Big ups to the young people who organized the anti sexual violence rally at Parliament right now. Looks like there is a huge crowd there including many older people in support.
Little should stfu. Calling the Māori Party ‘poodles’ is dumb – unless you’re going for a certain type of voter – and certainly is imo embarrasing for mahuta. Little is really illustrating arrogance and misguided machoness. Put your fucken glasses back on mate.
I just think he is on a hiding to nothing. He needs to focus on the gnats not the MP. Ffs there is an election to win off the GNATS not the MP. Focus on the shit rivers, the housing crisis, the people being left behind, low incomes, unemployed, infrastructure and managing immigration and refugees.. and climate change – that elephant anit going anywhere.
I agree calling them poodles is stupid. I still think they should be willing to work with the Mp and wonder how this approach works if Labour need them after the election to form govt. Is it all kiss and make up at that point?
But the Mp are a threat to Labour, and possibly the left too. It’s a big ask to expect Labour to bet on the Mp choosing them over National come Sept. Which is to say I understand the strategy of going for all the Māori seats even though I disagree with how they are doing it. Rock and a hard place, but could be handled way better.
MMP is a mess in NZ, I blame Peters 😉 Or get rid of the 5% threshold.
Yep agree 100%. The MP are a threat and there has to be a better way for labour to sort it – there does seem to still be some bad blood there which is related to f&seabed and also seems a bit nasty and personal. I can guarantee the MP can’t stand littles idiotic kaupapa patheticness. Why he seems to hate their guts im not sure – seems to be coming from fear of losing the seats. Little will not win this election if he focuses on the Māoru seats – he needs to go bigger than that, it really seems like an alll or nothing election coming up.
I’m kind of looking forward to the election campaign proper, just to see what they come up with and if they have their shit any more together. I think Little probably has done some good in house work in terms of sorting out the caucus etc. But it does look like the Māori seats are going to be a focus, and that they will go hard 🙁 The nasty stuff is unnecessary (looking at Davis there too).
Hope Harawira gets in! Hope we get some better media coverage of Māori politics!
This is a problem. It’s quite clear the Maori Party, while shackled to the National government, have done nothing at all for most Maori, only batting for elite Maori.
So too Harawira. Sure, he’s a real belligerent leftie but seemingly all his energy is taken up by trying to stay relevant rather than helping those who he claims to represent. This wasn’t the case when he was relatively independent pre-Internet Mana days.
This fight in the Maori seats has been set up by the National Party and is designed to split Maori the way they have split the rest of the country on a range of issues.
I’m confident Maori voters will see through the 9th floor/Tuku Morgan bullshit and do what’s best for Maori, and that is vote Labour.
“It’s quite clear the Maori Party, while shackled to the National government, have done nothing at all for most Maori, only batting for elite Maori.”
It’s a common accusation, I don’t see much to back that up though.
“I’m confident Maori voters will see through the 9th floor/Tuku Morgan bullshit and do what’s best for Maori, and that is vote Labour.”
Voting numbers suggest you are wrong. Māori spread the vote across the spectrum as far as I can tell. Plus the Greens are really stepping up for the Māori vote this election, so there is even more choice.
“It’s quite clear the Maori Party, while shackled to the National government, have done nothing at all for most Maori, only batting for elite Maori.”
It’s a common accusation, I don’t see much to back that up though.
Surely it’s the job of the supporters of the Maori Party to provide the evidence for their lifting the prospects of ordinary Maori.
And further, to state how an alliance with a Labour government would be worse for ordinary Maori, because that is the line they are taking right now.
By mounting this National Party backed challenge in the Maori seats and involving the naive and pliable Maori King in their stunt, they are stating that they are with National and I think Maori voters will see this with great clarity.
After all, what National Party candidates are their in the Maori electorates apart from all the Maori and Mana Party ones?
Any time I’ve seen someone start to present a different view they get shouted down that the Mp are just after the limo, or are just Nact poodles etc. I think in a Pākehā dominant space like TS the onus is on all of us to seek and understand the truth and the perspectives of Māori rather than only projecting our own politics onto the situation.
“And further to say how an alliance with a Labour government would be worse for ordinary Maori because that is the line they are taking right now.”
Who is arguing that? Citation for the Mp saying they will support National and not Labour please.
Citation? King Tuheitia’s Maori Party backed recent pronouncements, of course.
Also, there is a difference between accusing the Maori Party of being ‘after the limo’, and being Nact poodles.
It’s not fair that you equate these criticisms because one is from the racist right and the other is from the socially conscious left.
As for seeking the truth, and the perspectives of Maori, I can only go on what I see the Maori Party do, which is to support National in government, and to fight Labour in the Maori seats at election time.
“Citation? King Tuheitia’s Maori Party backed recent pronouncements, of course.”
Please link to exact statements. I’ve seen a lot of stuff said about that, but like I say, it’s always with additional politics in it and rarely is it positioned within Māori understandings of what is going on.
