balance and live a life of optimal energy. I’ve ...5 hours ago
- Review: Persona 5 Strikers is a match made in crossover heavenWhat do you get if you mix a little bit of Persona with a little bit of Musou? A whole lot of fun.In general, I’m not a fan of artistic crossovers – more often than not, the new work ends up compromising what made each individual component great – but ...5 hours ago
- The price of loveLinda Burgess, who has just spent a fortune on a ball of fluff, reflects on the animals who have left paw prints on her heart.Childhood pets?I don’t come from a particularly animal-loving family and when I was five or six I had to argue persuasively, plead even, to adopt Rastus ...5 hours ago
- Michael Somare – the passing of a great man, Sana, the peacemaker
By Scott Waide in Lae, Papua New Guinea Sir Michael was a man of many titles. He was father, grandfather and chief. As a tribal leader, he was Sana, the peacemaker. His influence and his reputation extended beyond Papua New Guinea’s border to the Pacific and other parts of the ...7 hours ago - Aged care, death and taxes after the royal commissionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Howe, Honorary Professor, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University, Macquarie University The Governor General was handed the report of the aged care royal commission on Friday. It will be made public in the coming week. Overlaying its considerations has been Australia’s 909 ...8 hours ago
- Raconteur, ratbag, chef: Tony Astle on life as Antoine’s shuts its doorsMichelle Langstone went to meet the revered and feared chef expecting to meet a tyrant. Portraits by Simon Day.You know when Tony Astle is about to tell you a good story by the way his eyes start to gleam with mischief, and how he leans forward to rest his elbows on ...9 hours ago
- Melting ocean mud helps prevent major earthquakes — and may show where quake risk is highestSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Selway, Macquarie University The largest and most destructive earthquakes on the planet happen in places where two tectonic plates collide. In our new research, published today in Nature Communications, we have produced new models of where and how rocks melt in ...10 hours ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on Craig Kelly, Linda Reynolds and JobSeekerSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Paddy discuss the continued probe into the culture of ...16 hours ago
- Think big. Why the future of uni campuses lies beyond the CBDSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide This is the second of two articles on the past and future of the university campus. The “dreaming spires” of Oxford University that Matthew Arnold romanticised in 1865 still have a powerful ...17 hours ago
- ‘It’s been quite a 364 days’: Grant Robertson on the Covid crisis and plans to tackle house pr...The finance minister spoke to Auckland businesspeople today on the state of the economy a year after Covid-19 landed, and how he hopes to take on another crisis. Toby Manhire went along.Virtual presentations in place of in-the-flesh speeches have become commonplace in these pandemic days, but it wasn’t Covid that ...17 hours ago
- Wellington Council review could cost ratepayers $75k
An independent review of the Wellington City Council could cost ratepayers close to $75,000. ...17 hours ago - Wellington Council review could cost ratepayers $75kAn independent review of the Wellington City Council could cost ratepayers close to $75,000. ...17 hours ago
- Indigenous recognition is more than a Voice to Government – it’s a matter of political equalitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University The government earlier this year released a discussion paper exploring how an Indigenous Voice to government might work. The Voice ...17 hours ago
- ACT criticises gang-gun measures as too weakThe ACT Party is accusing the government of failing to provide police with enough power to take firearm licences off gang members. ...17 hours ago
- Visa for Green MP's partner 'like any other', Immigration NZ saysImmigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant a visa to the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March and says the application was treated "like any other". ...17 hours ago
- How to encourage cyber-safe behaviour at work without becoming the office grouchSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathalie Collins, Academic Director (National Programs), Edith Cowan University Business etiquette has one golden rule: treat others with respect and care. The same is true for encouraging cyber safety at work, on everything from password security to keeping valuable information like tax ...18 hours ago
- COVID’s mental health fallout will last a long time. Here’s how we’re targeting pandemic depre...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Bryant, Professor & Director of Traumatic Stress Clinic, UNSW Although Australia is now largely COVID-free, the repercussions of the pandemic are ongoing. As the pandemic enters its second year, many people will be continuing to suffer with poor mental health, or ...18 hours ago
- What’s the answer to South Auckland’s rubbish issues?Auckland Council has signed off on a new strategy to make it easier to recycle or get rid of inorganic waste, but according to South Auckland community leaders, it doesn’t go far enough.Tucked a few streets back from former prime minister William Massey’s beautiful old homestead in Māngere East is ...19 hours ago