“Also, there is a difference between accusing the Maori Party of being ‘after the limo’, and being Nact poodles.
It’s not fair that you equate these criticisms because one is from the racist right and the other is from the socially conscious left.”
I’ve seen both those accusations made by lefties on TS. Many times.
“As for seeking the truth, and the perspectives of Maori, I can only go on what I see the Maori Party do, which is to support National in government, and to fight Labour in the Maori seats at election time.”
Since the Mp were formed, there was one term where Labour were govt. How many times did the Mp vote with Labour on legislation, and what were the bills?
Since 2008, the Mp have never had the opportunity to support a Labour govt. So the argument you make there seems disingenuous to me.
Of course they’re going to fight Labour over the Māori seats, that’s their core constituency.
This is interesting,
Going into the election, Labour had assurances of support from the Greens (six seats in 2005, down three from 2002) and from the Progressives (one seat, down one). This three-party bloc won 57 seats, leaving Clark four seats short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 121-seat Parliament (decreased from the expected 122 because the final results gave the Māori Party only one overhang seat, after it appeared to win two overhang seats on election night). On 5 October the Māori Party began a series of hui to decide whom to support. That same day reports emerged that a meeting between Helen Clark and Māori co-leader Tariana Turia on 3 October had already ruled out a formal coalition between Labour and the Māori Party. Māori Party representatives also held discussions with National representatives, but most New Zealanders thought the Māori Party more likely to give confidence-supply support to a Labour-dominated government because its supporters apparently heavily backed Labour in the party vote.
Had Turia and her co-leader Pita Sharples opted to join a Labour-Progressive-Green coalition, Clark would have had sufficient support to govern with support from a grouping of four parties (Labour, Green, Māori and Progressive). Without the Māori Party, Labour needed the support of New Zealand First (seven seats, down six) and United Future (three seats, down five) to form a government. New Zealand First said it would support (or at least abstain from opposing in confidence-motions) the party with the most seats. Clark sought from New Zealand First a positive commitment rather than abstention. United Future, which had supported the previous Labour-Progressive minority government in confidence and supply, said it would talk first to the party with the most seats about support or coalition. Both New Zealand First and United Future said they would not support a Labour-led coalition which included Greens in Cabinet posts. However, United Future indicated it could support a government where the Greens gave supply-and-confidence votes.[9]
Brash had only one possible scenario to become Prime Minister: a centre-right coalition with United Future and ACT (two seats, down seven). Given the election results, however, such a coalition would have required the confidence-and-supply votes of both New Zealand First and the Māori Party. This appeared highly unlikely on several counts. New Zealand First’s involvement in such a coalition would have run counter to Peters’ promise to deal with the biggest party, and Turia and Sharples would have had difficulty in justifying supporting National after their supporters’ overwhelming support for Labour in the party vote. Turia and Sharples probably remembered the severe mauling New Zealand First suffered in the 1999 election. (Many of its supporters in 1996 believed they had voted to get rid of National, only to have Peters go into coalition with National; New Zealand First has never really recovered.) Even without this to consider, National had indicated it would abolish the Maori seats if it won power.
The new government as eventually formed consisted of Labour and Progressive in coalition, while New Zealand First and United Future entered agreements of support on confidence and supply motions. In an unprecedented move, Peters and Dunne became Foreign Affairs Minister and Revenue Minister, respectively, but remained outside cabinet and had no obligatory cabinet collective responsibility on votes outside their respective portfolios.
I feel you are being deliberately ignorant of the recent statements of King Tuheitia. It has been well documented, and to say that all those who think he’s stepped outside his role ‘don’t know Maori’ is wrong. It is quite exclusive and divisive in fact which I’m sure is not what you want.
Sure you’ve seen ‘after the limo’ comments from TS posters, but you haven’t seen them from me.
Not interested in what the Maori Party did in 2005 to be honest. This is 2017.
“It has been well documented, and to say that all those who think he’s stepped outside his role ‘don’t know Maori’ is wrong.”
I”m not saying that. I’m saying that if you want to use his position to back up your argument then you either need to link to specific statements so I know what you are meaning specifically, or risk me seeing your use of that argument as self-serving. And for the reasons I have outlined about the nature of TS, I think it’s reasonable to expect you to be more clear and specific rather than general.
“Sure you’ve seen ‘after the limo’ comments from TS posters, but you haven’t seen them from me.”
I wasn’t talking about you.
“Not interested in what the Maori Party did in 2005 to be honest. This is 2017.”
Fine, you just can’t make the claim that the Mp only support National or will never support Labour. They’re not in a position to support a Labour govt in 2017.
The Trump administration is exploring how to dismantle or bypass Obama-era constraints intended to prevent civilian deaths from drone attacks, commando raids and other counterterrorism missions outside conventional war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations.
It reminded me that Farrar posted a guest-post by rape apologist Ben Nettleton yesterday. As is Farrar’s lazy cut and paste style of blogging, he concluded by saying only, “a very good post”.
This makes Farrar a rape apologist too, imo, because they both attack these school students who are brave enough to speak out about something which concerns them, at the steps of Parliament.
I couldn’t bring myself to read it, but that’s the conclusion I came to about Farrar too. Useful to see where he stands, and probably not a surprise for such an amoral person.
Most of the fathers of these boys would probably be about my age (36), and most likely would have spent the last 15 years in front of their sons with their mates (with some Tui’s) saying the same thing. Yes, I do blame the fathers, as I know my generation only too wellm
It’s worse because they’d be older than that (I’m picking 45-55), but they’d still have been taking inappropriately in front of (not to) their teenage sons for some time.
Also, these fathers are emotionally awol because they can’t find the time to father on these issues, or they don’t know how, or they don’t give a shit, or they too are rape apologists.
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The Government is significantly increasing its investment in restoring Central Otago’s waterways while at the same time delivering jobs to the region hard-hit by the economic impact of Covid-19, says Land Information Minister, Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor says two new community projects under the Jobs for Nature funding programme will ...
The Government has confirmed details of COVID-19 support for business and workers following the increased alert levels due to a resurgence of the virus over the weekend. Following two new community cases of COVID-19, Auckland moved to Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand moved to Alert Level ...
The Government remains committed to hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022 should a decision be made by World Rugby this weekend to postpone this year’s tournament. World Rugby is recommending the event be postponed until next year due to COVID-19, with a final decision to ...
Community and social service support providers have again swung into action to help people and families affected by the current COVID-19 alert levels. “The Government recognises that in many instances social service, community, iwi and Whānau Ora organisations are best placed to provide vital support to the communities impacted by ...
The Government is following through on an election promise to conduct an independent review into PHARMAC, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. The Review will focus on two areas: How well PHARMAC performs against its current objectives and whether and how its performance against these ...
Some of the country’s most forward-thinking early-career conservationists are among recipients of a new scholarship aimed at supporting a new generation of biodiversity champions, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has awarded one-year postgraduate research scholarships of $15,000 to ten Masters students in the natural ...
I acknowledge our whānau overseas, joining us from Te Whenua Moemoeā, and I wish to pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all today. I am very pleased to be part of the conversation on Indigenous business, and part ...
Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today that main benefits will increase by 3.1 percent on 1 April, in line with the rise in the average wage. The Government announced changes to the annual adjustment of main benefits in Budget 2019, indexing main benefit increases to the average ...
A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Ngāti Maru and the Crown settling the iwi’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The Ngāti Maru rohe is centred on the inland Waitara River valley, east to the Whanganui River and its ...
With a suite of Government income support packages available, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni is encouraging people, and businesses, connected to the recent Auckland COVID-19 cases to check the Work and Income website if they’ve been impacted by the need to self-isolate. “If you are required to ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences at the passing of long-serving former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare. “Our thoughts are with Lady Veronica Somare and family, Prime Minister James Marape and the people of Papua New Guinea during this time of great ...
E te tī, e te tā Tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou Ki te whenua e takoto nei Ki te rangi e tū iho nei Ki a tātou e tau nei Tēnā tātou. It’s great to be with you today, along with some of the ministerial housing team; Hon Peeni Henare, the ...
The Government is backing a new project to use drone technology to transform our understanding and protection of the Māui dolphin, Aotearoa’s most endangered dolphin. “The project is just one part of the Government’s plan to save the Māui dolphin. We are committed to protecting this treasure,” Oceans and Fisheries ...
Major water reform has taken a step closer with the appointment of the inaugural board of the Taumata Arowai water services regulator, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. Former Director General of Health and respected public health specialist Dame Karen Poutasi will chair the inaugural board of Crown agency Taumata Arowai. “Dame ...
The newly completed Hibiscus Coast Bus Station will help people make better transport choices to help ease congestion and benefit the environment, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said today. Michael Wood and Phil Goff officially opened the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station which sits just off the ...
New funding announced by Conservation Minister Kiri Allan today will provide work and help protect the unique values of Northland’s Te Ārai Nature Reserve for future generations. Te Ārai is culturally important to Te Aupōuri as the last resting place of the spirits before they depart to Te Rerenga Wairua. ...
Today the Government has taken a key step to support Pacific people to becoming Community Housing providers, says the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This will be great news for Pacific communities with the decision to provide Pacific Financial Capability Grant funding and a tender process to ...
Conservation Minister Kiri Allan is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on a proposed marine mammal sanctuary to address the rapid decline of bottlenose dolphins in Te Pēwhairangi, the Bay of Islands. The proposal, developed jointly with Ngā Hapū o te Pēwhairangi, would protect all marine mammals of the ...
Attorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges. Two of the appointees will take up their roles on 1 April, replacing sitting Judges who have reached retirement age. Kirsten Lummis, lawyer of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to ...
Government 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 ...