- Soap Dancehall: The new Auckland bar where a fun night out doesn’t cost a bombWith crowd-friendly dance tunes and affordable drinks, a new dancehall and bar opening tonight is hoping to make going out more accessible for Aucklanders.“In many ways, it’s fucking stupid opening a nightclub in the middle of a global pandemic,” says Sam Walsh, one of the three owners of a new ...19 hours ago
- Water New Zealand Welcomes New Taumata Arowai Board
Water New Zealand says the establishment of the new Taumata Arowai board is an important milestone in the journey towards safer drinking water for all New Zealanders. The Minister of Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta has announced that former ...20 hours ago - ‘Existential threat to our survival’ – see the 19 Australian ecosystems already collapsingANALYSIS: By Dana M Bergstrom, University of Wollongong; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Lesley Hughes, Macquarie University, and Michael Depledge, University of Exeter In 1992, 1700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were “on a collision course”. Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and ...20 hours ago
- Contacts of latest Covid-19 case 'paying a price for everyone' – PMThe PM says there are "many, many people" being treated as contacts of the latest Covid-19 community case, but the government is willing to go further than usual to keep the country at level 1. ...20 hours ago
- How the White Ferns come back
Listen: This week's Extra Time podcast from RNZ dissects the women's White Ferns' cricket challenge against England, the men's Black Caps vs Australia and the start of Super Rugby The White Ferns have a battle on their hands to fight their way back into their one-day series against England - ...20 hours ago - Watch live: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gives media briefingPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is giving a media briefing in Auckland. ...20 hours ago
- Figures flow when Woods answers questions about housing and govt targets – and look, they show a h...
Our Beehive Bulletin … While Housing Minister Megan Woods was being grilled at Question Time in Parliament about the government’s performance in her portfolio domain, the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito Williams Sio, was announcing new initiatives to provide housing. Attorney-General David Parker, meanwhile, was announcing the appointments of three ...21 hours ago - Papua New Guinea in grief after Grand Chief Somare, 84, passes onAsia Pacific Report Papua New Guineans awoke this morning to great sadness, reports the PNG Post-Courier. As the bells tolled with the sad news of the passing of the much beloved statesman and the founding father of the nation, newsfeeds and social media were abuzz with shock, grief, sadness and ...21 hours ago
- RBNZ Governor Outlines Housing DirectionIn remarks for a Monetary Policy Statement presentation to the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce today, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has elaborated on the direction received from the Minister of Finance, to have regard to house price sustainability ...21 hours ago
- In Allen vs Farrow, the children have their say
Critic's Chair: Guy Somerset watches the first of four documentaries on the allegations against Woody Allen in his years in the Farrow household, and hears the air of truth in the early testimonies against him. Of all the witness statements with the air of truth about them in the first ...22 hours ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending February 26The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Gangland: New Zealand’s Underworld of Organised Crime by Jared Savage (HarperCollins, $37)“It’s hard for me to imagine ...23 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: Gingerbread House, by Evangeline Riddiford GrahamA poem by New York-based Aotearoa poet Evangeline Riddiford Graham.Gingerbread HouseThe revolution has arrived. We get the email. MeanwhileI am moving deck chairs to make sure you are comfortable in shade. Our neighboursays it like a complaint: We don’t know anyone who is sickor dead. The taxi driver says hospitals ...23 hours ago
- The river runs through it: How to live between cultures and catastrophesPlaywright Alex Lodge on being in love with someone who’s from a different world than you.Have you read anything by Kurt Vonnegut Jr? I’m not here to judge you if you haven’t. He’s one of those writers who all the white boys in university say you “have to read” as ...23 hours ago
- Papuan protesters claim police using covid rapid tests to curb free speechAsia Pacific Report Indonesian police have asked participants at a protest action against Special Autonomy (Otsus) in Papua to take covid-19 rapid tests at the site of the demonstration in front of the Home Affairs Ministry office in Jakarta this week, reports CNN Indonesia. The protesters refused, saying it was ...23 hours ago
- Fake news was a thing long before Donald Trump — just ask the ancient GreeksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter S. Field, Head of Humanities and Creative Arts and Associate Professor of American History, University of Canterbury The idea of “news” is a pretty new thing. So is the concept of “fake news”, as in false or misleading information presented as ...23 hours ago
- Grant Robertson defends telling Reserve Bank to consider housing in its policy decisionsThe Finance Minister says the government needs to use all the economic tools available to try to control escalating house prices. ...23 hours ago
- Obituary: Sir Michael Somare, ‘father’ of PNG and colossus of Pacific politicsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Ritchie, Senior Lecturer in History, Deakin University Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, former prime minister of Papua New Guinea and a giant of Pacific politics, has died from pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Known as “Mike” to some and “the chief” ...24 hours ago
- How to get to zero deaths on New Zealand’s roadsLast year 320 people were killed on New Zealand’s roads. Alex Braae spoke to the people on the front line of road safety about the plan to turn that around. When the goal is to bring the road toll down to zero deaths a year, there’s no one simple solution. ...24 hours ago
- How Moa’s awful marketing left it stranded in craft beer no man’s landIts 2012 investment prospectus was all suits, cigars, guns, sports cars and models in short skirts, and its consumer advertising was possibly even worse. Did the Moa brand’s misogyny contribute to its huge losses?The middle of the road can wind up being a risky place for a business. Typically a ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – February 26 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Housing Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government’s slow crawl on housing continues Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Kiwis can’t outbid Kāinga Ora:’ Government grilled over $750 million house-buying bill Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Auditor-General investigates MSD scheme which ...1 day ago
- Phantom of the forest: how I rediscovered the rare cloaked bee in Australia, hidden for a centurySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, PhD Candidate, Flinders University It’s not often you get to cast your eyes on a creature feared to be long-gone. Perhaps that’s why my recent rediscovery of the native bee species Pharohylaeus lactiferus is so exciting — especially after ...1 day ago
- Sexual assault: what can you do if you don’t want to make a formal report to police?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgina Heydon, Associate professor, RMIT University The alleged rape of former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins has raised many questions about how sexual assault gets reported. Members of the Morrison government have repeatedly stressed the appropriate response to allegations of sexual assault ...1 day ago
- ‘Existential threat to our survival’: see the 19 Australian ecosystems already collapsingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong In 1992, 1,700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were “on a collision course”. Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and other life could have a ...1 day ago
- Odds are against ‘first in family’ uni students but equity policies are blind to themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Patfield, Postdoctoral Fellow, Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, University of Newcastle It’s that time of year again when hundreds of thousands of Australian students start university for the first time. Commencing students account for about 40% of the more than 1.6 ...1 day ago
- Texas was a warning. Australia needs to rethink the design of its electricity marketSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Australia’s electricity market is unsustainable. Texas shows us why. A week ago Texas experienced a bout of severe weather as arctic air reached deep into the state, driving temperature down to levels that ...1 day ago
- Friday essay: How can the dead send us emails? The ethical dilemma of digital soulsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University Tim Hart was sitting on his couch one evening in November 2011 when he got an email with the subject line: “I’m watching”. The message that followed was short and to the point ...1 day ago
- COVID vaccines won’t be compulsory for the Tokyo Olympics. But if offered, here’s what athletes ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Edwards, Associate Professor, Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney Brisbane has just been confirmed as the preferred host for the 2032 Olympics. But Olympic organisers have more immediate concerns in mind — how to safely run the postponed Tokyo ...1 day ago
- Live updates, February 26: National Party joins calls to vaccinate South Auckland firstWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for February 26. All the latest news from New Zealand, updated throughout the day. Reach me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur Members make The Spinoff happen. Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from ...1 day ago
- Migration will not return to pre-Covid levels when NZ border reopens, Immigration Minister warnsNew Zealand will not be throwing open its doors to the large numbers of new migrants seen in recent years, once it is ready to reopen the border. ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: Reserve Bank put in bind by Robertson moveGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Reserve Bank put in bind by Robertson move, Bridges clashes with top cop, and critical migrant health workers can’t get families in while new arrivals can.Finance minister Grant Robertson will be requiring the Reserve Bank to consider the impact on ...1 day ago
- NZ sharemarket now officially in correction mode
Business & Investing: The local sharemarket drops again as the kiwi dollar marches higher, Plus A2 Milk disappoints again ...1 day ago - As deaths surge, scientists study link between climate change and avalanches