The 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 ...
The 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 ...
The 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 ...
The 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 ...
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. ...
The 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 ...
Treaty 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 ...
22,400 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 ...
It’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 ...
Three 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 ...
The 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 ...
The 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 ...
Tena 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 ...
The 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 ...
Minister 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilo López-Aguirre, PhD Candidate, UNSW Scientists have found another piece in the puzzle of how echolocation evolved in bats, moving closer to solving a decades-long evolutionary mystery. All bats — apart from the fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae (also called flying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jordy Meekes, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, The University of Melbourne That Australian women earn less than Australian men is well-known. The latest calculation put the gap – the extent to which the average female full-time wage is ...
All the major news events, which will hopefully not be too many. Get in touch at info@thespinoff.co.nz Help keep The Spinoff alive and kicking. Click here to learn how you can support The Spinoff from as little as $1.8.00am: The day aheadThere are a couple of things we’ll be looking out ...
In this week's Critic's Choice review, Guy Somerset watches I Care a Lot on Amazon Prime and wonders if kindness has its limits Do you think Jacinda Ardern has been watching I Care a Lot? It would explain a lot, As Newsroom political editor Jo Moir wrote earlier this week, ...
By Ramzy Baroud At a glance, it may appear that the split of Arab political parties in Israel is consistent with a typical pattern of political and ideological divisions which have afflicted the Arab body politic for many years. This time, however, the ...
Discovering that her favourite summer drink is apparently an offence against wine, Charlotte Muru-Lanning sets out to uncover whether it’s actually so awful to serve red wine on the rocks.After many summers spent pouring red wine over ice without much thought, it recently struck me that maybe this combination was, ...
LISTEN: Extra Time examines two big issues in women's sport this week - postponing the Rugby World Cup and the Silver Ferns' battle for the crown that eludes them. Poised at one game a piece, can the Silver Ferns overcome a spirited young Australian Diamonds side and end a nine-year drought without netball's ...
"If Maggie said she was going to bake a cake, Lois always turned up with one that was bigger, more chocolatey and with fancier icing": a shaggy cake story by Shani Naylor. It was 2am. Maggie opened her eyes and lay still in bed. She could hear her husband Ken's ...
The art world is being bombarded with something called ‘non-fungible tokens’. We asked artist and crypto expert Simon Denny to help us explain what they are.At first glimpse, a gif of Nyan Cat is nothing special. It’s a bit cute, a bit nostalgic. So why did one sell for US$450,000? ...
Journalists avoid his calls, editors loathe it when he highlights mistakes. But he reckons he’s not scary at all. Chris Schulz meets RNZ’s Mr Mediawatch, Colin Peacock.Over his summer holidays, Colin Peacock tried to switch off. For much of the previous 12 months, the 52-year-old host of Radio ...
While it has since been deleted and apologised for, an op-ed by former Labour MP Michael Bassett published by the Northland Age and the NZ Herald this week caused an uproar for its racist cherry-picking and false reporting of historical facts. Historian Scott Hamilton sets the record straight.Michael Bassett is ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Deaths, West Europe still not “out of the woods”. Chart by Keith Rankin. Deaths, East Europe remains a major concern. Chart by Keith Rankin. At first glance through our rear-vision mirror, western Europe had a substantial spring outbreak of Covid19, and further outbreaks in spring and ...
A starter’s list for the national Aotearoa museum of the sporting damned. Richard Irvine confronts the demons.The sunGenerally it’s hard to make an argument against the giver of all life, as it provides photosynthesis, vitamin D and enables a wide range of recreational activities. But when it runs rampant around ...
Auckland can breathe a sigh relief knowing at 6am on Sunday the region will move down to Alert Level 2 after another seven long days in lockdown. Government and health officials are now turning their minds to lessons learnt, following a week of mixed messaging, rule-breaking and blame and shame, writes political ...
Three future scenarios after today’s large offshore earthquakes.A trio of serious earthquakes saw parts of Aotearoa shaken, tsunami threats triggered, and tens of thousands of people heading inland after evacuation instructions.Of the magnitude-7-plus events, the first, shortly before 2.30am, was centered off East Cape. Measuring 7.1, it was felt across ...
Analysis - The prime minister came down hard on lockdown rule-breakers but were they clearly told what they had to do? Peter Wilson looks into the reports as another crisis lurks in the background. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Gleeson, Associate professor, La Trobe University News of the blockage of a shipment of 250,000 COVID-19 vaccines from Europe to Australia has caused concern and outrage. The immediate problem will probably be quickly solved through diplomatic channels. Even if it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Stern, Professor of Geophysics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The Tonga Kermadec subduction zone stretches between New Zealand and south of Samoa.USGS, CC BY-SA A sequence of three major offshore earthquakes, including a magnitude 8.1 quake near ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Director of the Institute for Governance & Policy Analysis Dr Laine Dare discuss the week in politics. This week the pair discuss some of the 148 recommendations ...