There are clues globally that the avalanche threat is escalating in some regions as the planet warms, triggered by greater temperature swings and more intense rain and snow storms. Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News Big dumps of powder snow are a precious gift in the best of times ...1 day ago - Opposition MPs clash with Climate Commission
National and ACT MPs clashed with executives from the Climate Change Commission over modelling underpinning the Commission's advice. ...1 day ago - NZ, this is your Volkswagen moment
We need to make radical strategy shifts in farming and food production, and we need to start now. ...1 day ago - Overseas Kiwis pay off student debt in pandemic
A recent surge in student loan repayments from borrowers based overseas tells a tale of two types of debtors. ...1 day ago - A new problem to plague $525m new hospital
District health board members have been made aware of a new problem with a just-opened Christchurch Hospital building. Oliver Lewis reports. It was two years late and plagued by errors during construction, now a further major issue can be revealed at the new $525 million Christchurch Hospital building, Waipapa. Hundreds ...1 day ago - Our definition of climate success is seriously flawed
'Success' in achieving our proposed climate targets would only give us a 66 percent chance of avoiding irreversible climate damage. ...1 day ago - Disgust at China's state-sponsored 'Uyghurface' in Wellington
As further reports of torture and systemic rape emerge from Xinjiang, the PRC’s propaganda machine is hard at work in New Zealand. Laura Walters looks at why a Chinese New Year performance in Wellington was more than just cultural appropriation State-sponsored appropriation of Uyghur culture has been labelled “disgusting” and “disrespectful” ...1 day ago - Covid hit NZ a year ago. Where will it – and we – be in February 2022?Covid-19 vaccination won’t be enough to save us from hard choices that will need to be made during our second or even third year of living with the coronavirus. Keeping Covid-19 mostly out of New Zealand has been a Herculean feat, drawing praise from around the world. Over the next year, ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s top 13 abysses to gaze into, reviewed and rankedIf there’s a time for screaming into the void, 2021 is surely it. Josie Adams shares a baker’s dozen of Aotearoa’s top contenders.When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you, and it’s nice to have company. New Zealand’s geography is perfect for abysses, or abyssoi ...1 day ago
- The high life and disappearance of Jake Millar
Jake Millar is an extraordinary young man. The young entrepreneur who convinced the rich and famous to invest millions in his business has now disappeared - and so has the money. Jake Millar was just a teenager in 2015 when he sold his first business to the government for six figures. ...1 day ago - Grattan on Friday: Linda Reynolds’ future as defence minister is in her own handsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Defence Minister Linda Reynolds faces an agonising question. Should she say to Scott Morrison she doesn’t feel up to staying in what is one of the most demanding portfolios in the government? Reynolds broke down ...1 day ago
- ‘Crisis within a crisis’: Violence more risky for Fiji women than covidSPECIAL REPORT: By Sheldon Chanel in Suva Much of archipelagic Fiji was forced indoors by lockdowns and a nationwide curfew in March last year when the country recorded its first case of covid-19. The quick and decisive action by legislators was successful in helping contain the spread of a highly ...1 day ago
- West Papuans reject Jakarta plan for extension of special autonomyAsia Pacific Report The indigenous people of West Papua have rejected the extension of special autonomy and the planned expansion of new provinces announced by the central government of Indonesia. The rejection comes from grassroots communities across West Papua and Papuan students who are studying in Indonesia and overseas. Responding ...1 day ago
- Peter Winder appointed to lead Wellington coucil reviewThe man who led the review into the dysfunctional Tauranga City Council before it was taken over by a commissioner has been appointed to lead the review into Wellington's council. ...2 days ago
- Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March's partner's visa application in questionOpposition MPs are questioning whether there had been any special treatment from immigration officials in regards to Ricardo Menéndez March's partner's application. ...2 days ago
- Tiger Woods’ car crash injuries explained, according to a trauma surgeonSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Harris, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, UNSW Tiger Woods’ medical team has released a statement on Twitter to explain the injuries he sustained in his car crash earlier this week. The statement was from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a trauma centre, where ...2 days ago
- Business is Boring: The Christchurch mum getting people moving in the morningIn this week’s episode, host Simon Pound meets Lisa Fong (aka Move It Mama) whose Facebook Live workouts have found a loyal – and huge – audience worldwide.Nearly every morning, thousands of people around New Zealand and the world start their day with a workout led by a mum of ...2 days ago
- ACT rails against Māori ward legislationThe comparison of new Māori ward legislation with apartheid South Africa by the ACT Party has been labelled offensive and insulting. ...2 days 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.