The minister responsible for the country's spy agencies says they can't constantly monitor the internet to identify terror threats and instead rely on the public to raise the alarm. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle Celebrity testimonials abound for pills, potions and creams that purport to make you look younger. This time collagen supplements are in the spotlight, after Jennifer Aniston became the face of one ...
Have the government’s Covid-related messages been getting through to Pacific and non-Pacific ethnic communities in South Auckland? Justin Latif tried to find out.John Pulu is one of the best-known television and radio personalities in New Zealand’s Pacific community. He not only fronts TVNZ’s Tagata Pasifika Saturday morning show, but also hosts ...
James Elliott tries to work out what made Mike Hosking and Brian Tamaki tick everyone off this week. The week started with Aucklanders back under Alert level 3 and Mike Hosking on Alert Level 6. “Mike’s Minute” on NewstalkZB on Monday, which as usual lasted significantly longer than a minute, ...
Fonterra has confirmed what most analysts had been predicting and lifted its 2020/21 forecast farmgate milk price range to $7.30 – $7.90 kg/MS, up from $6.90 – $7.50. This should send a further surge of confidence across NZ’s rural regions, hopefully in a wave strong enough to encourage farmers to ...
A Financial Times leader delivers advice that Finance Minister Grant Robertson should (but probably won’t) consider. Essentially, the advice is to resist the temptation to involve the central bank in the challenge of slowing the rise in house prices. Changing regulation and reforming planning law is a smarter way to ...
The NZ Superannuation Fund has divested from five Israeli banks due to their suspected involvement in illegal settlement construction. Michael Andrew reports.The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, an autonomous crown entity and manager of the multi-billion NZ Super Fund, has divested from five Israeli banks due to their funding of ...
A contestant on the new season of The Bachelor has apologised for ‘controversial’ social media posts comparing mask wearing to ‘slavery’ and for questioning the scientific consensus around Covid-19. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports.Shivani Pragji is – according to her LinkedIn profile – a solicitor working for the Ministry of Business, Innovation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, PhD, Media and Politics, Deakin University A couple of days ago, the musician Grimes sold some animations she made with her brother Mac on a website called Nifty Gateway. Some were one-offs, while others were limited editions of a few ...
Analysis: We are able to send a blaring alert to the phone of every New Zealanders to warn of Covid lockdowns, yet we still struggle to warn them of the danger of a tsunami This coming week, it will be 10 years since Japan was hit by the Tohoku earthquake, one ...
Moa brewery sold in February for $1.9m, leaving behind an unsavoury legacy. Michael Andrew speaks to the new owner about how the brewery plans to move forward, while at the same time returning to its Marlborough roots.Moa Brewing Company’s new owner Stephen Smith has criticised the company’s old marketing strategy, ...
By RNZ News An 8.0 earthquake has struck near the Kermadec Islands, hours after a 7.4 quake near the Kermadecs and a 7.1 off the North Island coast, A 7.4 quake struck near the Kermadec Islands earlier this morning. The islands are 800km to 1000km from New Zealand. National Emergency ...
National Parks are being closed off to allow fallow deer to be bombarded with 1080 poison. The proposal has drawn strong criticism from the Australian hunting public and also New Zealand’s Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust. Laurie Collins, spokesman ...
In the fallout from the Dirty Politics defamation hearing, how can the Food and Grocery Council and its chief continue to deny involvement in attacks on public health academics? Tim Murphy explains its stance. The middleman has 'fessed up. So where does that leave the two prominent players on either side ...
Mike Hosking is a king of breakfast radio, a lover of blazers, and deliverer of opinions via his long-running online video series, Mike’s Minute. José Barbosa absorbed three months’ worth of those opinions in one go, and lived to tell the tale. Just. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about ...
The 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 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Bloomsbury, $25)This 2011 bestseller set during the Trojan War has ...
A new poem from Melbourne-based poet Grace Yee.I have heardthat the price of a pound of gold has gone grey over the last couple of monthsthat the first sovereign lord beheaded his grandsonthat chinese market gardeners in suburbia shipped out after decades of fastingand purificationthat evil-intentioned hooligans penetrated the palace ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Parry, Professor of Computer Science, Auckland University of Technology Although international travel restrictions for Australia have been extended to at least June, there may still be potential for a trans-Tasman bubble with New Zealand (and maybe some other countries), according to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamie Triccas, Professor of Medical Microbiology, University of Sydney The United States’ drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said last week COVID vaccines updated for variants won’t need to go through full randomised controlled clinical trials. The booster shots will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Milte, Matthew Flinders Senior Research Fellow, Flinders University The final report from the aged care royal commission this week was damning. Speaking of a system in crisis, it calls for an urgent overhaul. The Morrison government has been facing difficult questions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David John Eldridge, Professor of Dryland Ecology, UNSW After 200 years of European farming practices, Australian soils are in bad shape – depleted of nutrients and organic matter, including carbon. This is bad news for both soil health and efforts to address ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Vaill, PhD Candidate Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology Students are heading off to universities around Australia, whether for the first time or as returning students, with expectations of a year of learning, making friends and enjoyable socialising. For some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jan Thomas, Vice-Chancellor, Massey University As first-year students flooded onto campuses around the country this week, gripped with uncertainty and curiosity about their new lives, I too returned to university to learn. For the first time since what feels like forever, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW After years of repeatedly missing its inflation target through too timid monetary policy, in the past week the Reserve Bank has decided to get tough. Not only did it hold its closely watched cash rate target ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McNeil, Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney It’s Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras festival time. LGBTQI people are enjoying what some call “gay or lesbian Christmas”. It’s not quite the same in the era of COVID, ...
A tech expert is warning the government could face multiple stumbling blocks if it makes QR code scanning mandatory - in particular when dealing with tech giants like Apple and Google. ...
*This story first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. A tsunami alert has been issued after a 7.4 earthquake near the Kermadec Islands. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it expects strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore. It says the threat is from ...
Live coverage of the snap lockdown and the search for a source of the latest infection. Auckland is now at alert level three, NZ at level two. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.50am: Two major earthquakes strike; tsunami warning in placeTwo major earthquakes have struck off the coast of New Zealand ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Cabinet to decide on lifting lockdown today, questions raised about the stability of the housing market, and people instinctively respond to tsunami threat after earthquake.A decision will be made today on whether or not Auckland will come out of level ...
The military is showing little sign of backing down, but the coup could have the unintended consequence of unifying Myanmar society in opposition, across significant ethnic divisions. A month ago, citing dubious claims of electoral fraud in the November 2020 election, Myanmar’s military deposed the country’s democratically elected National League for Democracy ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve BrauniasFICTION 1 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35) "She wrote a lot of Auē in a family friend’s house at the moody mouth of the Mokihunui River, 20km ...
A Harvard professor presenting his opinions on alien life as fact when the field at large doesn't agree is misrepresenting science, argues Dr Heloise Stevance For years now Abraham (Avi) Loeb has been a rather passionate advocate for what I call 'The Alien Hypothesis' 一 the idea that extraterrestrial lifeforms are the source of ...
Anna Rawhiti-Connell doesn't want an investment or an asset, but a home. Yet because of last century’s broken promises, she feels like an idiot fish, destined to swim against a current with other idiot fish who think their life savings and lifelong debt will guarantee them a house. We went to some open homes ...
All eyes are on the Prime Minister to schedule the rollout – or flyout – to the more remote corners of NZ and the Pacific There is growing anticipation about the announcement of the Covid vaccine rollout to New Zealand's general population and the Pacific realm countries. The schedule is close ...
Were we right to leave lockdown so early after the Valentine's Day cluster was first discovered? And was our return to lockdown a result of anything more than bad luck? Marc Daalder reports Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern fronted a press conference on February 17, three days after Auckland plunged ...
With the America's Cup first-to-seven showdown about to begin, Suzanne McFadden asks a six-time winner how much could it come down to the helmsmen? Murray Jones knows the exact essence of what makes an America’s Cup helmsman great. A phenomenal Kiwi sailor in his own right, Jones has worked alongside ...
Rio Olympian Helena Gasson may be one of the oldest Kiwi swimmers still at the top of their game, but she's found a new gear - breaking 20 NZ records in the past 18 months. Even in the year of Covid, with her plans abruptly changed and her training schedule interrupted, Helena ...
After literally thousands of requests, we’ve finally caved. We’ve decided to rank beans in an arbitrary yet unequivocally correct fashion.A-mung the current chaos of the world we live in, there’s an inherent desire to create order. Some found that order in the first lockdown by cleaning their house or exercising ...
A bar planned for Auckland’s St Kevin’s Arcade is facing opposition from locals concerned about the character of the owner, former Married at First Sight contestant Chris Mansfield, who still faces outstanding domestic violence charges in the US.The two lots inside St Kevin’s Arcade where Chris Mansfield plans to open ...
We thought the Covid messages were clear - but the latest Auckland lockdown has muddied the message. One political strategist says it's been like "putting tomato sauce on ice cream". New Zealand's Covid-19 communications response has been hailed the world over. Its success has catapulted us into the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has a near obsession with control. But suddenly – in the course of only weeks – he has found himself presiding over a government in a shambles, where he is reacting rather than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia A great deal has been written and said in the last few days about the next steps in the historic claim of rape against Attorney-General Christian Porter. There are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carola Garcia de Vinuesa, Professor and Co-Director, Centre for Personalised Immunology, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, Australian National University Some 90 prominent scientists, including Nobel laureates and other leading Australian and international researchers, today called for convicted child murderer Kathleen Folbigg to ...
The threats to use car bombs at the two mosques that were attacked on 15 March 2019 are especially cruel as we come up to the second anniversary of those attacks. It shows the need for a strong national security system, with clear leadership and direction ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Royal Commission into Aged Care has now delivered its final report, and its findings are an indictment of the inadequacies of the present system. The report calls for a refocus within the aged care ...
Police have arrested two people following an online threat against two Christchurch mosques, Marc Daalder reports Christchurch police say two people arrested over an online threat against two mosques are being cooperative. One of the people arrested, a 27-year-old man, has been charged with threatening to kill. On Sunday, a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Iliadis, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Deakin University The continuing media coverage of rape and sexual assault allegations faced by current and former political figures has put many sexual abuse survivors at risk of being traumatised all over again. Widespread media attention ...
“Thanks to Labour’s bungling bureaucracy, hardworking New Zealanders are locked down with their livelihoods threatened, and the Prime Minister still isn’t telling the truth. It is time for a reset. We need a purpose built, Taiwan-style, Epidemic ...
Nick announces “Bills scratch and win and an apartment lotto”
Big ups to the young people who organized the anti sexual violence rally at Parliament right now. Looks like there is a huge crowd there including many older people in support.
If men got interviewed the way women do when reporting crime.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tracey-ullman-gives-men-a-taste-of-the-worlds-ugliest-double-standard_us_58c60992e4b054a0ea6b6b53?
If women got to legislate about men’s bodies…
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/323624-texas-state-rep-proposes-fines-for-masturbation
I think this is where the idea came from 😉
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2017/01/27/photo-of-trump-and-male-staffers-signing-anti-abortion-measure-inspires-feminist-satire/
Sounds familiar….
Little should stfu. Calling the Māori Party ‘poodles’ is dumb – unless you’re going for a certain type of voter – and certainly is imo embarrasing for mahuta. Little is really illustrating arrogance and misguided machoness. Put your fucken glasses back on mate.
I just think he is on a hiding to nothing. He needs to focus on the gnats not the MP. Ffs there is an election to win off the GNATS not the MP. Focus on the shit rivers, the housing crisis, the people being left behind, low incomes, unemployed, infrastructure and managing immigration and refugees.. and climate change – that elephant anit going anywhere.
I agree calling them poodles is stupid. I still think they should be willing to work with the Mp and wonder how this approach works if Labour need them after the election to form govt. Is it all kiss and make up at that point?
But the Mp are a threat to Labour, and possibly the left too. It’s a big ask to expect Labour to bet on the Mp choosing them over National come Sept. Which is to say I understand the strategy of going for all the Māori seats even though I disagree with how they are doing it. Rock and a hard place, but could be handled way better.
MMP is a mess in NZ, I blame Peters 😉 Or get rid of the 5% threshold.
Yep agree 100%. The MP are a threat and there has to be a better way for labour to sort it – there does seem to still be some bad blood there which is related to f&seabed and also seems a bit nasty and personal. I can guarantee the MP can’t stand littles idiotic kaupapa patheticness. Why he seems to hate their guts im not sure – seems to be coming from fear of losing the seats. Little will not win this election if he focuses on the Māoru seats – he needs to go bigger than that, it really seems like an alll or nothing election coming up.
I’m kind of looking forward to the election campaign proper, just to see what they come up with and if they have their shit any more together. I think Little probably has done some good in house work in terms of sorting out the caucus etc. But it does look like the Māori seats are going to be a focus, and that they will go hard 🙁 The nasty stuff is unnecessary (looking at Davis there too).
Hope Harawira gets in! Hope we get some better media coverage of Māori politics!
This is a problem. It’s quite clear the Maori Party, while shackled to the National government, have done nothing at all for most Maori, only batting for elite Maori.
So too Harawira. Sure, he’s a real belligerent leftie but seemingly all his energy is taken up by trying to stay relevant rather than helping those who he claims to represent. This wasn’t the case when he was relatively independent pre-Internet Mana days.
This fight in the Maori seats has been set up by the National Party and is designed to split Maori the way they have split the rest of the country on a range of issues.
I’m confident Maori voters will see through the 9th floor/Tuku Morgan bullshit and do what’s best for Maori, and that is vote Labour.
“It’s quite clear the Maori Party, while shackled to the National government, have done nothing at all for most Maori, only batting for elite Maori.”
It’s a common accusation, I don’t see much to back that up though.
“I’m confident Maori voters will see through the 9th floor/Tuku Morgan bullshit and do what’s best for Maori, and that is vote Labour.”
Voting numbers suggest you are wrong. Māori spread the vote across the spectrum as far as I can tell. Plus the Greens are really stepping up for the Māori vote this election, so there is even more choice.
Surely it’s the job of the supporters of the Maori Party to provide the evidence for their lifting the prospects of ordinary Maori.
And further, to state how an alliance with a Labour government would be worse for ordinary Maori, because that is the line they are taking right now.
By mounting this National Party backed challenge in the Maori seats and involving the naive and pliable Maori King in their stunt, they are stating that they are with National and I think Maori voters will see this with great clarity.
After all, what National Party candidates are their in the Maori electorates apart from all the Maori and Mana Party ones?
Any time I’ve seen someone start to present a different view they get shouted down that the Mp are just after the limo, or are just Nact poodles etc. I think in a Pākehā dominant space like TS the onus is on all of us to seek and understand the truth and the perspectives of Māori rather than only projecting our own politics onto the situation.
“And further to say how an alliance with a Labour government would be worse for ordinary Maori because that is the line they are taking right now.”
Who is arguing that? Citation for the Mp saying they will support National and not Labour please.
Citation? King Tuheitia’s Maori Party backed recent pronouncements, of course.
Also, there is a difference between accusing the Maori Party of being ‘after the limo’, and being Nact poodles.
It’s not fair that you equate these criticisms because one is from the racist right and the other is from the socially conscious left.
As for seeking the truth, and the perspectives of Maori, I can only go on what I see the Maori Party do, which is to support National in government, and to fight Labour in the Maori seats at election time.
“Citation? King Tuheitia’s Maori Party backed recent pronouncements, of course.”
Please link to exact statements. I’ve seen a lot of stuff said about that, but like I say, it’s always with additional politics in it and rarely is it positioned within Māori understandings of what is going on.
“Also, there is a difference between accusing the Maori Party of being ‘after the limo’, and being Nact poodles.
It’s not fair that you equate these criticisms because one is from the racist right and the other is from the socially conscious left.”
I’ve seen both those accusations made by lefties on TS. Many times.
“As for seeking the truth, and the perspectives of Maori, I can only go on what I see the Maori Party do, which is to support National in government, and to fight Labour in the Maori seats at election time.”
Since the Mp were formed, there was one term where Labour were govt. How many times did the Mp vote with Labour on legislation, and what were the bills?
Since 2008, the Mp have never had the opportunity to support a Labour govt. So the argument you make there seems disingenuous to me.
Of course they’re going to fight Labour over the Māori seats, that’s their core constituency.
This is interesting,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_general_election,_2005
I feel you are being deliberately ignorant of the recent statements of King Tuheitia. It has been well documented, and to say that all those who think he’s stepped outside his role ‘don’t know Maori’ is wrong. It is quite exclusive and divisive in fact which I’m sure is not what you want.
Sure you’ve seen ‘after the limo’ comments from TS posters, but you haven’t seen them from me.
Not interested in what the Maori Party did in 2005 to be honest. This is 2017.
“It has been well documented, and to say that all those who think he’s stepped outside his role ‘don’t know Maori’ is wrong.”
I”m not saying that. I’m saying that if you want to use his position to back up your argument then you either need to link to specific statements so I know what you are meaning specifically, or risk me seeing your use of that argument as self-serving. And for the reasons I have outlined about the nature of TS, I think it’s reasonable to expect you to be more clear and specific rather than general.
“Sure you’ve seen ‘after the limo’ comments from TS posters, but you haven’t seen them from me.”
I wasn’t talking about you.
“Not interested in what the Maori Party did in 2005 to be honest. This is 2017.”
Fine, you just can’t make the claim that the Mp only support National or will never support Labour. They’re not in a position to support a Labour govt in 2017.
Trump peace dividend.
/
The Trump administration is exploring how to dismantle or bypass Obama-era constraints intended to prevent civilian deaths from drone attacks, commando raids and other counterterrorism missions outside conventional war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/12/us/politics/trump-loosen-counterterrorism-rules.html?_r=0
Ugly
http://m.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/12/1642672/-Rep-Steve-King-openly-peddles-white-nationalism-Demographics-are-our-destiny
Can’t link it but there was a photo of a Tui Ad sign being held up (presumably at this event) saying “It’s just locker room talk”.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/326507/'we-will-not-put-up-with-rape-culture-any-longer‘
It reminded me that Farrar posted a guest-post by rape apologist Ben Nettleton yesterday. As is Farrar’s lazy cut and paste style of blogging, he concluded by saying only, “a very good post”.
This makes Farrar a rape apologist too, imo, because they both attack these school students who are brave enough to speak out about something which concerns them, at the steps of Parliament.
I couldn’t bring myself to read it, but that’s the conclusion I came to about Farrar too. Useful to see where he stands, and probably not a surprise for such an amoral person.
Most of the fathers of these boys would probably be about my age (36), and most likely would have spent the last 15 years in front of their sons with their mates (with some Tui’s) saying the same thing. Yes, I do blame the fathers, as I know my generation only too wellm
It’s worse because they’d be older than that (I’m picking 45-55), but they’d still have been taking inappropriately in front of (not to) their teenage sons for some time.
Also, these fathers are emotionally awol because they can’t find the time to father on these issues, or they don’t know how, or they don’t give a shit, or they too are rape apologists.
Perhaps you should choose your friends better. Im only a few years older and my mates dont carry on like that.